Page 9 of Oaths & Vengeance (Realm of Zadrya #1)

The moment they moved, I thrust my hands out and shoved a torrential force of wind straight at them, angling it so they swung down the alley into a pair of large rubbish bins.

They hit them so hard that their bodies smashed the wooden containers and splintered them into pieces.

I didn’t bother waiting to see how they fared and hurried toward my destination.

The stupid ogres had likely assumed they were dealing with a lesser fae since elves came at all power levels, and most were nowhere near my strength. Highborn ladies didn’t usually travel alone at night, especially in a city like this.

I’d like to say that relief filled me when I finally reached the tavern after more than twenty minutes of crossing the city, but my journey to this point was the easy part.

The next step could end with me dead. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Inside, I found the dimly lit place teaming with fae.

Some sat at scarred wooden tables chatting, others stood at a wide bar to the left, and still more were doing interesting things in the back booths that would have made me blush when I was younger.

The mood was a mix of joviality and lust inside .

When I entered, no one paid attention to me, so I headed straight to the back. There were several doors. One was marked as a privy, while another was half open, revealing a bustling kitchen. That meant the door on the far right was my best bet for where to find Darrow.

A dryad bumped into me near my destination.

She was covered in foliage, and soft twigs made up her hair.

Her arms and legs appeared stumpy compared to humans, but her eyes were dark green and almost normal.

She inclined her head, countless little leaves rustling with the movement, and wandered away.

They tended not to speak unless it was something important.

I finally made it to the door, turning the handle easily. Fear clutched at my throat, but I shoved it down in that place that helped me deal with my uncle during one of his tirades. I had to do this for Rynn. If this were the only chance she had to live, I must take it.

The room was bigger than I expected. To my right, about ten elves sat at a large oak table littered with bronze mugs.

The booth had custom seats on three sides attached to the hunter-green walls, plus a few chairs at the fourth end.

They drank and chatted, not even noticing me for the first minute I stood watching them after shutting the door.

I took a few steps closer, debating what to do.

This was going to be awkward with such a large audience.

“Darrow!” I said just loud enough to reach over all the other voices.

It quieted to a murmur, and nearly everyone turned to look at me.

A man with familiar brown and black hair tied at the nape of his neck had his face buried in a female elf’s ample chest. He lifted his head without turning, keeping his eyes on the woman.

“Who is asking?”

Here goes nothing, I thought, and lowered my hood to reveal my blonde hair. “Aella from Therress.”

The room went from quiet to deathly still.

He stiffened and turned to face me. It was all I could do to keep from gasping.

He was unlike any other man I’d seen before, with startlingly good looks that should have been criminal.

His slate-gray eyes stared at me as if he could penetrate my soul.

He had firm, high cheekbones and a strong jaw that might as well have been carved from stone.

His skin was a light, sandy color, indicating that he had seen a decent amount of sun, but I couldn’t recognize the shade as being common anywhere.

At best guess, that was because he was half-light elf and half dark elf.

He had a muscular build with broad shoulders.

I was certain that even without his powers, he could knock down almost any opponent with a hard punch.

The man was even larger than I’d estimated on the battlefield.

I’d never seen a more stunningly lethal elf, which made me wish to the nameless ones he wasn’t my enemy.

Recalling the memory of my father’s fire-scorched body, burned by Darrow’s sire, helped me put the dangerous killer into perspective.

“Aella?” he asked, lifting an arched brow. “The same half-elf who sent me flying off my horse last week?”

Oh, good. I left an impression on him. “Yes.”

Darrow lifted a hand, and the next thing I knew, my back slammed against the wall behind me. The air whooshed from my lungs. I had expected a less-than-welcome response, but not exactly this. It was all I could do to keep from trembling.

“Hmm, you’re prettier than I expected. It was difficult to tell from a distance.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s the only reason I haven’t broken your slender neck already. What are you doing here?” Darrow asked, arching a dark brow.

I swallowed. He had me plastered against the wall so I couldn’t move, but he’d applied just the right amount of pressure so I could still breathe and speak.

