The Aspect of Essence (The Aelfyn Archives, #1)

by Samantha Amstutz

Serenna glanced at her notes. “You were speaking about the Aelfyns’ arrival?” “Yes,” Jassyn clipped, striding back to the writing board. He clasped his hands behind his lanky form. His foot tapped expectantly. “And?” After spending the previous six months in private lessons, she knew all too well that Jassyn would require an answer. “The Aelfyn arrived on our shores over a thousand years ago,” Serenna recited, already slouching back into her seat with boredom. “The humans welcomed and worshiped their race. In turn, the Aelfyn shared their wisdom and knowledge with the mortals of the past.” Sunlight streaming in through the open windows illuminated Jassyn’s ebony curls to a midnight blue, his hair reflecting the ocean outside. His office contained traces of his elven heritage. Various tomes, scrolls, vials of potions, tapestries, and—of course—plants decorated the meticulously organized space. He was nothing if not a perfectionist. “What happened in the centuries following the Aelfyns’ arrival?” Jassyn asked, his spine as straight as an arrow. Nearly two heads taller than her, he had to duck through most of the castle’s doorways. Serenna twirled a feather-plumed quill in her fingers. “The Aelfyn guided the primitive human race toward civilization and established the four mortal realms that exist today.” It was common knowledge humans owed more to the ancient Aelfyn than could ever be repaid. All humans proudly paid homage to the elven realm, Alari. Without the elves, the hu...