Millet and Maybell sat shocked, trying to piece together what had just happened. Lee reached down and pulled Dina to her feet.
“What was that about?” Lee demanded. “Why did she attack you?”
Dina was shaking terribly. “I was careless, and she realized what I am.” she said, trying to calm herself.
“And what is that?” Lee inquired.
“My father was a blacksmith from Baltria,” she said quietly. “But my mother was an elf. That’s why she called me abomination.”
The wagon fell silent. Everyone stared at Dina with a combination of wonder and confusion.
“How can that be?” Lee asked. “Such a thing is impossible.”
“No, not impossible. But as far as I know, I’m the first. And what I am puts me in danger from both worlds. I thought my human blood would mask my identity from Kaylia, but when her hand touched mine, she could sense the elven blood in me.”
“But you
“Yes, I do,” she acknowledged. “But do you remember when you asked me how old I am?”
Gewey nodded.
“I’m thirty eight years old,” she revealed. “But my elven blood makes me look like I’m barely out my teens.”
“How did it happen?” Millet interjected. “With the hatred that exists between the races, it’s hard to imagine.”
“How does anything happen?” she replied. “My father found my mother injured in the forest when he was out hunting. He told me he knew that he loved her from the moment he first saw her. She had been attacked by soldiers who had heard that a large group of elves were in the forest near the city, but as it turned out, she was the only one. She had left her people on what my father described to me as a ‘soul quest’. She was attacked while she was meditating, so she didn’t hear them coming until they were already on her. They left her for dead, and if my father hadn’t found her and cared for her, she certainly would have died.
“Once she healed, she found out that my father had moved her to a small village thirty miles north so he could care for her without raising suspicions. He’d sold everything he had to have enough money to keep her alive and away from other humans. Soon, she realized she loved him as well.”
“How were they able to stay together?” Millet asked. “Eventually they would be discovered.”
“They were,” Dina said sadly. “My father tried his best to keep her safe; at one point, he moved to an even more secluded area so that they wouldn’t be found.”
“But they were found,” said Lee. “Weren’t they?”
“Yes,” said Dina. “But it was the elves that found them. I was only three when it happened. I remember my father embracing my mother and begging her to come with us, but she knew that was impossible. The elves didn’t know about me. They only knew that my mother loved a human. She knew they would kill me, if they found out there was a child, so she sent my father and me away. I never saw her again.”
“I don’t understand why they would want you dead,” said Gewey. “You’re innocent in all this.”
“Elves see themselves as separate from humanity in every way you can imagine,” Dina explained. “The idea of a half elf, half human child shatters that belief. Frankly, it would be just as bad for me if humans found out. Thankfully, they have no way of knowing unless they find out my age or I tell them directly, as I’ve told you.”
“What now, my lord?” Millet asked.
“I’ll tell you what now,” Maybell cut in. “Someone needs to talk some sense into that elf. I don’t care what you are, Celandine. You’re a part of what’s going on here, and a good person to boot. If she can’t see that, then to blazes with her.”
Dina smiled appreciatively. “Thank you,” she said. “But I don’t see what could help.”
“You said something,” Lee said to Gewey. “Something that made her stop. What was it?”
“I don’t know,” Gewey answered. “It just came out. I have no idea where it came from.”
“You should go look for her then,” Lee suggested. “Perhaps she’ll listen to you.”
Gewey nodded and got out of the wagon. He hoped finding her in the daytime would be easier than it was at night. As it turned out, he didn’t have to look hard at all. He found her a few hundred yards off the road, kneeling next to a tiny stream. Her eyes were closed and her knife was buried in the ground beside her.
“Kaylia,” Gewey said softly. “Are you alright?”
Kaylia didn’t move.
“Kaylia,” he repeated.
Still, she didn’t move.
Gewey sat on the grass behind her, not knowing what to do next. Twenty minutes passed before Kaylia spoke.
“Where did you learn those words?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “They just came out. What do they mean?”
“It’s a declaration. Literally translated, it means
Gewey was taken aback. “I wasn’t trying to declare anything,” he said quickly. “I just wanted to stop you from killing Dina.”
“What you said to me is rare and sacred,” she said, continuing as though she didn’t hear him. “It’s something that few elves have spoken since the Great War.”
“What do you mean by a declaration? Please, tell me what’s going on.”
Kaylia turned to Gewey and opened her eyes. “Do you love me?” she asked.
“I…” Gewey didn’t know what to say.
“If not, then you should never have spoken those words.”
“I don’t understand,” said Gewey. “I really don’t.”
“Then understand this,” she said. “The language you spoke is only known to the elves. It is the language of our ancestors, and even among my people, only a few know it entirely. What you said can only be spoken to someone that you love and for only one reason.”
“What reason?” he asked nervously.
“It means that you wish to be joined with me.”
“Joined?” Gewey exclaimed. “You mean…”
“Yes,” she said. “That is exactly what I mean.”
“You can’t think I was asking you that, do you?”
“What then?” she snapped. “Why did you say it?”
“I don’t know,” he replied hastily. “I didn’t know what it meant. It just came out.”
“But it came from somewhere,” she insisted. “And it cannot be ignored.”
“I take it back, then. Just pretend I didn’t say it.”
Anger flashed across Kaylia’s face. “Because you are not an elf, I will pretend you did not make that offer. Once you say the words of joining, they cannot be unsaid.”
“What do we do now?” he asked.
“I either accept you as my mate, or refuse.”
Gewey laughed with relief. “That’s easy, then; just refuse.”
“If I do, then I must leave you, never to be in your sight again. I am not prepared to do that just yet.”
“You mean we either get married or you have to leave? That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m sorry you think so,” Kaylia lamented. “But to my people it is very serious. However, I have one year to consider it. If at the end of that time I decide you are not a worthy mate, then I
“And in the meantime what happens?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“In the meantime, nothing. But be warned; elves are protective of their suitors. Careful you don’t let your eyes stray too far.”
Gewey immediately thought of Dina. “What do you intend to do about Celandine?” he asked anxiously.
Kaylia thought for a long moment. “It appears I can do nothing,” she said finally. “Your words have bound me. If you wish her unharmed, I will accept it.”
“Thank you,” Gewey said, relieved.
Kaylia smiled. “Send her to me. She and I should talk. Don’t worry, I won’t harm her.”
