Page 60 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
Aelfric’s voice breaks me from my trance. I whirl, finding the knight seated in his chair with a frown on his face. I didn’t realize I had scrambled out of bed and snuck my way to the entrance.
The groove in his forehead deepens. “Where are you going?”
“I can’t just leave him,” I mutter absently. Every eye in the tent is watching me with rapt attention.
My friend drapes a blanket over my shoulders and pulls me to sit beside him. I still feel the chill from their stare despite the thick wool.
“The Queen is right,” Eamon decides. The four words are entirely surprising, especially coming from him. “All that power is wasted being buried in the ground. We can put it to good use.”
Sharing the same breathing space as the commissioner is enough reason to get out of here.
“Imagine if Aelfheim had that kind of force,” he adds with a calculating gleam in his eyes.
The attributes of Rainer’s angular face shifts momentarily, the only sign that he is displeased with their talk.
“If your strengths are restored, may I suggest you leave to accommodate my other patients,” Lady Deirdre says, trying to pair her words with a smile but failing. They ignore the healer’s request entirely and continue their deep discussion.
“What if he is tied to something else instead of the damn rock?” Eamon asks.
“You mean like a house, so he doesn’t have to stay in the dungeon? That is merciful of you,” Kheirall interrupts sarcastically.
“No. A person.” Eamon stares at the two demons expectantly. “Can it be done?”
A dangerous, loaded question.
“Technically, yes. Another binding spell can easily lift it,” Ragnar joins in. “But you’ll need a strong Blood Witch for the transfer and a moon such as this one.”
“No need for a sorcerer. There is a powerful magic that transcends all else. A bond more solid than metal, bestowed by the Goddess of Love,” Tierra says with an unnerving quiet. “The Arawynn bond.”
Utter delight shines in Eamon’s power hungry eyes.
“And who better to tame him than the queen herself?” Lord Ctibor says, interlacing his fingers with a smile.
My heart stumbles and hits the ground.
“I’d be very careful with your next words if I were you,” Rainer suddenly says from his dark corner. The temperature in the tent plummets with his icy tone.
“Come now, Rainer,” he says to my uncle’s darkening expression. “You’ve seen how the monster interacted with Her Highness?”
I think Lord Ctibor is very brave. No one ever tries to engage my uncle in a conversation when he is tired after a battle. It’s like watching a rat trying to poke a wolf.
“He does seem attached to you,” Tierra says to ease the tightness in the air. I add nothing to her words.
A full tense minute passes before Ctibor continues, “If we can bind the monster to our cause. We might have a chance to survive the wyverns and beasts of Avalon.”
Then you marry him.I almost say to the annoying Aldarelf.
“It’s what your beloved Aerin would have wanted.”
I can feel Aelfric flinching beside me. I wait for Rainer to dismiss his ridiculous proposition. But the hint of madness slowly settles in my uncle’s gray eyes the moment Ctibor mentions Aerin.
Heavens have mercy on me.
“For the Arawynn bond to work, the marriage needs to be—“ Lady Deirdre’s voice catches. “—pure in the eyes of the gods. Do you know what that means?”
The Aldarelf knows exactly what it means.
“You’ve lost your damn mind…” she mutters, staring at them in disbelief. It’s rare to hear such a sharp tongue from the Noble Lady.
