Death Wind (Elven Alliance #3) - Tara Grayce Page 0,14

And he had died to rescue Farrendel from the trolls.

How could Dacha have put his illegitimate son over the happiness of the rest of his children? That was the question that had been simmering inside her from the moment he had been killed.

Yet, had he? Dacha would have sacrificed just as much for her or Jalissa or Weylind. Had he not been angry on her behalf when Hatharal had broken their betrothal? He had been there for all her growing up years. Those beautiful years when both Macha and Dacha had been alive and she, Weylind, and Jalissa had spent many happy summers at Lethorel.

Prince Rharreth’s grip tightened on Melantha’s arm, and he marched her forward after the army of trolls.

Melantha gritted her teeth and trotted to keep up with him. A blast of wind cut through her thin, silk dress, sweeping up off the rocky terrain only sparsely broken by tufts of grass and other brush that Weylind or Jalissa could name, as they had studied such things for their plant growing magic. Mountains stretched toward the horizon as far as she could see.

As they rounded the end of the train, the view of a flat plateau spread before her. Deep gullies stretched on all sides of the plateau except one. Behind them, the train tracks wound up the one sloping side while in front of her, a stone bridge curved over the crevasse.

On the other side of the bridge stood Gror Grar. Its walls and towers rose out of a mountain as if they had been grown like that. With the trolls’ stone magic, they probably had transformed a mountain peak into the spiraling towers and mighty walls before her.

Beyond Gror Grar shone the lights of the capital city of Osmana, tucked onto the side of a distant mountain guarded by walls and the fortress of Gror Grar standing in the way.

Melantha shivered and hugged her arms over her body as best she could with Prince Rharreth gripping her elbow. Would she ever leave Gror Grar? Or would both she and Farrendel die there behind those cold, stone walls?

She was hauled across the bridge and into the fortress itself. All the stone surrounding her sent a dull throb to her temples.

In the courtyard, hordes of trolls had gathered with King Charvod in a cleared space in the center, shouting.

The trolls at the edges of the cleared space were shoving and kicking Farrendel as he staggered, arms pinned to his sides with stone. The trolls had stripped Farrendel of his shirt and boots, leaving him in only the Escarlish trousers. His gaze was wide and hazy, as if he was still groggy and drugged.

Melantha struggled against Prince Rharreth’s grip. “You have to stop this.”

Prince Rharreth stared down at her with cold, dark blue eyes. “Why? He is my kingdom’s greatest enemy. We have no reason to spare him any indignity after the numbers he has killed.”

She gritted her teeth. “You value honor, especially in battle. You might hate him as your enemy, but surely you value his strength as a warrior. Treat him with the decency of an honored enemy. This...this is just barbaric.”

“Perhaps. But it is deserved.” Prince Rharreth dragged her through the crowd of trolls until they broke through the circle.

Shoved from behind, Farrendel tumbled to the ground, lying still.

Prince Rharreth stared down at Farrendel with an impassive expression before he lifted his gaze to King Charvod. “You have paraded Laesornysh before our people as you wished. Now we should kill him, as is honorable for a defeated enemy.”

Melantha tried to wrench her arm from the troll prince’s grasp. “No, do not—”

He shook her. Not hard, but hard enough to cut off her words. The glare he sent her clamped her mouth shut.

This was what she had wanted when she had betrayed Farrendel. A quick execution by the trolls, an easy elimination of a decades-long problem.

Yet, now, when the time came, why did her stomach churn? Why was she protesting?

“I wish to keep him alive a while longer. He should suffer for our people he has murdered.” King Charvod aimed a kick at Farrendel’s ribs as the troll soldiers around them cheered and howled more battle cries.

Farrendel curled on the ground as much as the stone wrapped around him would allow. Why was he not fighting back? Were the stone bindings and troll magic lacing them enough to keep his magic locked from his reach?

“It is too great a risk to keep him alive.” Prince Rharreth remained