Eventually, Ellyesce withdrew from the tree and looked at Jahrra, his expression grim.
“They are planning a secret ambush, but they must wait for the arrival of reinforcements. The snow storm has delayed them, but not by much. We have a few days, perhaps more, perhaps less, before they strike. The wall should hold them, but I do not know the full extent of their mages’ magic.”
Jahrra felt her face go as white as Dervit’s.
“So soon?” she breathed.
Ellyesce averted his gaze. Jahrra stiffened.
“What?” she asked, her voice harder this time.
Ellyesce sighed. “Jaax was planning on leaving tomorrow, late into the night. The weather promises to bring more snow for the next few days, and he wants to take advantage of the cover it will provide for our tracks.”
“When did he tell you this?” Jahrra demanded, suddenly livid.
Had her guardian kept details of their journey from her again? How dare he!
Ellyesce, clearly not wanting to divulge any information to her, spoke quietly when he answered, “Last night.”
Jahrra exploded. “And neither of you bothered to tell me!? Why?”
Ellyesce pressed his lips together and caught her eyes with his, their pale green color as icy as the snow. For a split second, that strange feeling of familiarity, of knowing his face from before they met, washed over her again. But she was too angry about Jaax’s deceit to worry about it now.
Jahrra crossed her arms and gave him her fiercest glare. “Tell me, Ellyesce.”
“I gave him my word, Jahrra,” the elf growled in response.
“And Jaax gave me his word he wouldn’t do this anymore!” she snapped back, surprised to feel tears forming in her eyes. Was she more angry at being left out of the plans, or hurt because Jaax had broken his word? She couldn’t say.
The elf glanced away, his eyes falling upon the tree once again. She could see his jaw working as he fought against the desire to keep his word to Jaax and tell her what she needed to know. Cursing softly, Ellyesce ran his hands over his face as if attempting to wipe away his weariness.
“I promised not to tell you, but that was before this new information came to me. And it doesn’t seem to matter much anymore. He asked me to keep this information from you because he wanted you to enjoy the ball. And he didn’t want you telling Keiron.”
Jahrra’s anger spiked. She sucked in an sharp breath through her nose and pressed her molars together.
“So, he doesn’t trust me to keep this information to myself?”
Ellyesce held up a placating hand. “It’s a little more complicated than that. He suspects there is a spy here in Cahrdyarein, and he doesn’t want any information getting out that might hinder our journey to Nimbronia.”
“Who?” she insisted. “Who does he suspect?”
Ellyesce gave her a pained look, as if he realized he’d said too much already. The dark circles under his eyes and his pinched expression were evidence of his weariness, the reason he’d been so careless with his words, most likely. Jahrra didn’t care. She wanted to know.
“Tell me, Ellyesce!” she nearly shouted.
The elf shook his head, but did not answer. He didn’t need to. From his expression and reluctance to give over the information, Jahrra knew exactly who Jaax suspected. She laughed out loud, the bitterness she felt becoming a physical thing pressing itself between her and the elf.
“Keiron is not–” she began, but Ellyesce held up a hand and cut her off.
“Jahrra, I don’t want to believe it either, but your guardian has good reason for his suspicion. And in all honesty, do you really know Keiron all that well?”
No, Jahrra’s conscience told her. No, you don’t know him as well as you’d like.
She brushed those thoughts aside. Her anger, her injured pride, her feeling of betrayal had wrangled control of her good senses, and now, her emotions were calling all the shots.
Instead of listening to reason, she cast it aside and said, “I’ve spent more time with him than any of you. He wouldn’t betray us. He wouldn’t betray me. He’s the regent’s son, for goodness’ sake! He would be the last person to turn information over to the enemy!”
Ellyesce only looked at her, his expression one of pity. And that was the final straw. White hot fury surged through Jahrra. He and Jaax were keeping secrets from her, conspiring behind her back. And, she was, once again, left standing on her own, looking like an idiot. She wanted nothing more than to hurt them back, the way they had hurt her. But she especially wanted to wound Jaax because this was, essentially, his doing.
