“Was the gaia there?” I say.
Eldaren nods once. “I believe so. I picked up faint echoes of her enchantment. I believe she lives there, though I’m uncertain which house.”
“Um, what about that stranger that was running about yesterday?” I say. “The boy. Do you think he’ll give us any trouble? He didn’t seem too keen on having us here.”
Eldaren’s lip curls. “Don’t worry about him. If he shows up again, I’ll handle him.”
I bite my lip and don’t respond. “Eldaren,” I say, after a moment’s hesitation, “How long do you elves plan to stay here?”
Eldaren glances at me, his face impassive. “As long as we need to. I believe I’ve answered this question before.”
I ignore his statement. “Well, how long is that?”
“Why do you ask such a question?”
I squint at him, my uncertainty replaced with suspicion. “Do you plan to stay here forever?”
“If the planet needs us, yes.”
“You invaded our planet, intending to take over?” My incredulity grows. “You’re freaking aliens!”
“I am willing to discuss this with you,” Eldaren says calmly, “after we find the gaia.”
“Why, so you can manipulate her, too?” I scoff. “You’ve been telling me you’re here to heal the planet, Eldaren, not colonize it.”
“What has come over you, Stella mine?” The prince cocks his head. “Why are you angry?”
“I don’t feel like you’ve been completely honest with me.”
“We are here to heal the planet,” Eldaren says. Uncertainty flickers in his gaze and is gone. “Are you in such a hurry for me to leave?”
I sigh. “No,” I say. “I just . . . I don’t know. I guess I thought maybe you guys came to fix up the planet for yourselves.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “We are, but only because the planet needs it. We don’t do it for ourselves.”
The fire fades from my stomach, and I’m feeling a blend of shame and relief. I’d misjudged the elves, and I hope the strange boy is close enough to have heard Eldaren’s explanation. “Oh,” I say. “I . . . thanks for clearing that up.”
“Of course, Stella mine.” Eldaren pats me on the head. “Now. Shall we find the gaia?”
“I guess so,” I say. “How are we going to do that?”
“We’re going to enter the nearby community and inquire after her,” he says. “Logically, they will behave rationally once we’ve told them why we are here.”
“Except we’re not rational,” I say in a sarcastic tone.
Eldaren nods. “That is why I am armed with hidden weapons,” he replies. “I shall keep you safe should they turn hostile.”
I nod. If anything, I feel slightly alarmed for the people we’re going to see. For their sake, I hope they stay peaceful.
We stride through the woods, Eldaren in the front, with me following a few feet behind. “Shhh,” he says as we move through the bracken.
I try to be quiet, I really do, but the ground is coated in fallen branches, leaves, and stars-know-what else, and every step I take ends with me crunching something.
“Silent, my love,” Eldaren whispers. “The guards will surely hear you.”
“I’m trying,” I hiss back. “How are you so quiet, anyway? The ground itself seems to be crunchy. I don’t get it.”
“You’re a human,” he says, “and a female at that. Being loud is second nature to you.”
“I’ll show you how loud I can get,” I growl. “Get over here.”
Eldaren flashes a smile over his shoulder, and he turns. “Shhh,” he says again. “Here, I’ll carry you.” All I can do is scowl at him and fold my arms defiantly as he scoops me up.
“I think you enjoy being contrary,” he breathes. He smells of cinnamon, the scent sharp. “You aren’t so different from other humans, but you seem more stubborn than most.”
“That’s because I live with you.”
Eldaren lifts his head again, smelling the wind. His steps falter.
“What is it?” I say.
“. . . I think the gaia is nearby.” Eldaren sounds confused. “I hadn’t detected her earlier when I was scouting alone.”
I glance up at him. The prince’s brow is furrowed, and he’s tilted his head as if listening, though I can’t hear anything aside from what seems like normal forest noises.
Eldaren steps off the main trail and onto a smaller path, still carrying me. We only go a bit further before he stops completely and sets me down.
“Can you hear her?” he whispers. His eyes are bright with excitement, and he pushes a few strands of stray hairs out of his face. “She’s out there.”
I listen and shake my head.
Eldaren nods. “I suppose that is to be expected,” he says, still keeping his voice low. “Wait here,” he says. “I shall return shortly.”
It takes everything I am not to roll my eyes. This is the second time he’s left me in the forest alone. “Do you want me to go back to the inn?”
“No.” Eldaren’s gaze shifts to the trees. “There’s something out there that isn’t safe. There’s no way I’m letting you go too far without me. But do not fear, Stella. I shall return in a moment.”
Then he’s gone, his form swallowed in the light and shadows of the forest.
Heaving a sigh, I sit down and wait.
Again.
18
Eldaren
The woods feel safe here for the time being. After the violent chaos of Liberty, it seems almost foolish to crowd Stella, especially as it seems to annoy her.
I step through the damp green of the forest without making a sound. A robin sings its heart out on a low branch, and I’m close enough to touch it before it notices me. With a startled chirp, it flutters frantically out of reach, its new song decidedly more agitated.
I smile at it and continue on. Songbirds are cute. I’d never tell anyone that—it hardly sounds masculine to admit such a thing—but I have a soft spot for the fragile creatures. Their lives are so short, yet so full of enthusiasm and song. There’s probably a lesson to be
