Page 55 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

She couldn’t have any attachments for when she left this place, and he was the stickiest attachment she had, but she couldn’t tell him that.

“Nothing.”

“Is it because of the trial? I’m really sorry about that. I …” Blár sighed and rolled a dried cherry between his fingers. “I’m sorry.”

Kolfinna hated to see him look so distraught. As much as she wanted to keep it to herself, she found herself needing to open up to him. The heavy weight on her shoulders groaned in agreement.

Kolfinna rubbed her wrist where the rune was etched into her skin. “It’s more than just the trial, Blár. I needed you and …” She sighed and showed him her wrist. “Do you know what this is?”

Blár stared at the gold rune on her wrist and then met her eyes. “A rune?”

“Yes. A rune.” She picked up her spoon and stirred her porridge again. “Sijur offered me a way out of the trial. He’d save me and I’d work under him. Except, he didn’t just accept my word. He bound me to him. With rune magic.” She raised her wrist. “And now I’m stuck here and I can’t leave, even if I want to.”

Blár blinked at her, horror slowly seeping onto his face. “What?”

“Yes, and it gets worse.” She ate a mouthful of the sweet meal and chewed to keep from snapping out the words. “I’m bound to his will. Anything he wants, I have to give to him.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Or else.”

“Or else?”

She shrugged, taking another bite. “I’m not sure, but I get this intense pain whenever I disobey him. I think … I might even die if I disobey. Of course, I’m not sure since I haven’t tried it?—”

Blár slammed his fist on the table, and the plates rattled. “What?!”

“Shh.” Kolfinna glanced around the room warily, but there weren’t enough people around them to be eavesdropping. “You can’t talk too loud about it.”

“And why not? Will he attack you for it?”

“Well, no … But …” She didn’t like the idea of finding out what Sijur would do if she was prattling about their little contract.

The water in the glass in front of Blár started to form ice crystals. “Sijur bound you with rune magic? Is he … a fae?”

“No, he had someone do it to me.”

“There’s another fae here?”

“Yes, but … I can’t say who.” She didn’t know why she was protecting Joran, but it felt wrong to tell Blár about his secret. As much as she didn’t like Joran, she couldn’t betray her own kind by sharing a secret like that.

Blár tapped his fingers against the sticky tabletop, a myriad of emotions flashing over his face, particularly anger and horror. The temperature around him swayed from chilly winter to a cool breeze. Like he was struggling to temper the rage freezing beneath the surface.

Finally, he swore under his breath and gave her a glacial stare. “And you’re bound to himforever?”

“No … Just fifteen years.”

“Fifteen years?” His eyes nearly popped at that. “What in the actual hell? Kolfinna, you bound yourself to that snake for fifteen years?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Kolfinna snapped. She stuffed her mouth with a spoonful of thick porridge and swallowed, but when she looked up, Blár was still staring at her like she was insane. “It was either die by the Royal Guards or”—she raised her wrist—“this.”

“Do you have a way out of this? There has to be something?—”

“I’m working on it.” She released a long breath and took a bite of her food again; it was sweet with the honey, and it helped ease her buzzing nerves. “I’m planning on leaving this place and … I figured it’s easier to just cut off ties with everyone. So yes, I have been avoiding you. I know it’s not good to just cut ties, but I can’t get too involved with you or anyone else. I’m only here to follow directions, act like a good soldier, and when Sijur doesn’t expect me to, escape.”

Blár watched her carefully. She couldn’t tell if he was worried for her, angry at Sijur, or furious at her—or maybe a mixture of all three. “But this goes against everything you’ve been working for.”

She cringed. She had told herself in the Royal Guards that she was going to find a place for herself in society. That she didn’t want to run away anymore, but that was exactly what she was doing now. “I know,” Kolfinna said. “But I can’t just give up and be a slave to Sijur now, can I?”

“No, but there are other options.”

“Other options?”

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