Page 19 of Shelf-Made Man
“In the dark, sure.”
“Elves have excellent night vision.”
“Look, you don’t have to?—”
“Beautiful,” Alfie repeated firmly and stroked Tobias’s cheek with a single warm finger. “And don’t argue with me about it. My family is renowned for our exacting and exquisite taste in aesthetics. Even Kol can’t be criticized in that regard.”
Right—Kol. Who was way more important right now than the fact that Alfie’s touch made Tobias burn, made his skin feel too tight, made him want to lose himself forever in Alfie’s embrace.
“Tell me about Snjokarl, please.”
Alfie sighed deeply enough to shake the mattress. “As you said, he radicalized Kol. He’s not merely persuasive—he’s dangerous as well. Most of the empire’s trolls live in his kingdom and are faithful to him. He uses them as guards and… thugs.”
“And you said trolls can cross over from one world to the other.”
“Yes. And in addition to being strong, they are excellent trackers. They can find almost anything or anyone if they set their minds to it. They would be a formidable force on their own if they were numerous, but luckily for the rest of us, their belligerent temperaments—off-putting to even their own kind—have kept their population small and prevented them from unifying.”
Trackers. Well, that explained how the trolls had found Alfie at Tobias’s house. Horrifyingly, it also suggested that they’d discover him wherever he went. All the more reason to talk to Aunt Virginia, since Tobias couldn’t think of anyone else who could possibly help.
But wait. “If they’re so great at finding stuff, how come they didn’t discover you for… I don’t know how long? Decades.”
“Because I was inanimate. Once the enchantment was removed and I was once again a living being, they found me straight away.”
“Oh.” Tobias supposed that made some sense. “Sorry—I interrupted your story. What happened after Snjokarl got to Kol?”
Another sigh from Alfie. “Father became ill, and as he weakened, Kol exerted his own power more often. He and I argued more violently. Perhaps it would have been better had I held my temper and tried to counterSnjokarl’s effects, but I’m not patient. And honestly, I feared what would happen to our kingdom when Father died. I belatedly realized that I needed allies—partners—but also realized that if I recruited my friends to support me, there was a strong possibility that they’d be prosecuted for treason once Kol had the crown.”
“You must have felt so alone.”
“Isolated and terrified. And not making rational choices. I should have fled the kingdom, but I couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning my father as he lay dying.”
In the heavy silence that followed, something occurred to Tobias. “You haven’t mentioned your mother.”
“My mother was a member of one of the wild clans that live in the far north, outside the empire’s boundaries. They are few in number. They want nothing to do with any form of governance, and they rarely interact with outsiders. I’m told she traveled south out of youthful curiosity, met the ruler of the Kingdom of the Five Sisters, and… had a fling. A bit of a protracted one. She promised the king she would give him two children as long as he promised that after she left, neither he nor their offspring would ever try to contact her. She returned to her homeland a few months after I was born.”
Tobias considered that for a moment. “Did that make you sad?”
“Not especially. My father loved me and I was well cared for. I never knew her, so I didn’t miss her.”
That made sense. Tobias had never minded not having a father. “I’m sure your father appreciated having you there when he was ill.”
“He did, and despite everything, I don’t regret staying at his bedside. His mind was muddled at the end, but he knew that I was there and told me he loved me.”
Alfie sounded a little choked up, so Tobias reached over to pat his shoulder consolingly. Somehow, however, Alfie ended up snuggled up against him, head tucked into the crook of Tobias’s arm and soft hair tickling Tobias’s cheek. It felt lovely.
Maybe Alfie thought so too, because he gave a little wiggle, settling more comfortably into position, and this time his sigh sounded contented rather than heavy. “You don’t mind?”
“Not a bit.”
“Mmm. Perfect.” He wiggled again. “It’s much easier to talk about unpleasant things when I’m near you like this. You are a bulwark against sorrow. Father died. Kol immediately began making plans to withdraw from the empire. Which would quite likely result in a war, but he didn’t seem concerned about that. He demanded that at his coronation I publicly state my endorsement of his ideas. I refused. We had the biggest fight yet, which is when I finally recognized the truth I’d been avoiding: that he would kill me over this. My own brother. SothenI fled. But it was too late. He sent Snjokarl afterme.”
Alfie shuddered and Tobias held him more tightly. “Too chicken to go after you himself?”
“Snjokarl likely requested the task. He hates me because I opposed him. And he’s a sadistic wretch. Anyway, I went north, hoping to leave the kingdom, but Snjokarl’s trolls caught me before I reached the border and dragged me to him. I like to think that my brother’s instructions were to kill me straight away, and that the torture was Snjokarl’s personal addition.”
“Hetorturedyou?” Appalled, Tobias clutched Alfie even more tightly, until he realized that might be painful and relented a bit.
Ironically, Alfie ended up comforting Tobias. “Only a little,” he said, stroking Tobias’s arm. “I managed to escape my bonds before he got too far. I tried to get out of the palace where he held me, but one of his trolls found me. I’m not much of a fighter even at my best, and I knew it was a lost cause, but I struggled anyway because what else could I do? Better to die quickly during an escape attempt than slowly at Snjokarl’s hands. The troll… he had a knife. That’s how my leg was injured. And then….” He trailed off into silence.
