The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Kevin laughed and motioned for Alek to come with him. “We’ll go find him right now.”

  Ten minutes later, Rhianna was out at the stable waiting for Corin when Nikki came running up the road from the pastures. “Where have you been?” Rhianna asked as she knelt down to pet the pup. “And does anyone know you’re running around on your own?”

  Neiven leaned out the stable door. “She’s not on her own.” He nodded towards the pasture. “Marshall took her with him this morning. She always beats him back.”

  Rhianna glanced towards the road. She hadn’t noticed the horse and rider trailing along behind Nikki.

  As Watson headed towards the stable doors, Marshall pulled him back and dismounted. He tied Watson’s reins to the fence and held his hand out towards Rhianna. “Hello, I’m Marshall. I take care of Nikki during the day.”

  Rhianna nodded as she shook his hand. “Myron and Chris speak highly of you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name’s Rhianna.”

  When Marshall looked at her face, his jaw dropped.

  Rhianna’s eyebrows arched. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

  Marshall turned several shades of red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare, but your eyes are red, like my grandfather’s.”

  “Your grandfather has red eyes?” Rhianna looked at the young man carefully. “Does he live around here?”

  Marshall shook his head. “He lives in Farragon, or at least he used to.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “The day before my mother and I were captured by slavers. I was seven years old then, so I guess it’s been eight years since I’ve seen him or my father.”

  “Were they captured, too?”

  “They weren’t home. They train soldiers for the army and they were in some other town working with the squad there when the slavers came.” Then he paused and added, “I’m glad they weren’t home. If they had been, they’d be dead. The slavers killed all the men.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Rhianna said. “Is your grandfather your father’s father?”

  “No, he’s my mother’s father. My father’s a soldier under him. That’s how he and my mother met.”

  Rhianna nodded. “So where’s your mother now?”

  “I guess she’s still at the castle in Riordan. That’s where we ended up. She works as a maid. I worked in the stable until I was old enough to be on my own. That’s when they sent me to Glenarbour. They told me I would be sold as a stable hand, but I don’t think they sell slaves that way in Glenarbour. We were split into families and singles. I was lucky I ended up here.”

  “I think we’re the lucky ones. From what I’ve heard, you’re quite good with the horses, and Nikki adores you.”

  Marshall smiled. “I like animals, more than people sometimes.”

  Rhianna laughed. “I know what you mean.”

  Marshall stepped over towards Watson as Corin walked up. “Guess I’d better take care of Watson. Were you looking for Nikki?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “No, just waiting for Corin,” she said as she swung up on Corin’s back. “Have a nice afternoon, Marshall. See you later.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  A little after four, Marcus and Rigel knocked on Kevin’s open door. Kevin and Chris were reviewing the notes on the district sorcerers in the southern districts to see if there was someone who might like to switch with Darwyn. Kevin had pulled the contracts for a couple of sorcerers who were in low paying districts thinking they might be willing to put up with some snow if it came with an increase in pay.

  “Come on in,” Kevin said, setting down the paper he had in his hand. “All unloaded?”

  Marcus nodded. “And sorted and stacked according to Doreen’s specifications. She knows what she wants.”

  Rigel grinned. “As far as the house is concerned anyway.”

  “What doesn’t she know about?” Chris asked.

  “Gardens,” Rigel answered. “While we were unloading and stacking, she and Rhianna marked the corners of the house, the corners for the porches, where she wants walls, and so on. Then Rhianna wanted to mark out the boundaries of the gardens.”

  Marcus laughed. “I don’t think Doreen was planning to have gardens.”

  “Well, she’s going to have them now,” Rigel said, still grinning. “A vegetable garden, an herb garden, and flowers around front.”

  “Rhianna’s idea?” Chris asked.

  Rigel nodded. “She told Doreen not to worry about it, she’d help her get them planted this spring, and then it would just be a matter of tending them. When Doreen said she had no idea how to do that, Rhianna waved her off and said she’d teach her. Rhianna wants us to find some river rocks to use along the borders.”

