Page 20 of In Darkness Forged
“Nerves, Vanadar?” The female night elf strode forward and pressed a cloth into his hands. “I have not seen you so clumsy with a blade since we were children.”
Odd. It seemed this Vanadar was as apprehensive as Aislin. But what cause could such a powerful, respected night elf have for fear?
Aislin waited with growing trepidation as the blood dripped, and the room remained frozen. The silent tension told her something was coming, but what, or… who?
When the doors crashed open, she knew.
The guard had returned, but not alone—behind him was a man in chains, with a hood covering his head.
He was no taller than the other night elves and was clearly meant to be helpless, but his presence somehow filled up every bit of space and stole the very breath from Aislin’s chest.
Tension sparked from person to person, along with a sense of anticipation so thick Aislin could nearly taste it in the air.
Whowasthis? And what was he doing here?
“Remove the hood,” Vanadar ordered through clenched teeth, and the guard, visibly reluctant, complied, whipping it off and taking a long step back.
Aislin wasn’t exactly sure what she’d expected. Something monstrous, perhaps—some visible reason for the reactions of those around her.
But the removal of the hood revealed only another night elf.
Well, notonly.
Because the longer she stared at him, the more clear it became that he was far fromonlyanything.
White hair, silver skin, pointed ears—in those respects, his kinship with the other night elves was evident. But his eyes… Those were burnished amber, and they sparked with a fury that nearly drove Aislin back a step just from being in the same room.
He was not merely a predator—he was apresence, and even Aislin could feel the power that raged within him, somehow contained by that seemingly ordinary form.
No, not ordinary there, either. Even though the prisoner’s white hair hung lank and dirty and his clothing neither fit nor flattered, the leashed power in his physical form was clearly on display. A torn shirt outlined broad, muscular shoulders and offered a glimpse of the perfectly molded chest and stomach beneath. His waist and hips were narrow, but the trousers that ended just below the knee revealed powerful legs and bare feet that somehow afforded himmoredignity rather than less.
And that face…
Aislin swallowed and realized her throat had gone utterly dry. The hair that hung across his forehead threw part of his face into shadow, but she caught a brief glimpse of full lips, a straight nose, and a sharply cut jawline.
He was juststandingthere, and yet she was still terrified.
“Thank you for coming.” Vanadar finally broke the silence, sounding at once bitter and resigned. “Would you care to listen to my proposal?”
Those amber eyes raked across the room, pausing for a moment on Aislin. She somehow resisted the urge to hide.
“Unless you stop my ears, I don’t perceive that I have a choice.”
His voice was deep and hoarse, as though it had gone unused for some time. How long had he been a prisoner?
“I have decided to grant you the opportunity to win what you most desire,” Vanadar said coolly.
“Last I heard, you lack the power to grant it,regent.” Despite his chains, the prisoner’s voice was mocking.
“Perhaps you are not quite as well informed as you think you are.”
The prisoner’s head cocked, and dark amusement creased his lips. “What’s changed?”
“Nothing has changed,” Vanadar returned flatly. “I have only discovered a potential means of expiation for your crimes, should you find yourself interested.”
The amber eyes darkened for a moment before a rusty chuckle rumbled from the prisoner’s chest. “The Marlord is dying, isn’t he? Have you only now realized what you risk should a puling coward inherit this territory?”
“Do you wish to hear my offer or not?” Vanadar snapped.