The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  As he walked out of his office into the reception area, he focused on keeping his voice pleasant. “Where were you?”

  Rhianna laughed. “You won’t believe it, but I fell asleep looking at the stars.”

  Their voices woke Chris up. He smiled as he sat up, until he saw the look on Kevin’s face.

  “You fell asleep?” Kevin asked. “You’ve been sleeping?”

  Rhianna nodded. “I had the most delightful day.”

  “You fell asleep?”

  Rhianna looked up at Kevin for the first time, her hands still on Nikki. “Yes, I fell asleep.” Then she stood up and turned towards him. “I decided to go for a walk in the woods after Rigel and Doreen headed back to Jana’s. It’s been months since I’ve had a chance to do that, and it was nice, so quiet and peaceful. Then I cut through the practice field on the way back so I could stretch out on the grass and look at the stars. Next thing I knew, I was waking up chilled.”

  “I’m so glad you had a nice evening,” Kevin said, sarcasm seeping into his voice. “I, on the other hand, had a horrible evening trying to figure out how I was going to tell your parents I’d lost their daughter!”

  Rhianna rolled her eyes. “I was hardly lost, Myron. This place isn’t large enough for anyone to get lost. There was no reason for you to be concerned.”

  “No reason? It’s after midnight and no one knew where you were. You could have been killed!”

  “How? There’s nothing in the woods around here that’s a threat to me, or anyone else for that matter. I was perfectly safe.”

  “Rolan’s assassins prowl all over this area! You know that!”

  “They’re looking for Landis. They have no interest in me.”

  “Unless they think you might be able to tell them where to find her.”

  Rhianna shook her head. “They know warrior elves better than that.”

  “Or they might want to avenge Saryn.”

  “I didn’t kill him and they know it. Besides, assassins don’t go after anyone they’re not paid to hunt. It would draw too much attention to them.”

  “They might consider it worth it. You don’t know these men.”

  “No, I don’t, but if you’re so worried about them, why haven’t you done something about them? Why are they still here?”

  “I have my reasons. The fact of the matter is they’re out there, and as long as they are, I don’t want you wandering around by yourself, especially after dark.”

  “I’m not a child, Myron.” Rhianna’s voice had an edge to it. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

  “That may be, but it’s my responsibility to keep you safe, so don’t go off by yourself anymore. If you insist on leaving the castle, take a guard with you, or Corin.”

  “Wait a minute. My safety is my concern, and no one else’s. It is not your responsibility.”

  “As long as you’re here, under my roof, you’re my responsibility and you’ll do as I say!”

  Rhianna stared at Kevin and didn’t speak for a full minute. Then, in a voice cold as ice, she said, “Well, that’s one thing I can take care of. I’ll be packed and out of here in ten minutes.” Then she turned towards Chris. “Meet me out front. You can take me home. Apparently I’ve caused Myron enough trouble for one night.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Rhianna was waiting at the foot of the steps when Chris walked out the front door of the castle. As he walked towards her, he asked, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

  Rhianna nodded. “I’m sure.”

  As Chris joined her, he whispered, “But what about the plan?”

  “I’m fully aware of my responsibilities, Chris. I’ll go with him to Danyelle’s and Kyle’s, and I’ll come back for the day once in a while so I can be seen around town, but I will not stay here and have him order me around like one of his lackeys.”

  “Rhianna, he doesn’t mean to order you around. He was half out of his mind when he couldn’t find you this evening. He sent guards out searching every place he could think of, along the road to Milhaven, at the chapel, behind the castle, everywhere. He really was afraid something had happened to you.”

  Rhianna’s mouth dropped open. “He sent guards out looking for me?”

  Chris nodded.

  Rhianna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’ll never be able to hold my head up around here again. How could he insult me like that?”

  Chris frowned. “He wasn’t insulting you, Rhianna. He was scared.”

  “The fact that he has so little faith in my ability to protect myself that he felt it necessary to send out search parties is an insult beyond belief, Chris. I’m a warrior elf. I worked hard to become one and I’m proud of it. I do not appreciate having my skills belittled like that.”

  Chris shook his head. “You’re missing the point, Rhianna. He wasn’t thinking about your fighting skills. The only thing on his mind was you were out there, somewhere in the dark, possibly hurt, and he couldn’t find you. That’s the type of thing he has nightmares about, that someone he cares for is in danger and he can’t do anything about it. And since he cares about you, probably more than he’s willing to admit, he worries when he doesn’t know where you are. That’s what was behind his actions and words tonight. Fear.”

