Page 32 of Keeper of the Word (The Unsung and the Wolf Duology #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

ELANNA

T hree days passed before Prince Dashiell came to the Delara. During that time, Elanna had been practically nowhere else. No more rides. No more talks of frivolity.

She broke her fast in her chambers, spent most of the day alone in the Delara, dined in the Crown Hall with Joss and Barrett, and spent the evenings in the garden under the stars.

Hux had spoken little to her, tailing her when it was his turn to be on duty, but kept mostly to himself.

When she’d inquired about him following Dashiell, he’d waved her off, saying he needed more time before speaking on the matter.

She knew she’d pained him by turning him away.

He’d only been attempting to help. What did a Deogolian know of StarSeers and Delaras and…

duty, apparently? When Hux was not with her, Elanna found herself wondering if he was somewhere in the castle lurking about, spying in corners and corridors, or—she caught herself picturing his dark eyes.

She had to concentrate. ’Twas as if the very air simmered around her. And the tension would soon boil over.

The stars had been little help. Nothing of the witch. Nothing of the prince. Nothing of Tolvar, how he fared or when he would return. No ravens had come with any message .

The heavy door of the Delara shut. Prince Dashiell ambled toward her like an outsider.

“I fear I may have exaggerated how long it had been since I stepped in here,” he said when he knelt beside her.

“You do not pray?”

“Of course I do, m’lady, but I generally save prayer for the solace of my rooms. My comings and goings are widely known. My window faces the north sky.”

It was then Elanna noticed the beads of sweat that freckled his forehead. His clasped hands quivered.

“Are you well, Your Highness?”

“Aye, of course. Why would you ask that? Princes are always well.”

Elanna was quiet for a moment. She was uncertain why they were here together, and she sensed this was to be her only chance for whatever this was. “I am seldom asked if I am well, either.”

Prince Dashiell’s youthful smile widened. “Then I shall ask. How are you, Lady Elanna?”

“Well. Well as I can be, I suppose. That is to say.”

Prince Dashiell chuckled. “That was resoundingly affirmative.”

“About as resounding as yours, Your Highness.”

He laughed again but sobered. “’Tis difficult to always place duty before our own well-being, is it not?”

The question took her off-guard. It reminded her of Hux. “I have given that little thought in the last decades, in truth. I exist for my duties.”

“Do you earnestly believe that?”

“Do you not? StarSeers are the stewardesses of the realm.”

“Aye. We are tethered together, your lot and mine.” Dashiell studied his clasped hands. “Are you bound to the confidence of others, m’lady? Do StarSeers hear confessions and keep them private?”

A drip of sweat landed on his hands.

“We hear many matters from those who would seek their fortune and must divulge matters they would keep to themselves. The stars do not bind StarSeers to any secrecy, Your Highness, but if you have some matter that presses on your mind and need a confidant, I would gladly be that person for you.”

The Delara became silent.

“M’lady, the truth is, I find I do need a confidant. There are inner workings here, new and changed—even before this betrothal business—that I find I cannot ignore. I find that I grow leery of trusting some…and some positions that I thought I could.”

Elanna remained patient. Please help me, she prayed to the veiled stars. Help me to help him.

The silence resumed. Whatever weighed upon Prince Dashiell was heavy, indeed. One might think from his tone that his eyes would be sweeping the room, but instead, he kept firmly still.

When he spoke again, he faced her. “Might I truly trust you?”

“By the Light of the stars that courses through my veins, you may fully trust me.”

He cleared his throat. “Before the Rapture Moon, I was in?—”

The door opened, and Prince Dashiell may as well have been imitating a hoshefer, so spooked he appeared.

“There you are, Your Highness. We’ve been searching for you,” the knight said. Dashiell gave her a sideways glimpse. “The chancellor requires your presence. The sovereign has business for you to attend to.”

“See what I mean?” The prince wrapped himself in his smile. “My comings and goings are always watched. I hear you enjoy the gardens at night, Lady Elanna.”

“Aye.”

“Mayhap our paths will cross there this evening. ’Tis supposed to be a lovely night.”

For the rest of the day, Elanna fidgeted. Until finally, the reprieve of sundown—the stars winking through the sky—allowed some of her nervous energy to fade as she, Joss, and Barrett found their place in the garden.

Without Tara and her other sisters, ’twas difficult.

