Soulbound (The Return of the Elves Book 1)

by Bethany Adams

  “I am well, Myern. I trust you and your family are the same.”

  Lyr almost winced at the equally traditional response. “Arlyn has survived, so I suppose we are better than we could be. Enough of this. Relax and tell me what you have found.”

  Norin shifted to a more natural pose. “Too little. Lieren picked up all of the iron fragments we could find. As you expected, there was also a quiver on the ground with several of those arrows spilling out. The heads were all shattered, though. They seem to be quite fragile.”

  “Did you find the assassin? He would have been gravely injured.”

  “No.” Norin scowled. “We tracked his trail for a short distance before it just disappeared.”

  “Someone had to have seen what happened,” Lyr snapped. “Scouts and warriors are positioned in trees all over this estate, that portion included. I want the ones guarding that area to be brought before me at once. I also want to know what happened to the three guards assigned to protect my daughter. A young boy was able to see the attacker. My own warriors should have been able to do the same.”

  Norin reddened. “I would also like to know why they failed, Myern. While you speak with the Land Guards, I will question the lady Arlyn’s bodyguards, then send them to you as well.”

  “Please do, though I would like them reassigned no matter their reasons.” Lyr paused to take a deep breath, struggling to overcome his anger. “I also want extra guards around the sacred tree and at each entrance to the estate. She must be protected at all costs.”

  “Of course, Myern. If you give me leave, I will go now and carry out your commands.”

  With a flick of the wrist, Lyr dismissed the captain and resumed his restless pacing. He had to discover who was behind the recent attacks as soon as possible. Not only was his household at risk, but Eradisel and the army Lyr commanded as well. Most of his warriors were not on active duty, but some of them lived in the barracks with the estate and personal guards. Those who did not were hardly difficult to find. They were scattered in villages and on estates throughout his lands. Lyr had to consider they could be at risk.

  While not likely, it was possible these assaults had heavier implications than he had first assumed. The first three dukes on the Callian branch were also the three main generals of the king’s armed forces; these warriors had not been called to battle for thousands of years, but they were kept trained and ready for the king’s command. However improbable, Lyr could not discount the possibility that their true enemy might be working against the king, trying to cause sabotage in his army. And if that wasn’t the original intention? Well, the type of skills that allowed an iron-wielding assassin to sneak through wards unnoticed could easily be used in such a way.

  Jaw set, Lyr called for Lady Selia.

  Allafon nudged the smoking heap with his boot before scowling up at the guard who had brought it. “Where did you find him?”

  “He…he crawled to the edge of the estate, milord,” the soldier explained, anxiety dripping from his words. “I did not detect a breach in the wards, I swear it. He was suddenly just there.”

  “So you say.” Allafon laughed at the blind fear crossing the fool’s face. “Relax. I know who it is. Now leave me.”

  As the other rushed from the room, Allafon kicked the pathetic form over on its back. The man groaned mindlessly, obviously unconscious. Allafon spelled him to sudden awareness and laughed again at the long, keening moan of agony. He used another spell to cut off the pain, a necessity rather than kindness, and one more to force an answer.

  “Tell me, did you accomplish your task? Is Kaienan dead?”

  “No,” he gasped. “But I hit the woman. Then the fire came. I don’t know.”

  “I should have known not to use a half-breed whelp like you.” Allafon pulled the knife free from his belt.

  “Milord, but the iron—”

  “Being able to use magic on iron is useless if you are too inept to complete such simple tasks. Your failure is intolerable.” He considered leaving the pathetic human-spawn in the dungeon to die in slow, relentless agony, but it hardly seemed worth the effort. Without a word, he shoved the blade into the man’s heart and twisted, watching in satisfaction until the last spark of life had left his eyes. And basking in the energy that flowed into his soul.

  “What a shame.” Allafon grinned, filled with euphoria from the death and the influx of energy, then wiped his blade clean and stood. His gaze caught on the cloak still smoldering around the corpse, and displeasure slipped through. He’d paid a fortune to have the thing enchanted to hide the wearer from Lyrnis’s wards. “I may have to find another way onto the estate.”

