Exiled: A Return of the Elves Novella (The Return of the Elves Book 3)

by Bethany Adams

  Exiled

  A Return of the Elves Novella

  Bethany Adams

  AW Books

  Contents

  Untitled

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Previous Books in Series

  Author’s Note

  The Grove Between

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2017 by Bethany Adams

  Edited by Jody Wallace at www.jodywallace.com

  Cover art by Eve Milady at http://venetian-eve.tumblr.com

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-0-9975320-4-3

  Created with Vellum

  To everyone who has taken a chance

  on my humble work.

  Your support means the world.

  Chapter 1

  Inona scowled at the stone arch, but her steps didn’t falter as she strode toward the portal. Of all the duties assigned to her, this was her least favorite. Checking on the exiles. A bunch of wastrels, for the most part. She tugged uneasily at the odd, flimsy T-shirt, so thin she couldn’t even conceal a knife beneath it. At least her thick blue pants had suitable pockets. Really, humans gave too little thought to protection.

  Most of them.

  With a wave to the portal guard, Inona marched straight through the invisible barrier to the Veil. The mists closed around her, and her insides gave a sick lurch at the tumultuous energy buffeting her. She rubbed her hand across her stomach. The Veil had grown worse since her last trip from Moranaia to Earth. Strands of color whirled as though tossed by a gale, and the one she sought, the one that would guide her to her destination, slipped away several times before she grasped it with her magic.

  Latching tightly, Inona tugged with her power, a soft whoosh hissing through her lips as she slipped across boundless space. She swallowed against a rush of nausea. Gods, this was rougher than it should have been. Her eyes squeezed closed as the energy buffeted her, almost as though it wanted to shake her loose. It was like trying to cross flood-swelled rapids instead of a calm stream.

  As she neared her destination, she grasped for the sub-strand that would take her to the exit she needed. Finally, Inona stumbled through the other side of the portal. She reached out to steady herself against the nearby rock and blinked against the shift in light. The small crevice in the side of the bluff hid her from view, but it didn’t block the afternoon sun.

  Inona leaned back against the warm stone to catch her breath. The last time she’d been through here, the area had been sparsely populated. How many Earth years had passed since then? Frowning, she did a quick calculation. At least eleven, she thought, though she was no expert at time conversion. That was long enough for the humans to have built their settlements closer to the ridge.

  Bracing herself, Inona peeked around the edge of the crevice. To the left, the land sloped upward. Trees swayed in the breeze and birds chirped softly. Just as she remembered. She glanced right, down the hill curving away from the base of the bluff. Then she cursed. A neighborhood had sprung up near the bottom, the tidy human houses replacing the forest that had once reigned. She’d have to be more careful now.

  She ducked back and pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket. With a scowl, she scanned the list of names. Only three this time, but she hadn’t met the first one before. Delbin Rayac, formerly of Oria. Coric had been responsible for him the last couple of centuries, but the dubious honor had passed to Inona while Coric and his wife welcomed their first child.

  Inona sighed. Well, anything for a new parent.

  Delbin’s eyes locked onto his target.

  “You!” he said from his perch, the microphone in his mask carrying his words wide. The blond on the other side of the dirt clearing gave him an uneasy glance and walked faster. “I know you heard me, lady. I’m louder than that ugly orange shirt you’re wearing. Did your husband actually let you leave the house that way?”

  She froze, her body stiffening. Finally, she turned to glare at him. “I don’t have a husband.”

  “Wife, then?” he asked, winking. “I don’t judge.”

  “Yeah, right,” the woman muttered, so softly a human wouldn’t have heard.

  But he wasn’t human. “Yeah, I’m not buying it either,” Delbin said. Then he smirked, though she wouldn’t be able to see it through his mask. “Anyway, you’re too ugly for either one.”

  Her mouth opened on a gasp, and for the first time, her gaze shifted to the target next to his tank. Delbin swished his toes through the water. She definitely wants to dunk me. But that wasn’t what she really needed. He sent out a tendril of energy, connecting to her mind with the lightest of touches.

  “This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m beautiful,” Delbin sent into her thoughts.

  The woman’s shoulders straightened, and she shot him a haughty scowl. “Pick on someone else.”

  Delbin called out another half-hearted insult as she marched toward the Ferris wheel, but his job was done. Not that Grunge would agree. But if the dunk tank’s profits dipped a little when Delbin was in charge, the old man would have to deal. Destroying people for money would never be his thing.

  Sighing, Delbin slipped his fingers beneath his mask and wiped away the sweat. The mask was way too hot to wear in the heat of a Tennessee fall, but with the insults he delivered, the garish clown disguise had saved him from more than one beating. Since they’d started this fair circuit, he’d had quite a few threats from men who didn’t like having their masculinity called into question.

  Grunge ambled up, his steel-gray hair sticking up at even odder angles than usual. The state of the old man’s hair was a running joke among the crew. “How many dunks ya got?” he grumbled.

  “Two,” Delbin answered. “But the day’s still young.”

  Grunge nodded his head toward a tall man entering through the front gate. “How about that’n?”

