Page 26 of To Kill a King

Meeting her gaze as he wiped the residue from his face, Malkov shrugged. “Share your name or not, it makes no difference to me.” She’d die either way, along with the rest of the Mage College.

He glanced from the young woman to Brooks. She had sufficient power to fill a Whisperer on her own, but her magical energy could also form a permanent bond between the inquisitor and the magestone, eliminating the need to constantly charge it. It was a steep price, but like all good investments, it would pay off in time with less power use on his part. And the magic from the others here would load enough Whisperers to keep his alchemists busy until he could track down his runaway wife.

He sneered, his nostrils flaring at the scent of her fear. “Brooks, get over here!” Picking the grimoire up, he flipped to the appropriate page and met her gaze. “The realm thanks you for your contribution to the war effort.”

Curling his magic around hers once more, he began to chant.

Chapter 7

Elessan

Elessan returned a few hours later, as promised. He used the scabbard of one of his swords to push the flint and steel away from beneath the door and opened it with one hand, balancing the two bowls of stew and mugs of ale precariously with his other arm.

While he was away, Aliya had changed back into the shape he’d first seen her in. Her long blonde hair fanned out around her head as she slept.

He studied the room. The dagger was backward in its sheath. The intricate knot still secured his pack, so she hadn’t gone digging where he didn’t want her. The tension between his shoulder blades evaporated. Leaving the backpack here had been a calculated gamble, but he couldn’t risk being weighed down if things went poorly.

Like they had.

She stirred as he set his parcels on the counter. He held a tankard out to her. “Do you drink? Are you allowed to?”

The expression on her face needed no interpretation. Sitting up regally, she reached and took the glass from him.

“Occasionally, and of course.” Her face wrinkled in distaste, but she downed the whole mug.

Elessan hid a grin behind his cup of piss-beer. “You surprise me.”

“And you, me. But I think for other reasons.”

“If you’ve more questions, all you need to do is ask.” He sat on the stool. “I assume you would rather have the bed. I can take the floor.”

She bit her lip, clearly wanting to accept his offer. “It doesn’t seem fair to make you sleep on the ground in the room you paid for.”

He waved her comment away. “I don’t sleep much. You may as well be comfortable.”

She swallowed. “You’re not at all how my tutors told me elves were. Are. I’ve been trying to find a polite way to ask if you’re unusual in that regard, or if they taught me incorrectly.” She blinked, looking surprised at her own question. “Stupid ale,” she muttered.

He gave her a toothy grin, flashing pointed canines. “Perhaps we both need more, then?”

She stared into her empty cup and frowned.

That wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Okay. No more alcohol. “I would say I’m more of an exception, but we aren’t all bad, I suppose. Many are begrudging of outsiders; others are more hostile. But they didn’t raise me. Not entirely.”

“So you said.” She crossed her legs, leaning forward. “Will you tell me about them? The mountain elves?”

He pressed his lips together, tilted his head back and studied the ceiling. Where was the wisdom in giving any information to the enemy? But his mouth opened of its own accord. “I don’t remember much. I was young when we left. But I should be able to fill in some details your history books didn’t cover.” He met her gaze. “What do you want to know?”

“Why are there so few of you?”

He blinked at the blunt question. At least the ale worked to loosen her tongue. He’d offered to answer her questions, it wasn’t fair to refuse now, no matter how painful. Besides, this information was not likely to be of any use—the Cerels already knew how effective their weapons had been. “During the Human War—”

“You mean the Elven War?”

He nodded, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her interruption. “During the war, the humans developed a chemical, a silvery black powder that, when mixed with fire, exploded.”

“Like fireworks?”

“Yes, but on a larger scale. It devastated the sun and moon elves and burned many of their forests. However, to us, living in our underground caverns, the explosions were even more destructive.”