Page 161 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“He’s not paid his taxes.” Eldrin’s low voice makes me shudder, and as I glance up at him, I see he’s observing with a disapproving expression. “The guards are taking what he owes.”

Blinking in confusion, I shake my head. “Taxes? What?” I had no idea that the elves paid any form of tax, but I suppose it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is their rough handling of the elf pinned to the floor.

Meeting my bewildered expression, he sighs quietly, his eyes returning back to the scene as if he can’t look away for long. “The sea elves who live beneath the palace have to pay a tax, it goes towards the upkeep of their lodgings.”

I snort at that. I’ve seen the caves the sea elves live in. They are about as far away from the palace as possible, way, way below and carved into the cliffs. They did what they could with their limited resources to make it a home, but they basically livein squalor. The twins told me stories of the sea elves’ homes built into the White Cliffs, far away from Galandell, and they sound glorious, so the fact that they have to pay a tax to live here only stokes my anger further. The inequality between the high elves and the sea elves is vast.

Glancing around, I see many uncomfortable expressions over what’s happening, but no one moves to help the elf. “Why is no one helping?” In my outrage, my voice is louder than I’d meant it to be, and several elves standing near us glance over before quickly looking away as I meet their eyes.

Eldrin’s hand suddenly moves to my shoulder, squeezing gently. It’s an act of comfort, but I also sense the warning he’s trying to give me. We’re in a public place, and my behaviour will get back to the queen. “They fear the repercussions,” he explains, which I can understand, but surely someonewill help him?

The sea elf’s voice shoots up an octave, getting louder and more distressed as the guard in the middle just watches with a smirk on his face. The two guards on either side stand firm, holding him down and pushing his shoulders into the hard floor, preventing him from getting up. The guard in the middle, who is also obviously the one in charge, reaches out and grabs the pinned elf’s arm, pulling it with a hard yank. The sea elf cries out in pain, which then turns to a wail as the guard removes a large dagger from the sheath at his waist.

I’m moving before I even realise what I’m about to do. Kicking off my slipper-like shoes, I grab the bottom of my skirts and run towards the elf on the ground, weaving around those that stand in my way.

“No!” I shout, and the whole room seems to freeze as I move. I reach them with a speed far faster than I usually possess. Jumping in front of the guard, I throw out my arms and shield the sea elf. The guard in charge realises too late what’s happening as his face turns to one of horror while the bladecontinues on its path and slices down towards me. I don’t feel fear, only acceptance as I brace myself for the pain. Something flashes in front of me, and a quick, sharp burn slashes at my arm, but it’s nothing like I expected to feel. Blinking, I suddenly register what’s happening.

The main guard is on the floor with Eldrin pinning him down, snarling into his face, while the dagger glistens red against the white marble where it fell. The two guards holding the sea elf have backed away, watching me wearily. The sea elf is cowering behind me, whispering something over and over in elvish, gripping onto my arm as if it’s a lifeline. A hiss escapes my lip as the pain suddenly makes itself known. Raising my arm, I see there’s a small slash going diagonally across my skin. It’s bleeding a little, but it’s starting to clot, and I’ve certainly had worse.

Dismissing the wound, I turn and kneel down in front of the sea elf. “Are you okay?” I ask softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Eyes wide, he watches me with a mixture of fear and awe. “I can’t pay my taxes, so they were going to take my arm,” he babbles in Arhavien, his accent thick as he explains. “Without my arm, I would never be able to fish. How would I feed my family then?”

Feeling sick to my stomach, I nod in agreement. “It’s okay, I won’t let them hurt you.” Offering him my hand, he stares at it for a moment as if it might bite him, but after a second, he places his webbed hand in mine and I help him to his feet. Spinning to face one of the guards, I prop my hands on my hips, my eyes narrowed. “How much does he owe?”