In an act of childish rage, she kicked at the snow on the ground, sending it scattering in Dervit’s direction. The limbit leapt out of the way and gave her a pained look. She was too angry to even apologize to him. Huffing out a small growl of frustration, she turned and marched back through the rocks toward Phrym.
“Jahrra,” Ellyesce called after her, making his own way to the clearing. “Jahrra, wait!”
“No!” she called out over her shoulder as she hauled herself into Phrym’s saddle. “I need some time to myself. Would you please take Dervit back to the cabin? I’m going to keep riding for a while. Do not follow me.”
Ellyesce stopped his forward progress and furrowed his brow. Jahrra gave him a scathing look as she turned Phrym back down the trail. He let her go without further protest. Good. She was too irate to be civil to anyone at the moment. She would complete the loop around the city, and hopefully, by the time she returned to the stables, she would have cleared her head a little.
Yet, even after spending the rest of the morning walking Phrym around the city, Jahrra still hadn’t quite shaken her irritation. She was calmer than she had been, but her anger toward her guardian remained a low simmering fire in her heart. On top of that, she had the news Ellyesce had shared about the Red Flange to consider as well. And what he had said about Keiron. The latter she refused to believe. Keiron was not a spy. He could not be spilling information to the Tyrant’s soldiers. But Jaax hadn’t told her about his plans to leave for Nimbronia the next evening, either. Because he didn’t want her telling Keiron. A pang of hurt pushed through the anger. She would have kept that secret. If Jaax had come to her in confidence, as he did the first day he asked her to watch what she said and did around the citizens of Cahrdyarein, she would have obeyed him. Because he would have been extending his trust.
Jahrra glanced up from Phrym’s back only to be surprised to find the stable a few blocks ahead. Her ride was over, and she would now have to go back to the cabin. To get ready for the ball. Could she still enjoy it after all that had happened? Sighing, Jahrra decided it would be in everyone’s best interest if she acted as if the conversation with Ellyesce had never taken place.
After leaving Phrym in the care of the stable master, she returned to get ready for the dance, feeling a bit less excited about the event than she had much earlier that morning. The cabin was empty when she entered, Dervit nowhere to be found. She wondered if he had also thought it wise to take a walk after witnessing the argument between her and Ellyesce in the meadow. Groaning, Jahrra crossed the room, her feet dragging against the wooden floorboards. On the table beside her bed, she found a note addressed to her. Curious and wary, Jahrra cracked the seal and started to read.
Jahrra,
I wanted to apologize for the way our conversation went this morning. Neither Jaax nor I ever meant to keep knowledge from you, and you must believe me when I tell you every decision your guardian made in regards to keeping certain facts from you was done for your sake. I know you are angry, and hurt, and you have every right to be, but I hope you will accept my apology, for I so value your friendship.
- Ellyesce
Jahrra wrinkled her nose at the letter, but felt a wave of clemency wash over her regardless. She was still angry, but the white hot edge of her rage had cooled.
The door latch clicked then, and Jahrra glanced up to find Dervit poking his head inside. His eyes rounded
when he saw her, and he flattened his ears against his head in a gesture of diffidence. Guilt washed over her again. Poor Dervit. He shouldn’t have been caught in the middle of her fight with Ellyesce.
“Can I come in?” he asked carefully.
Jahrra tossed aside the note and breathed, “Of course.”
She spent the next few minutes apologizing to her friend. Dervit only shook his head, telling her she had every right to be angry.
“I would be upset, too,” he assured her. “But perhaps you can put that all on hold. The ball begins in two hours, and it will take us forever to walk up to the fortress. I say we forget about outside threats and overbearing dragons for the evening and have some fun.”
Jahrra gave him a surprised look, but soon his good cheer had her laughing. What he said made absolute sense. Why shouldn’t she enjoy the evening? All of her worries could wait until tomorrow morning, and tomorrow evening when they were fated to leave Cahrdyarein for good. Why not, for once, cast aside her responsibilities and concerns and let her guardian deal with the intrigue and danger? After all, was he not doing just that by leaving her out of the loop? Feeling a sudden surge of energy, Jahrra placed her hands on her hips and faced her small friend.
