Page 132 of Dhampira

For him, maybe. I’d experienced enough risk to be content for a lifetime. But I couldn’t take on Rasimir with injured fingers.

“Fine,” I said. “Fix it, and I’ll owe you a favor.”

Ruvien started to take my hand in both of his, then paused. “May I?”

I offered my hand. As he slid one palm under mine and placed his other on top, I realized his roses were gone. He closed his eyes and moved his lips, although no words emerged. Heat suffused my palm and spread up my forearm. Just as I began to question the wisdom of agreeing to his help without asking about the pain involved in the treatment, he opened his eyes.

“All done.”

He was right. The pain in my fingers was gone.

“Fate is a peculiar thing,” Ruvien said, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “For years, I was embarrassed that I’d allowed a human to pierce me with an arrow. But if I hadn’t fallen to his bow, I wouldn’t have been capable of extracting the memory of that silver just now. We all dance in a much smaller circle than we think, and fate plays the tune.” He released me.

“Thank you,” I said, examining my fingers. My encounter with Cyprio had landed me in yet another undesirable spot. Unfortunately, I had no way to tell when Ruvien would demand his favor. It could be months…or centuries.

“It was a pleasure, Princess,” he said, bowing. When he straightened, he handed me the pink roses. “However, you should never thank an elf. It’s acceptable this time because we’ve already struck a bargain. But if you thank one of my countrymen in the future, they’re likely to interpret it as an acknowledgment of a debt or service, even if you didn’t mean it that way.”

“Tha—” I clamped my mouth shut before I could thank him again.

Ruvien turned to Vander and Lorcan. “Truth is pain—”

I stiffened at the echo of Marrigan’s words.

“—but pain is a useful thing. It reminds us we’re alive. It alerts us to danger. Your princess faces incredible danger. She deserves all the truth you can give her.”

With a nod to me, Ruvien walked the path to the temple and slipped through its doorway. For a moment, I could only stare at the empty space where he’d disappeared. Was it just coincidence that he repeated Marrigan almost exactly? Or, like her, did he have ways of knowing everything? One day, if I was very fortunate, I would surround myself with beings who didn’t possess terrifying amounts of power. But today wasn’t that day.

Suppressing a sigh, I turned to Vander and Lorcan. “What was he talking about? Have you two lied to me?”

Lorcan cleared his throat. “We haven’t lied to you.”

“But you’ve done something.” I looked at Vander. “You said Ruvien never gives warnings without a reason. What he just said sounded like a warning to me. So tell me what he meant. What truth do I deserve to hear?”

“We should sit down,” Lorcan said.

I folded my arms. “No. I’m not taking a seat like a good, obedient pupil. Just tell me. Right now.”

They looked at each other.

“Stop doing that!” I cried. “This is about me. So tell me what I need to hear.”

“It’s Lilawen,” Vander said in a low voice.

My stomach dropped. “Is she—?”

“She’s alive,” he said quickly. “She’s safe. But…” His expression turned grave. “There is no easy way to say this,” he muttered as if speaking to himself. “Lilawen knows you’re here, Corinthe. She knows about Cyprio and the warehouse in Sausberg.” His chest swelled. “She knows I rescued you because she’s the one who told me where I could find you.”

For a minute, my mind refused to absorb his words. It was like he spoke a foreign language, or a vor I couldn’t grasp. “How…?” I swallowed hard. “Why should I believe you?”

“She made contact with my spies in the Wendlewood after Cyprio took you. She wanted me to find you and take you to Rasimir.”

I shook my head. “No. She would never do that. She knows what he is.” And she’s Crau Setra, a little voice whispered in my mind. The same as Marrigan.

Sympathy filled Vander’s eyes. “I know this is difficult to hear—”

“Which is why I won’t hear it,” I snapped, backing away. “Rasimir is a vile murderer. My mother would never send me to him knowing he intended to enslave me and drain me for power.”

“She is Crau Setra,” Lorcan said. “She has always been Crau Setra. She never stopped.”