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The garden beckoned to Cal, just like the others did on the palace grounds. She reached out, touching some prickly-looking bush gently. It stung slightly but didn’t tear the skin. Cal welcomed the sensations, the discomfort more real to her than the events controlling her life. This she could deal with but the other...
Cal spared a glance at this “other.” He felt very real walking next to her, she had to admit with chagrin. She didn’t want to spend time alone with him, no matter how short. Relian was dangerous to her heart and mind. But until Maggie returned from changing her dress, she was stuck with him.
At the remembrance of how Maggie spilled juice down her gown, mirth and pity welled up. Her friend had been jumpy during the meal, not that Cal had been much better herself. Fortunately, she’d managed to keep her gown free of food and drink.
Now, though, she almost wished she’d dumped something on it. At the thought of honey, fruit, and other foodstuffs smeared on her grand gown, she fought down an irrational spate of giggles. That would’ve been a sight: a future-maybe-princess dirtying her gown. Yes, that would’ve gone over well with these elegant people. But it would’ve been worth it just to get away from him—and his damned handsomeness.
“I believe lunch went as well as it could.” Relian had been quiet for some time, so he shook her from her thoughts rather abruptly.
She couldn’t keep the shock from her voice. “Was that before or after Maggie spilled her drink on herself and Kenhel? Or was it the disastrous introduction to the few members of your father’s court seated nearby that you refer to? Please tell me because I don’t know.”
A faint smile played over his face. “I quite think that Lady Maggie was disappointed that her drink chose another victim besides the king to drench. Instead, it had the bad grace to land on her and Kenhel. My illustrious father wouldn’t have been pleased to be so inundated, so I’m glad Kenhel took the flood for him.”
Cal released one of the giggles that’d bubbled up again. “Yes, I think you’re right. Her face said it all, didn’t it?”
“As humans, you wear your emotions on your face—Lady Maggie even more so than you.”
She slanted him a sour look. “I’ll try not to take exception to such comments, but it’s hard, especially when phrased that way. We already feel quite conspicuous as it is, so no reminders are needed.”
Relian bowed his head in acknowledgment.
“As for your father, is that why he delights in teasing her so?” What Cal really wanted to say was “antagonizing her” but didn’t think it wise. “I’m glad the juice didn’t touch him. I would’ve hated for him to be angry at Maggie.” Casting her gaze upon the path’s stones, she fiddled with the lace edging one of the gown’s long sleeves.
Relian’s voice held an edge of exasperation. “My father is king, but he’s not a monster. He wouldn’t have been happy, but he is just and would’ve recognized it for the accident it was. To answer your other question, I do believe he likes to tease her.” He paused, hesitating. “Her easily discerned emotions can be quite heady to people of my race. It brings the inner hunter out in us.”
Cal gave him a wary look. “Just don’t go hunting me, okay?”
Comprehension flared on his face. “We would never physically hunt you or your friend. Just tease. We are well able to keep that side of us chained.”
Well, at least there appeared to be one less thing to worry about, though it still struck her as odd. However, she needed to clear up her previous question beyond a doubt. “So Maggie wouldn’t have gotten into trouble?”
“No, not unless she committed the act on purpose. Even then, the punishment would not be too dire, unless she repeated her actions. As it stands, she would’ve come away with nothing more than a mild reprimand.”
“Oh.” She bit her lower lip. “Your people didn’t seem all that delighted to meet us.” Seeing his eyes darken and his lips parting to form words, she held up her hand. “Don’t get me wrong. Most were perfectly respectful and cordial, well, except for Eamon and a few others.”
Relian glowered. “His disrespect will be taken care o—”
She cut in. “I’m not worried about that. I just got the impression they weren’t overjoyed by our presence. In fact, I get that feeling from most everybody, even you at times. For the most part, you guys keep the hostility under wraps, Eamon the exception, of course. Still, there’s a disapproval of sorts lurking below some carefully controlled exteriors.” Barreling on without stopping for a pause because she feared the answer and yet wanted the truth, she asked, “Does this all go back to emotions being heady to your kind and your father teasing Maggie?”
“I’m not sure I comprehend all your words, but I believe I understood the meaning well enough.” A perplexed expression played over his face, only to give way to its usual impassiveness.
