Free Son of Corse (The Raven Chronicles Book 2) by KateMarie Collins

monastery.”  She looked deep into Joss’ eyes, the grim determination she felt reflected back at her.
                  The sound of someone sliding onto the bench across from her gave Arwenna a start.  Mialee calmly tore off a chunk of bread and dipped it into the bowl of stew in front of her as if she’d been there for some time. “He disappeared, Arwenna.  Your elfin friend.  I followed him behind some buildings only to watch him dissipate like a mist in daylight.”  Her tone was light, but her face was hard. 
                  Barek spoke before Arwenna could.  “You think he was a ghost?”
                  Mialee snorted slightly, “No, not a ghost.  There’s not a ghost alive that can sit this close to two clerics and not be found out.”  She rummaged about under her cloak with one hand. With a deliberate motion, she set her hand down on the center of the table.  Arwenna watched intently as Mialee moved her hand away.  A small blue stone, carved with a bow, rested on the table.
                  “I think your cousin has been playing with things again, Arwenna.” Mialee returned her attention to her dinner.
                  Joss reached out for the stone.  The sleeve of his tunic moved enough with the motion to reveal the identical symbol on his forearm.  The mark flared slightly when his fingers touched the stone.
                  “It’s Lexi’s mark, that’s for certain.”  He turned the stone over in his hand.
                  “What’s my cousin up to now, Joss?  I thought she wasn’t supposed to get directly involved any more.”  Arwenna stared at the small stone, but resisted the urge to touch it.
                  “My guess is that the elf was real enough, but not here.  He’s probably in bed at his home, sleeping peacefully. The information was reliable, but She had to do something creative to get the information to us. I’m fairly certain Lu’Zaire will wake up feeling better than he has in years, thinking it was all a dream.”  Joss traced the bow etched into the stone with his forefinger. “For him, it was a dream. Technically, it’s not direct interference.  Lexi could easily say it was to ease Lu’Zaire’s conscience over helping us.”  Lifting his tankard, he looked over the rim at Arwenna.  The smile in his eyes told her he didn’t believe the story either, but he’d stick to it.
                  Shaking her head, Arwenna refocused her attention on Mialee. “Did you find out anything useful about what the road ahead is like?”
                  Mialee spoke, “Not much. The caravan didn’t encounter anything they couldn’t handle.  One person thought they’d seen a group of Delvers in the night, but he couldn’t be certain.  It was on the other side of the pass.”
                  Arwenna bit her tongue to keep from asking if a small child was with them.  Mialee would’ve asked, and told her if they’d seen one.  “It would make sense. The area between the pass and Serenity is mining country.  They’re going to have to travel above ground for most of it.  There are hills, and some trees, but the dwarves aren’t going to take kindly to them using their mines as roads.”  Arwenna absently rubbed at the palm of her hand again.
                  Barek cleared his throat.  “Don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting tired of sitting on this hard bench.  My saddle’s more comfortable.”  Arwenna threw him a grateful look.  He knew her well enough to know it was time to get back on the road.

Chapter Nine
    T hick black smoke winding towards the sky was the first indication something was wrong ahead.  Joss noticed Arwenna’s back tensing up.  This didn’t sit well with her, either.
                  The trip had been hard on both of them.  Two nights ago, he’d held her as she