by Ally Shields
He entered the stables. Empty, except for the horses dozing or munching hay. He patted the necks or backs of each until he found one still damp from being quickly wiped down after a recent ride. His hand stilled on the animal’s neck, and he stared in disbelief at its big brown eyes. Esty’s mare.
Holy Hades. Had she joined the duchaen rebellion?
* * *
When Rhyden arrived at his office on the sixth and top floor of the Lormarc building in New Orleans the next morning, he was still baffled by last night’s events. Could he be mistaken? Had he followed the trail of the wrong rider, crossed paths with Esty coming back from a late ride instead of the rebel from the forest? What reason would she have for being out at that time of night?
No, clearly she’d gone to warn the rebels after hearing Brunic’s plans. But why? What were the crossbreeds to her? What kind of trouble had she gotten into?
He absently checked his messages, his mind working out what he should do. Normally, he’d discuss it with Seth, but his cousin would feel he should warn Kam, a no-go this time. She’d put a stop to whatever her younger sister was doing, but Esty wouldn’t forgive Rhyden for interfering in that way. The thought of making a final break with Esty was…unsettling. No reason they couldn’t remain friends. He should confront her himself and find out what was going on before involving the rest of her family.
Convinced this was his best course of action, Rhyden greeted Seth with a clear conscience at their usual morning conference. They discussed Rhyden’s meeting with their grandfather, but Esty wasn’t mentioned until the end.
“I’ll be out of the office later this morning,” Rhyden said casually.
“Oh? Going to the guild?”
“No, I have another trip to Elvenrude,” he admitted. He should have anticipated Seth’s questions and invented a good excuse. “Something came up.”
Seth leaned back with a questioning look. “Not a family problem, I hope.”
“No. I…um, ran into Esty yesterday. I thought I’d stop in and see how she’s doing.”
Seth raised a brow. “I thought that was over.”
“It is. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“Oh, of course not. Friends. Sure.” Seth turned away, but not before Rhyden caught the ghost of a smile. “Would you give this report to Guild Master Henre on your way?”
Rhyden welcomed the change of subject and made his escape as quickly as possible. Seth seemed to think he was renewing a romantic relationship with Esty. He wasn’t, but it was an easy cover. The truth was he couldn’t let her get into trouble, nor could he betray her to her family—at least not until he’d made an attempt to fix things himself. Surely she’d break her dubious connection with the duchaen once she was aware he knew. No one else needed to be told about last night’s escapade. Not Kam or her parents. And certainly not Captain Brunic.
* * *
Esty arrived at The Bookstore before ten thirty that morning. She spotted Ellyn’s chestnut curls right away. The other woman nodded, but she had an odd expression on her face.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Ellyn whispered, stopping at the table behind Esty and keeping her back toward her. “My mother said you were at the house last night. Something about the King’s Guard. I don’t understand. What happened?”
Esty wrinkled her brow and picked up a book, pretending to look through its pages. “I was the one who threw the acorns to warn you.”
“What acorns?”
Esty’s head came up, and she glanced over her shoulder at Ellyn. “Weren’t you at the rebel meeting?”
“Shh. Yes, but nothing happened, nothing involving acorns.”
Esty turned back and replaced the book. “Now I’m confused. The meeting at the hunter’s hut was raided by the King’s Guard.”
“In the forest?” Ellyn’s whisper was breathy. “It wasn’t us. We met in town.”
“Oh, no.” Esty’s hand covered her mouth to stifle a squeak. “Then who did I warn?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to attract attention soon if we linger here. I’ll meet you on our usual path.”
Ellyn slipped out the side door. Esty waited five minutes before joining her. Eight weeks ago they’d discovered a path in the woods that was rarely used and had taken frequent walks there for private conversations without the scrutiny or disapproval of other villagers or Elite elves. It was cold this morning, but the lack of wind made the walk tolerable. Esty related the events of her exciting evening, from the chance meeting with Rhyden to Captain Brunic and the raid in the forest.
“I was afraid you’d be arrested.”
“Oh, Esty, you took a terrible risk.” Ellyn shook her head. “There are ruffians among the duchaen, but I’m not one of them. I don’t think violence will gain us anything. Nor does our leader. He’s been trying to identify this splinter group and make them see they’re hurting our cause. So far they’ve remained hidden, even from us. Did you recognize anyone?”
“Not really. It was dark, everyone was running, and then one of the King’s Guards chased me.”
Ellyn drew in a sharp breath. “What if you’d been caught?”
“Well, I wasn’t. But I’m really sorry I helped the wrong people get away.” Esty shivered, thinking about what might have happened if she’d arrived at the meeting just minutes earlier. “I’m glad I didn’t walk in on them.”
Her friend’s eyes grew big. “You might have been hurt…or…or killed.” She grabbed Esty’s arm. “You should stay out of this. If something had happened to you because of me…”
Esty shrugged, refusing to let her mind go there. “I thought you were in trouble. I guess I should be more careful. So, if you’re not part of that group, what were you doing?”
