Sal stepped back, still holding his father’s cloak, his face utterly blank. The other three men stepped into the house following Sal’s father, the door closing behind them with an ominous thud. Sal shifted the heavy cloak to his other arm, his voice as rigid and formal as his posture, “Welcome Varessial, I trust your journey wasn’t too difficult.”
He nodded slightly at the other men, not quite a bow but still deferential. “Pollineir, Urien, Uther.”
The two trow nodded slightly in response; the elf said “Salarius,” in an offhand way, his eyes still studying the room.
Varessial walked closer to the hearth, his eyes finding Allie for the first time. She resisted the urge to press herself back into the chair she was sitting in, already fearing this man. “Who is this?”
Sal cleared his throat, setting his father’s cloak down on the closest chair and then walking quickly over to join them, “This is the girl you wanted father. Her name is Allie.”
Varessial turned and looked at Sal as if he were the most foolish person alive, “You kidnap her and then treat her like an honored guest? Obviously your time in the bordertown has softened you. I will have to teach you the proper way to treat a person you are holding prisoner.”
Sal flushed and looked down, clearly cowed by his father. Allie took a deep breath realizing that she was going to have to try to take control of this situation quickly, because Sal wasn’t going to, and his father’s words promised an immediate illustration of his point. She stood up, turning to fully face the group, knowing that she didn’t present a very intimidating picture in maternity jeans and an oversized t-shirt she’d been wearing 24/7 for the last several days, her hair loose and unbrushed. And knowing that they could not miss the fact that she was pregnant.
Varessial’s eyes narrowed as she ran her hands over her abdomen, emphasizing the roundness. When she started speaking she was overwhelming glad that almost a year immersed in Elven culture had significantly improved her fluency in Elvish. “He is wise enough to treat me well when he should. And he was clever enough to get me to make promises that assured him leaving me free and unbound would be safe enough. And of course he got me here to begin with.”
“Are you defending my son, mixed blood?” Varessial asked, his voice low.
“I admire cleverness,” Allie shot back, desperately fighting not to laugh as her nerves took over. It was unthinkable in Fairy for anyone to harm a pregnant woman, even among the lesser Fey, and she knew that he wouldn’t touch her. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t remember all of this and if she was still in his power after her child was born make her pay for every single word then.
Sal said nothing but she could feel his gratitude. The other elf, Pollineir, was watching her closely now; when he spoke his voice was a pleasant tenor that held no threat, “She seems far more civilized than we were led to believe Varessial, and her Elvish is quite good. It may be that we have been misled in the previous information we were given by Savellian’s son.”
“Yes, father,” Sal said, finally entering back into the conversation. “Ferinyth did not care to get any information that might be relevant, he only cared about finding her and then taking her. He misled everyone by making it seem as if she was merely a lesser mixed blood among humans.”
Allie felt herself tensing, afraid that Sal was simply going to spill everything she had told him in his attempt to save himself now. Varessial was still staring at her, his expression openly hostile. “Indeed? Then perhaps, my wayward son, you would care to educate us all.”
Sal swallowed hard, then said, “She is the granddaughter of the human witch you were interested in, the one who was hiding the book.”
“We already knew that,” one of the trow growled, his voice like gravel. Sal flinched slightly, clearly intimidated by the lesser Fey.
Good gods Sal Allie thought to herself, frustrated No wonder he was so afraid of their arrival, if he’s literally the lowest ranking person here, beneath even his father’s bodyguards. That puts him in a really bad position, in the Dark Court. He’s practically twitching every time someone breathes. Gods, now I really do feel bad for him.
“Let him finish, Urien,” Varessial said, his eyes now fixed on his son.
“She’s also elven from her mother’s side,” he said, and Allie’s heart sank even further, waiting for him to go on and reveal her ties to the Dark. Instead he said, “And she is married to an elf in the Elven Guard. Besides that she doesn’t just know what was in that book, she’s used some of its magic.”
Varessial’s head tilted to the side, a clear indication that his son now had his full attention. The other elf was peering curiously at Allie, his eyes lingering on her chest in a way that was less than reassuring, especially as his emotions swung from curious to mildly aroused. She forced herself to stay still under the scrutiny. Sal’s father said, “I trust you have her magic bound then?”
“Yes, father,” Sal said, sounding more sure of himself now. “I used one of the charms that Grisn supplied us with. It has worked perfectly. And beyond that she was willing to promise not to use magic against us in exchange for a limited amount of freedom in this building.”
Well that isn’t exactly what I promised, but I’m glad you think it is Allie thought to herself as Varessial nodded. “Perhaps you haven’t done so badly then, even if it did take far too long to accomplish. The girl being pregnant is a complication though.”
Sal swallowed loudly again, then said, “The child has been pledged to her husband’s clan. I had thought maybe we could ransom it back, when it was born?”
Varessial actually looked impressed, “The girl was right, you are clever. If the child is theirs then they will be making every effort to get her back, which would ruin our plans. But we should be able to conceal her easily enough for a few months until the child is born, and then if we trade the child back to them, not only would we gain by it but we’d be free of any worry over continued pursuit. That is a feasible plan.”
