AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mirri looked perplexed as he glanced around the room. "Should I be?"
I huffed. "No. Please, for the love of the source, don't behave as badly as the rest of these idiots. What were you saying about the lake, Mirri?"
The tips of his ears went pink, but his entire demeanor shifted. His smooth voice was suave, and his eyes full of promise as he looked at me, clearly taking a page from Fife’s book. "Oh. Fertility ceremonies," he said with a grin. "Maybe we should pay the lake a visit this afternoon while we're out."
Gambol muttered something under his breath and stepped around Mirri to get out of the parlor.
"Thank you for visiting!" Fife called after him in a sing-song voice. "Come again soon, Gambol, dear!"
I waited until I heard the entry door open and close again before I spoke. "What is wrong with you all?"
Mirri and Bach looked contrite. Adder indifferent, as always. But Fife just met my eyes and replied, "Everything."
I snorted. "He's my friend, Fife. And one I would like to keep. Can you please stop picking on him?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, and I wondered if he had overheard Gambol's suspicions about my new mates. “Why does your old friend constantly walk around with a glamour on?” he asked softly.
I huffed at him. My magic wasn’t strong enough to pick up on glamours, for the most part. So I had no idea if Fife was right or not. He had commented previously that he thought there was something duplicitous about Gambol. But Fife was also apparently prone to jealousy toward any male who wasn’t my mate.
“It’s not a crime to wear a glamour, Fife,” I said with exasperation. “Maybe he’s self-conscious. Not everyone is lucky enough to be born a beautiful high fae cleric that everyone puts up with just because of his looks. Maybe you should try to remember the advantages of your position.”
That earned me an eye roll. "I'll try," Fife said, coming to press a teasing kiss against my lips. "But no promises."
And I suppose that was the best I was going to get for now. Shaking my head, I shooed them all out of the parlor and toward the door. We had more important things to attend to than Fife's silly jealousy.
Chapter 24
I spent the next several days traveling all around the territory with my mates. We tried to disguise the fact that we were setting a trap. Instead, we visited handpicked locations with the excuse of tending to steward duties or household needs. In truth, we really did have business in most of the places we visited. We started with the mines on the west side of the territory, where I spoke with Ruby to make sure everything was going well since we had announced the mage dust and star crystal finds. I also told her about our suspicions that someone had snuck out some mage dust and sold it to the dwarves.
Ruby’s eyes had gone wide in surprise, then narrowed. “That little rat!” She ground out. Shaking her head, she let out a disappointed sigh. “One of my best workers, he was. And I bet he’ll deny it ‘til his dying day. I guess you just never know who you can trust.”
Fife was off checking up on the group of fae who maintained the additional magical reinforcements and protections he had placed on the mines during one of our previous visits. After my chat with Ruby, I joined him and the others outside the mine. Fife carried a long, slender case under his arm. And when he was done with his initial inspection, he settled down on a flat rock just outside the mine and played us all a tune.
To most people watching, it probably just looked like he was showing off his bard skills for his new mate and her people, charming us all with music and smiles. But if you were standing close, you could feel the magic pouring off him. The pretty instrument was a gift from me when his team won the tournament of hearts. Specially crafted for him, it amplified his magic, letting him combine his cleric and bard skills to weave more intricate spells and enchantments.
Fife wasn't just charming us all—though he did a good job of that, too. As the beautiful, haunting notes of his song floated through the air, he wove the first anchor point for his net spell.
When we finished at the mines, we moved on. We spoke with a merchant in Mistvale who was supplying spirits and decorations for the harvest festival. Fife played his flute in the little park in the town square for the delight and amusement of the townspeople. And to set his second anchor point.
He really was a sight to behold. My beautiful mate grew even more stunning and ethereal as the music and magic flowed through him. I saw quite a few flushed cheeks and parted lips among the crowd who had gathered to listen to him play, and it seemed unreal that he could possibly be mine.
My gaze swept the crowd, looking for anyone who might be acting in a suspicious manner, but everyone simply seemed enthralled by Fife and his flute. Even my other mates were captivated. I unobtrusively snuck a glance at Adder to find him watching Fife with rapt attention, every long line of his body attuned to the male before us. Mirri was standing beside him with a warm, fond smile on his face. I pushed a brief pang of jealousy aside and went back to scanning the crowd.
When we were done at the park, we visited the Lake of Whispers, and I told the men some of the stories about the clear blue lake's healing properties. Bach came to the sandy shore with me and crouched down to touch the water, sending a bit of his magic out to explore the shimmering blue expanse as we pretended that this was the reason for our visit.
But I saw how his gaze drifted up the shore, where Fife was swaying and dancing among a group of children as he played his flute and wove his secret spell. Fife finished his anchor, then changed speeds, playing something lively that had the children laughing and clapping along. Bach's expression went tender for a moment, and my eyes narrowed.
I knew that look. Had felt it directed my way a time or two. As I had suspected, it wasn't just Mirri and Adder who were enamored with Fife. And I didn't know what to make of that, or how it might affect the budding relationships I had with each of my mates. Was I getting in the way of something? Would they resent me later for upsetting their balance? And…would I always come second to the gorgeous, powerful cleric?
We visited several more sites around the territory before finally arriving at the mountain pass. Fife and the others took a moment to not-so-subtlely grill Ore about his position, since they insisted that we couldn’t be sure he wasn’t involved in the attempts to sabotage my success or wipe me out of existence. I personally didn’t believe he was involved. And after a bunch of grumbling, the others finally admitted that it didn’t appear he held any ill will.
Then my cleric turned his attention to performing his magic. I tried my best to focus on the important things we needed to take care of while Fife cast his spell. But my mind wouldn't stop returning to my insecurities. Now that I had noticed it, I couldn't stop seeing the little tells in the way the men interacted. The way Adder's smiles were more genuine when he was talking with Fife. The way Fife's eyes sparkled, crinkling at the corners with amusement and fondness as Mirri waxed on about the history of civil engineering in Elfhaven. The way Bach pressed a big hand to the small of Fife's back, just like he sometimes did with me when he wanted to show support and affection.
It was driving me insane.
Fife took up a position standing right in the center of the gateway to the pass and began playing his song. Bach chatted softly with Ore, while Mirri and Adder went to speak with the guards in the guard station about any travelers who may have come by recently. I found a rock outcropping and sat off to the side of where Fife was working, letting my eyes slip closed as the haunting, magic-filled sound of the flute filled my senses.
When the last strains of Fife's song ended, I kept my eyes closed, breathing in deep, unwilling to move from where I was, as a feeling of beauty and peace swirled through me. A soft touch to my cheek made me open my eyes, and I found Fife standing before me, watching me with amusement. "I take it you approve of my flute skills?" he asked with a smirk.
