Page 97 of A Fractured Song

“My family.” He heard the hollowness of his voice. The same fear that had gripped him when Marieke was in danger held him in its clutches again.

“We have to go,” Marieke said. “We have to reach them before she does.”

“Unlikely,” Kiarana commented. “She won’t be traveling bynormal means. From the frequency with which she zips in and out of here, I’d guess she’s perfected magical travel.”

“You have to help us,” Marieke said, seeming just as desperate as Zev felt.

Kiarana raised a thin eyebrow, her tone suddenly frigid. “I do not have to do anything.”

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Marieke said quickly. “I misspoke. I should have said, please help us.”

The elf considered her. “I could get you to the coast via doorways and send you north on the ships our mining parties take to Sundering Canyon. They’re powered by magic, and probably as fast as however Jade is traveling.”

Zev started to thank her, but she cut him off with an upraised hand.

“I said Icould, not that I will. It would take considerable power.”

“And you won’t do it for free,” Zev finished for her.

“I am an elf,” she reminded him.

“But what do you want?” His mind was too panicked to frame his questions more carefully. She would surely ask for confirmation of his identity, and although he’d rather not officially acknowledge it, it hardly seemed to matter much now.

“I want certain assurances from you,” Kiarana said, her words directed to Zev. “About the future.”

“How can I promise anything about the future?” Zev said. “I don’t know what’s yet to happen.”

“No,” Kiarana agreed. “And nor do I, with certainty. But,” she gave a slightly unnerving smile that increased her resemblance to her grandmother, “those of us elves with what you humans might call royal blood do have certain gifts, you know. We sometimes see things.”

“You see the future?” Marieke demanded.

“I didn’t say that,” Kiarana said. “It’s never so simple.”

“So what is it you want from me in exchange for helping us travel fast enough to beat Jade to my home?” Zev asked.

Kiarana held up a restraining hand. “I didn’t offer that. I said I could help you travel swiftly. I offer no guarantee that you’ll arrive before Jade does.”

“In exchange for what, though?” Marieke said impatiently.

Kiarana tilted her head again, her eyes on Zev. “I want you to agree that when you come into a position of power and influence over Aeltas—”

“I have no expectation of ever coming into a position of power and influence over Aeltas,” Zev cut her off.

The tips of her ears wobbled in annoyance as she straightened her head. “I want you to agree thatifyou come into a position of power and influence over Aeltas, you will assist the elves to come out of hiding safely, if we should wish to do so, and to protect the secret of our existence if we should not wish to emerge.”

Zev frowned. “What if I never have influence?”

“Then the bargain would not be activated.”

Zev tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword, uneasy. “There are a lot of ifs in that bargain which, from my understanding, doesn’t make for a safe bargain.”

“It doesn’t,” Kiarana acknowledged. “But it’s the only bargain I offer.”

Zev exchanged a look with Marieke, who shrugged helplessly. The decision was his.

“I agree to the bargain,” he said. “With theifsyou added.”

“Very good.” Kiarana rubbed her fingers together in a businesslike manner. “I will make the arrangements at once.”

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