Page 25 of Keeper of the Word (The Unsung and the Wolf Duology #2)

Chapter

Twenty

ELANNA

A t home in Ashwin, Elanna was accustomed to sleeping well past midmorning and turning in well past midnight after Seeing the stars.

But during the fortnight of travel, she’d arisen before dawn and sometimes fell asleep before the last of Tolvar’s knights had been fed.

When she had slept. Her hand grazed her throat as she strolled along the queen’s flower garden.

Aye, she could still feel the fingers tightening around her throat if she let her mind wander.

The ghost sensation, coupled with whatever Tolvar and Hux had discovered last night, had kept sleep at bay.

And now that she had peered into the eyes of the sovereign and the prince, her body longed for rest. All that had transpired on this first day in Asalle left her weary.

Strange that she should feel more exhausted now, having Seen naught for days, than after Seeing some of the most horrendous fortunes over the years.

It suddenly occurred to her why StarSeers kept behind their shimmering walls.

Away from the world. Away from danger and the mingling of visions from the stars with the messiness of being surrounded by conversations and complications of real people.

Seeing people and being in the company of people was vastly different. Elanna found herself stirred by emotions here that did not exist in Ashwin. After Seeing fortunes and discerning them in kind, there was no afterthought as to the complexities those fortunes might create. Until now.

Fortunes were never finite. ’Twas a phrase Elanna knew like every star in the sky.

Yet what of the choices paved by their wisdom?

Did the knowledge of possible fortune not guide or hinder the person?

She was certain she’d done right in advising King Rian that Prince Dashiell must marry—the stars had driven her here—but could she be certain the revealed fortune had, in turn, bent any will or recourse?

And, considering recent obstacles, had she revealed it in time to make a difference?

“The prince was agreeable in every way. All will be well,” she whispered into the night’s darkness.

But ’twas difficult not to consider how quick King Rian had been to denigrate Prince Dashiell. Almost as if he searched for a reason to question or belittle him. What of summoning Sir Karro, the prince’s man-at-arms? And the way Dashiell appeared guarded in his response?

Nay, you must cease. This exhaustion is pooling into thoughts of confusion. The stars brought you here .

Elanna’s feet shuffled to a stop.

Ignoring the two castle guards who trailed her beyond the hedge, she closed her eyes.

She imagined glinting into life a light inside her core.

Not like a candle. Not a light that flickered and could easily be doused.

Nay, a small spark. One she could hold. One that held the many possible trails of the hereafter, possible fortunes tucked safely in her being.

Am I to return to Ashwin?

The spark glowed as it retraced all she’d Seen on the Dasei Moors. She held onto the spark, though her fingertips burned, as the string of fortune flowed swiftly, and time raced through her mind.

She opened her eyes. The spark faded like a dying star.

Only one thought pierced her mind: I must be present when the prince marries .

Footsteps stirred behind her. Still distracted, Elanna didn’t turn right away.

Abruptly, a rumble blocked out the footsteps.

Elanna startled and spun.

Tolvar, Hux, and Joss stood where the two guards had been. But there was nothing near them to indicate what had caused that rumbling sound.

“Elanna, are you well?” Tolvar said.

“Did you hear that?”

“What?” Hux asked.

Mayhap the sound was merely an aftereffect from scanning through the future, she decided.

“Nothing. You are a welcome sight,” Elanna said. Her legs buckled, yet she stayed upright as she reached for and clung to a nearby trellis.

“For us, as well,” Hux said, as they approached.

Tolvar took her by the waist and helped her wobble to a stone bench.

“How did you know?” Elanna asked, shifting to balance herself so she did not collapse.

“Your grip,” Tolvar said as though that explained everything. “I have spoken to the sovereign. We are here to serve you.” His expression was so resolute, so solemn. It reminded Elanna of his importance, even if she did not understand it.

“I brought you a drink, m’lady,” Joss said, extending a goblet of cider to Elanna.

If Joss had not been in Elanna’s company for so long now and knew how liquid revived her after Seeing the stars, she might have asked how the dame knew to have a drink on hand. Instead, she nodded her appreciation to Joss and took a healthy gulp of the cool, crisp cider.

She scanned the area. The sound moments ago must have been merely her imagination. She closed her eyes, testing whether or not the sound would reverberate again.

“What is our next move, Lady?” Hux asked.

“Prince Dashiell understands the stakes and confirmed that he would wed Lady Wenonah. But I have Seen that my fortune’s path is to bear witness of the marriage. After that, I shall return to Ashwin.”

Elanna gazed down into the half-empty goblet. “Something still troubles me.”

“Go on.”

“’Tis as I said. What if the prince holds favor for another? His mind may be resolved, but one’s heart is a different matter. He is young and bold. And what if he was in Askella keeping company with a Lenforese lady in secret? There can be no future for them.” She paused. “He must stay the course.”

Tolvar made a gruff sound, his jaw muscles flexing under the light of the torches.

“Can King Rian be convinced to move up the wedding date?” Joss asked. “’Tis not to take place until the Harvest Nay Moon, but if it is sooner, mayhap Prince Dashiell will not do anything rash and to his detriment.”

The echo of the rumble reverberated through Elanna. What was that?

“Mayhap. Truly, I would rather not stay in Asalle for more moons than necessary. I must return to my sisters. The cord of light that binds us to one another will only grow more taut.”

“Let us hope that the sovereign finds favor with a Prodigal Moon wedding,” Hux said.

Tolvar ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Something else bothered him, and it seemed clear what it was.

“We are safely behind the sovereign’s castle walls now,” Elanna said. “Tell me what it is you saw last night.”

Tolvar’s expression pinched into a deeper frown.

“Dead birds, Lady,” Hux supplied. “And a grievous message drawn in the dirt.”

“About me?” Her hand drew to her throat instinctively.

“There is little doubt that it was,” Tolvar said. “Which is what troubles me. It must be the work of my brother.”

He said no more. Elanna could feel his internal war. A knight pledged to her. A knight vowed to hunt villains .

“I will inquire with King Rian about the wedding date, but?—”

The sound of stone cracking cleaved to her ears. She flinched. The cracks couldn’t be in Asalle.

Silence lingered in the group as they waited for Elanna to recover.

“In the meantime, did you not say that the royal ravenmaster was mixed up in this? Who better to shed light on secret messages to an unknown lady than he?” Hux folded his arms across his chest.

“Mayhap that is why I Saw him,” Elanna said.

“Then let us pay him a visit. If he does work against the House of Sidra, mayhap we can keep the prince’s foolishness to a minimum.”