Page 1 of Fate of Echoes and Embers (Heirs of Elydor #3)

MAREK

Valewood Bay, Estmere, Elydor

“She lives less than a full day’s ride from here.” I stopped, waiting for the serving girl to clear our meal. She’d not taken her eyes from me last eve when we arrived or this morn, but I wasn’t interested in a dalliance.

Not today, at least.

“How long will it take to secure your lady’s acquiescence?” Kael asked, leaning back into the wooden seat and stretching out his legs. His partner, Mev, watched him with a look that I knew well. One of desire.

I’d been introduced to the Gyorian prince and Aetherian princess only a fortnight ago but could appreciate their tight bond, even if partnering wasn’t in the cards for me.

“Attempt to secure it,” I clarified. “There is every likelihood she won’t come with us.”

Mev took a sip of ale. No one at The Maiden’s Rest seemed to notice anything unusual about her.

By outside appearances, she was an Aetherian woman…

Princess Mevlida’s long pearl-white hair overshadowing that she was also half-human.

If patrons knew the long-lost daughter to King Galfrid sat in the same tavern as them, we would be surrounded.

As it was, the few that remained this early in the morning were more interested in their own ales than us.

“That’s not the first time you’ve said as much. What’s the deal?” Mev, the only human to have come through the Gate from the human realm in nearly thirty years, often used words not familiar here.

“The deal?” I asked.

The corners of Kael’s mouth lifted. “The scoop. The dealio,” he said in his best Mev impression.

“Pretty sure he won’t know those either. Besides, I’ve never used ‘the dealio’ before.”

Kael’s brow raised. “No? Then would you care to tell me where I learned it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe from one of the other humans in Elydor? We’re in an entire kingdom of them.” She waved her hands around. “If you haven’t noticed.”

“I don’t associate with any other humans. As you know.”

“Not true. You associate with Issa.”

My hand froze. I put down the mug of ale and asked Mev to repeat herself.

“Did you say… Issa?”

“It’s short for Isolde. She’s literally one of the only humans, besides me, Kael likes. Actually, when I first met her?—”

“Lady Isolde Hawthorne?” I asked.

Kael answered. “You know her?”

Oh, I knew her well enough. “I’m certain I mentioned going to Hawthorne Manor when we arrived in Valewood Bay. You made no mention of being familiar with it.”

Kael sat up in his chair. “I’m certain you didn’t.”

“I’m pretty sure,” Mev cut in. “Your exact words were, ‘After we drop off Rowan, I need three days in Valewood. There’s a woman there who might be useful for this mission.’”

“And when we asked,” Kael added, his gruff, Gyorian manner more on display now than it had been before Issa’s name had been mentioned. “You refused to say any more.”

That was entirely possible. I didn’t talk about Issa.

Ever.

To anyone.

“How do you know her?” I asked, half-afraid of the answer.

“I would ask you the same.”

It was a story I had no intention of sharing.

“Uh, guys. Can we put the measuring tape away?”

Both Kael and I looked at Mev, neither of us having an idea of what that meant.

“Never mind. It would take too long to explain. Kael is friends with her. But I have a feeling she was more than a friend to you?”

Fucking humans. “A feeling? Because you’re reading me?”

No human could enter the Aetherian Gate without some type of intuitive ability.

Typically, once they came through, those abilities were heightened due to the magical qualities of our realm.

Mev, the daughter of a king, had apparently become quite powerful in her short time here and could sense both emotion and intent in others.

“I’m not reading you, Marek,” she said calmly. “But women’s intuition is real.”

Kael and I exchanged a glance. He shrugged.

“Issa is the woman I intend to ask for help,” I said.

“You’re going to Hawthorne Manor?” Mev asked.

“I am.”

Kael cleared his throat. “Correction. We’re going to Hawthorne Manor. Issa is a good friend, as Mev said.”

From what I knew of Kael, that was surprising, to say the least. Gyorians and humans were very rarely friends, especially when the Gyorian in question was the son of the king who hated humans with a vengeance.

“It a long story,” Mev said. “Which it seems like we’ll be able to tell you on the road. I can’t believe Kael’s Issa is the woman you’re asking for help.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, of course. She senses magical qualities. Kael…”

He was looking at her with amusement.

Mev pretended to scowl at him. “You figured it out already.”

“More than that,” he said dryly. “I thought of asking her as well, especially when Marek said we were porting here.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked.

I was still reeling from the fact that Kael was a friend of Issa’s.

“Because she won’t do it.”

I tended to agree but remained silent.

“Even if we tell her the situation?” Mev argued.

“If she can sense the Wind Crystal.” She lowered her voice.

“Which I assume is something she’s capable of doing since it’s apparently the strongest of all magical artifacts.

It would be nice if Marek can verify it really is in the Maelstrom Depths before risking his neck to retrieve it. ”

“Precisely my thinking,” I said, leaving it at that.

Assuming “risking my neck” meant risking my life, it was actually much worse than that.

Surviving the Maelstrom Depths would be nearly impossible.

“It would be helpful to know the Crystal was there for certain.” I turned my attention to Kael.

“You don’t believe she’ll do it? Even if finding the Wind Crystal is the only way to reopen the Gate? ”

Popping his last piece of bread into his mouth, Kael sighed heavily. “She’ll not want to leave Hawthorne Manor. The border has become more unstable since Mev’s return. Her people are everything to Issa. Keeping them safe is more important to her than anything, including the Gate.”

I didn’t argue his point. Kael was right about Issa’s love for her people, but I could think of one thing even more important to her than that. Either way, I was going to Hawthorne Manor to at least try to convince her to accompany us.

“You’re not going to tell us how you know her?” Mev asked.

“No,” I answered. “I’m not.”

Kael waved the serving girl to us. “I’ll simply ask Issa.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want us to know, Kael,” Mev countered.

While her partner gave the serving girl coin for our meal, I offered Mev a smile.

The Aetherian princess was as kind as she was fearless.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Kael.

He may be fearless, but “kind” wasn’t the first word that came to mind to describe the Gyorian warrior.

He might have sworn allegiance to Mev’s father, pitting him directly against his own, but the man glowered more often than not.

I stood as Kael and Mev did the same.

“We will need to find you mounts,” I said, spotting the very person who might secure them for us. Kael followed my gaze and groaned.

“What?” Mev asked.

“Rhett Damaris is a known human smuggler, even in Gyoria. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised Marek knows him.”

“I’ll choose not to take offense to that,” I said, making my way to Rhett. He owed me a favor. A big one. And it was time for him to pay up.

“Too bad,” Kael called. “Since I meant it as that.”

Thankfully, my back was turned so Kael couldn’t see me smiling.

He was growing on me, but even so, I would be depositing King Balthor’s son in Aetheria before making my way to the Maelstrom Depths.

The question now was, would I be heading there alone?

Or would Lady Isolde be accompanying me?

And more importantly, could I survive another encounter with her?

Because the first one had nearly brought me to my knees.