“Weren’t you supposed to pull your punches?” I muttered at Elaran while massaging my sore shoulder.
He frowned down at me, confusion evident on his face. “That was me pulling my punches.”
I stared at him. “Oh.”
Though I suppose I couldn’t complain too much. The fake fight had been my idea, after all. But man, was I glad it hadn’t been real. If it hadn’t just been a ruse to get the guards to open the door and those two had actually been attacking me, I would probably have ended up with broken bones.
“Besides, you kind of deserved that,” Shade added with a teasing smirk. “It actually is your fault that we were captured.” He gave me a lazy shrug. “But you also got us out of there so now we’re even.”
Since I wasn’t entirely sure if he was joking or not, I just snorted in reply. Regardless of which, I was glad he considered our score settled because being indebted to the Master of the Assassins’ Guild was never a good position to find yourself in.
“Yeah that’s all well and good but what do we do now?” Elaran demanded. “We don’t know how to get back to Pernula.”
“They took all our weapons so we can’t make a stand,” Shade said. “We’ll just have to keep running north and then we’ll take it from there.”
Raised voices came from somewhere behind us. We all exchanged a glance.
Elaran jerked his head. “Let’s go.”
Shade and I took off after him. Moonlight illuminated our path but navigating through the sharp rocks turned out to be much more difficult than we expected. It was like running in a maze. Suddenly, a dead end would appear out of nowhere and other times, the trail between the large stones would just lead around in circles. Blood pounded in my ears. The star elves were practically snapping at our heels.
“They’re gaining on us,” Shade pressed out between heavy breaths. “We’ll never make it like this.”
Making a split-second decision, I screeched to a halt on top of a jagged ridge and swung towards our attackers. “Go!” I called over my shoulder. “I’ll hold them off.”
“Stop that,” the assassin snapped. “You’ve already made up for your mistake. You’re forgiven! Alright? You don’t have anything to prove.” He yanked at the back of my clothes. “Now come on.”
Reluctantly turning back around, I let out a frustrated groan and did as he said. Gravel crunched beneath our feet and rolled down the slope as we sprinted down on the other side. I threw a glance over my shoulder. The star elves had stopped atop the ridge and were pulling something from behind their backs. Shit.
“Bows!” I called. “They’re gonna fire.”
Projectiles whizzed through the air just as we made it down the hill. We dove for cover. Sharp rocks scraped my skin as I rolled in behind the closest boulder and hunkered down. My heart thumped in my chest.
Glass shattered against stone. I jerked up in time to see purple mist well from the broken crystal orbs tied to every arrow around us. It engulfed the whole area in seconds. Not again. Irritation burned through me but there was nothing I could do. Slumping to the ground, my mind disappeared into nothingness for the second time that night. For Nemanan’s sake, could we never catch a break?
7.
Brilliant white light filled my vision. I shot up and scrambled backwards to what I thought was safety. The surface disappeared beneath my right hand and I tumbled down in heap of tangled cloth.
“Ow,” I muttered while trying to disentangle my limbs from the sheets.
Smooth walls and a shining floor matched the furniture in nuances of white. Even the bed I had just fallen off was in that same pale hue. I frowned at it. Straightening, I dropped the bundle of sheets back on the mattress and started forward. My body felt unnaturally light. It took one more confused second to realize why. I stopped dead in my tracks.
My clothes. Whipping my head down, I stared in shock at my body. Someone had removed my clothes and dressed me in... in what? I pinched the thin fabric and pulled at it. A nightgown? Dread welled through me like an icy creek. Someone had stripped me and put me in a white nightdress. I wrapped my arms around me to stave off the feeling of violation while my mind refused to process the situation.
The floor was cold under my bare feet as I stalked towards the large wooden closet pushed up against the opposite wall. Yanking the doors open, I scoured the space for my trusted thief clothes. A mountain of white dresses met me. Panic shot up my spine. I tore through the rest of the room in a mad search for anything that belonged to me. Shirts, pants, vest, boots. Knives. Lockpicks. Stopping in the middle of the now very messy room, I ran my hands through my hair while trying to slow my racing heart. There was no sign of any of it.
When I had finally accepted the fact that all my belongings were gone and that someone had undressed me, the other screams of alarm at last made it to the front of my mind. Where was I? I darted to the window. As my eyes roamed over the scene, I couldn’t help letting out a gasp.
Dark gray cliffs stretched from the shining white walls before dropping into the sea beyond. A smooth path had been cut into the rock leading all the way down through the precipices until it disappeared from view and the glittering waves painted gold by the late afternoon sun took its place. I gawked at it.
Wherever it was, it was beautiful. But beauty often hid danger. Shaking my head, I tore my gaze from the stunning view and made for the door. Before I opened it, I bent down to check for shadows under it. Nothing. I straightened and placed my hand on the cool metal handle. If it indeed was locked, I was about to find out.
It slid down without resistance. Huh. After drawing a soft breath, I opened a tiny crack in the door. A white corridor appeared on the other side. Flicking my eyes around the empty space, I pushed open the door a little further. My breath hitched. Shit.
