Page 42 of The Broken Elf King
Autumn’s sister, a human, was married to an elf. I’d forgotten that until just now. She often traveled here in secret to visit her nieces and nephews, so she knew the land well. If she was caught, the queen would kill her.
“So you’re… part elf?” She looked at me closer, her eyes going right to my rounded ears. “I heard the debtors sold you into slavery, and then your aunt told me about your lineage. She’s hoping the king would be lenient with one of his own. The whole neighborhood has been worried sick about you, Lani.”
I opened my mouth to speak and she took in my silk cream colored dress with light blue ribbon detail, then her gaze fell to the ring on my marriage finger and she gasped. “But I guess you’re more than okay. Lani, what’s going on?”
I wasn’t prepared to be confronted with my past, and Autumn was the closest thing to a best friend I had.
I exhaled, running my fingers through my hair. “I was captured, sold as a slave to the elf king, and then somehow I became his personal assistant and now we’re engaged.” I gave a nervous laugh.
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry. Did you just say you were engaged to theelfking?”
I trusted Autumn, but if she was ever interrogated about me I didn’t want her to have to keep any secrets, so I decided not to tell her it was a fake marriage. In doing that, I’d have to tell her about the king’s war with the queen, and I didn’t want to do that and jeopardize his plans.
“Holy Hades, Kailani!” she finally shrieked, grinning. “You’re going to become the queen of the elves?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
She was grinning ear to ear and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Your aunt is going to flip when I tell her.” She pulled a note from her pocket and handed it to me.
“How is she? The seizures?” I looked for signs of worry on her face, but she nodded.
“She’s great. The medicine is working, she’s been seizure free and back at work.”
That was good, but the medicine would run out soon, so the king would have to make good on his promise to get her out of there right after the wedding.
“Hey, Autumn, do you think you could draw me a map of the secret route you use to sneak into Nightfall? In case I want to see my aunt?”
She instantly bristled. “Are you asking as my friend, Lani, or the future queen of Archmere?”
Hades. Autumn wasn’t a loyal Nightfall human who hated magic ones, but she also couldn’t be keen on bringing war to her people.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m asking as Lani, your childhood friend who wants to make sure my aunt is safe.” That was the truth.
She smiled. “I might be persuaded over dinner, maybe with some of that famous chocolate elf wine I hear so much about?” She eyed the palace, clearly wanting me to invite her in.
I wasn’t sure what the king or his council would think of my having a human friend over for lunch. It wasn’t like in Nightfall, where all other races were outlawed, but humans were looked down upon here because of their association with our mortal enemy.
“Perfect, I’ll go get a picnic basket and we can eat in the garden! Just wait here. I’ll be right back.” I gestured to the rose bushes and a perfect green meadow for the blanket.
She nodded, taking the hint, and moved to go wait in the garden.
“I’ll bring you fresh clothes too,” I told her.
She waved me off. “Don’t bother. I have tons at my sister’s place. I’m going there next.”
“Alright, then. I’ll be right back.”
Running into the kitchen, I grabbed layered pastries, smoked meats, boiled eggs, spicy tomato jam, and fresh fruits, shoving them all in a wicker basket, and then ran back out to my friend. I also grabbed one of Raife’s bottles of chocolate elf wine. He had hundreds of them and only seemed to open them for guests. I’d actually never tasted the famous wine in all my time here and was excited to do so.
* * *
Three hourslater I was drunk and cackling under the night sky with my oldest friend.
Autumn grinned. “Remember when Robbie Pantum tried to touch my boobs in exercise class and you broke his nose?”
I laughed hysterically, feeling the heady rush of the buzz the three glasses of wine had given me. Not only was it the tastiest wine I’d ever had, it wasstrong.
“He was a jerk.” I lifted my empty glass and Autumn clinked it with hers. We’d finished the bottle an hour ago and just kept clinking empty glasses.
