Page 78 of War Bound

Farrendel went stock still, causing Mark and the other man to crash into his back. His expression twisted, pained, as if he’d been stabbed. “Melantha?”

Farrendel’s sister Melantha stared back at him, her mouth twisted in a sneer. Her gaze left Farrendel, as if dismissing him, as she turned to the troll next to her. “Here is Laesornysh, delivered as requested. I will provide you safe passage across Tarenhiel as long as you uphold your end of the bargain.”

“Of course. We always honor our promises.” The troll next to her dipped a small bow in her direction. He spoke with a thick dialect that shortened the vowels and came down harder on the consonants than the way the elves spoke.

“What bargain?” Essie succeeded in wrenching herself free of Lord Bletchly’s grip and reached Farrendel’s side, resting a hand on his arm.

Farrendel was shaking. His gaze remained focused on Melantha. “You are my sister.”

That snapped her flashing eyes back to him. “You are not my brother.”

Essie felt Farrendel break piece by piece. She glared at Melantha. It would be so satisfying to march over there and yank Melantha’s hair right from her scalp.

The four trolls were moving forward, probably to take custody of Farrendel. Or to pay Lord Bletchly and Mark Hadley for their weapons and betrayal. Two more of the trolls, who had been loading the steamboat, strode down the jetty. More reinforcements.

“Why?” Farrendel’s voice was low, hoarse. “I have done everything I could to earn my place in the family. What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Essie whispered, tightening her grip on his arm. A family’s love wasn’t earned, and there was something so very wrong that Farrendel felt he’d had to earn his. How had Essie not seen it? She’d caught glimpses, but never put together how deep it ran.

“Father never should have brought you to Estyra. You ruined everything. You destroyed Father’s reign and legacy. You soiled our family.” Melantha’s voice shook, her eyes glassy as if she were close to tears.

“I am sorry.” Farrendel stated it quietly, as if he truly thought he was to blame.

“Farrendel couldn’t help being born. None of the blame rests on him.” Essie glared at the approaching trolls, the crowding Escarlish thugs. Couldn’t they see this needed to be talked out?

“Just when I thought things were getting better, you went and married a human. As if you needed to remind everyone just how flawed you are. Look at you. You even dress like one of them.” Melantha’s mouth curled. “If Jalissa and I are to have any chance of happiness, then I have to get rid of you.”

Farrendel hunched, as if every word was a punch. Perhaps a physical beating would have hurt him less.

“By handing him over to the trolls? You know they are just going to overrun Tarenhiel once Farrendel is out of the way.” Essie was shaking now too. But it wasn’t pain or fear. She’d never felt heat quite this intense inside her chest before. Was this the anger people always implied she should have because of her red hair? Right now, she embraced it.

“All they want is Laesornysh to punish him for assassinating their late king. They have promised Tarenhiel will have peace if I turn him over to them. That is the bargain.” Melantha waved from Farrendel to the trolls encircling them.

How gullible was Melantha? “And that ambush? I was there. They were trying to kill all of us.”

“The only people they were under orders to kill were you and him.” Melantha sniffed, not even looking at Farrendel. As if he was dog poop she couldn’t wait to scrape off the bottom of her shoe.

Essie glanced at the trolls, catching the way they were looking at each other. The flick of their eyes, the smirks flashing, then gone.

There would be no peace for Tarenhiel. Melantha, the betrayer, was about to find herself betrayed.

Maybe later Essie would dredge up some sympathy. But she couldn’t manage it right then, not with Farrendel’s pain trembling through her touch on his arm.

“And the guns from Escarland? If their intentions were peaceful, why would they ask you to help transport guns for them?” Essie gestured at the crates stacked around them.

For the first time, Melantha shifted, as if uncomfortable having to face a truth she had been willingly ignoring. “They just needed the weapons to take out Laesornysh. Most of the crates have been food since they can grow so little in Kostaria.”

The blond-haired elf behind her glanced toward the trolls. Something about his demeanor made Essie think that he knew more about the transport of the weapons than Melantha did. Was Melantha perhaps the traitor behind the information leaks about Farrendel, but this other elf the traitor behind moving the weapons and trolls across Tarenhiel?

Both Escarland and Tarenhiel had several traitors. It was an infestation.

Behind Melantha, Lord Bletchly and a troll who seemed to be the leader shook hands, exchanging a pouch that probably contained money. The troll turned and nodded.

The troll nearest Essie huffed. “Enough talk.” He grabbed Essie, yanking her away from Farrendel.

Farrendel’s head snapped up, his body going deadly still. His silver-blue eyes focused on the troll gripping Essie. Blue light flared at Farrendel’s fingertips. “Let. Her. Go.”

Bolts of power slithered up Farrendel’s hands to his wrists. A crack split the air, pieces of shackle and black tailcoat peppering the ground around Farrendel. He dropped into a fighting stance, knife gripped in his hand.

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