Ryan and the two elven maidens rode through the remainder of the night and the heat of the following day, stopping only to water the horses. They moved with a frantic purpose, ears tuned for the sound of a pursuit that never came. Finally, when the moon reached its zenith and cast a silver glow over the wilderness, they made camp.

  As Ryan built a small, flickering fire, Tru moved with a dancer’s grace around the perimeter, weaving concealment wards into the air with subtle gestures of her hands and words he didn'tunderstand. Serenity vanished into the brush, returning just as the final wards took hold, three small rabbits dangling from her hand.

  “I thought elves only ate foraged foods,” Ryan said, his voice inquisitive.

  Tru let out a light, musical laugh. “That isn't true at all.”

  “There are many among our kind who do just that,” Serenity added, her voice clinical as she prepared the meat. “But there are just as many who hunt.”

  “I, for one, could not live on plants alone,” Tru said, her eyes gleaming in the firelight. “I love the way the juices flow, the way the heat of the flesh warms the tongue.”

  Ryan crafted a small spit from fallen branches, his hands working quickly so Serenity could roast the meat. As the fat began to sizzle, he looked at the half-elf. “What did you do to me in the cell? That warmth... I felt it move through my mind.”

  “I used magic,” Serenity replied simply.

  “But how? Why did it feel so... clear?”

  “You were confused,” she said, her focus never leaving the fire. “I merely helped your mind focus on what was important.”

  Ryan looked at Tru, leaning in slightly. “Is she always this curt?”

  “Don’t take it to heart. she gets it from our father,” Tru replied with a wink.

  “You two are sisters?” Ryan asked, his brows leaping in surprise.

  “Half-sisters,” Serenity corrected. She reached into a small pouch at her belt and sprinkled a pinch of something over the rabbits. “Salt,” she added, catching Ryan’s look of bewildered suspicion.

  “Half-sisters...” Ryan muttered, trying to reconcile their vastly different temperaments.

  “Elven relationships are... different,” Tru explained, leaning back against a log. “We do not often mate for life—our spans are too long for such a heavy anchor. Often, a pairing lasts only a few days, perhaps once or twice, before we move on. Most of our people find it natural.”

  “That is strange,” Ryan admitted.

  “It is no excuse for abandonment,” Serenity said, her voice dripping with a sudden, sharp irritation.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Tru sighed. “We have six brothers and sisters back in Myrkvier that she has never met. Because her mother was human, she was raised away from our people. She does not yet understand our ways.”

  “You talk too much, sister,” Serenity snapped, her annoyance flaring higher than the fire. “The meat is done.”

  She snatched her portion from the spit and vanished into the darkness beyond the firelight.

  Tru grabbed the remaining rabbits and slid over to Ryan. She sat so close that he could feel the radiant heat of her body; barely a sliver of air separated them where only the finest thread of silk could pass. Ryan, feeling his face heat up, shifted slightly to the side, but Tru simply followed, handing him a rabbit with a coy smile.

  “I only met her last year,” Tru whispered. “Her village was destroyed by bandits, and she came to Myrkvier seeking our father. She hoped he would aid her quest for vengeance. When he tried to explain the elven way to her—why he had stayed away—she became furious. She left that night.”

  “And you followed her?” Ryan asked.

  Tru nodded, biting into the rabbit. Juice ran down her chin, and she gave a small, delighted giggle. “It tickles,” she said, wiping it away with a finger. “It was two days before I gathered the courage to enter her camp. We were sisters, yet strangers. She didn't know me, and I certainly didn't know her.”

  “What made you reach out?”

  “I sensed danger,” Tru said, her tone momentarily turning serious. “Bandits were nearby, and she was sleeping without a single protective ward. I had only just learned she existed; I didn't want to lose her before I got to meet her.”

  “What did you do?” Ryan asked, intrigued.

  “I snuck into her camp while she slept and jumped on top of her,” Tru laughed. “She tried to scream, but I clamped a hand over her mouth and whispered, ‘You’re being watched.’ When I let go, she hissed, ‘By whom?’ I told her, ‘By me,’ and then I let her up.”

  Ryan choked on a mouthful of rabbit, stifling a laugh.

  “That's how you met?”

  “She didn’t think it was funny,” Tru admitted, smiling and nodding her head. “She was irate. She yelled at me, called me things I’m sure she learned from humans. The more she yelled, the harder I laughed. Finally, she demanded to know who I was. I told her I was the sister she never knew she wanted.”

  “And she stayed with you?”

  “Not really. At first we just talked for a while to learn about one another,” she leaned in closer, batted her lashes, and gave him a coyish giggle.

  “What did you learn?”

  “Learned all sorts of strange and disturbing things about humans, but the most disturbing thing was that she didn't know any magic. For an elf, it was disgraceful. I stayed with her for moons, teaching her the basics. It normally takes years to master it, she was a surprisingly quick learner and moved on to more advanced stuff really fast.”

  “You say years to master it... how many years for you?”

  “It varies. It has taken me nearly a hundred years to learn what I know.”

  Ryan blinked. “A hundred? You look... you look my age.”

  “I am closer to two hundred, Ryan.”

  “I knew elves lived long, but I didn't realize it was like that.”

  “Until Serenity was born, I was the youngest of my line. Our father is nearly nine hundred, and the elders still consider him a youth.”

  “Then how old is Serenity?”

  “I am uncertain. Our father journeyed to the human lands thirty years ago, and again twenty. Elves feel time like a slow-moving river; it is hard to be precise. Seasons come and go out here, but in Myrkvier it remains springtime unless the elders deem that a change is needed. She could even be older than we think.”

  “And how do you find her when she storms off?”

  “I can sense magic better than most. To me, the world has currents—smooth and steady. When magic is used, it’s like throwing a stone into a pond. I simply follow the ripples.”

  “Ripples in the air,” Ryan mused, stifling a yawn as the fatigue of the long ride finally caught up to him. “I think we need rest. The sun will be up before we know it.”

  “Agreed,” Serenity said, stepping back into the firelight as if she had never left. “And tomorrow, Ryan... you can tell us your story.”