From The Shadows »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ(excl.part3)«

NINETEEN

NINETEEN

Checking on Kyra showed that her upper body was now bare as Harmu's had been. And that she now had two bones poking out her back. But even with the pain that it must cause, she made no sound thanks to Haemir. Kolrien stayed at hand, wiping Kyra's body of the sweat that was caused from the stress of her change. As was normal. By the time her wings were grown, she would be painfully thin as the growth took energy. As was the hope with all avariel elves, I hoped that the growth wouldn't prevent her waking, because if it did, it would make more sense to kill her.

I didn't check on Harmu again, as much as I wanted to. My heart throbbed as I walked past the door where she rested, heading for were I knew the drow was being kept. Telling Zeang that I would take over and to go rest so that he could watch the drow overnight, I walked into the drow's cell to see that his wrists were bound by shackles that prevented his drow magic, and his ankles were also shackled, but instead of stopping his drow magic, they stopped wood magic. They were shackles that I never wanted to be bound by.

The drow's red-brown eyes glared at me as I walked over. I eyed the scar on his face. It looked new, and I wondered whether he had lived with his wood or drow parents. If he'd lived with his drow, and was still alive, then it meant that this drow knew his magic and how to defend and fight. The drow didn't keep half-bloods. And if they did, there must have been a reason. But I would be even more so surprised if his wood parents kept him, wood elves tended to leave a weak child – such as a half-drow, as an animal would leave or kill a weaker creature for food.

"Why were you in our forest?" I demanded.

He stayed silent.

"Who sent you?"

Again, nothing, maybe he only understood Elvish? But elven children were taught the languages of the world so that they could travel around the globe with ease. But then, I was talking to a half-breed. Maybe–

"I was running," the drow said in perfect English.

"From?"

"Drow."

"You're half-drow."

"And they hate me more than they hate you."

I stared at the drow. "Who have you lived with from birth?"

"My mother until I could run."

I glared at him. "Drow or wood."

His expression didn't change at my glare. "Drow. Why?"

I ignored his question. "Did your mother do that?" I asked, gesturing the new scar on his face.

The sudden clenched jaw and the spark of rage that ran through his eyes said yes. "She's not worthy of being a mother."

"No," I said quietly. "She wouldn't be. Not to your wood side."

He glared at me. But as he showed no reaction to my glare, I gave none to him.

"Why this forest?"

"It called."

"What called?"

"The tree's."

Being a wood elf, I understood what he meant.

"Where did you come from?"

"The drow city."

"Where is the drow city?"

He smirked. "In England."

"Where?" I growled.

He merely kept the smirk on his face. "I have vowed to Sudryl in Elvish that I would not give the location of the drow's location other than what I have said." And not even the drow were oath-breakers.

As it turned eleven-thirty when I walked through the doors into the Room of Crystals Kharis had told me meet him in. On entering, I wasn't surprised to see all the Ruler's chairs filled, but one. Sundryl was a Ruler, and could appear for the meetings... if he was ever told they were being held. It was only once every few years they invited Sundryl, just so it appeared they hadn't forgotten about him.

Kharis rose to introduce me as I entered. "Coronal', this is Iome'Rilli, our Shorna' Nalad'Ja'Raedian. He is under an order not to speak Elvish, and as it has yet to be lifted, I ask we speak in English while Iome'Rilli is with us."

I saw nods go around the room from the seven others that sat in the room that looked as though it had been a gigantic crystal and the middle of it had been carved out to form the room and furniture. The sunlight shone rainbows throughout.

"As Iome'Rilli is now with us," Kharis then said. "We can start discussing appropriate consorts for our Shorna."

  

Consorts?! For Kyra? I wanted to demand why, but I already knew why. Because she was a Princess. I just wondered what reaction she would give when the Ruler's chose an "appropriate consort".

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