It wasn’t as bad as him gagging me with my hair the other day.

That was at least something. Maybe he was going to do me the courtesy of asking questions first, as I’d hoped.

“I need to request a favor from you,” I said, keeping my gaze on his.

Laughter burst from everyone at the table.

Darrow’s eyes danced with merriment. “Did I rattle your brain a little too much?”

Wonderful. The half-dark elf had a sense of humor .

“Would I come into your territory alone at night and announce myself to a room full of enemies if I didn’t have an extremely good reason?” I asked, surprising myself with my courage to speak to him in such a way. Why couldn’t I be that bold with anyone else?

He appeared to mull that over momentarily and then gestured at several elves across the table. “Go outside and make sure she didn’t bring company. Considering her special talent, it’s possible. If there’s no one suspicious out there, stay on guard for now.”

Four elves rushed from the room, each glaring at me as they passed.

I’d ruined their fun night. Darrow ordered the others to leave, except one female sitting at the table's far end.

Based on her matching hair, skin, and eyes, I assumed the woman was his twin sister, Faina.

She was rumored to be a formidable warrior and close to her brother, but that was all I knew about her.

“I didn’t come here to fight you,” I said, annoyed by my awkward position. “Or become a wall ornament.”

Darrow rose from the table and sauntered toward me with lethal grace.

I was tall at five feet, ten inches, but he had to be half a foot taller.

He stopped just before me. It was all I could do to keep my breath steady as his close presence threatened to overwhelm my senses.

I had to remind myself of all my family members that his side had killed—their faces swimming before my mind’s eyes.

We were enemies, and that would never change.

He brushed a stray hair from my face, almost like a lover would do, but I knew he was playing with me. “Imagine the notoriety I could claim if I made you a permanent fixture on this wall. Your head would look lovely here.”

“Don’t touch me,” I warned.

He grinned but took a step back. “Your uncle often uses you to transport his army, but never this far. Did you have to portal hop?”

That was what most people with my gift did if they needed to travel far.

It required channeling to a nearby ring, waiting a few hours for one’s powers to recharge, and then opening another in a series until finally reaching their ultimate destination.

It was a giant pain and something I only did in those first few years while training and expanding my powers.

“No.” I rolled my eyes. “Getting here was easy and direct.”

Sure, I’d struggled a little to get past his wards, but I refused to tell him that.

Darrow crossed his arms. “ Easy? Where else can you go?”

It was a valid question. The only other fae who could open a portal at this distance through wards was in the king’s court.

She used to be stronger than me, but I was reasonably certain I’d surpassed her in power by the time I reached my mid-twenties.

Since she was well over a hundred, she wouldn’t be getting any stronger.

“Hear me out for why I came here, and I’ll tell you.”

Faina shook her head. “Why bother? Go ahead and kill her, and we will have far fewer problems. Her uncle won’t be able to sneak into our territory and raze our villages as easily anymore.”

I stiffened. Lord Morgunn had sworn he’d never do that again, and as far as I knew, he hadn’t.

Darrow narrowed his eyes, studying me. “How do you get through our wards? Every time you come here, we strengthen them more, yet you still make it through.”

Of course, I was well aware of that. “It just takes more power and concentration.”

Irritation twisted his features, and the pressure on me tightened until I could barely breathe. I needed to speak fast if I wanted to live. “I came here…to ask for help…but I’m offering my…portal services in return. You know…you don’t have anyone…as strong as me.”

His hold eased a fraction as he gave me an incredulous look. “What could you want so badly that you’d offer a deal like that? And does your uncle know you’re here?”

“Lord Morgunn…doesn’t know…and will punish me…

if he ever finds out,” I admitted, hoping they wouldn’t use that as blackmail against me as I sucked in shallow breaths.

“The reason I came…is for my cousin, Rynn. She’s had the faebor fever…

for five days now. Our healer…Briauna…told me her sister could save her…

but you’re the only one…who knows how to… contact Durelle.”