by Tara Grayce
The gun lifted again. He could not allow the man with the gun to fire it again into this volatile crowd.
With a flick of his wrist, Farrendel sent a shaft of magic forward, latching it around the gun.
The man howled, both his hand and gun wrapped in glowing, blue magic. The howl could not be pain, as Farrendel kept most of the power out of the magic to keep from hurting the Escarlish man, for all he had attacked royalty.
Two of the Escarlish guards rushed to the man. As soon as they gripped his arms, Farrendel released his magic, letting it disappear into sparks.
Behind him, the human woman and child were still sobbing. How much would he be able to reassure them?
He knelt, facing them. “I am sorry you were frightened.”
Essie rested a hand on his shoulder, her voice warm. “Are either of you hurt? I’m sorry you were caught in that.”
“We’re fine.” The woman swiped at her face, straightening. Her hands remained clenched on her daughter’s shoulders. “Was...was that a gunshot?”
The daughter peeked up at Farrendel before focusing on the ground once again.
“Yes. Sorry. But don’t worry. This is my husband, Prince Farrendel. He stopped the bullet with his magic.” Essie’s hand squeezed Farrendel’s shoulder, and he did not have to look up to see her smile.
Farrendel was not sure how to comport his face to portray reassurance. With Essie’s soothing tone, the best option was probably for him just to sit still and attempt a smile.
“Thank you. Your Highnesses.” The woman tilted her head, her grip on her daughter relaxing as she bobbed an abbreviated version of the Escarlish curtsy.
The daughter peeked at Farrendel again. This time, she studied him, probably taking in his long hair and tapered ears that would appear strange to her.
Essie’s nephews had found the sparks he could make with his magic fascinating. Perhaps this human girl would as well. He would hate to leave the terror of his crackling, fully powered magic as the only memory she had of elven magic. He might not be able to change the minds of the adults in Escarland, but perhaps the children would grow up with a different view of elves.
He held out his palm, flat, as if offering a gift. A flare of sparks swirled into the air, forming a flower. A moment later, it burst, raining down onto the hand the little girl stuck out. The girl’s sniffing turned into a giggle.
It was enough. Farrendel eased to his feet and stepped back.
The woman bobbed another curtsy, first to Farrendel, then to Essie. “Your Highnesses.” She hurried into the crowd, ushering her daughter along.
The gunshot could have turned the people from an anxious crowd into a rioting mob. But they stood still and silent, as if stunned. He could not read the crowd well enough to know what they might be thinking about the gunshot, his magic, or his actions.
No matter the reason, the silence persisted as they remounted. The crowd parted, letting them head home toward Buckmore Cottage.
ESSIE HELD Farrendel’s hand as they strolled from the graveled drive to the front doors of Buckmore Cottage. “Today was a good day, despite the scare on the way back. I had a good time, though I’m glad we’re home.”
She meant it. Even though they had only spent a night there, Buckmore already felt like home. With Winstead Palace, and Ellonahshinel in Estyra, she was starting to collect a lot of homes.
“Yes.” Farrendel halted and tugged her closer.
He said it with all the fervor of someone who didn’t have many good days. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Even if there were too many people.”
He pressed a kiss into her hair. “You like people and the market. I like to see you happy.”
They were standing on the front step where anyone passing by could peek through the gate and see them. But Essie didn’t care. She turned her face and kissed him, trailing her fingers through the ends of his hair.
His hand cupped her cheek as he kissed her in return. Slow and gentle, deepening and lingering.
When he pulled back, Essie tucked her head against his shoulder again, trying not to think about the days passing far too quickly until he would leave. “Let’s skip dinner with my family tonight and just stay in. Maybe read books. Make some of our new hot chocolate and drink from our new mugs.”
Farrendel stepped back, but his mouth was tipped in a smile. She took his hand again, and he opened the door to the cottage.
