Freed

by Samantha Britt

  I moved my attention down either side of the couple, careful not to be too obvious with my examinations. Only one person looked human, and it was the man with silver hair growing along his temples. His face was still smooth, unlike the weathered, haggard faces of older humans in Caldiri, but I couldn’t see if his ears were round or pointed from this distance.

  “I don’t see any other humans,” I murmured to Rachel. “Except for those of us who work here.”

  She frowned. “Really? You can’t tell the difference?”

  I shook my head.

  Ida leaned forward. The sleeve from her flowing gown brushed against the exposed skin on my arm. “Don’t worry, the longer you are around elves, the more you will be able to tell them apart. Though, in your defense, all of these humans are gorgeous. I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if I hadn’t grown up here.”

  “Of if we didn’t already know who they were.” Rachel nods. She covertly motions to the couple across the table. “That is Margo and Terry Peak. They are the wealthiest humans on the island.”

  My eyes widened. “Humans can accumulate wealth?”

  I felt as both girls weighed heavy, incredulous stares on me.

  “Gods,” Ida whispered. “Draekon must be terrible.” I wasn’t sure she intended for me to hear her. My ignorance, though it wasn’t my fault, made my cheeks heat.

  The musical chimes filled the air again. On cue, the guests picked up their forks and began eating their salad, maintaining a low murmur of conversation at the same time. I used the opportunity to avoid responding to Ida’s remark. Dipping my chin to hide my pink cheeks, I stabbed several pieces of lettuce and shoved them in my mouth. I really needed to stop comparing life among the elves to life with on Draekon. At least, not out loud.

  The salad course ended with no probing questions from Ida or Rachel. Thank the gods.

  Both women had become absorbed in conversation with the guests around us. A rather handsome young man was trying his best to flirt with Ida, but she seemed oblivious. She spoke with the gentleman next to him, speaking over the interested man in her attempts to draw the elven male’s attention.

  A light soup was delivered and quickly devoured in quick succession by the entire table. Ida broke away from her flirtatious endeavors long enough to inform me the soup was meant to cleanse our pallet for the main course. I vaguely understood what she meant, but I was still a little confused.

  Next came a plate of steaming lamb chops, scalloped potatoes, and seasoned grains. My mouth salivated. I made sure to keep my lips pressed together to avoid the embarrassment of being caught drooling. Chef Mai was the best cook I’d ever known. She and her staff made the meals for the royals and nobles in Draek, but they also prepared food for the human servants working in the castle. Her food had been the best I’d tasted. Until I moved to Eelie, that was.

  Erwin’s chef was a masterful cook, giving Mai competition in my stomach for the best meal I’d ever had. The main course was sure to be divine, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

  “My, my, someone looks ready to dig in,” a kind feminine voice trailed across the table. I looked up and noticed the female I’d been observing had her eyes on me—Margo. She wore a friendly, sociable smile.

  “Please tell me Lord Erwin feeds his employees more than bland sandwiches or unseasoned meats in his estate.” I might have thought she was teasing me, but I recognized her words as an attempt to bring me into conversation. Her husband, Terry Peak, was busy conversing with the male three seats down. Again, it was a marked difference from Draek. At castle dinners, no one spoke so easily with anyone farther than a seat away. Meals there had been a stiff affair.

  “He does,” I replied, then admitted, “but I enjoy his chef’s food very much.”

  “She’s from Draekon,” Rachel leaned forward and provided unnecessarily. “I imagine she’s never eaten such fine food before.”

  In the blink of an eye, all who were in hearing range turned their attention to me.

  I forced myself not to react. Rachel’s words were innocent enough. She was trying to be friendly. She didn’t intend to draw unwanted attention. She didn’t even know attention was unwanted.

  With a calm, well-practiced grin, I said, “That’s true. The food is rather bland in Mar.”

  Margo pressed a hand against her chest. “You are truly from Draekon?”

  “I am.”

  Her husband leaned forward. “What brings you to Eelie?” The question held none of the wariness I expected.

