Seared

by Bethany Adams

  Ralan shoved open the door to Lyr’s study, once again interrupting a meeting in order to alter the course of events. He might as well start marking it on his calendar: Break in on Lyr. Issue imperious order. Of course, if people would just choose the right path the first time, he wouldn’t have to bother. Didn’t anyone, elven or human, bother to think about the repercussions of their decisions?

  Kai was glaring at Naomh. “This meeting is pointl—”

  “Shut up, Kai,” Ralan interrupted, though his voice sounded more tired than authoritative even to his own ears. “You’re going.”

  Five pairs of eyes turned his way, but Ralan was too accustomed to being stared at in varying degrees of consternation to care. When the future strands were this chaotic, there was more to worry about than mere offense. Considering the last part of his vision, more could end up being an apocalypse.

  Lyr initiated mental contact without preamble. “Honest to all the gods, Ralan, if you keep doing this—”

  “I won’t,” Ralan answered. A promise he could honor, considering he’d be dead soon. “And I’m sorry for it. I had a rather unexpected vision.”

  “Don’t you always?” Lyr grumbled. But he inclined his head in formal greeting and continued aloud. “My lords, allow me to present Moranai Elaiteriorn i Ralantayan Moreln nai Moranaia. Prince Ralan, this is Lord Naomh a Nuall and Lord Caolte a Nuall.”

  Both Sidhe gave a slight bow before Naomh spoke. “It is a pleasure to have a name to put to your face. I will be sure to pass your name along to my guard.”

  “He is certainly welcome to call upon me here if he misses my presence,” Ralan answered.

  Naomh’s eyes narrowed, but Ralan thought he caught a hint of a smirk on Caolte’s face for the briefest moment. Ralan had to stifle his own grin. When he’d gone with Lyr to save Kai and Arlyn from Naomh’s estate, he’d taken control of one of the guard’s minds. A necessity, but clearly one not forgiven. If he visited that place again, he would have to be alert.

  As Naomh lifted his chin, his long pale hair rippled around him. “Beware you do not cause offense to my House.”

  “I only sought to return the sentiment I was given,” Ralan retorted smoothly. A more subtle form of you started it. “If it would please you to return to business, I am more than willing.”

  At Naomh’s grudging assent, Ralan strode to the dais. Arlyn gave him an amused, questioning look as he neared, and he winked in reply. After living on Earth for more than three hundred of his 833 years, Ralan preferred to shirk formality. As Arlyn had only been on Moranaia for a couple of months, she hadn’t seen him exhibit a great deal of elven etiquette, so of course she would be bemused by it now.

  Polite diplomacy wasted so much time. And his father thought to make him king.

  Stifling a sigh, Ralan settled to Lyr’s left and plastered a neutral expression on his face. He’d interrupted at the crucial time, and now he’d have to pay the price by suffering through an hour of that polite diplomacy. Maybe he could order Kai around again, if stubbornness took him down the path of refusal once more. Not the most likely strand, but possible.

  Naomh’s gaze pinned Kai. “You are heir to my domain. That alone should prompt you to return with me.” At Kai’s sound of protest, Naomh lifted a hand. “Beyond our differences, you must have felt the shift in your magic after you attuned yourself to my spells.”

  “I can seek my training here,” Kai answered in a hard voice.

  Ah, damn. Ralan stifled a sigh as tension hummed through the room like a coming storm. It was going to be the difficult path. He leaned forward to glance around Lyr. “No, you can’t.”

  Kai’s jaw clenched. “Stay out of it, Ralan.”

  “On this, we agree,” Naomh snarled. “Prince or no, this is a family matter. Honor demands—”

  “You may keep your Sidhe honor if it leads to destruction.” Ralan took a deep breath. He had to calm himself before he revealed the full truth of his visions. “I speak as more than a prince in this matter.”

  Fists clenched, Kai took a step forward and spun to face Ralan. “The future can take care of itself. My place is here, and I don’t care what the strands say. I have my own family to think of, and I will not force Arlyn to choose between her new home and the place where she was bound into a fucking wall and almost died.”

