The man turned and looked at her. Such green eyes, like a sunlit, beckoning glade that called so seductively to her.
A glade for her forest creature to get lost in, reveling in mystery and silence.
No, she was wrong. She had seen this man before. Of course she had. Somewhere. He was more familiar to her than any of the other Elves that were present. She had talked with him at length at some point, perhaps at one of the functions she had attended over the last seven months. Perhaps over dinner. . . .
With an effort she yanked her attention back to Beluviel. She said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you so late in the evening—”
Beluviel interrupted her gently. “This is not a good time, Pia. I am attending to something that cannot wait.”
She said to Beluviel in a low voice, “I understand this isn’t a good time, but I wanted to warn you about something I sensed. . . .” As she spoke she glanced at the man again. He smiled at her conspiratorially as though they were the very best of friends. And they were, weren’t they? The very best of friends. It seemed as though they had known each other for forever. She heard herself saying, “. . . But it appears you are already aware of it. Again, my apologies for interrupting you.”
The man nodded in approval and winked. It was wonderful to see her friend again, so wonderful she wanted to shoulder her way into the apartment and ask the man what his name was.
“Thank you for coming to find me,” Beluviel said. Pia yanked her attention back to the consort, who looked puzzled. “Let’s talk in the morning.”
Pia couldn’t help herself and looked at the man again. Yes, the man’s bright gaze promised her. We’ll talk. Soon.
“Certainly,” Pia said. Who was she answering again? She couldn’t remember. “Good night.”
Beluviel closed the door, and Pia turned to Eva and Miguel, who were frowning at her. Eva said telepathically, Did you tell Beluviel everything you needed to tell her?
Of course, Pia said.
? ? ?
She sent the Elf who had escorted them to the main hall with a message for the others, and soon Andrea, James and Johnny joined them in their apartment. Eva and Miguel updated the others while Pia stayed silent, lost in thought.
She felt like she was forgetting something. What was it? If only she could chase it down. The feeling was driving her crazy.
Eva asked her, “What did Beluviel say when you told her about what you sensed?”
“Hm?” Pia said.
Was it something she had forgotten? Or was it someone?
Eva studied her with a frown. “You did say that you told Beluviel about what you were sensing, so you must have had a quick exchange telepathically. What did she say?”
Pia frowned back at the captain. She did know that she had told Beluviel everything, while someone had watched her. Who was it again? He had such green, green eyes.
She had a feeling of something slipping past her, like a train of thought almost but not quite recovered. She told the other woman, “You heard as much as I did. She said we would talk in the morning.”
Eva’s lips tightened. “Fine,” said the captain. “Extra vigilance on watches tonight. I’ll take a double, since Hugh’s gone. Miguel, I want you on the second shift. Maybe you can get a better reading when things quiet down and at least most people are asleep.” She looked at Pia. “Anything else you want to add?”
It was a relief to turn her mind to other things instead of trying to chase down that maddeningly elusive memory. Pia said, “Maybe I should check on things during the second shift as well, to see if I can sense any changes.”
“Smart,” Miguel said.
“Other than that, we can see if Beluviel can give us more news or clarification.” She straightened her back, which had started to ache again. “Depending on how that talk goes, we may be leaving tomorrow. This whole trip may just be a case of poor timing all the way around, but there’s no reason to stay if we can’t accomplish what we set out to do.” And then because she had been a good, good girl that whole damn day, she looked at Eva and let herself ask, “I don’t suppose Hugh might still show up this evening with any news?”
Eva shook her head. “Not unless it’s urgent. He won’t try to fly into this Wood at night.”
Fuck. Unsurprised but still disappointed, she nodded.
Even though Eva’s gaze remained fixed on her, it was clear the captain was lost in thought. After a moment Eva said, “Everybody pack. There might be a simple explanation for what’s going on, but right now we don’t understand what we know, and I want to be able to move at a moment’s notice if we need to.”
“I’m never going to hear the end of this,” Pia muttered. “Somehow this will all end up being my fault.”
Eva slapped her on the shoulder. “’Course it will, princess. That’s ’cause it is.”