Archer of the Lake

by Kelly R. Michaels

  ***

  "Caelfel?"

  Garvanna?

  Caelfel struggled to move or to open her eyes or mouth, and her body refused to work properly. ?She felt the ghost of an immense electrical shock coursing through her blood vessels, and its wake left her muscles quivering involuntarily. ?Her head hurt, and there were large black spots in her memory. ?She had no recollection of where she was, but she felt damp ground pressing into her cheek.

  Someone rolled her over-that's right, she had heard Garvanna's voice-so then her back felt the soggy ground.

  She was too focused on trying to regain control of her body to hear what Garvanna said next. ?She only caught a name-Thoroth. ?And then she blacked out from her own mental exertion.

  The next time she woke up, things were much simpler. ?She had more control over her own body so she finally opened her eyes. ?

  She had moved. ?The soggy ground had been replaced with something warmer-a bed, she realized belatedly. ?But it was not her own, though she struggled to remember what her bed looked like. ?

  A face hovered over her, and she wanted to call it Garvanna though she knew that was not right. ?Her mind hummed, casting around for a different name. ?There had been another name, and this face belonged to it. ?

  "Thoroth," she said slowly.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked in a throaty voice.

  "Tired," she said, blinking at him. ?She was in a bed so she must have been tired. ?But the restless trembling of her limbs told her otherwise. ?She wanted to move.

  "Caelfel?" said a new voice.

  It took extraordinary effort to turn her neck, but she was rewarded with the sight of the other one. ?Garvanna. ?It brought her some relief, because Garvanna had been her first thought.

  Then she realized Garvanna was addressing her, and that this Caelfel must have been her all along. ?It made sense, seeing as that was what she responded to.

  Yes, Caelfel. ?That was right.

  She did not see the tall she-elf as a maternal figure, but Garvanna crossed the room and touched her fingers to Caelfel's cheek.

  "What happened?" Garvanna asked.

  Garvanna's fingers felt strange against her face, so Caelfel swatted them away. ?She didn't have the faintest notion of what Garvanna was talking about. ?Her only answer was a puzzled expression.

  Thoroth and Garvanna exchanged glances. ?Garvanna met Caelfel's gaze again and said, "Caelfel, your aura is gone."

  Caelfel's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head, not comprehending. ?Her jaw locked again, and she knew she should be concerned. ?But Caelfel couldn't focus her mind to understand.

  "I found you in the forest, and your aura was already gone," Garvanna tried again.

  Aura. ?College. ?Magic. ?Bow. ?Arrow. ?"Archery field?" Caelfel asked, as small nuances slowly came back to her.

  Garvanna nodded. ?"I found this with you." ?She handed Caelfel a quiver of arrows. ?

  Caelfel sat up in the bed and took it into her hands, studying it closely. ?She held onto it so tightly that her fingers went white. ?

  "Do you remember anything?" Thoroth asked.

  She focused on the soft leather in her hand, running her fingers on the feather fletching. ?She had had a green bow, but that was gone now thanks to the mysterious figure.

  "There was a figure." ?She paused, pursing her lips. ?"How did you find me?" she asked, looking to Garvanna.

  "Your mother said you left home with your quiver, and I remembered seeing you use your aura to create a bow in class. So I looked at the archery field."

  Caelfel shook her head; that was not the answer she had wanted. ?"How did you know to look for me?" she insisted.

  "I wanted to speak to you after I left the library. ?I tried your house first before I went to the field."

  Caelfel looked down at her hands. ?"I have no aura," she repeated quietly. ?The bow, the magic refused to come to her hands. ?"How is that possible?"

  "What was the figure that you saw?" Garvanna asked.

  Caelfel shook her head. ?"All I remember is a dark cloud. ?The figure must have taken it."

  Garvanna and Thoroth both nodded sympathetically, but Caelfel eyed them cautiously. ?She wondered if they thought her mad and were only agreeing to humor her.

  "It was there!" she insisted to them.

  "I believe you," Garvanna said, but Caelfel was not convinced.

  "Can I get it back?" Caelfel asked, unable to suppress a glimmer of hope. ?Elves were supposed to have auras. ?That was what made them elves.

  Thoroth shifted in his seat, drawing Caelfel's attention to him. ?"When I studied to become a healer, my master taught me a re-ignition technique. ?It's never been completed successfully. ?The idea is to ignite a dying aura, if it can be done. ?It's only a theory, but, Caelfel, you didn't have any sort of aura left for me to grow."

