Chapter 4

“I could no more give you up than I could will the world to stand still.” ~ Thalion

“Continue,” Reeve said, his voice rough with emotion.

Thalion stared at nothing as his mind led him through the past. 

Her voice was not sharp or cold. It was simply a statement of fact. Thalion was indeed neither of the things she had said—a strong drink or a warm bed. He nearly laughed out loud. The words should have sounded sarcastic and probably would have coming from anyone else, but not from the female standing in front of him. 

“Fair enough,” Thalion acquiesced. “Forgive my abruptness. I was under the impression I was going to be meeting with Alston. Am I correct in presuming you are the ambassador for the high fae council in his stead?”

“You are.”

“May I have your name?”

“I am called Cyn.”

Thalion made note of her use of the phrase ‘I am called.’ Often those of great power used the words ‘I am called’ to keep another magical being from having power over them by the use of their true name. He wondered if, perhaps, Cyn was short for something else.

“And what are you called?” Cyn asked him.

For a moment, Thalion said nothing. He had to replay the fae’s words in his mind several times before they sank in. He’d been so focused on her lips as they moved, the sounds simply didn’t register. Her lips were plump and pink, and Thalion was pretty sure her words had been something like, Please taste my lips, Thalion. He shook his head and pushed away the lust-shrouded thoughts.

“Alston didn’t tell you?” The elf finally managed to form comprehensible words again.

Cyn shook her head. “I wasn’t given the order to meet the ambassador for the elves by Alston. I was told to meet you by my commander, Perizada.”

Thalion knew of Perizada. Then again, there wasn’t a supernatural in existence who didn’t know who she was. “Did Perizada share with you the purpose of our meeting?”

Cyn looked away from him, glancing back over her shoulder. “There’s a quiet establishment just over there.” She pointed to a pub. “Perhaps we should step out of the rain and discuss our business like civilized beings.”

Thalion had been so captivated by the fae that he’d paid no mind to the fact they were drenched from the rain still crashing down upon them. She turned and began walking. Without looking back to see if he was following her, Cyn headed for the public house. Remembering he was a gentleman and she was a lady, he hurried forward to open the door for her. When his arm reached past her to grasp the handle, Cyn pushed it away and pulled the door open on her own. He noticed that the moment they entered she was evaluating the entire room, looking for points of entry and exit and any possible threats. As they moved to a table along the far wall, she deliberately took the seat that faced the door. Thalion was a warrior in his own right, and he didn’t like his back to the door. But he admired the fae’s training, nonetheless. He took the seat opposite her and trusted his elvish hearing to alert him to any potential threats. 

“The high fae council believes a military alliance between elves and fae would be beneficial to the supernatural realms. They would like to discuss the possibility of conducting training exercises with both races’ warriors,” Cyn began, getting straight down to business.

“Why would our warriors need to work together? Is there some threat to the elves that I am unaware of?” Thalion asked.

Her eyes narrowed. “Are your people the only ones whose lives are worth protecting?”

“It’s not the elves’ job to protect every supernatural race. We do not get involved in the disputes of others.”

“And what happens when the day comes that the elves need help? Who are you going to call on? The other races that you refused to assist?” Cyn asked, her voice still calm despite her sharp words.

“Why would anyone attack us? We keep to ourselves,” Thalion answered.

“Your prince is a fool if he honestly believes he can hide from evil simply by confining himself to his own realm. Evil does not pick and choose who it hurts. It simply destroys everything and anything that could possibly oppose it. Why do you think your people are immune to such an invasion?” 

For the first time he was seeing some emotion from the fae, and he liked it.

“What evil is there left? The fae have destroyed all the witches. And you did an admirable job, by the way. The wolves are at peace with one another. The humans have their own skirmishes, of course, but they don’t know of our world and therefore leave us be. What evil do you speak of?”

“The council hasn’t identified any imminent, specific threat. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared. Fae magic may not always be superior to all other. There may actually come a day when we have to defend ourselves with strength of arms, rather than magical ability. We are not so foolish as to isolate ourselves from those who could aid us should the need arise. Are you so foolish, elf?” 

Thalion stared at the fae before him. Her face was passive, but he could see the fire in her eyes. She was fiercely protective, and it truly got her ire up that he wasn’t interested in protecting anyone but his own people. She would be even more outraged if she knew that he was the prince of his people and not just a representative. “The elves have never suffered an external attack. Our battles, though few, have always been civil ones. We will not tempt fate by changing the way we’ve done things for thousands of years.”

“So your answer is no?”

