Page 70 of Bound to the Elvin Prince

Chapter 26

“Let me see this scroll.” That was the first and only thing out of Relian’s mouth as Cal finished speaking. The urgency in his voice startled him. And Cal, too. Her eyes widened before she took an uncertain step back from him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he cautioned himself to have patience, with both himself and Cal. He’d already resisted the overwhelming urge to stalk down the halls in search of the mysterious scroll, even though the feeling hadn’t truly left. If the parchment contained what she thought it did...

He hurriedly pulled Cal from the room, causing her to stumble. As soon as she righted herself, he was eating up the distance to their destination in long strides. An unsettling feeling about her gave him pause, though. Ambivalence radiated off her, along with something else. He could’ve sworn she—

He searched through the forming bond. She was fuming behind him. Dismay clouded his mind for a moment. When had she become so upset? Admittedly, she’d been nervous from the start, even before their meal was over.

But of what? She was all but his betrothed and should be secure of her position—there his thoughts drew an uneasy parallel. She was human. Reality crashed down on his exhilaration, almost pulling him up short. How obtuse to ignore her concerns because of his excitement. Now that snippet of conversation he’d overheard earlier made much more sense than it had before. She might wonder what the scroll would mean for her, mean for her life here. It seemed as if she had valid fears.

He’d never let harm come to her, or Maggie for that matter, but he had to convince her of that. One part of him wanted to be offended she had reservations. However, in truth, he hadn’t addressed or even noticed her emotional distress until now.

Stopping, he halted Cal as she attempted to walk on. She kept her face level with his chest. Even when he tried to get her attention, she mulishly ignored him. When he drew her into his arms, her body went stiff.

He’d offended her with his behavior and been abrupt with her. Time to rectify that. “My lady, I didn’t mean to cause umbrage with my actions.”

“Jerk.”

He winced. This wasn’t going so well.

She wouldn’t even glance at him as words spewed from her mouth. “I don’t like being treated like a sack of potatoes that needs to be lugged around. I get you’re anxious, but I’m not a servant to unquestionably follow orders, Your Highness.”

He recoiled from her furious words. “I’m truly contrite. My impatience with you wasn’t intended or planned. The information you presented...just overwhelmed me, making me forget all else temporarily.” He touched her cheek, knowing she couldn’t resist such a move on his part. “I’m sorry. Please understand, if you’re right, what this could mean to the people of Eria. That would be no small piece of knowledge.”

She finally looked up. “I know, but truthfully, that’s partly the reason I’m afraid.” Her voice caught. “I’m human, and so is Maggie. We don’t want anyone to misread that passage and think it calls for human blood in totally unacceptable ways. We don’t want to be forced into anything.”

“I can see your fear. But even you mentioned it has to be willingly given, so I don’t think many would misunderstand that part.”

Cal shook her head. “All it would take is a few, though.”

“I would protect you and Maggie. You know that. I think the best course right now is for me to actually read what’s written on that scroll.”

Sighing, she took his proffered hand. She still seemed hesitant, but he no longer sensed her distress honing in on him like an arrow. That he could handle.

They walked in silence at a steady pace, side by side. Once they arrived at the den, he opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. She immediately went over to one of the shelves lining the room and reached between books and multiple scrolls.

After pulling out a rolled-up piece of parchment carefully hidden behind the others, she placed it on the nearest desk and stepped back. “It looks to be quite old.” A wry smile flitted over her face. “But then, old is relative here, or so I’ve come to learn.”

Looking at the scroll, he could see how she arrived at that conclusion, even though it was as she admitted. Though it was tattered at the edges, it wasn’t that old, given the style of the parchment and its overall condition. “It’s probably only one or two thousand years old.”

“That old? How is it still in one piece, lying in the open air as it has been?” The wonder in her voice told him this wasn’t a common occurrence in her world.

He shrugged. “It’s probably a combination of how we formulate and manufacture our paper, coupled with the natural magic that sustains our world.”

Now that he was here, now that the scroll rested before him, he hesitated to pick it up and read it. So much could rest on that one sheet of paper. His hands shook as he reached for it. The parchment was smooth against his hands, like any other piece would be. He didn’t know why, but it surprised him it wasn’t any different.

As he smoothed the scroll out on the desk, he perused it carefully and came to the same conclusion Cal had—that mortality or humanity factored heavily into whatever means they were to take.

He let out a long breath he hadn’t known he kept hostage, his mind reeling at what to do next. First, they had to determine if the passage was a real instance of foresight or some flight of fantasy. If it was real, the practical application of that information would be the next hurdle to face. He glanced over at Cal, who’d moved closer.

She put her hand on his arm. “Well, what do you think?”

***

Late that night, Relian shifted anxiously as his father finished reading the scroll. The moment stretched on, even though only a matter of minutes had passed since he’d read it himself. Cal stood by his side, hands clasped together.

Talion looked up, disbelief in his eyes. “I thought this seemed familiar.” He must’ve seen astonishment on their faces, for he chuckled. “No, I wasn’t referring to the prophetic passage but to something else within this scroll.”

Relian furrowed his brow. “What, Father?”

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