Allie looked down, fighting to keep her face impassive. Under any other circumstances what Varessial was saying would be true; usually marriage contracts had nothing to do with love and everything to do with producing children. His logic was flawless, and completely wrong in its conclusion. I don’t think Jess and Bleidd will ever stop looking for me, not while I’m still alive anyway. Since he has no way to know that though he must assume the only thing of value to Jess or his clan is the child. But this way, if they think this Allie thought then no matter what happens my son will be safe. They won’t kill him when he’s born or keep him to raise in their ways. He’ll be back with Jess and Bleidd and he’ll be safe, no matter what.
“Does her mother’s clan have any interest in her that we should know about?” Pollineir asked, earning a sharp look from Varessial.
“I don’t care if they do, I’m not ransoming her to anyone. I want to know everything she knows about the book she destroyed.”
Sal and Allie exchanged a nervous look, reflexively, but neither of the other elves seemed to notice. Pollineir inclined his head in a shrug, “I’m wondering how much value she has, not about ransoming her anywhere. I’m well aware of your obsessive desire for this human magic.”
“She won’t have much value once I am done with her,” Varessial said, giving Allie a promising look that reminded her far too much of Ferinyth.
“Don’t be so hasty cousin,” Pollineir said, his gaze settling on Allie again. “Sal has shown that the girl can be dealt with easily even now when nothing…persuasive…can be used against her. She is elvish through her mother’s side and her oath is good, she can be held by her promises as any elf can. If she is reasonable about what you want there’s no need to ruin her to get it.”
“I have never needed to ruin anyone to enjoy doing so,” Varessial said. “But speak plainly. You obviously have a point to make and I know it is not mercy. What do you suggest?”
“I suggest,” the other elf said, grinning slightly, “that I have found what I
want in payment for my help in this matter.”
Varessial frowned, “I need her. I have not gone to all this trouble to get her, spent the lives of two of my men, alerted the Elven Guard to our presence, and had my son spend almost a year trying to get her this far just to hand her over in payment to you now.”
Pollineir nodded slightly, “Of course. You will need the information from her, whatever it is she can tell you at this point. But I suggest that you can get it without breaking her, and I am very much interested in keeping her for myself. After all you will not need her once you have the information you want.”
Allie repressed hysterical laughter as she stood there helplessly while the two elves discussed who would get to keep her in the end. She was still hoping for rescue before this went much further, but if it came to it somehow she felt that Pollineir was the better option of the two.
“Why would you want her?” Varessial sneered.
“Because I think in the long term,” he said calmly. “When else am I likely to have a chance like this to obtain someone who is considered elven but who has no value in society, who is obviously fertile, and malleable? She has magical ability that will likely breed true in any children she produces, and if she belongs to me then those children will belong to me. I can see enormous potential in such. And so I want her.”
Varessial looked thoughtful. Allie swallowed hard feeling rising panic. He wants to keep me as a breeder. Dear gods. That isn’t done, I mean who would even think of doing that? Women have such a high position in society, even the lowest status woman…which is exactly why he thinks this is a golden opportunity you idiot she berated herself. You let Sal convince them that you count as a ‘real’ elf, but they’re still thinking of you as a clanless nobody who lives among humans. You might as well have a giant sign over your head that says please use me as you want to. For Gods’ sakes this is exactly what I tried to explain to Jess and Bleidd last year, after I was attacked the first time, this is how the Dark Court views people that aren’t part of it or aren’t well connected politically or obviously powerful enough to defend themselves. So of course he wants to keep me. I’d bet he’s a mage, with his talk of magic potential, and I must look like a golden opportunity. Crap.
Sal was frantically trying to make eye contact now, and she guessed he wanted some sign from her about whether or not to tell them about her own Dark Court connections. He seemed to believe that it would have saved me from Ferinyth before, that knowing that I am one of them, in any way, would make them back down. And yet, what can I do to back up a claim to the Dark Court? I can’t physically fight. My magical ability is limited even when I’m not wearing a magic-dampening charm. I’d have to invoke my mother’s name and, then what? What if they just turn around and try to ransom me back to her? That thought was humiliating. She hadn’t seen her mother in decades and the idea of seeing her again in a situation that would prove she had been right to cast Allie off, to send her away – that would prove Allie was in fact too weak to survive the Dark Court – it was mortifying. It’s bad enough that mother was right to send me away to be raised outside the Dark Court, I don’t need to show her how right she was by dragging her into this situation now. Lifting her head slightly she met Sal’s eyes at last and shook her head slightly. He looked shocked and then widened his eyes slightly and nodded at his father, in what she assumed was a ‘tell them’ gesture. She stayed silent.
Finally his father spoke again, “If you believe she has that much value to you then she is worth more than just your effort on this project.”
“What worth would you set for her? Assuming you can get what you want from her without negating the value I am seeing.”
“I’m reminded that I still owe you a debt for your aid in our escape from that unfortunate situation in Keerglos. I would think having an elven woman, even one with diluted blood, under your control would be enough to cancel that debt.”