  Kevin shook his head. “I’ve seen her mother’s gardens. If Rhianna’s planning anything like those, Doreen has no idea what she’s in for. And speaking of Rhianna, where is she?”

  “She said she wanted to wash up and change clothes before dinner.” Marcus looked down at his own filthy clothes. “Guess we need to do the same.”

  “And Chris,” Rigel said. “We need to go get her tools. She’s already picked out the spot for her tool shed and pulled out enough lumber to make it. She wants it done first, so she’s planning to start on it tomorrow morning.”

  Chris nodded. “We’ll go right after breakfast. Meet me here.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  During dinner, Rhianna smiled at Kevin and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to talk. Do you think we could slip away and go Elsewhere after dinner and have a little time to ourselves?”

  A few other people at the table heard her comment and tried to smother their smiles, but Kevin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was up. “Sure,” he answered with a grin. “Just let me check by my office first in case anything’s come up during dinner.”

  It was all he could do to sit through the rest of the meal. If what Rhianna had to tell him was so sensitive she wanted to go to the island to talk, something major must have happened. Kevin thought back over her day. She’d been fine when he picked her up in Willow Canyon, and if anything had come up while she was there, she’d have said something before they came back to Milhaven. Then she took off with Marcus and Rigel. From what they’d said, she and Doreen had worked together all afternoon, and even if Marcus had missed something, Rigel wouldn’t have. Did she see someone in the woods? Did Doreen say something she felt he needed to know? What could have happened?

  Dinner seemed to last forever, but finally enough people had finished that Kevin felt he could leave without arousing suspicion.

  Rhianna waited a few minutes, then excused herself and headed for his office. When she got there, she knocked on his door, walked in, and shut the door behind her. “Do you want to leave from here or go outside first?”

  “Let’s leave from the family garden in case anyone’s watching.”

  Rhianna nodded and opened the door. Kevin joined her and the two of them walked back through the castle to the dining room and out onto the patio. Kevin put his arm around her as they headed towards the family garden. As soon as they walked between the high hedges at the garden entrance, he turned the key.

  When they got to the island, Kevin led the way into the cave. He picked up a glowstone torch and headed down the hallway to the sitting room. As Kevin uncovered the glowstones in the lamps, Rhianna sat down on one of the chairs.

  “So, what’s going on?” Kevin asked as he sat down opposite her.

  “We have a problem, and by ‘we,’ I mean you as Master Sorcerer and me as a warrior elf.”

  “Okay. What?”

  “Marshall, or more accurately, Marshall’s mother.”

  Kevin leaned back. So Kyle was right. Marshall did have elven blood.

  “Today when I went down to the stable to meet Corin, Marshall was there. He saw my eyes and said his grandfather had red eyes too, and that I was the only other person he’d ever seen with red eyes. I don’t th
ink he knows what it means.”

  “Only elves have red eyes, right?”

  “Not all elves have red eyes, only those who are full-blooded.” Rhianna paused. “I didn’t tell him his grandfather was an elf. I didn’t think it was my place, but I did ask if it was his father’s father or his mother’s father. He said it was his mother’s.”

  “So his mother is legally an elf. Is Marshall?”

  “That depends on whether or not his father is. But that’s not important right now. Marshall’s not a slave anymore. His mother is, and that’s a big problem.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  Rhianna nodded. “She’s in Riordan, working as a maid at the castle. Or she was the last time Marshall saw her.”

  Kevin let out a long breath.

  “We’ve got to do something about it.”

  “I know,” Kevin said quietly. “Back when Kyle was teaching him how to work with Nikki he said he thought Marshall must have some elven blood in him. Guess he was right.”

  “I think it would be best if we could handle this quietly, without involving Weldon, the elders, Caelan, or the federation.”

  “I agree. I’m just not sure how to go about it.”

  “Marshall’s mother is at the castle in Riordan. Why not go get her like you did all those other slaves? According to Doreen, you rescued over a hundred.”

