~*~Chapter 3: Talia~*~
"She is resting," a familiar voice said.
Zinfer turned to see the queen enter the solar, graceful as always in a flowing dress of gray silk. An onyx tiara circled the top of her head and glimmered in the fire that Zinfer had lit in the stone hearth.
"Thank you, Craglia," Zinfer said reverently, bowing deep with his right hand at his dagger and the left on his chest.
The queen came further into the room and leaned against the back of a plush red chair, part of a very scant set of furniture that also included a squat stone table and simple wooden desk with a matching chair.
Zinfer had arrived at the palace just before dawn. Using a secret entrance only he and a few other Dark Assassins knew of he had rushed Elaine to his private quarters, laying her on the bed before immediately seeking out Craglia. The queen had been sleeping when he found her, but come to the assassin's aid with no questions asked, shutting herself away with the ailing girl while Zinfer had waited with anxious anticipation in the room beyond.
Elaine had been growing warmer and more fretful as they made their nightlong dash through the Eternal Forest. Zinfer had feared that he would not make it in time to save her from permanent damage, but when the had forest cleared and turned into the rolling, bountiful foothills of the Mountain Elves, Zinfer had cried out in relief and made the last mad run to the palace in a matter of minutes.
Now with things settled and Elaine out of harm's way, the queen would have questions. Zinfer waited patiently for her to ask them.
"Is she truly George's daughter?" Craglia began in even tones, giving none of her thoughts or feelings away. She was very good at this and was even able to mask her emotive thoughts from Zinfer's trained senses.
The Dark Elf nodded once, "Yes."
Craglia tossed her long silver hair and cocked her head, "What exactly were you thinking, Zinfer?"
This time, disapproval was obvious in the queen's tone and it stung Zinfer to feel it. "I was...," he stumbled, at a loss for words. What
had
he been thinking?
"The seed of an Elf is toxic to humans," Craglia explained, coming around the back of a chair to take a seat in it, "Did no one ever teach you this?"
Zinfer, who had never felt ashamed to discuss matters of sex before, blushed, "No," he admitted, "There may have been a friend from my time in the north..."
"Zinfer, my old friend," Craglia said with the smallest of smiles, "Sometimes I wonder about you."
"Will she be alright?" Zinfer asked, casting his red eyes downward in embarrassment.
Craglia nodded, "She will recover. I adopted a technique used by the Nymphs when they enter their...frenzy. It worked quite well I'm happy to say, but you must cease this affair with the girl. I'm surprised you ever let it get so far, seeing how George was like a brother to you."
"Believe me," Zinfer said, "I did not intend it to be as such, but there is something about her I could not...can not...resist."
"Well try to," the queen admonished, "If not for George's sake then for hers. It would not be safe to continue."
"I will," Zinfer bowed, but did not believe his own promise. He and Elaine were connected on a level that transcended the purely physical – the thought of ending whatever it was they had before it had ever really started sounded virtually impossible.
"What does she know of her mother?" Craglia asked, changing the topic slightly, "Is she aware of..."
"No," Zinfer shook his head, "I did not feel it was the right time until we got here."
"You will have to tell her now. If the promise you made to George is to be honored."
"I know," Zinfer agreed, "But I do not know how she will react."
"You will never know," Craglia said as she stood smoothly from the chair, "Unless you tell her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep before the sun reaches zenith." The queen approached Zinfer and laid a gentle palm against his chest, staring up at him with purple eyes, "And I'm sorry to be the bearer of personal ill news, but Talia has returned from the north."
"Damn," Zinfer swore, suddenly very angry, "As if I did not have enough to worry about."
"Perhaps she brings good tidings," Craglia suggested as she backed away from Zinfer and made for the door of the solar, "And besides that, she may prove a useful distraction from your current...predicament. If I recall, you two used to be rather close."
"Thank you, my queen," Zinfer said stiffly and offered a final bow before Craglia slipped through the stone door and into the palace beyond.
Talia!
Zinfer cursed silently, shaking his head and collapsing heavily into the chair the queen had just evacuated. On top of everything, the gods damned witch had come back to the foothills.
Talia was a Dark Elf, like Zinfer, and an ambassador for the Drow King. She also happened to be a constant thorn in Zinfer's side. They had been casual lovers once upon a time, but Talia was a cruel, manipulative female that Zinfer had come to despise as a person. Unfortunately that had not stopped him from foolishly sharing his bed with her whenever she visited the palace and Zinfer had a feeling that Talia would be expecting the same reception this time as well. Except he would not oblige – he had Elaine now, and that was enough for him.
Wanting to take his mind off Talia, Zinfer entered his bedchamber and approached the sheets-covered form of Elaine. She was sleeping peacefully and looked worlds better than when Zinfer had seen her last. The flush in her face had receded and her erratic breathing had evened out. A mostly-empty cup of some sweet smelling liquid had been left on the small table next to the bed and Zinfer suspected it contained whatever medicine Craglia had used on Elaine.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Zinfer stroked the sleeping girl's forehead and sighed deeply, brushing back her hair.
Too close
the Elf thought solemnly. It would be best to just walk away from Elaine before he hurt her again, but Zinfer knew he could not. Whatever they had would have to play out – precautions could be taken if it came to that.
Exhaustion washed over Zinfer and he yawned. Nearly three days without sufficient sleep will put strain even on Dark Elves. Standing, he stripped off his clothes and boots and climbed into bed. There was room enough in the large bed that he was able to take up an adequate amount of space without disturbing the peacefully sleeping Elaine.
Dark
Zinfer whispered in Old Elfish. The fire burning in the bedchamber's hearth extinguished, plunging the small room into complete darkness. Shifting onto his side, Zinfer closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds. And he dreamt.
