up of a bunch of young elves who think waiting to die takes too long. They want to take the short path to the most elite club in elf society: the Undying Court.”
"They’d rather be dead than alive?” Espre said.
Monja looked up at Kandler. "Haven’t you taught this girl anything about her heritage?”
Blood rose into Kandler’s cheeks. "Her mother came with her to Khorvaire when Espre was just an infant. She knows about elf ways, but . . .” He looked Espre wistfully.
Should he have taught her the ways of elves? When Esprina had been alive, he hadn’t worried about such things, and since then such things hadn’t seemed all that important. Carving out a life on the edge of the Mournland had always taken precedent over running through the details of distant land filled with people who hadn’t seemed to care about them at all.
"I know about the Undying Court,” Espre said. "It’s just, well, why would anyone be in a hurry to die? To me, that’s one of the best parts about being an elf: the long life you can expect, unless something horrible happens to you.”
Kandler could tell her mother had crossed her mind with those words. These days, so many things weighed so heavily on the girl. She reminded him of those months right after Esprina had died. She’d been so morose he had wondered if she’d die of a broken heart as well.
Caring for Espre during those dark days had been the one thing that had kept Kandler going. If she hadn’t been there, he probably would have fallen into an abyss of despair himself. Her needs, her grief, had burned so much hotter than his own, and he’d used that as the light he’d needed to guide them both out of the darkness. If not for her and the never-shaken support of Burch, he might have lain down and died himself.
"Elves hope to ascend to the Undying Court when they die,” Burch said. "That’s the ultimate power for them, and they only get it after a lifetime of service to their people.” He spat at the corpse, and his spittle landed in the open eyes. "These clowns think the world owes them a shortcut.”
The shifter swiveled his head to focus his yellow eyes on Te’oma. "I hear they’re in bed with Vol.”
The changeling squirmed when she realized everyone was staring at her. "I’ve heard that too,” she said, "but I don’t know that it’s true. Vol rarely did more than give me orders. I didn’t know many of her others servants outside of Tan Du and his crew.”
Xalt stepped into Te’oma’s face. She flinched away from his stony eyes. "Did you bring them here?” he asked, voicing the question on everyone else’s mind.
Te’oma’s pale pink tongue licked her thin, white lips. She seemed ready to bolt, and Kandler tensed, hoping he could strike her down before her wings carried her away.
"No,” Te’oma said. "I’ve quit the Lich Queen. I want nothing more than to kill her. Since there’s little chance of that, I’ll go for the next best thing.”
"Which is what?”
The changeling’s white-eyed gaze fell on Espre, who shivered in it.
"Keeping from her the thing she wants most. If I can’t be her killer, I’ll settle for being her spoiler.”
Kandler put a hand on Espre’s shoulder. "This just makes me more sure. We can’t go to Aerenal. If Vol can send so many Stillborn assassins to find us in the middle of nowhere, we wouldn’t last a moment in the elf homeland.” Burch nodded. "Chances of finding help there weren’t much anyhow—even if we got an audience with the Undying Court.”
"Now you’re against that plan?” Sallah asked, exasperated. "Why did you side with it before?”
Burch bared his teeth in what Kandler hoped was a smile. Sometimes with the shifter it was hard to tell—on purpose. "I stand with my friends.”
Sallah’s face flushed with anger at this. "Are you implying that I have anything than the best interests of Kandler and Espre at heart? ” Her hand rested on the pommel of her sword. Kandler wondered if it might
"They’d rather be dead than alive?” Espre said.
Monja looked up at Kandler. "Haven’t you taught this girl anything about her heritage?”
Blood rose into Kandler’s cheeks. "Her mother came with her to Khorvaire when Espre was just an infant. She knows about elf ways, but . . .” He looked Espre wistfully.
Should he have taught her the ways of elves? When Esprina had been alive, he hadn’t worried about such things, and since then such things hadn’t seemed all that important. Carving out a life on the edge of the Mournland had always taken precedent over running through the details of distant land filled with people who hadn’t seemed to care about them at all.
"I know about the Undying Court,” Espre said. "It’s just, well, why would anyone be in a hurry to die? To me, that’s one of the best parts about being an elf: the long life you can expect, unless something horrible happens to you.”
Kandler could tell her mother had crossed her mind with those words. These days, so many things weighed so heavily on the girl. She reminded him of those months right after Esprina had died. She’d been so morose he had wondered if she’d die of a broken heart as well.
Caring for Espre during those dark days had been the one thing that had kept Kandler going. If she hadn’t been there, he probably would have fallen into an abyss of despair himself. Her needs, her grief, had burned so much hotter than his own, and he’d used that as the light he’d needed to guide them both out of the darkness. If not for her and the never-shaken support of Burch, he might have lain down and died himself.
"Elves hope to ascend to the Undying Court when they die,” Burch said. "That’s the ultimate power for them, and they only get it after a lifetime of service to their people.” He spat at the corpse, and his spittle landed in the open eyes. "These clowns think the world owes them a shortcut.”
The shifter swiveled his head to focus his yellow eyes on Te’oma. "I hear they’re in bed with Vol.”
The changeling squirmed when she realized everyone was staring at her. "I’ve heard that too,” she said, "but I don’t know that it’s true. Vol rarely did more than give me orders. I didn’t know many of her others servants outside of Tan Du and his crew.”
Xalt stepped into Te’oma’s face. She flinched away from his stony eyes. "Did you bring them here?” he asked, voicing the question on everyone else’s mind.
Te’oma’s pale pink tongue licked her thin, white lips. She seemed ready to bolt, and Kandler tensed, hoping he could strike her down before her wings carried her away.
"No,” Te’oma said. "I’ve quit the Lich Queen. I want nothing more than to kill her. Since there’s little chance of that, I’ll go for the next best thing.”
"Which is what?”
The changeling’s white-eyed gaze fell on Espre, who shivered in it.
"Keeping from her the thing she wants most. If I can’t be her killer, I’ll settle for being her spoiler.”
Kandler put a hand on Espre’s shoulder. "This just makes me more sure. We can’t go to Aerenal. If Vol can send so many Stillborn assassins to find us in the middle of nowhere, we wouldn’t last a moment in the elf homeland.” Burch nodded. "Chances of finding help there weren’t much anyhow—even if we got an audience with the Undying Court.”
"Now you’re against that plan?” Sallah asked, exasperated. "Why did you side with it before?”
Burch bared his teeth in what Kandler hoped was a smile. Sometimes with the shifter it was hard to tell—on purpose. "I stand with my friends.”
Sallah’s face flushed with anger at this. "Are you implying that I have anything than the best interests of Kandler and Espre at heart? ” Her hand rested on the pommel of her sword. Kandler wondered if it might
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