  "And there is nothing else you can do?" Garvanna asked him.

  "I'm sorry, Anna. ?I don't know what else to do."

  Garvanna sniffed. ?"Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one who lost an aura." ?She turned her back and disappeared from the room. Caelfel looked up to Thoroth, at a loss for words.

  Thoroth offered a partial smile. ?"Don't mind her. ?I'm quite used to her temper by now."

  Caelfel released a large sigh. ?"She was much worse earlier with Lady Luewyn."

  "Who?"

  Caelfel's mouth fell open, surprising herself with the reference. ?The new instructor had not been on her mind, and Caelfel had all but forgotten her. ?"Lady Luewyn," Caelfel answered slowly, remembering it herself. ?"She is Sir Kennyratear's replacement."

  Thoroth's eyebrows creased into a dark brown knot. ?"Why does Sir Kennyratear need a replacement?"

  Several large books slammed on the table next to Thoroth. ?Caelfel jumped and saw that Garvanna had rejoined them. ?"That's what I want to know. ?Unfortunately, I had a more pressing matter to deal with."

  "Was he dismissed or did he leave of his own accord?" Thoroth asked.

  "Lady Luewyn mentioned he took a voluntary leave of absence, but I am not so certain," Garvanna answered. ?"We have two problems, though. ?Caelfel's missing aura and Sir Kennyratear's absence. ?Which should we focus on?"

  "What about Lady Gwyndolyn? ?She called herself a master of auras. ?Perhaps she can help or shed some light on this matter," Thoroth offered. ?"I would assume she is on the Board of Wizardry but I wouldn't know where to find her."

  "Sir Kennyratear went to Yamalvon for help. ?He was the one that found her," Caelfel pointed out.

  Garvanna nodded at this. ?"So first we find Sir Kennyratear."

  Garvanna volunteered to look for Sir Kennyratear while Caelfel and Thoroth waited for her return. ?Caelfel sank back into the mattress when she had left.

  "Gwyndolyn makes me nervous. ?I'm not sure if I trust her," Caelfel confided to Thoroth.

  "I don't like her any more than you do, but she may be the only elf able to help us."

  Caelfel folded her arms and shifted even lower into the bed. ?Thoroth turned his head and fixed his eyes on her.

  "Caelfel, you have something on your arm."

  She absently scratched at her wrist and followed his gaze to a spot on her arm just below her elbow. ?The spot was black, as if she were stained by soot, and sensitive to the touch. ?Caelfel was shocked and tried wiping it off with no success. ?"That was where Lady Luewyn's hand brushed against my arm when I walked past her in class."

  Thoroth took her arm into his hands as he examined the black mark. ?"That was where she touched you?" he reaffirmed.

  When Caelfel nodded, he tried healing it with his aura, but the mark refused to disappear. ?He smeared a salve on it instead and wrapped bandages around her arm. Thoroth muttered darkly to himself for minutes afterward until Garvanna arrived with Sir Kennyratear.

  "That was rather quick," Thoroth remarked. ?"I remember Sir Kennyratear living further away from Sal'Sumarathar."

  "I came across him walking through the center of the city. ?He was lea
ving the Hall of Court," Garvanna answered, angling her face pointedly.

  "What were you doing in the Hall of Court?" Caelfel asked Sir Kennyratear.

  Nadeth waved her question away. ?"That matters little. ?Miss Hunithrae said your aura is gone."

  He stepped in front of her, placing his fingers on her temples. ?His skin felt warm to the touch, but the warmth did not spread as it had when she was in the college infirmary.

  "We thought about retrieving Gwyndolyn. ?She said she was a master of auras," Thoroth suggested to him.

  Without removing his hands, Sir Kennyratear grumbled back, "I would not trust Lady Gwyndolyn with such a delicate matter."

  "But she proved our innocence," Caelfel pointed out. ?"You were the one that went to Yamalvon for her."

  Sir Kennyratear scoffed, removing his hands ?"I went to the Board of Wizardry, and they gave me her." ?He shuddered at the thought.

  "You don't trust her," Thoroth said.

  "She's insane. ?You must have seen that. ?Someone that unstable should not be placed in such a position just because of her bloodlines."

  "She was certainly odd, but I'm not sure if I would call her insane," Caelfel said.

  Sir Kennyratear went on muttering under his breath and turned his eyes to her arm. ?"Were you injured?"

