by Eric Vall
We all stood before the head of House Aelin, and I casually placed myself next to Deya so I could see her face. I felt a little bad after she’d gone so pale, but the elf only sent me an unreadable glance before a servant opened a door to our right.
Two elven men with long dusty blue hair entered, and they each wore broad grins as they looked at Deya. The sleeves had been removed from their tunics so their well-honed arms were fully exposed, and their jawlines were lightly flecked with stubble.
I sighed as they swiftly settled themselves in the two chairs beside Aelin.
“That’s about right,” I muttered.
Beside me, Cayla gave me a pointed look.
The two handsome elves greeted Deya with appreciative glances all up and down her slender figure, and each one made some sort of speech in Elvish on her behalf.
I could hear Ruela’s opinions from where she grumbled at Deya’s other side, and I started to like the dog more by the minute.
Deya only smiled sweetly as if she couldn’t hear the constant protests, and when she finally responded to our hosts, she seemed determined to keep the conversation in English.
“Thank you,” she told the first elf. “You are kind to say so.” Then she turned to the other and only smiled with a small bow.
The elf looked like he felt slighted, and he sat a little taller as he spoke more elaborately than last time.
Without understanding their language, I could only study their expressions, and I cocked a brow when I recognized a familiar glint in the young elves’ serpentine eyes. They were clearly the sons of Aeris, because they looked uncannily similar when they were overrun with greed.
I decided not to watch the two handsome elves anymore while they went back and forth and only seemed to speak for the sake of hearing themselves. Deya smiled politely and nodded once in a while, and as I eyed Aeris, he looked very pleased with the whole arrangement. So pleased, I decided he’d had enough fun for the day.
I cleared my throat loudly, and the room fell silent except for the throaty growl of the wolfish beast. “It’s been great getting to know you guys and all,” I told the handsome elves, “but Miss Deya’s pretty tired from the journey.”
Deya blinked up at me, and then turned a sweet smile to the elves before us. “Yes,” she agreed. “I would very much like to rest.”
“Of course, you would, you must get your rest before the feast,” Aeris allowed, and he motioned for the servant at the door to join us. “My servant will see you to your rooms, and Miss Deya … we look forward to seeing you well rested at the feast this evening.”
The elven beauty bowed, and then she waited patiently for the handsome elves to finish bidding her farewell before the five of us were finally free to leave.
I made sure I was directly behind Deya as we went so the elves would miss out on the view, and I smirked when Cayla stepped in beside me to join in the effort. The porcelain beauty’s jaw was set in a stern line, though, and when I looked to my other two women, I realized they were all tense and displeased.
We followed the servant up a winding staircase to a floor lined with plush, deep blue carpet, and she stopped beside a black oaken door at the end of the first hall. The servant spoke respectfully to Deya and opened the door for her, but Deya looked reluctant to leave us as she stepped inside.
“I will see you soon, yes?” she asked uneasily.
“Of course,” Cayla assured her. “As soon as we’re settled, we’ll come back to see you.”
“Thank you, Miss Cayla,” Deya said as her smile returned. She coaxed Ruela to follow her into her suite, and then the servant closed the door firmly between us and the elven beauty.
I noticed she knocked into Aurora as she passed her, so I made sure to stay only inches behind the servant as we followed her for what must have been nearly five minutes.
Finally, she stopped at another door, and when she turned, I was practically standing on top of her. The servant jumped lightly as she stepped back a pace.
“Are you sure this is our room?” I clarified. “Seems pretty far from Miss Deya’s room, considering we’re her personal guards.”
The hallway was dim and rather plain compared to the others, and the elf didn’t bother to answer or open the door for us. She shrugged and brushed past instead, and I caught the disgusted look she sent the four of us over her shoulder.
I chuckled. “For a nice place, the service here is shit,” I muttered to the women at my back.
Then I opened the door, and when I stepped inside, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t imagine what the “nice” rooms must be like if this was the room they kept for the likes of us. The bed was more than large enough for four with intricate iron bed posts that reached high beneath the vaulted ceiling. The walls were painted a dark blue that blended with the plush carpet, and the gilded fireplace was taller than me.
I had just turned to admire the view from the lengthy window on the wall, when the door shut, and Aurora punched me in the arm.
“What the fuck?” I groaned, and the half-elf glared at me while I massaged my arm.
“What were you thinking?” she demanded.
“What?” I asked with half a grin. “I got us out of there, didn’t I?”
Cayla sighed. “If I were the father who had sent you as her guard, I would have fired you.”
“Yeah well, he didn’t hire me,” I pointed out, “and who cares anyway? So, he’s got a couple of horndog sons. I think we can handle them, to be honest.”
“You weren’t listening at all, were you?” Aurora asked. “Aeris said he wanted to introduce her ‘even though she’s early to meet them.’”
I snorted. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “What do you think it means? Deya’s supposed to marry one of them.”
I stared as the greedy glint in the handsome elves’ eyes came back to mind. “Maybe not,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe they just want to marry her, is all.”
