Page 30 of The Goddesses' Gifts

It was safe to assume I was getting only half the story. Perhaps he wanted to load up the baby or, Mother above, babies, in anticipation of my leaving. Or maybe he thought it would be best for me to meet these young elves in case something happened to him. I wasn’t skilled enough with words to think of a way to ask indirectly.

“Alright,” I agreed. “Let’s get this done.”

Lirraco and Thimdrac piled into bed behind me and Zelfek squeezed in front. The younger males bickered over how to position themselves, I assumed, and where to put their hands before Zelfek sorted the pair. “This is far too much elf for one bed,” I grumbled. Oshruli laid across his brothers and rested his head on my arm, chattering away at me. “Way too much elf.”

“You need rest,” Zelfek reminded me.

And with little else to do, I tucked my head under his chin and rested my cheek on his collarbones.

Three currents were a lot. I was almost instantly too warm, too sleepy. They all cuddled in closer, which was oddly comforting, all things considered. Lirraco and Thimdrac in particular brought a comfort I couldn’t define. Maybe it was the way they were in tune with the baby? But going from the harsh hand of Dulanzo to this peculiar familial arrangement felt significant.

“Is this the nature of elves?” I asked Zelfek in a drowsy slur. “To be close?”

“Yes,” he answered, his words vibrating against my cheek, “especially family. Though the culture of my people would deny it.” He shifted as though trying to get comfortable. “No more questions. Rest, girl.”

My lower lip trembled for a moment, but I managed to avoid more tears by sliding my upper arm around his ribs and squeezing. He murmured something in elvish and I gave in, allowing the currents to pull me down into deep, blissful slumber.

I awoke to Oshruli’s fiddling with my hair. The older males had left us at some point, though I did have a vague sense of hushed voices and a pair of quick kisses on my temple. I turned my head to find the room still lit and the little one’s sweet face smiling at me. “It’s time to get up, Oshruli,” I cooed and rolled out of bed.

I was awake and alert by the time I finished using the chamber pot and washing my hands and face. Oshruli followed suit, which was to say, he took off his shirt and made a shivering mess in the water while he tried to wash. Once he was dry and re-dressed, I wrapped him in a blanket and allowed him to watch while I pulled the picks from my boot and started tinkering with the lock.

Zelfek told me to wait for the great bell, but I wasn’t comfortable staying where that sick bastard thought I would be. I’d find a place for us to hide if I had to wait. I’d feel better, safer if I could control just this one thing. If Dulanzo could find people through his connection to the mountain, at least I’d have more options when he showed up.

The lock was a much heavier mechanism than the slender tools were designed for, and I worried they might be too small or snap before I could twist the lock open. The lever piece was barely wide enough, though the pick easily found its marks within the mechanism. I held my breath and gave the lever a careful twist. It gave a little under the pressure, but so did the lock. I kept turning, my heart beating in my throat.

When it clicked open, Oshruli gasped, and I exhaled in relief. His eyes were wide when I turned to grin at him, putting a finger over my lips to shush him. He nodded, brow furrowed in worry.

I cracked the door open and peered out. A little of our light shone on the bare stone floor of the otherwise dark corridor. There wasn’t a sound to be heard, nor movement to be seen. I pulled the door shut and picked up Oshruli. He giggled when I spun us around and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go,” I murmured and set him back on his feet.

I bent over and broke a leg off the bed frame. The sharp crack of wood startled the boy, causing him to squeak and chatter while pointing at the damage as if to say you’re going to get us in so much trouble. The tapered foot fit well in my hand and I was pleased to see some nails poking out from the other end. I gave it a test swing and it really didn’t feel bad for an improvised club—not as heavy as I’d like, but better than nothing. The bed linen tore easily enough to wrap around my torso and hold Oshruli against my chest, making him as warm and safe as I could while keeping my hands free. There was no way I was leaving without him, whether or not Zelfek had intended.

I crept into the dark corridor and Oshruli summoned a tiny red light, somehow setting it to float along over us. Yes, it would draw attention, but I couldn’t navigate in complete darkness, nor could he direct me with our language barrier. It was necessary and I was grateful.

I knew enough to climb the stairs and up the steep corridor, but when we got to the first intersection, I was startled to find three elves staring back at me. One was Lirraco, and the other two … they had the same resonance about them as Lirraco and Thimdrac. They could only be Lobikno’s other adult sons.

Lirraco put his hands on his hips and twisted his face into an exasperated frown I was all too familiar with. It just didn’t have the same gravity as when Lobikno made it. He gestured at me while talking to Oshruli. The child replied with a few words and a shrug of his shoulders that probably meant, I don’t have any say in the situation, how am I supposed to stop her?

Lirraco sighed heavily and glared thoughtfully at the stone around us. He nodded reluctantly and gestured for me to follow him. At first, I assumed they’d been placed there to escort me out, but the other two stayed behind. It wasn’t long before I realized he was escorting me to the washroom. It seemed as good a hiding place as any.

Lirraco unlocked the door and placed the key in my hand. He was leaving me. I met his grave red eyes with understanding. There was another job meant for him, and I needed to mind Zelfek’s instructions to wait for the bell. Then he startled me by pulling Oshruli and me into a gentle hug. I felt that peculiar familiarity wash through me and I wrapped an arm around him, returning the affection without squishing Oshruli.

Lirraco nuzzled the boy and then turned to leave. I locked the door behind him. And waited.

CHAPTER 14

LHORIS

Lobikno and I didn’t speak for the rest of the journey to the fortress. Keeping with non-verbal communication really had helped prevent tempers from flaring. So did maintaining a certain amount of space between us. It allowed me to rationalize that Lobikno was my ally and not an obstacle. Though I worried about how effective he would be after his panic by the spring. He’d never had an episode out of the blue, that I was aware of, and I couldn’t help but consider him a liability.

We easily avoided the outer patrols by virtue of having occasionally worked them, aware of the weaknesses, and came upon the fortress gates before dawn. It was my first glimpse of them since the first thaw signaled the coming of spring. A surge of unpleasant memories bubbled to the surface of my thoughts, leaving a heavy knot in the pit of my stomach. An unwelcome addition to the weeks long throbbing pain in my chest. The woodland people had done an excellent job of healing my mental wounds, but there would always be things that brought the old pain to mind. Particularly after five years of refreshing those memories and gaining new ones.

The lashings the adult males received when the general came with her entourage of clergy to remind us of our place. The beatings the adult males then doled out to remind the boys of their place. Cruelty trickled down, passing the pain and suffering along drop by bloody drop. And the only escape was a vicious climb up that miserable chain or death.

I hated that place and what it did to us. Not everyone embraced the cycle, but the ones that did—with a song in their heart—were murderers, rapists, and merciless sadists.

And they have my Ozanna!! cried my inner animal.

And with that, the burning in my chest turned into a writhing beast. Something vicious and foul with gnashing teeth and tearing claws. It ripped at my insides and left me breathless for a moment.

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