The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Kevin laughed. “I’ll make sure Rhianna’s dressed the part.”

  “When do you want me to set that one up?”

  “Next Thursday for dinner?”

  Chris made a note. “Any particular reason?”

  “This weekend’s full and I have to go to Rainbow Valley Monday evening. And at some point before Thursday I’ve got to go to Walnut Springs to talk to Colin and Ryan.”

  Chris nodded. “I’ll see if Thursday will work for her. Now, what about Kyle?”

  “We’ve already been to Kyle’s.”

  Chris held up one of the messages. “He said he hoped you didn’t think that little trip out there Sunday was counting as your visit. He’s expecting you to come for a meal.”

  Kevin shook his head. “How about Saturday evening.”

  “After lunch at Allisandra’s?”

  “No, the next weekend, the Saturday after we have dinner with Danyelle. Make that our last family visit.”

  Chris jotted the date down on Kyle’s message. “All right, I’ll get these letters off this afternoon while you’re gone.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Half an hour later, Kevin was in Warren’s living room in the midst of everything Torrey planned to take to Rainbow Valley. “You realize I’ll be out there a couple of times a week and can bring you whatever you need, right?” Kevin asked as he looked at the crates of food, pots, pans, plates, mugs, and utensils.

  “I know, but if we’re going to live there, I want a well-stocked kitchen and a full pantry,” Torrey said. “You said I could take whatever I wanted.”

  “And I meant it. We can take all of it.”

  Torrey nodded. “And after you take this, I’ve got a pot of stew on the stove that needs to go. I have a cake we need to take too, and some fresh bread on the counter. I told Colin I’d leave him some stew, so while you’re taking all of this,” she waved her hand around the living room, “I’ll get his dinner dished up.”

  Kevin nodded. “Warren, want to grab a few boxes?” Kevin asked as he picked up a couple of crates with an outstretched hand.

  Warren used an outstretched hand to scoop up several bags of clothes and linens. “What room are we going to?”

  “The dining room,” Kevin answered. “We’ll use the table to sort stuff.”

  When they got there, Laryn was in the kitchen standing at the stove.

  “Where’s Steve?” Kevin asked as he set the crates he was carrying down against the far wall of the dining room.

  “I sent him up to Ashni’s for some cinnamon. He’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Are you making dinner?” Kevin asked.

  Laryn nodded.

  “I think Torrey did, too,” he said.

  “Just means we’ll have plenty for tomorrow night.” Laryn put the lid on the pot she’d been stirring. “Do you need any help?”

  Kevin frowned. “I think it might be better to wait until Torrey’s here to start unpacking.”

  Laryn nodded. “Is all of that kitchen stuff? Or does some of it need to go to the bedroom?”

  Warren pointed towards the bags he’d brought. “Those are our clothes and linens, but don’t bother with them. I’ll take them as soon as we finish bringing the other stuff.”

  Laryn lifted her eyebrows. “Other stuff?”

  “My wife packed nearly everything we own.” Warren shook his head. “She said since we’ll be living here, she wants to have everything she needs.”

  Laryn nodded. “Makes sense to me. Best to have something and not need it than need it and not have it.”

  “That’s what she said when I told her she didn’t need half this stuff,” Warren said. “Guess it’s a woman thing.”

  “Well, go get the next load, Myron,” Laryn said, heading back to the stove, “We’ll get it sorted after Torrey gets here.”

  Two hours later, all of Torrey’s crates, boxes, and bags had been unpacked and her stuff stored. She and Laryn had handled the kitchen while Warren, Kevin, and Steve had tackled the bedroom. By the time they were done, everyone was ready to eat. As Steve set the table, he asked Kevin if he was joining them.

  “I’ve got to head back,” Kevin answered. Then he looked at Warren. “I’ll check in with you Sunday. I won’t have much chance before then because I’ve got the federation tomorrow and lunch with Allisandra Saturday.”

  “You’re going to Allisandra’s Saturday?” Laryn asked from the kitchen. “When did that get arranged?”

