Page 13 of Oaths & Vengeance (Realm of Zadrya #1)

Darrow

S he’d said opening portals to my land was easy, but I’d still had difficulty believing it until I watched her.

Over the years, we’d spent considerable time and resources warding Veronna’s rings so that no channeler could use them except our own and the king’s.

Not only could Aella do it anyway, but faster than our people.

Generations could pass without someone like her appearing.

I knew because I’d investigated those with her gifts in regard to another matter.

After the blue light disappeared behind her, I headed back to the tavern.

There were still fae on the streets—mostly drunks or criminals—but none dared come near me.

They knew better. I was Lord Gannon’s dark elf son with enough power to crush any of them in seconds if the mood struck me.

Over the years, I’d even done it a few times before they’d learned not to cross my path.

Only those who deserved it, of course, but I’d made a spectacle of their deaths as an example. Many believed I had no soul.

That wasn’t quite accurate. I rubbed at the back of my neck where I had my own curse mark, though, unlike Aella, I came into the world with mine.

My father’s entire male line had inherited it for more than six centuries.

It dimmed most of our emotions as soon as we gained magic at adolescence and rendered us incapable of love.

It was one more reason why Aella was my perfect match.

Who else besides an enemy should be bound to someone who could never feel more than slight concern for them?

I’d make certain she never forgot the bad blood between us and remind her whenever she appeared to soften toward me.

She would because that kiss proved it, giving in to me too easily .

Though she was Therressian, even she didn’t deserve to fall for a man who couldn’t love her back.

I’d seen the damage it did to my father and grandfather with their marriages and, more recently, with my older brother and his wife.

On the other hand, she could also be the one to help break our damn curse. Wouldn’t that be ironic?

My sister waited for me outside the tavern, standing next to one of my closest friends, Loden.

He had a strong, medium build, short brown hair, and lightly tanned skin.

Though he was as good a fighter as anyone in my inner circle, he was the least obtrusive.

I appreciated that he was a thinker and often poked holes in my plans so I had a better chance at success.

“Any problem seeing your intended off?” Faina asked with a smirk.

I shook my head. “She opened the portal like it was hers rather than ours.”

“Aella is one of the puzzle pieces we need then,” Loden surmised. “I heard about the deal you made with her, and I think it was the right call, though I’m surprised you two came up with that plan without me.”

I gave him an exasperated look. “We occasionally get something right.”

He snorted. “I’m even more surprised you convinced a Therressian to go along with it. Marriage…to you?”

“Her other choice was to abide by her uncle’s plan to betroth her to Baron Elgord,” I said, then informed them about Aella’s curse mark. “At least she’ll have more freedom with me.”

Faina shuddered. “I think I’d rather marry a troll than that baron.”

“I could have that arranged.”

She punched me hard in the shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.”

We paused our conversation momentarily when a pair of pixies exited the tavern, giggling and holding onto each other as they passed us. This wasn’t the best place to discuss sensitive matters.

“Let’s go to my loft,” I suggested.

It took up the entire second floor of a building and included three bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a large living room. It had several shops below that closed by early evening so we could be as loud as we wanted at night.

“Yes, let’s do that,” Faina said, taking mine and Loden’s arms .

We didn’t speak again until we’d poured drinks and settled onto my comfortable couches.

This place was an escape from the drama of court life.

The curse muted my emotions, but they weren’t gone.

I seemed to be able to feel stress, anger, and annoyance at near-normal levels, but since they rarely had to do with love, that made sense.

I gulped down my drink and set the glass on the side table. “We’ve got three days to organize matters before I summon Aella, and there’s much to do.”

“You need to speak with the king first thing in the morning with that timeline,” Loden said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “And someday, you’ll have to tell me how he owes you favors.”

There were some secrets even my best friends didn’t know—not yet, anyway.

I sat back in my seat. “Siggaya’s channeler opens a portal to Porrine every morning at eight, so that won’t be a problem.

It might take me a full day to get back, though, so I’ll need you all to run interference with everyone else while I’m gone.

Only you two can know about this for now.

I don’t want to risk the wedding getting blocked before it happens. ”

After that, there would be some explaining once my father discovered what I’d done, but he couldn’t undo it without the king’s blessing.

I preferred my marriage to stay a secret until certain elements came together.

None would be easy, but Aella would make their chances of success much higher.

She had no idea she’d handed me a precious gift, and all I had to do was ask my aunt to heal her cousin.

I’d gotten the better end of that deal, even if she had no idea.

Faina started laughing to herself.

I lifted a brow at her. “What?”

“She really thought we’d kill her.” My sister rubbed mirthful tears from her eyes. “Threatening her was almost worth it just to see how she reacted, and wow, I’ve never seen anyone channel that kind of wind in a closed space.”

Neither had I, and it had stunned me when she forced us both against the wall.

I was used to being the one who flexed power like that, but my future wife would be a true challenge.

At least she had some spirit. She’d need it in the coming months because some of my plans would be dangerous, and she had to be able to protect herself.

Loden stared into his drink. “How long will you wait for her to take us to Jolloure?”

I mulled it over. “Perhaps a week or two after we’re married. I’ll have to work around her schedule and mine if we want to avoid notice. My father doesn’t make that easy with his endless tasks, which he claims are to keep me out of trouble.”

More like he didn’t trust Faina and me since our mother’s betrayal, so we were forced to prove ourselves constantly.

It was why I rarely fought against Therress, and instead, he usually kept me on our western coast, pushing back any dark elves who tried to infiltrate our land.

My mother, Zareen, also made demands of me.

The two of them were exhausting when I had my own plots to hatch on top of theirs.

“Do you think Durelle will heal that girl?” Faina asked.

I nodded. “Our aunt said she could do one more before she lost all her strength, but it has to be someone especially worthy. Aella wouldn’t have gone to her knees and begged us for help unless she truly believed her cousin was worth it—never mind offering her power up for trade.”

My sister took a long drink before meeting my gaze. “Agreed. That’s what sold me, too.”

Of course, we still needed to play the game because it would have been suspicious if we’d acted too eager at the tavern. It came in handy that Faina and I could communicate mind to mind so no one would know what we discussed.

“Check in with the spies when you get a chance,” I told her, mind racing ahead to everything I needed to accomplish in the next few days.

“Find out all you can on Aella that we don’t already know and let the ones living at Ivory Castle keep and Tradain know to maintain a close watch on her, though not so obvious she’ll suspect them. ”

She grinned. “I was already thinking the same thing.”

“Good.” I stood and stretched. “I’m going to bed, but you two may feel free to keep plotting without me.”

“As if you expect anything less,” Loden said, shaking his head.