  “I’m a healer. Lord Erwin hired me as an apprentice.”

  “Ah.” Illumination sparked in his eyes. He shared a knowing look with those around us. “I see. Lord Erwin… always a daring rascal.”

  Several of the guests chuckled. I could only maintain my polite smile. His words weren’t unkind, but they definitely made a joke at my expense. A joke I didn’t understand.

  Margo nudged Terry with her elbow, shooting me an apologetic glance. “I’m sure you must be a gifted healer for the lord to hire you.” She nudged her husband a second time.

  “Indeed,” he coughed, chastised by the not-so-subtle reprimand. “Lord Erwin only hires the best. You must have impressive talents.”

  I dipped my forehead. “Thank you.”

  The chimes sounded again, beginning the main course. Once again, everyone waited for the entire table to be served before grabbing their utensils. Polite chatter sounded around me. I picked up my fork and knife to cut the meat off the bone, but I barely managed four bites. The delicious-smelling lamb chops had lost its appeal. I couldn’t wait for the meal to end so I could escape the curious glances shooting my way.

  6

  Ida and Rachel, once again, thwarted my escape following the conclusion of dinner. Erwin had stood up and invited everyone into the adjacent ballroom for refreshments and impromptu dancing. Seriously, Erwin’s estate could rival the draekon castle with its extravagance and size.

  While the rest of the crowd excitedly hurried out of their seats and into the ballroom, I slid out of my chair and headed the opposite direction.

  Quick as an elven bolt of lightning, Ida and Rachel had stopped me. I was beginning to think Erwin, himself, tasked the women with forcing me to participate in the evening’s festivities. Instead of wrapping their arms in mine, each grabbed a wrist and pulled me along, spewing platitudes about how much fun the evening would be, urging me to stop hiding away and mingle with the other servants for once.

  Their words had given me pause. I thought about how I’d isolated myself from the kitchen staff in Draek. It hadn’t happened until after Prince Brion forced me to become the princes’ personal secretary, but I came to regret my actions when I realized I’d lost some of the few friends I’d ever managed to find. Growing up in Caldiri, I’d only had my siblings and Jem. I hadn’t made other friends before. I’d made a mistake when I distanced myself out of shame and fear, and I realized I was doing the same thing in Eelie.

  So afraid of discovery, I’d been cutting myself off from the humans on the island. Maybe I shouldn’t keep my distance. After all, I knew next to nothing about Avelin or the elven people—my mother’s people. I shared blood with the race. I should try to learn more about them.

  But that didn’t mean I suddenly transformed into the life of the party. After Ida and Rachel escorted me in and got each of us a glass of wine, I masterfully guided them to stand in the far back corner of the dance floor. The room was broad and square, bordered by cement columns carved with ocean waves, sea shells, and beaches. Refreshment tables were dispersed in the empty space between the columns, leaving the majority of the room to serve as the eventual dance floor.

  Neither young woman had liked my suggested position, but when I told them it would give us a great vantage point of the room, and thereby any princes they wanted to keep their eye on, they’d readily agreed.

  So, I placed myself slightly behind the two women, allowing some cover from at least a portion of Erwin’s gues
ts.

  Six musicians were set up on top of a platform to the right of the main entrance. I admired their polished instruments, already imagining the melodic sounds soon to fill the ballroom. I loved music. I couldn’t wait to hear them play.

  The ballroom filled with the guests, each one carrying a beverage. Everyone sipped and socialized, at complete ease with one another and their surroundings. I envied them.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw four people approach. Lifting the glass to my lips, I sipped the wine, concealing a portion of my face, as I turned to see who it was.

  “There you are,” Crista rushed the rest of the way forward, leaving her friends behind. “I’m so upset we weren’t able to sit with you during dinner.” She pouted, but her expression immediately brightened as she continued, “But at least we can dance together! Can you believe the lord arranged a surprise ball?”