StarSeers did not always share their visions with one another, but more often than not, they sought each other for counsel and guidance.

They helped one another with their interpretations.

Elanna had no one. She knew she could trust Joss, Barrett, and Hux—at least, she thought she could.

But they were here for her guardianship, not direction.

Guardianship. The thought of the Lucien Law was a ponderous thing.

True, there had always been guards in Ashwin, but to be constantly followed and tracked and kept like a corralled creature—she supposed it would feel very much like it did now.

Two of the three were always with her. And while Elanna was fond of all of them, Prince Dashiell had a point.

Comings and goings would never be her own.

What if the Lucien Law was invoked and a guardian was chosen for her whom she disliked or even despised? Dashiell did not seem particularly fond of his new guards.

“Stars, help me.”

“Did you say something, m’lady?” Joss said from her stance a few feet away.

“Nay. Nothing.” Little did Joss know she illustrated the very concern Elanna mulled over.

Elanna was suddenly struck by the sensation that Dashiell was not coming to the garden. His path had changed.

Stars.

Elanna caught the word “Hux” as Joss whispered to Barrett.

“Is Hux relieving you soon?”

Hux had remained scarce since he’d exited the Delara. Joss and Barrett had received little rest.

“I hope so.” Joss narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest before immediately unfolding them. “Pardon, m’lady.”

“No pardon necessary. Ah, here comes your relief now.”

“Stars almighty,” Joss whispered to Barrett as she stiffened.

Hux strode to them. “’Tis a cheery reception.”

Joss tightened her pursed lips as she exchanged a side-glance with Barrett.

“I say, Joss, you appear as though you’d like to skin me! Why do not you and Barrett enjoy a pleasant, relaxing night? I shall take it from here.”

Now their exchange of glances was obvious.

“Please,” Elanna said, “I will be quite safe in the hands of Hux. Little can happen within these walls. I insist that you have a quiet evening without standing here in the garden all night.”

“But,” Barrett said, “Lord Tolvar would not be pleased?—”

“Sir Barrett, we are within the walls of the castle. Please.”

“Goddesses of the moon, Joss!” Hux said, “If you two truly desire no rest, I am content to go gamble at cards or find some other sport.”

Joss fed Hux a few choice words before they finally left.

“Lord Wolf certainly knows how to find the most stubborn of knights,” Hux said. Then he chuckled. “You have given them a gift this evening, Lady. Do not let their disapproving countenance fool you. Those lovers will spend the night locked together.”

“What?”

“Elanna.” Hux tsked. “Come now, but surely you’ve noticed.”

“Nay, absolutely not. You are certain they are lovers?”

“Quite certain. And the most satisfying detail is I do not think Tolvar knows.” Hux laughed.

Elanna stared after the direction they’d gone. Toward the labyrinth that other pairs had sought. Joss and Barrett?

“You look positively confounded,” Hux said, sitting on a stone bench and patting it until she sat beside him. “We’ve already established your Lady Tara has a lover.”

Stars.

“Unsanctioned.”

“Do the stars forbid it?”

Elanna found she couldn’t answer. “I—know not. Mayhap ’tis more from tradition, but in my readings of the histories, ’twould seem that love can muddle things.”

Hux gave a deep-throated chuckle, scanning the garden. “Love does muddle things.”

Despite knowing that Dashiell would not appear, Elanna took another glance at the main entrance.

“Have you ever been in love?” Elanna asked. She bit her lip. What a foolish question and certainly none of her affair. But she never had been, and contemplating Joss and Barrett embracing somewhere in the shadows made her curiosity arise .

“On many occasions.” He winked. “But I assume you mean more of an all-consuming love, Lady. I think not. Lord Tolvar would be a better person to converse with on that topic. I’ve known very few others who’ve loved deeply. My brother, I suppose, when he was younger.”

“I did not know you had a brother.”

Hux’s smile was subdued. “I did. He died during the Unsung’s quest.”

Elanna sensed he did not want to speak more on that subject. “’twas brave of you to join the Unsung on her quest. Were you one of the recruits into the Deogolian Order of Siria? I know they played a role.”

Hux paused before answering. “What else have you heard, Lady? Any other tales of anyone else there?”

“An odd reply. Citizens from a nearby town, I believe. The army of the sovereign. Who am I missing?”

“No one of consequence. I was not a recruit in the Order of Siria, but I was recruited, you might say. Sloane was a wonderfully stubborn person. Small wonder the Wolf loved her so. They were evenly matched.”