  Kevin hesitated. “This isn’t quite the same. Everyone I rescued was from Camden, and I’d already told the seated sorcerers if any of my people were captured, I’d go get them and bring them home. Marshall’s mother isn’t from Camden. There’s no way I can justify going in and taking her.”

  “I thought you were opposed to slavery.”

  “I am, and if I had my way, I’d free all the slaves on Terah, but it doesn’t work that way. I can’t go charging into another sorcerer’s province and grab someone out. That would open the door to all kinds of retaliation.” He thought for a moment. “I might be able to buy her though.”

  “I don’t care how you do it, but it has to be done, and soon,” Rhianna said. “If the elders find out I knew there was an elf in captivity and didn’t report it, I’d be in trouble again. They’d consider that treason, which is worse than violating my oath.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I’m taking a big chance keeping quiet. I’m not trying to give you an ultimatum, but if this isn’t taken care of before summer, I’ll have to report it. ”

  Kevin nodded again.

  “If Duane had run into Marshall while he was here, he’d have already reported it. Between this and Rolan’s men in North Amden ...” Rhianna shook her head. “You’d have a mess on your hands.”

  “I know,” Kevin said thoughtfully. “I’ve got a couple of questions.”

  “What?”

  “Well, for one, even I can translocate, and my elven blood is watered down through several generations. If she’s an elf, how was she captured?”

  “She’s a mother, and the need to protect her child would be stronger than her impulse to survive. Transolcation is an instinct triggered by life-threatening danger. Most of the time you translocate before you realize you’re in danger, but if you don’t, if you have time to think, it doesn’t work. And translocating on demand is a skill some elves never master.”

  “Okay, but she knew she was an elf, right?”

  “I’d say yes, but you never know. Her father may not have told her.”

  “Let’s say for the sake of argument she did know she was an elf. Why didn’t she tell the slavers?”

  “Because they’d have killed both her and her son.”

  “Why? I know they wouldn’t be able to sell them, but why not let them go?”

  “Because they might tell someone what happened, and no slaver wants a bunch of warrior elves after them.” Rhianna took a deep breath and continued. “It’s against human law to traffic in other races as a peacekeeping measure, but with us it’s more than that. It’s not just against some law. It’s an affront to everything we believe, to everything we stand for, everything we are. It degrades all of us to have one of our own bound into servitude, and if one of us is stripped of the freedoms we hold so dear, we all are.” Rhianna paused. “If the slavers had any reason to think she had elven blood in her, much less was legally an elf, they’d have thrown her overboard in the middle of the sea, along with everyone else on the boat. They wouldn’t want to risk elves ever finding out they’d picked up an elf, accidentally or otherwise.”

  “I guess that’s why her father didn’t sound the alarm when he realized what had happened.”

  Rhianna nodded. “And why we need to be careful how we handle this. If the sorcerer in Riordan finds out one of his slaves is an elf, he might use an energy bolt to reduce her to ashes so there’s no evidence she was ever there. Even the sorcerers fear us, with good reason.”

  Kevin sighed. “Then I don’t guess I should send her a letter explaining all of this, should I? And the sorcerer of Riordan’s a woman, Judith.”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Probably not a good idea, but whatever plan you come up with, you need to do it soon.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Later that evening, while he was brushing Nikki, Kevin told Chris about his conversation with Rhianna.

  “Any idea how we can get Marshall’s mother out of there?” Chris asked.

  Kevin shook his head. “I’m hoping you’ll come up with something.”

  Chris thought for a moment. “Nothing’s jumping out at me.”

  “How much do we know about Petri’s background?” Kevin asked as he got up off the floor and sat down on the couch.

  “Not much. Why? Are you afraid he might be an elf, too?”

  “Not really, but when he got here, he told Cryslyn he wanted to work in our office. From her reaction, I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”

  “Probably not, but he’d worked as a page in Starvos’s office. It’s what he knows how to do, and he likes the work. I don’t think we should read anything into that.”

