Page 2 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
The lecture is starting soon and I don’t want to miss the first part. “I have to go now. Bye, Loren.” I wave him farewell. “Keep Oscar out of trouble for me.”
“Hey, I should be saying that to you, Princess—” His shout echoes behind me as I rush down the barrier and head straight for the stairs.
The corridors in Elowen castle are eerily dark. I half expect a ghost would jump at me at any time. There’s just not enough elvenlight or torches on the walls. At least the lighting is much better now than it was when we first arrive. I push away any spooky thoughts and focus on getting to the classroom.
‘Summoning is a lost art,’ Father explained yesterday in his lecture. I like the way his eyes gleamed when he told the class the best summoners in the past did not even have to draw summoning circles.
He has spent his whole life learning the art and yet he only managed to call forth a single green bean from the circle. The amount of energy needed to move things across dimension is massive.
As the head of the Wiolant family, father has no time for unimportant things, but if I pretend to be interested in his lectures, I can easily slip into the conversation that it’s my sixth Nameday next week.
I push on the door without knocking. “I’ve done my homework!”
All eyes in the room turn to me. Father is not here yet, but his students seat at the round table—five High Elves from the prominent noble houses in Aelfheim. They have travelled far to listen to his speech.
My cheeks flush over my discourteous arrival. I walk politely towards the small circle of people, practicing the manners Lady Deirdre taught me.
“Come sit with us, Princess.” Anneliese pats the seat beside her, her smooth, blonde hair swirling at the movement. They have stacked heavy books on the chair for me to sit on so I can reach to write on the table.
Father’s students are the best and they’re always nice to me. Anyone who seeks knowledge and wishes to learn has a place by their side. Mile the gardener once joined us until the Lady of the House chased him away.
“Don’t tell me you’ve finished this one too?” Jacque asks incredulously, awe flickering in his amber eyes.
I nod proudly. I understand nothing, though.
They proceed to discuss and debate the material at hand. The first book is on the basis of summoning, the second one is the technique to call upon an object, and the final book delves into summoning life and spirit through the circle.
I listen to their conversation, taking notes on the points to ask father later.
The door opens but it’s not my father who enters the room. Lord Kearne walks in with a grim look on his face. “Master Reinhart will not be conducting his class today. There is an urgent matter in Tiamat that requires his immediate attention.”
Father left?
Despair pulls my heart over the news. I keep the creeping sadness inside, careful to not show them. Murmurs of disappointment resound from the enlightened elves around me, but they don’t dwell on the bad news for very long.
I wait for the class to dismiss before walking up to Kearne casually. Sunlight from the window dances on his perfectly styled dark hair. His face is a little keener than I remember. This prolonged war is taking a toll on everyone, from the poorest to the wealthiest.
“When did father leave?” I ask the lord without proper greeting. Kearne is a family friend and I know he won’t tell Lady Deirdre about my poor etiquette.
“Early at dawn this morning,” he replies quietly.
We amble to the entrance without words.
“Will he come back for my birthday next week?” I ask the lord, trotting slowly beside him.
Kearne takes a long moment to answer this time. “I’m afraid he won’t.”
My heart sinks like a stone. I don’t think I managed to hide the dejected look on my face in time.
Kearne kneels in front of me, his face earnest and kind. “I think you should come home with me and my wife to Völundr.”
His invitation surprises me.
“Thank you for the offer,” I say with a polite smile. “But I’m going to Varyndor with my family.”
Rainer said I can come with him. He promised he would take me everywhere.
The lord gives me a hard, sorrowful look. “A war camp is no place for a young lady.”
