Page 71 of The Broken Elf King
THIRTEEN
As we set off on horseback with our trusty escort, I snuggled into Raife’s back, feeling more at ease with our relationship than I had in a long time. We had somehow made amends, and now we were a team again. Even if it were just as friends which was not ideal, it was a step forward. Because a true friend wanted the other person’s dreams to come true, even if it crushed their own. I realized then that Raife was probably incapable of love at this point in his life and I’d been living a fairy tale thinking a few kisses or one night together would suddenly make him fall wildly in love with me.
This was a five-year business arrangement, and Raife deserved that after everything he’d lost.
Heading out of Thorngate and to the portion of the eastern woods that Autumn had marked on the map took only a half day’s ride. But that half day put us in the dead of night at the Nightfall border. Autumn had sketched a farm on the map with a bright yellow barn, and then had drawn a broken fence. From there she’d shown certain landmarks through the woods that led to the gates of Nightfall City.
The map showed that when we finally got to the gates, there was a picture of a tree split in two, like lightning had struck it, and then an arrow showing that you went under the gate. I had no idea of the landmark, as I didn’t make an effort to memorize trees, but I hoped we’d figure it out once we got there.
We found the farm with the yellow barn and Raife had our group stop.
“Kailani and I will go on alone from here,” Raife said to his lead Bow Men.
Both Cahal’s and my eyes widened at his statement.
“What?” we said in unison.
Raife pointed to the map and the wordsThree people onlywritten on the bottom.
“I assume this means more than three people would be seen, or not fit or whatever the instructions are,” Raife says. “Once we get Kailani’s aunt, we will be three.”
“My lord, you’re the king, you cannot go into Nightfall territory alone,” Cahal said, and I nodded in agreement.
“I have to go or my aunt will not leave with you,” I said. “But I can go with any of your Bow Men,” I told Raife.
Cahal bowed deeply. “I would be honored—”
“No. She’s my wife,Iwill keep her safe,” Raife snapped.
My wife.I hadn’t heard him say that enough, and even though it was all for show I would never tire of it.
Raife was good at loving people while nottrulyloving them. He was fiercely protective but undeniably cold. I wondered in that moment if I could do this for five whole years. To hear him say romantic things like “She’s my wife. I will keep her safe,” and have my heart beat out of my chest as I stared at his soft lips.
Cahal looked unnerved. “My lord, I would never question your authority, but the Nightfall queen could capture you, she could kill you and Kailani, and then we’d be left with no one.”
Raife shook his head. “You’d have the council. They’d form a quorum. Besides, if Drae Valdren can sneak into Nightfall and kill the queen’s oldest son, I can sneak in and steal Lani’s feeble aunt.” There was determination in his gaze.
Cahal and I shared a knowing look. Was that what this was about? He wanted to prove that he could also one-up the queen?
I placed a hand on Cahal’s shoulder. “My friend, Autumn, does this every moon to visit her sister and nephew in Archmere. The fewer of us that go, the less likely we are to be seen.”
He looked stricken, like he couldn’t possibly think of letting his king go into enemy territory alone.
“Stay here. That’s an order,” Raife commanded, and ended the argument before it could begin.
“Yes, lord.” Cahal lowered his head.
With that, Raife and I dismounted the horse and went back into the carriage to grab some supplies. We took a small pack with water, and dried fruits, in case we were delayed, but intended to be back by morning light. There would be no sleep and lots of walking, but getting my aunt to safety before the war started was important to me. Healing her seizures was important. The Nightfall doctors said with each one her brain could be damaged. I knew Raife was risking a lot on this mission, but I didn’t see any other way.
As we cut across the farm, peering at the back fence for a break in the wood, I reached out and squeezed Raife’s hand.
“Thank you for doing this.” I held his hand, hoping to get across to him how much I appreciated him, but he just gave me a curt nod and dropped my fingers.
The familiar pain of his icy cold rejection wormed into my heart but I brushed it aside. This was just what we were now. It was a good thing I was the empath and not him. I wouldn’t want him to know how much I’d wrapped my happiness up in him and how badly he hurt me with small actions such as dropping my hand.
Suck it up, Kailani.
“There it is!” Raife said as we tiptoed across the field and over to a corner of the fence. These sleeping farmers had no idea their king and queen were traipsing through their pasture at odd hours of the night. Sure enough, there was a gap in the fence big enough for a person to slip through if they went sideways. Every inch of the Nightfall border was walled off, from Fallenmoore to Necromere. It was stone and at least ten feet high. The queen made every citizen take a rotating “civil duty” weekend to build it about twenty years ago.Keep the pests out, she would tell us. On top of the wall were guard posts every few miles. This was right in between two of them. About four of the large stones were missing, allowing a person to squeeze through if they crouched.
