“That’s great!” The smile that spread over the boy’s face touched Lilly’s heart and started an answering grin on her own lips. Petr turned and headed for the great hall with a livelier step.

  When he was out of sight, Lilly looked at Luc, standing tall and proud beside her. The frown was back on his brother’s face, and Lilly got the impression that was his habitual look.

  “He’s a charming boy. You must be very proud.”

  The frown deepened. “I heard what he asked you.”

  Lilly’s mouth opened, but she didn’t know what to say.

  “His mother dropped him in my lap when he was just a baby.”

  “She was human?”

  His handsome face formed a grimace. “A sorceress.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t encourage his affection. He’s been abandoned before.”

  Now, she was insulted. “I would never hurt a child.” Lilly held the warrior’s eyes with fierce determination. Tension flared, and she decided she didn’t like this man at all.

  At length, his attempt at intimidation ratcheted down a notch. “Not intentionally, perhaps.” Detlif turned on his heel and stalked off, his dragon partner following behind with a lingering backward look, though he said nothing.

  “Well, thanks for that at least,” Lilly mumbled toward his back. Luc laughed, and Lilly turned on him. “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s good to see someone else run afoul of my brother’s temper for a change.”

  Lilly huffed and sat back down on the wall. “I’m glad somebody’s enjoying this.” The insult she’d just received grated on her nerves. “To think I’d do something like that to a sick child…”

  “Sick? In what way?” Luc sat beside her on the wall.

  “I don’t know, but my new talent sparked to life when he first came up to me. I’m sorry I don’t know enough about my gift to know what that means.”

  “Perhaps if you talked with the Master Healer, she could give you some pointers,” Luc mused.

  “I’d like that, if she’s willing. I had little time to seek counsel from the healer in Alric’s court before I left, and I’m not sure he could be of help in any case.”

  Luc stood and offered his hand to her. “Then, we’ll head over to the healing hall. It’s worth seeing in any case, but perhaps, Vi has a few minutes to spare for you.”

  Luc enjoyed the way Lilly fell into step beside him. Shilayla took off for a little recreational flying with her friends while Luc took Lilly through the flower gardens on the way to the healing hall. It was a romantic spot and one he didn’t plan to waste.

  “I look forward to our journey together, Lilly.” Luc slowed his pace, and she met his stride, turning slightly to look up at him with those sexy, dark eyes he found so alluring.

  “How will that work, exactly?”

  “Shi’s big enough to carry us both. The question is, are you willing to fly?” His smile dared her.

  “You’ll find there’s very little I’m not willing to try.”

  “Really?”

  Luc stopped short and grabbed her hand, using her momentum to pull her into his arms. When he had her locked tight against his body, he drew back just a fraction to look down into her expressive eyes. What he saw there gave him encouragement. She wasn’t pulling away, and she didn’t seem upset.

  Pressing his luck, he dipped down to touch his lips to hers. When she didn’t object, he delved deeper, licking her sweet lips open and sweeping inside. She tasted like the finest honey wine, only twice as intoxicating.

  Luc maneuvered her back, so she was pressed between him and the sturdy old tree at the side of the path. She made no protest as he deepened the kiss, dueling with her tongue in a battle neither really wanted to win.

  How long he stood there on the path with Lilly locked in his arms, Luc never knew, but all too soon, a brittle voice pulled them apart.

  “Now, is that any kind of example to set for my novices? Luc, honestly. I taught you better than that.”

  He lifted his head, already feeling the heat of embarrassment in his cheeks. Of all the people to catch him necking in the park with a girl, Lady Joya had to be his last choice. She’d been his teacher as a child and still had the power to make him feel like he’d done something wrong, even when he hadn’t.

  Luc stepped back, holding Lilly steady while she blinked in confusion. He was gratified to see she’d been as lost in the kiss as he had, but Lady Joya was waiting, tapping her foot in that time-honored signal of annoyance. He swallowed hard then turned to face his old teacher.

  “It’s good to see you, Lady. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  Joya regarded him with suspicion as he shielded Lilly with his body.

  “Who’s that behind you, boy? Why are you hiding her? Doesn’t your grandmother approve?”

  Luc sighed, stepping to the side when Lilly prodded him. Old Joya’s gasp of alarm didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Hello. I’m Lilly.”

  “A human?” Joya’s outrage made her rude, and Luc was surprised by the old woman’s outburst. “After what your family has been through with your brother’s foolishness. I thought you were smarter than that, Luc.”

  Lilly’s chin went up, but thankfully, she didn’t respond. Joya was a very old woman and used to being the final authority in her classroom. Luc owed her respect, even if he wanted badly to shout at her for her insensitivity and tell her to mind her own business.

  “Thank you for your concern, but House Adain has always been strong. It will continue to thrive regardless of what you think of my or my brother’s choice in companions. Good day, Lady Joya.”

  Luc very deliberately took Lilly’s hand and strode for the healing hall at an increased pace. He heard Joya sputter behind him, but he didn’t give a damn. One more minute in her presence and he’d forget his manners. He was that angry at her comments about Det and his family.

