Page 3 of Embers to Flames

Lenna, the eldest, stands with a poised grace, her long blonde hair cascading down her back in soft waves. Her piercing blue eyes are filled with a hint of mischief.

Beside her, Ava, with her chestnut hair and blue eyes, exudes a youthful exuberance. Her hair, slightly shorter and more tousled, frames her face in a playful manner. The resemblance between them is uncanny, from their fair complexion to the way they carry themselves with an air of confidence and charm.

Lenna, with her sharp wit and silver tongue, scoffs at me with a hint of envy in her voice. “Rosanhi,” she says, “how is it exactly that you always seem to beat us here? The walk from Beetlebark is certainly less than your passage from Bahulya.”

Her sister Ava nods in agreement, her eyes taking in the feast before them with longing.

“Probably because I like to wake before the rooster crows.” I reply cleverly. “It’s a blessing and a curse, believe me.”

Ava begins preparing Lord Erhorn’s tray without a word—her normal.

I lean into Lenna and whisper, “She still isn’t talking?”

Lenna’s lips thin and she shakes her head, no. Ava is a pretty girl. Young and vulnerable. She had received an invitation to serve at the Spring Gala. An invitation to work at oneof the Elven balls would gain someone a whole month’s worth of extra gold. It was an honor for a Human servant. It meant the High Lords noticed our diligent work and trusted us to carry out the festivities without a hitch in the evening.

Elven balls were extravagant and meticulously planned out. Not so much as a creased linen could be discovered. Ava came back different though. We all expected her to be as elated as she had been the day she received her invite. Yet she was not. She was silent. Not a word since.

Her family had taken her to the Raven Temple, convinced she had been poisoned in some way. The Witches only offered that her reason for silence was nothing more than a mental qualm.

Something had occurred that evening, but the details remain a mystery. Perhaps we will never uncover the truth. Lenna has told me of the nightmares that wake Ava late at night. She screams and cries out, but there are still no words. Not a hint as to what is going on inside her mind.

Lord Erhorn is in his study already. Flipping through various pages of tomes and scrolls. I place his tray down and wait for him to acknowledge that it is there.

He looks up from his studying, “Ah, Rose. Many thanks to you. Bring the tea over here please.”

Lord Erhorn is the only other Elf I know that still shows us Humans any form of consideration. Alyndra is the first. All of the others look down on us. Humans are considered less than in the eyes of the Elves.

“Tell me, Rosanhi, how are things on the isle? I heard there was a commotion in Mara last night.”

“I wouldn’t know sir. I don’t travel through that area after sundown. It looked the same this morning though. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Interesting,” he muses, flicking through a report in his hand. “According to the captain of the guard, there was a fight between two individuals outside the tavern. One of them was found dead in an adjacent alley. No one is willing to speak up about what they witnessed, if anything at all.”

My mind immediately shifts to thoughts of Mikyl and where he might have been last night. That blood was on his tunic and coat. I really hope it is just a coincidence.

“I’m sorry I cannot help you more, My Lord.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright child. Better that I know you were safe at home. What about your husband? Did he happen to venture into the town of Mara?”

Damn! I should have known he would inquire about this.

“He worked in the market late. I’m not sure at what hour he returned home, already having been asleep when he arrived.”

A half-truth.

Lord Erhorn looked at me quizzically, his eyes gleaming, as if he didn’t fully believe me. “Alright child. Off with you. I have some inquisitions to attend to.” He waves me away and I start for the foyer.

“Oh, and Rose, my nephew will be traveling from Paeris for a visit. He will be staying for a while and should be arriving later this afternoon. Will you please make sure the visitors’ chambers are ready?”

“Of course, sir.”

His nephew?

Three years I’ve worked here, and this is the first I am hearing of a nephew. I suppose Lord Erhorn would have a family somewhere. Just strange that he has never mentioned them before.

“His name is Theodas,” said Erhorn. “You won’t have any trouble spotting him. He is the only one of my kind born in the last century with wings.”

Chapter Three

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