Page 106 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“Our library is one of our greatest and most valued buildings in Galandell.” He talks with pride now, and I can’t imagine how this all must feel for him, returning home after so many years. Will much have changed, or will it all be as he remembered it? “However, I did spend a few years with a couple of wood elves.” He meets my gaze, that half smile of his back in place.

Jealousy fills me. I can only imagine what he was doing to fill his time with the wood elves.You have no business being jealous. There is nothing between the two of you, and even if there was, that would have been before you were even born! my mind points out, and I know I shouldn’t be jealous, but burying those feelings is easier said than done.

“How old are you?” I ask, trying to judge off his appearance. If he was human, he could get away with being in his late twenties, although he looks much younger when he stops frowning and actually smiles.

“I’m three hundred and forty-two.”

I stumble in shock.

“Mother above. You’re old!” Pulling him to a stop, I round on him and stare up at his face, looking for any signs of wrinkles or ageing. He frowns at me before pulling me back to his side.

“I am still young amongst my people!” He sounds outraged, and I can’t stop my giggle. Him. Offended. Good, he deserves it after how he acted earlier. “My grandfather will be nearing his thousandth birthday soon.” My eyes widen at the thoughts of living that length of time.

“Your population must be huge if you all live that long.” I think back to the handful of times I’ve been through the city of Arhaven. There were people everywhere, and although he meant it in a derogatory way, Vaeril’s comparison to humans living like mites in a hive wasn’t far off.

“Children are rare and blessed amongst us,” he explains with a shake of his head. “My closest friends are twins and are practically worshipped amongst our people.” His half smile is back as he talks about his friends, and I wonder what they’re like and if I’ll get to meet them. “Not that I would ever let them hear me say that, I would never hear the end of it.” He lets out a short laugh, wincing as the movement pulls at his wound.

This is the first time he’s mentioned his friends and family, giving me a rare glimpse into his life and who he was before he was captured.

We continue to walk for what feels like hours, but with the thick tree canopy, it’s difficult to tell what the time is. It’s shaded, so it gives the impression of it being later in the day, but I can feel night approaching. What Vaeril said this morningwas right, it is warmer in the forest, almost to the point where I consider taking off my cloak.

“We’re not walking fast enough,” Vaeril barks out. We’ve been silent for some time now, conserving our energy and trying to cover as much distance as we can before we lose what light we have.

Taking a deep breath, I nod. “Okay, I can try and go faster—”

“No,” he interjects, his words clipped and frustrated. “It’s me, I’m slowing us down.”

“You’re injured,” I reason, silently pleased that we are going at a pace I can keep up with. I know we should be moving faster, as a quiet urgency seemed to settle over him the longer we walked.

“It was stupid, I should have considered the weapon was poisoned,” he growls as he berates himself. I could try to comfort him, but I don’t have any words, and I’m sure he’ll continue to blame himself anyway. Looking around us, I attempt to find some sort of shelter where we can stop, but everything just looks the same, all the trees blurring into one.

“We need to find somewhere to camp, rest for the night.” My body is exhausted, and my stomach is cramping from hunger, but the worst of it all is the thirst, and I know I won’t be able to keep going for long—especially since I’m half carrying Vaeril.

Making a noise of agreement, Vaeril looks up, scanning the trees, and for a moment I think he’s spotted something, a threat, as he pulls me to a stop.

“What is it? Are we being tracked?” I ask as I glance around us. Now that we are losing our light, the forest doesn’t feel as friendly with shadows behind every tree, making my imagination run wild.

“We’ll need to camp in the trees.” He’s still staring up at the canopy, then he raises his hand and points at a large tree just ahead of us. “That one.”

“In the trees?” I exclaim, glancing from him to the tree. I’ve never climbed a tree in my life, and I don’t know how we’re going to get him up there in his state.

“There are dangerous beasts that roam this forest at night, and I do not wish to get into a fight with them today. Give me the pack,” he responds, removing his arm from my shoulders and taking the pack from me. He slides it on and walks up to his chosen tree. I watch him with a frown as he stalks wearily around the trunk, placing his hand against the bark and closing his eyes as he mutters something under his breath.

Is he talking to the tree? I wonder, staring as he places his other hand on the tree as well.

“We are welcome to rest here.”

I have so many questions, but I know now is not the time, especially when we are rapidly losing light. Stepping over to his side, I look up at the tree. It’s so huge, it would take several people holding hands to encircle the width of the trunk, and about halfway up is a large branch that should fit both of us comfortably.

“How are we going to get up there?” I ask, turning to face Vaeril, but I find him already halfway up to the branch. “So you couldn’t walk by yourself for the last couple of hours, but you can climb a tree?” I shout, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch him scale the trunk. He makes it look easy, but when he reaches the branch, I don’t miss that he has to rest against the trunk before looking down at me.

“It’s safe, make your way up,” he says, completely ignoring my question.

Making an annoyed noise in the back of my throat, I look at the trunk and try to decide how I’m going to climb up. Bracing my foot against the tree, I try to grip the bark with my hands when something drops into my sight. A rope. With a shake of myhead, I reach for the end of the cord. I’d forgotten that was in the pack.

You need to start using your head, you’re not at the castle anymore.

“Tie it around your waist and I’ll help you,” Vaeril calls down. Nodding, I pull at the rope to get some slack, then tie it in a knot around my waist.

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