  When they rounded a curve and were out of sight of the old biddy, Luc finally slowed his pace. Lilly was very much aware that she was a stranger in a strange land, but it seemed old busybodies were as common to fair folk as they were in human towns and villages.

  “I’m sorry.” Luc stopped and dropped her hand, turning to face her with serious eyes.

  “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.” She’d enjoyed the kiss. In fact, the first touch of his lips had made her mindless. The loss of control scared her a bit. She’d never reacted so quickly or so fully to any man in her life.

  She’d liked the way he pulled her against him so decisively. She’d loved the feel of his tall, muscular body against hers. And she could easily become addicted to his kisses. His taste, his scent and the feel of him were all too alluring and too dangerous.

  “But I think you should know something. I won’t be a convenience for you on our journey. I don’t share my body with just any man who catches my eye.”

  Luc seemed taken aback for a second before a slow grin spread over his face. “Then, you’re saying I’ve caught your eye?”

  She had to laugh at his audacity. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

  “Don’t worry, I’d much rather put something else in your luscious mouth.” A scandalous wink brought a flush of heat to her cheeks. “You kiss like a dream, Lilly. I never thought a human could be so passionate.”

  “So, I’m a curiosity to you? Never been with a human, eh?” She felt hurt by his attitude but tried hard not to let it show. “We’re even. I’ve never been with an elf. And you know what? I never will be. Not if you all have that kind of piss poor attitude.”

  “Lilly, sweetheart…”

  “I’ve known you less than one day, Luc. You don’t have the right to call me that. In my world, that kind of familiarity has to be earned.”

  Finally, her message got through. Luc pulled back, the smile leaving his face as he regarded her with measuring eyes. “As you wish, milady. The healing hall is just ahead. If Lady Vi is available, I’ll leave you in her capable hands.”

  Lilly’s heart raced. She’d won her point but at what cost? She didn’t want to be at odds with this man, but she also didn’t want him to assume just because they’d be traveling together that she was an easy mark for bedmate on their journey. She valued herself higher than that.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lady Vi turned out to be the healer who’d sat on the Council. She greeted Lilly with a broad smile and a welcoming attitude. Luc stalked off shortly after, leaving Lilly in the ornate healing hall. Vi took Lilly on a short tour of the hall and the surrounding greenhouses where all kinds of plants were cultivated for medicinal uses. Lilly had never seen the like and was fascinated by the intricacies of the healer’s vocation she’d never before contemplated.

  “Lady Vi, may I ask you something?” Lilly asked when they were back inside, sitting in the Lady’s private bower sipping a tisane Vi assured Lilly would restore her energy after being nearly frozen the day before.

  “Anything I can answer for you, I will.”

  “Then—your pardon if this is a sensitive matter—but what exactly is wrong with Petr? My healing gift sparked to life when I first met him, but I can’t figure out why.”

  The healer’s face clouded with concern. “How did your gift first manifest?”

  Lilly grimaced. “In my father’s hall. I went home for a visit, and one of his students was badly injured by an accident during sword practice. One minute, he was bleeding on the floor, the next, I was beside him, my hands covered in his blood, and his wound was gone. It took me over, and I have no memory of actually healing him, though there were plenty of witnesses to the act.”

  “A powerful gift, then,” Vi mused as she looked hard at Lilly. “And of sudden appearance. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-seven summers.”

  Vi made a tsking sound with her tongue. “The road will not be easy for you, coming into your power so late and so strong, but the Mother of All works in mysterious ways. I have to think there is some reason you were granted this gift.”

  “Lady, it is a curse more than a gift. I’m a warrior. I’ve trained to hurt and kill my enemies all my life. Now, I can’t go two feet past an injured person—friend or foe.”

  “And, I suspect, if you actually had to kill someone, the backlash on you would be near fatal itself. Take my advice, do not dispense any killing blows if you can help it, Lilly.”

  “Dear goddess! I hadn’t really considered…”

  “The healing gift has its costs, but also great benefits. Now, please describe to me, as closely as you can, what you felt when you first encountered Petr.”

  Lilly recounted the feelings and the urge to heal that came over her when she met the boy, answering the healer’s questions in as much detail as she could. At length, Vi sat back and regarded her with narrowed eyes.

  “Petr has long been weak and small for his age, though none of us could find any reason for his condition. But what you describe is a true healer’s reaction to an ill person, so my only conclusion can be that Petr harbors some illness inside him that is most likely affecting his human side. My people can’t sense it, but you, being human, apparently can. I will seek the input of the healer’s circle on this and may ask you to sit with Petr and a few of my specialists to see if we can discover more.”

  Lilly wondered what she’d done. Most likely Detlif would have her head for drawing attention to his boy, but she couldn’t leave it if there was something she could do to help Petr.

  “Anything I can do to help, Lady Vi.”

  “Good.” The healer smiled as she stood, indicating Lilly should, as well. “But we’ll wait until tomorrow. We must go now for the midday meal at the great hall, then, I suspect House Adain will have plans for you, since you are their guest.”

  When they entered the great hall, the place was nearly full with more fair folk than Lilly would have believed lived in the enclave. There were warriors, bards, tradesmen and servants of every kind, all sitting at a multitude of tables that had been set up since she’d left the large building.

