Page 81 of The Broken Elf King
FIFTEEN
The next morning I woke late and found that it was already lunchtime. Raife was in the private dining room when I entered, looking at some maps.
“Morning,” he said in greeting. “Natasia is doing much better with an emotional healing but is still on watch, and your aunt’s mass has shrunk about half the size. She’s resting in the infirmary for the next two days just as a precaution. She will be very sleepy.”
He’d already done it? I’d wanted to be there, but I suppose time was of the essence. She could have another seizure, and then we would be in trouble with more damage.
“Thank you,” I told him.
He nodded, chewing at his lip, and I knew he was dealing with a lot this morning as king.
“Did Nightfall retaliate?” I asked.
He rubbed his face. “Not yet. I was told their scent dogs found the gap in the fence and then they left.”
We hadn’t talked about the machine yet, the one that could strip us of our power. It felt too dark to speak out loud, but I knew we had to.
“Raife. That machine… you have to stop her.” Emotion clogged my throat when I thought of Natasia in the infirmary on twenty-four-hour watch because that machine had taken everything from her. Magic was what made up a magical creature’s essence. Now that I had this ability to be empathic, or breathe the Breath of Life into someone, I couldn’t imagine it being taken away.
“I know,” he said, his voice sounding hollow as if he was warring with something. “I need to go get word to Drae about this machine. His people cannot live without their magic, but I don’t trust a messenger. It would cause panic across the entire realm.”
I nodded and Raife shook his head. “But I also need to stay and prepare for a possible retaliation. Those arrows I left in the men are elvin-made. The queen will know it was someone from Archmere who assassinated her scientists.”
“So what?” I growled, and Raife appeared shocked at my sudden anger, his eyes going wide. “Let that evil witchtryto retaliate.”
Raife looked approvingly over at me. “My queen, I admire your willingness to go to war with Zaphira, but if she were to attack in full force without me here, it would end in disaster.”
“If you don’t get word to Drae, then she could use that machine on the people of Embergate and kill them. The dragon king would be wholly unprepared.”
He leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. I abandoned my lunch and dragged my chair closer to him. When I sat next to him, he looked up at me and I saw all of the responsibility of a king warring in his eyes.
“If you can get Drae to go to Thorngate and tell Lucien of this machine, you might be able to unite all of the races against her. I know how things work in Nightfall, Raife. She’ll put all of her engineers into an assembly line, reproducing that one machine, and by month’s end she will have a hundred of them. By years end, a thousand.”
He audibly choked at my words and I nodded.
“So go. Go get Drae, and if anything happens while you’re gone, the council and I can handle it.”
His eyes burned into mine as if assessing my ability to do so.
I leaned back and crossed my arms, raising one eyebrow. “I read the entirety ofTheNature of Warin your room the other day. I can handle a skirmish at the border.”
He nodded. “Good, because as queen that’s exactly what you’ll be called to do in my absence.”
Anxiety roiled through me at that but I just nodded. Servant becomes queen, and then acting war leader? Sounded like a recipe for disaster.
“I’ll give Zaphira one more night to make her move. If she doesn’t, I’ll ride out to Embergate first thing in the morning. I’ll tell Drae about the machine, and ask him to see Lucien with me.” He stood then and told me he had meetings to get to.
I inclined my head and finished my lunch in relative silence. I didn’t like this laidback queen role. I wanted to be in on the meetings. I missed being his assistant and being busy, but I understood that job was no longer appropriate. At least I didn’t need to taste the food anymore. I never liked that.
* * *
The day passed quickly.I spent the entirety of it at the infirmary with my aunt, and even visited Natasia briefly, keeping a distance from her.
“I should go,” I told my aunt, yawning. It was after dinner and I was tired even though I’d slept in.
My aunt nodded, she’d slept half the time I was there and spent the rest of the time listening to me read to her quietly.
When I kissed her cheek she smiled, with all of her facial muscles, and I nearly wept in relief. “Goodnight, Auntie.” I stood and crossed the room, reaching for the door.
