Stolen Princess

28. Kaherei

"Danaya."

I wake to the sound of a male voice calling me, my mind full of gossamer thicker than any I've ever seen in the dark Shadow Forest. I blink a few times and shiver against the cold that seems to leak towards me from the same direction as the voice.

"Wren...." he says this time, and I remember everything. Talon, Alek, the duel. I sit bolt upright, hopeful but then - it's Lief standing in the flap of the tent, the light of the firepit casting odd shadows on his face in the dark.

"What time is it?" I whisper hoarsely, surprised at how tired I feel. But then, I spent so much energy bent over Talon. I turn to check on him, but I can already hear his breathing inside the tent, feel his warmth on the other side of me where I fell asleep next to him. I glance up at Leif and feel myself blush at how this must look. I wonder if he'll mention it to the others...

"It's nearly dawn." he says quietly, and it's as if he hasn't caught me in a compromising position at all, "Oren wants to see you."

I nod wordlessly, though I'm slow to follow him. I'm sure Oren will have plenty to scold me over... that's if he hasn't heard about his brother's declaration just before the duel. My face cracks into a smile in spite of myself as I follow Leif inside the next tent. Vahalling... it whispers in my head again and again.

"We need a plan!" Sosha is speaking frantically - which surprises me more than anything else. And Oren sits at a table with his head resting wearily in both hands.

"How could you let him fight, Sosha?" Oren sounds so sad that my heart twinges just a bit. I want to dislike him simply because he isn't Talon but I can't imagine Isobel getting wounded doing something so stupid while I was gone.

"He's doing better," I tell them, but my voice comes out in a tired croak. I hadn't realized how much energy I used to help him.

Oren jumps up at my words, throwing both arms out to me in welcome. I smile at him a little and he hugs me close for a long moment. I'm not sure what you're supposed to feel when your future husband holds you. But I don't think it's supposed to be more exciting to hold his brother instead.

"Sit, sit, Wrenifred," he says, suddenly fussing like an old woman as he offers me his chair. I sink into it.

"There was an amulet," Sosha continues as if I hadn't entered, and I'm grateful for it, "A flash of purple light... but there's no way of knowing -"

"Here," I murmured, holding up the worn stone disk in one palm.

A piece of leather string still hangs broken from it where Talon yanked just before he fell. The disk itself is carved with symbols I don't recognize, but I can feel the faint hum of magic inside.

"You - you have it?" Sosha squeaks, and I nod. Oren grabs it, dragging it towards the light of a nearby torch to examine it more closely.

"Is it Elin?" I ask, impatient for answers, "Is it a witch we don't know? There's a few nearby we could ask Enedina -"

"It's Orc," Oren says in a cold voice, then silence hangs in the air for several deadly seconds.

"What - how - " Leif blubbers.

"Are you certain, My Prince?" Sosha stumbles over the words but doesn't reach for the proof.

"It's from the Family Morgan," he nearly whispers the name, and then all three of them turn to look at me. I can't read their expressions in the odd shadows of the midnight tent, but the change in the air makes me shiver just the same.

"Who... who are they?" I dare to ask. Leif and Oren exchange a wary glance. Sosha says nothing.

"They are another enemy clan... the one who pursued your mother to her death, chasing after the betrothal... chasing after you," he explains quietly. I can hear pity in his voice, though that pain doesn't hit me just yet. I'm much more interested in what my enemy clan - another Orc clan - has to do with Alek.