A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic Book 1) Read online

  A Deal with the Elf King

  A Married to Magic Novel

  Elise Kova

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Published by Silver Wing Press

  Copyright © 2020 by Elise Kova

  All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

  Cover Artwork by Marcela Medeiros

  Developmental Editing by Rebecca Faith Editorial

  Line Editing and Proofreading by Melissa Frain

  ISBN (paperback): 978-1-949694-28-4

  ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-949694-27-7

  eISBN: 978-1-949694-26-0

  Also by Elise Kova

  See all of Elise’s books and find where to get them on her website at:

  https://elisekova.com/books/

  Married to Magic

  A Deal with the Elf King

  A Dance with the Fae Rogue

  (More to come)

  Air Awakens Universe

  Air Awakens Series

  Air Awakens

  Fire Falling

  Earth’s End

  Water’s Wrath

  Crystal Crowned

  Vortex Chronicles

  Vortex Visions

  Chosen Champion

  Failed Future

  Sovereign Sacrifice

  Crystal Caged

  Golden Guard Trilogy

  The Crown’s Dog

  The Prince’s Rogue

  The Farmer’s War

  A Trial of Sorcerers

  A Trial of Sorcerers

  (More to come)

  The Loom Saga

  The Alchemists of Loom

  The Dragons of Nova

  The Rebels of Gold

  Never miss a release.

  Get exclusive giveaways, review copies, and a free gift on sign up by subscribing to Elise Kova’s newsletter:

  https://elisekova.com/subscribe/

  Map of Midscape

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Discover more from Elise Kova

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author: Elise Kova

  for those who need a break

  and a second glass of wine

  Chapter 1

  There are only two reasons why the elves come to our world: war or wives. In either case, they come for death. They come today.

  My hands shake as I reach for the next jar. My solace and calm are hidden somewhere among the herb-filled containers that line the shelves of my shop. If I dig deep enough within them, keep looking between them, and continue mixing their contents, I might find some semblance of peace. There are two more poultices to make, one more sleeping draught, a strengthening potion, several healing salves…about five hours of work and only two hours to do it all.

  If the Human Queen isn’t found among the women of Capton, war will befall us. War would lead to all of humanity’s destruction under the might of the elves’ wild magic. Finding her would fulfill the treaty and secure the safety of humanity for another century. But if you are her, you might as well be dead.

  It’s the lack of queen that has the whole town on edge, myself included.

  The chime of the bell above the door to my shop steals my attention from the meditation of my work.

  “I’m sorry; I’m only open for emergencies tod—” I still as I settle the heavy jar of dried valerian root on my counter. There’s a familiar reflection on its surface—a man with light brown hair and doe eyes, carrying a large bag. I look up quickly, affirming my suspicion. “Luke! What’re you doing here so early?”

  Luke stands in more traditional garb than he usually wears as a Keeper of the Fade. His dark trousers are freshly pressed and his bright blue tunic doesn’t have a trace of dirt. The Keepers of the Fade look after the temple and forest at the edge of town, at the foot of the great mountain. They’re the ones who traditionally deal with the elves, and keep anyone in Capton from accidently crossing over the Fade—the barrier that splits our world from the land of the elves and wild magic.

  My work is quickly forgotten. I pop up the counter and step over to the other side. Luke drops the bag with a heavy thud and sweeps me up in his arms. The embrace goes on a little longer than typical for merely friends greeting each other.

  His grip loosens, but he doesn’t fully release me. His slack arms rest around my waist and I don’t know what to do with my hands. They finally settle on his shoulders. Though what I want to touch is his chest.

  “I had to come to see you.” He runs his knuckles over my cheek. I tilt my head upward and swallow thickly.

  I want to kiss him.

  I’ve wanted to kiss him for at least six months now, likely more. I knew it when he came with me on my excursion to find winter root deep in the frigid marshes. I knew when he told me that the lack of Human Queen meant his duties as one of the Keepers of the Fade would triple, preventing him from spending as much time with me.

  I likely wanted to kiss him before I really even understood what kissing was—back when we were small children playing games in the woods at the start of our lifelong friendship. But realizing you have a want to kiss someone makes everything agonizing. If I still thought we were just friends, I could’ve kissed him several times over on a dare, or a whim, or if he asked. I could’ve kept his company without my stomach doing flips.

  But this wanting makes every movement between us unbearable. Especially because I can’t kiss him. Doing so would be cruel…to both of us.

