Now, though, Layla and a handful of other humans knew she was special. Different. She had a feeling she was about to find out how that knowledge would affect their attitudes toward her going forward.
Layla’s question, when she finally spoke, surprised Nuala, however.
“Why did you have to come here? That was never made clear in the negotiations with the queen. Despite being willing to trade your special arrows with us to help end the war, she was vague when it came to you.”
Nuala shrugged and swallowed her food. “The queen and king are both very protective of me.”
“Yes. Which is why I’m surprised they would send you into a war zone.”
“Oh, this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a war zone. I developed these arrows for the second goblin war.”
“They helped us end that war relatively quickly,” Ulric added.
“Not quickly enough,” she said, looking at her cousin.
He held her gaze, his expression full of understanding. No one who’d been part of those battles had escaped without scars.
“But to answer your question…” She faced Layla again. “I have to…set the arrows close to the point at which they’ll be used. They travel in quivers fine over short distances and so long as there aren’t too many in a single quiver. They can be packed with our other spelled arrows for even more secure travel—though I would recommend keeping the fire-tips and my arrows separate. But they can’t be stacked in large numbers and carted over long distances, already assembled and spelled. The movement, time and quantity together trigger the spell.”
“They explode without being fired,” Ulric said. “We learned that the hard way.”
Nuala glanced down at her plate. That was one of her scars from the war, a mistake that had cost several strong warrior elves their lives. Einar shifted minutely closer to her, still not touching—not enough time had elapsed for her skin and nerves to have settled—but enough to make his comforting presence felt. She released the tension with a breath and looked up.
“After the…accident. We knew the arrows had to be transported in individual parts, and I’d have to be camped near the battles to be able to set them.”
“So, you went into the war,” Layla said.
“I went into the war.” Nuala blinked back more memories. “After, the queen in particular but both the sovereigns knew that not only were these weapons something too dangerous to share with outsiders, they were too unstable to trade easily. They also never wanted to risk me being kidnapped or held captive by someone we traded with after I was sent in to set the arrows.”
“That’s why Nuala hasn’t come into Sinnale in a century,” Ulric said. “Their protectiveness of her has gotten worse over the years.”
Einar grunted, a surprising sound that drew all their gazes. He didn’t look up from his plate, just ignored their attention, so they returned to their conversation.
“So,” Layla said, “once the traitor elves defected and it became clear this war was coming to Glengowyn if they did nothing, like it or not, they decided to risk you by trading these arrows with us.”
“In their way.” She dipped her head toward Einar. “They sent me with their most feared personal bodyguard. They did try to minimize the risk.”
“The traitors knew who you were though. They guessed you’d come eventually.”
Einar grunted again. This time he did speak. “They were likely watching for her, keeping at least one or two of the traitors with each group of minions sent to attack the caravans.”
Nuala pursed her lips. “There was no way around my coming here. For your people to have these arrows, to end this war faster, it was necessary for me to come.”
“I’m glad they allowed it,” Layla said. “We’re stronger now, with the reintroduction of the elven weaponry. But the war is dragging on. The Sorcerers continue to capture our people and use them or turn them into minions. We need to drive them out.”
“The information Althir provides?”
“Very helpful. We’ve been able to engage them beyond their own border for the first time since the border was set. We know where their vulnerable spots are, even the location of their individual strongholds outside the main citadel, all the places we’ll have to destroy to drive them out. But we haven’t been able to break through their defenses thoroughly enough to move far enough into their territory to end things.”
Nuala caught Ulric’s gaze as she said, “Some of the arrows…didn’t turn out as they should have. It happens sometimes.” She lied and made sure Ulric knew it. “I’ll need to run a few tests on the different ones before they’re allowed into a battle. In the meantime, the ones provided combined with our ordinary arrows and the fire-tips should be sufficient to aid in an offensive.”
Ulric nodded in understanding, his gaze darting to Einar and then to Layla. Layla didn’t comment but her eyes narrowed.
She was smart, Ulric’s mate. She knew something wasn’t exactly right with what Nuala had said, but she kept that knowledge to herself and outwardly accepted the story.
“I’ll be sure the arms marshal knows which arrows are not ready to be used,” she said.
Nuala felt tension she’d only barely been aware of uncurl. Until she could figure out what the new arrows did, she did not want to risk another accident. She’d never forgive herself if some of the Sinnale were killed because of her, the way her own people had died before she knew more about her shrapnel arrows. She would not make that mistake again.
Chapter Thirteen
The Sinnale had already started planning another offensive before Nuala and her arrows entered the city, with the new weapons at the core of their plans. Once Nuala and Einar had arrived, the human council finalized their strategy and began organizing their people.
Nuala spent the next day and a half in the armory. While trying to unravel the purpose of the new arrows, she also ensured they weren’t inadvertently added to the weaponry the humans planned to use for the coming battle. Unfortunately, the ultimate results of the spell continued to elude her.
“This has never happened before,” she complained to Einar after the first day. “How can I not know what magic I’ve wrought?”
“You’ve never dealt with blended magics before,” he assured her, remaining a calming presence beside her the entire time. “You’ll understand soon.”
But when another half day passed with her at a loss, Einar insisted she leave the armory to rest. “Ulric will make sure none of these make it into the battle preparations. You won’t find answers if you’re too exhausted to think.”
She didn’t want to stop but knew he was right. If she didn’t sleep properly, she might even miss the answer right in front of her.
