The Elf King’s Lady: Wildecoast Saga Book 2

by Bernadette Rowley

  Kain and Alique rode away from the barn, surrounded by thirty elves, heading north-west toward the forest. When they reached the trees, Alique looked back one last time and spotted a figure on a horse charging after them. At first she thought it might be one of their soldiers come to rescue them, but then she realized it was an elf who galloped toward them. Alique looked beyond him and her heart stopped.

  “Smoke!” she said, turning her horse. “The barn is on fire!”

  Celri grabbed her reins and she looked frantically for Kain. He was surrounded by elves, holding his horse under control.

  “My family,” Alique screamed. Her horse danced around but more elves helped Celri to restrain her. She strained to see what was happening and could just make out riders around the barn. The soldiers? Would they be able to save her people, put the fire out before they all died of the smoke? The remaining hay was old and dry, the place would go up in seconds.

  “Control yourself,” Gorin said. “There is nothing you can do for your people now. The kingdom soldiers will rescue those they can, and we can continue on unhindered by any rescue party.”

  “Bastard,” Kain spat. “Those are innocent farmers, women, children. We came willingly. How could you betray them?”

  Alique fought elven hands that reached to restrain her as she struggled to get off her horse and break free of the men surrounding her. The sole thought in her mind was to help those she could. Nyon, Mama, Papa! She could not even allow herself to think of her nephews and new niece, exposed and vulnerable.

  “Your people are nothing to me,” Gorin said, “just as it is obvious that the elven people are nothing to you. Those hostages have served their purpose and now I have the prize: you. I will be greatly rewarded, as will my men.”

  Celri smiled and nodded as he struggled with Alique.

  “Move into the forest, brethren,” Gorin said, and they passed under the trees, Alique and Kain hustled along in the middle of the group of horses.

  Alique kept glancing behind her even though the forest now hid the barn and the smoke. From her knowledge of fire, it seemed the barn must have burned to the ground. The only way she could deal with the turn of events was to believe that the soldiers had rescued each and every one of the farmers and her family.

  Alique looked at Kain. He was without a weapon, while all the elves wore large knives and carried horse bows, the type of short bow easily fired from horseback. The two of them were jostled in the midst of the elves, making their passage along the forest track painfully slow.

  She burned with hate for the Lenweri. Better that than allow herself to succumb to the terror that lurked within. Her family would be safe, and what happened to her did not matter at all.

  *

  Kain’s mind worked to puzzle a way out of their dilemma. He had been able to tell his men to send half their force to raise the alarm and help resettle the farmers, and the remainder to follow a half day behind and to stay out of sight. That plan would have been thrown out as soon as the barn was torched. At least he hoped none of the soldiers had left too soon. They would all be needed to rescue the captives from the fire. Kain kept seeing the newborn girl at her mother’s breast. Surely one so young could not perish before her first day was over?

  He reached across to Alique and grasped her hand that held the reins. It trembled and he squeezed it. He couldn’t even imagine his anguish if his parents and siblings had been trapped in that situation. The gesture was never going to be enough, but when he raised his gaze to hers she smiled tremulously, and he nodded his approval and encouragement.

  Alique straightened in the saddle. At their first stop he would try to reassure her. In the meantime, he had to put aside his fears and his guilt and work out a way of leaving a trail. Sooner or later, the elves would start to cover their tracks. He figured the men following would include Darin and Atan. They were the best trackers he had, but still, no point leaving things to chance.

  The further they traveled into the forest, the more unsettled Kain became. The voices in his head increased and there was a continuous rustling from the branches overhead. Feelings of excitement coursed through him until his body thrummed with a tension he had never felt before. Am I losing my mind?

  “What is it, general?” Alique asked from her position beside him.

  “Silence!” Celri snapped.

  Kain shook his head, barely able to register her question, so jumbled were his thoughts, images and feelings. As he tried to tune into the voices, he again began to make out the words: “Welcome, Lenweri, welcome, Lenweri.” Was it the elves communicating with each other? But no, he had heard this before when the elves were nowhere close, just before they arrived at the Zorba estate. It seemed unlikely that the dark brethren were the origin of the sounds and images.

  The elves were looking around as if they too heard or sensed something. It disturbed Kain to imagine he had that in common with his enemy. I am nothing like them.

  Celri seemed particularly unsettled. He cast glances into the canopy of the forest and looked around him as if expecting trouble. The other elves began to do the same.

  “Gorin,” Celri said, pulling the prince out of the convoy and stopping at the side of the trail.

  They all halted while the conversation ensued, and Kain took the opportunity to look for a way of leaving a trail. The elves would see anything obvious. Perhaps he could cut a notch on the boles of trees and branches they passed. At the thought, there was a surge of anger through his mind and the branches overhead shook as though a storm wind had seized them. A hail of dead winter leaves and old bark settled upon them.

  Alique dusted the vegetation off her shoulders and out of her hair. “Where did that come from? There is no wind.”

  Kain glanced at her. “Something is occurring in this forest that I don’t understand, my lady. There is anger, amongst the trees.” Anger toward me for thinking of cutting the trees? No that was simply ridiculous.

