boiled turnips, salad, and apples had been sent over from the kitchen, along with a crock of last fall’s hard cider.
“Very well, when last I saw her,” Magnes replied. He took a bite of pie. “She and Ashinji had not yet wed, but from what I could see, they were very much in love. By the time your men captured Ashinji, he and Jelena were married and she was several months pregnant. Ashi has a son or daughter he’s never seen.”
“I hope, truly, that our cousin and her child will be safe,” Thessalina sighed. “This war is going to be very hard on the elves. I wish…” Thessalina paused to wipe at eyes gone red. “I wish now that I had treated Jelena better.”
Magnes’ eyebrows shot up. “I never expected to hear you say that.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” Thessalina replied, taking a deep pull from her cider mug.
“There’s something else about Jelena I haven’t told you yet,” Magnes said, setting his fork down. Thessalina looked at him, waiting.
“I know you think Jelena left Amsara to avoid becoming Veii’s concubine, but that’s not the only reason,” Magnes explained. “She also wanted to find her father.”
“Did she?” Thessalina asked.
“Yes, she did, but he was not at all what she expected.”
“Oh?”
“Just before she, that is, before we left, Claudia gave her a signet ring and told her it belonged to her father.”
“A signet ring? Then he must be one of their noble-born,” Thessalina said.
“You could say that,” Magnes chuckled. “The signet turned out to be the family crest of the Onjaras, the rulers of Alasiri.”
“Jelena’s father is a member of the elven royal family ?”
“Not just a member, Thess. Her father is the Onjara. King Silverlock, himself.” Thessalina stared at her brother in shocked silence. “I know how you feel,” Magnes continued. “I think I looked the same way you do now when Ashinji told me. Turns out, our cousin is a princess.”
“Gods,” Thessalina whispered.
“What we call the Portanus Valley the elves call Tono. Thess, if they can’t hold it, Alasiri will be overrun. You and I both know what that will mean for them,” Magnes said.
“Yes, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it, Brother,” Thessalina snapped. “I have my duty to the empress as one of her chief vassals. I can’t disobey her orders.” Her dark eyes roiled with anger.
“I’m not suggesting you shirk your duty, Sister. I just want you to know what’s at stake. Jelena and her child, both of whom are innocent, may not survive.”
“I know what’s at stake! A lot of innocent people won’t survive, Magnes. It’s what happens in war, for gods’ sake.” Thessalina threw up her hands. “I wish things were otherwise, I really do, but I haven’t the power to change what’s going to happen. We outnumber the elves by at least three to one. They can’t defeat us. Portanus will be taken, and if the empress orders us to press forward and take all of the Western Lands, then that’s what we’ll do!” She lowered her voice and her face softened. “I’m sure that once the elves surrender and they’re absorbed into the empire, things won’t be so bad for them.”
“How can you say that?” Magnes’ voice rose to a near shout. “First, they’ll never surrender. Second, you know what the average human believes about them. You believed all of that rubbish yourself!”
“Brother, I…” Thessalina began, but Magnes cut her off.
“The empress doesn’t want the elves as subjects. She wants them all removed and Alasiri repopulated with humans. This isn’t a simple war of conquest, Sister. It’s a campaign of extermination!”
Thessalina leaned back in her chair, jaw set. “What would you have me do?”
“Damn it…I don’t know!” Magnes cried. Immediately, he regretted his outburst and the anger within him trickled away, leaving a dark stain of sadness in its wake. He cursed the powerlessness that threatened to drown him
“Very well, when last I saw her,” Magnes replied. He took a bite of pie. “She and Ashinji had not yet wed, but from what I could see, they were very much in love. By the time your men captured Ashinji, he and Jelena were married and she was several months pregnant. Ashi has a son or daughter he’s never seen.”
“I hope, truly, that our cousin and her child will be safe,” Thessalina sighed. “This war is going to be very hard on the elves. I wish…” Thessalina paused to wipe at eyes gone red. “I wish now that I had treated Jelena better.”
Magnes’ eyebrows shot up. “I never expected to hear you say that.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” Thessalina replied, taking a deep pull from her cider mug.
“There’s something else about Jelena I haven’t told you yet,” Magnes said, setting his fork down. Thessalina looked at him, waiting.
“I know you think Jelena left Amsara to avoid becoming Veii’s concubine, but that’s not the only reason,” Magnes explained. “She also wanted to find her father.”
“Did she?” Thessalina asked.
“Yes, she did, but he was not at all what she expected.”
“Oh?”
“Just before she, that is, before we left, Claudia gave her a signet ring and told her it belonged to her father.”
“A signet ring? Then he must be one of their noble-born,” Thessalina said.
“You could say that,” Magnes chuckled. “The signet turned out to be the family crest of the Onjaras, the rulers of Alasiri.”
“Jelena’s father is a member of the elven royal family ?”
“Not just a member, Thess. Her father is the Onjara. King Silverlock, himself.” Thessalina stared at her brother in shocked silence. “I know how you feel,” Magnes continued. “I think I looked the same way you do now when Ashinji told me. Turns out, our cousin is a princess.”
“Gods,” Thessalina whispered.
“What we call the Portanus Valley the elves call Tono. Thess, if they can’t hold it, Alasiri will be overrun. You and I both know what that will mean for them,” Magnes said.
“Yes, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it, Brother,” Thessalina snapped. “I have my duty to the empress as one of her chief vassals. I can’t disobey her orders.” Her dark eyes roiled with anger.
“I’m not suggesting you shirk your duty, Sister. I just want you to know what’s at stake. Jelena and her child, both of whom are innocent, may not survive.”
“I know what’s at stake! A lot of innocent people won’t survive, Magnes. It’s what happens in war, for gods’ sake.” Thessalina threw up her hands. “I wish things were otherwise, I really do, but I haven’t the power to change what’s going to happen. We outnumber the elves by at least three to one. They can’t defeat us. Portanus will be taken, and if the empress orders us to press forward and take all of the Western Lands, then that’s what we’ll do!” She lowered her voice and her face softened. “I’m sure that once the elves surrender and they’re absorbed into the empire, things won’t be so bad for them.”
“How can you say that?” Magnes’ voice rose to a near shout. “First, they’ll never surrender. Second, you know what the average human believes about them. You believed all of that rubbish yourself!”
“Brother, I…” Thessalina began, but Magnes cut her off.
“The empress doesn’t want the elves as subjects. She wants them all removed and Alasiri repopulated with humans. This isn’t a simple war of conquest, Sister. It’s a campaign of extermination!”
Thessalina leaned back in her chair, jaw set. “What would you have me do?”
“Damn it…I don’t know!” Magnes cried. Immediately, he regretted his outburst and the anger within him trickled away, leaving a dark stain of sadness in its wake. He cursed the powerlessness that threatened to drown him
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