Thalion could see she was about to stand, and he wasn’t ready for her to leave. “No … I mean … not no … not definitely no.” Cyn stared across the table waiting for him to continue, her eyebrows raised. “I can see the wisdom in your words, but I need to talk to my own people before I can give you a definitive answer. Are you sure there isn’t a definite threat that you need to share with me?”

She shook her head and stood, her movements smooth and quick. 

Thalion held up his hand, attempting to keep her from running off. “Wait. Tell me a little about yourself before you go.”

She tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “Why?”

Thalion fought to keep the smile from his face. She had no idea he was interested in her romantically. She seemed genuinely confused. “We’ve both traveled this far, why not give each other a few more minutes of pleasant company?”

She stared back at him as if he were a bug on her food. After several seconds of staring, she finally spoke. “I must take my leave. I will see you in three months’ time. Have your answer then.”

Thalion reacted without thinking and grabbed her wrist. He should have known better than to grab a fae—any fae—but especially not a warrior such as Cyn. He heard the ring of metal as a blade left its sheath. In the blink of an eye he had stood and had his own knife pulled. He held it pressed to her stomach while she pushed her dagger to his neck. 

They stood, barely breathing, each poised to strike, all of their muscles taut, staring into each other’s eyes. They might have appeared as lovers, caught in a forbidden embrace, if not separated by cold, deadly steel.

“Why are you holding my wrist, sir?” Cyn asked in a deadly voice.

Thalion stared down at her, desperately wanting to touch more than just her wrist. “You can’t leave after I’ve just met you.”

“Our business is concluded. There is nothing more to say.”

Thalion released her, took a slow step back, and removed his knife from her body, placing it back in its belt scabbard. As deliberately as possible, he let his eyes wander over her entire form, wanting to remember her exactly as she was right now. She was petite, as was common for the females of her race. Her long, dark brown locks reached her waist, and the large, teal eyes that stared up at him danced with danger but also with confusion. Her nose was small and cute while her lips where full and plump. She was curvy despite her small size and, more important than anything else, she was deadly.

“What if I want to discuss more than just business?” he finally asked.

“Then you will look ridiculous sitting and speaking to an empty chair,” Cyn told him. 

Thalion’s lips twitched as a smile threatened to appear. “Then perhaps you should stay so that I do not embarrass myself.”

“I’m sure an elf like you can find better company.”

“What does that mean? An elf like me?” 

The breath rushed from her lungs as he reclosed the distance between them and pressed closer to her. Thalion could still see in her eyes that she didn’t understand he wanted her. “Please,” he nearly whispered, holding her stare with one just as intense. “I don’t want anyone else’s company. I want—”

Her lips parted as if she was going to answer, but then he felt the air shift and knew she was using some sort of magic. Before he could reach out to stop her she was gone.

Thalion sunk back into his chair. She was gone, and he wouldn’t see her for another three months. 

“You were gone from the moment you laid eyes on her.” Reeve’s voice pulled him from the memory. 

Thalion nodded. “I knew she was the one for me. It was painful when she left. I wanted to hold her to me, but trying to hold onto Cyn is like trying to hold smoke.”

“I felt the same way when I met Sentara,” Reeve said with a small smile. “She knew I was the one, but she wasn’t about to make it easy on me.”

Thalion chuckled. “What did she do?”

“She made sure that the only time we spent time together was when she could get free labor from me.” He chuckled. “I didn’t realize what she’d been doing until I’d re-shoed all of her family’s horses, replenished them with enough arrows to supply the elfin army, and helped her father hunt for their winter meat stores. She was always there working with me, but when we were done, she always bid me good day, or good night, and left without so much as a backward glance.”

“She always was much smarter than you.” Thalion laughed with his longtime friend.

“Truthfully, I would have emptied her family’s chamber pots for all of eternity if it meant I got to spend time with her,” Reeve told him. Several minutes passed before Reeve spoke again. “What happened the next time you saw her?”

Thalion closed his eyes this time as he let the memories flood back into his mind. 

Now he waited for Cyn just outside of his own realm. Thalion had barely been able to contain his excitement when he’d received the message from Alston. The elf prince had responded to the high fae immediately with a date, time, and location for the meeting.

The moment she flashed into the small clearing Thalion could feel her irritation. She turned to face him. Her eyes were a storm of frustration, though her face was its usual emotionless mask. The first words from her mouth caused a smirk to form on Thalion’s face.

“Didn’t you think it was appropriate upon our initial meeting to mention that you were the elvish prince?” Cyn practically spat at him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said through a grin. “Did I forget to mention that?”