“Carnelian,” Caelynn says.
My eyes dart to her, blood running cold. Stupid reaction, but I can’t help it. The thought of her touching me... “You did it?”
Her gaze doesn’t meet mine, her expression unreadable. “No, Ty did it all. I just told him about the flower.”
My lips thin, eyes hooded. “Lies,” I say. Rage once again flows through my veins. “You expect me to believe thedwarfclimbed the mountainside to get those herbs? I saw where they were.” And if she lied about that...
Tyadin stands. “You should thank her,” he says smoothly, but his tense shoulders tell me something bothered him. Was it me calling him a dwarf? Is he ashamed of his heritage? Did he think he passed as a fae?
“I’m sorry if I offended you,” I say, looking at the ground. “But I won’t thank her. Not for anything. I don’t want her touching me, even if it’s to save my goddamn life.”
Tyadin curls his lip in disgust. “What do you think offended me?”
I narrow my eyes. Trick question? “I’m unsure,” I say honestly. “I assume calling you a dwarf.”
His hands curl into fists. “I am proud to be a dwarf,” he says, his voice a low rumble.
I take in a long breath. “As you should be.”
He rolls his eyes like it was a joke, but it wasn’t. Dwarves are different from fae, and those differences will always make him stand out among us. But that doesn’t make what he is any less than us. If his heritage means something to him, he has every right to be proud. I’m sure I would be if I were dwarfish and knew even a thing about them. As it is, all I know are the stereotypes.
“I do not know why you were offended,” I offer. “I only noticed your reaction. Were you defensive for...her?”
“No. You’re a fool for how you treat her, but I don’t blame you for those emotions. I’d hate her in your shoes too. I hated her for a long time, and it wasn’t my brother. It wasn’t even my court.”
“Yet, you aligned with her.”
He nods slowly, arms crossed, still standing. “In part out of necessity. Did you know she was invited to an alliance by the others and I wasn’t? Climbing and speed are not even close to the only disadvantages to being adwarf.”
I turn my gaze to Caelynn, but she’s studying Tyadin closely. What does she see?
“I am offended,” Tyadin says slowly, enunciating each word, “because you intended to offend me.”
I open my mouth to respond but close it again.What?
“If you’re going to call me a dwarf, that’s fine. It’s true. I am half-dwarfish. But do not use the word as an insult.”
My eyebrows rise as I consider his words, knowing I’ve done that very thing many times in the past.
“Don’t think the difference goes beyond my notice. Rarely are my people’s name used in a positive way.”
I swallow. “I’m sorry.” I can’t say it was an accident, but... “I’ll make an honest effort not to do it again.”
He nods. “That’s all I could ask.”
“I did mean it,” I tell him. “That you should be proud of who you are and where you come from.”
“Even if it’s dwarfish?” he asks, amusement on his tongue. I smile.
“We poke fun and belittle what we know little of,” Caelynn adds, her voice soft. “Maybe it would help if you told us more about your people?”
Ty smiles sincerely, his eyes lightening.
We pack up and begin a quick walk while Tyadin tells us the story of the final battle that drove the dwarves from their homeland over a hundred years ago. They’d had a massive country within the mountains, caves winding deep with uncountable fortunes. Dwarves are renowned for their stone wielding ability. Nearly all the precious jewels in fae possession were mined by dwarves.
Many believed the dwarfish city inside the mountains would be crude, as the dwarfish culture is generally considered unrefined. But every soul that entered those gates was astounded by the intricacies in the stonework built into the mountains.
The precious city of legend was destroyed over a hundred years ago by a shadow monster that attacked from below, cutting into the supports and destroying their throne room, and with it, their king. There were two princes taken by two rivaling dwarf courts, and they vied for leverage, each claiming their prince was the true heir and that their mountain should be the new capital. Civil war began.
