***
Caelfel awoke at dawn to find Feraan twisting strands of her hair around his fingers with a distant look in his eyes. ?When he noticed she was awake, he kissed her once on the brow and twice more on the lips.
It was in a panic when she remembered her promise to Eviat to be home before dawn, though as she walked home, Caelfel realized that the promise never occurred. ?Instead, Sylaera had asked Caelfel to not leave them for very long. ?In either case, Caelfel decided it would not be a poor decision to relate to Eviat and Sylaera her wish to be with Feraan. ?She assumed they would not be surprised, but the prospect of doing so made her stomach twitch with nervousness. ?Such thoughts vanished when she was accosted just outside her home by a despondent Garvanna who had her long hair tied up uncharacteristically.
Caelflel's perfect happiness was instantly marred when she saw Garvanna's forlorn expression. ?Caelfel crossed the distance to meet her. ?"Garvanna, what is the matter?"
But Garvanna numbly shook her head, brushing Caelfel's hands from her shoulders. ?The she-elf smoothed her hair back into place, though no strand had flown astray. ?Caelfel pressed the issue, and eventually, Garvanna divulged. ?"I will no longer be staying with Thoroth," she announced as proudly as she was able, squaring her shoulders.
Caelfel's hand flew to her mouth. ?"Why not?"
Garvanna set her chin high. ?"We've had our differences, but I've felt it is time to relieve him of the burden of handling me."
"You're not a burden, Garvanna," Caelfel tried comforting.
Garvanna's eyes suddenly turned to daggers as she looked Caelfel over sharply. ?"Perhaps I am not, but it is difficult to compare to the queen of beauty," she hissed venomously.
Caelfel was startled by Garvanna's sudden turn of hostility. ?"What are you on about?"
"It is not enough for you to be pleased with your murderer. ?You must have Thoroth, too?" Garvanna demanded.
Caelfel ungracefully gaped at her friend. ?"Thoroth is only a friend to me-"
But Garvanna would hear none of it and fled from their conversation, her face red with anger. ?Caelfel resumed the walk home, utterly confused at what had just transpired. ?Caelfel was still mumbling to herself as she walked into her house, nearly running into her father.
"Good morning, Caelfel. ?Why do you look so sour?" Eviat asked.
"I ran into Garvanna, and we had a disagreement. ?Did you not wonder where I was last night?"
"I assumed you were with Feraan," he said, shrugging his bow over his shoulder. ?Caelfel blinked and noticed how he was dressed.
"Where are you going?" Caelfel asked. ?Her father usually did not start his routine hunting in the spring without inviting her.
"A courier came yesterday. ?I have been summoned to a hunting party for this morning. ?There have been sightings of dire wolves along the borders."
"A hunting party?" she repeated, uneasy with the idea of her greyling father facing a dire wolf. ?"I should go instead."
"No, Caelfel. ?The invitation specifically requests my presence this time." ?He chuckled. ?"They probably don't want you saving another condemned elf." ?But something in his words made Caelfel freeze, and she did not share Eviat's humor.
"Do you know who your hunting partner is?" she asked.
"We have not been assigned them yet. ?They will tell us in the meadow, I suspect."
Caelfel nodded at this but it did not soothe her anxiety. ?"I'll go with you, to see you off."
Eviat nodded at this, and they left for the meadow in silence. ?She noticed he did not seem disturbed when she felt he had every reason to be. ?Caelfel could not stay quiet the entire walk to the meadow.
"I don't think you should go on this hunting expedition," she said.
"Why is that?" he asked patiently, though it was evident that he did not see the danger she did.
"Dire wolves are dangerous. ?What if something happens to you?"
"There is a possibility of something happening to me every day. ?I will not wait around because you are paranoid."
"No, Father. ?What if something happens to you like what happened to Feraan on the last hunting party? ?Or Sir Kennyratear?" ?Eviat's face turned solemn, and Caelfel thought he looked mutely angry. ?She had a strong feeling that there was something he was not telling her, but neither spoke the rest of the way.
Uthruil was handing out assignments to arriving members of the party. ?He was referencing names on a list in his hands when he saw Eviat standing nearby.
"Ah, the Venerable Eviat Gyssedlues. ?You are with Markis Rilynnzea today."
Caelfel found she could not swallow as her eyes darted about for the tracker. ?"Is there any way I could take my father's place? ?I have never seen a dire wolf before."
Uthruil forced a smile. ?"Unfortunately, not today, Lady of Spring. ?You would not want to ruin your beautiful dress," he said, appraising her figure.