Cayla frowned. “Mason, I’m a princess, so I know how to read a room like that,” she said. “Based on the way Aeris acted with her, and the way he reacted when he heard she was missing from House Quyn … ”
“Plus, being so eager to introduce her to his sons,” Shoshanne added. “She was here all of five minutes at that point.”
Aurora nodded. “She’s promised to one of them.”
I worked to keep a casual tone, but I couldn’t help but grit my teeth a bit. “Which one?”
“I couldn’t tell,” Cayla admitted. “They were both … eager, to say the least.”
“Yeah, I got that much,” I assured her.
Aurora rubbed my arm. “Hey, I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“Why?” I asked with half a grin. “She’s not my woman. Deya’s tagging along with us, and we just happen to be at the House she’s been promised to. Not a big deal.”
The three women looked at me.
I knew they could read through all of my expressions, so I decided to turn back toward the room and bring my bag to the desk. “It sucks for her, I guess,” I added. “They both look like arrogant pricks, but … it’s not my business.”
The feigned indifference felt sharp as I forced it off my tongue.
“Sure,” Aurora mumbled. “You realize what this means, though?”
I sighed. “What?”
Aurora appeared at my side, and she had a smirk on her lips. “It means you need to keep your eyes to yourself.”
“What?” I repeated innocently.
“Don’t even try it,” the half-elf chuckled. “We all know you’ve been eyeing Deya. But if she’s promised to one of those elves, you can’t get caught looking at her the way you do. You’ll only get her into trouble.”
I rolled my eyes. “I look at her like anyone else.”
“Any one of us? Maybe,” Aurora agreed, “but you definitely don’t look at her like a guard who was hired by her father to protect her.”
I scruffed my beard as I became mor
e and more worn out by the conversation. “Yeah, look, I don’t need a pep talk. Deya’s spoken for, I’m the hired hand, I get it.” I knew my tone still wasn’t rock solid, but the women didn’t push the topic any further.
They got their clothes and things unpacked while I sat at the desk beneath the window and pretended to study the elven parchment from House Syru, and when they headed for the door again, I didn’t follow.
“Mason, we should go check on Deya,” Cayla said.
I nodded. “You go ahead, I’ll catch up when I’m done with this.”
The women stood there in silence, but when I didn’t turn around, they finally left and closed the door behind them. I let out a tense breath and shoved my seat back from the desk. The room had felt too small for several minutes now, and I began to pace to work off my extra energy. Then I kept pacing for nearly half an hour.
The women could’ve had it wrong about Deya. The two sons being carted out to show off their shit-eating grins didn’t mean she was promised to either of them. She could just be the biggest catch in Nalnora, and Aeris was hoping Deya would choose one of them. I nodded to myself as I worked through the logic.
The two handsome elves seemed desperate to impress her, and no one who already had her would make such an ass of himself.
My irritation finally settled as I reached this conclusion, and I stopped my pacing at the window. From here, I could see the sun sink low above the ocean, and the waves glittered with amber. Lyralus sprawled out around House Aelin, and as shitty as the service was, I had to admit it was a hell of a view. The city was beautiful with each roof topped with a metal spire in all different designs, and the lanterns had just begun to glow down every street. We’d only driven eight leagues north, but Lyralus felt like a whole different world compared to House Quyn, and the notion tweaked my irritation unexpectedly.
It was hard to imagine Deya being happy in a place like this, but she’d never known much beyond her jungle home, and who could blame her for wanting to hitch a ride with us? She probably figured we were her one chance to get away for a bit.
Either that, or she wanted to get out of her dad’s place for good, and we’d just ferried her straight to her betrothed’s palace.
I sighed as I turned back to the elven papers spread across the desk, and I folded them before I tucked them deep down in the bottom of my bag.
I decided I’d let Deya distract me enough in the last two days, but I was finally within the walls of House Aelin, and I needed to focus on Aeris more than anything. If I played my cards right, I’d get the information I needed within a couple days, and either Deya would stay behind when we left, or not.
I did have a world to save, after all.
I ground my jaw lightly as I pulled my shirt off and swapped it for a clean one, and then I left the room and focused on not focusing while I made my way to the elven beauty’s suite. She’d no doubt look beautiful when I got there, and I’d just have to get over it. End of story.
I stood at her door for a full minute, though, before I finally knocked.
Cayla opened the door and sighed when she saw me. “There you are,” she said with a smirk. “It would look pretty strange if we showed up at this feast without you.”
“Oh,” I said with a nod. “Yeah, good point. You guys ready?”
Cayla nodded and tipped up onto her toes to leave a kiss on my cheek. “You alright?”
I grinned. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, and I dropped my arm around her shoulders.
Cayla nestled against me and looped her arm around my waist as Aurora and Shoshanne came out into the hall. Then Deya appeared, and my throat hitched as her violet eyes met mine.
Somehow, she looked more beautiful every time I saw her, but I only sent her a nod and stepped aside so she could pass. The women joined on either side of her, and I gave Ruela a good scruff between the ears before I closed the door. I trailed behind the four women while we followed the noise of the feast, but someone called my name, and I turned to see Aeris coming down the hall to my right.
