Death Wind

by Tara Grayce

  ELVEN ALLIANCE BOOK THREE

  TARA GRAYCE

  Death Wind

  Copyright © 2020 by Tara Grayce

  Taragrayce.com

  Published by Sword & Cross Publishing

  Grand Rapids, MI

  Sword & Cross Publishing and the Sword & Cross Publishing logo are trademarks. Absence of ™ in connection with Sword & Cross Publishing does not indicate an absence of trademark protection of those marks.

  Cover by Savannah Jezowski of Dragonpen Designs

  Dragonpenpress.com

  Map by Amythyst_art on Fiverr

  All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in written reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and settings are the product of the author's over-active imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, events, or settings is purely coincidental or used fictitiously.

  To God, my King and Father. Soli Deo Gloria

  Books by Tara Grayce

  Elven Alliance

  Fierce Heart

  War Bound

  Death Wind

  Troll Queen

  Princess by Night

  Lost in Averell

  Table of Contents

  Books by Tara Grayce

  Table of Contents

  Map

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

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  MAP

  ESSIE WOULD FORCE her brother King Averett of Escarland, and her elf brother-in-law King Weylind of Tarenhiel to cooperate even if she had to knock their overly hard heads together. She was in no mood to listen to them posturing...which sounded a lot like sibling bickering, to be honest.

  “I am not going to step foot in your kingdom, simply trusting that your soldiers will not attack.” King Weylind stood, facing Essie’s brother, in the center of Linder Island, the tiny rock island in the Hydalla River, which formed the border between Tarenhiel and Escarland.

  While the rock made a convenient place for diplomatic meetings since it was neutral territory, it wasn’t as comfortable of a place for allies to sit down and plan a war, especially without all the preparation they had done for the previous meeting on the island.

  Essie gritted her teeth. That was assuming her brother and brother-in-law didn’t start a war arguing about which side of the border should host the war planning session. Last time, it had taken months to arrange the meeting to everyone’s satisfaction.

  Farrendel didn’t have months. Every moment they delayed was another moment he had to spend in the hands of his troll captors.

  “If we agree to this alliance, then I’m going to be marching an army across your kingdom. You’re going to have to trust me with a whole lot more than your own safety.” Averett crossed his arms as he glared back at the elven king.

  Behind her, Essie’s other two brothers, Julien and Edmund, shifted, as if they were about ready to march over there and help Averett glare at Weylind. Jalissa, Essie’s elf sister-in-law, huffed, though Essie was not sure if it was because of Averett or Weylind.

  Essie shifted the gun she had slung across her back, its weight growing heavy against her shoulder. Enough of this. If they wanted to bicker, they could do it once Farrendel was safe. “Really, you two. We’re all family here, more or less. We all want to get Farrendel back, and we all want to defeat the trolls. Averett, Weylind, if the two of you could stop posturing like a pair of peacocks, then maybe we could get somewhere.”

  Weylind’s gaze snapped to her, and Essie wasn’t sure if the hardness in his gaze was because of Farrendel’s capture, her tone, or the fact that she’d dared address him as her brother-in-law without his title.

  Essie glared right back. She still wore the tatters of the green elven dress she had worn to the ball in Escarland. She was spattered with blood and grime. She’d had to leave her husband behind to escape with vital information about the traitors in both Escarland and Tarenhiel, and in that escape she’d seen one man die and killed another herself. She couldn’t care less what Weylind thought of her at that moment.

  Averett shifted, his mouth tipping into a tight, wry smile. “You’re right, of course.” He turned back to Weylind. “Look. We both agree that we need to work together to defeat the trolls. Neither army alone is going to be able to attack Kostaria and rescue Farrendel. It’s going to take cooperation and compromise. Now, I propose that we take this meeting to the deck of your steamboat, which will remain docked here at Linder Island. Is that an acceptable enough compromise?”

  Weylind studied Averett, as if searching for whatever treachery Averett might be planning.

  Essie resisted the urge to thump Weylind over the head with the butt of her gun. “I know you don’t trust him. But do you at least trust me when I say he isn’t planning anything?”

  Weylind tipped his head, the hardness in his expression cracking. “I apologize, isciena. Very well, I will host this meeting on board.”

  In that moment, Essie saw the pain in Weylind’s eyes. Yes, Weylind was being all hard and grumpy right now. But that was a sign of his protective worry for Farrendel. He’d been just as grumpy when he’d been worried she would break Farrendel’s heart.

  “I know you’re worried about Farrendel. We all are.” Essie refused to let her voice break. Right now, she had to focus on what she could control. “But my brothers aren’t the enemies here. Now, you’re going to be hosting the king of Escarland. Please try to be gracious.”

  That made Weylind’s mouth twitch in something that looked suspiciously like a smile before he replaced it with his hard mask once again.

  But Essie had been married to Farrendel long enough to recognize the brief flashes of emotions elves tried so hard to hide.

