Page 34 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
“I came to seek the truth. My friend—Our Maiden of Arawynn disappeared after you turned her down at your door,” I say, my voice sounding as broken as my heart.
His eyes widen with surprise. “I had nothing to do with that.”
Strangely enough, I believe him.
“Come and look into my mind again,” he invites.
I’m still a bit traumatized after the last trip into his brain. “You’re not going to show me a vision of—”
A low and deep chuckle rumbles from his chest. “If I wanted to show you such fantasy again it would be me kneeling in between your legs. But I swear to you, it’s not.”
He welcomes me into his thoughts again. I walk to the same misty hallway and search for traces of Blaire. The first door opens to the current batch of Arawynn maidens and the Aldarelf secret meeting with him earlier.
“Take all five of them if you want,” Eamon offers to the demon easily.
Bone-deep anger stirs in me and my body trembles with rage. The five girls presented are the purest and most beautiful of elves in all of Aelfheim. Relief goes through me when the demon honorably rejects the offer. I will myself to calm down and focus on Kheirall’s memory of my friend.
The fog guides me to a door that leads to the castle gates. My heart leaps the moment I spot her. Blaire seems relieved when Kheirall turns down the Aeonians’ request. I study every minute detail, remembering every face she was with. Her escort refused the demon’s offer for refuge, but they left the castle grounds unharmed.
I gasp for air once I slip out of his head, my eyes swimming with unshed tears. My mind whirls to the worst possible outcome. What if a beast from the forest got to her?
“Kevin,” Kheirall suddenly says.
A crow sweeps in to perch on his shoulder. Some kind of unspoken language passes between the two of them and the bird flies away. “I will do everything in my power to help you.”
“Is there a chance for him to find her?” I hate the vulnerability in my tone.
Kheirall’s face softens as he looks at me. “Don’t worry. You chose to visit us on such a lovely night—the Vlatteran. It’s one of those nights when the power of my kin is at its peak,” he mutters, his eyes never leaving mine. “It won’t be long until Kevin and his friends gather the answers you seek.”
That promise blows an ember of life back into my weary heart. Gratitude, and another strange feeling, flutters in my chest for the demon’s kindness. I shake it off immediately. He is an enemy of Aelfheim, I remind myself.
“We should return to the others now,” I say quickly. He gives me a thin smile before nodding and leading the way.
The delicious aromasof spiced fish and meat waft into the dining hall. I settle on the chair beside Rainer at the long table. I expect him to reprimand me, but he simply asks me if I’m alright. I assure him and my knights that I am.
“This isn’t much. But please accept this humble feast,” Kheirall invites with a broad smile.
The food on the long table is mouthwatering. But we all know the general rule with fae and demons is simple.
Never accept their offer of food, drinks, games, or bargains.
Not one of my entourage touches any except for poor, honest young Cedwyn. He’s completely besotted with Silka as she gently pops a grape into his mouth.
Eamon and Ctibor resume pestering Kheirall to persuade him to join our cause. I know the sound of their voices is grating on Rainer’s nerves. For the first time, I don’t mind their persistence if it means stalling time until we wait for Kheirall’s little spy to return.
“You sure know how to pick a place to make your home. Right in the heart of the In Between,” Aelfric mutters once the Aldarelfs pause their relentless scheming to take a breath.
“Is it because the Gate of Hel is here?” Garrett muses, fishing for information.
“The Hollow will be wherever I deem it to be,” the Demon Lord answers with a smile.
A crow glides into the room and lands on the headrest of Kheirall’s chair. It frantically chatters in his ear, waving its feathers. I pray it’s the same one from earlier with news about Blaire.
“Kevin tells me your people were attacked by Akaloth’s bandits on her way home,” the demon announces.
If I was not already seated, I might have fallen to the floor. Hushed murmurs of shock filter through the hall. I hold my breath as the bird continues to caw. “But all of them are alive and well. She was taken to Tavan fortress.”
Hope, small and precious, stirs in my heart.