  I wouldn’t exactly call the low-key affair a ball. Sure, everyone was dressed in fine clothes, but the atmosphere in the room was minimalistic. A ball in Draek was an expensive, lavish affair. Aside from the paintings of Eelie, which adorned the walls throughout Erwin’s entire estate, the room was bare of decoration. It was obviously an impromptu event.

  I felt a pair of eyes lock onto me. “You don’t approve, Miss Amelissa?” Hannah’s question was delivered with a haughty tone. She, Kurtis, and the young man she’d identified earlier as Charles arrived.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, but you have disapproval written all over your face.”

  Her words gave me pause. Did I disapprove? On the contrary. I admired Erwin for not spending an excessive amount to host a ball, and I admired the guests for not being bothered by the lack of opulence.

  “My apologies, it must be because I’m tired,” I dismissed her accusation with ease. I gave the rest of the group a sheepish grin and solidified my case, “I trained early this morning with Lord Erwin. After spending the rest of the day watching the tournament in the heat, I suspect I cannot successfully hide my fatigue.”

  “Of course,” Kurtis lent his support. “I saw you leave barely after the crack of dawn. What made you two decide to train down there on the beach? It can’t be comfortable.”

  It wasn’t, but I couldn’t say it was to keep my powers a secret.

  I searched for a believable excuse. “Lord Erwin claims to work better near the sea. He says it helps him focus.”

  Everyone except Hannah murmured their understanding. I took a healthy sip of wine, glad I managed to come up with the lie so easily.

  The musicians began to play. The sweet sound of a violin reached our ears, and several couples paired up and glided to the center of the dance floor. I saw Lord Erwin escorting a beautiful elven woman. Dangling diamond earrings highlighted her pointed ears.

  Ten or so couples formed two lines. Males on one side. Females on the other. They faced one another, waiting for some cue to begin the dance. Several more couples joined.

  “Would you like to dance, Amelissa?” Kurtis leaned down, putting himself in my line of sight. I’d insisted they all drop the “Miss” they’d been putting in front of my name. I was glad Kurtis heeded my request.

  “Me?” I started to shake my head emphatically. “Oh, no. I don’t know how to dance.”

  “That’s all right,” his lips turned into an enigmatic smile. “I will teach you as we go.”

  The music picked up tempo, and the couples began bouncing and spinning around one another in an organized pattern.

  “I’ll only embarrass myself,” I tried to dissuade him. The elven style of dance was nothing like what I’d experienced in Draek. “Someone else will make you a better partner, I promise.”

  “Come on, Amelissa!” Rachel snatched my wine glass away and gave me a gentle push. “Have fun!” The wine definitely had an effect on me. Normally, I could have kept my balance. But I fell forward from the slight shove.

  Kurtis was right there to catch me. One hand wrapped around my right hand, and the other settled on the small of my back to give me balance. He shot me a boyish grin before leading us right into the thick of the dancing. I wanted to drag my feet, but momentum had me stumbling after him.

  We landed at the very end of the twisting and jumping line. Without warning, Kurtis wrapped both hands around my waist, hopped up and down, and turned me in a half circle, copying what the other dancers were already doing. “Put your hands on my shoulders!”

  I did as he said, feeling like a moron as I tried to get on beat with his movements, only to have them change the next second, throwing me off. He spun me in another half-circle.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing!”

  “Just follow my lead.” He hopped twice to the left, as did the other couples. Then he hopped twice to the right, dragging me with him.

  I wanted to yank away and go hide back in the safety of the observing crowd but doing so would catch more attention than finishing out the dance, even in a clumsy and ungraceful manner.

  I groaned inwardly, tightened my grip on Kurtis’s shoulders, and tried to focus on the rhythm of the music and the actions of the dancers.

  I stumbled through the next twenty seconds of the song, but then I got a hang of the pattern. The next rotation was easier, and I barely got off beat.

  Kurtis hooted when I correctly pivoted direction and spinned in a complete circle, hopping up and down just like everyone else. “There you go!”