Caelfel grit her teeth, realizing once more she had not changed. ?She felt her face slip into a glare at the irrelevant and abrupt subject change. ?She did not bother to dignify Uthruil with a response and led Eviat off to the side to speak with him instead.
"I really do not think you should go," she pleaded. ?He didn't meet her gaze as he saddled his horse.
"It is my duty to Sal'Sumarathar."
"It is not your duty to let them kill you!"
"Oh, Caelfel. ?Stop."
"Your partner is Markis. ?You know what happened to his last hunting partner. ?He was abandoned to die in the forest. ?If not for me, he would still be there. ?Markis kills his partners!" she hissed.
"Go home to your mother. ?She can use your worthless fretting more than I can," Eviat said gruffly. ?But even as he said it, Eviat refused to look at her.
Caelfel stared at him, repressing the urge to shake him. ?"Tell me you at least see there is something suspicious about this. ?Remember what happened to Sir Kennyratear-"
"How beautiful," interrupted the approaching Markis. ?"The lovely huntress worries over her father."
Caelfel ignored him. ?She couldn't fathom her father's reasoning for behaving this way, especially when the truth was so obvious to her.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked.
"Please leave, Caelfel. ?I do not need you worrying over me. ?I'm perfectly capable of handling myself if something were to happen."
Caelfel didn't want to believe her father had turned stubborn over a matter of pride, but she could do nothing as she watched Eviat resolutely gallop away. ?Perhaps he knew his fate though, and they were merely holding something against him to force his hand. ?Caelfel glared at the back of Markis's cloak as he disappeared beyond the forest line with the rest of the hunting party. ?She waited three full heartbeats before sprinting away from the meadow to find Feraan.
He hadn't left his house since she had seen him that morning. ?When she returned, Caelfel saw that he remained on his bed with the same thoughtful expression she had awoken to that morning. ?His features instantly changed, however, as he noticed something was amiss.
"I didn't expect you to return so soon," he said uneasily.
"It's Father. ?They summoned him to a hunting party this morning."
Feraan arched an eyebrow and stepped closer. ?"There are always hunting parties, Caelfel."
"But Markis is his hunting partner," she insisted impatiently. ?It took only an instant for Feraan to reach that same conclusion she had. ?He was alert and suddenly on his feet.
"I'll follow after him," he said, rushing through the house and grabbing his weather cloak.
"I want to go with you too," she said, following Feraan's heels as he bounded out the front door.
"No," he said firmly. ?"Go find your mother and bring her to my house to wait for us. ?The two of you should be safe here."
Caelfel frowned, not fond of the idea of being left behind. ?She told him this as she followed him to the meadow, but he didn't answer until he was on top of Firnis.
"Time is very critical right now, Caelfel. ?Your father may not
have the luxury of waiting on you to retrieve your mother, but if your father is being targeted, it's essential to make sure you and your mother are safe. ?Understand?"
Caelfel nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. ?"Are you sure you will be safe, since-if not for me-you would not have left the forest the last time?"
Feraan offered her a sympathetic expression and allowed his hand to cradle the side of her face for a second before spurring Firnis into the forest. ?She lingered only a moment before rushing away from the meadow to find her mother. ?It did not take her long. ?Sylaera was sitting in her garden, her face uplifted to the sun with its rising warmth. ?Caelfel dreaded ruining her would-be peaceful day.
"What's going on?" she asked when Caelfel had warily approached without a word.
"Father has gone to the hunting party."
"Yes, I know. ?I saw him leave just minutes ago."
"His hunting partner is Markis."
"Your father has had many hunting partners in the past."
"Even one that will attempt to kill him?" Caelfel shot back. ?Sylaera arched an eyebrow skeptically.
"You are paranoid because of what happened to Feraan."
"Perhaps I am cautious because of what happened to him and Sir Kennyratear. ?I saw that for myself; Markis did not hesitate to annihilate the oldest elf of Sal'Sumarathar. ?I doubt he would hesitate with Father." ?Sylaera slowly got to her feet, gauging Caelfel from head to toe.
"Did you not warn Eviat?"
"He would not listen. ?Feraan has left to find him. ?He told me to bring you to his house and wait for him to return with Father."
"Why Feraan's house?"
"It is safe there."
"And you trust Feraan on that? ?You trust him with Eviat's life?" Sylaera asked, measuring the depth of Caelfel's devotion.
"He has proven himself with it once, has he not?"
Sylaera nodded, having no response for that. ?Caelfel led the way to Feraan's house. ?With Markis gone from the city, they did not need to worry about being followed. ?And soon enough, they reached the last boulder that overlooked Feraan's home. ?Sylaera assessed it silently before following Caelfel inside.
And there they waited.