  Without waiting for an answer, he ripped the bandage from her arm, revealing the mysterious black spot.

  He frowned. ?"Where did you get that?"

  She chafed the mark with her thumb. ?"I'm not entirely sure. ?It's where Luewyn touched me."

  "Before you lost your aura?" he asked.

  Caelfel hesitated, considering how the two events were related. ?She glanced at Thoroth and Garvanna for their input, but Sir Kennyratear held her gaze as though he was trying to tell her something.

  "You need to have this checked," he told her severely. ?Caelfel stared back at him, slowly realizing that he was trying to send her a message without alerting Thoroth or Garvanna.

  "I've done what I can for it," Thoroth pointed out, completely oblivious to their silent exchange.

  "She doesn't need the useless cream you've smeared all over her arm," Sir Kennyratear snapped.

  "Then what does she need?" Garvanna asked him impatiently.

  "Something that is not here," said Sir Kennyratear.

  "Then tell us so we can bring it here," Garvanna said.

  Sir Kennyratear hesitated, still staring at Caelfel intently.

  Sudden recognition caused her to take a sharp breath. ?"Oh."

  Sir Kennyratear meant Feraan.

  She pushed herself from the bed and staggered out of the house without pausing for Garvanna's or Thoroth's reaction. ?Garvanna followed her to the street, though. ?"Where are you going?" she demanded.

  Caelfel briefly turned to face her, scrambling for a plausible excuse for leaving so abruptly. ?"I'm going home to tell my parents."

  Garvanna scowled. ?"You're lying. ?You shouldn't be stumbling around right now."

  Caelfel didn't offer a response to the other she-elf and took off down the street.

  Having little concern if she was being followed, Caelfel decided to walk to Feraan's house. ?She took the same path that ran along the Blaidd River and passed over the familiar boulders. ?When the river curved sharply, she knew his house sat just beyond the overlook. Caelfel made quick work of scaling it and rushed to his door, only to pause when she saw Feraan in his garden. Smoke curled over his head and coalesced into a magical black cloud that hovered in the corner of his garden, and as she drew closer, she saw bright red sparks flying around him. He paused to inspect a blade he had been sharpening on his grindstone.

  Caelfel found that she was content to simply watch him unnoticed for a few moments. ?Ash smeared his face and blackened his fingers. ?She had never taken him for a blacksmith but found that she was not surprised to discover he had a wide range of talents. ?Feraan was certainly an odd elf, and the more she looked at him, the more Caelfel thought he looked much too large compared to the normally slender shape of an elf. ?Feraan possessed unusually broad shoulders.

  The moment passed when he looked up suddenly, as if sensing he was the subject of her thoughts. ?Caelfel froze, hesitating when he saw her. ?The black cloud disappeared when their eyes met. ?His expression held surprise at her appearance but not anger, so she felt it safe to enter the garden.

  "What brings you here?" he asked, setting his work aside.

  By way of answer, she showed him her arm with its mysterious blemish.

  He took her arm and inspected the spot more closely, rubbing his thumb across the surface. ?His brow furrowed as he stared at the offensive mark. ?Then he turned his concentrated glare onto her face. ?"This happened today?" he asked.

  Caelfel nodded.

  He dropped her arm and ran his fingers through his dark hair, all the while muttering inaudibly to himself. ?A minute passed, and Caelfel was sure he had quite forgotten she was there.

  "Do you know what it is?" she asked.

  "I've seen it before," he answered. ?"It was about eighty years ago."

  "What happened?"

  "It still remains a mystery to me," he sighed. ?"And your aura is gone too, I see."

  Caelfel suddenly realized that her missing aura should have taken top priority. ?"Do you think it is connected?" she asked.

  "How did you receive that mark?" Feraan asked impatiently.

  "It appeared on my arm where Lady Luewyn's hand touched me. ?But also-"

  Recognition flashed through Feraan's eyes. ?"Lady Luewyn?" he repeated with a hiss.

  "Do you know her?" Caelfel asked.

  "Know her? ?Luewyn is my sister."

  Caelfel stepped back to look at Feraan. ?The dark hair and green eyes were certainly the same, but the relation still surprised her. ?"I didn't realize you had a sister." ?But as she said it, Caelfel realized she didn't know very much about Feraan at all, chiefly why he had his infamous reputation.

  Feraan gave her a thin smile. ?"We have the same mother."