What was this about comprehending her words? She’d been clear enough. Had she imagined seeing a glint of worry in his eyes? But the reaction of his people, other than Eamon’s, to her and Maggie hadn’t seemed to overly concern him. So what was he concerned about?
“Our ways are different from yours. While my people may seem more reticent in displaying strong outward emotion, especially among strangers or newcomers, never doubt it’s there. Your emotions are a source of fascination because they play so clearly across your face. It can bring out our more base instincts, which we control with a firm hand. As for your other concern, remember you are as foreign to us as we are to you. True acceptance takes time. I don’t think you’re delighted to be here, either. You can see this wariness in us as we can see it in you.”
She kicked at a pebble. At best, his clarifications helped to explain what he left unsaid. The mountain of jumbled questions gnawing at her mind threatened to crush her under their weight. Cal battled the urge to demand the truth from him. He’d only retreat farther if she did. Even knowing all this, she wanted answers, damn. Her shoulders slumped.
Relian’s hand came to rest on her tense back. “Patience. I think this is something many humans haven’t developed overmuch when seeking answers to the unknown.”
His gaze caught hers, drawing her in and making her body rise up in mutiny against her mind. She should be frustrated with the stratifying comments he’d made about their races, but her body no longer responded to her dictates. She was dimly aware that she nodded her head as her mouth followed this treacherous path. “No, I guess not. We tend to want nice, tidy answers that leave little room for interpretation.”
“Then we’re not so different.” He gave her that earlier faint smile, making her heart beat faster, even though she frowned in displeasure because of it.
“We may have the patience to wait a longer time for an answer. But when that answer comes, we want it just as clear and tidy as you do.”
She fought to grasp what he’d said. Was it his accent, his words, or something else that caused the distortion in hearing? Maybe she wasn’t listening well enough. After all, her brain did feel fuzzy right now.
“—my lady? Cal, are you feeling well?”
“What?” Cal glanced at Relian, missing most of what he’d said. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
His face cleared slightly. “You had a most peculiar look on your face. I feared you might be ill.”
What? “Why would I be ill?”
For once, Relian floundered, seemingly at a complete loss for words. “I...well, I’d heard that humans could be sickly.” His concerned gaze roamed her face.
The idea flabbergasted her. She’d viewed Relian as beguiling and imposing but as worried? Where did he get such strange information? Their misconceptions of humans already baffled her, and she’d been there for less than a day. That he would be the type to fret over something as mundane as her health had never occurred to her. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t mundane to her, but she’d assumed she served as a means to an end—an end she couldn’t guess at.
A frisson spread through her. Was he actually concerned about her wellbeing for its own sake? Cal hastened to offer him some reassurance. But it had nothing to do with wiping that concerned look from his usually composed face. It totally didn’t. “Some are, that’s true, especially as they get older. As for me, I’ve never suffered from more than a cold or flu. Plus, I’m still young, so I don’t have to worry about age yet.”
Relian murmured something under his breath, something that suspiciously sounded like it contained the words age and problem.
“What?”
He just shrugged. “It’s not important right now. I believe I hear Maggie and Kenhel rejoining us.”
***
In spite of Cal’s pleading glances, Maggie had backed out of the tour when she arrived in the gardens. Kenhel departed shortly after. His duties as commander of the guard called. Cal didn’t know if this affected Maggie’s decision, but she refused after Kenhel had. She merely sent Cal a knowing smile and said something about being a third wheel. Cal shot her a dirty look. Thankfully, the two elves had seemed oblivious to the modern phrase.
Relian’s voice drew her back to the present. “The training grounds are to our right. This is where our warriors practice and hone their skills.” Relian withdrew one hand from behind his back, where he had them neatly folded, and pointed to his right.
She spotted many elves sparring or practicing their archery on the ranges. “The study of weaponry is popular here?” If so, was it out of need, or merely a sport that they sought to perfect?
“Sword and bow are two weapons we favor. Alas, while it is a form of art like any other, it is one we take no delight in when it comes to actual warfare. Sadly, we have use for it as the latter.”
