Page 39 of The Jester

But he did not give me a chance to ask what he meant, simply turned away, clicked his fingers, and told me we were done and that he would see me the next day.

Now, it is the next day and things have happened differently.

I am dressed for dinner, ready to spend the next hour torturously close to Finn but unable to touch him or talk to him, communicating with him only through stolen glances and longing, when Briony tells me Eldrion has requested my presence now.

My heart drops down into my stomach, partly because I am so disappointed I will not see Finn and partly because the change to our routine is unnerving.

“He says you needn’t dress for dinner. He says you should wear outdoor clothes,” Briony says, striding over to the wardrobe and starting to rustle amongst my things.

I call them my things but they are not my things. They’re the things he gave me.

“Here,” she says, pulling out a pair of dark jodhpurs and a grey knitted sweater. “The weather has turned. It’s cold outside.”

I put them on, finishing the outfit with a pair of large boots that make my feet incredibly uncomfortable. Briony too seems nervous, and I wonder whether she knows something that I don’t.

We’re at the door when she says, “Have you ever tried –” she stops mid-sentence and shakes her head.

“Tried what?” I ask, meeting her eyes.

She blinks up at me and worries her lower lip with her teeth. “Have you ever tried to feel what Eldrion is feeling?”

I hold my breath for a moment. Even though I trust Briony completely, my instinct is always to hold back when she asks me a question. Despite myself, I answer her truthfully. “No, I haven’t. Why?”

She asks, now intrigued, “Not even to help? If you could tell whether he thought fondly of you or –” she pauses, searching for the word, and settles on saying, “or not?”

“Perhaps.” I nod. “But I know nothing of his magic. And I know nothing of what he truly wants from me.”

Leaning back against the doorframe so it must remain sharp for a moment longer, I fold my arms in front of my stomach and say, “Let’s face it. He didn’t bring me all the way here just to ask me questions about elementals. He is the oldest fae in the kingdom. He knows all there is to know about our magic, which means he wants me for something else. At first I thought it was sex. But that doesn’t seem to be true, either. So, what does he want?”

“You think he wants your magic?”

“I don’t know. We only started talking about it yesterday. It was the first time he’d mentioned my empathy, and what it means, and how it relates to me being a Leafborne, but he seemed to stop himself before he said too much.”

I pause, trying desperately to articulate the thoughts that have been swirling in my mind for the past three days.

“Something became clear, though. Even here, in Luminael, empaths are a rarity.”

“You didn’t know that?” Briony asks, tilting her head at me.

“No,” I reply, almost embarrassed by my own lack of awareness. “I didn’t. I just always assumed there were more like me somewhere out here.”

“Trust me,” Briony says. “There are not.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. Something deep inside is telling me I shouldn’t give Eldrion the opportunity to reach my magic, and that means keeping the gates up. It means continuing to go in blind and not being able to tell what he’s thinking. But right now, I feel like that’s the only way to keep myself safe. At least until I have figured out why he is so interested in me.

Why he stole my gloves and how he knew of me before I knew of him.

I smile a little and shake my head because I’m not even making very much sense to myself. But Briony seems to understand.

“Eldrion is powerful,” she says. “More than powerful. You cannot trust anything he says. And no matter how he appears to you, you must remember that he has done unspeakable things.” Her fingers go to her arm and the scars that I’ve seen several times before but have never asked about. “He’s an evil person, Alana. Whatever he wants you for –” she reaches out and squeezes my upper arm. “Keep your guard up. That’s what I’m saying. Do what you can to protect yourself and don’t let him near your magic.”

Chapter Seventeen

ALANA

Briony’s words echo in my mind as I make my way to Eldrion’s chambers, my heart pounding in my chest. The hallway stretches before me, dimly lit by flickering candles, and I can’t help but feel a sense of unease wash over me.

As I round the corner, I nearly collide with Eldrion himself. He’s dressed in a black cloak and riding boots, his dark hair swept back from his angular face. His eyes, piercing and intense, rake over my body, lingering on my hips for a moment too long.

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