The Awakening

Chapter Forty One

Avelon's heart felt as though it would stop at Elha's words. Elha's face remained gleeful as she watched Avelon. Trying to portray a look of nonchalance, Avelon's lips curved in a way that barely masked the racing of her thoughts beneath her composed exterior. She leaned back against the cold stone wall, arms crossing over her chest with deliberate ease.

"Good," she said coolly, her tone light but edged with steel. "I'm glad he's aware that I'm willing to comply. I'm tired of these games."

Elha blinked slowly, her sharp features briefly faltered into something that Avelon could almost mistake as disappointment. The fracture in her composure vanished quickly, but Avelon caught the subtle shift. For a moment, it looked as though Elha had expected something... different from Avelon, but the moment passed as quickly as it came. Elha's pale eyes hardened once again, and her smirk returned with practiced detachment.

"If that's how you see it," she replied, tilting her head slightly in acknowledgement.

Her voice was smooth and controlled. If not for the flicker of emotion, Avelon would have believed her cold, calculating eyes. Avelon straightened, shaking the dust off her pants. She almost laughed at herself. No amount of dusting would clean the pants she wore. She sighed and bit down the laughter that threatened to escape.

"Thanks for the water," she said offhandedly to Jeera, careful to keep her tone dismissive. She tilted her head ever so slightly in a gesture of nonchalance. "You didn't have to trouble yourself."

Jeera hesitated, her eyes darting between Avelon and Elha, clearly catching the shift in tone. Her jaw tightened, but she offered a curt nod to Avelon and played along with her act.

"No problem." she replied, her voice steady despite the concern evident in the twitch of her left eye.

As Jeera walked away, Avelon turned her attention fully to Elha, her expression unreadable. She was careful not to cast her attention on Jeera for too long. She knew she could reach out to Jeera later via her air messages should she need to, so she dismissed her silently. Her shoulders felt a bit lighter with the revelation, and for a moment, she considered the potential of her affinities. She shook the thought away—there was no time to ponder that now.

"So, what now? Another slap perhaps?" Avelon drawled, her smirk widening as she referred back to their altercation in Lehu.

Elha did not take the bait. "Balor would like to see you," she said instead, her tone clipped and devoid of any humour or emotion. "I've been tasked with... retrieving you."

Avelon arched a brow, feigning indifference. "Retrieving me? How formal. Normally I would just get a smack over the head and then be dragged to... wherever." She waved her hand in the air, a mocking smirk playing on her lips.

Elha studied her, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she said nothing.

"Open the cell and lead the way, then." Avelon pouted, pushing from the wall to stand before the gate of the cell.

Elha reluctantly nudged a rusted key into the lock and shoved the gate open. Without offering Avelon another look she turned on her heel and gestured with a swipe of her hand for Avelon to follow. Avelon followed, unwillingly, vowing silently not to make a scene. She needed to act willing, despite the mess of emotions brewing inside her.

As they walked down the dimly lit hallway, Avelon was careful to keep her eyes trained on Elha's back. She had no intention of staring into any of the other dungeon cells, even though she was sure that she had been alone. She did not want to risk peering into the eyes of another Fae slave or something worse.

"You ran off before you could tell me," Avelon said casually, her voice light and mocking. "About what you know about the word Daghlan."

Elha stopped abruptly, her entire body going rigid. She turned to Avelon, her pale eyes wide with alarm and warning. "Don't start. Just stay quiet." she said sharply, her words cutting through the air.