*
THE REMAINDER OF the day passed slowly for Kirisin. He kept as busy as he could in the gardens, his thoughts drifting constantly to what Erisha had revealed to him. His emotions were mixed. On the one hand, he could understand her father’s reluctance to place his only child in danger. On the other, she was leader of the Chosen and the one the Ellcrys had asked for help. It seemed to him that both her father’s and her own duties were clear, but he didn’t know how he would act if he were King and Erisha were his daughter, so he tried not to judge them—even as he found himself doing so. Kirisin had always looked up to and admired Arissen Belloruus, but he didn’t think he would ever feel that way again. How he would feel about Erisha remained to be seen. It would depend on what happened this night. It would depend on how she reacted to whatever they learned from the Elven histories.
One thing was certain. His parents would be furious if they were to learn that their cousin was willing to endanger the entire Elven nation to protect his daughter. Which is why Kirisin would have to keep it from them, since he knew that they would take the matter right to the King and how that was likely to end for all of them.
Sunset was a long time coming, and he had more than sufficient time to mull things over. By then, he was sick of thinking about it and anxious to act.
But first there was dinner with his parents, talk of Simralin and her anticipated arrival home and household chores he was expected to carry out.
He went to bed early, feigning weariness, and slept restlessly for several hours before waking an hour before midnight. After listening to be sure the rest of the household was asleep, he rose and dressed. Taking his long knife and his sandals, he climbed through the window and disappeared into the darkness without a sound.
The Elven community was quiet, most of the people either in bed or on their way. The sky was overcast and shed only a little light, so Kirisin was forced to rely on his Elven senses to help him pick his way through the blackness. The air was still and warm, the night cloaked in silence and hushed expectancy. He moved cautiously down the narrow paths that led to the Belloruus home, picking his way and listening for sounds that would alert him to another’s presence. He heard none, and he arrived at the edges of the King’s home without incident.
Crouching in the bushes at the prearranged spot, just beyond the perimeter where the guards patrolled, he waited for midnight and Erisha.
Several times it occurred to him that no one knew where he was. If anything happened to him, no one would know where to look for him. It was a chilling thought—that the Elven King might do something to silence him—but he could not help thinking about it in light of what he now knew about the man. If he were willing to risk endangering the Ellcrys to protect his daughter, he wouldn’t have much trouble finding an excuse for removing a troublesome boy.
It made him wonder. Would Erisha have gone back on her word and betrayed him to her father?
He was still wondering when she appeared out of the darkness, dressed as he was, a shadowy presence in the gloom. “This way,” she whispered, putting her mouth right next to his ear. “The guards won’t see us. Their eyes look elsewhere for the next few minutes. Hurry!”
He followed her through the trees, doing his best to place his feet exactly where she did, casting anxious glances all about—for the Home Guard and whoever or whatever else kept the King safe. But no one appeared and no alarms sounded, and in only minutes they were at a side door that gave soundlessly at Erisha’s touch and admitted them into the Belloruus house.
Kirisin stood just inside the doorway, breathing hard despite himself.