  “Today. She sent Chris a note saying Rhianna and I were to come to lunch on Saturday, and she’s rather irritated we went to Dayed’s first.”

  Laryn laughed. “She’s upset you’ve been to see Dara, not Dayed. Dara can be a real pain, but no one sets a nicer table or has a more elegant house.”

  Kevin turned up his nose. “Personally, I don’t like her house. It’s too formal, too stiff. It doesn’t look like anyone even lives there.”

  “I like Kyle’s house myself,” Steve said. “It’s comfortable.”

  Laryn looked at Torrey. “My brother’s a bachelor, and his house has big rooms, big furniture, and big dogs.” Then she looked back at Kevin. “Be sure Rhianna sees Alli’s gardens.”

  “I will.” As Kevin took out his key, he looked at Torrey and smiled. “I hope you like it here, but if you don’t, all you have to do is say so. I can move you somewhere else.”

  Torrey shook her head. “There’s no need for that. We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us. But I do hope you’ll bring your friend to meet us.”

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her before long,” Kevin said. “She and Landis are very close, and have been most of their lives. She came here with Landis last fall.”

  “Is that how you met her?” Torrey asked. “Through Landis?”

  Kevin hesitated, not sure how to answer, but before he could decide, Laryn spoke up. “She’s Duane’s sister, and Myron’s known Duane all of his life. In fact, it was through Duane’s family that Myron met Landis.”

  “So she’s a long-time family friend,” Torrey said with a nod. “That’s nice. Well, don’t forget to bring her by. We’d love to meet her.”

  “I will,” Kevin said with a nod. “See you Sunday.”

  Chapter 18

  The Federation of Terah

  Rhianna and Corin left the castle right after breakfast Friday morning headed for Doreen’s construction site. Rigel showed up shortly after Rhianna got there, soon followed by Brandon and Trent. Marcus joined them an hour or so later and then they really started making headway. By lunchtime, the foundation was nearly finished. While the men went back to the castle for lunch and to see if they were needed anywhere else that afternoon, Doreen and Rhianna went to Fenway’s.

  After they ate, Rhianna called Ainsley over and pulled a couple of coins out of her pocket. “Everything was really good. How much do we owe you?”

  Ainsley shook her head. “Nothing.”

  Rhianna frowned. “Surely you charge for meals here.”

  “We do, but yours are billed to the castle,” Ainsley said. “Myron told me to send your bill to Cryslyn and add a note that it’s to be paid from his account.”

  “Oh,” Rhianna said. “I see. Well, we still owe you for Doreen’s lunch. How much was that?”

  “No, you don’t,” Ainsley said. “I’ll include hers on the bill I send Cryslyn.”

  Doreen shook her head. “No. I’m sure Myron didn’t mean to pay for mine. Here, let me pay you.”

  Ainsley shook her head as she backed away from the table. “You need to take this up with Myron. As for me, I’m going to do what he told me. I’m sending the bill to Cryslyn. Go argue with them.”

  Rhianna shrugged. “Guess our lunch is on Myron today.”

  “But I can’t let him pay for mine,” Doreen insisted. “Here. Let me give you enough money to take care of mine and you give it to him.”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Let him pay. I’ll talk to him about it later, but for today, he bought our lunch. Now, let’s get b
ack to work.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Back at the castle, as Kevin and Chris finished their lunch, Chris asked, “When do you want to leave for Federation Isle?”

  “In about half an hour,” Kevin answered. “I want to drop by the office and then I’ve got to change clothes.”

  Chris nodded. “I’ll pick up the gifts Neiven made for the brownies and meet you upstairs.”

  Twenty minutes later, Chris and Kevin left for Federation Isle. A few minutes after they got there, Yara’s throne rose out of the waves. “Good afternoon. Hope things are going well in Camden.”

  “Pretty well,” Kevin answered. “And for you?”

  “Quite well, thank you.”

  “Yara, do you remember the deserted island in the Trynordic Ocean you found for me?”

  “The one with forests and mountains on one end and a plateau on the other?”

  “That’s the one. I’d like to put a few people out there for a while.”