They hadn’t had much time alone since she started her work in the armory. Between the exertions of her magic and the time spent trying to unravel the spell she’d placed on the new arrows, she’d never stopped to wonder how their bonding had affected his magic. Or him.
Without argument or even the need for words, he followed her into her room. As soon as she shut the door, he gathered her close and kissed her. The kiss was gentle, not demanding, but she felt his longing in the tightness of his muscles. She sighed into the sensations and gave herself over to his kiss, returning it with equal tenderness.
“I’ve missed this,” he murmured. “Only a few days, and I’ve missed kissing you. I won’t be able to go back to how things were between us.”
“Me neither.” She eased back enough to look at him directly. “I have no intention of going back, either. But…”
He stiffened. “But?”
“We haven’t stopped to consider how this has affected your magic. Until now, everyone’s been more concerned with what might happen to my skills. I haven’t stopped to think what this might have done to you.”
Holding her at his side, he led her to the bed. “I haven’t attempted anything yet.”
They lay down, fully clothed, and she rested her head on his chest. “Is your…is your battle state part of your magic?” No one knew, at least not that she’d ever spoken with, though she was sure the queen knew, and no one seemed inclined to ask Einar. She’d never been brave enough to bring up the topic.
He remained silent for a while, and she gave him time, listening to his heart beat steady against her cheek.
Finally, he said, “I’ve never been sure. I don’t feel like I’m tapping magic when I…let go. Unlike the owls. I feel that, the mixing of magic and my essence to make that possible. In battle… All I ever feel is rage. When I turn the rage loose, I become the Darkness.”
“So you’ll still be capable of doing what you do in battle?” She realized that gave her a measure of relief she hadn’t anticipated. She was quite certain one of the things that kept Einar safe was the fear he inspired. Even the king wouldn’t think to challenge him in combat. But if that had changed because of what they’d done, he would be vulnerable.
“That skill at least should be fine,” he reassured. “The owls…”
“Has something changed with that?”
“Not that I can put words to. I can still feel the ability to speak with them within me. But something in the calling has changed.”
“The calling? Being able to get them to come to you?”
“It hasn’t gone away. I can call them. I think. But there’s a difference to it. I can’t really explain. Maybe a different focus?”
“Different focus. That sort of describes what I’m sensing in the new arrows. No. Not difference so much as
more
focus. There’s something…precise about the spell, something specific that wasn’t there before.”
“Yes. That’s a good way to explain it. There’s a precision to the feel of the calling now, a specificity that wasn’t required before.”
“Does it make things more difficult?”
She felt his shrug. “I haven’t tried to actually bring an owl to me yet, so I can’t say. I’m going on the way the magic feels.”
“You should try. Soon.”
“It isn’t as important as the new arrows. It can wait.”
She licked her lips before asking, “Will they stop carrying messages for Glengowyn if you’re banished?”
“I don’t know that either. When the king first threatened me with banishment if I didn’t stay away from you, I asked the owls and they said they wouldn’t continue. But…a lot of time has passed since then. With the change in my magic… I’ll have to ask them again.”
She didn’t think the threat of losing the owls would be enough to earn them forgiveness from their sovereigns, but it was something to consider.
Her head lifted slightly as Einar pulled in a deep breath. “Sleep, Nuala. We can worry about these things another time.”
He was right. They would worry about them when they returned to Glengowyn. A small part of her wondered if they should bother going back. Just take themselves into banishment now, before the king and queen publicly sent them away. It wouldn’t save them from the consequences of their actions. And the sovereigns, if they wanted to, could place the
Or’roan
on her and Einar no matter where they went. But it would be easier not to have to face the censure of the king or the wrath of the queen in person.
She closed her eyes and allowed her tired body the rest it needed, taking comfort in the fact that at least she and Einar would face that future together, no matter what the sovereigns decided.
Nuala watched the final preparations for the offensive strike against the Sorcerers’ borders from the rooftop of the council’s meeting hall. Gas lamps lit the movements of humans in and out of the hall and through the neighboring streets. A cool breeze ruffled the night, bringing a freshness to the air along with the anticipation of a battle to come.
She’d spent more time with her new arrows, digging through the layers of the spell. And had come to one conclusion.
“They have to be tried,” she said to Einar, who stood at her back. “I have to use one to see what it will do.”
He didn’t pretend not to understand her meaning. “You’re not a soldier. You’re too valuable to be sent directly into a battle like this. I will go and try the weapon.”
“No.” She turned and faced him. “It’s my spell. My risk. You won’t
know
the difference the way I will when I use one. There’s no other place to try them. I can’t just fire one randomly at a target like the others. There’s…something about that sort of experiment that feels more dangerous than firing one in battle.” She raised her hands, palms up. “I wish I could explain better.”
“Nuala, I can’t allow you to go into this fight. You’re not prepared.”
“I’ve been fighting since we left Glengowyn.”
“This isn’t your war. It’s the Sinnale’s. Besides, the king and queen—”
“Are about to impose severe punishments on us for our love. They will hardly blame you more if you take me into a fight.” She stepped close and cupped his cheeks. His jaw was hard as stone beneath her palms, and he refused to meet her gaze when she looked up at him.
“Einar. This is the only way to test them. I don’t dare leave them untested. I can’t move them now that they’ve been set. They’re more dangerous like this, so I can’t just walk away and relinquish the responsibility of them to the humans. I
have
to solve this. And it has to be done in battle where the only ones hurt will be the enemy.”