Eruvalion was ready to tear his hair out in frustration. He had been searching for Iadrawyn for days without success. He had returned to the village as she had asked to inform her family she had gone off again, telling them not to worry. He had been careful not to mention it in front of the visiting drakhal, who was spending quite a bit of time with Iadrawyn’s father and the other councilors.
Melariel seemed unconcerned when Eruvalion gave her the news. Iadrawyn’s mother was used to her daughter running off into the woods by herself. She had simply smiled and thanked him for bringing the news.
Eruvalion almost considered his trip back to the village a waste of time. Still, Iadrawyn had asked it of him. He always enjoyed doing things for her. He would do anything she asked of him. He was the only person who truly knew and understood her. She needed him to watch over her.
And now he couldn’t find her. He had had no problem following her from the village, but since he had gone back, she seemed to have disappeared. He could find no trace of her passing anywhere. He had already checked her usual haunts.
What if she was in danger? He knew she could take care of herself, but with drakhalu about, who knew what might happen? Although Eruvalion was genuinely worried, part of him was also secretly pleased to have a legitimate excuse to help Iadrawyn.
She needed him, even if she didn’t know it yet. She always needed him. They belonged together.
Eruvalion forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. He could still find no signs of Iadrawyn’s passage, even though he was far from the village. Why hadn’t she left any signs for him to follow? She knew he was coming back for her. Perhaps she didn’t think it was safe to do so. She didn’t usually leave tracks as she had done when she had left the village in anger. Eruvalion always considered it a personal challenge to find her when she went out into the woods. But she had never been away for this long before. She always returned eventually, which was usually when Eruvalion found her.
What if she didn’t want him to find her?
The thought struck him like a blow. His eyes stung with unshed tears at the very thought. Of course she wanted him to find her. She needed him. They belonged together.
But Iadrawyn didn’t always seem to understand that the way he did. He was patient, of course. One day she would see. He would make her understand. But why else would she be gone for so long? He should have found her by now, or she should have come back.
Was she hiding something from him? There were no secrets between them. He always made sure of that. Sometimes Iadrawyn tried to hide something from him, but he always found out. He felt a growing sense of certainty.
Iadrawyn had a secret!
His need to find her now was urgent. There could be no secrets between them. Eruvalion began to run. The trees whipped past him as he went. He needed to find her now. His eyes frantically peered through the darkness as he ran, looking for any sign. He blinked away tears of hurt and frustration. How could she betray him like this?
He would find her. He would find her if he needed to run for days to do it. And once he did find her, he would make everything the way it should be. He would make her see. There were no secrets between them. They belonged together. She would understand and everything would be all right.
Eruvalion was so focused on his search for Iadrawyn’s trail, he almost missed it. The faint scent of smoke stopped him in his tracks. He wasn’t anywhere near the village and no one ventured out this far.
It had to be her.
He slowed his rapid breathing and focused on the scent. It was coming from the west. Taking his time now that he had something to go on, Eruvalion followed the invisible trail. At first he wasn’t certain whether he had chosen the right direction, but soon the scent became noticeably stronger. He was close.
He stepped lightly on the snow, making no sound. The trees opened to form a small clearing with a giant, wayward pine at its center. Eruvalion crept around the perimeter. There were tracks everywhere. He crouched to take a closer look and received his second shock of the day: the prints were not Iadrawyn’s. They were too large. They appeared to belong to a male elf. There was a crisscrossing trail of them coming and going from under the pine. The tracks were fresh.
Eruvalion burned with a righteous fury. What was Iadrawyn doing hiding in the woods with another man? Even though there was no trace of her, he knew this must be her shelter. The male elf wouldn’t be in it unless Iadrawyn had brought him there. He realized he was shaking. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself. It would do him no good to go charging in.
Was Iadrawyn in the shelter with him now? That was the first thing he needed to know. He opened his eyes and crept around the tree to a spot where the needles were sparse. He peered inside.
He could just make out the outline of someone crouched within. They appeared to be tending a fire. Eruvalion strained his eyes and ears. To all appearances, the elf inside was alone.
Who was he? Eruvalion had no idea who would run off with Iadrawyn like this. His own ignorance disturbed him. To the best of his knowledge—which was extensive where Iadrawyn was concerned—there was no one in the village who would do such a thing. Whoever the mystery man was, he would soon be very sorry.
Eruvalion drew his knife. He would have to be quick. It would be better to deal with this situation before Iadrawyn returned to complicate things.
He positioned himself behind the other elf’s back and pushed his way through the branches. The elf sensed the movement and turned to face him.
Eruvalion felt as though he had been punched in the gut. The other elf had silver hair and matching silver eyes, which were widened in surprise. No one from the village had that combination of coloring. He was a Sea Elf.
“What have you done with her?” Eruvalion demanded, barely controlling his warring anger and fear.
“What have I done with who? You mean Iadrawyn?”
“Don’t you dare speak her name!” Eruvalion spat. “Now, what have you done with her? Where is she?”
“I haven’t ‘done anything’ with anyone. She’s off gathering food and firewood. I was in a shipwreck and carried to the beach nearby. Iadra—I mean she rescued me and brought me here.” He eyed Eruvalion’s knife. “Do you mean to use that? I’m unarmed.” He held both hands up to show they were empty.
“You lie!” Eruvalion raised his knife, putting the blade against the other elf’s throat. “If you were shipwrecked as you say, you would be in no condition to walk from the beach. If Iadrawyn rescued you and brought you here, how did she do it? She certainly didn’t carry you.”
“I—I don’t know.” The Sea Elf frowned, appearing confused. “I never thought about it, but you are right. How did she get me here from the beach?” His eyes were lost in thought. He was thinking about her.
Eruvalion put enough pressure on his knife to draw blood. It trickled down the Sea Elf’s neck in a thin, red trail. The stranger’s silver eyes met his in startled pain. Eruvalion moved his face in close.
“Iadrawyn. Is. Mine!” he growled from between clenched teeth. To his credit, the other elf did not flinch.
“I don’t think she belongs to anyone.”
For some reason, this calm statement pushed Eruvalion over the edge. He gave a savage cry, whipping his knife out from under the Sea Elf’s throat to strike him across the temple with the pommel. His eyes rolled back as he slumped to the ground at Eruvalion’s feet.
Eruvalion was trembling. He took several steadying breaths. Was the elf dead? He leaned over the prone body to listen. The Sea Elf still breathed.
Eruvalion took some rope from his pack and bound the Sea Elf’s wrists and ankles. Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he dragged him out from under the pine. Regardless whether his captive was telling the truth, he was a stranger to the wood. His fate was for the council to decide. But after the drakhal emissary’s visit, Eruvalion was fairly certain how such a decision would go. He smiled at the thought.
Hefting the
elf’s limp form over his shoulder, he headed back for the village. Eruvalion’s anger gave him strength, but his burden was also light for its size. The Sea Elf must be malnourished. Once he handed the stranger over to the council’s custody, Eruvalion could continue his search for Iadrawyn.
If she had rescued and cared for this foreign creature… Well, Eruvalion would just have to show her the error of her ways. This time, he would make her understand.
Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0) Page 6