Page 146 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

Callias came out from behind the curtain, his hands balled stiffly at his sides. “Are you trying to get out of here again?” he asked tentatively.

“No.”

“Where are you going, then?”

Vaara felt a smile touch his lips. “To put this sword through Alexei’s chest,” he said matter-of-factly.

Callias paused, then nodded with conviction. “Good,” he whispered, as if afraid to voice the sentiment aloud even when they were alone.

Again Vaara raised his eyebrows at the boy. He walked over to the window sill. Callias quickly moved to stay out of reach, despite their momentary truce.

He could see a road in the distance, but he couldn’t tell if it was the direction they’d come from, where Aruna and Novikke waited in the trees. “Which way are we facing now?” he asked.

“Um. West. Valtos is that way.”

“Do you have a mage torch?”

“Uh. Yes.”

“May I borrow it?”

Callias fumbled in his pocket, then handed him a torch. It glowed to life in Vaara’s hand. He stuck his arm out the window and waved the blue-green light back and forth in a slow, deliberate motion. Callias didn’t ask what he was doing.

“Is the lady mage with you?” Callias said.

Vaara flicked the torch off and handed it back to Callias, suddenly examining him more closely. Was he too young to fancy someone Crow’s age? Perhaps not. “Why? You wanted to see her again?”

“No. I just hoped she wasn’t hurt or… or anything. I liked her.”

“I like her, too.”

Callias looked relieved. It occurred to Vaara that Callias didn’t know about how they felt about each other. He might have thoughtVaarahad hurt her.

“She’s not hurt.” Yet. “She’s quite well.”

“Is she here?”

Vaara turned to leave without answering. “You should stay here. There will be violence outside. You need not be a part of it.”

“Wait—”

Vaara paused. Callias took a nervous step toward him.

“I can help you.”

“Help me?”

The boy nodded rapidly. “I can help you find Alexei.”

Vaara was probably a fool for even considering it. On the other hand, he did not have many better options. His only other choice would be to try to remember the maps Crow had drawn, wander through on his own, and hope he’d run into Alexei somewhere along the way.

“It won’t look good for you if you’re caught,” Vaara said.

“Then I won’t get caught.”

Vaara wiped his bloody hand on his hip as he studied the boy. Slowly, he nodded. “Lead on,” he said, pointing to the door with his sword. “If they catch you, tell them I forced you to help me.”

“Yes, lord.”

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