Page 17 of King

Durin

The stoic elf looks down at the handsome youngling in my arms. Elves are exceedingly difficult to read. But since he didn’t have a smart-ass comment about me using his name, I think he might be honored. Or, at the very least, amused.

“Remove his glamour,” he orders.

It’s not the response I’d expected. It’s pointless to question an elf, though. I remove the glamour and watch him study my son’s peaceful face.

“He’s yours,” Vaegon says, lifting his eyes to Rue and me. “Joy and light to you both.”

I grin and look over at Rue, who’s been staring up at him in shock.

“Thank you,” she whispers, reaching for our son without looking away. I hand him over and kiss the top of his head before returning the glamour.

“Why are you here?” Vaegon asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I admit, sliding my arm around Rue’s shoulders. “Rue was taken by an oppressive Alpha she’d previously fled from. I rescued her, and then the dryads led us here.”

“Were you able to exact your revenge?” he asks.

I’ve been so consumed with my plan against the queen that it takes me a moment to realize he’s referring to Mitah.

“Indeed,” I say, standing a bit taller. “Thank you for your help. I’m on a new mission now to take down the queen.”

“I see,” he says, eyeing the crest on my cloak. “From within, I take it.”

I nod. “The kelpies seem on board to help. They’ve granted me passage through their territories. I hope to persuade them to fight once I have a more concrete plan.”

I quickly fill him in on the shifters working to thin out the nobility, those inside the castle whom I count as allies, and the queen’s odd obsession with the mixed fae and change of seasons. I’m not sure whether he’s impressed or skeptical. I decide to share my most significant asset, something I’ve kept close to my chest until now. Hopefully, it will pique his interest if nothing else has.

“The queen shared some of her power with me.”

That pulls a reaction out of him, a slight widening of the eyes that only lasts a second. “Why would she do that?” he asks.

“She discovered that I can nurture magic, something even I didn’t realize,” I say, glancing at an equally surprised Rue. “I think she’s trying to grow her own magic in me, much like she’s been storing her magic in the mixed fae.”

“Her magic is failing,” Vaegon says, looking over my shoulder.

“Or running out,” I suggest. I turn my head to see what he might be looking at, but there’s nothing there.

“That’s wonderful,” Rue gasps, pulling my attention back around. “That will help you defeat her.” Her eyes shine so bright that even an elf should be touched by her hope.

But this one isn’t. “If you intend to ask us to fight alongside you, we will not,” he states, causing Rue’s face to fall.

I turn and shoot him an irritated look. “I have no intention of asking you to go against what you believe. I didn’t even mean toshow up here today.”

“Why would the dryads lead us here?” Rue asks quietly. She sways back and forth, looking down at our pup instead of the elf who just crushed her spirit.

Her question is valid. The dryads had to know the elves wouldn’t fight. How is this conversation helping anything?

I decide to ask Vaegon to direct us somewhere safe instead of wasting more of our time. Before I can do that, there’s a noticeable shift in the air.

It’s thinner. I feel less weighed down. It’s also warmer, easing the tightness in my lungs from the cold, dry air.

I clamp my eyes shut when a sudden piercing light replaces the forest around us. When I open them again, we’re standing on the bank of a broad, crystalline pond in the center of a wide clearing. The water is so clear I can see every creature and plant thriving beneath the surface. Elves wade in the water as if it’s the middle of the Radiant Season again.

I hold Rue close and spin around to scan the rest of our surroundings. I think we’re still in Faerie, but it looks so foreign. Lush grass replaces the crunchy, dead leaves and gnarled roots that were beneath our feet. Unfamiliar plants peek out from a forest of tall, uniform trees surrounding the clearing on all sides. Elves stroll gracefully across the grass in their simple robes or tunics.

They all look like Vaegon with pale skin and hair and dark, piercing eyes. Some chat quietly in small groups, while others sit alone and enjoy the warm sunshine.

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