  Allafon summoned the guard with a nudge of his mind and gestured for him to take the body away. “I have dispatched the traitor. Have you seen my son today?”

  “No, milord.” The soldier kept his gaze down. “I believe he departed yesterday to attend a friend’s wedding.”

  “I had forgotten,” Allafon muttered, dismissing the other’s presence almost before he finished speaking. It was unfortunate that Morenial was not at home. Who else could he trust with such a mission? He would have to pick someone soon. Kai needed to die before he had time to reproduce with that Dianore spawn. And Lyrnis? He looked forward to taking care of that one himself. Only then could he begin his vengeance on Earth.

  Allafon smiled as the guard removed the body from the room. The Dianore line was foolish. Keeping up relations with other types of fae. Traveling amidst humans. If not for their fixation, his bonded would still be alive. When he took over as Myern, the portal would be sealed. And the useless fae could languish in their own poisoned holes. He would be too busy breaking Lynia to his will.

  Iren had known nothing. Bile rose in Lyr’s throat at the memory of questioning the trembling boy, but there had been little choice. And it hadn’t even helped. Lyr let his head thump against the back of his chair. If Iren were a bit older, more trained, perhaps he could have described the energy he’d sensed in the clearing. If.

  At least Lady Selia had worked with Lyr on the wards. They had no way to know if the changes would help since the source of the invasion remained unknown. But they certainly wouldn’t hurt. Lyr could only hope some of the Taian methods would close the hole in his own defenses.

  Ten millennia of peace and someone had found a breach.

  Unacceptable.

  Lyr straightened at the knock on his door. A brief word, and five of the Tayianeln, the Land Guards, entered. Though their job seemed simple—to patrol through the forest of the surrounding estate and ensure order was kept—the Tayn were some of the most important warriors under his command. Connected to the spirit of the forest, they were linked with the wards in a bond almost as strong as the family key Lyr had shared with Arlyn. Each undertook at least two centuries of training and, if they were approved by Eradisel herself, another century of apprenticeship. Lyr trusted them implicitly.

  They advanced in a line to the exact center of the room as Lyr stood. As one, they tapped fists to chests twice and dropped to their knees, heads bowed, despite the leather armor they all wore. The warrior in the center, a female named Nerinen, spoke without looking up.

  “We have come as our Captain has bid us to kneel at the feet of our General, Commander of the Third Branch, Blood of Land and King, Callian Myern i Lyrnis Dianore nai Braelyn. Our failure has fallen as a blight to reach into the hearts of all in our trust. It is hoped most fervently that our words and experience may help those with more wisdom to find the origin of the harm that threatens Braelyn. By witness of the Nine Gods of Arneen, we are ever sworn to uphold the three branches of our king.”

  “Then stand and be heard, faithful of the Tayianeln,” Lyr responded. Though he had not expected such formality, he hid his surprise. What had Norin said to them to cause such a reaction? They were only a few steps away from showing their necks for his blade. “In the name of the king and in witness of the Nine, I ask only that you answer my questions with honesty and hea
rt. Do this, and the hand of honor will remain upon you so long as you remain faithful. No dishonor exists in failure when one has put forth true and earnest effort. Rise without shame and be gladdened your words may bring aid.”

  The five stood with fluid synchronicity, but none of them would meet his eyes. Nerinen, at least, managed to get close. “Ask us what you will. We are grateful to help.”

  He questioned them for more than half a mark, but they had little to report. Not a single one of the five had sensed a disturbance in the wards; their first indication had been Arlyn’s scream. Only Nerinen had been in a position to see the source of the attack, but the assailant had already started tumbling from the tree by the time her first arrow reached him. Nerinen’s gaze fell again as she described what she’d done, and her hands trembled.

  “It was to my great dishonor that I did not react at once.” Nerinen bowed her head in shame. “I was stunned, and for a precious moment, I could not think what to do. My arrow should have been loosed before he could fire his second. There is no excuse for my failure, and I will resign at once if that is your wish.”