As the door shut behind them and her eyes adjusted to the shade inside, movement drew her gaze. Next to her Farrendel stiffened, though the crackle of his magic didn’t fill the air.
“Essie. Farrendel. I’m glad you’ve returned.” Averett’s voice came from the doorway to the parlor. His tone was low. Serious.
“Did you hear about the attack in the streets? It was scary, but Farrendel stopped the bullet. And I didn’t think we’d caused too much of an incident for the royal image.” Essie tightened her grip on Farrendel’s hand. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Farrendel hadn’t been quick enough to incinerate the bullet.
“What about an attack? This is the first I’ve heard of it.” Averett glanced between her and Farrendel. “I take it no one was hurt?”
“We’re fine.” Essie shrugged. “A mob gathered, and a protestor shot at Farrendel.”
“I see.” Averett’s tone said he was making a mental note to follow up with the palace guards for more details. “I’m here for something else.”
That couldn’t be good. Essie gestured to the parlor behind Averett with her free hand. “Is this a sit-down type of discussion?”
“Probably.” Averett led the way back into the parlor. Inside the room, both Edmund and Julien lounged on the padded chairs.
This definitely wasn’t good if all three of her brothers were waiting for them.
Essie sank onto a seat on the couch, leaving enough space for Farrendel to claim a seat next to her. He did, but slowly, as if he would have preferred the floor. Essie glanced between each of her brothers before focusing on Averett. “What’s going on? Why do I feel like you’re about to interrogate us?”
“Nothing like that.” Averett dropped into a seat facing them. “General Freilan completed his audit of the army’s records and inventory of all bases and warehouses. Julien and I have gone over all the reports and agree with his findings. The main army base and warehouse showed they had far fewer rifles, ammunition, and repeater guns than they should according to the paperwork.”
“So someone in the army is the traitor.” Essie’s stomach tightened. “But how would someone manage to sneak that many weapons off one of the most secure places in all of Escarland? That base has better security than we have at Winstead Palace.”
Her brothers all stared back at her, far too serious.
“We don’t know yet.” Julien rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be feasible for someone, even with a lot of help, to steal weapons to this scale. General Freilan believes the only way this could have happened is if those weapons never reached the army in the first place.”
“He is investigating if someone at the army’s warehouse has been helping to fudge the paperwork to cover up the missing weapons.” Averett leaned his elbows on his knees. “Either way, that traitor or traitors in the army aren’t the ones behind all of this. The real traitor is the person at the factory who is routing the weapons to Kostaria instead of the army.”
Essie’s stomach twisted. Those weapons had been meant for Escarland’s army. That meant Escarland’s people had paid for them through taxes. And instead of dealing honestly, this traitor had sold them to Kostaria, greedily getting paid twice for the same weapons. “Which factory? Do you know?”
“As we suspected, the missing weapons are all from the factories owned by Charles Hadley.” Julien slouched in his seat. “But, besides the fact that he hates elves and the missing weapons came from his factory, we don’t have any evidence to convict him specifically as the
traitor. I interviewed him again this afternoon at his factory. He still flatly denies any involvement.”
“While he was shouting at Julien, I took advantage of the distraction and snooped through the books.” Edmund’s smirk was short-lived. “The books appeared to be all in order, as if those weapons had been delivered to the army as promised.”
“Could the weapons have been stolen en route?” Essie glanced between her brothers. Beside her, Farrendel was stiff and far too silent. He was fully Laesornysh as he absorbed this news. “Maybe when the train stopped for coal and water, the traitors could quickly slip some of the weapons off without anyone noticing.”
“We thought of that. There have been no reports of train robberies, and unless the conductor is part of this gang of traitors, I would highly doubt the traitors could get away with that method on this scale.” Averett shook his head. “Besides, Charles Hadley doesn’t ship the weapons on the regular cargo trains. He purchased three trains of his own five years ago. Being able to ship via secured trains that carried nothing but the weapons for the army was one of the things that gained him the army contract in the first place. Last year, he upgraded all three trains to run fully on magical devices so that they don’t have to stop.”