  Ralan’s nostrils flared. “No one said—”

  “Enough!” Lyr raised both hands, palms out. “No matter your rank, Ralan, I am in charge of this meeting. Unless you wish to formally remove me from negotiating this matter?”

  Ralan glared at his friend at the reminder. As a prince, he outranked Lyr and could issue commands. But Ralan was completely breaking protocol to disrupt this meeting. Negotiating alliances between Houses was standard and didn’t typically need input from the royal family. If he took complete control, he would indirectly imply that Lyr wasn’t capable of doing his job.

  And almost as bad as slighting his friend? Ralan would become responsible for all of the decisions. With everything that loomed, he didn’t have time to be responsible for anything else.

  “Of course not,” Ralan answered. “But you are well aware that I possess information that others do not.”

  “True.” Lyr studied Ralan for a moment, considering, and then glanced at Kai. “And if you cannot yet discuss this calmly, I invite you to excuse yourself until you can.”

  Kai’s lips pinched into a thin line. “You know he wants us to remain in his domain. You can’t possibly be fine with your own heir moving to another realm.”

  “I am not.” Lyr’s piercing stare spared no one. “It is time to stop arguing and find a solution. There must be some compromise that will allow you to receive the needed training.”

  Ralan settled back into place, resigned. Damned diplomacy.

  Chapter 3

  Shivering, Kien winced as the hammering started again. He shifted, and mud squished beneath him with a sucking pop. At least he’d grown accustomed to the dank, earthy smell that surrounded him. Still, he had to find the energy to escape before he died beneath this ramshackle house. It was taking far too long to build up his power.

  Fucking Delbin. Fucking Moranaian scouts. Their fault. And the fucking half-human scum he’d thought loyal. Not a damn one of them had come searching for him. How many days had he lain beneath this house, asleep or unconscious? He’d woken to the sound of the human working overhead at least three times.

  Or was it four? Five?

  With a heave, Kien rolled himself to his stomach. He bit his lip as pain seared his side, for once dulling the burn of hunger eating at his gut. Like most elves, he could go a fair amount of time without food, so long as he could pull in energy. Too bad he could barely manage that. It had taken this long to gather enough to remain awake more than a minute or two.

  He stretched out his right hand, fingers digging into the mud as he prepared to slide toward the pale square exit of the crawlspace. With all his might, he tugged. A hiss of pain slipped from his lips, but his body barely budged. Could he do this? He had to do this.

  A shadow blocked the light, and Kien froze. Had the human heard something? But no, the hammering hadn’t stopped.

  Arf! A single bark echoed through the crawlspace, and Kien almost smiled. A dog. It must have heard. But an animal was a small problem. Just had to remain motionless until it was gone. Kien closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness and waited for the dog to leave.

  Then the barking began in earnest.

  A thud as the human dropped something. The hammer? The flooring shook dust over Kien’s body as the human stalked across the house.

  “Ginger! You’re not coming with me next time if you don’t stop.”

  The barking cut off, and the shadow disappeared from the exit. Kien didn’t move, letting the mud cool the side of his face. Maybe he should wait a little longer. The human would eventually go away, wouldn’t he? At least for a while.

  A bit of a rest wouldn’t go amiss.

  �
��You’d better not be wrong about this,” Lyr said wearily as he slumped into his seat.

  Ralan ran his hand across his hair and turned to the window. The negotiation hadn’t been an easy one, but it was settled. “There are many possible futures, but Kai mastering his Sidhe powers is crucial to all of them.”

  “Tell him that,” Lyr said. “When he’ll speak to you again.”

  “Yeah.”

  After the Sidhe lords had gone, Kai had stormed out, Arlyn following quickly behind him. They had decided that Kai would travel to Naomh’s home for training as often as possible, but he had flat-out refused a position as the Sidhe’s heir. Still, he was furious that he would be away from Arlyn during the times she couldn’t accompany him due to her own training. Furious that he would be forced to spend time with yet another father who’d tried to kill him.

  Ralan spun to face his friend. “I’m doing my best, you know.”

  Though Lyr blew out a frustrated breath, he nodded. “There are times I want to ask for details, but… All things considered, I believe I’m happier not knowing the possibilities. How do you bear it?”