  "But not the same father?" Caelfel asked.

  "Her father was a noble from Amasel. ?I don't know who my father is. ?But that's not important right now. ?When did you meet Luewyn?"

  "She's Sir Kennyratear's replacement at the college," Caelfel answered. ?"But you should also know-"

  Feraan appeared confused. ?"I didn't realize he was being replaced. ?How did his venture from Yamalvon end?"

  Caelfel sighed at being interrupted again and gave Feraan a strange look, thinking Feraan must lock himself in his house so much he was unaware of everything around him. ?"Thoroth and I were proven innocent."

  "So an escape from Honey Water would be unnecessary. How?"

  "There was a she-elf from Yamalvon. ?She called herself a master of auras. ?She inspected our auras and said we were innocent of necromancy. ?She didn't appear very happy with the Council."

  "Do you remember her name?"

  "It was Gwyndolyn. ?They also called her Lady Ernmas."

  Feraan scowled. ?"I don't recognize her name, but Ernmas is a name of royalty. ?She must be related to Empress Haelyn."

  "Something was off with her. ?Sir Kennyratear called her insane, but I'm not sure if I would go quite that far."

  "Since Sir Kennyratear was the one to retrieve her from Yamalvon, he doesn't have much room to complain about her sanity."

  "But it's more than that," Caelfel insisted. ?"She made strange comments rather frequently. ?Her head guard thinks someone is after her, and she told us she was powerful enough to destroy an entire city."

  Feraan paused at the information and without warning, he darted into his house. ?Caelfel followed after him in time to witness him pacing the room anxiously and tearing through his shelves as he frantically searched for something. ?He took no notice of her standing in the doorway as he searched.

  "Is there something wrong?"

  "I have it written down somewhere," Feraan growled, refusing to explain what he was referring to. ?He grunted impati
ently and moved to the next room, pouring over books and odd scrolls. ?Caelfel merely stood in the doorway, feeling a shade impatient herself as she waited for Feraan to complete his strange search.

  "Can I tell you something?" she asked, settling against the doorframe as she suddenly felt exhausted. ?Her head felt heavy, but she was too afraid to close her eyes. ?It reminded her of the electrical currents that had shot through her body hours before.

  Feraan didn't pause to look up. ?"Go ahead."

  "I left the college this afternoon with my aura. ?I went to the archery range to practice with my aura. ?I lost an arrow in the forest and when I went looking for it, I was attacked."

  This finally made Feraan pause. ?"Attacked?" Feraan repeated.

  "There was a figure in a dark cloud with a purple aura," Caelfel said, recalling the events sluggishly. ?"When this aura touched my aura, it almost killed me. ?I couldn't stop screaming, and after that I didn't remember anything for a while. ?I was unconscious when Garvanna found me. ?I couldn't even remember my name when I woke up."

  Feraan stood and crossed the room toward her. ?He placed his hands on either side of her face and looked deep into her eyes. ?"But you remember now? ?You remember everything?"

  Caelfel shook her head. ?"I don't know if I'm forgetting anything else but I still see black spots in my head. ?My hands are still shaking." ?To prove her point, she lifted them for his inspection.

  Feraan gave her an odd look and lowered his hands. ?"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

  "I tried, but you were too concerned with Gwyndolyn and Luewyn," she sighed, her exhaustion returning. ?She didn't want to sleep, though, so she forced herself to watch as Feraan resumed his wild search. ?"Can I ask you something now?"

  Feraan only nodded.

  "Why are you the most hated elf?"

  This made him freeze. ?He slowly returned the book he was holding to the floor. ?"Why do you ask that?"

  She offered a slight shrug. ?"I think it's a fair question. Everyone knows, except me. ?I think I have a right to know."

  He gradually straightened up. ?"You have a right to know the fabricated story of an unfortunate scapegoat?" he asked critically.

  "What's the fabricated story?" she asked.

  "It's nothing, and you shouldn't worry about it." ?He paused. ?"Do you love Thoroth?"

  It was such an odd question, that Caelfel could only grow red in the face as she vehemently denied having any such feelings. ?Feraan didn't seem convinced, but Caelfel was annoyed with how he changed the subject.

  He sent her away then, insisting that she should see her parents and inform them about her aura. ?Caelfel left reluctantly but not fully deterred from the subject. ?If anything, his resistance made her all the more curious as she heard Gwyndolyn's words ring through her head.

