The Silver Thread by Emigh Cannaday Page B

for one second that you have carte blanche to dip your pen in the embassy’s inkwell.”
    “Don’t you worry; I only thought that for
half
a second,” Talvi said, winking at her again. “Things have changed since we saw each other last. I’m married now.” That statement was met with a dubious look from Merriweather’s large brown eyes.
    “Oh please.
You
?”
    Talvi nodded and showed her his wedding band. Merriweather looked at his ring, and then back at him in disbelief.
    “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
    Talvi nodded again.
    “Who is she? I didn’t think there were any elven ladies left who hadn’t heard of your reputation.”
    Snorting at her jab, Talvi replied, “She’s not an elf. She’s one of those modern girls.”
    “You mean a
human
?”
    Talvi nodded again.
    “You know that’s forbidden!” Merriweather hissed, looking aghast. “How could you do such a thing? Where ever is she? I’d like to give her some keen advice.”
    “Well, that’s the other reason why I’m here,” said Talvi, looking first at his empty glass, and then back at Merriweather.
    “I should have known you had ulterior motives for bringing me Asbjorn’s report. Did she leave you already? She must be somewhat clever, then.”
    “She didn’t leave in the way you are suggesting,” he said, and the playfulness left his face. He poured a little more scotch into his glass and began to explain. “After the battle against the Pazachi, she was…she…” His voice faltered as he saw the fear in Annika’s eyes all over again. “She was pulled through their manufactured portal, right before it fell apart. I know for a fact that she ended up landing in Paris, although I’m sure she’s back home in America by now. She’s a very clever girl. In fact, she’s the reason that the portals were mended.”
    “But Talvi, the Paris embassy had burned down by then,” Merriweather said, softening her expression and her voice. “That portal was on the third floor. Even if she had survived that kind of a fall, she would be in hospital with severe injuries.”
    “Not if she wasn’t
entirely
human anymore,” he said cautiously.
    Merriweather’s brow furrowed, but she only tilted her head and folded her arms, waiting for further explanation.
    “Something happened to her when we were married,” Talvi continued. “Something happened to both of us, actually. Try to take my ring off.”
    He outstretched his hand toward Merriweather, who looked at him skeptically once again.
    “I think I prefer your wedding ring exactly where it is.”
    “As do I, but I assure you, you can’t remove it, no matter how hard you try. Go on, have at it.”
    Merriweather slowly took his left hand into her own, letting her right thumb pass over the platinum band as she admired it. Then, she clamped her fingers around it and yanked as hard as she could. Instead of ending up with a ring in her hand, she ended up with an elf in her lap.
    “Oh, damn you! A fine trick that was! I can’t believe I fell for such a desperate act!” she huffed into Talvi’s neck as he groaned and scrambled to get off of her. He clutched his left hand in his right and held it against his chest, gritting his teeth from where he sat on the floor against her desk.
    “Hells bells and buckets of blood, Merri; I didn’t think you were so strong!” he hissed through his teeth. He let go of his hand and flexed it into a fist a few times. Blood began to trickle toward his wrist.
    “You mean I actually hurt you?” she asked, and took a handkerchief out of her desk drawer. “Give me your hand.”
    Talvi rose to his knees and offered his hand to her once again.
    “Be a bit more gentle, would you please?”
    She nodded and held his hand in hers, resting it in her lap as she wiped his wrist clean. She dabbed carefully around the platinum band, folding the handkerchief to a point to get in between the thin silver inscription in the center. Without thinking of it, she tried to pull