Page 59 of To Kill a King
Elessan spun on his heel and sprinted back to camp.
Aliya and Zadé glanced up in shock as he burst into the campsite. He scraped a double handful of dirt from the ground and threw it into the flames. “Pack up your stuff. We need to get out of here, now.”
“What’s going on?” The forced calm of Aliya’s voice almost hid the tremble.
“I lost him,” he said, throwing more soil on the fire. “He might be gone, taking his information to the highest bidder, or he could be planning to come back with friends. We can’t chance the second option.”
Zadé sighed. “Guess we’re not getting much sleep tonight, huh?” She blinked, catching his gaze. Her eyes were clearer than they’d been a few minutes ago. “I’m sorry, Elsan.”
Chapter 12
Aliya
Less than a week later, they stood at the edge of the Misty Forest, the official boundary between the human lands and the elven kingdom that housed Filathas. There had been no further sign of Stephen, or Brooks for that matter, much to Aliya’s relief. The late morning sun beating on her back offered a sharp contrast to the cool darkness of the woods ahead.
She dug the toe of her boot into the dirt and swallowed hard.
Elessan stepped up beside her. “Are you ready?”
He tried to smile, but it seemed as forced as her answering grin. She reached up to check the tips of her pointed ears.
“You look fine. Better, actually.” He cleared his throat and studied the ground.
She focused on her boots to hide the blush creeping up her face. The beige linen skirt and brown tunic she wore were generic enough to pass as either human or elven fashion. At least, so Zadé had promised.
“Oh, come on you two!” The woman in question took a long drink from her waterskin and sighed. “If’n we don’t start soon, we’ll be standin’ here ‘til dusk. Ain’t nobody wants ta be here after dark.”
Aliya raised an eyebrow, but Zadé didn’t respond.
Okay, fine. She’d bite. “Why not?”
Zadé’s eyes sparkled. “All the creepy crawlies come out to keep the humans from crossin’ the border.”
Aliya’s eyes widened as she glanced at Elessan. Her father’s estate was on the edge of elven territory, as well. She’d never heard of any monsters patrolling the perimeter.
“Zadé’s being dramatic,” he said. “But there are more patrols at night, and they’re unforgiving of foreigners.”
Something in his tone had her turning to face him. “You’re an elf…surely you’re not considered a foreigner?”
Zadé guffawed. “Typical human…just ‘cuz his ears iz pointy don’t make him welcome. Mountain, sun, and moon elves don’t mix.”
“Often,” Elessan added.
Aliya bit her lower lip. They had all fought on the same side during the Elven War. She’d assumed they worked together in all facets of life…maybe they were just as disjointed as the humans?
She set that insight aside to examine later.
Hopefully they wouldn't expel Elessan on sight. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss their interrupted kiss last week, mostly because he had been obviously reluctant to leave Zadé unsupervised. It would be a shame if whatever was between them was cut short by inter-racial prejudice.
Well, if the moon elves wouldn’t welcome him, she wouldn’t be staying with them, either. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the forest.
“I still don’t understand how yeh look so much like an elf,” Zadé said, jogging a few steps to catch up.
Aliya studied her arms. The skin was paler than normal, like a moon elf’s. “I told you—I’m skilled with disguises. A little illusion helps round things out.” The lie coated her tongue like sludge, but Zadé had proven she couldn’t be trusted to keep her mouth shut.
The path meandered westward, occasionally circling around the roots of a larger tree. Birds escorted them through the woodland, flitting through the branches far above.
“Zadé,” she asked, “how long until we reach Filathas?”