  Lyr repressed a sigh. Nerinen was a fairly new member of the Tayn, having served for a little over a decade, and obviously believed his daughter had been injured because of that inexperience.

  “It is not my wish. This is a situation that none, save for those who patrol the perimeter of the wards, were prepared for, and that is my own failure. You could not have expected someone to attack without setting off the wards, and although you should have acted more quickly, it was an easy error to make. Besides, my daughter was assigned three bodyguards, none of whom acted. They bear the greatest responsibility.”

  “Three?” Nerinen glanced at the others, who shook their heads. “Myern, no others were present. We saw no bodyguards.”

  “None?” He struggled to pull back the renewed wash of fury. Only centuries of experience allowed him to keep his expression blank. “I am hopeful that, when Norin brings them forth, a reasonable explanation will be forthcoming. Thank you for watching out for my daughter, though it was largely not your task.”

  “It is our honor to care for all who pass beneath our trees, and it grieves us to have seen one injured beneath our protection. Our vigilance will now be greater than our enemy can comprehend.”

  “I trust that it is so.” Lyr inclined his head to all five. “Carry on your duties with honor, keeping ever in mind the lessons learned this day. Our strength of purpose will see us prevail.”

  At the formal dismissal, the five Tayn tapped their chests twice in salute, bowed, and left. Lyr waited, his blood pounding a furious beat in his ears, through several drips of the clock. Waited until the Tayn were well-gone. Then slammed his fist onto the desk and let the curses fly.

  Arlyn gazed up at the monkey bars, wanting to climb up and swing from the rungs but uncertain if she should. Her mother had warned her to be careful about a lot of strange things, and this might be one of them. The shiny silver bars were obviously steel, which she knew she was supposed to avoid, and there was always a chance her hair would fall down if she wasn’t careful.

  But her hair was pulled back pretty securely, and anyway, she’d touched steel before without it doing too much to bother her. She was almost halfway through second grade, definitely old enough to play on the monkey bars. Her friends made fun of her for being afraid, never guessing how much she truly wanted to try. And today, she finally decided, she was going to do it. Arlyn scurried up the side before she could change her mind and grasped the first rung.

  Her hand was itching with nerves she would not acknowledge, but it was soon forgotten as she swung to the next rung, then the next. She crossed twice before she finally grew daring enough to copy James. Arlyn rocked back and forth until she got one of her legs, then the other, over a bar, then let herself drop to hang by her knees. The world looked glorious and strange upside down.

  She felt a sudden tug on her head and gasped to see her long hair drifting in the breeze around her. Arlyn struggled to pull herself up before the mysterious thief got a look at her ears, but it was harder than she had expected. Before she could grab one of the rungs, Mark had already called for their classmates. As her hand connected with the metal, two of the boys pulled her down.

  They taunted her mercilessly about her pointed ears and her lack of a father. Some said her father was a fairy or a Keebler elf, but most of them claimed he must have left when he’d seen what a freak she was. She was confused, at first, until they pointed at their own round ears. She’d never paid a lot of attention to ears before, except to make sure her own were covered. Were hers really that unusual?

  By the time her mother came to get her from the school playground, she was fighting back tears. Arlyn didn’t say a word until they pulled into the driveway. “Did my dad leave because I’m a freak?”

  “What?” Aimee slammed on the brakes so hard she and Arlyn jolted against their seat belts. “Where in the world would you get an idea like that?”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I know I was supposed to be careful. But I just had to try the monkey bars. I just had to. And then Mark pulled my hair down, and everyone was laughing at my ears. Am I a Keebler elf, or a fairy, or a freak?”

  “I knew this would happen soon,” her mother said with a frown. After shutting off the car, she turned to Arlyn. “I’ve told you all your life how much your father would love you if he’d ever been able to meet you. Why would you ever believe he left because there was something wrong with you?”

  “Maybe you just didn’t want to say.”

