Page 4 of The Ashborn

Moira adjusted in her seat and pulled the book closer to her chest, her eyes flicking to the firelight. “It’s…complicated.” Her coiled, black waves fell out of place from her head, and her dark brown eyes shifted, unsettled by whatever she’d found in the pages.

Kienna wisped paint across a canvas that Elowen dug out of storage for her. Tislin sat in the shadows. Still, his ash-blond hair, falling to his shoulders, and his pale skin caught the dim light. Shadows curled faintly around him in a whisper that never left. He silently watched Moira. Elowen returned with bowls of stew for everyone and a bone for the wolf. Ruva ferociously licked her chops but took it with strict gentleness, her silver eyes thanking Elowen as she finalized her grasp.

“Speaking of revolution,” Elowen said, pinning an untamed strand of hair. “I could go in circles with stories.”

Moira glanced up from her book. “What do you know of revolution?”

Elowen tsked. “Enough to be a rebel myself.”

Kienna stroked a cloud into the sky of her painting and snorted. The thought of this woman being anything but an odd keeper of mice amused her. “That’s a story I’d like to hear. What did you have to rebel against?”

“The Elvish.” Elowen’s eyes cut to Tislin.

Kienna’s followed, but he didn’t seem bothered by the revelation.

“Your mothers, too,” she added.

Moira put her book down. “Rebels against the Elvish? Why?”

“Tell me, dear. Have you seen many Elvish around these parts? Better yet, have any of you been able to find their city on your own? We are separated.” Elowen set her bowl aside and straightened.

Kienna tried to recall. Aside from Connak and Tislin, she hadn’t seen anyone, but she couldn’t count herself as a reliable source.

You lurk in the streets, Ru. What’s your take?

The city stinks of fish and men. But no forest dwellers.

Kienna looked down. The paint splatters on her pants sent memories of River Storm through her mind. She tried to push them away to focus on Elowen, but it was her words that sent her backward. River Storm was a guarded city in the north, protected by a magical barrier meant to keep the rest of the world out. Hidden by magic, like Trinity. Her head pounded as the thought of Baila struck her.

During the Battle of Dalelry, Baila had admitted to Kienna about her kinship to the king. She said she was an experiment. Even Connak said that the king took the Guardians from their home to replicate what Kienna did for her mother in the womb. King Vaerin was meddling with magic to figure out how it worked. Perhaps the River Storm barrier was no different, an experiment to figure out how the Trinity magic worked.

Kienna steered herself back on topic, shaking the thoughts away. “Back to Moira’s question, though, why would you need to rebel against the Elvish?”

Elowen truly looked at Tislin as he stood from his seat and moved closer. She exhaled through her nose, fingers tracing the hem of her sleeves. “We believed the realm shouldn’t be governed by bloodlines and borders but by unity. No kings or queens. Only a body of people deciding what’s best for them, together.” Her eyes twinkled. “You two look so much like them, you know.”

Kienna aimed to pull Elowen back to the topic of governance when Moira scooted to her knees, her large dress pouring to the floor. “You were close, I assume.”

“Close?” Elowen exclaimed. “Oh, we were everything, us three rebels. We were building a greater guardianship for a while until Avenna met Galric.”

Kienna’s ears perked up. “My father?”

Elowen gave a small, ghostly smile. “He didn’t come by the cause naturally. How could he, being the royal prince of the Elvish bloodline? Oh, but the love he had for your mother convinced him of the unity. The Elvish and humans living together, sharing resources and protecting each other. That was our dream. You are all products of that vision.”

Kienna chewed her bottom lip as she studied the floor, searching for more. The Elvish never spoke about her parents, as if their existence was a long-buried thorn in their history. Kienna was beginning to understand why. Still, the need for rebellion confused her. “I don’t understand. The Elvish are your allies. We rode to war in the desert to protect their allies.”

It sounds like your parents succeeded, Ruva hummed.

“Oh, yes, yes. Of course, dear. Appearances are everything, aren’t they?”

Kienna peered at Elowen. She was already turning back to her bowl of stew, ignorant of the weight of her words.

Not everyone is out to get you, Little Flame.

I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Kienna responded. It’s the way she said it…

King Vaerin said something similar to her once, the same day she’d shown up spattered in paint to his opening ceremonies during the Quarter-Century Celebration. He lifted the paint and the sleep from her eyes, shifted her into a dress that didn’t fit right, and told her, “Appearances are everything, my child.” Its stickiness coated her, especially now that she knew he was her uncle. Dark thoughts trailed, fears of King Vaerin’s presence surfacing. Were they safe in Dove Port? How easily could the king find them?

“Trinity remains hidden to protect the magic, I thought.” Moira was looking at Tislin. He gave a subtle nod that didn’t quite confirm the truth of her statement. Moira tucked her book under a blanket and turned back to Elowen. “What about my mother?”