The chirping of crickets began, and a comfortable silence swelled between them.

The night sky whispered to Elanna.

Hux gazed at the Half-Moon. “I find it odd that two lands, once so connected, forsake each other’s beauty.”

“What do you mean?”

“The moon and stars belong together. The sun’s light blocks out all others, but there is a sense of harmony in the delicate shine balanced between them. I find it difficult to observe them separately. I suppose I could be hanged in either realm for such a suggestion.”

“They are connected.” Elanna smiled, glancing at Hux’s hand on the bench. “And StarSeers may be beholden to the stars, but we know the goddesses of the moons. ’Tis been an age, but there was a time when they could speak to one another.”

It became quiet. Despite herself, the memory of Hux taking her in his arms came into focus instead of the matter at hand with Dashiell’s would-be confession.

When she gazed into Hux’s eyes, Elanna beheld a dark depth to them that she had never taken the time to notice.

She didn’t want to stare into them to find traces of his fortune as she so often did.

She didn’t want to stare into them to gauge his motivations for being near her. She simply wished to stare into them.

Hux, too, regarded her.

Elanna’s heart grew restless.

He leaned in. And in a fluid movement, he leaned away. “Lady, I?—”

Her breath held.

“I did hear you the other day. I must respect your”—he lifted his hand and gazed at her own as if he might take it— “position. Lord Tolvar’s position. I…”

And then, Elanna Saw her first visions of Hux’s fortune. It doused her in a mixture of emotions. Some of the flashes were years from now. Some would come to pass before the Solstice Moon. One was hostile. One was happy. One was heinous.

But there was one flash of the future that was this moment.

And what she Saw in this moment was not what she desired.

Elanna came to and perceived that Hux had continued his stuttering speech. “…You mistake me, Lady. I have so few”—He dropped his shoulders—“I have so few beautiful moments in my life to hold on to. I hate to ruin this one.”

Just as she’d Seen, Elanna placed her hand over his and said the words she’d heard from the stars. Just as her duties as a StarSeer commanded. “Worry not. Your fortune may yet be filled with goodness.”

He stood, releasing her hand. She knew he would. He took a few steps before obviously realizing he could not leave her alone in the garden.

The stars had given her words of comfort. The words that a priestess or an advisor would give. Not the words of a woman who felt a strange allure to the man who stood here .

StarSeers aren’t meant to act. StarSeers aren’t meant to love. StarSeers are meant to follow the stars.

What Elanna had Seen of this moment ended. Ended here. With Hux several feet away. It had ended just as Hux had feared. Ruined.

She ached with sorrow.

Beautiful moments.

Elanna realized that she, too, had only a handful of beautiful moments to call her own. And as far as this moment was concerned, the rest of it would belong to her.

“Hux.” Elanna rose from the bench, coming to stand before him.

He did not retreat.

Elanna’s hands trembled. Their eyes met.

As natural as taking a step, the two leaned into each other, and their lips touched.

Kissing Hux was more extraordinary than Elanna had imagined. His lips were warm. He smelled like evergreen. Her starlit blood surged through her. She wanted more. Her lips sought his, and when he returned her force in kind, her toes tingled.

Everything tingled.

They parted; the sensation of his scruff against her chin lingered.

“Lady, I apologize, I?—”

Elanna’s knees wobbled. Hux walked her to the bench to sit.

“I am sorry. I should not have?—”

“Cease,” Elanna said. A lightheadedness warmed her. But it was so unlike when she’d had an important vision from the stars. She felt alive. “You did naught wrong. I took part, too.”

“I do not understand all of it; I’m not a keeper of the star faiths, but I do know you are important, as you said, an ordained being. ’Tis one reason why I’ve tried to keep my distance. And my distance I shall keep.”

“I do not wish you to.”

He knelt. “I must. Besides, you are too pure for me, even were you not a Seer. ”

“I told you?—”

“I do mean it. Elanna, glad I am you See goodness in my fortune, but I fear I do not deserve it. I do not wish to speak of my past—and I do try to make amends—but my past is too befouled for you.”

“Nothing in your past can be that ill if you are here.”

“I would very much like to believe that, but for both our sakes, let me be honorable.”

He strode away until he was out of eyesight. He was still there. A silent sentinel. But he did not speak to her again.