Page 44 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

Ivar stepped through the hole in the wall carefully. “Kolfinna?”

The first thing Kolfinna noticed was that he was holding a little child. A young red-headed girl was tucked into his chest, her face pressed against the crook of his neck. Her tattered dress was covered with grime and dirt, but he didn’t seem to mind. Kolfinna’s nose crinkled at the overwhelming scent of urine.

Ivar halted in his steps and his blue-green gaze roved over the room, at the goblin monster covered in black stains, at thedents and missing chunks of stone from the walls and ground, and then it settled on Kolfinna. Questions brewed on his face and before he could open his mouth and voice them, Kolfinna beat him to it.

“Is she okay?” She rose to her feet and dusted off her pants distractedly with trembling hands. She didn’t want anyone to find out about her strange abilities and connect it to something else. Something like those strange rune writings during the West Border mission that foretold an heir who would free the queen. Because Kolfinna certainly wasn’t the heir, but there was a chance that she was related to the heir. And with these strange abilities showing their face, her fear and confusion intensified. She didn’t need more questions.

Ivar laid a gentle hand on the child’s quivering back. “Terrified, speechless, and starving, but otherwise safe and uninjured.”

Kolfinna could only imagine how frightening this whole ordeal must’ve been for the little girl. She couldn’t have been more than five years old.

“That thing ismassive.” Ivar stared at the dead goblin three feet away from Kolfinna. “Did you defeat it?”

“Yep.” She headed toward the opening in the wall. “How about we?—”

“Are you going to explain”—he waved his free hand at the room with raised brows—“any of this?”

“Fae magic,” she lied smoothly. “Rune magic, to be specific.”

That seemed like a good enough answer, especially since he didn’t know any of the specifics of rune magic, but maybe it was because he was a trained warrior that he didn’t seem to buy it. Kolfinna held her breath as he continued searching her face. Finally, he shrugged. “I see. Well, remind me not to mess with you.”

She forced a laugh and hoped it sounded genuine. “Let’s go and find the others.”

“You’re bleeding. Maybe we should take a break?—”

“They’re shallow cuts.” She walked into the open hallway and looked over her shoulder at him. “We should try to save as many humans as we can. So let’s go.”

She moved quickly down the hall, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

It tooktheir party two and a half days to completely clear out the cave of goblins and find all fourteen children. They had found the children within the first day, but since Eluf didn’t want to miss any child or person who hadn’t been accounted for, he had made Kolfinna and the rest of the party scour every nook and cranny of the caves. And, of course, to make sure they killed each and every last goblin.

When they finally left the village after reuniting the children with their families, Kolfinna was exhausted down to her bones. They traveled on horseback to the fort. Everyone chattered happily and cheerily. After all, the mission had been a success and they had managed to save all the children—children who the villagers had thought were long dead—so of course everyone was happy.

Everyone except for Kolfinna.

She was satisfied with how the mission had turned out and something inside her had warmed at the sight of the children reuniting with their families, but there was something that was bothering her.

She had changed. A lot.

Ever since those shadows had first emerged from her in her fight with Hilda’s underlings, she was morphing. Her hair had changed, her hearing and sights and smells had improved, her body was able to heal itself, and she had strange shadow magic.

She also remembered what the book of magic creatures had said about elves. White hair. Red eyes. And magic that entailed healing, shadows, and light.

All of which, except the red eyes and the light magic, Kolfinna seemed to have developed.

She didn’t want to face what that meant: that she was part elf. That she had something to do with the half-elf commander. That she was related to the heir. That she … was something more than just a regular fae girl trying to survive in a world that didn’t want her around.

If anyone found out about this—that she was somehow related to the heir—then they would kill her. Point, blank, period.

Because if she truly was related to the heir and thus had the power to awaken the queen, then it would’ve been easier for everyone in Rosain to kill her and effectively kill the only chance Ragnarök had at freeing their queen.

And as much as Kolfinna didn’t want Ragnarök to succeed, she also didn’t want to die.

The only good thing she had going for her was that Ragnarök didn’t seem to have any idea who she was.

Ifshe was related to the heir. The only evidence of that was that she had been able to wield theDød Sværd.But there could’ve been a reasonable explanation for it all. Like maybe Revna and everyone’s understanding of the ancient sword was wrong. Maybe anyone could wield it if the sword allowed them to?

But the last three days had solidified a plan in her head. She needed to leave. Where she would go, she had no clue, but the more she remained here, surrounded by soldiers who could potentially figure out that she had different powers, she had to leave.

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