“Planning. Don’t get me wrong—we have some of the same goals as the group in the woods. But we’ll never gain respect if we act like they do.” Ellyn looked away. “I’m not sure how much I should be telling you, but you risked your life for me. I guess that makes it OK. We’re making a list of concerns to present to the king and the guild owners.”
“What kind of concerns?”
“Like living wherever we want, equal access to supplies, equal allotments. Maybe even a chance at supervisory positions in the guilds and the mines.”
Esty looked doubtful over the last item.
“Don’t you think we’d make good decisions?” Ellyn demanded.
“Sure you would, but…I’m not sure anyone would follow your orders.”
“That’s just it.” Ellyn’s eyes gleamed. “We need respect first.” She dropped her eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so outspoken. You’re not the problem.”
“But maybe I am,” Esty said softly. “I haven’t done or said anything to stop the way you’re treated.”
“And you can’t. If you speak out, your family would never let you see me again. I don’t want to lose a friend.”
They changed the subject and parted when they reached the edge of the woods. Ellyn turned back toward the village, and Esty climbed the walkway to her tree house home. She was lost in thought and was startled to hear her name called. When she looked up, Rhyden strode toward her from the direction of her home. Her breath caught at the sight of him…the lazy, athletic stride, the green eyes that always held a hint of humor.
Except for now.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “We need to talk, but your nose looks a little red to stay out here for long. Could I buy you a cup of tea at The Bookstore?”
“What’s this about? I’ve already been to the village and should be getting home.” She badly wanted to say yes, but spending time with him would make it more painful when he went away again. She’d begun to adjust…now here he was, confusing her. And she was dying to know what he wanted.
He flashed his charming smile, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “It won’t take long, I promise. A quick cup of tea, and I’ll get you home.”
“All right, but I don’t understand wha
t’s so urgent.”
“Not exactly urgent, but necessary.” He took her arm, and they turned onto the walkway that led directly to the village shops. “It’ll wait until we have our tea.”
This obvious delay made Esty more curious and slightly wary, especially when he chose a secluded corner of the tea shop, where their conversation wasn’t likely to be overheard.
When they had their tea, she raised a quizzical brow. “Are you stalling?”
Rhyden sighed. “I saw you last night.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“No, not in the village. I saw you in the woods.”
Esty’s lips stiffened, his words robbing her of speech. She blinked and looked away, frantically searching her mind for an explanation he would believe. She couldn’t think of anything.
“Um, what was I doing?”
“Riding like hell away from that rebel gathering. Rather well, I might add.” He leaned forward and kept his voice low. “Esty, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“It’s none of your business,” she said defiantly.
“I’m making it my business. Either you talk to me or I’ll have to contact Kam or your parents. Those duchaen rebels are dangerous.”
She drew in a quick breath. “Not all of them, but please don’t involve my family. It was all a big mistake. Truly.” Esty clutched her trembling fingers under the table. How much should she tell him? He already thought she was a child. Now he’d be convinced she was foolish too.
He cocked his head. “It seems pretty obvious to me you went there expressly to warn them.” When she didn’t answer, he pressed. “Isn’t that what you were doing?”
“Yes.” Her voice was small. “But I didn’t intend to. I mean…I did, but it was the wrong rebels.”
His brows lowered. “What are you talking about?”
Esty sighed and finally met his gaze directly. She was terrible at lying and keeping secrets. “I have a friend who’s part of the duchaen cause. She only wants more respect, better jobs. When I heard what Brunic said…I thought she’d be arrested. But she was at a different meeting. A peaceful one. It was my mistake.”
He sat back and looked at her, finally shaking his head. “You shouldn’t be involved with the duchaen at all. I never expected you to be taking up social causes.”
“Why not? Because I should be a proper elven woman?” Her brows dipped in annoyance. “You wouldn’t be surprised if it was Kam, would you?”
A smile played across his lips. “So this is a bid for independence?”
“No, I truly think they’ve been treated badly. I didn’t want them harassed or arrested. But I’m sorry I helped the wrong ones. Did you catch anybody?”
“Not yet. They hid in the woods, possibly in the trees or nearby caves. But Brunic recognized a couple of them. He’ll find them again.”
Esty couldn’t resist asking, “Who did he see?”
“Why do you ask? Want to warn them again?”
“Of course not. But my friend’s friends are also looking for them. They want to stop them from giving the duchaen a bad name. Maybe they’d help you find them.”
“They’d turn in their own people?”
She hesitated. “I don’t think they’d go that far. They want to convince them to stop scaring people.”
Rhyden gave a sharp cough of skepticism. “Some of them are Jermon’s former associates. They aren’t going to be nice just because someone asks them to.”
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t hurt to try. It could save lives. Isn’t that a good thing?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Or do you think crossbreeds aren’t worth saving?”
“Hey, this isn’t about me.” He raised his hands in defense. “They’ve had a tough life. And both our guilds have taken recent steps to make it better.”
“Not enough. And not soon enough. Did you realize Bria and Caleb’s baby will be a crossbreed? Do you want their child to be shunned? We have to do more.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe support those who advocate peaceful change.” Her face lit with sudden inspiration. “We could get the king to issue a proclamation making them equals.”