  “I understand your suspicion. The Escarlish haven’t given you many reasons to trust us in the past.” Averett’s voice remained calm, his shoulders relaxed. He gestured to the Escarlish guards standing behind Edmund, Julien, and Jalissa. “With your permission, I will station my guards on the wharf where they will have a view of the deck. I trust that you mean me no harm, but it would reassure my guards.”

  “That sounds reasonable.” Weylind spun on his heels. “If you would follow me, we can continue this discussion on my ship.”

  After waving to the Escarlish guards and their siblings to follow, Averett fell into step beside Essie as they trailed after Weylind. “I’m sorry you had to be the level-headed one, Essie. You’ve already gone through too much in the past day.”

  Yes, she had. And the nightmare
she now found herself in wasn’t going to end anytime soon. Wars weren’t fought overnight. Would they be able to take this war to the trolls fast enough to keep Farrendel alive?

  They had to. There wasn’t another option.

  At least she could be certain Farrendel was alive. If she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, she could feel the warm, crackling sense of Farrendel deep inside her chest through the elven heart bond.

  He was unconscious now. Or perhaps in some kind of drugged state. She couldn’t tell through the connection of the heart bond.

  Either way, the trolls were taking him farther and farther away from her. Would she ever see him again? Or would—

  No, she refused to let herself even think it. Farrendel would survive, and they would rescue him.

  Within a few minutes, Essie found herself on the deck of the elven ship surrounded by all three of her brothers, Jalissa, and Weylind. The Escarlish guards remained on the wharf with the ship’s deck in rifle range. Not that their intervention would be needed.

  The few elven guards Weylind had brought scurried around the deck as they fetched a table, chairs, and refreshments. Apparently, now that Essie had called him out on it, Weylind actually intended to be gracious.

  Once Essie had them calmed down, snacking on cold venison and cheese, and sitting down at the same table, the negotiations for the new treaty went as smoothly as could be expected. This new treaty would be a mutual defense treaty, with plenty of provisos and legal lingo and all stuff that Essie only cared about marginally as long as they helped her get Farrendel back.

  This time, there were no professional diplomats present to read over the hastily assembled treaty to make sure nothing was amiss. Both Edmund and Julien read it over, and Essie figured if it passed Edmund’s inspection, then there couldn’t be anything too disatrous in the wording.

  Averett must have thought so too since he pulled a pen from his shirt’s pocket. A carved wooden pen that Essie had given him less than a week ago, made by a friend of Farrendel’s in Estyra.

  Essie swallowed at the lump in her throat. Everything had been so happy that day she and Farrendel had given gifts to her family. Awkward, yes, as Farrendel and her family got to know each other. But also filled with so much laughter and joy and everything she wanted to get back.

  Averett signed with a flourish and held the pen out to Weylind.

  Weylind took the pen, turning it over in his hands. He had to recognize the elven craftsmanship. Leaning over the table, he signed the treaty as well.

  This time, there was no fanfare. No celebration. No wedding to make it official.

  Weylind set down the pen and faced Averett, waiting.

  Averett crossed his arms. “I need to return to Aldon to officially declare war on Kostaria and mobilize Escarland’s army. But I would like to send both of my brothers to Estyra with you. Julien can work with your army’s leaders to formulate a plan on how to transport Escarland’s army through Tarenhiel with minimal disruption, while Edmund...” Averett trailed off, glanced at Edmund.

  Edmund smirked, relaxing against the back of his chair.

  “Edmund can assist in scouting Kostaria’s borders.” Averett said it almost too slowly, too diplomatically. He was trying so hard not to say outright that Edmund was a spy that it nearly made Essie smile.

  Nearly. Everything was far too serious for smiles.

  Weylind’s brows lowered. “My scouts have their jobs well in hand. They can move far more easily without a human tagging along.”

  Essie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Trust Weylind to get all huffy and offended. He’d only managed to be civil for an hour.

  “I’m sure they are excellent scouts and perform admirably.” Averett’s tone remained even. “But your scouts are unfamiliar with the Escarlish army’s current weapons and only some of our tactics. They don’t know what terrain they need to look for or what hurdles my army might face that yours doesn’t or vice versa. Edmund does.”

  Weylind’s mouth thinned as he too glanced at Edmund.

  Edmund grinned and folded his hands behind his head. Even when he was attempting to look innocent, he still looked far too clever for his own good. Essie couldn’t fully blame Weylind for being a little apprehensive about letting Edmund run amok in his kingdom.

  When Weylind turned his gaze back to Averett, his jaw was tight. “And I suppose, while he is scouting the northern border, he will also be noting Tarenhiel’s defenses?”

  There was nothing too accusatory in the words. It was all in the tone, the hardness to Weylind’s eyes.

  Essie tensed. Would Weylind see every move her brothers did in the worst light possible? Of course Edmund was going to note Tarenhiel’s defenses...as a way to help shore them up, not as the precursor to an Escarlish invasion.