Silver-decorated armor had materialized right in front of the gap. Raising my eyes, I found a male star elf standing there. Everything from his strong jawline to his posture dripped with authority when his dark violet eyes stared down on me. I cleared my throat and straightened.
“I take it I’m in star elf lands?” I said in a light tone as if I was out for a stroll in the park and not a prisoner in an unknown location.
“Yes, we’re in the City of Glass.” When I only looked back at him with a bewildered expression on my face, he went on. “In Tkeister. Though you might know it as Star Home.”
I didn’t recognize any of those names but I didn’t want to admit that so I just nodded.
“I will alert Queen Nimlithil that you’re awake.” The star elf in his spotless white armor let his eyes travel over my body. “You might want to put on some clothes.”
Resisting the urge to punch him in the throat, I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. “Well, I’m not the one who decided to wear this in the first place.”
“Just do as you’re told.”
Before I could inform him that I don’t specialize in doing as I’m told, he pushed the door shut in my face.
“Rude,” I muttered after finishing a rather lengthy string of profanities directed at the elf behind the door.
As much as I loathed taking orders, I had to concede that he did have a point. If I was going to meet the queen of the star elves, I probably shouldn’t do it wearing a thin nightgown. The only problem was of course that there was nothing to wear except more damn dresses. I glared at the selection in the closet before picking the plainest one.
There was a mirror on the other side of the wardrobe, but I refused to look in it after putting on the white dress and shoes. I already knew I looked silly in this outfit so there was no need to confirm the fact. Instead, I took to pacing the room.
While I was still trying to figure out how to best play this, the door was pulled open. A beautiful elven woman glided into the room with graceful steps. Her silvery white hair cascaded down around her slender shoulders and accentuated the well-tailored dress of the same color while her loose curls mingled with the headdress made of silve
r and clear gems. I had once described Faye as liquid starlight but, in all honesty, she had nothing on this woman.
“Queen Nimlithil of Tkeister, queen of the star elves, protector of Tkeiwed, Wegh, Frustaz, and Beccus, and savior of Weraldi,” the rude elven guard from before announced as he took up position behind the queen.
Lifting a hand, I gave her a little wave. “The Oncoming Storm, queen of bad decisions, protector of herself, and savior of unguarded valuables.”
The guard looked at me like I had just slapped his grandma. Whatever he had expected me to say, that had apparently not been it. His dark violet eyes flashed with displeasure.
Now that I had time to actually study two different star elves up close, I noticed that the color of their hair and eyes weren’t identical. The guard’s eyes were of a dark violet color while the violet in the queen’s eyes was much paler. Their hair sported similar differences with the guard’s silver hair being much darker.
“Have you no manners?” he demanded. “When meeting a queen, you bow and then introduce yourself with your real name.”
“Yeah, I don’t bow.” I lifted my shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “And the Oncoming Storm is my real name.”
“It is quite alright, Hadraeth,” Queen Nimlithil said to her guard before turning back to me. “You will have to forgive my Guard Captain. He does not realize that you are only acting this way because you are scared and confused.” She gave me a kind smile. “I understand.”
I was about to point out that I was always like this but changed my mind at the last second. If I wanted to find out where Elaran and Shade were, it was probably best if I didn’t offend the ruler of this country. I tipped my head in a quick nod.
“Speaking of being confused,” I began. “Where are my friends?”
“They are safe,” the star elf queen said. “You will see them tonight. I am sure you have a lot of questions so how about accompanying me for a walk?”
“Sure,” I said because I knew I couldn’t exactly refuse. And I did have questions.
The Captain of the Queen’s Guard, Hadraeth, seemed to disapprove of my casual reply because he narrowed his eyes at me, but he remained silent as he followed us out the door.
Soft rugs made of fine silver threads muffled our steps in the spotless corridor. Mounted on the smooth white walls were intricate candle holders that complemented the carpets in color while the white paintings added to the crisp and clean atmosphere. Almost all hallways we traversed looked the same but I noted every twist and turn on my mental map as we made our way upwards.
A million questions swirled in my mind but there was one that took precedence so I decided to ask it straight away.
“Why am I here?”
“We save wayward souls like you,” she replied with a kind smile as we ascended another gleaming staircase. “We can show you a better life.”
“A better life?” I frowned at her. “As a prisoner?”
The queen stopped on the steps and looked down at me in surprise. “You are not a prisoner.”
“Then I want to leave.”
Her well-manicured eyebrows scrunched up as a look of absolute bafflement blew past on her face. “Why would you want to leave?” She started out again. “Come. I will show you the marvel that is the City of Glass.”
Fresh air whirled in and filled my lungs when Queen Nimlithil opened the door to a platform. Stepping outside, I let out an involuntary gasp. We were standing on a balcony high up on one side of the castle where you could see the rest of the structure. Soft curving domes and twisting arches gleamed in the sun. Turning my head, I took in the area around it. A large city seemingly made from the same strange material sprawled beneath it and glittered like a white sea. It was breathtaking.