“So it has to be specifically delivered to the border for the trolls straight from the factory.” Essie grimaced. She wanted to reach for Farrendel’s hand, but he was far too stiff and cold at that moment. “I don’t see how Charles Hadley can be anything but involved.”
“It gets worse.” Edmund’s voice dropped into a tone grimmer than she had ever heard from him. “There was something off about how many weapons the books are saying were produced versus the amount of raw materials that they have been ordering. If I were to guess, that factory has been producing far more weapons than the records show. If those weapons aren’t being sold to the Escarlish army, then, my guess is, they have been sold to the trolls. The traitors probably only started skimming from the army weapons recently, once the demand from Kostaria grew higher than what they could produce on the side.”
“How many?” Farrendel’s voice was tight.
“We don’t have an exact figure.” Averett met Farrendel’s gaze without flinching. “But, a lot. Enough to outfit a moderately-sized army, at the very least.”
That was very, very bad. It meant this had been going on far longer and on a greater scale than it had first appeared.
The trolls didn’t have just a few Escarlish weapons. They had enough to wipe out Tarenhiel even with Farrendel’s magic fighting against them. He had been brought down with a single repeater gun. What would happen if he faced several all at once?
He’d die. That’s what would happen.
“Isn’t there anything we can do? Surely this is enough reason to help Tarenhiel against Kostaria?” Essie’s chest tightened, all of her aching with the pain of what might happen to Farrendel, to her new elven family, to the home in Estyra she’d come to love.
“Until I can prove that Kostaria had an active part in this, I can’t declare war on them. As far as Parliament will be concerned, this is a matter of traitors inside Escarland and nothing more. But if we can find the true books or get a confession that shows concretely that Kostaria has been actively seeking Escarlish weapons and aiding the Escarlish traitors, I might be able to make a case for more active help. Maybe.”
“But these are our weapons. Tarenhiel is in danger because of traitors in our kingdom giving the trolls our weapons. Isn’t there something we can do to make this right?” It felt all kinds of wrong that they were this helpless. Averett was the king. Surely there was something he could do.
“We need more proof. I’m sorry, Essie. I don’t like it either. Believe me, I don’t. If it were up to me, I’d march the army to Kostaria and wrest our weapons from their hands myself if I had to. But it doesn’t work that way. Thousands of Escarlish soldiers would die. I need—and the kingdom needs—a very good reason before I give that order.”
She nodded. She understood that. Of course she did. And after Father’s war with the elves that was, afterwards, portrayed as hasty and costly, Averett would be doubly cautious. He didn’t have a choice.
Averett turned to Farrendel. “We reported this to Jalissa earlier this afternoon. I also wired an abbreviated version to your brother, and he would like you to return to Tarenhiel as soon as you can. If possible, I want you to stay through tomorrow night. Officially presenting you to the Escarlish court as Essie’s husband might be more essential than ever if I’m to convince Parliament that we should aid Tarenhiel.”
Farrendel nodded. Essie swallowed back the lump in her throat. Just two nights and a single full day. Then Farrendel would leave.
Would she ever see him again? He was powerful, but he would be one elf against an army with firepower unlike anything the elves had ever fought before.
It would be a slaughter.
“But don’t give up hope just yet.” Julien crossed his arms. “There will be a raid on Charles Hadley’s factory and office while he’s at the ball tomorrow night.”
“While that happens, the rest of us are going to keep an eye on those Charles Hadley interacts with. We have already been looking into his contacts and business associates, but we may observe something in person he hasn’t committed to paper.” Edmund glanced between them. His gaze was sharp, his tone professional. This was Edmund, the spy.
