Page 48 of The War of Four Winters

"Elindir!" Michail called, voice warm with practiced sincerity. "By the grace of the Eight Divines, you've been delivered from your captors!" He extended his hand in brotherly welcome. "Since the elven demons abducted you from Ostovan, we've prayed for your safe return to your people."

Before I could respond, he pulled me into a tight embrace. The unexpected contact made my muscles lock. He tightened his grip, mouth at my ear.

"Play along, little brother," he whispered, his breath hot against my skin, "or these soldiers will cut down your elven friends where they stand."

He pulled back, hands still gripping my shoulders as he turned to the gathering crowd. "A miracle!" he proclaimed. His visible eye glistened with false tears. "The Eight have returned my brother to us!" He made the eight-pointed star symbol over his heart. Many soldiers followed suit, murmuring prayers.

He played his role as the concerned brother and divine leader well.

"Your concern is touching," I replied, projecting my voice for the gathered crowd. "Especially considering you were the one who had me collared and sold to the elves in the first place."

A murmur rippled through the humans. Confusion. Suspicion. Michail's visible eye narrowed, but his smile never faltered.

"The poison they fed you has twisted your memories," he said sadly. "You were taken from us. We mourned you as dead until rumors reached us that the demon king had taken a human pet."

I saw how gaunt he'd become beneath his finery. The Rot advanced faster than I'd expected.

"Is that what you told these people? That I was kidnapped rather than sold on your orders after you poisoned our father and brother?"

Michail's smile tightened. Modir stepped forward before he could respond. The royal physician's serene expression hadn't changed since the day he'd pronounced our father and brother's deaths as natural causes.

"The elven corruption runs deep in him, Your Majesty," Modir said, his soft voice carrying despite its gentle tone. "They've twisted his mind with their fell magics. See how he keeps their demons as companions?" He gestured toward Niro with obvious disgust. "No true human would willingly stand among such creatures unless bewitched."

Some soldiers made warding signs again, genuine terror in their eyes as they looked at Niro.

"I'm not bewitched, Modir," I said, meeting the physician's placid gaze. "And you know it. Just as you know exactly how my father and brother died by the poison you crafted for Michail."

Modir's smile never wavered. "The elven corruption speaks through him. It pains me to see the proud captain of the guard reduced to parroting their lies."

"Enough of this charade," I said, turning back to Michail. "I've come to speak with you about the invasion of these lands. Your soldiers have attacked innocent villages, slaughtered civilians who posed no threat. This isn't about faith. It's about conquest."

Michail's visible eye darkened. "You dare speak to me of conquest?" His voice dropped, no longer performing. "Look at yourself. Dressed in elven colors, surrounded by their warriors. You've become the very thing our people have feared for generations."

"I've become something new," I countered. "Proof that another way is possible. That humans and elves can live together."

Michail laughed. The sound was brittle. "The elves have enslaved our kind for centuries. They raid our villages, take our people in chains, strip us of dignity and humanity. And you stand here defending them because one of them has taken you to his bed."

His words struck deeper than I wanted him to know.

"Ruith has outlawed slavery in his territories," I said, keeping my voice steady. "He's creating a world where humans and elves stand as equals."

Michail studied me. His eye traveled from my Starfall blue jacket to the elvish blade at my hip. Something shifted in his expression. Calculation replaced performance.

"Come," he said suddenly, gesturing toward the harbor keep. "We should speak privately. Brother to brother."

Niro tensed beside me. A subtle movement only I would notice. "Lord Consort—"

"It's alright," I said, though uncertainty gnawed at my gut. "We came to talk. Let's talk."

Michail's smile didn't reach his eye. "Your... companions may wait here. They'll be treated as honored guests under the laws of truce."

"General Niro comes with me," I said firmly. "The rest may remain here."

After a tense moment, Michail nodded. "Very well. One demon may attend you. Consider it a gesture of good faith."

We followed him through the harbor yard toward the keep. Soldiers parted before us with wary glances. The smell of incense grew stronger. It caught in my throat, sweet and cloying. Every window bore the eight-pointed star of the Divine Shield. Priests in golden robes stood at intervals along our route, murmuring prayers as we passed.

"You've certainly embraced the faithful," I said as we climbed the steps to the keep's main hall. "I don't recall you showing much interest in the Eight Divines before."

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