And then, suddenly, there’s someone on the road. I scream. Eldaren stomps on the break, and the car squeals to a halt.
A young man stands in the middle of the pitted road, his gaze locked on Eldaren. If looks could kill, Eldaren would be pushing up flowers.
Face impassive, Eldaren makes a ‘get-out-of-the-way’ motion with his hand.
The stranger flashes a hand gesture that makes me choke.
“What is it with humans and curse words?” Eldaren scoffs. “You’re so unimaginative.”
“If my ears didn’t deceive me, you swore in Elvish not five minutes ago,” I point out.
Eldaren doesn’t respond. He opens his car door and gets out. It’s not until then that I realize he didn’t buckle.
“Get off the road, boy,” Eldaren calls. “I don’t want you to get hurt. It is most unwise to walk in the middle of a road.”
“This is the first car I’ve seen in ages,” the young man calls back. He doesn’t show any signs of moving. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”
“My business is my own,” Eldaren says. “I need you to move.”
“Your kind are not welcome here,” the stranger calls. “Elves from the wild are one thing. Elves from the sky are quite another. I cannot stop you from inhabiting Liberty, but you will not live here.”
Eldaren tilts his head to the side, regarding the young man. I sense a change in the elven prince. He looks relaxed, but I notice how his stance shifts, and his fingers flex. “If you will not move by choice, boy, I will have to move you by force.”
The stranger’s eyes narrow, and he sneers. “I’d like to see you try, you second-rate—”
“Bren!”
A girl darts out of the forest. Her skin is dark and smooth, and her long, curly black hair hangs wild about her face. Lunging forward, she grabs the boy’s arm. “Why’d you run off like that? I was . . .” She takes in the scene, and her voice dies away when she sees Eldaren. “Stars in the sky,” she stares. “A space elf.”
“Sophia, I need you to leave.” Bren’s voice is firm.
Sophia doesn’t move. Awe paints her face. “Wow. a real elf.”
“Sophia.” Bren shakes her shoulder. “Go. I can handle this.”
“I know you can,” Sophia says. “I saw what you did back there in the forest.” Her gaze hasn’t shifted from Eldaren. “Who’s this guy? Is he here to see the clan?” She’s talking to the boy, but her gaze is fixed on the prince.
Eldaren stares right back, shock etching his features. “You’re what I’ve been searching for,” he breathes. “You’re the gaia.”
“Stars, he’s going to abduct you!” Bren’s face twists in fury and something akin to fear, and grabbing the girl’s arm, he bodily throws her into the woods. I wouldn’t have expected a boy with such a slight frame to be so strong. The girl lands in the bushes with a startled cry.
With a curse, Eldaren darts forward so quickly, I hardly see the movement.
But just as quickly, Bren throws a fistful of something, flinging it into Eldaren’s eyes.
“Fyit!” Eldaren recoils, throwing his hands over his face. “Stay behind me, Stella!”
“Uh, they’re already gone,” I say. I haven’t moved, watching the entire exchange with fascination. “What was that all about?”
“Reag if I know,” Eldaren hisses. He rubs his eyes. “Fyit, what was that? It hurts.” A pause. “It’s interfering with my vision.”
Some of the powder is on the ground. I pick up a few flecks, peering at them. “Pepper of some sort, I think.”
“When I get my hands on that boy, I’m going to beat him within an inch of my life.”
“You mean his life.”
“No,” Eldaren says sourly. “My life. And I have several centuries to go.”
“Hey,” I say, remembering something. “You said that girl was the gaia. Did you really mean that? How could you tell? I didn’t see any magic or anything.”
“It was her,” the prince says grimly. “I could sense it. That girl is drenched in earth magic. It’s a wonder she’s been able to hide here for five years without the elves picking up on her enchantment. Strange.” He’s still blinking furiously, tears streaking down his face.
“Can you still see?” I ask.
“Yes,” the prince says. “Stars, that hurt, though.” He lifts a fist as if to rub his eyes and then lowers it, changing his mind. “My eyesight is stabilizing and returning to normal.”
“Well, if you couldn’t sense magic here for five years,” I say, returning to the topic at hand, “maybe you guys aren’t as good at this whole detecting enchantment thing as you think are,” I point out. “After all, Geldyn thought I had magic, and I don’t.” I pause. “Thandin did, too.”
Huh. That’s two elves, now. Weird.
Eldaren’s brow furrows. “That’s a different matter. Probably. It’s also one I intend to find out once I get this matter sorted.” His voice drops to a mutter. “Something or someone must have been masking her. That’s the only explanation.”
“I don’t know what you mean about ‘masking,’ but maybe it was that boy,” I say. “He seemed extremely protective.”
“That’s possible,” Eldaren says. “He wields, at least in part, some of the magic that’s been avoiding the elves. I find it peculiar that he chose to show himself since he’s been hiding up until now.”
“Huh.” I rub my chin. “That may complicate matters.”
“We’ll find her,” Eldaren says. He’s stopped blinking so much, but tears still track his face, and his eyes are a baleful red. I wouldn’t want to be this Bren fellow, and for the young man’s sake, I hope he stays hidden after this.
“But first,” Eldaren says, “I need to get you back to the fortress. With unidentified magic around, I’m not sure it’s safe.”
“Don’t you dare,” I say, shaking a finger at him. “Things just got interesting, and I want to stick around and see what happens.”
“You’ll be safer at the base.” He turns back to the car. “Let’s go.”
“Wilder is in Liberty, too.”
That stops him.
“Come on, Eldaren,” I say. “If the worst