“Two hundred elvish leira.” I have no idea how much this is, not having bought anything since I’ve been here. Not that I ever had use of money back in Arhaven either, so I have no way of knowing if this is a large sum or not.

“How is he ever supposed to pay his taxes again if you take his arm?” I argue, my face twisted with fury as I gesture to the quivering elf behind me. “This is cruel and unnecessary.”

“It was the queen’s orders, Lady Clarissa,” he replies, but I feel guilty because his voice is shaking now. I hadn’t wanted to scare him, just to make them realise that this shouldn’t be happening. I’m not at all surprised that the queen ordered this.

Shaking my head and reaching for the small pouch I keep at my side, I pull out a couple of coins Vaeril had given me for emergencies. Eldrin is now standing between me and the main guard, who is watching us with an odd expression. Tapping him on the shoulder, I hold out my hand. “Is this enough?”

Dragging his eyes from the main guard, he abruptly cuts off his growling as he looks down at me. “That one is enough.” He points to a large silver coin in the center of my palm. Nodding, I turn back to one of the guards and practically throw the coin at him.

“Write off his debt,” I order, and the guard nods hastily. I’m unsure why the guards are acting like this around me, but I’m not going to complain. Could it be because Eldrin is with me? I’ve seen how the elves treat him and watch him with uneasy looks. Or is it for a different reason?

“Thank you, my lady,” the sea elf calls, and when I turn to face him, he’s kneeling again, but this time in a show of respect. Frowning, I offer him my hand again, the reverence in his expression making me feel uncomfortable.

“Please, don’t kneel. I just wanted to help.”

He watches me with wide eyes, as if unable to understand why I would do that for him. Two other sea elves hesitantly approach us, weaving through the crowd, bowing their heads as they reach me. I’m about to protest when they reach for the elf, wrapping their arms around him as they lead him away. “We willnot forget your kindness,” one of them tells me, dipping her head again before turning back to the elf in need.

Waiting until the elf and his companions are out of view, I look around and see everyone’s watching me. So much for not causing a scene.

Turning to Eldrin, I clutch my injured arm to my chest. “Can we go back to my room now?” I feel instant relief when he nods in agreement and gestures for me to lead the way.

After what feels like a lifetime, we eventually reach my rooms, and as I push open the door, I see Naril’s back as he sorts something on the large dining table.He can’t have been at the border for long if he’s back already,my mind reasons, but I don’t have the energy to bring it up.

“There you are,” he says, turning to face me as I step into the room. “You’ve been gone for ages…” Trailing off, his smile drops as he takes in my bedraggled expression and bleeding arm and the furious Eldrin behind me. “What happened?”

“The queen,” Eldrin growls, walking past me and heading straight to my bathroom. “She threatened Clarissa,” he calls out, and I can hear him rustling around in the cupboards before reappearing a few seconds later with a first aid kit in his hands. “Then Clarissa decided to be a hero and saved a sea elf.” The sarcasm in his voice makes me wince. I guess he’s not very pleased with my actions in the entrance hall.

“What?” Naril exclaims. Walking over to me and grabbing my hand, he pulls me over to the table and pushes me down into a chair. “Damn, I thought it was suspicious that she sent me to the border and then called me back before I’d even been there for an hour,” he mutters, examining the cut on my arm and holding his hand out for the medical kit. “But where were you? I thought we weren’t going to leave her alone?” Naril fires back at his brother. “And what’s this about a sea elf?”

“The queen ordered me to stay behind. What was I going to do, disobey her?” Eldrin snarls, pacing up and down the length of the room. “She wasn’t gone long, about twenty minutes, but when she came back, she looked like she was running from death.”

There’s a pause as the two of them exchange meaningful looks, but I’m too tired to demand they tell me what’s going on. With a sigh, Naril returns to my wound, cleaning it with a yellow liquid that stings. Gritting my teeth, I’m relieved to find the stinging only lasts a couple of seconds, and before I know it, the wound is dressed.

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