“Slow down, Esty. These things don’t happen all at once. When the rebel violence is stopped, we can look at these other issues. Until then, the king will be focused on the troublemakers.”
“It’s not fair to the others,” she said pursing her lips in a pout.
“Maybe not, but that’s the way it is. And you have to stay out of it before you get hurt.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.”
“Meaning?” His voice held a warning.
Esty chose her words with care. “I won’t turn my back on my friend or those working for a better outcome. But I won’t do anything stupid like last night. I’ll be more careful.”
“Not good enough. You shouldn’t put your trust in these people. Their goals and the welfare of your family may come into conflict, and they’ll turn on you. I can’t let you continue to place yourself in danger.”
She raised her eyes to his. “You don’t get to make that choice for me. But if you’re so worried about my safety, then help me.” Esty was sorry the moment she said it. Working with Rhyden on anything would be awful until she got over this childish crush. Sweet mother, why was growing up so complicated? She held her breath, hoping he’d say no, yet fearing he would.
For a moment, he said nothing. “Exactly what do you plan to do?”
“Find out who’s in this splinter group and give their names to my friend. I think the duchaen can end the violence if given a chance.”
“If that doesn’t work?”
“Then I’ll give the names to Brunic.”
“What makes you think you can do this? Others have already tried to single out the troublemakers.”
“Not hard enough. I just know I can,” she said stubbornly. “I have to do something.”
He leaned back again and studied her face. “At some point we’d have to bring Seth and Kam into this, but I’ll help you on one condition—you don’t do anything without me. Can you live with that?”
“I guess I’ll have to.” Esty’s careful words hid a surge of elation. She couldn’t believe he’d agreed. His status as a co-owner of a major trade guild—and yes, his male gender—would give her access to people and places she normally didn’t have, but how would she survive having him so near…and yet so far? She’d have to find a way to harden her heart.
He gave her a wry look. “I’ll try not to be too intolerable.”
CHAPTER THREE
On Saturday, Kam, Seth, and Esty transported to Cyrilia, the magical world the moon elves and their descendants had occupied for thousands of years—and that their friends were working so hard to save. They stopped at the palace entrance to collect Prince Trystan, Cyrilia’s ruling monarch in place of its dying king, then set out to visit Bria and Caleb. Seth carried the heavily laden infant welcoming basket filled with blankets, soft infant clothes, and cloth toys. The fuzzy lion peeked out the top.
Bria and Caleb waited at the door of their castle home to welcome them. The Cyrilian woman hugged everyone and effusively thanked them for the basket before setting it on a table and returning to the circle of Caleb’s arms. With his dark hair contrasting against her flaxen locks, they made a striking couple, and his obvious delight in her pregnancy spread a grin across his face. It was contagious. Even Trystan had a happy gleam in his eyes.
It was later, when they went for a walk over the new farm fields, that Trystan’s aristocratic features turned somber. He spread out a hand. “As you can see, most of the plants have yellowed or wilted. There just isn’t sufficient sunlight or moisture.”
“These are the drought-resistant varieties, aren’t they?” Seth asked.
“Yes. Probably why they’re still alive. But it isn’t enough.” Trystan sighed. “I hate to admit it, but I think our efforts are going to fail. Our remaining magic isn’t strong enoug
h to reclaim our land even with Elvenrude’s expertise.”
Kam looked at the dry, barren earth and the stunted trees. It was true. She didn’t see much evidence of recovery. The Cyrilians had diverted their resources and brought the sun back for two or three hours a day, but that hadn’t made their land flourish.
“Is there some way to speed up the process of replenishing the magic? We know it slowly regenerates if we stay in the world of man where it was born, but does anyone know why?” She cocked her head at Seth. “Do the soothsayers even have a theory?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps the answer is at the earth’s core. Or in its trees, the air, the soil. Perhaps a mineral in the mountains. We’ve never known the source of elven magic. It could be anything or a combination of things, but it is earthborn.”
“Maybe the original source no longer exists,” Bria said. “It’s been thousands of years.”
“Except our magic still works much better on earth than in Elvenrude. It has to be tapping into something. At least a form of the source is there. If we could find it… We’d have to identify it first, and even then, I’m not sure we’d know what to do with it.” Seth shrugged and looked at Trystan. “Have you thought about alternatives?”
“Only one is even worth trying. We must return to earth and hide ourselves for hundreds or thousands of years until the magic returns.” He sighed and shook his head. “It won’t be easy. And not everyone agrees it’s possible to hide that large a group. But if our people scatter and try to live long-term side by side with the humans, it’s almost a given we’d be discovered. That would be disastrous.”
“Perhaps you could live in Elvenrude,” Esty suggested. She was walking arm in arm with Bria. “We have lots of open land.”
“A generous thought but not practical. Even if your magic could support another three or four thousand magic users, it would be dangerous to throw together two branches of elves with so much inbred animosity. Especially at a time when Elvenrude has its own internal struggles.” Tryst sighed. “It would be a hard adjustment and might ruin Elvenrude. I would never ask that of your king.”