Caelfel glanced at the tips of her hair that had been dyed black. ?She would have mumbled an excuse, but Sylaera's eyes wisely drifted to the ink puddle on the desk. ?Her mother moved to clean it.
Whenever Sylaera was worried, she would often be seen flitting from room to room, scouring the house clean of any offensive mess. ?Feraan's house stood as no exception. ?Caelfel had long since learned to avoid the hurricane known as Sylaera so she hid out in Feraan's narrow library, hoping Feraan would not be too upset with the way Sylaera decided to organize his things.
She settled sideways with her legs crossed in the small corridor. ?There was a small pile of books sitting on the floor that had not been returned to their proper places. ?Caelfel estimated, with the dust wiped freshly from their covers that these were the books Feraan had recently read. ?The ones on top were about dreamrealms and auras, but Caelfel slid them away to read the title of the bottommost book-The Dirus Clan. ?But it was Feraan's name on the cover that intrigued her the most.
She picked this one up and began reading. ?It began by explaining how a human named Hubertus had become a saint and martyr to the people of Kanetalm, a kingdom within Umfeld. ?He led many battles against evil and those who dealt in evil magic. ?He was famous for defeating necromancers and sorcerers. ?Caelfel recalled Feraan telling her about it, but the book continued, discussing how the Temple of Saint Hubertus was located in a city named Sorasaen, an elvish name, she realized, though she did not know what it meant. ?There was a separate cult of Hubertus worshippers called the Reclaimers of Hubertus that had tasked themselves to eradicate the forces of evil, as Saint Hubertus had once done, specifically by exterminating the race of werewolves.
Caelfel imagined Markis as a Reclaimer, riding through the forest, chasing huge, man-sized wolves she thought would be dire wolves. ?The vision continued until she saw Eviat appear among the wolves, riding his white horse. Markis's attention shifted from the wolves to the greyling, and Caelfel saw a sudden fire in his eyes as Markis spurred his own horse on to quickly strike down Eviat. ?Her father fell face down to the ground, and his blood pooled around him. ?The scene reminded Caelfel of the way she found Feraan unconscious in the forest.
A cold shiver ran through her body as she screamed, and suddenly she was blinking in the dark library with a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Caelfel, your father," said Feraan. ?Caelfel blinked herself into awareness was suddenly on her feet and following Feraan to a spare bedroom where her father lay limp and unconscious on a bed.
Sylaera had her head bent over Eviat's hand.
"What happened?" Caelfel asked as her pulse accelerated with her panic.
"I followed them for a while. Then Markis and Eviat separated from the rest of the group. ?I didn't think it was intentional at first-others had separated-but when I found them again it was too late. ?Eviat had fallen, and Markis had disappeared."
"Is he still breathing?"
"Just barely," answered Sylaera.
"He needs a healer," Caelfel said, feeling herself grow closer and closer to hysteria.
Feraan nodded and, without another word, left the room.
14. Missive
He didn't fancy a visit to Thoroth, but he had little choice. ?The healer had proven himself to be the only one of his kind who would possibly break royal decree to save the condemned and Thoroth had a way of keeping his mouth shut on such matters. ?Still, as Feraan tugged his hood over his face, he did not look forward to seeing Thoroth's smug expression, and Thoroth was not one to disappoint.
"I've just received notice of Eviat's death, and any attempt to revive him will be considered an act of necromancy."
"Such grave news should not be delivered with such a large grin, Master Orletylar."
"Where is he?"
"He is at my house, if you are up for the task."
"You are going to show the way to your house?" Thoroth asked skeptically.
Feraan's grin was mischievous. ?"Only because your services are needed. ?Do not expect an extended invitation. You will have to be blindfolded."
Thoroth was initially disinclined but, since he was fond of Eviat and didn't want to see Caelfel crushed by her father's death if he could prevent it, he eventually and reluctantly agreed. ?It made Feraan think that Thoroth's friendship with Caelfel ran deeper than the healer would let on. ?But Feraan prodded Thoroth along, hiding his enjoyment as the healer ran into trees and various other obstacles. ?Feraan particularly liked it when the path wound uphill, forcing Thoroth on all fours to grope his way along. ?Whenever pity won out, Feraan would give less-than-helpful instructions on how to avoid upturned roots and loose stones.
"How is Caelfel taking it?" Thoroth asked, doing little to conceal his agitation.
Feraan's amusement waned as he thought about Caelfel's broken expression. ?"She is devastated, but I don't believe she has come to terms with it yet."
"I suspect his condition will be the same as yours."
Feraan sighed heavily through his nose and touched the amulet hidden beneath his shirt. ?"As do I."
