He was there. The baron. With that chilling smile on his face, he walked toward her while Leonie backed up against the wall of an empty, windowless room.
"I've been merciful with you so far, and you betrayed me," he said. "You had everything, and you still chose the elves."
Leonie looked wildly around, searching for a way out, but the room had no door at all.
"What did you think would happen?" the baron laughed—a sound that made every hair on her body stand on end. "Did you really believe the elves would welcome you as one of their own? You're a mongrel."
His voice echoed off the walls as he came closer and closer. Paralyzed by panic, Leonie gasped for air. Before he could reach her, a deep voice rang out, as if it came from the very walls themselves.
"Leonie, wake up."
Her eyes flew open.
She jerked upright in bed, panting, and quickly looked around. It took her a moment to realize she had only been dreaming. To chase away the last of the nightmare, she took a cold wash, then headed out to breakfast.
To her surprise, Dorian was waiting by her door again, just like the previous morning. He didn't look particularly well-rested either.
He, too, had woken from a nightmare. Only it hadn't been his. He had seen all of it—had been there inside Leonie's mind. He had no idea how it was possible. His ability was to show others images, not the other way around. The fact that he had somehow slipped into her head completely unsettled him. He took a deep breath and pulled his usual mask into place so as not to worry her.
"Good morning," he said with a smile.
Leonie glanced aside, embarrassed. She still hadn't digested what Marcus had told her—that Dorian was risking the elves' future because of her. But she also hadn't forgotten his advice: she didn't have to live under the shadow of that fact. So in the end she looked up at Dorian and gave him a shy smile in return. It actually felt… nice that he waited for her every morning. It was very… kind.
"Good morning," she replied.
For a moment, Dorian looked genuinely taken aback. Perhaps it was the first time she had ever smiled at him. It caught him off guard—not just because he found her beautiful when she smiled, but because it stirred a strange sense of peace in him to see that she seemed better than the day before.
"We're setting out today," he informed her as they walked toward the dining room.
"So soon?" she asked, startled, stopping in her tracks. Dorian raised an eyebrow.
"What about… what about training?" she managed, suddenly worried. She couldn't very well say she was afraid because Marcus had warned her the elves were unlikely to welcome her.
"We have to move. It's a two-week ride home, and we don't know if they'll send more troops after us," Dorian said. He had no intention of putting her in danger again. Staying even one more night than necessary had been hard enough for him.
"But there's nothing to worry about. After breakfast, you'll start with Aeson. If anyone understands how hard it is to wrestle with unruly emotions, it's him."
He pushed open the door and stepped inside, Leonie right behind him. Xavier sat alone at the table, looking troubled. Leonie greeted him, but the older elf only gave a curt nod and watched her with wary eyes. She had the distinct feeling most other elves would treat her the same way.
"I still haven't apologized for punching you," she blurted out once she had sat down. "I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."
Xavier frowned at her.
"Little girl, you can't hurt me," he said with a hint of mockery.
Leonie pressed her lips together.
"Don't be like that, Xav," Dorian warned him with a sharp look. The last thing he wanted was for Xavier to stomp all over the girl's feelings.
"Like what? Realistic?" Xavier shot back. "Seems to me I'm the only one who sees her for what she is. A threat."
Leonie stared at him in shock, and before Dorian could say anything, she spoke up.
"Why would I be a threat? What have I done that makes you dislike me so much?"
Yes, she had punched him when she was terrified—but she had just apologized for it. He didn't even know her; how could he hate her?
"This isn't personal," Xavier said, leaning closer, his eyes still cold. "There's a reason we haven't allowed anything even remotely tied to humans across our borders. They are the blight that infects us. And you are one of them, no matter how we pretend you're an elf."
"Stop it," Dorian snapped, leaning forward as well, blocking Leonie from Xavier's sight. He couldn't allow him to speak to her like that.
But Leonie had her own idea about that. She gently touched Dorian's shoulder and shook her head. Dorian held her gaze for a few seconds, then sat back so she could face Xavier again.
"I didn't ask to grow up among them," she said. "And not all humans are bad. Most of them suffer under those in power just as much and can't do anything about it."
She didn't appreciate being treated as if she were some tumor that needed to be cut out of elven society.
"Don't think that will sway anyone," Xavier growled. "It's been a thousand years, but we elves don't forget what humans did to us."
He pushed back his chair and strode out, leaving them there.
Leonie stared at the table, shaken. Dorian let out a long breath and leaned back.
"Don't take it to heart," he said gently. "Xavier is the oldest in the group. He lost his entire family during the war. That's why he hates humans. After so many years, it's hard for him to accept change overnight."
"But… I didn't kill his family," Leonie murmured. Part of her understood what Xavier must feel, but it was hard to accept that she should pay for the sins of others—especially when she had been just as much a victim of humans as any elf, and had just as many reasons to hate them.
"Of course you didn't," Dorian said. He brushed his fingers lightly over the back of her hand. "He'll come around eventually…"