  “Well, you’ve seen me now.” I finally break away, smoothing out my apron. I’m at war with myself around him. Every second hurts. I want him to sweep me up in his arms again. But I can’t want that. I know I can’t deep in my marrow. I don’t have time for him; duty calls me. He’s already too distracting as a friend. “I’m sure you’re busy with the Keepers today, preparing for the arrival of the elf delegation this evening. We can go out to the forest tomorrow.” Assuming there is a tomorrow.

  “I want to take you this morning,” he says in a tone I thought was reserved only for my dreams. “But I want to go farther than the forest.”

  “What’re you talking about?” I ask, returning to the other side of the counter, where I continue adding various dried herbs into one of my most prized possessions—a silver kettle.

  It’s one of two gifts from Luke. The kettle was a gift when I graduated from my herbology studies at the academy in Lanton across th
e narrow strait to the mainland. The other gift, a necklace, he gave me when I was just a girl and it’s never left my person since. Both are breathtaking.

  But elvish goods usually are stunning. And extremely rare. I generally keep the necklace hidden to avoid drawing attention to the fact that I have two items of elvish make in my possession. I don’t want to get Luke in trouble for any favoritism.

  “I want to take you away.” He motions to the bag at his feet. “I’ve prepared traveling supplies. There’s a boat at the harbor ready for us to go.”

  I shake my head, as if I can jostle his words enough that they’ll fall into an order that makes sense. “Traveling? A boat?”

  “We’ll start in Lanton, obviously. You still have connections from your academy days, right? Maybe we could stay with some of your old friends as we make our way,” Luke suggests casually, as though we’re talking about strolling up to the bluffs to the south of town. He doesn’t break eye contact with me though—that’s how I know he’s serious. Dread tastes as metallic as fear. “And then who knows where from there? Do you want to explore the vast southern deserts? Or perhaps the Slate Mountains to the west?”

  I force laughter. I wish I could pretend like he’s joking. “What has gotten into you? We can’t just leave. I have obligations here—and so do you, for that matter. Who will mend bones, stop fevers, and ensure the Weakness is kept at bay if I leave?” Though there’s little even I can do on that last one. The Weakness has been a withering sickness plaguing Capton’s people. It beats my attempts to combat it at every turn.

  “Our work is what we do, not who we are. Nothing traps us here. We’re not like the old ones in town who are only kept alive by the Fade River. We can leave. We’ll make it out.”

  “Even if that were true, the elves are coming today. I have to get my work done before the town hall; I can’t let everyone down. Mister Abbot needs his tea and Emma needs her strengthening potion or her heart—”

  “Luella, we have to leave.” Luke walks over and leans against the counter with both elbows. His voice drops to a hush as he glances upstairs.

  “They’re not awake yet,” I say of my parents. Their room is above my shop and it’s been quiet for the two hours I’ve been up working.

  “The Keepers still haven’t found the Human Queen. The magic in the line has been fading for some time.” They say that the power of the Human Queen is passed from one queen to the next when the former queen dies. No one knows what would happen if there wasn’t a Human Queen to be taken. It’d be unprecedented. “Some of my fellow Keepers think that maybe she just isn’t here at all. Maybe the magic ran out. Which is all the more reason to get out while we can.”

  Since the treaty between the elves and humans was signed three millennia ago, there has been a Human Queen selected from Capton every hundred years like clockwork. Finding her was never hard; she’s the only human with magic, after all. But this time, not one young woman of Capton has mended something with a thought, or made plants grow from barren earth, or had animals swear their allegiance to her.

  Now, it’s been one hundred and one years since the last Human Queen was chosen, and the town is suffering because of it.

  “If she’s not here then I especially can’t leave. The Weakness is spreading through the town. People are dying as young as one hundred and ten. I have to do what I can to stop it.” And if there is a war to come, healers will be needed more than ever. But I can’t bring myself to say that. I can hardly think it.

  “If there is no queen, you can do nothing to stop it. The town’s connection with the Fade is dying and people will die with it. Their lifespans reduced to nothing more than those beyond our island.” Luke grabs my hands. “The elves are coming, and I had a terrible dream about it. Please, let’s leave now.”

  “Luke,” I say gently, reaching forward to caress the shadow of gold across his chin. The constant stubble is new. I can’t tell if he’s growing a beard, or just keeping it closely cropped. Either way, I think I like it. “You look like you haven’t slept. And you’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress with a long day ahead. Let me make a strengthening brew for you and then something for you to take tonight to help you sleep.”