  “As I must.” He shrugged. “I suppose you grow accustomed to the gift or go insane in its thrall.”

  “Fairly certain I’d do the latter.”

  Ralan smiled at his friend’s grumbled words. Lyr was one of the steadiest people he knew, current events notwithstanding. Lyr had been confronted by a daughter he hadn’t known about, had been captured and almost killed a couple of times, and had found a new soulbonded—all within a couple of months. Yet here he was, carrying on with his duties.

  Lyr leaned his elbows on his desk and peered at Ralan. “When do you leave?”

  “I don’t know.” Ralan’s shoulders drooped. “Even though Lord Naomh was able to provide Kien’s location, I feel like there’s some information missing. Except for today’s lovely vision in the middle of Delbin’s training session, my Sight has been unclear.”

  “Wait.” A slow grin spread across Lyr’s face. “In the middle of a training session? Literally?”

  Heat crept up Ralan’s neck. “Quite literally. After I chided Delbin for errant thoughts, no less.”

  “That’s perfect,” Lyr said with a low laugh.

  Ralan ground his teeth and fought to control his embarrassment. Gods knew he deserved a bit of ribbing after all the interruptions his gift had brought. “And to think I’d felt a bit guilty after breaking in on another meeting.”

  Lyr snorted. “Right.”

  “Well, only a little.”

  The door clicked open, and Meli, Lyr’s bonded, entered. She looked different with her long blond hair contained in braids and a gauzy, Moranaian-style gown floating around her. More relaxed and at home. She nodded at Ralan as she crossed the room, but her gaze barely brushed him before returning to Lyr.

  Some of the strain that had remained after the meeting eased from Lyr’s expression. “Meli.”

  There was a wealth of sentiment in his friend’s tone, and suddenly, Ralan felt out of place. Perhaps it was time to attend to his own errant gift. “Looks like I should find somewhere to be.”

  Meli’s lips twitched. “I was just going to share the outcome of today’s research.”

  “Right,” Ralan replied, echoing Lyr’s earlier skepticism. “Well, unless it concerns the royal family, I believe I can miss that riveting discussion.”

  Meli grimaced. “Nothing to help with Kien, I’m afraid.”

  “An iron knife to the heart is the only thing that will help with Kien,” Lyr muttered.

  “Sounds about right,” Ralan said.

  And so would Ralan’s death.

  Swallowing a lump of foreboding, he smiled at Meli and gave Lyr a quick, mocking salute. “I’ll let you know when I have a better idea of when I’m leaving. And please don’t forget to speak with Meli about the other issue we discussed.”

  Lyr frowned for a moment before his expression cleared. “I will do so now.”

  Ralan nodded as he headed for the door. A quick scan of the futures revealed the possible outcomes of the discussion. There were so many potential choices from this one moment that it was difficult to trace, but the odds were good that Meli would agree to help raise Eri if Ralan didn’t make it. And if not… he sighed. Well, he’d have to find another way.

  Cora punched the security code into the alarm system and darted out the door before it set. Though the light had softened as afternoon shifted to evening, echoes of sound from a nearby bar floated down the alley to the back door. It was the height of tourist season, but foot traffic in her part of town invariably slowed as families sought dinner and the rowdier crowds searched for fun. Still, she scanned the empty side street as she locked the door.

  Even with her fire magic for protection, it didn’t pay to be reckless.

  Squeezing her purse beneath her arm, Cora headed down the alley leading to the main road. Her car was parked in a lot near the back entrance, but the bank was only a block away. A pleasant walk, especially with the excited energy of tourists that invariably swirled through the air.

  She’d lived in many places since escaping to Earth, but tourist cities were her favorite. Sure, there was some stress involved in a vacation—tight schedules, lines, crowds—but that sense of adventure, fun, and newness was what remained. It drew people back year after year, layering those feelings until the energy was almost palpable even to the non-magical.

  Cora would have to move on from her shop in Chattanooga soon if she didn’t use magic to make herself look older. Maintaining a constant glamour exhausted her, but in this case, it might be worth it. At least for a little longer. The energy here was sublime, and having a home near the Galaren portal was perfect.