“If Charles Hadley is the traitor, then he’s most likely behind the protestors. He won’t want Farrendel’s official presentation to the court to go smoothly.” Averett huffed a sigh. “We don’t know what he has planned. I’d prefer to arrest him right now, but he would just use a premature arrest to his advantage. So we will all need to be alert and prepared for anything.”
“It still probably isn’t considered proper for Farrendel to walk around with his swords strapped to his back.” Essie grimaced. Even if he’d still have his magic, she’d prefer to have him armed.
“Nor would it be proper for you to try to stuff a rifle down the back of your dress.” Edmund smirked.
“I was thinking a nice leather carrying sheath, matching Farrendel’s for his swords. We could be a matched set.” Essie grinned up at Farrendel. His hard expression didn’t so much as twitch.
Averett coughed. “No swords or rifles. But if you have any knives or pistols you can hide out of sight, then do it. Essie, you still have that derringer we gave you when you were twelve, right?”
“Yes, I still have it. I’ll wear it.” Essie preferred her rifle to the small pistol, but she’d rather be armed if the traitor decided to try to kill Farrendel.
“If you need any knives or pistols, the royal armory is at your disposal, Farrendel.” Julien patted his ankle, where he kept a derringer hidden. “Seriously, if you need anything, just name it. We don’t want to lose our favorite brother-in-law now that we have him.”
“I have a knife.” Farrendel shrugged, a small lift to his shoulders. “And I have my magic. I will be fine.”
His magic was their best protection. Unless the traitors managed to haul a repeater gun into the palace’s ballroom, Farrendel could hold off whatever the traitors had planned.
As her brothers stood to leave, Averett rested a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry to bring bad news.”
“At least we have some idea who one of the traitors might be. That’s the main thing.” Essie stood and hugged Averett. “We’re going to stay in tonight since tomorrow will be busy. It’s my second to last night with Farrendel before he leaves.”
“I understand.” Averett patted her back. “Julien and I are going to review the security at the palace again to make sure we’re ready. We’ll keep him safe.”
“Thanks.” Essie walked her brothers to the door, shutting it behind Edmund. She turned to find Farrendel had followed her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. “What do you want to do for the rest of the evening?”
Farrendel held her for a moment. Then he stepped out of her
embrace. “I will be back. I need...space for a while.”
“Oh. All right.” Essie tried to keep her smile pasted on her face as Farrendel slipped out the door. She stayed in the doorway, watching as he dashed to a tree with a low-hanging branch and swung himself onto it. Within seconds, he disappeared into the upper branches.
After shutting the door, she leaned against it. She shouldn’t feel this sinking feeling in her chest. He’d spent most of the day surrounded by far too many people, and now even being around her was too much for him. She didn’t understand it, exactly. She needed people around her in a way Farrendel didn’t. And he needed space and quiet in a way she didn’t.
Still, even knowing that about him didn’t make it easy to sit by herself while he went off to do his thing.
She gave herself a good shake. No reason to sit around moping. She hadn’t done that in Estyra, and she certainly wasn’t going to do it in Buckmore Cottage.
Since she wasn’t much of a cook, she tracked down a servant to bring them some of the food from Winstead Palace’s kitchen. She checked on Jalissa. It seemed Farrendel’s sister also needed space after a day in Aldon’s market, so Essie left her to her book.
As Essie started the milk heating for hot chocolate, she heard a soft thump above her head. Moments later, the door to the water closet closed, and water started rushing through the pipes.
Essie smiled, though it felt small and weary after the long day. She’d checked, and the castle staff had finished installing the new water spigot while she and Farrendel were at the market. Farrendel would appreciate being able to wash his hair without hunching over the bathtub.
Just as she was pouring the hot chocolate into her and Farrendel’s new and freshly washed mugs, arms wrapped around her from behind. She breathed in the minty scent of Farrendel’s shampoo and conditioner, extra strong after his wash. She leaned back against him. “How does the new spigot work?”
“Much better.” Farrendel rested his head against the top of hers. A strand of his wet hair brushed against her cheek.