  His enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself grinning, absurdly proud of myself. It must be the alcohol.

  “Now comes the fun part.” Kurtis skipped forward, but I was ready and skipped back at the right time.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Now, we switch partners!”

  “What?” I squealed.

  Kurtis dropped his hands, gave a loud hoot and a series of four claps, before shuffling to the side to grab a different partner. The females spun over their left shoulders, but I stood there, confused. A stranger appeared in front of me, latched onto my waist, and we immediately began the same series of movements I’d just finished with Kurtis.

  Gods, how long was the song?

  My latest partner was good-natured about the few errors I made. Just like Kurtis, he smiled encouragingly when I messed up and hollered in victory when I didn’t. The entire situation was so surreal. I couldn’t believe it, but I was actually having fun.

  Another two partners came and went. I was hot, but not tired. The hops and spins didn’t require too much exertion, but the proximity of so many moving bodies warmed the dance floor.

  I spun over my left shoulder and reached out to take the shoulders of my next partner, detecting the final chords of the song were near.

  I looked up, a happy smile on my face.

  The expression fell flat the moment I met my partner’s gaze. My stomach dropped to the floor.

  “Lin?”

  7

  “I’m sorry?” A voice that definitely didn’t belong to my older brother replied, guiding me in the dance movements with a furrowed brow.

  I tripped over my own surprise, almost falling into the stranger’s chest. He steadied me and easily guided us back into the rhythm of the dance.

  “N-nothing,” I fumbled for words. I tried to don a convincing smile but failed. The resemblance between the man and Lin was nothing short of unnerving. Eyes the same color as my brother’s sea-blue eyes watched me with concern. His hair was the same yellow hue Lin, Lorie, and I shared. Even his height matched my brother’s. The stranger guided me into a spin. My fingers flexed when they landed on his shoulder, acknowledging he was leaner than Lin. Lin’s brawn came from our father’s draekon blood. Lin also didn’t have the pointed ears of our mother’s people…

  Get ahold of yourself.

  I blinked repeatedly, and managed to finally paste a convincing, though timid, smile on my lips. “My apologies, sir. I thought you were someone else.”

  “Indeed?” He sounded amused. One peek revealed his smirk. At leas
t I hadn’t offended one of Erwin’s noble elven guests. I took in the wrinkle-free silk tunic and dark blue pants. They looked expensive. So did the fancy signet ring pressing against my waist.

  “Who?”

  I tilted my head back to meet his eye. “What?”

  The stranger pursed his lips, and his gaze flickered between mine. Now, he looked confused. “Who did you think I was?”

  “One of my friends,” I’d developed quite the skill of lying on my feet.

  “Huh.” He continued to observe me, and I got the feeling he thought I looked familiar too.

  I realized, at that moment, that I was more than likely looking in the prince’s eyes. The resemblance between him and Lin was too much of a coincidence for it to not be him. But I thought my mother was an only child. How could this relative resemble my brother so closely? I did my best to hide my shock, but I was sure I failed. The smile on my lips twitched and fell. I averted my gaze and breathed deep, determined to get through this dance saying as little as possible.

  “Have we met?”

  I was unable to stop my wince, but I turned my head during the half-spin, hoping to at least hide it.

  “I don’t believe so.” I applauded myself for sounding unaffected by the question. In truth, my hands grew clammy and my gut twisted into knots. The song continued to progress to its ending, but the dance wasn’t quite over. I’d settle for another partner switch, but I wasn’t so lucky.

  We bounced to our left, then right. “You look so familiar,” he didn’t drop the subject. “I swear, we must’ve met before.”

  I bit my tongue. I could try to dissuade him by admitting I was from Draekon, but that would only pique his interest. Or, gods forbid, it might give him the information he needed to realize we were related. I must resemble my mother more than I remember. Or maybe I look like a different family member. Whatever the case, I couldn’t let him make any connection to me and the missing princess.

  “I’m afraid you’re mistaken.”