Page 45 of Boundless
He sniffled, ducking out from under her so he could kiss her. “It’s j-just—i-it’s hit me now. The—thescopeof the treaty. W-what it reallymeans.”
She smiled, kissing him again and making him melt against her. “Aye, it’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it?” she said when their lips parted, her eyes locked on his face and shining with affection. “This is why we’ve got to out-fox your father and whoever else is fixing to hurt this. He’d ruin it all for his pride and vanity, buthewouldn’t be the one to suffer, off in his great big palace.”
Len nodded, his eyes dipping to the ground. He felt soguiltythat his father was the one being the problem in all this. It made him feel responsible because they were related, and so itfeltlike it fell to him to handle it.
Daega rumbled in displeasure, the sound almost like a growl. “Eyes on mine, pet,” she chided, juggling her crutch to use a finger to lift his chin. “These arehischoices.Hisfuckery. Not yours. You’re a precious beam of sunshine sent from the gods; he’s a daft cunt. You arenotthe same.”
He chuckled, cheeks flaming. “A-are you reading my m-mind, now?”
“I can read all I need on that sweet face of yours, husband,” she grinned, slapping his arse before limping back over to her family.
“YER BONNIE HUSBANDdid great work, but ye’ll need tae stay in ‘is sling an use yer crutch at least two mair weeks,” the handsome older Istarii Drakan woman declared after inspecting her wounds, stomping around Daega on a well-crafted prosthetic leg.
Daega wailed, throwing her head back like she was going to actually cry. “But they feelfine, Granny! I barely notice them!”
Granny huffed, giving her an incredulous look from under her white eyebrows. “I sincerely doubt ‘at, Daega. A felt ye tense when A did ma exam. Th’wounds bother ye an ye’ll ainlie mek ‘em worse wi’ yer squirming. So stop being such a stubborn cow an give yer body whit it needs.” She turned to Len, her dark eyes glittering. “Ye tell me if she disnae listen, aye, boy-o?”
Len grinned, nodding. “Y-you can count on me, ma’am.”
She snorted, waving a hand dismissively. “Knock ‘at high an mighty elf shite aff. Ye can call me Granny lek th’rest o’ 'em. Or ma given name, Yollyn, if tha’s n’all familiar.”
Len squeaked, his eyes snapping to Daega’s face. Her own eyes had widened, her mouth falling open before snapping into a wild grin Len felt himself mirroring.
“Sweet Delenaa, whit did A say?” Granny—no,Yollyn—asked, looking between them. “Hev ye two suffered heid injuries oan tap o’ evry’hingh else?”
Daega giggled, bouncing on the exam table as her wings shivered like mad behind her.
“Granny, have we got the surprise of a fuckinglifetimefor you. Have you met the elf counselor we arrived with, yet? He’s something of a diplomat. War veteran, lifelong bachelor. About your age.”
Yollyn shook her head slowly, her brows low and deeply furrowed. “Nae. Fit’s ‘is aboot, ye lunatic?”
“Well, his name is Maleom, Gran,” Daega grinned, and at that name Yollyn froze, her deep gray skin paling. “And we think he might know you.”
For a moment it seemed like Yollyn didn’t breathe, not a single muscle on her strong body giving so much as a twitch, and then a violent shudder wracked her from the top of her head to the bottom of her mismatched hooves. Len leapt from his chair, guiding the older woman over to it, since it was the only seat aside from the exam table in easy reach.
“Mal?” Yollyn asked in a daze, looking between the two of them. “But—buthow?”
“Life is a funny thing, Gran,” Daega said gently. “He’s one of the only elves on the whole council with any sense and compassion to him. The rest are crusty old bigots. And when he told me about how he met an Istariin woman named Yollyn on the battlefield and fell for her, I bullied him into coming along with us. I couldn’t place who Yollyn was, but the name wassofamiliar. Now we know why.”
Yollyn nodded, chucking wryly. “If ye kids hadnae insisted oan ‘at foolish nickname ye’d’ve figured it oot much sooner, aye?” She shook her head, disbelief still plain on her creased face. “I cannae believe it. Dae ye…dae ye think he’ll want tae see me? It’s bin mair’n four decades since then an Am…no’ quite fit A used t’be.” Then something Daega said registered with her. “Wait, he said he fell fur me?”
Daega shrugged. “Not in as many words, but it was plain on his face. He said he was a wee bit jealous of me and Len, too, of what we had. And he never married in all this time. I had to read between the lines a little, but I think it’s written inbold, Gran.”
The older woman shook her head, her long white braid smacking between her top wings like a strange pendulum. “Bah. A’ll believe it when A see it. But it…it cuid be nice tae see him. Regardless. Where is he?”
Daega eased off the exam table and onto her good foot, grabbing her crutch from where it rested within reach. “Guest tent. Do you want to see him now? I’ll bet he’dloveto seeyou.”
Yollyn’s mouth twisted, her clawed hand patting her hair doubtfully. But then something firmed in her, her shoulders lifting and straightening. “Aye, A wuid. Lead th’way.” She was standing up before Len could offer his hand, and then the two massive Istarii Drakan women were storming out of the hospital tent, Len caught helplessly in their wake.
The guest tent cluster wasn’t too far, and by a stroke of luck Maleom and Aevel were outside one of them chatting about something. Their movement caught Maleom’s eye, and when he turned his head and saw Yollyn his reaction was almost identical to hers: he stared in wonder and disbelief, leaving Aevel confused and darting looks between them all.
“Yollyn…” he breathed at last, his voice barely more than a gasp. He drifted closer, his cloudy blue eyes wide and drinking in the sight of her. “Vitrin’s mercy, you lookstunning.” He shook himself, blushing and looking sheepish. “My apologies. That was too forward. I only meant—erm, you look well. The years have been much kinder to you than they have been to me, it would seem.”
Yollyn chuckled, moving closer to him, her steps careful, almost as if she feared something might explode if she weren’t. “Nonsense, ye look jus’ as bonnie as th’day we parted ways.” Her voice was rough, but gentle, and full of a tentative kind of affection. They shuffled closer by degrees, seemingly unaware of it, two opposing magnetic poles being drawn unconsciously but inexorably closer.
Maleom swallowed, his eyes going glossy. “It’s…it’ssogood to see you again,” he croaked.
“Aye,” Yollyn murmured. “It truly is.” She was silent for a moment. “Wuid ye like tae grab a pint wi’ me? I think we—we mibbe hev some catching up t’dae.”
