Page 10 of Elven Oath

Chapter 4

Vevina

As I make my way backto my chambers, I can’t help but feel irritated. No one was telling me anything, not even my father but I know something is going on.

Why was the entire castle brimming with unease, and why did it feel like I was being purposely kept in the dark?

The door to my chambers creaked open, and as expected, my maids were already there, waiting for me with a bath prepared in the middle of the room.

The scent of lavender and rosewater was calming, though it did nothing to ease the frustration gnawing at me.

I say nothing as I strip off my dirty dress, feeling the cool air against my skin. Walking over to the tub, I step in and sink into the warm water. The maids, Dorina and Agnis, immediately began their work, scrubbing away the dirt from the orchard. Their hands are gentle, though their chatter was anything but quiet. As usual.

They gossiped as they always did, their voices light and filled with the kind of inconsequential nonsense that usually went unnoticed by me. I’m only half-listening as I stare at the water, trying to sort through my own thoughts.

My father had been more irritable than usual lately, the tension around the castle thicker than ever. I wondered if it had to do with the visitors in the hall. The ones I hadn’t been introduced to which seemed extremely odd on my father’s behalf.

"Did you see them? They were magnificent," Dorina’s voice cut through my thoughts, her excitement clear.

I blinked, turning my attention back to her, though I didn’t speak. She was always talking about something or someone, usually with that same swooning tone. But then I caught the one word that would pique my interest.

"Dragons."

Dragons? My ears perked up. Maybe if I stay quiet I can figure out what is going on around here.

"Magnificent?" Agnis muttered, her voice gruff with age as she scrubs my arms with a silk cloth. "You mean terrifying. They should have been kept far away from here. Bringing them into the courtyard..."

"But did you see them?" Dorina interrupted, ignoring Agnis’s scolding tone. Her cheeks were flushed, clearly more excited than concerned. "They were beautiful. Especially the one with the golden eyes. So handsome. Like something out of a story."

I sat up a little straighter in the bath, the water sloshing around me. "Dragons?" I asked, my voice cutting through the idle chatter. "Why are there dragons here?"

Dorina’s eyes widened as if she had forgotten I was even in the room. For a moment, she hesitated, biting her lip as if she’d said too much, but her excitement was too great to be contained. "Yes, my lady. Three of them. Didn’t you see them?"

I shook my head. "I’m not sure. I’ve been in the orchards with the children."

She leaned in as if she were sharing a grand secret, excitement on her face. "They’re from the Dragonkin, the ones our people used to have ties with in the old stories. And they were all so handsome, especially the one who stood in the middle, the tallest one with golden eyes that almost glowed."

Golden eyes. My mind flicks back to the Great Hall, to the brief glimpse I’d caught of one of the strangers before I had left. There had been something strange about the man standing before my father.

He had carried an air of power, something otherworldly. Could it be that he was one of the dragons Dorina was so eagerly gossiping about?

"Why are they here?" I asked again, more insistent this time.

Dorina glanced toward Agnis, who gave her a sharp look, as if silently warning her not to say too much. But Dorina was too caught up in her gushing. "I heard it has something to do with an old pact between our people. Something important."

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