Page 35 of Wind and Water
Venora made a tactical mistake. She woke the anger of the centaurs, who had always been neutral and disliked elves.
“She’s panicking.” I speak mostly to myself. Another thought distracts me. “How did the witch queen inform you of her desire to make a trade for Birdie?”
They look at each other, frowning. Sorrow fills Farress’s eyes, though she sheds no tears. “She dropped an elven slave on the beach.”
“What happened to him?” My temper rises at the thought of the centaurs sending a slave back into the clutches of evil.
“He came to us near death and did not survive.” Corell meets my gaze. “We did not kill him, and we would have done all that was possible to save him.”
My temper is under control, and I take a deep breath. “What happened?”
The color drains from Farress’s face. “The elf’s name was Kieran. Shadow demons came en mass. Our patrol stood their ground ready to defend the village, but the demons did not attack. Instead, they dropped Kieran from a height that, without magic, he could not survive. His bones were broken, and he bled from within.” She pauses and takes several slow breaths. “He told us where the children were and that the human woman would be taken in trade for the foals’ safe return.”
“How long did Kieran live?” My fury roils under the surface. Cruelty and evil are the calling cards of the witch queen. Elves are disposable, as slaves, shadow demons, and converts.
“Only a few hours.” Corell’s voice is strained. “He was made as comfortable as possible, but moving him would have been agony, so we brought the comfort to him on the beach. We eased his pain with what magic we possess, and Birdie spoke to him, which seemed to bring him peace. As soon as he was gone, Birdie insisted we make the trade.”
Despite the necessity of it, I feel Corell’s shame. I want to assure him that he did the right thing, but there is only one answer to that. “We will get Birdie back. I’m not sure exactly how that will happen, but by the old gods, we will find a way.”
“I hope you are right, Liam,” Corell says.
“If an elf and a centaur can sit together and plan a battle as allies after centuries of separation, the old gods are surely with us.” I stand and offer my hand.
Corell rises and grips my forearm in the way of soldiers.
We look into each other’s eyes, and there is mutual respect.
The hour is late when I find Wren lying atop a soft mattress in a private room. The bed must have been made for infant centaurs, as it is far too small for an adult. The room is otherwise sparse, with hooks on the wall and a table with a mirror over it.
I ease down next to her with my body close but not touching. Listening to her heart with my keen hearing, it’s easy enough to know that she’s not asleep. My arrival made her pulse race. “If you think my choices are because of a prophecy, you are wrong. The longer I know you, the more I think the oracle is probably correct in their belief that you are special and more powerful than we yet know. However, it is my feelings which force me to protect you, Wren, not my duty.”
She rolls to face me. In the moonlight, her eyes shine bright blue. Her hair is a halo around her beautiful face. “I will not accept that my mother must pay with her life to keep me safe.”
I brush her curls from her cheek. “I did not say I would forsake her, only that a trade for you would not be made.Centaurs cannot be turned into shadow demons. I don’t know if humans can or not, but we need Birdie free and out of danger before we meet Venora.”
With a nod, she asks. “How do we do that from a tower with no doors?”
It’s a fair question. “I’m hoping the centaurs who watch the obelisk have seen enough to know how to enter.” I take a deep breath. “There are some things we need to discuss. Should we talk now, or wait for you to be rested?”
“I can’t sleep.” She sits up and faces me with her legs crossed. “What is it?”
Facing her, I sit the same way with my knees grazing hers. “Two things, but one is not strictly relevant to saving your mother.”
Her throat bobs, and she takes a deep breath that pushes her breasts high, stretching her shirt and making my mouth water. “Start with the one that is relevant, please.”
How has she gotten so deeply embedded into my heart in such a short time? “You can create wind, but we don’t know how you control it, and so far, you’ve not conjured it without imminent need. If you could tell me what you feel when you bring the wind, maybe I can help you with control.”
Her curls shift as she tips her chin and looks over my shoulder at the wall. “I feel scared for someone’s safety. In the portal, I saw you, my mother, and the dragon, and I knew we were in trouble. I prayed for someone or something to save us from the dragon.”
Is it the prayer or the fear that motivates her magic to action? “Did anything like that ever happen to you in your world?”
She bites her bottom lip and lets the plump flesh slip through her teeth. “When I was nineteen, some girlfriends and I went to Gulf Shores for spring break. That’s when schools take a break in the better weather. It was my freshman year in college.”
I nod my understanding but say nothing so as not to interrupt her.
“We were at the beach. I was working on my tan and enjoying the sunshine when I heard a scream.” She closes her eyes for a long moment. When she opens them, she’s calm. “Maggie was knee-deep in the gulf. She was screaming and pointing. Dana and Julie were being dragged out to sea by an undertow. Dana’s head went under.” Tears fill her eyes.
Keeping my voice even, I smooth my hand over her shoulder. “What did you do?”
