Page 73 of The War of Four Winters

"Some traditions deserve to be overturned," I said quietly.

"Many in the Assembly disagree."

"And where do you stand, Lord Wolfheart?" I asked, watching his face carefully. "Not as a politician maneuvering for advantage, but as a father who has buried too many sons?"

His weathered face tightened. "I stand with those who can bring peace. True peace, not just temporary ceasefire." He looked away again. "Taelyn writes often of the boys you've taken in. Of Leif and Torsten."

His expression softened, something almost like tenderness briefly breaking through his stern facade. "She speaks of them with such care in her letters. Of all the orphans at Calibarra, in fact. She writes that they are... remarkable children."

"My father will use them against me if he learns of my attachment," I said quietly.

"Tarathiel doesn't know about them," Klaus assured me. He moved toward the door, listening for sounds from the corridor. "Tomorrow in the Assembly, I will speak. Others will follow my lead."

"How many?" I asked, not daring to hope.

"Enough, perhaps." He turned back, his expression grave. "Tarathiel still commands formidable support. He can bribe, threaten, even arrange 'unfortunate accidents' for those who openly oppose him. Nothing is certain." He met my eyes directly. "But I will not stand silent while more daughters and sons are sacrificed to a war that should have ended years ago."

"And the human question?" I pressed. "Equality? The end of slavery?"

Klaus sighed heavily. "One step at a time, Starfall. First, we keep your head on your shoulders. Then we can debate social reform."

It wasn't the full commitment I'd hoped for, but it was more than I'd had hours ago. "Thank you, Lord Wolfheart."

He nodded once, then moved to the door, pausing with his hand on the latch. "Should you survive this, Ruith Starfall, remember those who stood with you when fortune turned against you. Remember your promises to the northern clans."

"I will," I assured him. "And Lord Wolfheart? Keep Elindir safe if you can. He courts danger too recklessly."

Something like understanding flickered in the older elf's eyes. "Your consort is... unlike any human I've encountered. I begin to see why you refused to set him aside."

With that admission—perhaps the closest Klaus Wolfheart would ever come to accepting my relationship with Elindir—he slipped from the cell, leaving me alone once more with thoughts that spun between hope and caution.

The lock turned with a soft click. Tomorrow would bring either salvation or execution. But for the first time since my capture, I allowed myself to consider the possibility that I might see Calibarra again. That I might hold Elindir without chains between us. That I might watch Leif and Torsten grow into the men they were meant to be.

I closed my eyes and saw Elindir's fierce determination, Leif's solemn expressions, Torsten's boundless enthusiasm. For them, I would face whatever tomorrow brought.

Elindir

TheArchivesslept.Onlythe soft hissing of oil lamps broke the silence as I moved through the labyrinthine shelves, my footsteps muffled by worn carpets laid over ancient stone. The smell of parchment and ink hung in the air, mingling with the faint scent of dust that clung to documents untouched for decades.

After my brief meeting with Ruith, Klaus had ushered me back through the secret passage to the Archives, where Niro waited.

"You shouldn't have gone," Niro said again, his voice barely above a whisper as we huddled in our secluded alcove between towering shelves of historical records. "If you'd been discovered—"

"I had to," I replied, no apology in my tone. The taste of Ruith’s lips lingered on mine, a gift and a curse. I didn’t want that to be the last time I got to see him. "Would you have been able to stay away if it were Katyr?"

Niro's expression shifted, something vulnerable flashing across his usually stoic features before he mastered it. "A low blow, Lord Consort."

"But a fair one," I countered, holding his gaze.

After a moment, he nodded once, conceding the point. "No. I wouldn't have stayed away either. That doesn't make it any less dangerous."

I sighed, acknowledging the truth in his words. "You're right. But what's done is done. Now, we need to focus on saving him." I spread the document I'd been studying across our small desk. "What matters now is whether our tally still holds."

Niro nodded, tapping the parchment where we'd mapped the Assembly's political landscape. "Stoneriver remains our strongest ally, as they've been since the beginning. Craiggybottom stands firm with us as well. Wolfheart is still hesitant, though Klaus shows signs of wavering."

"Three," I murmured, running my finger over the list of twelve clan houses. "We need four more to secure Ruith's freedom."

"Freedom may be ambitious," Niro cautioned. "Exile is more likely. What matters is that he leaves the chamber alive."

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