When they reached his house, Feraan would not remove Thoroth's magical blindfold until they were safely inside. ?He gave strict orders to the healer that he was not to leave the house under any circumstance unless Feraan permitted it. ?For good measure, Feraan adjusted the wards around his house so they would prevent Thoroth from leaving, though the spell drained some of his own energy. ?Feraan would not risk revealing where he lived.
When they reached the room where Eviat was, Feraan saw that Caelfel and Sylaera had not moved. ?Thoroth hurried to examine Eviat's wounds, and Feraan watched as some color returned to Caelfel's face as Thoroth set to work.
The assessment came shortly. ?"He's been poisoned."
Feraan watched calmly as the news was received
. As expected, Eviat's wife and daughter did not take the information well. ?From the corner of his eye, he saw Caelfel reach for the place on her neck where her new pendant sat. ?Feraan felt the amulet around his own neck weigh heavily. ?Thoroth stood, gazing steadily at Feraan as he approached him.
"A poison not unlike your own," he said, dipping his chin and not blinking.
"Is there anything you can do?" Sylaera asked, standing.
"I can ease his pain but nothing more," Thoroth said. ?Feraan kept his breathing even as he avoided Thoroth's piercing eyes to scratch the nape of his neck. ?The twine he touched there felt unusually thick. ?He could not tell if he had the courage or the will to give up Caelfel's amulet for Eviat, for it only meant his own death. ?One life or the other, and that would be an unfair decision to put on Caelfel. ?He looked at her once more, very aware of her wild eyes darting about for some hidden solution. ?He would have liked to imagine Caelfel being as fretful in the face of his own near demise. ?He thought it unlikely; she barely knew him then.
Then she turned her pleading eyes onto him, and he found it very unsettling. ?"You saved him once when he was near death. ?You have helped me when my aura exploded and then when it disappeared. ?There must be something you can do," Caelfel pleaded.
He sighed and could not bear to face her. ?"Those were not caused by poison. ?I have many things and many abilities, but curing poison is not one of them."
"What do you need to cure poison, then?" Sylaera pressed.
Thoroth answered her. ?"There is a flower that used to grow in Amasel that was the base for all antidotes. ?I have not seen it for the last half-century."
"Who would have this flower? ?Would there be any left at Amasel?"
"I have not seen any but I could ride there and search for some," Feraan offered.
"That may be a waste of time," Thoroth countered smoothly.
"We talk on borrowed time!" Feraan shot back, voice rising dangerously. ?"We don't have many alternatives."
Thoroth's gaze shifted to the famous amulet that resisted the effects of poison, and Feraan read his thoughts perfectly. ?Give the amulet to Eviat. ?Die. ?Leave Caelfel to me. ?Spare everyone in Honey Water of your existence.
"I may still have some high connections to the nobility. ?Could one of the Families have some hidden away?" Sylaera asked.
Thoroth turned to her slowly, unconvinced of the probability. ?"If there is, I have not heard of it. ?Then again, I doubt they would allow such a secret to slip. ?If you rode to Yamalvon, I doubt Eviat would have the time to wait for your return."
"I would start with the Families of Sal'Sumarathar. ?I will see my sister. ?Then I will go to Rasean."
"I doubt you will find anything in Rasean," Feraan muttered bitterly. ?They all looked at him curiously, but he explained nothing of his contempt for the city of elvish squalor.
"I can still try, just as you will at Amasel," Sylaera said.
They left Eviat's room, and Sylaera threw a weather cloak over her shoulders when they were in the front room.
"I would like to meet my aunt," Caelfel said weakly.
Sylaera turned around and briefly touched Caelfel's cheek. ?"I do not think that would be wise," Sylaera said.
Caelfel's disappointment was tangible, and Feraan immediately understood that she needed a distraction or an escape from the house that held her dying father.
"You can help me look for flowers at Amasel," he suggested with a small grin. ?"If that is a suitable alternative for you." ?Caelfel stretched on her toes to reach him, and something in Feraan's chest froze.
But she did not kiss him. ?Instead she whispered sheepishly into his ear, "I do not know what to look for."
Smiling, he whispered back, "I will help you."
She nodded with an odd, grateful smile, and the three filed out of the house. ?From the door, Thoroth called, "I will stay, then, and look after him."
Feraan smirked but did not answer. ?Secretly, he was glad to have Caelfel accompany him. ?It was better than leaving her alone with pernicious Thoroth who would only poison her against him.
