Elven Legacy

Chapter 13

Tessa

"Hello beautiful," she said, smiling, as Karma perched on a branch of the ash tree just outside her window. A flash of blue and black feathers among the gorgeous red-orange leaves.

Tessa turned back to her canopy bed, where a pale leather satchel lay open, surrounded by various items. Light-blue traveling dress, wide-tooth comb, lavender soap bar, wool blanket, a vial of her favorite perfume – Felleran Lilies.

She couldn't resist applying some to her neck right now. The fragrance flared her nostrils and made her sigh contentedly. It mixed in with the faint scent of coffee from the half-empty porcelain cup on her nightstand.

Tessa resumed folding the traveling dress, as her huskies, Onyx and Warrior, stared curiously at her from their seated spots on the thickly patterned carpet.

For a brief, peaceful moment, there were only the chirps of birds from her garden, and the wind rustling the leaves. Then, Kitera barged into her chambers like a bull. And she had no qualms barging into her bedchamber either.

"Come in," Tessa joked, in a mock-polite tone. "It's open."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kitera asked, not unexpectedly, as she approached.

Tessa sighed and spun away from her packing to face the young woman. Kitera was in her uniform, but quite disheveled regardless, and her eyes held lethal promises.

If she thinks she can do anything about that, we'll be more than happy to prove her wrong.

Karma seemed uneasy at the thought.

Oh, don't fret, love. I have no intention of hurting Kitera, you know that. If she made a move, I'd just scare her a little. Just the tiniest flash of blue flames. A subtle reminder, you know.

"I'm packing," Tessa said. "In case it isn't obvious."

The angle of the ornate mirror above her nightstand allowed Tessa to see herself in it if she tilted her gaze slightly to the side. Today, she hadn't felt like wearing a dress. Instead she was in a gray and black custom-made ensemble of tight pants and long-sleeved wool shirt.

She had three marks on her face, by now. The first winded down the left side of her eye and cheek. The second snaked horizontally across her small nose. And the third curled along the right side of her cheek and jaw. She also had marks on her neck, chest, shoulders, and pretty much everywhere else. After a while, Tessa had stopped counting. Every time she went outside in the daytime, she wore a cloak with the hood on.

But she didn't go outside in the daytime very often.

The thing she wasn't yet used to, even though she'd had them for six months now, were the inky-black streaks in her pale blonde curls. She wasn't overly fond of those. Though at least, recently, she'd cut her hair about shoulder-length. Because otherwise, the stupid streaks were halfway black, and halfway blonde down to her tips. Somewhat jarring. Now, however, the black curls were the same length as the rest.

Tessa's gaze sidled back to Kitera. She eyed the dogs, who were wagging their tails excitedly, hoping to play or get some cuddles. Kitera loved the big huskies, Tessa knew. But right now, her mind clearly wasn't to it.

"Why are you packing?" Kitera asked harshly.

Since Kitera wasn't indulging the dogs, Tessa bent over instead to hug them and pet them. Warrior and Onyx happily returned the embrace.

"Go outside," Tessa said softly after one last scratch to their tufted ears. "Go on, now!"

They obeyed as she gestured toward the ajar wooden door that led to the garden. Tessa calmly went to close the door after the dogs had leapt over the threshold.