Chapter 3

Kasta watched as the Queen was carried down the hall by her Golden brother and noted how there was a slight tremble to the ground as they walked. It was a sight to see. Most royalty didn't want to look weak in front of guests. This group of people didn't seem to care. If they were seen as weak, then something must be wrong.

She caught the eye of the other brother. He stared at her suspiciously. She understood why he would look at her in such a way. She was standing in the middle of the corridor watching the Queen be carried away and thinking she was weak.

If the rumors were true, these people could read the minds of anyone in their vicinity. The Elves were not gifted with the ability of telepathy. Since these people were, that man could easily tell what she was thinking. It made her a tad bit nervous. He would have heard her thoughts about his sister being weak.

As if on cue, he turned towards her and came her way. She would have backed up a step but she was an Elf. It was not in her genetic makeup to back down from an attacker.

Except he didn't attack. Jess stopped a foot shy of where she was and looked at her. The first thing that she noticed was his eyes. They were an eerie shade of gray and they looked like they were swirling.

The silver hue surrounding him was the next thing she noticed. He looked as if he were basking in the moonlight even though it was in the middle of the day. It wasn't possible because the moon wasn't full. She could remember that hue during all the full moons she had witnessed.

This was something different. This pulled at the very core of her being. There was something about him that called to her. It wasn't possible. Her kind had never married outside of their race. Elves always married Elves and there was nothing that had changed that. So why was the silver hue bothering her?

Kasta went on the defensive as Jess stopped in front of her. She could hear the quickness of his heart, feel the warmth of his skin, feel the zing of the silver around his skin. Shaking her head, she watched as he looked her up and down. Was he really going to be stupid enough to attack a delegate of a visiting party?

A smile curved his lips. "No, princess, I am not going to attack you. That's against my own personal code. I'm just going to warn you about containing your thoughts. There are those who can read them and might not be as nice about them as I am," he said.

So he had heard her thoughts just down the hall. If he could hear them down the hall, she could only imagine what his twin siblings could do upstairs. Was he being nice about what he had just heard or was he simply warning her?

"I'm doing both," he replied. "You're lucky you said all this around me. My brothers are so wound up that they don't pay attention to what they say when someone upsets them. Now you've come to us with word that someone is after my sister. That's not going to help. So it's best if you keep your thoughts to yourself."

Jess turned on his heel and walked out. Kasta watched him, wondering what he was going to say when she told him she had an idea of who was after his sister.

Turning back the way they had come an hour before, she wandered the first floor. The Council and Court room was a huge ballroom filled with chairs. There was a dais in front of the door with twelve chairs assembled on either side. In front of the dais were six more chairs. She took a moment to wonder why there were so many chairs. Then she remembered there was a split between the Court and the Council.

Leaving the room, she went through the rest of the main section. She found the formal dining room, kitchen, ballroom, and the rest of the offices that were barely used. As she continued, she heard a soft humming. She followed the sweet sound until she came to a door at the end of the hall.

When she looked in, she saw a blond curly headed little boy playing with cars in the floor. A woman in her late forties to early fifties sat in a rocking chair with a pair of needles and yarn. Her light brown hair was braided down her back so it stayed out of her face. Her hands moved smoothly as she added loop after loop to whatever it was she was making. It looked as if it were a blanket.

Kasta had been so entrance in the light humming that she barely noticed the little boy look up at her. When she noticed, he was staring at her with his head tilted to the right. This had to be the Queen's son. His awareness and bright eyes explained who he belonged to. She pressed deeper into her feelings and noticed that even at a young age, he was strong. Would all of these children be either as strong as or stronger than their parents when they grew up?

"It's not very nice to spy," said the same voice that had been humming. "You might as well come in." Kasta did as she was bade and stood with her head held high. "Well, a guest is snooping."

"I am sorry, Your Grace. I was just looking around and I heard a lovely tune. I wanted to find out what it was," Kasta said with dignity.

The other woman laughed. "There's no need to get defensive. I was just asking but next time knock before you come in. My grandson is very aware when I am not sometimes."

"You don't look old enough to be a grandmother."

Once again she laughed. "Young lady, you might be older than me but you know nothing about human families. I have been a grandmother for three years already. My youngest son has a son of his own. This is my daughter's son. He's only two."

"So he is the Prince of the Silver Court." The woman nodded. "What is your name, Your Grace?"

A lovely smiled graced the other woman's mouth. "My name is Kathryn. And you are…?"

"I am Kasta. My father is Leothain."

