He contemplated turning around and leaving before she noticed him, but he couldn’t leave without procuring a horse. The lands between Loral and Eva were unforgiving at best, and a horse would make the trek a lot easier. It was too late anyway. The woman had looked up, likely sensing the presence of one of her own kind and her eyes locked with his. Jaw length black hair framed a pretty face and her eyes were so light blue they almost looked white.
Smiling, she silently gestured to an empty chair at her table and Clay had no choice but to join her.
“What brings an elf here, so far from Eva?” she asked him politely. “I’m called Nym.” She offered him her hand.
“Clay,” he responded, clasping her cool hand in his. “I had business in this area and now I’m heading home. Yourself?” He had no intention of telling more than that, of course. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, probably wondering what kind of business any elf would have so close to the enemy, but she seemed to decide against pressing any further.
“Traveling,” she said cryptically, looking away from his eyes. He could see that she had secrets of her own. Well, she was welcome to keep them and he would keep his. “I, too, am heading home. I come from the lands to the west but thought to stay here for the night. It’s so close to the forest and I miss the trees of Eva.”
“Yes,” he said sadly. This forest was a puny substitute for the grand trees of the elven lands but being near it made him feel somewhat content. He thought of the empty plains and mountains ahead, and a sense of melancholy swept over him. He wouldn’t see a forest again for a while.
The innkeeper, a fat and jolly man, came by to see if there was anything he could get for Clay, some wine or fruit. He seemed to know an elf when he saw one which irritated Clay but it couldn’t be helped.
“Thank you, but no. I’m not here for food,” he said politely. “I was told that I might be able to procure a horse from you. A good horse, hearty, that can travel a long distance without failing.”
The innkeeper dry washed his hands, looking despondent.
“I’m sorry, good sir. I wish I could help you,” he said sadly. “You see, I just sold the last good horse in my stables to this lovely lady here.” He looked a little embarrassed. “If you’ll excuse me…” Bowing to them both, he turned and hurried away.
There was an awkward silence as Clay looked at the table, trying to figure out what he would do next.
“You know, I only got the horse as a remount. So I could rest one while I rode the other,” Nym said slowly, looking at him through her lashes. “Traveling alone is not much fun at all.” She popped a berry in her mouth and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms, waiting for his response to the unspoken question.
Clay thought for a moment. He couldn’t speak of his mission to this woman but he must use any means possible to get home without delay. He really had no choice but to accept her offer.
“I have one rule,” he told her, catching her gaze and holding it. Her eyes widened slightly and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You ask no questions about where I have been, what I have done or who I travel with. If you accept, then we will join you.”
Nym pursed her lips and tilted her head slightly.
“Fine,” she said after some thought. “But the same applies to you.”
“Done,” he said and they shook on it.
* * *
Lana sat with her back against the trunk of the great oak tree, thinking about her circumstances. Who was Clay and why had he taken her? Could it be that someone out in the world knew what was about to befall her and had sent him to take her away just in time? Was this some political ploy to get her out of the castle so another family could take control? Perhaps the place he was taking her was more dangerous than the one she had left behind.
Her thoughts then turned to Loral. What would happen to her father with her gone? From that whispered conversation she had overheard, it sounded like the Reed family was scheming to take the throne. She knew that time was short because on her twentieth birthday she would assume power and that was only a few months away. Had they killed her father to get him out of the way before coming to kill her, or were they saving that for later? She shivered at the thought. She was not close to him but he was the only father she had ever known. It would hurt to lose him.
Lana rested her head back on the tree, looking up at the canopy of leaves above her. She could feel the slightest sensation of contentment coming from the old oak. Now that she was conscious of it, she found it difficult to turn off this new awareness. Could Clay have been telling her the truth? There were some similarities between them that couldn’t be denied. But the notion that her mother had an affair, with an elf of all things, was incomprehensible to her. No, I can’t think of that, she told herself.
Suddenly, she heard hooves in the distance and it sounded as if they were coming her way. She scrambled to her feet and pressed her body to the oak, peering around the side of the tree while trying not to be seen. Her heart was in her throat and she was sure that the guards from the castle had found her, finally. Trembling, she waited, praying they would pass her by.
“Stay here,” she heard a male voice say. With
