The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “I’d rather they didn’t notice it at all,” Kevin mumbled as he stood up. “Unless you know of something else we need to talk about, we’d better get back to the office. Things have a tendency to pile up while I’m gone.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin and Rhianna returned to his office, there was a new pile of messages on his desk. Rhianna glanced at the stack and said, “Guess you need to get a little work done. Why don’t I find Duane and see what he’s up to and let you get to it?”

  Kevin nodded and opened the door to the reception area. “Do you know where Duane is?” he asked Chris.

  “He’s sparring with Darrell and a few of the guards.”

  “Elin, would you show Rhianna where the practice field is?”

  Elin jumped up. “Can I stay and watch for a little while?”

  Kevin looked over at Ariel, who nodded. “Sure, but don’t get in the way.”

  As Rhianna left with Elin, Chris followed Kevin back into his office. “Most of those messages are standard stuff, but this one’s personal.” He handed Kevin a message on a higher quality paper than most people used. The wax seal had a fancy “N” pressed into it. “It’s from Dara.”

  Kevin raised his eyebrows and opened the letter.

  Myron,

  I have corresponded with Laryn several times in an effort to set up a time when you could fit lunch with your uncle and his family into your schedule, but apparently your calendar was already full on the dates I suggested. Therefore I am writing directly to you so you can select a time and date when it would be convenient for you to join us for a meal. Consult your calendar and let me know when to expect you.

  I look forward to hearing from you by return mail.

  Dara

  House of Nordin

  With a sigh, Kevin sank in his chair. “Guess I’m going to lunch. Oh well, at least it’ll get the most awkward one over with. And get her off Laryn’s back.”

  “When do you want to go? I’ll need to put it on the calendar.”

  “Saturday?”

  “It’s clear right now. You do realize she’s going to have some woman lined up for you to meet, don’t you?”

  Kevin grinned. “And I’m going to have one for her to meet, too.”

  “Be sure you let her know Rhianna’s coming.”

  “I’m going to tell her I have a guest staying here this weekend and I’ll be bringing my guest with me.”

  “Is that all you’re going to say?” Chris asked.

  “That’s it.”

  “I’d almost like to be there to watch this.”

  With a laugh, Kevin set Dara’s letter to the side. “Anything else before I tackle these?”

  “Marcus dropped by this morning and asked if it would be all right for him to go home for the day Saturday.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I’d check with you and get back to him.”

  “I don’t see a problem with it, do you?”

  “Not unless you need him here in case something comes up before you leave for Dara’s.”

  Kevin shook his head. “If something comes up, it comes up. She’ll just have to get over it.”

  “So I should tell him to plan on it?”

  Kevin nodded. “You know, I’ve been thinking about that whole bit with Gwendolyn. How did she know about Marcus? I don’t mean his name. I don’t think anyone ever mentioned whether or not she referred to him by name, but how did she connect a key that went missing near Bridgeport with someone who lives here? What led her here?”

  “I have no idea, and I had plenty of time to think about it while I was sitting in that cell. I seriously doubt Marcus introduced himself to the guy with the key while he was trying to get away, much less told him where he lived. Are you sure you got all the slavers?”

  “As sure as we can be, but I guess the answer to that question is no. But even if one of the slavers did get away, how did they connect a sorcerer in a small settlement near Bridgeport with Milhaven?”

  “Sounds like someone asked some questions, doesn’t it?”

  Kevin nodded. “Ask Marcus to see what he can find out, discreetly.”

  “There is another way she might have found out,” Chris pointed out. “I’m not sure how many people around here know what happened that night, but there were a lot of people in the office, and a lot of them found out a key was being used in the slaver raids.”

  “So if she had someone working here, she could have figured it out that way.”

  Chris nodded.

  “I think I’d rather find out someone was in Bridgeport asking questions. We don’t need any more spies in this castle.” Kevin leaned back in his chair. “Have you heard anything about Doreen? Are we going to have to find a place for her to stay while she’s building her house?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to ask Joan yet. I’ll do that when I leave here,” Chris said as he stood up. “Anything else?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Not that I can think of right now.” He picked up his pen and Dara’s letter. “Guess I can’t put this off any longer. Time to tackle the paperwork.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin worked for the next hour and then Chris came in bringing another stack of messages.