Kathryn set her knitting aside and stood. Dylan watched her with a careful eye. Kasta wasn't certain if the boy could use his powers yet but she was certain he would try. She would hate to hurt a child.

"Don't worry about him. He acts tough but he's just a little boy. He hasn't come into his power yet," Kathryn said as she scooped her grandson up. He laughed and squirmed as she tickled his belly. "Your father was a great asset when my daughter went into labor. If he hadn't been here, we would have lost all three of them. For that I can never thank you enough."

"My father did what he did because the one you call Austin has helped us. It was the least we could do to repay your kindness." She waited for a response but the woman didn't answer. She turned her eyes from the baby to the woman holding him. She was looking at her oddly. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

Kathryn shook her head. "It's nothing. I just thought I saw something." There was a knock at the door and Cole stuck his head in. "What is it, son?"

"Hey, Mom, sorry to interrupt but Leothain is looking for his daughter," the man said. Kasta noticed he was blond headed, much like his nephew. He also had blue eyes and he looked nothing like his mother.

"He's not my biological son, dear. I adopted him and his brothers a couple years ago," Kathryn said.

Kasta looked at her then, confusion etched in her face. "If he's over the age of eighteen, why did you adopt him?"

"His parents are dead and I had already adopted his younger twin siblings. Jordan –my husband- and I discussed it at length then talked to them. They agreed and we left their last names alone but we have officially adopted five children."

"And we're grateful for it every day," Cole said.

Kasta still didn't understand but then again the life of humans had always evaded her. When her people adopted a child, they made certain it was recorded in the family registry. Kasta had a little sister her father and mother adopted because her parents had been killed by hunters. She and her older brother Klaerion didn't mind so much because they were so much older than Kellarin and were rarely home.

She nodded. "I guess I'll go find my father."

When the guest was gone, Cole looked at his mother. She nodded at him. So, she had seen the same thing he had but hadn't commented on it. She was going to let it play out like it should without any interference. Cole scratched his head.

"You may not want to know but I do," he said.

Kathryn grabbed the collar of her son's shirt as he tried to walk away from her. "Don't you dare. You will let this play out the way it's supposed to. If you don't, I will skin you alive."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll leave it alone." He waited until she dropped her hand before scooting out the door. When he was certain he was out of earshot, he muttered, "For now."

******

Kasta walked around the grounds, somewhat in awe of what these people had accomplished in so short a time. Aiden must have done something right to earn this beautiful palace and loyal friends and family.

She heard commotion around the corner and found her delegation looking at the trees. They were getting ready to start building. She figured the supplies were on their way and they could start construction whenever they wished. She hoped her father would make certain she gained a place all her own.

Ever since she had hit her majority thirty years before, she had had a constant trail of suitors. Her father hadn't pushed her to marry but she knew he wanted grandchildren. Her uncles had them but her father didn't. Klaerion was married but having children wasn't on his to-do list just yet. He and his wife were too happy getting to know each other. Kellarin was too young, and that left Kasta.

She wasn't ready for just a marriage. She wanted something that would fulfill the dullness she had in her spirit. She was bored and she needed someone who could challenge her in ways one of her kind could not. She also wanted a partnership, not a dictatorship most Elven men wanted to enforce on their wives.

"Kasta!" She looked up at her father's sharpness of tone. "Come here please."

She didn't argue with the command. She had actually learned a long time ago never to second guess him when he was like this.

Leothain wrapped his arm around her shoulders when she stepped up beside him. He rarely ever showed emotion in front of strangers. "Please do not wander again. You had me worried."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Jess said as he looked over his list. He was running things with an efficiency that only one of her people could muster. "Every male here is either too young to be married or happily married. No one's going to bother her."

Lacain flicked his eyes to Jess's left hand. "I see you don't have a ring as your custom requires. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"Of course. I'm not the marriage type. My job's too dangerous and I have a sister, two nephews and a niece to watch out for. If the woman can't handle my responsibility then I can't be with her. My job requires my absolute attention."

Kasta watched him. He was completely honest about everything. It was good to hear someone who didn't have a hidden agenda.

Leothain nodded. "Admirable but what are you going to do when you find that certain person?"

Jess lifted his eyes and pierced him with a nasty look. "She'll get over it. Now if you want to get these flats built before the weekend, we better get started. I want to look into this allegation you have made."

Kasta watched as her entire delegation moved to help the other man. He spoke quietly and elegantly to them, pointing out each material for them so they could start when they felt like it. He didn't waste any time, moving to another task as they started their own.