  For a moment, Averett just met Weylind stare for stare. Then, of all things, he let out a huff, rolled his eyes, and leaned his elbows on the table. “Oh, come off it. Stop getting your elven knickers in a knot and think rationally for half a second.”

  Weylind’s jaw fell open. “I beg your pardon?”

  Essie bit her lip, trying—and failing—to keep a straight face. Apparently Averett had decided to use her tactic of calling Weylind out on his huffiness.

  Beside her, both Edmund and Julien had adopted their far-too-serious-and-about-to-pull-a-prank faces. Jalissa gave a soft snort before coughing delicately behind her hand.

  Averett wagged a finger beneath Weylind’s nose. “I just offered to send both my brothers unprotected into your kingdom only hours after you harangued me about not protecting your brother while he was in my care. I’m making them perfect targets for your retaliation and placing faith in you that you won’t. So don’t act like you’re the only one taking a risk here.”

  Weylind’s mouth worked, but he couldn’t seem to put together the words. Essie wasn’t sure she had ever seen the elven king look so much like he had swallowed a bug and didn’t know how to spit it out in a dignified manner.

  “Furthermore, I just spent the past week with your foremost warrior, who already has one royal assassination on his record, wandering my halls with full access to observe my own security measures. I placed the life of my family in his hands several times and gave him the full trust of a brother. So do stop with your puffed up, offended dignity. I’m not buying it.” Averett jabbed Weylind in the chest to punctuate those last words.

  Weylind stilled, his mouth hanging open, as if he couldn’t believe Averett had dared to cross his personal space boundaries. He glanced at Essie, almost as if begging, He is your brother. You deal with him.

  Essie smirked and crossed her arms. No way was she stopping Averett now.

  “And another thing.” Averett barreled on with all the enthusiasm of a runaway train engine with a full boiler of steam pressure. “We’re both going to get an eyeful of each other’s defenses, armies, strategies, and tactics by the time this is over. Yes, you’re taking the greater physical risk as you’ll be allowing me to march my armies across your kingdom. But you’ll also have my top generals and the best part of my army within your borders where you could just as easily turn on us. You may not have the numbers, but you did hold Escarland’s army at the border for five long years while also fighting a second war with the trolls. I’m not so naïve as to think that you aren’t formidable, especially inside your own forests.”

  Weylind finally managed to close his mouth and regain some of his dignity. Enough for his expression to relax from outright hostility to cautious interest, his posture straight and leaning forward as if intrigued in spite of himself.

  Averett tapped the signed treaty still sitting on the table between them. “So, yes, this alliance is going to take an incredible amount of trust. And, yes, if this ends badly, there’s a good chance we could take each other out long before the trolls get to us. But if this succeeds, our two kingdoms could come out of this with a strong bond that will stand both of our kingdoms in good stead for many years.”
<
br />   Weylind gave a slight nod to this. “We are facing either mutual trust or mutual destruction.”

  “Exactly.” Averett nodded and pointed at the treaty again. “Thanks to my sister, I know you. I know you’re a king who cares about the welfare of his people and who loves his brother very much. I am also a king and a big brother. I understand the burdens of duty you face. Now, if my chatty, overly optimistic sister and your shy, skittish brother can make their marriage work, then surely the two of us can manage to work together long enough to see this war through to victory. What do you say?”

  Averett stuck out his hand across the table, as if he were a merchant haggling over a bargain in the market.

  Weylind stared at the offered hand for several long seconds. Averett didn’t withdraw it. Perhaps Edmund had warned him that it might take Weylind a few moments to figure out how to react to such a human gesture.

  With a slump to his shoulders, Weylind turned to Jalissa and switched to elvish. “What was your impression of them?”

  Jalissa glanced at Essie’s brothers, her gaze lingering longest on Edmund. Probably because she realized Edmund could fully understand this conversation, since he spoke elvish. Finally, Jalissa turned to Weylind. “They are surprisingly honorable and good-hearted, for humans.”

  A month ago, those words might have been said with derision. Now, Jalissa’s tone held a warmth, almost a teasing.

  Essie had to resist the urge to lean over and hug Jalissa.

  Edmund’s mouth twitched. Averett remained still, hand outstretched across the table, while Julien sat straight and regal, as if he knew he was being evaluated even if he couldn’t understand what Jalissa and Weylind were saying.

  The hint of a smile dropped from Jalissa’s face. “And Farrendel likes them.”

  Essie clenched her fingers beneath the table until her nails bit into her palms. She swallowed back the rising lump in her throat, her chest aching again.

  “And we like him,” Edmund stated, in Escarlish.

  Weylind’s gaze snapped to him, though Essie didn’t think he should have been surprised. They had pretty much established that he was a spy, and Averett hadn’t been at all concerned sending him off with an elven scouting party.