  “More?” Kevin asked.

  Chris nodded as he sat down at the desk he used in Kevin’s office. “I can take care of answering these once we decide how to handle them, but before we get started, I talked to Joan.”

  “And?”

  “Doreen’s welcome to stay at Jana’s as long as she likes.”

  “What changed?”

  “I’m not sure, but the impression I got was Doreen apologized for the way she’d been acting and explained that she never offered to help out because she has no idea how to do anything around the house. Apparently when she said she didn’t even know how to make a cup of tea, Jana took it on herself to teach her, and according to Joan, they’re both having a good time.”

  Kevin nodded. “Good to hear, especially if Doreen’s planning to live around here.”

  Chris agreed. “Now, changing the subject. You need to be seen with Rhianna. I know you were together all morning, but the only people who know that work in this office, and they keep their mouths shut. Staying here isn’t going to get those rumors started.”

  “I guess we could go to Milhaven.”

  “And do what?”

  “I don’t know, maybe eat lunch at Fenway’s.”

  Chris nodded. “Good, but if you go to Fenway’s, you have to go to Tolliver’s, too.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s no way Tolliver would be okay with your going to town with a woman you’re seeing and not stopping by his store. He might not say anything, but he’d notice, and so would his wife. They’d feel slighted, insulted. You want people to spread the word, but in a good way, not in a ‘couldn’t be bothered to stop by and introduce her’ way.”

  “All right. We’ll go by Tolliver’s. Anywhere else we need to go?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to go by the chapel. She met Hayley and Theresa, but under less than ideal circumstances. Stop by for a cup of coffee.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “How are you going to get to town?”

  “I guess we’ll ride. Laryn said we need to do that rather than use the key.”

  Chris nodded. “What are you going to do with your horse while you’re wandering around town?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t usually have that problem.”

  “Drop him off at Korman’s stable. That would serve a couple of purposes. One, it would give you a place to leave the horse, and two, it would let Darius see you with Rhianna.”

  “Okay. But what about Rhianna? If she rides Corin, we can’t drop him off at Korman’s.”

  “That won’t be a problem. Corin can look after himself.”

  “But how will we get back up with him?”

  “Leave it to Corin and Rhianna. I bet they’ll work it out.”

  Kevin nodded.
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  “Now, about these messages,” Chris said as he picked up a pen.

  For the next hour and a half, Chris and Kevin went through several dozen requests and complaints and came up with answers.

  Meanwhile, Rhianna and Elin returned from the practice field. When they got back, Ariel put Elin to work and offered to get Rhianna some refreshments, explaining it might be a while before Myron could see her since Chris had gone into the office with a handful of messages.

  Rhianna fixed herself a cup of tea and settled on the couch to wait.

  When Chris finally opened the office door, Rhianna stood up. “Rhianna,” Chris said, glancing back at Kevin, “We didn’t know you were back.”

  “We’ve been back for an hour,” Elin said from her desk.

  Kevin walked out of his office behind Chris. “Rhianna, I’m so sorry. If I’d known you were here, I’d have invited you in.”

  “It’s no problem,” Rhianna said. “I was fine.”

  Kevin shook his head. “No, it’s not fine.” He turned to Ariel. “You did what you’re supposed to do, but from now on Rhianna is to have full access to my office, no matter who’s in there or what we’re working on.”

  Ariel raised his eyebrows. “Like Sister Theresa?”

  “Exactly,” Kevin said with a smile. “When she comes in, you’re to notify me immediately, same as you would for Sister Theresa.” He looked around the office to make sure all of his pages were listening. “That goes for all of you. And someone see to it Petri knows too, in case he happens to be here when she comes in.”

  Ariel nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Kevin stepped back and motioned for Rhianna to join him. Once they were in the office with the door shut, Rhianna said, “That wasn’t necessary. I don’t mind waiting.”