  An odd one for this area. Delbin’s eyes narrowed, taking in the long black hair tied away from the man’s face and the arrogant tilt of his chin. Really odd. Delbin started to send out his energy to test the newcomer but froze as the tip of the man’s ear peeked through his hair. Pointed. So he was an elf—or maybe one of the Sidhe. Could he be from Moranaia? The guy didn’t look like any of the guides who’d checked on Delbin before.

  “Not him,” Delbin finally answered.

  “Ah, come on.” Smirking, Grunge slapped a hand against the side of the tank. “He’s full of himself. Probably make us rich trying to dunk ya.”

  “Looks more likely to knife me in an alley, old man,” Delbin said, careful to keep his tone light though his insides twisted.

  Dark energy swirled around the elf, so thick even the humans gave him a wide berth. Delbin swallowed hard. Then almost sagged in relief at the sight of the three college boys eyeing the dunk tank. He shifted on his perch and focused on the trio. Whatever the elf was doing, Delbin wanted no part of it.

  He straightened on his perch and called out the next insult.

  Inona stared, mouth gaping, at the odd array of metal structures and flashing lights. What was this place? She tightened her hand around the small beacon stone, but
the slim tendril of energy didn’t waver. Delbin Rayac was definitely here. She ground her teeth as a wave of cheering washed over her, punctuated by shouts and screams. Humans were everywhere. This was how he remained inconspicuous? Had Coric known their exile would be in such a crowded place?

  A sudden breeze whipped around Inona, cooling the sweat coating her shirt after her long walk. With the wind came a blend of scents she had no words to describe. Sweet, spicy, tangy, savory—those she knew. But what kinds of foods produced such an odd mix? She scanned the crowd beyond the gate and spotted a small girl eating some kind of blue, fuzzy stuff atop a conical piece of paper. Surely that wasn’t supposed to be edible?

  Inona’s gaze landed on the blinking sign atop the gate. Wilde’s Traveling Fair. A traveling fair? Despite visiting the modern human world quite often, she still thought of wagons and tents when she heard that word. She scanned the hulking metal structures, many with moving parts. Giant cups spun in circles or whooshed up and down artificial hills. There was even a giant wheel with dangling seats. Definitely not like the carnivals of old with their daring performers and strange menageries.

  “Are you going in or not?” a voice called, and Inona focused on a human girl hefting a garbage bag from a nearby can.

  Inona jerked her head in a quick nod. “Yes, sorry. This place is quite a sight.”

  “Just the way Grunge likes it,” the human said, a cheerful, affectionate lilt to her voice.

  Forcing a smile, Inona nodded again. “Can’t wait.”

  Ah, curses. Her golden skin grew hot as she ambled toward the ticket booth. Inona hadn’t been caught gawking at anything in years, and attracting such notice could be a costly mistake in such a busy place. But she couldn’t stress about it now. She did her best to shove her embarrassment aside as she dug a hand into her pocket for a slip of human money.

  “Ten dollars gets you in, plus two free rides,” an adolescent male announced from his seat in the ticket booth, his attention focused on a shiny rectangle in his hand. “Twenty gets you a two-hour pass. Thirty for rides all day.”

  “I’m not here for the rides,” Inona answered as she sorted through the numbered papers.

  His gaze darted to her face at the sound of her voice, and his eyes went wide. “Okay. Umm…”

  Inona handed him a piece of money with 10 on the corner and let him place a paper bracelet around her wrist. Was this some form of human security? She grinned at the thin blue strip, and the boy jerked back, his throat bobbing in a gulp. Her smile widened at his lusty stare.

  Too old for you, she thought. She gave a jaunty wave as she turned to merge with the crowd. Centuries too old.

  Tinny music, excited voices, and the plaintive cry of a child flowed around her. Inona grinned at the young boy who’d plopped himself in the dirt, his small finger jutting toward a display of toy cars at a booth. Her younger brother had done something similar at his first Midsummer festival. And his second. The tension in her shoulders relaxed at the memory. Some things spanned worlds.

  She’d have to remind him of that next time he gave her grief for leaving the plains.

  A sharp crack, followed by a splash and loud cheering, caught Inona’s attention. But something in the sounds gave Inona pause, a tone in the shouts not matching the celebratory air of the place. Her hand drifted to the knife concealed in her pocket as she searched the area for the source. And…there. A clump of young men slapped hands and bumped fists around a square booth with a cage around the top.

  A cage?

  Inona started forward, only to pause a few paces away as a man levered himself onto a small seat behind the bars. Water plastered his clothes to his body and caressed the hard, muscled lines of his forearms. Involuntarily, Inona licked her lips. Then her gaze reached his face, and she gasped, her heart giving a thud.

  Huge, red lips. Pointed teeth. Wild colors ringing the eyes. Perhaps there was a reason for the cage.

  Her fingers curled around the hilt of her knife, ready to yank it from its hidden pocket. If the humans couldn’t eliminate this threat, she certainly could. But then the deformed man shook his head, flinging drops from his puffy blue hair, and slipped a finger beneath the edge of his skin. Inona squinted, and a chuckle escaped when she realized he wore a mask. Whatever horror the humans had based that face on she didn’t want to see.

