Page 20 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

She nodded. “I know you wouldn’t hold it against me, but some of the others might. Would it be too bold of me to ask you to keep this between us? I’m not ready to tell anyone else yet.”

Alexei just looked at her with his penetrating, judging gaze, revealing nothing. She didn’t dare reach out to see what he was thinking. If she hadn’t given herself away already, that certainly would.

Ysurans were far more common in this part of the world than Ashara were, due to the shared border between Ysura and Ardani. Surely that wouldn’t be difficult to believe. Surely…

“I don’t see a reason why anyone else has to know,” he said finally. “It’s not relevant to our work here.”

She let out a soft breath, nodding. “Thank you, Alexei.”

“Of course, Crow.” He moved toward the door, then stopped.

“We’ll be seeing each other again,” he said, shooting her a thin smile. “Don’t go anywhere.”

She made herself smile back. “I look forward to it.”

“And do let me know if you have any other problems with the fireplace.”

“Oh, I will.”

She dropped her smile the moment he left.

Chapter 7

Later that night, much later than she had originally intended, she left her room a second time. This time, she stopped and listened before she rounded corners.

She almost expected Alexei to hide in some hallway nearby, waiting to catch her sneaking out again—in which case, she had prepared another alibi, though she was not confident any alibi would convince him a second time. She’d gotten extraordinarily lucky the first time. Patros was right—Alexei wasn’t as easily fooled as other people.

She rerouted several times to avoid patrolling guards in the halls, her steps soft on the stone floors. She came to the door to Vaara’s cell without further incident, thank the Five.

Her hand found the soulbinder in her pocket—a comforting and disconcerting presence. She clenched her jaw as her fingers traced the circle of metal.

Silently she slid the key into the lock. The door swung open with a slight creak.

It was pitch black inside. She paused in the doorway when she heard chains moving.

“Quiet,” she whispered into the dark. “Don’t move.”

The sound stopped. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a figure inside, sitting on a cot in the corner of the room. Five help her, she was actually relieved to see him after Alexei.

She knelt in front of him and found his hands. Holding his wrist—and giving his mind a cursory scan to gauge his mood—she started trying keys in the lock on the shackles. There was no time to waste, even if she was nervous enough to want to hesitate.

He was staring at her in an odd, blank way, his eye very slightly luminescent in the dark. She glanced up at him as she jiggled a key in the lock.

“What?” she asked.

“I didn’t think you’d really go through with this,” he said.

“I meant exactly what I said, elf. There’s no trick.”

He tilted his head to squint down at her. “Why would you say that? Why bring up the possibility of tricks just to assure me that there isn’t one?”

She shrugged. “All right. It might be a trick. Who knows?” She shot him an impatient glance. “Feel better?”

He just glared at her.

She kept her little finger rested against his wrist, listening. She didn’t sense deception or an imminent attack, but she didn’t feel any positive feelings toward her, either. He mostly seemed shocked. He really hadn’t expected her to come. Especially after the delay, probably.

This entire terrible plan could still go either way. And she had little faith in him making good on his word.

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