“You know what, Dervit?” she stated rather boldly, a smile gracing her face. “You are absolutely right!”
-Chapter Twelve-
The Equinox Ball
As the sun set on a world enveloped in white, Dervit left Jahrra so she might have some privacy to get ready for the Spring Equinox ball. Jaax, she had learned from her limbit friend, would be meeting them at the regent’s home. Apparently, he’d been kept busy the entirety of the day playing the passive diplomat. That was all fine and good, in Jahrra’s opinion. She figured seeing the dragon might set off her anger once again, so she was glad he wasn’t around to get on her nerves.
Fifteen minutes before departing for the event, Dervit returned to the cabin wearing some new clothes he’d purchased from the local tailor, with a rather crisply dressed Ellyesce in tow. The aloof elf approached Jahrra cautiously, kindly complimenting her on her dress and giving her what she considered a rather cowed smile. Neither of them brought up their earlier argument, and Jahrra was glad for it.
The three companions soon joined the flow of foot traffic heading up the main road toward the mountaintop fortress. For several minutes they simply strolled along without speaking, listening only to the cheery chatter of those around them. Eventually, though, Jahrra grew tired of the silence wedged between them.
“Ellyesce,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I am sorry for my outburst this morning. It was a shock to get all that information at once, and I was angry.”
“Jahrra, stop,” he said, holding up a hand. The two of them slowed to a halt, and the crowd parted around them. “You had every right to be angry, and I should not have told you anything. It was my mistake. Everything I wrote in the letter I left for you was the truth.”
Jahrra pressed her lips together and nodded.
“I know,” she said, her voice raspy. “You are forgiven. And I’ve decided the best course of action is to act as if I know nothing, at least until we are safe within the boundaries of Nimbronia.”
She gave a dry laugh, and Ellyesce lifted a dark brow.
“We cannot afford to have Jaax and me fighting right now. I’ll be cautious around Keiron, but only because I don’t want to stir up any trouble on the eve of our departure.”
Ellyesce winced at that, then gestured for Jahrra to continue walking. Dervit, she realized, stood several feet ahead, his face pinched in impatience. The limbit was more than eager to get to the party and didn’t appreciate his friends’ dawdling.
“I’m sorry about that, too,” Ellyesce murmured as they continued along. “The idea was for you to enjoy this night without being maudlin over the fact that we’d be leaving so soon.”
Jahrra snorted, smoothing out her skirts again and trying to keep the hem from dragging in the snow. “I will still enjoy the evening, Ellyesce. I promise.”
She smiled up at him. No, she could not enjoy this night as much as she would have had she been ignorant of Jaax’s plans, but she would do her best. And Ellyesce’s sincere apology helped soothe the injury.
The long walk up to the fortress proper gave Jahrra time to clear her thoughts, and when they finally spotted the great house at the top of the mountain, they found the tall doors had been thrown open in a gesture meant to welcome all who lived in the city. Firelight, laughter and music poured through the entrance, and Jahrra unapologetically shed the last remnants of her disquiet. Instead, she trained her entire focus on the sensations unfurling before her.
The chandeliers hanging from the tall roof were ablaze with light, and all along the wraparound indoor balcony, white candles flickered in fanciful iron sconces. Revelers of all ages and class ranges, from the smallest peasant child to the elderly advisors Jahrra had seen on her first visit to this dwelling, mingled and conversed both upstairs and down. As she and her companions made their way through the grand hall and toward the larger cavernous court room at the back, she took note of those she recognized: neighbors from her street, shop owners, the soldiers she practiced with nearly every day in the sparring yard, the young men and women who cared for Phrym in the stables ... They were all dressed in their finest, clasping crystal glasses full of punch or nibbling on roasted meat and vegetables impaled on skewers. Some of the younger patrons, children of those present, chased each other around in a game of tag while trying to avoid the adults.