  She smiled wistfully at a passing family as their toddler tugged his hand from his mother’s and stomped a foot, one finger jabbing toward Two Scoops. A teen girl lifted the boy to her hip and did a quick dance, making the child laugh. Then the three moved on, more relaxed as they made it past the ice cream shop without a tantrum.

  A sweet family. Too bad Cora would never be able to risk having one of her own, not while she was hunted.

  She shoved that thought down until it knotted in her chest. She needed to remain vigilant. Aside from thieves and other criminals, Orn’s spies were always a threat. She’d avoided detection for a solid decade, having transformed her concealment shield into an art form. But although she didn’t live in fear, part of her always scanned the area she was in. Just in case.

  Cora kept her magic at the ready as she strode past a bar and neared the bank. She’d worked a little later than usual organizing her books and inputting new inventory, so the bank was deserted. No sign of trouble, human or otherwise, but anything was possible.

  If she were strong enough to face Orn once and for all, she wouldn’t have to worry so much.

  She shrugged her purse strap down to the crook of her elbow and dug the money pouch from the main compartment. Her other palm cooled against the smooth brass handle of the night deposit drawer as she pulled it open and shoved the bank bag inside. She closed the box and opened it again to make sure the pouch had fallen through. Then she stood there, biting her lip at the thought of yet another night alone.

  Maddy had invited her over for a girls’ night, but she’d declined. Although Cora counted her a friend, she couldn’t become a close one. It was too dangerous despite how long Cora had evaded Orn. That could change at any time. Besides, watching Maddy and Anna snuggling on the couch inevitably brought a twinge of envy.

  Forcing her loneliness aside like always, Cora headed back into the humid evening air. Dwelling on her problems never helped. Instead, she would grab takeout from the Chinese place near her house. After dinner, she could start sketching designs and picking fabric for the new wardrobe for her mystery client.

  If she worked late enough, she might exhaust herself enough to sleep.

  Ralan shifted against the base of the tree, the rough bark a comfort rather than an a
nnoyance. Then he closed his eyes and let his weight settle against the trunk. For a moment, he concentrated on his breathing, each exhale slower than the one before. Then a hint of the world seeped into his senses as he relaxed.

  The heat. The scent of rain on the wind. The trickle of the nearby stream. Birdsong.

  Time suspended as his mind cleared of all else.

  Finally, Ralan reached out, hoping to connect with the only one who’d been consistently ignoring him—Megelien, Goddess of Time and Seers. She Who Hid and Revealed. She who was blocking the fuck out of the things he needed to See. There was a time he hadn’t had to search so hard for the answers he needed.

  Hadn’t he atoned enough?

  “NO.”

  Her voice dropped into his mind with sudden force, and the air rushed from Ralan’s lips. He paused to gasp in a breath before he dared try to answer. “My lady.”

  “YOU THINK I’LL SOON FORGET BEING ABANDONED FOR ALMOST FOUR HUNDRED YEARS? NOT LIKELY.”

  Ralan grimaced at that. He hadn’t been thinking about the offense he might cause Megelien when he had fled home and abandoned his talents so long ago. Still, She hadn’t seemed this angry when he’d returned from Earth a couple of months before. Had he done something else?

  “YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING,” she replied, each word reverberating through his mind. “YOU HAVE NOT VISITED MY TEMPLE, NOR HAVE YOU STOPPED AT MY SHRINE IN THE PALACE. YOU OFFER NOTHING AND ASK FOR ALL.”

  Hadn’t he…? Ralan thunked his head against the tree trunk at the realization that he had, in fact, not. Had Earth made him so thoughtless, then? “Forgive me, my lady. My time on Earth has stolen my good manners.”

  When Her answer came, the tone was softer. “THE OUTCOME OF YOUR VISIT TO EARTH WAS BETTER THAN I HAD HOPED. PERHAPS I CAN FORGIVE THIS LAPSE.”

  Better than She’d hoped? Ralan frowned over that, but he shoved his curiosity aside. Had She wanted him to know, She would not have been vague. Besides, he had other things to consider. “My lady, may I ask a question?”