He dared not ask any of these questions and potentially reveal too much about his mission. He would protect Lana and deliver her, unharmed and pristine, to the elders. Then he could get on with his life.
For the most part, Nym seemed to pay very little attention to Lana. He caught her occasionally eyeing the girl, some emotion in her eyes that he couldn’t define, but it was gone so quickly he thought he may have imagined it. It wasn’t anger or resentment. Sorrow? Surely not. Nym couldn’t know who Lana truly was.
He himself knew that the princess had never been viewed by the public and only royalty knew what she looked like. Sure, rumors had spread but her description varied so much it was hard to say what was true and what wasn’t. No, Nym couldn’t know or even suspect. He would keep a close eye on her when she was near Lana, though. Just in case.
“Have you ever explored the hills around Kindermer?” Nym asked him, continuing their conversation about home. He felt like she was testing him, trying to find out where he was from. He would have to try to throw her off the trail.
“Oh, yes. I visit there frequently,” he told her. He didn’t, he had only visited a time or two in the past. “The wildflowers in the summer are a real sight to see. Do you know it well?” Two could play this game.
“No, not very well, but I thought it might be nice to pass by on the way home. Where exactly in Eva are you headed? Or can I ask that?” she responded, cutting her eyes at him, trying to catch a reaction. He would give her none.
“We are traveling to Thelsamel,” he told her quietly, not wishing to disturb the princess. “I have business there.”
She looked at him appraisingly. “Well that’s lucky, so do I,” she said, smiling.
They rode in silence for a while and then she reined in her horse and sat studying him.
“What?” he asked, turning his horse to face her. Lana stirred and sat up, looking at them both quizzically.
“We keep speaking in circles, dodging answers and giving half truths. It’s exhausting,” she said wearily. “This is what I choose to believe. You are two elvenkind lovers on a trip to Eva. I will accept whatever reason you wish to give me. It may be true or it may not be, but if we are going to travel together then we need to get to know each other, even if what we know is a lie. You seem to be good people so I know that whatever information you are protecting, your intentions are noble.”
Clay went stiff, trying to sense any danger. He studied Nym’s face, suspicious that this was some sort of trap. Finally, he decided that going along with this suggestion would probably be for the best. He couldn’t sense any ambiguity from her, only curiosity and concern.
“My partner, Rowan, and I are traveling to the elf lands because she has elf blood and we wish to wed there.” He said, looking directly into Nym’s eyes. “She has never known her elven nature and wants to learn our ways. I met her in the city of Loral. She is the daughter of a farmer. Her mother had an affair with an elf and died in childbirth, as all human women do who bear elven children. I was traveling the lands just to see the sights and met her on the way home.”
Nym smiled in relief, bowed her head and spoke. “I’m merely an elven woman traveling the lands seeing the sights, just as you were. I’m on my way home. That is all there is to know about me. Now, perhaps we can be friends?”
Companions
Lana was lost in thought. She wondered if what he had told Nym was true. Was he really taking her to Eva? What could be waiting for there? Perhaps she had family in the elven lands and they had sent him to bring her back. She wasn’t sure what to make of this new information. After a long period of silence, Nym turned in her saddle to address her.
“Tell me, how has it been for you since you discovered you had elf blood? I’m surprised you weren’t aware, I can easily feel your presence. You must have a strong elf heritage.”
Lana looked at Clay to see if it was alright to speak about this to Nym. He nodded at her encouragingly. His story was close enough to the truth that she could speak freely about this. It was a relief.
“I…” Lana told her slowly, trying to find the words to express how she felt about her newly discovered heritage. “I didn’t know. It’s… confusing. I don’t truly understand what it means to be elven. Clay has taught me how I can speak with the trees and other things in nature but it doesn’t come easily to me. I’m not sure what else it means to be an elf.”
Nym nodded at her and took on a lecturing tone. “Elves are the oldest creatures in this world still living. The only creatures that predate us are the wyrms but they died out long ago. The stories say that elves were created by the earth itself aided by the air and water so that we could be caretakers. It’s our sacred duty to care for all things in nature. It’s our reason for existing. Do you follow?”
“I do,” Lana said, drinking this all in. She wanted to learn what it meant to be an elf and this sounded so noble and good. It seemed less like a curse and more like a calling. “Please, tell
