Unidentified Assailants (Unplanned Princess Book 5) by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2021-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

Zaena’s grand hierarchy of affinity for human food started with Chinese at the top, but she’d yet to encounter a cuisine in the city she didn’t enjoy, despite the occasional unpleasant dish. A bad taco now felt like a natural impossibility, as if it’d violate some ancient law of magic.

She bit into her taco, enjoying the slight spice and textural counterpoints. Vokasin sat next to her on the bench, quietly munching his with a satisfied expression.

As expected, there was no one in the park, and the one light pole in the area left their bench and the immediate environs dim. She wasn’t worried about trouble. Any muggers would have a sad, sad evening if they attempted to attack two elves in the middle of Taco Tuesday.

Zaena swallowed the last bite of her taco. She’d downed it like a starving wolf. “I’m not sure from what you’ve said in the past whether you’ve spent more time among humans than I have despite having left your enclave earlier. It doesn’t seem like you’ve ever tried to live among them, which makes me wonder if I know more, in a practical sense, about what that requires and involves.”

“I’m not impressed with their kind,” Vokasin admitted. “That doesn’t mean I wish them harm, and I can’t say they’re all bad. It’s taken them a long time to understand the truth of what’s important, but these last few centuries, concepts such as freedom have taken root among their greatest ideals. There’s some hope for them—probably more for their kind than ours, given that my tribe is the only one to embrace true freedom.”

“We can all have more freedom if we don’t have to worry about the Creeping Azure,” Zaena noted. “Being trapped in the enclaves has made our people unchanging. There can be no growth when an ever-present threat keeps elves from exploring the world and directly encountering new ideas.”

Vokasin didn’t respond. He concentrated on finishing his taco with deliberate and precise bites. “Those are pretty words, Fourth Born, but convincing the bearer of the Sun Gem will take more than words even if I bring your message to him. I hope you understand that.”

“That’s why I need your help,” Zaena insisted. “Given your attitude, I presume your people wouldn’t allow a Tarilan princess into their enclave.”

“I’m not sure they’d care as much as you think.” Vokasin wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “We don’t fear the royals. We never have, which is why we found it easy to leave in the past.” He leaned close to her, his gaze intense. “I’m curious about something.”

“I’ll answer any honest question you ask,” Zaena offered. “I’ve been nothing but honest with you from the beginning.”

“You’ve told me you need my help, but it’s not only elves involved now,” Vokasin noted.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure about trusting your precious humans to help you with this task, one you’ve highlighted has such importance to the entire elven race?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to come as far as I have without human aid,” Zaena replied.

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