Page 20 of The Broken Elf King
THREE
My mind was an insatiable thing, and when I gave it something to chew on that it couldn’t figure out, it didn’t rest.
I lay awake in the early morning hours, unable to sleep all night. I tossed and turned thinking of Corleena.Blackberries.Vomiting blood. Why did those things feel connected? They shouldn’t, blackberries didn’t make you vomit blood. If they did, the mother and father would be too.
I decided to get up early for the day and hit the library. Maybe something in there could help me solve this riddle. I dressed in a pale pink chiffon gown with the back cut out, and braided my hair down my back, applying some pink lip stain to finish the look. I liked the status the title of my new job gave me, and dressing the part for it was important and fun. Every day a new dress arrived from the seamstress in a beautiful color or pattern and fit my body like a glove. It was any little girl’s dream.
Over the next hour, as the sun began to rise, I pored over books. The palace librarian wasn’t here yet but I was sure we’d become fast friends eventually. Reading was my favorite pastime. I dug into herbology, poisons, horticulture, bleeding disorders. It was only when I flipped to a chapter called invasive species that my entire body went rigid.
Corlia Mortifia or “nightlock berries” are invasive to Archmere and grow only in Nightfall. These berries look and smell similar to Archmerian blackberries but cause internal bleeding in children and mild stomach cramping in adults.
It was like my soul left my body in that moment; the shock of this truth rang throughout my being. The parents weren’t poisoning her. She was doing that herself! She must be eating berries from the field that weren’t blackberries.
Without another thought I burst from where I’d been sitting in a reading chair and ran across the small library, book opened in my hands to the page about the nightlock berries.
I barely remembered where the king’s private sleep quarters were when he’d told me, but luckily I had a map. Pulling it out, I consulted the giant palace floorplan and headed in the direction of his private wing. When I got to the giant double doors of his room, I noticed a Bow Man on either side. They gripped their weapons as I approached, which was ridiculous considering I’d just met them in the meeting yesterday. Cahal, the giant one with reddish hair and a beard, and Ares, the dark-skinned one with dreamy eyes, looked at me suspiciously as if my book would knock them out or something.
“I need to speak with the king. It’s urgent!” I told them, and rushed forward to knock on the door. They held out their arms to stop me, and then squeezed together to block my way.
“He’s not to be disturbed,” Cahal said.
“This is life or death!” I screamed. “If you don’t let me knock on this door, a little girl might die and then I will—”
The door wrenched open and the men moved out of the way, heads down. My eyes fell on the taut muscles of the tunicless king. His hair was fully down, scattered around his shoulders, and his trousers were hanging half way off his hips, barely tied.
Holy Maker of all things beautiful.
His skin draped over taut muscle; not an ounce of fat graced his trim, chiseled body.
Someone moved in the room behind him and I startled to see a woman with blond hair streak past behind him and into a washroom. She was fully dressed and looked like she was crying, which was weird.
Oh.Oh.
The king is not to be disturbed. Now I knew why. Heat crept up my cheeks as I realized I’d just interrupted him bedding a woman.
“Kailani, what it is?” His voice was gruff and thick with sleep… or arousal from the obvious lovemaking I’d just disturbed.
Maker, kill me now.
I couldn’t find my words, so instead I handed him the book, page open to the nightlock berries. I watched as his eyes widened the more he read. A growl rumbled in his throat and then he looked at one of his Bow Men. “Cahal, saddle the horses. We’re going to Briar Ridge.”
Without another word, his lead Bow Man took off like a stallion down the hallway.
Then Raife looked at me, seemingly for the first time. His gaze ran the length of my pink gown and then back up, eyes hooding. “You ride horses?”
I just nodded, still unable to speak. I was afraid if I did say something it would be gibberish, or worse—I’d tell him how amazing he looked half naked.
“Meet me in the stables,” he said, handing me the book back and then shut the door in my face, breaking the hold his pecs had over me.
My chest was heaving as I looked sideways at the single Bow Man who now guarded the door. Ares. If he knew I was blushing, he said nothing about it. A true professional.
Pushing all thoughts of what I’d just witnessed out of my mind, I consulted my map and then rushed out of the castle and to the stables. I was surprised to see the king was already there. He must have a second exit to his room or an underground tunnel or something.
A medium sized white female horse was already saddled and waiting for me. In Nightfall we had mostly motorized horseless carriages, negating the need for horses, but I’d still learned to ride for sport. Hooking my leg into the stirrup, I hoisted myself up onto the mare and sat sidesaddle, fanning out my dress.
“We have to get there before she eats any more of these berries,” Raife said, and I nodded in agreement.
* * *