  She looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Great, what would she say if I told her all that I’m experiencing?

  “Surely you cannot be saying that the forest is angry?”

  “I don’t know. The elves are spooked, and the rain of leaves wasn’t natural. What would you attribute it to?”

  Now it was Alique’s turn to appear unsettled. “I have traveled these forests all my life and never felt a thing. I still don’t feel anything,” she said.

  “But something is happening,” Kain said, darting a glance at Gorin and Celri who were arguing in hushed tones. “If the trees would keep up their hail of leaves and bark, we’d have a trail of sorts that might lead the men to us.”

  “Now you wish for the impossible,” she said. “I’d prefer your men concentrate on the rescue of my people for now. This whole scheme was constructed to spare them, and instead all may have perished. How do you stand knowing this is all because of you?”

  Kain stared at her. Her accusation cut deep. The elves had been searching for him and he had fallen straight into their trap. “You’re right. I feel responsible.”

  Alique let out a long sigh. “No, general, I’m sorry. You could not have known why the hostages were taken or what would transpire after we left the barn. We dealt with the forest people in good faith and they have betrayed us.” She tried to smile.

  “Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you?”

  “I’m trying to believe they were all rescued. It’s all I can do for now,” Alique said, falling into silence, a frown on her face.

  Kain was content for the silence. He needed to sort through the sensation of words, images and feelings bombarding him. They were stronger this time than last, and if the reaction of the elves was anything to go by, they might be experiencing the same thing. But Alique heard nothing. Kain chose to believe it was the forest and not insanity that caused the phenomenon. He closed his eyes and allowed the sensations to suffuse him.

  “Forest mage.”

  Kain’s eyes flew open as the words
echoed through his mind. Forest mage? What the hell? He looked around. Celri and Gorin were on their way back to the group and all the others sat at rest in their saddles, except for Alique who stared at him.

  “What is wrong? You nearly jumped out of your skin then.”

  “Must have dozed off and woke with a start. Looks like we’re back on the road.” Where had the words come from? It appeared he was the only one to hear them.

  The party moved off and the sensations in Kain’s mind again jumbled. In order to deal with them, he tried to lock them in a compartment in his mind. It was a practice he used to prevent distractions during fighting. The technique worked to a degree and he was able to muffle the awareness to background noise.

  *

  They continued on for two hours until Gorin called a halt. Alique dismounted and sat down on a log, leaning back against the bole of a tree. The track widened here and the sun shone down on them. It was close to midday by her reckoning. Celri passed a water skin around and she drank. Kain joined her on the log.

  “How do you fare, my lady?” he asked, flexing his shoulders and rolling his neck from one side to the other.

  The muscles in Alique’s own shoulders and back were on fire. “I am trying not to think about that. You?”

  “I feel a hundred years old.”

  “Does your head still trouble you?”

  Kain frowned, wondering if the bump to his head had anything to do with the voices he was hearing. But he had experienced them before the fall too. “Head is good, mostly.”

  “You will tell me if it should trouble you, won’t you?”

  Kain smiled. He liked to think of Alique worrying about him for some reason. “I surely will.”

  Alique relaxed against the tree and closed her eyes, but instead of rest she saw her father as he was shoved through the door of the barn, and the smoke as it billowed into the morning sky. She swallowed hard as a wave of emotion swept over her. Tears welled and she gulped to control them. Kain’s hand landed on her shoulder, warm and surprisingly comforting. It was almost her undoing.

  “We’ll find our way out of this somehow,” he said. “And your family will be safe. My men were right on hand to help.”

  “The hay in the barn would have gone up quickly.”

  “They will be well,” he insisted.

  Alique wondered who Kain was trying to convince, her or himself? Change of subject required! “What did they mean when they declared you had elven heritage?”

  “I swear I have no idea.”

  “They seem very sure of their claims.” Alique said, studying him.

  “They can say what they wish,” Kain snapped. “I have no knowledge of this so-called elven heritage they speak of.”

  “I had never thought of it before,” Alique said, “but you could have elven blood.”

  Kain frowned. “Anyone could have elven blood, lady. That doesn’t mean it is so.”

  “I am sorry,” Alique said. “You clearly reject this claim being made by the prince and his cronies.”

  “Of course I reject it! I can’t see how any of it can be true. I don’t care if I look a little like a dark elf! I’m not one and will never believe it.” Then why do I hear the voices as they seem to? There must be some other explanation.

  Alique threw her hands up in surrender. “Forget I said anything. I am sure you will get to the bottom of this in due course.” She leaned toward him and lowered her voice further. “What plan do you have for our escape?”

  “I’m working on leaving a trail for our soldiers to follow.”

  “Oh? What trail?” Alique looked back where they had come but could not see any markings. Of course Kain would not leave anything too obvious.

  He looked sheepish. “I haven’t exactly worked out a solution yet.”

  Now it was Alique’s turn to frown. The great General Kain Jazara with no proper plan?