  The Council tables had been rearranged as well, though the Councilors all sat around one large table at the head of the hall. Lilly noticed that two spaces had been left open. Luc and his brother were already there, as were the Lady who led the Council, and the others Lilly’d seen earlier in the day. Vi led her right to the open spaces and indicated she should take the seat next to Luc, while Vi sat on the other side.

  Lilly was a little uncomfortable after the way they’d parted, but Luc was the perfect gentleman, offering to fill her cup from the pitcher on the table. She accepted with good grace and enjoyed the light conversation that went on around her as a sumptuous meal was served.

  “What news have you of the world beyond our borders, Mistress Lilly?” Tolmir asked in his hearty voice.

  Lilly racked her brain for the tidbits she’d picked up at court, though to be honest, her main interest was her kingdom and the mission she’d been given. Most of her recent efforts had been directed toward learning about the fair folk and the Veil. She hadn’t been paying much attention to news of other countries of late. But there was something she remembered.

  “Merchants from across the great sea say there are gryphons flying in the skies of Draconia. And I’ve heard strange tales of a mad King in Skithdron who practices dark magics on himself and his people. There were also some stories about a new Queen in Draconia who is followed everywhere by a baby ice dragon. It’s said she raised him from the shell.”

  Murmurs sounded around the table, though surely, baby dragons were commonplace under the Veil.

  “Ice dragons are the wildest of all our brethren and the most rare. This Queen must be special, indeed, if she has bonded with such a one.”

  The dragon whose voice rumbled through her mind was one she’d seen earlier that day but hadn’t heard “speak” before. This one sat behind the mage, Elira, though few other dragons were present in the hall. Shilayla was curled up behind Luc’s chair, but Lilly could see only one or two others lounging around the large room.

  “They say the new Queen is a dragon healer. As is her sister, who is now married to the King of Draconia’s brother, Prince Nico.”

  “The royal line of Draconia is one we respect, though our duty is to the snowlands, while our more colorful brethren partner human knights in those parts. Still, this news is intriguing. Gryphons have not flown outside a special few of our enclaves in many generations.”

  “Perhaps, we need to send an emissary to Draconia to find out what goes on beyond our borders,” Elira mused. “After this morning, I think we’ve become too isolated here under the Veil. It may be time we sought beyond our boundaries to discover those that might threaten us.”

  “It never hurts to know your enemy before they strike,” Detlif agreed, raising a finely wrought glass in salute to the mage. Lilly thought she caught something there, in the way they looked at each other, but decided it wasn’t any of her business.

  “If you have no other plans for this afternoon,” the seer spoke from across the table, “I’d like to invite you to visit my hall. My colleagues and students feel you could be of value in their interpretation of a few upsetting visions some have received since the blockage was removed this morning.”

  “I’d be glad to help in whatever way I can,” Lilly replied. She was used to King Alric’s ways and didn’t find the idea of spending time with a group of seers as frightening as many other folk would. In most human settlements, seers were either respected or feared—usually a little of both—but Lilly had no such qualms. She’d seen the good they could do when a well-placed warning could literally save lives.

  The rest of the meal passed without incident, though Luc was notably silent beside her. She knew she’d insulted him, calling him an elf before. All the bards agreed that fair folk didn’t like being called elves. It seemed they were right.

  She had reacted out of fear. She acknowledged her weakness, now that she’d had time to reflect. Luc scared her, and Lilly wasn’t a woman used to being afraid of a man simply because she found him more attractive than any other she’d ever met.

  The fact that his kisses made her insensible to everything around her was cause for concern, but even greater was the danger he posed to her heart. All too easily, Luc could crush it, if she allowed him to get too close. Better he keep his distance because she wasn’t sure she had enough control over her wayward emotions to deny him if he pursued her in earnest.

  The only way, then, was to keep him at arm’s length until they completed their journey. She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but for her own sake, she had to find a way. Like it or not, Luc was a different species. He’d outlive her by hundreds of years. Even if he wanted a lasting relationship with her, it was doomed from the start. On the other hand, if she lost her heart to him and he only wanted a fling, she’d be devastated. Judging by those amazing kisses, she feared once she’d been with him, she’d be ruined for all other men. Better to nip it in the bud before either of them got hurt.

  Lilly went with Lady Dela back to the Seer’s Hall after lunch, glad for the vigorous walk down wooded paths that led to the very edges of the Veil. The seers, it seemed, preferred to be away from most of the other bustling halls devoted to other pursuits. In all, Lilly had been in the healer’s hall, the great hall, and had passed by a craftsman’s hall, and the mage’s hall on her travels through the enclave that day.

  From what she could see, each discipline had a central gathering place around which the devotees of that craft made their homes. Each hall was bordered by houses, then fields or thickets where they grew what they needed and kept animals. In all, it was a very orderly design that looked natural in the landscape—something few human settlements ever achieved.

  When they arrived, the Seer’s Hall was in chaos. Some of the healers Lilly had met earlier that day at the healer’s hall were scurrying about, giving out tisanes and cool compresses to those whose gifts left them with headaches. Lilly was familiar with the afflictions of seers, having spent time with Alric.