  Perhaps your feelings for him will change.

  But Caelfel was uncertain what those feelings were. ?She remembered his kiss fondly even though he had assured her there was no meaning behind it. ?She had been learning to trust Feraan, but it was quite evident he did not yet trust her.

  8. Lost Shadow

  Caelfel returned home exhausted from the day's events. ?Her parents greeted her cheerfully, having no idea of the tragedy that had befallen her. ?Caelfel did not have the energy to force a smile so her expression remained downcast and exhausted. ?Sylaera noticed her daughter's forlorn mood and grabbed Caelfel by the shoulders, but Caelfel didn't have to explain.

  "You've lost your aura," Sylaera stated accurately.

  Caelfel nodded, and her mother gave Eviat a meaningful look.

  "You should comfort her," Sylaera told him.

  Caelfel wasn't sure how her father could comfort better than anyone else, but Eviat led her through the back door and into the garden. He settled against the lavender bushes, which were Caelfel's favorite. ?He didn't speak at first, instead running his fingers against the silvery leaves. ?Caelfel waited patiently, watching her father and taking in the ash-gray hair and the miniscule creases around his eyes. ?Her father was a greyling. She knew him to be over thousands of years old, but something other than time had made him age so. ?Sir Kennyratear was older than her father, and he showed less signs of aging.

  "Caelfel, you are not the first to lose your aura," Eviat began.

  She knew this already from what Feraan had told her but she did not interrupt.

  Eviat kept his attention focused on the lavender leaves but his words were meant for her. ?"I lost my aura as well."

  Caelfel's mouth fell slightly agape. ?"When did this happen?" ?She felt stupid for not already knowing this.

  "It was less than a century ago, just before you were born."

  She counted the years. Caelfel was seventy-six years old, and Feraan mentioned a time of this happening eighty years ago. ?She suspected the two were related. ?"Was Feraan involved?"

  This took Eviat by surprise, and he turned his gaze from the plant to face her. ?"Why do you ask that?"

  She showed him the mark on her arm, and Eviat stroked it gently with his two fingers before returning to the leaves. ?"Feraan said he saw marks similar to this one eighty years ago. ?How did you lose your aura?"

  "It was taken from me." ?He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a twin mark on his shoulder.

  Caelfel looked at it with wide eyes. "Who took it?"

  Eviat shook his head. ?"I don't know. ?Ever since the incident, I haven't been able to practice healing as I used to."

  Something stuck in Caelfel's throat. ?"Will I age too?" ?She was younger than most elves and had a difficult time being taken seriously. ?She did not want to look older than them.

  "I don't believe so. ?I think I aged because I've lived over two millennia using my aura."

  "How did it happen?" Caelfel asked, drawing her knees to her chest. ?"Surely you did not wake up one day with it missing."

  "I don't remember most of it, Caelfel," Eviat admitted sadly.

  Caelfel suppressed an impatient sigh. ?It was not her father's fault that his memory failed him. ?That was the product of living such a long life; elves would forget things. ?"Is there nothing I can do to get it back?"

  Eviat smiled sadly. ?"If there is a way, I have not found it. Where is your amulet?"

  Caelfel reached for the pendant that was not there. ?"I gave it to Feraan to save his life. ?You should remember that; you were at my trial," she recalled.

  Eviat nodded at this information and departed, leaving Caelfel alone with her thoughts in the silent garden.

  "There is no help," she said to herself bitterly.

  Caelfel had had dreams of becoming a battlemage. ?She wanted nothing more than to experience the thrill of battle, protecting her elfkind and homeland. ?But such dreams were dashed now. ?After all the trouble she went through to use her aura, it was gone from her. ?Forever. ?She was useless, defenseless. ?Powerless. ?And the thought weighed heavily in her stomach. ?She still had her bow, which was what she had been exceptionally talented at, but magic was one of the marks of being an elf. ?Without it, she could hardly be called one, she thought to herself grimly.

  Defenseless and powerless.

  She wondered at the usefulness of taking her aura away. ?Feraan seemed so certain Luewyn was responsible, but Caelfel couldn't understand how the callous she-elf would benefit. ?Then she remembered Markis's pursuit of her and Feraan only a few nights before and the memory raised the hairs on the back of her neck. ?She wouldn't peg Markis as one to give up so easily, so perhaps he hadn't.