  Alique relaxed back against the tree again. Perhaps she would just have to work on a plan of her own. She had weapons, and there were two of them and thirty elves. Not such overwhelming odds. If the soldiers were following, then their chances of overpowering the elves, if carried out at the right time, were good. Alique would just make sure the men could find them. Perhaps her calendula potion might be used? In the meantime she would gather all the information she could regarding the elves she traveled with.

  The leader, so-called Prince Gorin, was the tallest of the group, but all were above average in height when compared to human men. Celri was the shortest and appeared the most aggressive. He would have to be watched closely as he seemed the type to act before he thought. The prince had a regal bearing, so perhaps he truly did have royal blood – or as royal as dark elven blood could get. The remainder of the elves shared similar features – dark skin, hair and eyes, lithe bodies and ears that were pointed to a greater or lesser degree. Alique tried to catch a glimpse of Kain’s ear tips but he caught her at it.

  “What?” he said, his eyes narrowed, suspicious.

  “Nothing.”

  “Tell me.”

  “No, you will just be angry. I have been thinking on how to leave a trail. Your earlier idea of a dead leaf trail seems silly to me.”

  “Well, I wasn’t being totally serious,” he said, frustration edging his tone.

  Alique looked above her. The oaks and beech in this part of the forest were truly beautiful. If not for their situation, this would be a place of peace.

  “What is occurring in the world, general? I don’t like this trouble we have had with the dark brethren of late. And then there is the death of the prince, and the problem of an heir for the kingdom, not to mention the assassins at the prince’s funeral. The kingdom seems to have become a place of danger.”

  Kain studied her. “Welcome to my world, lady. I can’t think of a worse time to be away from Wildecoast. Perhaps that’s the purpose of all this: to get me away and attack the castle. The King is hardly in a good frame of mind, grieving as he is for his brother.”

  “Even so,” Alique said, “the Queen will see that Wildecoast is defended. And then there is Brightcastle – Ramón and Benae are both capable of defending their territory.”

  Kain frowned. “If you don’t mind my saying so, the Queen, Ramón and Benae are all untried in a time of threat. It isn’t easy to formulate battle plans and strategies.”

  “You must have capable men under you, general. Will they not keep their wits about them?”

  “Many of them will be searching for us.” He sighed, resting his head in his hands. “What a mess.”

  “You carry the weight of the kingdom on your shoulders, Kain.”

  He looked up, his gaze sharp. “That’s the first time you’ve used my name.”

  “Social niceties scarcely matter in this situation,” she said. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all, but—”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t fall in love with you or any such thing. My future, if I still have one, is with Doctor Mosard and medicine. I have given up on the idea of a family.”

  Kain smiled. “You’re what? Twenty-one years old?”

  “In your world that is young, but for a noblewoman, well, she is usually betrothed by now. She generally has some prospects at least. Mama is beginning to despair that I will ever make a suitable match. She has her grandchildren anyway.” Her heart ached at the thought that none might still be alive. “At least I hope she does.”

  Kain reached out again, his hand grasping hers. “Stay strong, my lady. As to love, I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice on that.”

  A thrill ran through Alique at the simple gesture and she gazed down at their hands locked together. He began to draw away but she held on to the comfort. “Don’t.” It might just have been the lack of sleep but when Alique raised her gaze to Kain’s she felt as though she was falling into his dark orbs. It didn’t unnerve her as it once might have. Of course she would never admit to Kain that he had ever made her uncomfortable.

  “So touching i
t is to watch the two of you.” Celri had sidled up to them undetected. Kain swore under his breath. “It is time to mount up. We have a long ride ahead of us if we are to make the camp by late tomorrow.”

  Celri turned away but Alique looked at Kain. “So now we know when we will arrive. That might be valuable information.”

  Kain nodded. “Just what I was thinking. Somehow I don’t believe the prince would approve of Celri giving that much of their plan away.”

  “Perhaps it is wrong information to throw us off the track?”

  Kain smiled at her. “You would have made a resourceful soldier, my lady.”

  “If I am to call you Kain then you should call me Alique,” she said.

  Kain stood and reached out a hand to help her to her feet. “Perhaps when we are in private.”

  Alique nodded. “I think this counts.”

  Kain smirked and went to turn away. Alique reached for his arm to stop him.

  “Yes?” he said.

  She held a dropper bottle before him so that his body protected it from the elves’ view. It contained a dark liquid. “I may have the solution for our trail dilemma. One drop of this onto the path will leave a circle a hand-span wide and the color of copper. It will not appear immediately but over the course of the hour after it is dropped.”

  Kain’s eyebrows rose. “What is it?”

  “A plant extract, calendula, plus certain other additives. It is used for providing a healing and protective skin for large wounds and burns. Its effect is almost magical.”

  Now he frowned. “Are you sure there’s no magic involved? I couldn’t condone that.”

  Alique made an unladylike snort. “Don’t be such a prude, Kain. We will use whatever we must to escape from this situation. But I know no magical link with this potion.”

  He nodded. “Seems we might have different philosophies when it comes to some things.”

  Alique smirked. “When shall I start laying the trail?”