  “I know, but we know Judith kept Marshall’s mother when she sold him. What if Starvos has Petri’s parents? I was wondering if maybe he’d threatened to harm them if Petri didn’t find a way to work in the offices here and let him know what’s going on.”

  “I don’t know,” Chris said slowly. “From what he told Joan, she thinks Starvos sold him because his daughter was interested in him. Besides, Starvos had no way of knowing who might buy him.”

  “True, but maybe he didn’t care whose office he ended up in. Maybe they all spy on each other.”

  Chris laughed. “That would not surprise me one bit, but do you have any reason to believe Petri’s passing information?”

  “No, but he’s in a good position to do it.” Kevin patted the couch beside him. Nikki jumped up and settled down with her head in his lap. “See if Joan can find out anything about his family. If they’re still in Jardin, maybe we can use the same plan for getting them that we use for getting Marshall’s mother out of Riordan.”

  “What plan?”

  “The one you need to come up with. And while you’re coming up with a plan, see if you can find out her name, her husband’s name, and her father’s. We want to be sure we get the right woman.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Shortly after breakfast Thursday morning, while Kevin met Glendymere for sparring practice, Chris, Rigel, and Marcus went to the island to pick up Doreen’s tools. Rhianna and Doreen were waiting at the construction site when they returned. While Chris and Marcus returned to the castle, Rhianna, Doreen, and Rigel made short work of building a tool shed that could double as a workroom later. By the time Marcus joined them after lunch, they were ready to begin working on the foundation of the house.

  Meanwhile, back at the castle, Kevin and Chris met in Kevin’s office to discuss the morning’s mail. “Anything interesting?” Kevin asked.

  “I heard from most of your relatives this morning.”

  “Why?” Kevin asked, frow
ning.

  “Dara wrote the others to warn them that you might be dropping by with an undesirable companion.”

  “Did she tell them who it was?”

  “Some female warrior elf who was staying at the castle. Oh, and she said you sent her a letter inviting yourself and your guest to lunch last weekend.”

  “What? She wrote me demanding I set a date and time!”

  “I know. We kept her note, and you might want to take it with you when you go see the others, especially Allisandra. She’s not at all happy you went to see Dara first, but she’s blaming me. She wants to know why in the world I let you take anyone to Dara’s at all, much less before meeting the others. And she wants to see you and your guest this Saturday for lunch.”

  “All right,” Kevin said. “We can do that. Even if she’s mad at me, she’ll be nice to Rhianna.”

  “And Rhianna will love those gardens,” Chris added. “Kayla’s note was much nicer. She wants to know if you could come to lunch Sunday as Lysa and Brandt will be there. She said they didn’t get to meet Steve until right before the wedding, so she’d like for them to meet your friend before things get hectic.”

  “Hectic? How did she make the jump from lunch to a wedding?”

  “You’re taking Rhianna around, introducing her to your family, which is what Laryn did right before she got married. Anyway, isn’t that what you want everyone to think? That you two are serious about each other?”

  Kevin frowned. “Involved, yes. Ready to talk marriage? No.” He groaned. “Rhianna’ll have a fit.”

  “Maybe not. This whole thing was her idea, remember?”

  “No it wasn’t. It was Xantha’s idea. Hayden jumped in and rammed it down her throat.”

  Chris shrugged. “But it wasn’t your idea. She can’t blame you if it’s working better than anyone expected. Anyway, do I confirm Allisandra for Saturday and Kayla for Sunday?”

  Kevin nodded. “Actually, I was planning to go see Shadron for a few minutes Sunday anyway. After lunch, Rhianna can visit with Kayla and the kids while Shadron and I slip away for a bit.”

  “Okay. Now Danyelle’s letter. She said she’d have plenty of seafood for you this time, but you need to check with your friend and see if she likes seafood, too. If not, let her know and she’ll fix something else for her.” Chris smiled. “And she said Norrie’s all excited that she’s going to meet a real warrior elf.”