  “A sorcerer?”

  “A teacher, a student, and a few other people,” Kevin said. “Nothing like the sorcerer I planned to put there at first though.”

  “I don’t mind as long as they don’t bother the sharks. That’s one of their breeding areas, and they were there first.”

  “I’ll be sure the sharks aren’t bothered,” Kevin said with a smile.

  “I don’t want them caught up in any nets either. If your people want to fish, they need to do it close to shore, before the reefs.”

  “I’ll make sure they’re careful,” Kevin agreed. “And I’ll take food out there for them. They won’t need to fish to survive.”

  “Are you planning to build docks?”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t want to advertise that anyone’s there.” After a moment, he added, “The student has a price on her head. Someone wants her dead before she can learn to protect herself.”

  “I’ll pass the word, and if we see anyone in the area, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to swim a bit before the meeting. I’m starting to dry off.”

  “Enjoy your swim,” Kevin said as Yara dove through her throne and disappeared under water.

  “Nice of her to volunteer to do that,” Chris said quietly.

  Kevin nodded. “I wanted to ask her to do it, but having her volunteer makes it a whole lot better. I hate asking anyone on the federation to get involved in human affairs.”

  “Except King Merdin,” Chris said, grinning. “But he enjoys it.”

  Kevin laughed. “Adds a little spice to his day, or at least that’s what he told me once.”

  While they were talking, a few other representatives arrived. As Kevin went one way to greet them, Chris went another. Before long, everyone was present and Glendymere called the meeting to order.

  “Is there any old business?” the dragon asked.

  “Well, it’s not exactly old business, but I’d like to send Laryn my best wishes for her marriage. I was pleased to hear she’d chosen a mate,” Jinks, the brownie, said.

  For a moment everyone was talking at once as the rest of the representatives asked Kevin to deliver congratulations and best wishes to both Laryn and her husband. Then, as the hubbub subsided, Caradoc, the leprechaun, added, “It’s quite happy I am for the lass, and tell her it’s waiting for the arrival of a wee babe I am.”

  “Well, I don’t know if she has any plans along that line,” Kevin said as he felt his cheeks grow warm, “but I’ll deliver your message.”

  Caradoc nodded with a big grin. “You’ll see. ‘Twon’t be long.”

  “Not if she’s wearing the pendant I gave her,” Glendymere said privately to Kevin and Chris.

  Kevin felt his whole face heat up.

  “And when will you be choosing a mate of your own?” Tricie, the pixie, squeaked.

  Kevin shook his head. “Tricie, I haven’t had time to even think about a mate.”

  “Well, you better think quick,” Yanko, the goblin, growled. “Way you’re fighting other sorcerers you may not last long.”

  “Yanko, the boy won,” Hagar, the yeti, said. “And speaking of the duel, I want to let you know how grateful we are Gwendolyn’s gone. We don’t know young Alastar yet, but I feel sure he won’t be as bad as his mother.”

  “And that’s a fact,” Conrad, the dwarf, rumbled. “She threatened to enslave the dwarves living in the mountains of Landoryn if they didn’t leave ‘her’ mountains. Dwarves have been living in those mountains longer than her family’s been in Landoryn. She would have found herself in for a bit of a fight if she’d tried to enslave any of them, but they decided it would be easier to find new homes than deal with her. I would have brought it before the council, but they’d already moved to some nearby mountains in Havernia by the time I found out.”

  “Some of the yeti did the same thing. She kept sending guards up to the high peaks to tell us to move on, that the yeti weren’t welcomed there,” Hagar said.

  “Didn’t want any of us around either and made no secret about it,” Caradoc added. “Easier to move on than put up with her it was.”

  “She had a deep-seated animosity for elves,” Caelan said quietly. “Think it might have had something to do with the House of Nordin.”

  “I doubt it,” Niall, the pegasus, said. “She hated anyone who wasn’t human.”

  “Well, she’s gone now,” Eryk, the phoenix, screeched. “One less evil heart, thanks to our young man here.”