“Welcome to Starhaven,” the elegant queen said and motioned at the castle. “The jewel of our city.”
Now I understood why the star elf capital was called the City of Glass. The material that everything was built of looked like frosted glass.
“Is it not beautiful?” Nimlithil continued. “This is what we want to bring to everyone. Beauty and peace.”
My white dress fluttered in the wind. “Peace? Aren’t you the ones waging war and conquering the whole continent?”
“We are trying to save Weraldi. Not destroy it.”
Ah. So Weraldi was the name of the continent. I hadn’t known that since people usually referred to it as simply the continent. Except the star elves, apparently.
“I’d say bringing death and violence to people is classified as destroying, not saving.” I shrugged. “But maybe that’s just me.”
Behind me, Hadraeth fumed but the queen just smiled at me as if I was a particularly slow child she was trying to educate.
“Do you know why I declared pistols outlawed across all of Weraldi?”
I shook my head.
“Because all they do is bring death and violence.” She stroked a graceful hand over the balcony railing. “Sword fighting and archery has an art to it but with firearms, you do not even need any skills. You simply point and pull the trigger. They can only fire one bullet now but how long until someone invents one that can fire, say, ten bullets?”
That was indeed a terrifying thought.
“Imagine the death and destruction that would bring,” Queen Nimlithil said, her voice filled with distress. “Countries fight and kill to get ahead of each other and what does this technological development lead to? They are cutting down the forests, polluting the water, destroying arable land.” She flicked a hand and clicked her tongue in disgust. “We do not conquer, as you said, we are freeing cities of immoral leaders and giving them peace and a bright future.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it again. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she did have a point. But I still wasn’t sure how I felt. Was stopping progress really the best way to go? It had brought a lot of good things too, after all. Zaina’s question from all those months ago popped up in my head again. What do you want? I had no idea what I wanted or what I thought about everything I had learned about the star elves this afternoon.
Queen Nimlithil seemed to understand because she placed an elegant hand on my arm. “You need time to take this all in. Captain Hadraeth will escort you back to your room and I will see you again at the banquet.”
“Banquet? What banquet?” I asked but the star elf queen was already gliding away, her sparkling dress billowing behind her.
The wind had blown strands of dark silver hair in front of Hadraeth’s shoulders. Grabbing his long flowing hair in a fist, he flipped it back behind him again before jerking his chin at me.
“Let’s go.”
I scowled at the rude elf but followed him down the stairs anyway. My mind kept spinning the whole way back. This was not at all how I had pictured the star elves. Queen Nimlithil actually did have some pretty convincing arguments for what they were doing. As we rounded the corner of yet another white hallway, I shook my head.
If the star elves’ actions were justified or not wasn’t important. My concern was for three things: Shade, Elaran, and getting the hell out of here. As my scheming mind filled in more spots on my mental map, I wondered if my friends were spending their time doing the same before this banquet we were apparently forced to attend.
Oh, who was I kidding? It was Shade and Elaran. Of course they were scheming and strategizing as well. The entrance to my room appeared further down a long corridor filled with more white doors. I dared a quick smile. The star elves would never know what hit them.
8.
Three sharp knocks broke my scheming session. I strode to the door and yanked it open. A silver-haired elf with a neutral expression on his long face met me outside.
“The banquet is about to start,” he announced. “Please follow me.”
Without waiting for a reply, he swung around and started down the corridor. The door behind me closed with a soft click. Even if I’d actually had a key, I wouldn’t have bothered locking it because
nothing in there was mine anyway.
“One moment, please,” the elf said as he stopped outside the white door next to mine and rapped his knuckles on it.
It was shoved open. “What?” demanded a voice I recognized very well.
“The banquet is about to start,” the star elf with the long face announced once again. “Please follow me.”
Elaran gave him a curt nod and stalked across the threshold. I looked him up and down. The tight side braid he always wore gathered up the hair on his right side but the rest of his auburn hair fell down his back and left shoulder, painting the white shirt with silver buttons in stark contrast. White pants and shoes completed the outfit.
I stared at him. “What the hell are you wearing?”
It was so unlike anything I had ever seen him in that I couldn’t help myself. At first, Elaran just jerked back in surprise at the sound because he hadn’t realized that I was there as well. Then he took in my appearance and his eyebrows shot up.
“What are you wearing?” He continued watching me, eyes wide. “Is that a dress?”
Crossing my arms, I scowled at him. “You don’t look like a woodsman anymore. You look like a city person.”
He drew his eyebrows down and huffed with indignation at such an insult, but before he could counter, three quick knocks sounded at the next door. Realizing that our escort had already made it there, we exchanged a look and jogged to catch up.
After the star elf had repeated the same announcement for the third time, a black-haired man wearing a well-tailored white suit stepped out the door. Coming to a halt a few paces away, I studied him. As with Elaran, I had never seen Shade wear that color before. I preferred him in black but I couldn’t deny that he looked just fine in that suit as well. Catching myself, I shook my head vigorously. How ridiculous. Who was I to prefer him in anything?
A Storm of Glass and Stars (The Oncoming Storm Book 4) Page 5