Page 72 of The Uncrowned Prince

“You insult me with the question.”

He glanced away from her then, first to the woman by the fire, then to the wyvern, just as the wings and the scales vanished and the tall, stern white-haired elf took their place.

Karreya was watching when the wry humor left Niell’s eyes, to be replaced by shock, agony, and then resignation. And as those new emotions hardened the lines of his face, she recalled that he was no longer Niell, but Vaniell. No longer simply her friend, but Prince of Garimore.

“I think,” he said flatly, “that you must leave this battle to me.”

“You know them?”

Vaniell’s only answer was to struggle to his feet. Karreya hovered by his elbow, but he seemed determined to stand on his own, then to face his captors with empty hands hanging loose at his sides.

“My friends are guiltless.” Vaniell raised his voice to be heard clearly over the sound of the waves. “My blood, my life, are yours in payment if you wish, but leave them out of it.”

“You believe that will settle your debts?” The elf’s words pierced like shards of ice. “What satisfaction can I possibly gain from killing you? There is no suffering in death. No endless years of rage or despair. If I choose revenge, it will be neither swift nor painless.”

There was some deep history between these two, and all Karreya could do was hold herself ready. It did not matter to her what the elf wanted, he would have to go through her to get it.

“And you would be justified in your choice,” Vaniell said wearily. “I will neither beg nor excuse my actions. They were borne of fear and cowardice, rather than strength, and I have carried the weight of those failures every day since.”

The woman spoke up unexpectedly. “And what of your choices since that day? What of your treatment of Princess Evaraine? Your support of King Melger’s campaign against mages? Have you any excuses to offer on those fronts?”

Vaniell turned to regard her, thoughtfulness momentarily outweighing his guilt. “Before her death, I believe Queen Evaraine came to understand the true reasons behind my actions. Whether she ever found it possible to forgive me, I do not know, but what has that to do with you?”

The woman did not flinch. “More than you could possibly guess. But the truth is, we didn’t come here for you. Your presence is a puzzle that must be solved, but it was not our primary goal.”

A confused expression flickered across Vaniell’s face before he folded his arms across his chest. “What a dreadful blow to my vanity, to be sure. Does that mean I am no longer needed?”

“It means you can sit down and be quiet until I’m ready for you,” she returned, and in the bite of her tone, Karreya read something more.

She was deeply apprehensive.

“Kyrion, can you release her from your magic? I need to know if she’s… If this…” Words failed her.

The elf moved to her side, and for a brief moment their hands touched, fingers curling together in a gesture of love and comfort that stopped Karreya’s breath. These two owned one another’s hearts, and if she made an enemy of one, she would be forced to fight them both.

“I believe she has recovered on her own, just as the others did,” the elf informed his loved one quietly. “That particular magic cannot hold other mages for long.”

Senaya ceased feigning unconsciousness and rose from the sand, ending on her knees, while keeping a wary eye on the two newcomers across the fire.

“What is it that you want from me?” Her tone was hard, her face unreadable.

But the young woman on the other side of the flames did not speak immediately. Her gaze was fixed on Senaya’s face, emotions flitting across it in rapid succession. Hope, fear, anger, sadness… so many feelings that Karreya could not possibly name them all.

“You are in possession of a dagger,” the woman said finally. “Where is it, and how did you get it?”

Senaya did not move, but her posture grew tense and almost feral. “How do you know?”

So slowly it seemed she was fighting her own impulses, the younger woman withdrew a dagger from her own belt. It was a simple and serviceable blade, of unremarkable appearance and with a leather wrapped hilt.

“I was told that I could use this to find its mate. But he did not tell me…” Her voice faltered and trailed away, as if she were unable to continue.

The firelight playing across Senaya’s face cast deep shadows that seemed to suddenly grow deeper as she heard those words. Her hands spasmed, her lips quivered, and her voice shook as if she’d gained forty years in the past ten seconds.

“Now that you’ve found it, what do you intend to do?”

“That,” the young woman returned, “depends entirely on you.” Her face, too, had changed. Her eyes were wide and stark, her lips slightly parted, and her chin trembled as if she were near to weeping.

“Where did you come by the weapon?” To Karreya’s ear, it sounded as if Senaya already knew the answer, and was only attempting to delay the inevitable.

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