Page 62 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

“Joran.” Kolfinna couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. Nor the disappointment—she had thought it was Blár. “Come in.”

Inkeri pulled the blanket up to her chin. “Good evening.”

Joran nodded and rubbed the nape of his neck. He opened the door wider but didn’t step any closer. “How are you both?”

“I could be better.” Kolfinna shrugged.

“I feel like I almost died,” Inkeri said with a hollow laugh.

“Because you almost did,” Kolfinna noted.

Joran chuckled but then seemed to think better of it and coughed. “A-Anyway, um, Kolfinna, Lieutenant General Bernsten is calling for you.”

“For what?” Kolfinna pushed the blanket off her body. He hadn’t bothered her until now. Her heart raced wildly. Had he found out about the heir? About the half-elf commander? Did the elf woman say something?

Joran didn’t meet her gaze. “You’ll see.”

Her stomach twisted. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Give me a minute. I’m going to change into my uniform.”

He only nodded and stepped out of the room. Kolfinna’s heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she stripped out of her sleeping gown and pulled on her gray military uniform. By the time she left her room and followed Joran down the hall, she was ninety percent sure that Sijur must’ve known she was somehow connected to the heir and the elves.

She gave the fae a side glance. Maybe Joran had noticed too. Maybe they were luring her into a trap. Maybe?—

“I was worried when I discovered you were injured,” Joran said quietly. He laced his hands together and stared at the tiled floor as they walked.

“Oh? Um, thanks.” Silence filled the awkward space between them. “So … Do you know why Sijur called for me?”

“Yes.” The tension in her chest tightened.

Her mouth was dry when she spoke next. “Joran, what’s happening? Why are you not telling me?”

“Because … You won’t be happy.”

She couldn’t question him further because he paused in front of a door and gave her an unreadable glance. It almost looked like he wanted to grimace, but his expression smoothed away and he pushed the door open.

Inside, the room was fairly normal. Thick rugs were laid out in the center of the room, colorful tapestries with blocky shapes and designs hung over the walls, and there were two plush couches in the center of the room. A coffee table sat in front of the couches, with an array of teas and cookies laid out on it.

Sijur was sitting on the couch, his arm draped over the backrest and his legs propped up on the table. He was nibbling on a cookie while talking to the woman beside him. She was in her mid-to-late thirties, her chestnut locks draping over her shoulders. Her dress was tight and hugged her small waist, and the neckline was scandalously low. Upon seeing them, her red-painted lips curved into a grin.

Kolfinna licked her lips nervously and lowered her head. “Lieutenant General, you wanted to see me?”

“Kolfinna! So good to see you out and about.” He lowered his legs off the table and propped his elbows on his knees. “Birgitta, this is Kolfinna, the fae I was telling you about.”

Birgitta’s smile faltered and Kolfinna could instantly see the discomfort in her body language. Her shoulders had stiffened just slightly, and her gaze flitted around the room “Ah, yes, I remember.”

It was a normal reaction to meeting a fae for the first time. That flighty reaction to run away. To fight or maybe even to hide.

Kolfinna spared a glance at Joran to see if he had a reaction to any of this, but he was staring at the floor, so she couldn’t glean anything off him. She couldn’t smile as she turned to Sijur, the pit in her stomach growing. It was the first time she had seen him since their interaction with Olia.

Sijur rubbed his hands together and nodded down at the food displayed in front of him. “Cookies, anyone?”

“No, thank you,” Kolfinna said.

“What about you, Joran?”

Joran shook his head.

“Ah. A shame.” He plucked a cookie off the ceramic plate and bit into it. Crumbs fell on his lap, but he made no move to brush them away. “Kolfinna, I read from the reports that you were able to use runes to heal Inkeri. How did you manage that?”

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