  “But you shouldn’t have to. There are several people who have immediate access, and you’re one of them. Now, what would you say to getting out of here for a while and going to Milhaven for lunch?”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Kevin opened the door to his office and said, “Ariel, get someone to go out to the stable and ask them to saddle a horse for me.” He turned to Rhianna. “Do you want one saddled for you, or would you prefer to ride bareback?”

  “I usually ride bareback, and I’m sure that’ll be fine with Corin.”

  Kevin glanced at Ariel, who was frowning. “What?”

  “Corin?” Ariel asked. “As in Laryn’s Corin?”

  Rhianna nodded.

  “I don’t think he lets anyone but Laryn ride him,” Ariel said slowly. “Are you sure you don’t want one of the other horses?”

  Rhianna smiled and shook her head. “Xantha introduced us earlier and Corin offered to be my mount while I’m at the castle.”

  Ariel turned to Isak and nodded.

  As Isak started out the door, he asked, “Do you want them out at the stable or brought around front?”

  “We’ll come to the stable,” Kevin answered. “And thanks.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Half an hour later, Kevin and Rhianna left for Milhaven. As they were riding towards town, everyone they passed stopped whatever they were doing to watch them go by. It was unusual to see the Master Sorcerer on horseback, but add an elf on the back of a unicorn to the scene and it made a picture not easily ignored. If getting people’s attention was their primary goal, they’d succeeded.

  When they got to the livery stable, both Korman and Darius were outside. As Kevin dismounted, he asked Korman if he had room for his horse for the afternoon.

  “Of course,” Korman answered, “and we’ll set out some food and water for him, too.” He glanced at the unicorn. “What about Corin? Would he like something to eat, too?”

  “I’m fine,” Corin told Rhianna privately. “Call me when you’re ready to head back and I’ll meet you here.”

  “You won’t need to set anything out for him. He’s not staying,” Rhianna said as Corin turned and walked towards the woods behind the livery.

  “If you need a second horse when you’re ready to go, I have a couple in the back,” Korman offered as he watched the unicorn walk away.

  “He’ll be back,” Rhianna said, “but I appreciate the offer. Thank you.”

  “Anytime, ma’am,” Korman said, still watching the unicorn.

  Rhianna stepped closer to Kevin and gave him a slight nudge with her elbow.

  “I’m sorry,” Kevin said. “Korman, Darius, this is Rhianna.” Remembering what Laryn had said, Kevin concentrated on looking at Rhianna while he made the introductions. “She’s staying at the castle for a while and I thought I’d show her around town this afternoon.” He slipped his arm around her waist. “And Rhianna, I’d like for you to meet Korman, our town blacksmith, and his apprentice, Darius.”

  Korman nodded. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. Hope you enjoy your visit.”

  But Darius frowned. “You were here last fall, weren’t you?”

  Rhianna nodded. “Yes, but only for one day. Nice of you to remember.”

  “I thought I recognized you. You were with another girl, a redhead. Is she visiting, too?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “No.”

  “Just wondering,” Darius said with a smile. “The two of you made quite a picture riding into Milhaven that afternoon. Anyway, nice to see you again.”

  After they left the livery stable, Rhianna shook her head. “It was all I could do not to ask if he’s the one who set us up to get killed. How do you stand seeing those spies all the time and not saying anything? It would drive me crazy.”

  “I hope not as you’re going to be seeing a bit of them for a while.” Kevin exhaled slowly. “I have to do and say a lot of things that don’t sit well with me. Being pleasant to the spies is just one of them. It’s not easy, but I’ve found the best way is to pretend I’m someone else when I’m around them, a person who has no idea they’re spies. Pretending to be someone else is how I get through half of what I have to do.”

  Rhianna was silent for a moment. “Just like we’re pretending to be something we’re not.”

  “Right,” Kevin said.