We stopped to wait for him, and he addressed me with his back to the four women. “Perhaps we should have our meeting before the festivities,” he said grimly. “Right this way.”
I nodded and looked toward Cayla, but Aeris addressed them all before I could speak for myself.
“Ladies, please excuse us. You’ll have your escort back to you in no time.”
The way he’d said escort sounded a little pointed, but I only rolled my eyes to his back and followed him off down the hall and to a spiral staircase. It was hardly worth getting bent out of shape over every petty habit of the elves, but I knew I’d reach my limit eventually.
Aeris walked several paces ahead of me, and I thought carefully through what I could say to him and what I would leave out for the time being. I knew I couldn’t mention the parchment just yet, but he would probably need some clear proof about the magic the leader of House Syru had possessed. We came to the bottom of the stairs, and when Aeris turned left, my train of thought was distracted by a flicker of motion in the corner of my eye.
Suddenly, Deya appeared out of nowhere at my side, and I jumped. I looked over my shoulder, but my three women weren’t anywhere to be seen.
Only the elven beauty and her violet eyes.
Chapter 9
Deya smiled up at me, and I admired the sweet curl of her lips for a moment before I walked straight into Aeris.
The head of House Aelin had stopped outside of a door, and when he turned around, he looked as shocked as I was to find the beautiful elf beside me.
“Miss Deya,” he said blankly. “I hadn’t realized you were joining us.”
“I assumed you meant to speak with both of us,” she replied.
“Actually,” Aeris tried, “I have some matters to discuss with your guard. I’m sorry to say you would find them rather uninteresting. You should hurry on to the feast. My sons are awaiting your arrival, I’m sure.”
Deya shrugged. “I must have misunderstood,” she said sweetly.
“That’s quite alright, dear.”
Deya didn’t move to leave my side though, and after Aeris shifted uncomfortably, she spoke again. “Forgive me, but I seem to be without my other guards all the way down here,” she said. “I’ll just join the two of you, and Mason Flynt can walk me to the feast when you’ve finished with your meeting.”
Aeris finally managed to look at the elven beauty with something less than adoration, but he bowed his consent. “Of course,” he said tersely and opened the door at his back. “Right this way.”
The room looked like the head of House Aelin’s personal office, and he seated himself at a large desk before a window that took up most of the wall. The setting sun illuminated the room with a dim orange glow and glittered on the many diamonds that edged the desktop all the way around.
Deya and I settled into two wooden chairs, and I tried not to smirk at the uncomfortable expression on Aeris’ face. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d rein in his greedier tendencies in front of the elven beauty, and I decided this whole arrangement was more to my advantage.
Although, I was curious as to why Deya had planted herself in this meeting to begin with. Aeris couldn’t have made it clearer that he only wanted to speak with just me.
“So … ” I led, when Aeris only sat with his hands folded.
“Yes,” he muttered. “So, Mason Flynt, I summoned you here to continue the discussion we began at House Quyn.”
I nodded. “I’m glad you did. You gave the impression you could offer a lot in my aid.”
Aeris looked at Deya before he continued. “You gave the impression you could offer much as well. Why don’t we begin there?”
“What would you like to know?” I questioned.
The leader appeared to think carefully over his choice of words. “Perhaps you could explain your encounter with the head of House Syru in better detail. That seems the best place to start.”
I furrowed my brow. �
�First, I suffocated his two guards with their armor, and then I broke into his chamber. It looked kind of like this, to be honest, but barren. A little dungeony. Then he crippled my guard and tried to kill me.”
Aeris’ eyes widened. “How did he manage this?”
“He slammed my guard against the stones until his bones snapped,” I explained, “and then he strangled me.”
Deya shifted beside me, and when I glanced over, she looked deeply concerned for me.
I sent her a reassuring smile and a shrug. “Don’t worry, he didn’t succeed.”
Deya nodded, but she didn’t look any happier as I turned back to the leader.
Aeris was walking on eggshells for the elven beauty now. “How difficult that must have been for you to experience,” he tried. “I hope he didn’t inflict too much damage upon you.”
I smirked. “Right … well I’m fine now, obviously.”
“May I ask, in what way did he attack you?” the leader asked next.
He was narrowing in now, so I offered just enough to keep the conversation focused in the direction I wanted. “That’s a good question,” I responded. “I was hoping you could help me figure that out, actually. He strangled me from across the room.”
Aeris processed this and leaned forward. “Interesting. Can you explain more, please?”
“Sure, he extended his arm, like this,” I told him, and when I shot my arm out, the leader flinched lightly. “Then my throat closed just enough that I could sort of breathe, but I also felt like I was about to die, and the angrier he got, the less I could breathe. He was very in tune with what he was doing.”
Aeris eyed my hand as I lowered it once more. “What made him angrier?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I tend to have that effect on elves.”
Aeris furrowed his brow with irritation. “Surely you must have been discussing something … or said something which displeased him?”
“We discussed the Master, of course,” I told him. “I got the impression he didn’t want me interfering.”
Aeris hadn’t expected this, and he stared without responding, so I continued.