  The worst part of the job is getting dunked, Delbin reflected. Oh, the breeze drifting over his wet clothes cooled him for a moment. Then the humidity joined in on the fun, and the fabric strangled his limbs and chafed at his skin. He grimaced beneath his mask as the group of laughing teens sauntered away, calling out taunts. Then he heaved out a sigh and started searching the crowd for his next target.

  At the edge of the small clearing, a woman caught his eye. Her hair was almost as honey-gold as her skin, an unusual combination here. Most of the humans with skin that tone had dark hair. Delbin’s attention drifted down to her tight T-shirt and snug jeans. Leanly muscled, curved just right… Damn. She could stand there and try to dunk him all day.

  “Hey, lady,” he called, and her gaze snapped to his. “Out here for a good time?”

  With children present, Delbin had to be careful with his insults, but he could tell she hadn’t missed the suggestive lilt in his voice. Her face reddened, and her lips thinned into a straight line. As usual, he released a discreet tendril of magic, searching for a weakness he could help her overcome. The best part of his job.

  Until his magic encountered her shielding. Her eyes flared with fury and power at his attempted intrusion, and Delbin froze. Shitfuckdamn. She wasn’t human. How had he not noticed? She heaved a breath, and his glance returned to her chest. He winced ruefully beneath his mask. That was how. Dammit, he knew better than to let himself be so distracted.

  With his attention on the female elf, the sharp rap on the side of the tank took him by surprise. “Shift’s over,” Grunge called.

  For once, that announcement didn’t fill him with relief. The woman stared at him as he spun on his seat, and her attention hadn’t shifted after he’d climbed down and peeked around the side. Not good. He wasn’t supposed to do magic around humans, and the hard glint in her eyes told him she knew it. Was she from Moranaia?

  The man he’d seen before flickered in his memory. What were the chances of seeing two non-humans in less than an hour? The guides in charge of exiles rarely traveled in pairs, and in all his time on the circuit, Delbin had encountered fae or half-blood beings only a handful of times. Most of them had been with the fairs. Or running them, like Grunge.

  Unease settling in his stomach, he ducked around the back edge of the dunk tank. He gave a quick nod to Grunge and Charlie, a six-foot giant of a man who made sure Bozos like Delbin weren’t attacked on the way to the employee tents. He didn’t turn to look at the woman, though his shoulders tightened against her gaze as it bore into his back. With the other two men there, she wouldn’t dare approach. Nor would the few people who tossed glares his way when they recognized him from the dunk tank.

  He’d just have to hope she wouldn’t be able to identify him without the mask.

  Chapter 2

  The stone heated in Inona’s hand as the man’s magic hit her shields, identifying him as her target. Glaring at his back as he strode away, she muttered a curse. Oh, she’d found her exile, all right. Casually using his magic on others. Coric wouldn’t have let that stand. Delbin might have gone renegade in the couple of years since his last check, she supposed, but there’d been no indication from Coric that Delbin was at risk of such behavior.

  Could it have been a fluke?

  Inona forced an easy expression across her face and ambled along the aisle, pretending interest in the booths and rides she passed. She didn’t need to follow her prey too closely, not with the tracking stone. If he realized that she’d been sent to check on him and tried to leave, she’d know. As fit as he clearly was, he couldn’t outrun her. And she wasn’t forbidden from using magic against him, so long as t
he humans didn’t notice.

  At the far end of the midway, he ducked into a large tent set over to the side. Trying to blend in while she watched for him, Inona purchased one of the colorful, fluff-topped cones. Then she settled at a nearby table and examined the odd treat. Most of the people she’d seen had picked small pieces off the top to eat, so she did the same.

  Inona gasped as sweetness burst across her tongue. Gods, too much. She swallowed hard, her eyes watering, and wished devoutly for something to drink. Ale. Anything. Had the humans extracted the very nectar of the plants and condensed it into…this? She glanced around for a garbage can. Humans might give this stuff to children, but she didn’t have to eat it.

  So much for blending in.

  As Inona tossed the blue nectar-fuzz into a partially filled can, an odd shiver traced through her. She stilled, trying to identify the source. Her shielding was intact, and when she took a cautious glance around, she saw nothing but the human crowd. Yet the air vibrated with a sudden charge, a dark energy wafting around her from a point beyond the large tent.

  Not Delbin. The tendril of power he’d sent her way hadn’t felt anything like this. Swallowing hard, Inona grasped the hilt of her knife once more. She gathered her power, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and cast a simple camouflage spell. It wouldn’t hide her for long from the person wielding such dark magic, but it allowed her to creep around the edge of the stall next to the tent without being seen by humans. She hoped.

  Delbin tossed a wave over his shoulder and pulled open the back entrance to the staff tent. He’d peeked out the front, only to find the woman throwing a ball of cotton candy into the trash. Her continued presence could be a coincidence, but he wasn’t betting on it. Good thing there was more than one way in. The corner of his mouth tipped up as he secured the flap shut and turned toward the row of travel trailers at the back edge of the field.