Page 125 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

If I thought my rooms were grand, they are nothing compared to these. They are huge, with large, arched windows overlooking the cliffs, and mosaics on all the walls. Leading me through into the main reception chamber, I see two familiar faces, although I’ve only actually met one of them.

“I thought you said she was human,” the elf on the left comments, his voice light as he appraises me with his eyes, a seductive smile spreading across his face.

This must be Elnaril then, I think, a small grin appearing on my lips as I glance over at Eldrin. They really are twins. If it wasn’t for Eldrin’s scar, I don’t think I could tell them apart.

“She is,” Vaeril says with a frown, unbuttoning his jacket as he walks farther into the room.

“Look at her, she looks practically fae in our clothing,” Elnaril purrs, as he stalks towards me, but I don’t miss the look he shares with Vaeril. There’s more to what he just said than him flirting with me—they know something. Am I finally going to get some answers?

“Clarissa, meet Elnaril and Eldrin. I believe you’ve already met Eldrin,” Vaeril remarks dryly, as he gestures to the elves. “As you can see, they’re twins, and in our culture, that makes them sacred, but really they are just giant pains in my ass.”

A surprised laugh escapes me, and their eyes immediately flick to me, as if I’m some new, interesting creature they’ve just discovered. Thankfully, Elnaril turns back to Vaeril, placing his hand on his chest as if he’s been hurt, his face pulling into mock despair.

“Brother, you wound me so,” he declares, draping himself across one of the plush armchairs. My eyebrows rise as I watchhim. He’s completely different from Vaeril and Eldrin—who is just standing and watching us with a scowl.

“Brother? You’re related?” I ask, looking between them. They both share the slightly feline looks and pointed ears all the elves have, but other than that, they bear no family resemblance.

Quick as a flash, Elnaril is up from the chair and in front of me, his movements so fast I almost didn’t see him move at all. “No, but we are as close as brothers,” he says, as he looks me up and down. This close, I can see flecks of gold in his eyes as he examines me. “Which is why we wanted to meet you.” He starts to circle me, and I feel like a mouse being stalked by a lion. “To thank you for bringing him back to us.” He stops behind me and leans forward, whispering the last words into my ear. I want to flinch away, or even push him away from me, but before I have the chance to come up with a response, a voice speaks up.

“Naril, behave,” his brother growls, and as I glance over, I see him scowling. “Leave the human be.”

Elnaril, or Naril, as his brother calls him, pouts and flashes me a grin, exposing his teeth before walking back over to his brother, and I get the feeling he’s trying to scare me away. Eldrin is still staring at me, his scar making his dour expression look all the more fearsome, but he doesn’t scare me.

“They are mostly harmless, but if they annoy you, feel free to push them out the window,” Vaeril comments, as he walks back over to me, taking my hand and leading me farther into the room and over to a large table that is brimming with food. “They would probably survive it.” He grins at the smirking twins who follow us, sit at the table, and help themselves to the food, piling up their plates.

“Help yourself,” he offers, as he takes a seat, serving himself a large helping of fresh fruit.

Looking between the three of them, I can’t help but think how surreal this all is.Elves, I’m having breakfast with elves.Shaking my head, I sit and take a little of each item from the plates.

“He’s just jealous that he has to share you with us,” Naril states with a grin, and I freeze, almost choking on the apple I just started to eat at the ‘share’ part of his comment. My mind instantly thinks of Grayson and Tor, but I push that thought away and turn to Vaeril with an arched eyebrow.

“Share me?” I ask, trying to keep my voice neutral, but I can tell from the gleam in his eyes that I don’t quite pull it off.

“We need more elves on our side. I might not always be able to be with you all the time,” he explains, and I know what he’s implying. The queen will probably try to call him away on private matters, but one part of his answer makes me raise my brow.

“Our side?”

When he brought me here, I thought I would be safe, living under a fair and just ruler, so why are we suddenly talking about sides? Is there some threat here that I don’t know about?

You are the threat. The thought hits me with sudden clarity.

“The queen is telling everyone you’re a demon,” Naril informs me cheerily, as he continues to shovel an omelette into his mouth. His gaze is alight with mischief as he watches my eyes widen.

“What?” My voice is shrill, and I turn to glare at Vaeril. “What did you tell her about me?”

Vaeril glares at Naril who just laughs, leaning forward eagerly like he’s about to watch his favourite theatre show.

Turning back to me, Vaeril tries to reassure me. “I will resolve this, but I need you to trust me. We need allies.”

I have an uneasy feeling about all of this, it sounds too much like we are picking a fight with the queen. Allies, taking sides, this is going to turn out badly. I know Vaeril fought in the war before he was captured, so he thinks like a soldier, I just hope things don’t escalate.

“I don’t want you getting into a civil war because of me,” I tell him firmly. “I just want peace.”

It might sound selfish when there’s a war going on, but I want somewhere peaceful to live out the rest of my days. I already escaped my own personal hell, I helped those children escape, and now, I just want to rest. As soon as I have the thought, I feel uneasy again, knowing I could never just sit back if someone needs my help. The Mother told me I have a greater purpose, I just wish I knew what that was.

“It won’t come to that,” Naril answers, leaning back in his chair now. His voice is serious and he’s lost the mischievous gleam from his eyes.

“It won’t,” Vaeril agrees. “But I also won’t risk your safety.” He’s firm now, his eyes are narrowed, and I can feel his determination through our link.

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