Pollineir nodded thoughtfully. “That is a significant debt. If I were to agree that giving me the girl is enough to make me forget what you owe me for both this and that, then you would of course be willing to let me assist in getting the information that you want from her. To protect my investment.”
Varessial frowned, but nodded. “As long as I get the information I want, I am willing to let you…assist in the process.”
The two elves shook hands and Allie prayed that she had made the right choice by not speaking up. From Sal’s emotions it was clear he thought she’d made a huge mistake.
Jess and Bleidd can’t get here fast enough she thought shifting uncomfortably as she felt the baby kicking. This just got a lot more serious. I might need to start thinking of what I can do here to help myself, until the cavalry arrives.
***************************
Bleidd led the way all day, his legs complaining by afternoon at his effort to break the trail through the snow. Nonetheless he was the only one who could lead since he was the one able to sense Allie’s direction. He pushed ahead as quickly as he could, not wanting to admit that he was growing concerned that they had not heard from Allie since the day before.
As the sun began to head towards the horizon Jess moved up to walk with him. “Can you get any sense of how far we have to go?”
Bleidd stopped walking, taking a moment to more deeply assess the connection he was following. “I cannot be entirely certain but I think we have halved the initial distance. Perhaps another day’s hike, depending on how much progress we can make under these conditions, and we should be wherever she is.”
“Does it seem like she is stationary?” Brynneth asked from slightly behind them.
Bleidd nodded immediately. “Yes, she has not been moved yet from wherever they have been holding her thus far.”
“If our luck holds that will remain true, and we will reach her by tomorrow,” Jess said looking ahead in the direction they had been traveling in, at a wall of snow covered tress and underbrush. There was no path nor road here so they had no choice but to work their way through the forest, making a trail as they went.
“Let us all hope our luck holds then.” Tashlin said.
Bleidd began moving again wanting to gain as much ground as he could before Jess decided to camp for the night. Around them he could hear the subtle noise of the Makiawisug who still followed them, as they had been all day. It was more unnerving than he wanted to admit, especially with Jess’s implication that the Queen would be displeased if they caused any problems with the native Fey. The idea of camping surrounded by a possibly hostile force that they were supposed to try not to harm was far from comforting. Before he could dwell too much on that Jess was beside him again.
“Have you spoken to Allie at all today?” he asked, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.
“I would have told you if I had, if she didn’t include you for some reason,” Bleidd reassured him, moving sideways to avoid a fallen tree.
Jess sighed, “I had hoped perhaps she had spoken to you. She has not to me either.”
“I am sure she’s fine Commander,” Bleidd said, perilously close to lying but fighting hard to believe his own words. “She told us that she would not risk speaking to us unless she was alone, in case it might give her ability to communicate with us away. It is likely that she has not had any chance to be alone long enough to try to speak to us, and nothing else.”
“Of course,” Jess said unenthusiastically. “That makes sense. So then, it is likely – don’t you think – that she will speak to us as soon as she is able to tonight?”
“Yes, I would think so,” Bleidd said, jumping lightly across a small stream that was only partially frozen over. “And if she doesn’t I can reach out to her and risk getting her attention at an inopportune time.”
Jess brightened at the reminder that they could initiate the contact, something that he had forgotten in the stress of the situation. “It would probably be better to let her speak to us when she is free to, but I am glad you reminded me that it is not, as Allie
is so fond of saying a ‘one way street’, that we can speak to her as well.”
“I doubt she will have much to tell us,” Bleidd said, watching a small figure dart between trees to his far left. “Knowing Allie she will probably complain of being bored with nothing to read or do. And we will reassure her that we will be there in a few days more at most.”
“Yes,” Jess agreed, “Thank you Gadreene for saying so. And thank you for being here.”
Bleidd paused and looked at his spouse, seeing the worry that was weighing on Jess. “This is where I belong.”
Jess smiled slightly, and they both focused back on the unseen path ahead, drawing them closer and closer to Allie. After a minute of walking Jess said, “Do you know I begin to believe that I can sense this connection myself now, a thread of longing and need stretching out from my body into the wilderness towards her.”
Bleidd nodded, forcing his tired legs forward, “Perhaps you can. I am glad if so, because if anything happens to me you will still be able to find her.”
Jess looked at the dark haired elf sharply, “Do not ill wish. Nothing is going to happen to you that will necessitate such a thing, and if I believed for a moment that you were in any particular danger on this mission I would send you back.”
“Ah Commander you cannot be so easily rid of me now,” Bleidd said, trying to joke to lighten the mood. “Do not forget the deal I made when I joined the Guard. I am assigned to your squad, always. Where you go, I go.”
“That will not please Allie at all,” Jess said bluntly.
Bleidd laughed, “Well she is in the Guard herself, isn’t she? And she is in our squad as well. You will just have to use your influence with our Captain to ensure that we stay at the Outpost and have assignments that keep us in Ashwood or the very edges of the Holding.”
Jess made a face, and Bleidd laughed again, the sun sinking down behind the trees. In the growing shadows the Makiawisug continued to circle them, watching the movements of the elves with keen eyes.
Dark of Winter: A Between the Worlds novel Page 13
