Page 45 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

The crisp morning breeze was yielding to warm air filled with the sounds of camp and the aroma of campfires cooking. Alora was careful to scan the area. Searching for any points of weakness to make her attempt at fleeing. But it was utterly useless. They were surrounded by thousands of tents and patrolling soldiers.

It was Aiden who broke the silence. “Garrik, I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you get that lovely scrape on your chin? Get in a scuffle with a water troll again?” Aiden motioned with his thumb and rubbed his own chin where Garrik’s cut lay.

“I’m sure the story is much more interesting than the water troll. Wouldn’t have anything to do with what happened to your nose?” The dark-skinned High Fae leaned in and grinned.

Aiden’s shale eyes beamed. “Yes, do tell us, how is your lovely nose?”

Garrik simply stared at them with stern eyes. Alora thought a temper would rise, but he merely countered, “Most of my introductions with newcomers are not quite as eventful as this one, I will admit. Our …charmingguest decided to demonstrate some of her”—The High Prince paused and raked his eyes over her body, sending heat to her cheeks once more—“skills this morning.”

“I’m sure you gave him a run for his coin!” the male roared, patting Alora’s shin with a tattooed hand. “I’m Thalon. It’s truly a pleasure.”

Thalon was about the same size as Garrik, taller by one hand. He didn’t dress like anyone else. In fact, everyone around the fire had traded their armor for normal wear. Adorned in a white shirt that was tied with a leather string from the chest up, Thalon’s sleeves were ripped off, exposing the impressive swell of his inked biceps.

A black and brown leather vest hugged tightly to every muscle on his torso. His beautiful, unmarked, clean-cut beardedface, illuminated by the dawn, revealed golden eyes just as magnificent, and dark, half-shaved locks and braids carried rounded, golden beads at the ends.

But that wasn’t what she dwelled on as she inspected him.

It was the markings. They covered him. Sleeves up his arms and chest extended to his neck halfway until they stopped. They consisted of magical creatures, plants, ancient languages, and various faerie marks that she couldn’t read. And placed on his upper left arm, Thalon had a swirling, cracked circle, storm-like in appearance, like lightning strikes.

Her inspection ended on the mark. It seemed hidden by a fire-spitting dragon. The same she had seen on the clasp from her cloak.

Alora gripped her bowl, feeling the heat seep into her fingers. The High Prince mentioned that she had made an attempt on his life just moments ago. Not one harbored any expression of rage, not one pulled a sword or threatened to take her away. The two males only sat, gleaming like younglings on Winter Solstice morning.

“From the looks of it, your meeting went well!” Aiden raised his cup.

“You know he let you do that,” Jade interrupted the laughter. “Garrik is a master swordsman. Your head wouldn’t be intact if he didn’t allow it. If you were anyone outside this camp, you would have lost it.”

Aiden ignored her. “Ah, don’t be scared. We’ve all taken a crack at the bastard at one point,” he said and jammed his spoon into Garrik’s side, who pushed it away with a low grunt.

Alora scrunched her eyebrows, pressing her lips tight.

“What of Eldacar this morning? He is missing breakfast.” Garrik’s focus shifted beyond their firesite to behind his tent.

“I heard a rumor that he was nose-deep in the Morgacca this morning. Some new discovery. I didn’t want to bother him. He could getshortwith me.” Aiden winked at Alora.

Thalon shook his head, threatening to throw another piece of bread.

“Who’s Eldacar?” Not that she truly cared, but the benefit of information might aid her in escape.

Aiden leaned over to her and elbowed her leg. “You’ll love him. Smart, chatty, dashingly good looks. Not as dashing as I, of course.” He winked again, brushing his hands back through ebony hair.

Alora froze.

Unlike High Fae, Aiden had rounded ears.

Another myth. Monsters from far beyond their world. Dark creatures, evil beyond anything their world had ever seen or imagined. Demons who walked their lands and destroyed anything they put their hands on.

Her eyes widened in fear. She leaned away, voice shaking. “You’re human?”

Aiden’s face turned unreadable. His cheerful demeanor fell uneasy. “You can see my ears?”

The group was unnervingly silent.

“I … um.” Alora’s breath caught.

Aiden’s face twisted into a wicked laugh. “I’m messing with you. Half, actually. Father, High Fae. Mother, human. Made for interesting family reunions. Zero out of ten. Would not recommend. Stopped aging around twenty-eight human years thanks to one grumpy witch that we shall not speak of.” Aiden shook off a disgusted shudder. “We age fast. Your one hundred years to our ten. I’ve been alive close to sixty, but just as devilishly handsome.”

Alora pinched her eyebrows and shifted in her seat. She herself was three centuries old, and scanning the circle, mostof them seemed to be around the same age. Thalon, perhaps, a little older. Aiden was no exception. His face didn’t reveal sixty human years. He was as young as they were.

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