“I never thought the entire city of Cahrdyarein could fit into this building,” Ellyesce murmured in good cheer.
Jahrra turned and regarded him with a smile. She hadn’t really paid much attention to his clothing before they left, but now that she had the advantage of a room overflowing with candlelight, she was able to get a good look. He had discarded his usual, travel-worn garb for a clean long-sleeve tunic and trousers in shades of earthy greens and grays. Jahrra told him she thought the colors looked good on him.
The elf smiled, that rare spark of true cheer shining in his eyes.
“And I am very glad to see you in something other than your usual deerskin trousers and stained tunic,” he countered, grinning mischievously. “Those colors,” he indicated her blue dress, the one Jaax had given her on her last birthday, “compliment your eyes and bring out the gold in your hair.”
Jahrra gave a feeble smile, warmed by his compliment but feeling a little self-conscious nonetheless.
“And Dervit is sure to turn some heads tonight, I imagine,” she added, turning her attention onto her small friend.
The limbit grinned, removed his hat, and gave her and Ellyesce a sweeping bow. “That they will, m’lady. But only because they are sure to never have seen a limbit before.”
That made both Jahrra and Ellyesce laugh.
“I’m impressed at how quickly you’ve overcome your shyness, Dervit!” Jahrra exclaimed.
The limbit beamed and flicked his tail. “We limbits are a timid folk, that is true, but when it comes to a party, we transform into an entirely different creature.”
By this time, they had made their way to the edge of the entrance hall. Ellyesce lifted his chin and glanced over the heads of those in attendance. The light in his eyes seemed to diminish, and his smile faded. Jahrra cast him a concerned look.
“If you need me, I’ll be lingering around Morivan’s dais,” he said dryly, nodding through the cavern entrance where a small window of space had revealed the regent in the distance.
From what Jahrra could see, the steward’s clothing all but screamed royalty. His wife, in the smaller chair beside him, was dressed similarly. Jahrra studied them for a moment, and then, her eyes wandered to the other figure present in the grand cavern. She frowned, her grip on her skirts tightening ever so slightly. Jaax loomed there, just off to the side and mostly steeped in shadows. But his eyes burned through the semi-darkness like two emeralds backlit by fi
relight. And he was looking at her.
Jahrra narrowed her eyes. Her guardian didn’t know that she was aware of his secret plans, but he gazed upon her as if he did. Or maybe that was just her imagination. Remembering what she had told Ellyesce, she took a breath, releasing some of the harshness with it. She gave her guardian a silent nod, letting him know she saw him, then turned to find Dervit.
“Jahrra, would you like something to eat?” the limbit asked when he spotted her approaching.
He indicated a line of long tables laden with plates of appetizers and bowls of punch. Jahrra’s stomach growled, reminding her she had barely eaten anything all day. She nodded and stepped in behind her friend to keep from getting sucked back into the crowd. Ten minutes later, the two of them had found an empty windowsill to sit upon while they enjoyed the exotic delicacies of Cahrdyarein.
Jahrra was in the process of draining her punch when a familiar voice cut through the general buzz of conversation.
“There you are!”
Jahrra nearly choked on her drink. When she recovered, she glanced up to find Keiron standing before her, and for a few moments, all she could do was stare. The regent’s son wore a long tunic of shimmery ice blue fabric over a pair of form-fitting, cream-colored trousers. A pale grey jacket of suede, embroidered with silver thread, conformed to the contours of his shoulders and chest. Black knee-high boots and a silver filigree threaded through his pale hair completed the exquisite outfit.
She didn’t realize her mouth was hanging open until Dervit reached up and used one of his free hands to push her jaw closed. She blinked and glanced down at him, only to find him grinning like an imp.
Jahrra clenched her teeth and glared at the limbit, trying to will the blush she felt spreading across her cheeks to disappear. Fortunately, Keiron didn’t seem to notice. Either that or he had the decency to pretend like he hadn’t. Instead, he reached down and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her to her feet.
“I’ve been looking for you for over an hour,” he said, his voice tainted with just a hint of exasperation.
The Ascending Page 20
