Page 140 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“There’s a celebration tonight,” he replies, as he leads me towards the door, but I pull him to a stop with a frown.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“It was a last-minute decision by the queen.” The way he says this implies that this isn’t the first time she’s done something like this. Thinking back to my encounters with the elven queen, I have to admit that she does seem quite impulsive despite the graceful, cool-headed persona she tries to emanate. “A homecoming for me, and a celebration at the new alliance between the elves and the people of the mountain tribes,” he continues, his voice even, but I can tell there’s something off about him as he avoids my eyes.

“You don’t want to go.” I realise then that he’s just as adverse to going to this as I am, although I think his reasoning not to attend is different than mine.

“This is just a celebration of my failure.” His voice is bitter now, and my heart aches for him.

“Vaeril…”

I’d known he felt guilty that he’d been caught, that he could never return home, bound to serve his enemy, but he got away, he returned home!I suppose those thoughts were never going to just disappear overnight,I think to myself as I watch his face.Although the queen shouting about his failure in front of witnesses was never going to help.My anger rises again as I remember her reaction earlier this afternoon.

“I am looking forward to seeing my old friends however,” he admits, reaching for the door and escorting me out into the hallway. “Your mountain friend will be there too.” His voice is tight, even though he tries to hide his dislike for my friend. Usually I might scold him, but right now I don’t care, my excitement rising at the prospect of seeing Tor so soon.

“Tor will be there?” My smile lights up my face as I fall into step with him, making our way through the quiet halls.

“Yes,” he replies quickly before changing the subject, pulling me closer so our hips brush as we walk. “Tell me what you’ve been up to this afternoon.”

“Naril and Eldrin took me down to meet some of the sea elves,” I respond carefully, not wanting to say anything that might offend any listening ears.

Of course, Vaeril immediately picks up on my discomfort and narrows his eyes on me. “What did you think?”

I think back to my trip this afternoon and the caves they live in. There was such a stark contrast between how the high elves live in the palace and the caverns that the sea elves reside in. I understand they need to be lower so they can access the ocean easily, but they live much more simple lives than their counterparts above them. I can’t help but wonder how much of that is by choice. Their caves have beautiful carvings all over the walls. I spent hours exploring the caverns, hearing the stories behind the pictures. The sea elves I met were all ambassadors and their families, and they seemed really pleased to tell me their stories. I got the impression that the high elves don’t visit often.

“It was not what I was expecting,” is all I choose to say, aware we are no longer in the relative safety of my rooms.

“They do look quite different from the high elves.” He responds with a nod of his head.

He’s right, they do. The sea elves are shorter than the high elves, but still taller than me. Their skin is a dark ebony, almost blueish in the light of the sun. They have broad chests and striking yellow eyes, their pointed ears poking from their dark braided hair. Vaeril had been right when he said they had webbed fingers and toes, but what he hadn’t explained was that their hands and feet are much bigger than those of the highelves. They have long, elongated palms and fingers that form a point. They remind me of the paddles used in the harbour at Arhaven, but that’s not what I meant when I said it was unexpected.

“No, I don’t mean them, they were lovely.” I pause, trying to think how to explain it without offending anyone. “The palace is beautiful, every inch of it is perfect, yet the sea elves almost live in poverty.”

My words strike something within Vaeril as he suddenly looks at me, his expression thoughtful. After a few seconds, he relaxes and quickly dips his head once in agreement. “They prefer to live close to the sea,” is his diplomatic response, and I get the impression we’re being listened to.

“I feel like they are only here for political reasons, and they would much prefer to return to their people,” I say lightly, and I feel his arm tighten against mine—a warning. He slows us down, almost coming to a stop as he turns his head, his lips close to my ear.

“I would be inclined to agree,” he whispers, his breath tickling my skin, but I barely breathe, staying motionless, not wanting himto move away. “However, I would advise not to share this theory with anyone outside of our circle. The queen would not take those comments kindly.”

He stays like that, my body almost pressed against his for a couple of seconds, until I nod once in silent agreement. Pulling away, he reaches up and turns my head towards his, his expression intense. Anyone who might be watching might think we’re about to kiss, two lovers flirting quietly in the hallway, but I know better. We’re being watched.I understand, I tell him with my eyes. Squeezing my hand, he takes a step back, returning my hand to his arm as he starts walking again.

“I’d like to see where they live one day,” I comment flippantly for the benefit of whoever is listening to our conversation, butI mean it. The leader, Borro, told me about their glorious halls built into the cliffs of their homeland, so much grander than the caves they inhabit here. I’d love to see them.

“I’m sure we can arrange that.” I feel his gaze on me again as he speaks, but I keep looking forward.

“How was your meeting with the queen?” I don’t anticipate an answer, but I can’t help but ask. All afternoon, I’ve been wondering about this ‘meeting.’ Part of me believes that the queen made it up just to be able to spend time with Vaeril—or to stop him from spending so much time with me.

“Tedious,” he replies with a snort. It’s so unlike him that it brings a startled laugh from me, making him grin in return. “But you can’t tell her I said that, she’ll have me hanged.” His voice is lowered, but certainly not quiet enough to stop someone with supernatural hearing from listening to his words. Given his smile and teasing tone, he gives off the impression he’s joking, however the tightness around his eyes tells me enough.

“What was it about?” Lowering my voice, I ask the question that’s been plaguing me since he left earlier.

“Mostly going over details about the agreement between us and the mountain tribes,” he explains. I’m still not completely sure what Vaeril’s role is in Galandell. I know he’s a lord, but I have no idea what that entails or what duties he has to carry out, so I don’t know if him attending a meeting such as that is unusual or not. “She also wanted more details about what happened while I was away.” He sounds different now, and I’m trying to decide why. His voice is tighter, and when I glance at his face, I can see a hint of anger in his eyes. Although, if I didn’t know him as well as I do, I’d just dismiss it for a neutral mask that the elves seem to be so good at wearing.

“What is it?” I say with more force than necessary, but a sense of dread lingers in the back of my mind, whispering that things are not as they seem.

Glancing over at me, he meets my hard eyes and sighs, knowing I’m not going to let this drop. He looks around quickly. We are still in a relatively quiet section of the palace. In fact, I have only seen one other couple who exited their rooms not long ago, but thanks to their elven speed, they are already out of sight. Pulling me into an alcove, he stands in front of me, blocking me from view as he lifts a hand to rub at his brow.

“I’m going on trial.”

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