  The whole time they’d been talking, they’d been walking down the main street of Milhaven. When they reached the tavern, Kevin opened the door for Rhianna. “This is Fenway’s Tavern. I thought we’d have lunch here. They have a nice area out back and as the weather’s pleasant today, I thought we’d eat out there. Callie, their cook, is better than most, at least according to the guards at the castle. She’s not Miranda, but I think you’ll enjoy your meal.”

  As soon as they entered the tavern, Ainsley, Fenway’s daughter, welcomed them and asked if they’d like a table.

  “Outside, if that’s all right,” Kevin said.

  Ainsley nodded and led the way out back. After they were seated, she asked, “What can I get for you?”

  “What’s good today?”

  “Well, Callie would say it’s all good or she wouldn’t have fixed it, but she made a new meat pie today that everyone seems to like.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Kevin said. “Rhianna?”

  “And a mug of scog, please.”

  Ainsley nodded and headed back inside. Less than ten minutes later she returned with two plates of food and two mugs of scog. “Here you go, and I’ll send Cryslyn the bill.”

  “Thank you,” Kevin said.

  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  As Kevin nodded, Ainsley stepped back inside.

  “Callie? Come here for a moment,” Ainsley said from right inside the back door.

  Callie wiped her hands on her apron and joined Ainsley. “What?”

  “Look at the woman with Myron. Do you recognize her? Is she from around here?”

  Callie glanced out the back door. “No, but she’s an elf.”

  “I thought so but I wasn’t sure.”

  “Her eyes. Only true elves have red eyes. Wonder who she is?”

  Ainsley shrugged.

  Callie peeke
d out the door again. “Well, I can tell you one thing. She’s no stranger to him, not the way they’re talking and laughing out there.”

  Kevin and Rhianna were laughing at the two women who kept spying on them from the doorway.

  “Wonder how long before the rumors start flying,” Rhianna said.

  “An hour or two at most. You know, this is almost fun.”

  Rhianna nodded. “I didn’t expect to enjoy this, but watching people’s reactions to us is fun. Although I imagine it would get old if you had to put up with it all the time.”

  “Trust me, it does,” Kevin said as they finished their meal. “Come on. Let’s go back inside and thank Callie for our lunch. And while we’re in there, I’ll introduce you and give them even more to talk about.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Kevin and Rhianna were walking down the boardwalk towards Tolliver’s. When they reached the dry goods store, Tolliver was behind the counter talking to a woman Kevin couldn’t place. He knew he’d seen her before, but he couldn’t remember where.

  As Kevin and Rhianna walked in, Tolliver stopped talking and turned towards Kevin. “Good afternoon, Myron. What can we do for you today?”

  “Nothing really,” Kevin answered. “I wanted to introduce Rhianna.” Once again, he slipped his arm around her waist and looked at her. When he looked back at Tolliver, he said, “Rhianna’s going to be staying with us for a while, so if she needs anything, please send the bill to Cryslyn.”

  “Certainly,” Tolliver said as he held out his hand towards Rhianna. “It’s nice to meet you, my dear. I’m Tolliver, the town director, and this is Nan, my clerk. We’ll be more than happy for you to shop with us. If you have trouble finding what you’re looking for, just let us know. If we don’t have it, we’ll get it.”

  Rhianna thanked him and moved off to look around. Nan stayed close by in case Rhianna needed any help, but far enough away not to crowd her. Kevin and Tolliver stayed put at the back counter talking about the weather, planting season, and how business would be picking up soon with spring on its way.

  While he talked to Tolliver, Kevin kept his eye on Rhianna and, with Laryn’s words echoing in his mind, watched to see if there was anything that appealed to her.

  Rhianna took her time looking through the household items, clothing, and tack, but when she got to the knives and daggers, her interest was genuine. She fingered a couple of the knives, but one dagger in particular caught her eye. The blade had some nice etching on it and the curved strand of metal at the top of the hilt was a bit unusual. She picked it up, held it in her hand. It fit perfectly. She checked its balance, flipped it in her hand a couple of times. Then she put it back down and moved on, but a couple of minutes later, she went back and picked it up again.