Page 49 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

“Kolfinna.” He rounded the table, drawing closer to her with slow, tentative steps. “Did something happen? You’ve been acting very distant.”

She stared intently at the flickering flames in the hearth. Many things had happened. He hadn’t shown up at her trial. He had strung her along. He had allowed Herja to kiss him. He had played with her feelings. And worst of all—he had made her a hopeless, naïve fool during all of it.

Blár closed the distance between them and rested a hand on her bicep, his head tilted so he could get a better look at her. Concern laced his words. “Talk to me,” he said softly.

“You didn’t show up at my trial.” Her throat closed up and she didn’t even try masking the hurt from her voice or her face.She didn’t want to show him any more vulnerability than she already had, but she couldn’t stop herself. The wobbly words tumbled out freely. “I expected you to be there. I was waiting for you to show up and … I don’t know, help me? To show everyone that you’re still on my side. I thought …”

Now her words dried up. She thought she had meant something to him.

Blár raked a hand through his hair. “I was busy.”

She flinched and he had the decency to look slightly ashamed.

“You werebusy?” The fissure in her heart deepened.

“That came out wrong.” He winced at her sharp tone. “I had to do something really important. The details—I can’t really explain.”

She clenched her fists together. “Okay, so you were busy with something, so busy that you couldn’t show up at my trial. In which I was being tried by the Royal Guards and the king fortreason. And you were …busy.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Blár watched her carefully. “That I wasn’t there for you?”

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment; he said it like it was such a trivial thing. They weren’t anything more than friends, so she shouldn’t have expected anything more. Even her actual friends—Eyfura and Nollar—hadn’t been able to make it to the trial since it was only allowed for higher-ups, but she had thought that Blár would’ve been able to come. That he held enough sway to change her fate.

Kolfinna blew out air. “Blár, what are we?”

“What?”

“What are we?” She flicked a hand between the two of them. “Me and you. What are we? Because you said a few weeks ago that we’re friends, but we also ran across that frozen lake and laughed our asses off. We danced at the ball. Weflirtedwitheach other.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. She truly hoped he didn’t come around and say that it was all a lie. That her version of the truth wasn’t his. “So what exactly are we?Friends?”

Blár was quiet—too quiet. Like he didn’t know what to say.

When he didn’t answer, Kolfinna continued, “So we’re just friends. All right. Got it.” She blinked back the tears burning her eyes. “I was just … shocked, to say the least, when I saw Herja kiss you. Since you’re in a relationship, I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to flirt with another woman?—”

“Wait. Wait.” The shadows in the room played across his face as he canted his head. “I’m not in a relationship with anyone.”

“But … You kissed her.”

“I didn’t kiss her.Shekissed me on the cheek—that hardly counts as a kiss. Herja just greets people that way.” He rested a hand on the back of one of the chairs. “We’re not together in any way. I’m not interested in her like that.”

Herja most definitely didn’t greet everyone like that. Kolfinna had never seen her kiss Gunnar, or Eluf, or Ivar, or any of the other soldiers in that way. Herja had lit up at the sight of Blár; there was no doubt in Kolfinna’s mind that Herja was in love with him—or, if not in love, she would soon be. He was either too stupid to see that or he was lying to her. She really hoped he was being stupid.

“I’m not interested in Herja,” Blár said slowly, drawing closer to her. “She’s a good friend of mine from when I was stationed here over two years ago, but I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her.”

Relief pooled in her chest, but it was short-lived. She couldn’t shake her unease at seeing a side of him with everyone here that he had never shown her before. It also didn’t help that whatever was going on between them was unresolved. She liked him. She knew that for a fact. But did he like her beyond just flirting and being friends? She had no idea.

“You’re good friends with all of them,” she said instead of confronting those feelings.

“I am.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. “Gunnar and Ivar are my best friends, and

Eluf’s my brother-in-law.”

Brother-in-law?

He must’ve seen the question on her face because he winced and softly said, “He was married to my sister.”

His sister, who had been killed with the rest of his family. Kolfinna could barely hide her shock. “I’m … I’m so sorry.”

She was suddenly reminded about how everything about Eluf seemed so bleak. The dark circles, the lifeless stare, the gloomy air around him. It all made sense now.

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