“You have wars here?” The thought of there being actual enemies for these elves to fight was terrifying. Who’d appear more frightening—the elves or their enemies? She shuddered. If what she saw on the green displayed what the average elf warrior could do, she wanted no part of it and could only wish luck to the elves’ foes. They’d need it. It wasn’t that the elves’ fought with barbarism. The opposite was true. These warriors battled in a ruthlessly intricate dance with absolutely no feeling, no mercy. Though she didn’t know much about ancient warfare, she suspected these warriors were faster than any human that had ever lived. A few even held swords that glowed when they clashed. Magic?
“Why do the swords glow that way?”
“They’re either imbued with magic that makes each strike stronger or the soldier has put a spell on the blade to bring about a similar effect.”
“Magic is that prevalent here?”
“Of sorts. It’s not without its limits. Most people have only a meager amount and would need to join their magic with that of others to produce anything of great effect.”
She shivered. Strong, magical warriors? Because she didn’t trust that their magic was that weak.
“Why do you shudder, my lady? Don’t humans wage war any longer?” he asked softly, leveling steady eyes on her.
She struggled to follow his words. For all they were simple, they left her to flounder for their meaning. “I...of course, we have war. The layperson normally doesn’t see it practiced in person, at least where I’m from,” she finished lamely. Why did he stare so intently?
After watching her for a few seconds, he swept his gaze back over the training green. “Then you are fortunate. Once viewed, it’s not something one should forget. What you see here is nothing like true war. Never forget that, my lady. This is nothing but a parody.”
Finding herself spellbound by the cadence of his solemn voice, she stumbled over a stone skewed by the roots of a tree. Strong arms banded around her waist, saving her from yet another fall.
Relian made a chiding sound as he gently deposited her back on her feet. “There you go again. I’m always saving you from the ground, it seems.”
***
Cal’s face flamed red. “How humiliating!” she muttered under her breath, which he easily heard.
Oh, how adorable she was, and she wasn’t even trying. “Never fear, my dear, you are quite charming to catch.”
Cal raised a hand to her cheek and mumbled, “Please, can the mist appear and swallow me before I make a bigger fool of myself?
“Nay, let’s have none of that.” He gently pulled her hand away and held it lightly between his own.
When she tried to tug her hand from his grasp, he tightened his grip. He made sure it wasn’t uncomfortable, though. Apparently forcing herself to look up from where she’d found an interesting spot on the ground, she met his gaze. Immediately, her eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. While he remained outwardly calm, excitement and anticipation pounded in his chest. He hadn’t felt like this for several thousands of years. It was a dizzying sensation he never wanted to lose again.
He leaned in, his breath whispering against her lips. All willpower to hold himself away from her had deserted him. He slid his hands underneath the sleeves of her gown and made sure to leave a trailing wake of sparks.
She gasped. “Is there some jacked-up faerie dust glowing on my skin? There has to be for me to tingle as I am.”
He chuckled. “No faerie dust. Just a touch of my magic.”
Her gaze zeroed in on his mouth, and she licked her lips. He stifled a moan. By Eria, he’d never wanted a female more. He had to get her to bond so he could bed her. By the mist’s damnation, the bond. An ice-cold chill crept over him as he remembered his falsehoods to her. He could rectify that now, tell her the full truth.
No, he’d merely scare her away, make her hate him. He wasn’t even handling the complete truth well, and he’d been raised in this world where such magic was possible. She was so young...
He blinked and stepped back. As suddenly as the moment had come, the intense moment between them faded. The loss of it was stifling. He tamped down on his conflicting emotions and let his gaze skim over the archery range. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the hazy expression on her face dissipate, and an odd disappointment settled in his gut. He should be rejoicing they hadn’t kissed. It was too soon. He shouldn’t push her harder than he already was. It was asking for too much when they were already asking for far too much.
“Shall we finish our tour?”
Before she could offer up a response, he released her hands and placed one of them on his forearm. Holding hands with her was too intimate right now and broke his concentration shamefully. He led her away in silence. When they finally did talk, their conversation was stilted. He gave an inner sigh, knowing he was mostly to blame. Likely, he had confused her. Seeing little else for it, he did most of the speaking as they toured the rest of the grounds before heading to the village.