  For a moment no one spoke, so Kevin said, “I’m sorry she caused some of you so much trouble. If anything like that ever happens again, please let me know. As for Gwendolyn, I would have preferred not to fight her, but she insisted on the duel.” Kevin paused and then added, “I’d like to ask you to give Alastar a chance. As you say, we don’t know him yet. Maybe he’s nothing like his mother.”

  The others nodded, but no one else said anything, so Glendymere asked, “Is there any more old business?” When no one spoke, he asked, “Any new business?”

  Caelan nodded. “There’s something happening in North Amden I think the federation needs to be aware of.”

  Glendymere nodded, so Caelan continued. “Rolan, the Seated Sorcerer of Brendolanth, has sent men into North Amden to search for his sister. He thinks she’s hiding among the elves. The Council of Elders met this past Monday, and we have received word she’s nowhere near North Amden. However Rolan’s men are determined to search every building and question every elf, young and old. So far there’s been no violence, but if those men don’t leave North Amden soon, we’re afraid someone will get hurt. I don’t know if it will be a human or an elf, but a showdown is coming.” Caelan paused and looked at Kevin. “Myron is aware of the situation and has a plan in place for persuading Rolan that his sister is somewhere else. If his plan succeeds, Rolan will pull his men out of North Amden.” He glanced around the group. “So it’s being addressed, but in case things escalate before it gets resolved, the council felt it should be brought to the attention of the federation.”

  For a moment, no one spoke, then Ferdic, the giant, looked at Kevin. “This sounds serious. Perhaps you should tell Rolan to remove his men from North Amden.”

  Kevin shook his head. “That wouldn’t work, not with Rolan. If I told him his sister was not in North Amden and to call his men back, he’d be more convinced than ever she’s hiding there. Not only would he not call his men back, he’d send more, possibly with harsher orders.”

  “Don’t the other sorcerers have to do as you say?” Yanko asked.

  “I can ask them to do something, but they have the right to refuse.”

  “Then fight him, like you did Gwendolyn,” Conrad suggested.

  Kevin shook his head. “The only way I can fight him is if he challenges me, and he’s not going to do that, not after he saw me fight Gwendolyn.” Kevin took a deep breath. “We do have a plan in place. It will take some time, but if it works, this situation
will be resolved peacefully. And that’s in everyone’s best interest.”

  “I take it this plan of yours involves a little deception and chicanery,” King Merdin, the gnome, said.

  Kevin nodded.

  “Then I say we give Myron a chance and see what happens,” King Merdin said. “If it’s not resolved by the time we meet again, it may be time for more aggressive action, but for now, let’s see if he can solve this one without resorting to violence.”

  Ferdic looked at Caelan. “Are you willing to wait until then?”

  Caelan nodded. “Provided things don’t escalate in North Amden.”

  “Very well,” Glendymere said. “Caelan, let both Myron and me know if things get any worse in North Amden.” The elf nodded. “Then, if that happens, we’ll re-evaluate the situation and come up with a more direct approach.” Glendymere looked at Myron and added, “In the meantime, I wish you luck with your plan.” Then he glanced around the whole group. “Any other new business?” When no one said anything, Glendymere nodded. “Thank you for coming, and I look forward to seeing all of you again on September 21. This meeting of the Federation of Terah is adjourned.”

  The representatives spent the next half hour milling around, eating the refreshments the island brownies had left out for them, and chatting. Before they left, most of them reminded Kevin to give Laryn their best and wished him luck in dealing with Rolan. King Merdin told him if he decided he needed a spy, hang the chimes and he’d be right there.

  Then, after everyone but Kevin, Chris, and Glendymere had gone, Yara asked, “The girl you mentioned earlier, the one you want to put on the island, is she the one Rolan’s looking for?”

  Kevin nodded. “Her name’s Landis. She’s his half-sister.”

  “And he wants to kill her?”

  Again Kevin nodded.

  “We’ll keep a close eye on that island and do what we can to discourage visitors,” Yara said. “Good luck.”

  “Thank you,” Kevin said as she dove through her throne and vanished under the waves.