  “I haven’t slept because I have been preparing for us to leave before war breaks out.” Luke pushes away from the counter and ducks underneath the thoroughfare. I’m cornered—counter on one side, shelves of herbs on the other, Luke before me, no exit behind. “I want to take you away. I want to keep you safe.”

  “Luke,” I say gingerly, pleading. I want to pretend like he’s joking but I can tell he’s deathly serious. “I can’t just leave.”

  “Yes you can, of course you can.” The tone of his voice gives me pause. The way he’s looking at me now leaves me breathless. I have to remind myself to breathe. “I want to take you away and spend time with you, and only you, Luella. Surely, you know…I’ve loved you for a long time.”

  I open and close my mouth, several times. Yes, I knew. And I love him too. I love him enough that I dreamed of this moment. But in my dreams I was wearing something nicer than my work smock and I didn’t stink of lavender oil.

  His expression falls in the wake of my silence. “Oh, I see… And here I thought that you might—”

  “I love you too.” As soon as I get the words out, sensation returns. Tingling vanishes from my toes. My whole body bursts with laughter. “I’ve loved you since I was a child.”

  “Then run away with me, Luella.” Luke grabs my hands. His thumbs run over my knuckles.

  My soul is soaring over the roof. Yet my feet are rooted deep in the land of the people I’ve vowed to serve.

  “You know I can’t,” I whisper.

  “But you love me.”

  “I do.”

  “Then let’s go.” He tugs at my hands.

  “I can’t.” I’m unbudging. His expression falls into something I don’t recognize. “I want to, Luke. I wish I could go with you. But I can’t just leave. This town has invested so much in me; I must be here when they need me.”

  The people of Capton paid for my years at academy when my parents could not afford them. They bought me room and board. They supported me at every turn with the hard-earned and scraped-together change at the bottoms of their pockets.

  “Besides,” I continue, softer. “If the Human Queen isn’t found, and the council can’t sort things with the elves, there’s nowhere we could run. All of humanity is doomed at that point. I would rather stay here with our people and face whatever may come.”

  “We could find a way,” he insists. I shake my head. “If you love me, truly love me, then that’s all you need. Our love is enough.”

  “But—” I don’t get to finish.

  In a wide step, he closes the distance between us. One arm snakes around my waist. The other cups my cheek. He tilts my face upward and I don’t fight him. I don’t want to.

  Luke’s lips meet mine as my eyes close.

  The stubble that lines his lips is rough on my face. But I hardly notice; my sole focus is kissing him. How much movement is too much, and how much is too little, when it comes to kissing?

  Unexpectedly, I desperately wish I’d given in to the boys at the academy and allowed them to “teach me kissing” when they found out I’d never been kissed before. I had been waiting for this moment. I’d been waiting for these lips.

  Yet…as he pulls away, I’m left awkward and unfulfilled. None of this is quite how I imagined it would happen. I’m not soaring. My heart isn’t fluttering. Something in me is detached and…sad?

  A soft ahem comes from the doorway behind us. Luke turns. My face is hot as I meet my mother’s grinning eyes—the same shade of hazel as mine. To make embarrassing and awkward matters worse, my kettle begins to hiss and the sleeping draught I was making is now boiling over my counter.

  “Oh!” I rush over, beginning to mop up the mess.

  My mother crosses with a laugh, helping lift the kettle off the heat. “Luke, it’
s good to see you; would you like to stay for breakfast this morning?”

  “I would love to.” He gives a dashing smile. Hopefully the need to fill his stomach distracts him from his insane notion of leaving. And when he’s full, he’ll have a more level head.

  “I have work to do,” I needlessly remind them both.

  “And doing it on an empty stomach is pointless.” My mother tucks wayward strands of fiery hair—the same bright hue as mine—back into her bun. “Take a break, hardworking daughter of mine. You are not going to be saving a life in the twenty minutes it takes you to eat a scone and a boiled egg.”

  “One of your scones sounds lovely, Mrs. Torrnet.”

  “It’s Hannah, Luke, you know that.” My mother titters and I roll my eyes. “Now, come upstairs, both of you.”

  A plate of scones is in the center of the table—lavender and orange. It’s incredible the number of different plants that grow on Capton’s island. Too many. So many that it should be impossible. But the main water source for the island flows through the Fade itself, making the impossible possible here.

  Father is seated at the head of the table. His glasses hang on the tip of his nose as he looks over paperwork—no doubt going over speeches before the town hall today.