Page 119 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

His hands tighten around the bars, and the sound of crushing metal fills the room. When he moves them, they are bent and twisted. There is magic around the door, so they are still intact, but somehow, he managed to bend them out of shape. I want to marvel at his strength, but instead, I raise an eyebrow.

“Is that your party trick? Is it my turn now?”

He watches me with narrowed eyes, but I know he wants to see what I’m talking about. Walking up to the lock on the door, I reach out, praying to the Mother that my ability to break spells still works here. I’ll probably regret this, but my anger is in control right now. As soon as I touch the lock, my mark glows and the draining sensation fills me. It pulls at me, trying to lull me into giving too much energy, but just as I feel my legs start to tremble, the lock makes a clicking noise, and as I step back, the door swings open.

His expression is still that cocky male one from before, but I see a flash of surprise in his eyes that he quickly tries to hide. Suddenly, he’s a blur as he spins to face Kaelir. “Did you know she could do this?”

“No, sir, I sensed no magic on her. I didn’t know she was a mage.” His voice is firm, but I can see the slight tremble in his arms. Who is this guy who can scare a queen’s guard? I’m about to snap at him to be nice to Kaelir when he shakes his head, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“She’s not a magician,” he responds softly, but it’s more like he’s talking to himself rather than the guard. His eyes run over me again, landing on my wrist where my mark dwells. A strange look passes over his face before he straightens and turns to Kaelir again. “Tell no one about this, especially not the queen.”

Why wouldn’t he want the queen to know?She is his ruler, wouldn’t she be the first person he would want to tell?I muse, a frown pulling at my brow. Should I tell him the queen has already seen my mark?

“Yes, sir!” Kaelir replies, but the elf has already turned back to me.

“Don’t leave that cell, and don’t show that power to anyone else unless you want to be killed,” he orders, running his gaze over me one last time before spinning on his heel and striding towards the door.

Kaelir and I stay silent until light fills the hall, followed by the slamming of the door behind him until we both let loose a relieved breath.

“Who was that arrogant ass?” I query, evoking a startled laugh from the guard. Now that the elf has gone, I suddenly feel deflated, all my energy used up on breaking the spell on the door. Slowly, I make my way to the bench at the back of my cell, groaning as I sit down.

“That was Lord Eldrin. He was one of Lord Vaeril’s most trusted companions. They travelled and fought together,” the guard explains, looking at my open cell door in confusion.

“Is he always so pleasant?” I pick up the now cold porridge I abandoned, frowning at the solid mass it’s become. Great, not only does he offend me, he’s caused me to miss out on breakfast.

“I’ve actually never heard him speak before. It’s usually his brother who does the talking.”

His words make me freeze as something connects in my mind, and I remember a conversation I had with Vaeril days ago. “Brother? Oh no.” I groan, burying my face in my hands. “They don’t happen to be twins, do they?”

“Yes, Lord Eldrin and Lord Elnaril are twins,” he responds. “Are you okay?” he asks, after a couple of seconds when I don’t raise my head.

I groan loudly. Of course this is how I meet one of Vaeril’s best friends. Locked up in prison while he’s potentially dying somewhere in the castle. Great first impression.

“Have you been able to open the lock on the door this whole time?” Kaelir questions, sounding both amused and a little wounded. Lifting my head, I give him an apologetic look before leaning back against the wall, exhaustion settling over me.

“Yes, but I meant what I told you yesterday, I won’t cause any problems,” I promise, closing my eyes as I take this moment to rest. I didn’t sleep well last night, what with worrying about Vaeril, being locked up, and the uncomfortable bench. Not to mention the strange noises coming from the cells farther down the corridor.

“You really are different than what I expected.”

Opening my eyes, I see the guard watching me with a shake of his head. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Oh, good, I was imagining sharp fangs and uncontrollable anger. The way the queen talks about humans is…” He trails off,realising he probably shouldn’t be telling me this. “Anyway, I’ll get you something else to eat.”

“Thank you!” I call, as he pulls the cell door closed once again, shaking his head when it doesn’t immediately lock before turning away and making his way to the exit.

As soon as he leaves, the last of my remaining energy deserts me, making me slump against the wall behind me. I just want to curl up and sleep off the draining effects of breaking the spell. It was stupid, I shouldn’t have let him goad me into opening the lock, but he just wound me up in a way that brought out a different part of me, and I wanted to wipe that look off his face. I know I’m going to have to get used to the elves judging me because I’m human, but something about the way he said it just...bugged me.

If the queen talks about humans in the way Kaelir said, then no wonder they don’t like me. Centuries of hate doesn’t just disappear overnight. I think back to what my kind guard mentioned, and how surprised he had been that I wasn’t anything like queen said. Elier, my guard who brought me to Galandell, had also been kind once he realised I wasn’t going to try and escape or hurt any of them.

With a groan, I summon up the last of my energy to lay down on the bench, pulling up my legs as I turn on my side.

Must... stay awake... in case...news... about... Vaeril.My thoughts are becoming sluggish, and I know I’m going to fall asleep no matter how hard I struggle to stay awake.On the other hand, I would be useless to help him now...Maybe just a couple of minutes sleep...

“Clarissa!”

I jerk up when someone calls my name, already climbing to my feet before I even comprehend what I’m doing. Dizziness overtakes me, and I veer off to the side a little, my brain taking a couple of seconds to figure out where I am and what’s happening. But that voice... I know that voice.

“Vaeril!” I call back, wincing at how needy and high it sounds. Leaning against the wall, I try to push away, taking a few steps closer towards the bars.

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