They parted in front of Feraan's door, Caelfel and Feraan heading towards the meadow and Sylaera going her own way. ?Feraan resisted the urge to stare after her, for nothing would answer the mysteries that surrounded the she-elf who voluntarily exiled herself from the Sal'Sumarathar nobility. ?He wondered if she had passed any of that mystery to Caelfel but found he truly did not know which qualities in Caelfel were Sylaera's and which were Eviat's.
"What's on your mind?" Caelfel asked when they reached the edge of the meadow. ?He glanced down at her, realizing Caelfel and Sylaera looked the same in their grief, just as they looked the same in other expressions.
"Your mother is a puzzling elf."
Caelfel managed a small chuckle. ?"Father says it's because she belonged to the Family."
"But you never met them?"
"No, just as I have never met Father's family."
"I remember. ?Eviat and Travin had a disagreement."
"Travin?"
"That's the name of your uncle. ?He's an interesting person, but it has been a while since I have seen him."
"You know more about my family than I do. ?I'm not even allowed to mentioned I have an uncle. ?What did they disagree about?"
"Travin was in love with a vampire. ?Eviat was against them marrying. ?Travin argued that Eviat had married a vampire as well. ?Eviat was quite insulted."
Caelfel sighed. ?"It's a shame."
Feraan whistled, and Firnis came trotting up faithfully. ?He mounted first and then held out a hand for Caelfel.
"I have Rowan," she began to protest uncertainly.
"You should ride with me."
It took Caelfel no further convincing to accept his hand, and when she had secured his arms around his waist, they were off.
The ride to Amasel was long, as always, and as uneventful as the last time he had taken Caelfel there. ?He would have thought she had fallen asleep again, except she remained firmly upright despite the rather long ride. ?He had discouraged her from riding by herself because of how preoccupied she was. ?He pushed Firnis on faster, and they arrived at the site of the decimated ruins hours later. ?He jumped easily to the ground, and Caelfel slowly slid off after him.
"We don't need to go into the actual city. ?The flower grew outside of it."
"What does the flower look like? ?What was it called?"
"It's yellow and shines like gold even in darkness. ?The humans call it Ruxlitta's Light."
"What do the elves call it?"
"Haelyn's Honey, but I much prefer the story of Ruxlitta."
"Tell me." ?They walked in long circles and looping arches. ?Feraan was disinclined to leave Caelfel's side, even at the risk of not covering more ground. ?He was reluctant to tell the story of the goddess Ruxlitta because he had specifically intended to save it, should he ever take her to the mountains of Umfeld.
"Ruxlitta was the goddess of happiness, love, sunlight, magic, and women. She lived in the deepest mountain, where no light penetrated and created life from her own light. ?Her breath supposedly became the flower, a cure to all mystical ailments."
"So, how did it become Haelyn's Honey?"
"Because Haelyn is our Empress and Honey Water her empire."
They continued searching, and strangely enough, Feraan began noticing how Caelfel made an effort, whether consciously or no, to remain within his shadow. ?It moved something in him, but when the urge came to reach for her hand, he suppressed it.
"Why did the flower become extinct?" she asked.
Feraan looked in the sun and became momentarily blinded. ?"Because the parasites were creatures of darkness that consumed everything with light in it," he said grimly. ?"That's how they feed off auras."
"And it grows in no other place?" she pressed.
"This was the only place it could be found in all of the Fey Forest."
She circled around him, stopping when she stood in front of him. "W
hat would happen if you took the amulet off?" she asked. ?
He didn't want to answer but eventually did. ?"I would die."
Caelfel nodded at this and said nothing more of her amulet. ?She continued searching, but Feraan stood, staring after her, and felt inexplicably annoyed.
"If your father wore it, it would save him," he told her.
"I'm not going to ask you to sacrifice yourself for him."
"You would only be asking for something that is rightfully yours. ?You could save your father."
Caelfel angled her gaze to him, trying to discern the reasoning behind his behavior. ?Feraan wasn't sure of it himself. ?"And what of you?" she asked. ?"If you want to sacrifice that to save Eviat, go ahead. ?That's your decision."
"And if I decided to keep it for myself, how much would you hate me?"
"I wouldn't," Caelfel said defensively. ?"Saving one life does not justify giving one life in return." ?She suddenly snapped her body around to face him and with a passion that did not fully suit her now, she said, "Do not dare remove that amulet from your neck."
The unspoken threat in her voice was so strong, that any notion he had of giving away her amulet was suddenly dashed. ?Feraan decided he would deal with the matter later when it was more pressing. ?Their search for Ruxlitta's Light continued for a while longer before Caelfel declared it was hopeless. ?Feraan could only agree silently but did not voice his thoughts. They mounted Firnis and left for Sal'Sumarathar, hoping Sylaera's ventures would prove more fruitful.
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