  Caelfel was suddenly alert and aware of every detail around her. ?Her sharp eyes noted the birds flitting through the tree branches, and her pointed ears picked up the muted sound of the river nearby, the same river that ran alongside Feraan's house. ?Feraan had been paranoid about someone following her to his home, and she wondered if someone was still following her in spite of her newly proven innocence.

  She had been proven innocent of necromancy. Her name had been cleared in front of the Council, even though they had not been
pleased with the one who cleared it. ?Gwyndolyn was suspicious of the Council herself. ?Gwyndolyn wanted justice against the elf that had exploded Caelfel's aura.

  And that elf was Markis.

  And then Sir Kennyratear was dismissed from the college, shortly before Garvanna saw him leaving the Hall of Court. ?A thought occurred to Caelfel. ?Perhaps Sir Kennyratear had had his own trial, charged with the crimes Markis had committed.

  Caelfel rose from her position in the garden and went inside, not feeling very safe while being exposed in their garden. ?She locked herself in her room, heart racing the entire time. ?She wasn't sure why Luewyn or anyone else would take her aura. Maybe after Gwyndolyn came to investigate, the Council felt it necessary to remove any auric evidence.

  It was not even close to dark, but Caelfel bolted her window shut and strategically placed all of her weapons around her in a circle, positioning each one within reach. ?She had her short-sword in front of her while her bow rested carefully on the floor to her left side, her quiver on the right. ?An assortment of knives, mostly throwing knives and two hunting knives, dotted the spaces between them. ?She had her legs crossed neatly with a hand on each knee. ?Tremors of anticipation made her fingers twitch nervously for several long minutes.

  A sudden urgency seized her, and Caelfel sprang up from her place on the floor and began pacing her room. ?She grabbed the first object that she could reach, her bow, and she set about polishing its already pristine wood. ?When she had exhausted that task, she began handcrafting new arrows. ?She was in a frenzy, which did not subside even hours later when she ran out of swan feathers. Caelfel demanded her parents that more be brought to her. ?Father told her that he did not like her tone, but within the hour, more had been delivered to her by Thoroth.

  "Your parents are concerned with your behavior," Thoroth said, his eyes sweeping the messy array of wood shavings.

  "I have been busy."

  "With feathers?"

  "I've been making arrows," she said defensively.

  "What truly bothers you, Caelfel?"

  "I am not bothered," she lied, thinking of Feraan, of Sir Kennyratear, of the chilling expression she saw every time she thought of Markis.

  Thoroth did not look convinced. Feraan's odd question from earlier crossed her mind. ?Caelfel came very close to mentioning it to Thoroth, but her face grew red at the mere thought of it. ?She returned her attention to her work.

  "They're worried about you, Caelfel. ?I'm worried," Thoroth attempted when she said nothing. ?This only brought Feraan's question back to the forefront of her mind, despite her attempts to dismiss it.

  She settled instead on biting sarcasm. ?"What's there to worry about? ?My aura has only mysteriously disappeared with no explanation. ?A sinister she-elf has replaced Sir Kennyratear at the college. And why is Feraan the most hated elf of Honey Water?" she hissed, turning her glare on Thoroth. ?She had lost her feeble attempt at humor as her irritation bested her.

  Thoroth was not prepared for her ranting and was visibly taken aback. ?"I don't think you want me to answer that," he said cautiously.

  "And why not?" Caelfel demanded, bristling.

  "Because as much as I believe he is dangerous, I think you are besotted with him."

  "I am not-" Caelfel began indignantly.

  "And you wouldn't take well to such information," Thoroth continued as if he had not heard her.

  "I still think I should know," Caelfel muttered darkly.

  "I am not one for breaking hearts. ?You should ask Garvanna, because she has no qualms about it."

  "You don't like him, so why should you care?"

  "I care about you, Caelfel," Thoroth said timidly. ?He crouched next to her. ?"I have no wish to break your heart, even though I have no reservations about breaking his."

  Before she could process that, Thoroth touched his forehead to hers and then angled his face slightly to meet her lips. ?His kiss was swift and flushed her cheeks. ?Caelfel sat, blinking in its wake. ?Before she could properly react, Thoroth excused himself and left her alone in her room with the swan feathers he had delivered.

  Caelfel decided she was annoyed with Thoroth then. ?She had wanted to ask after Sir Kennyratear, but he had distracted her with a silly kiss and a refusal to answer her questions before abandoning her altogether. ?In her frustration, she pushed her arrow work aside and resumed her pacing.