Pixilated by Jane Atchley Page A

he would give you the moon if you
asked it, but I tell to you, Kayseri, the man hates our race."
    Kayseri’s eyebrows arched. She favored the
elf with her I smell cauliflower cooking expression.
    "Maybe he just doesn’t like you,
Eldren."
    "Nor I him. Nevertheless, I read the truth
in his mind."
    Kayseri threw the elf as murderous a look as
Kree had ever seen. Whatever the elf was doing, she did not like
it.
    "How dare you violate him?"
    "His mind is a maelstrom! I cannot help
hearing the roar. The roar mostly concerns you. He alternates
between sexual fantasies and self-loathing brought on by those
fantasies. He holds that insanity is preferable to you."
    Kayseri pressed her hands to her ears. It
was all the incentive Kree needed. A gentle pressure of his knees
sent Sirocco crashing into Eldren’s horse. The elf's poor gelding
reared in terror, dumping the elf prince on his velvet-clad
butt.
    "Your pardon, prince. This beast gets the
bit in his teeth sometimes." Making a great show of getting his
stallion under control, Kree leaned over and offered Eldren a
helping hand.
    The elf rose with the fluid grace of his
kind, pointedly ignoring the captain’s outstretched hand. He dusted
off his tunic and hauled himself back into the saddle. Kree
schooled his face into a study of compassion. Inside he
cheered.
    They continued to follow the alley to the
end of the block, and then took a left into another alley. This one
took them into what had been Tarburg’s carriage district. From
there, they had a clear view of the livery. Shortly, the stableman
came out of the barn leading a sorrel horse and whistling an
off-key tune. Glancing around to make sure he was alone, the man
mounted and rode off still whistling his flat little ditty.
    "It appears you may have been right," Eldren
said.
    Kree watched the stableman’s slowly
diminishing form, not sparing the elf a glance, and whispered,
"There’s a surprise."
    "See here. If I can be magnanimous enough to
admit when I am in error, you could at least be gracious enough to
accept my apology."
    Kree stared the elf full in the eyes, his
expression tight-lipped and anything but gracious. A muscle ticked
in his jaw. Tense moments passed in which neither elf nor man broke
eye contact.
    "My Captain, shouldn’t we follow?" Kayseri's
gentle touch on his hand broke the silent challenge.
    His eyes slid to hers. "I want him to have a
good lead. Besides, we need some of his sweet feed and oats. I
don’t intend to see the horses broken down. Ten minutes later, they
left the livery with feed for their horses and a few meager
supplies for themselves. They trailed the stableman easily
northward toward the mountains.
    In the more open county, Kayseri urged her
horse alongside Kree’s mount. He glanced at her quickly and gave
her a nod. "Was the elf pulling some kind of magic on you back
there?"
    "No."
    He glanced at her again. "Then what was
going on between the two of you?"
    Kayseri dropped her gaze to her hands. "Do I
have to tell you?"
    "Does it concern the princess?" His voice
sounded cold to his own ears. Her eyes widened just a little, she
glance away. Damnation! Here comes a lie.
    Kree's gaze slid to her and held, waiting
for her to look at him. "Unless it affects my ability to do my job,
you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to."
    "I don’t want to."
    Her refusal to confide in him sent Kree into
silent fury. He should have let her spin a lie for him at least
that justified anger, now all he had was raging jealousy.
    Kayseri was the first to break the angry
silence.
    "You don’t like Prince Eldren, do you?"
    He turned his head and shot her a cold look.
"Don’t have to."
    No one would need to tell Kayseri curt
answers were a danger sign. Anyone who knew him knew it. His temper
was barely tamped and liable to explode any second. Further
conversation with him on this or any other subject was
unwelcome.
    Disregarding the warning signs, Kayseri
pushed on. "Why not?"
    In spite of