  “Arlyn Dianore Moore, you know I never lie to you.”

  She turned a belligerent frown on her mother. “Fine. Then tell me now. Why are my ears funny? And what happened to my father?”

  “I suppose you’re ready to know, but most of the tale will have to wait until you’re older.” Aimee gripped her hand and squeezed. “Your father is not from this world, Arlyn. He is what many would call an elf, though not the Keebler or Santa’s helper kind. He never knew about you. He had to return to the land of the elves long before you were born.”

  The sob jerked Arlyn awake as it ripped from her throat. So real. Her mother had appeared so real, so alive. An arm tightened around her waist, and she looked up into Kai’s eyes. She was bundled against his side, her tears soaking into his shirt. His hand played softly with her long hair where it draped around them both.

  Arlyn shifted her arm—to push him away or gather him closer?—and let out a cry at the pain the movement brought. “What happened?”

  Then memory poured in, answering the question she hadn’t asked. The clearing. The arrow. Drifting away on a table in a room she’d never seen before. Kai’s spirit anchoring hers. As she stared into his eyes, his worry washed over her, and her heart lurched. “Am I going to be okay?”

  “Shh.” His other hand lifted to caress her face. “Lial says so. Forgive my worry.”

  Her eyes grew heavy, but she didn’t want to sleep. “Mom was in my dream for a moment. Then nothing. Just lonely darkness.”

  “You aren’t alone now.” Kai kissed her brow. “Rest. I’ll be here with you.”

  Arlyn let herself drift in the comfort of his arms. Peace.

  And maybe love.

  Lyr was about to go visit Eradisel when Norin returned with three young males. Part of the Home Guard, he realized with a frown, by their peresten armor. Unlike the Tayn, these were the visible protectors of the estate and those who would remain if the army itself were to ride to battle. But Arlyn’s bodyguards should not have come from this group; no, they should have been drawn from Lyr’s Elite. Not only that, but these three were quite young. He would be surprised if they were out of their apprenticeships.

  They stopped before him with the ritual salute, but he detected little concern in their gazes. It was a sharp contrast to the Tayn, who had seemed near to prostrating themselves. “Who do you bring before me, Belore Norin?”

  “Those not worthy of introduction,
Myern. Korel, Leral, and Fenere of the Home Guard, former bodyguards of Ayala Arlyn.”

  “I have been told by the Tayn that you were not seen near my daughter, though you were assigned to guard her life. What words have you to explain your failure?”

  The one named Fenere shrugged. “She left with Kaienan. We thought her safe enough with a scout.”

  Lyr could only stare at them for one stunned moment. “You thought her safe enough? Unless I am somehow mistaken on this point, you were not ordered to sit around letting others guard her. You were ordered to protect her any time she left the walls of the estate. This type of incompetence is inexcusable.”

  “As they are newly bonded, we assumed they were going into the woods to be alone,” Korel snapped, face tight with anger. “I did not consider you the type to watch such things uninvited. Especially not your own daughter.”

  Before the others had even registered the insult, Korel was on the ground, holding a hand to his bloody lip. Lyr stood over him, cold eyes pinning him in place. “You must be a child, to speak so rudely to me.”

  The other two shuffled back, eyes averted, as Korel sat up. “What respect should I give to one who names a half-human his heir?”

  “Indeed?” Lyr gripped the other’s tunic and jerked him upright. “Seems you’re in the wrong place.” He glanced at the other two. “Do you feel this way, as well?”

  Fenere shook his head, and Leral paled. “No, Myern. This was my first time as a bodyguard. Like Fenere, I believed—”

  “Your first time as bodyguard.” Lyr shoved Korel aside, uncaring that the other stumbled. Body tight with fury, he turned to Norin. “Explain to me why these three, and not veterans of my Elite Guard, were chosen to protect my daughter.”

  “They needed experience, Myern, and Arlyn is but a child.”

  “She is old enough to be soulbonded, a state the gods do not grant to children. In any case, I was guarded by Elite when I was an infant.”