  Rhianna let out a long breath and gazed past Chris. “Be that as it may, I need to leave. So, will you take me or do I start walking?”

  Chris took the key out of his pocket. “Where to?”

  “Wildcat Mountain.”

  Chapter 20

  Tuesday Morning

  Landoryn

  Tuesday morning Meachum reported to the sorcerer’s office as ordered by his captain. His stomach was in knots at the idea of being in the same room as Alastar. He didn’t know the man, but if he was anything like his mother, the least little thing could cause him to strike, and Meachum didn’t want to be the target.

  Franco stood up when Meachum walked in and motioned towards the closed door at the end of the office. “Alastar’s waiting for you.”

  Meachum took a deep breath as Franco knocked on the door. When they walked in, he was surprised to see Alastar stand up and hold out his hand. He hesitantly shook hands with the sorcerer as Franco introduced them.

  “I understand you know where the mines are,” Alastar said.

  Meachum nodded. “I can draw you a map. There aren’t any roads that go straight there, but it’s not too hard to find.”

  Alastar shook his head. “I wasn’t planning to go by horseback.”

  “Oh,” Meachum said. “I thought you wanted directions.”

  “Are you familiar with the keys to Terah?” Franco asked.

  Meachum hesitated and then said, “Each seated sorcerer has one.”

  Alastar nodded. “I want to use mine to get there, but to use the key I either have to be familiar with where I’m going or have it marked on a map. Since I don’t have either one, I was hoping you’d take us there.”

  Meachum frowned. “How would I do that? I’m not a sorcerer, sir.”

  Alastar smiled. “You don’t have to be. All you have to do is picture the entrance to the mine in your head and turn the key. It’ll do the rest.”

  “I guess I can do that.”

  “Good. Have you ever traveled by key before?

  Meachum shook his head.

  “It can be a little rough the first few times, but if you stand still for a moment, it’ll pass.”

  Meachum swallowed hard.

  “You need to be sure Franco and I have our hands on your arm before you turn the key. All right?”

  Meachum ran his tongue over his lips as Franco stepped to his left while Alastar stepped to his right. When both men had their hands firmly on Meachum’s arms, Alastar handed him the key. “Now picture the entrance to the mines. Do you see it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Keep that picture foremost in your mind. When you can see it clearly, turn the key.”

  Meachum took a deep bre
ath and turned the key. Lights swirled, the ground vanished, and the next thing he knew he was at the mine entrance. If Alastar and Franco hadn’t been holding on to him, he would have fallen over. His stomach was rolling, his head hurt, and the more he tried to stand up straight, the sicker he felt. Finally he just bent over and concentrated on breathing.

  While Franco waited for Meachum to recover, he looked around and wondered if they’d accidentally ended up in a trash heap. There were big buckets on wheels, picks, a few wheelbarrows, some shovels, and other assorted debris in front of what appeared to be a dark hole in the mountain.

  When the dizziness and nausea passed, Meachum slowly stood up and looked around. A deep frown creased his forehead.

  “What?” Alastar asked as he took the key out of Meachum’s hand.

  “Something’s wrong,” Meachum said softly.

  “Are we at the right place?” Franco asked.

  Meachum nodded slowly. “This is the mine entrance, but these buckets should be down in the mine, and so should those tools. There should be wagons out here, waiting for the ore to come up. I wonder if they had a cave-in or something.”

  “Is it safe to go in?” Franco asked.

  “Should be. If it wasn’t, they’d have a barrier across the entrance. Do you want me to see if I can find Lamar?”

  “Who’s Lamar?” Alastar asked.

  “The mine foreman, the guy who’s in charge,” Meachum said. “If anyone knows what’s going on, he does.”

  “Then let’s find him.” Alastar motioned toward the mine entrance.

  As soon as they entered the cave, Meachum took down three glowstone torches and removed the covers. Fifteen minutes later they were deep inside the mountain, but they hadn’t seen or heard any signs that anyone was working. Then they came to a room with glowstones attached to the wall. On the far side, a man was sitting at a desk with a pen in his hand and several stacks of paper spread out in front of him. When he looked up and saw Meachum, he smiled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you around here. What are you doing back?”

  After Meachum introduced Alastar and Franco, Lamar stood up and shook hands with his visitors. “What can I do for you?”

  “Could you tell me where I can find my brother?” Alastar asked. When Lamar didn’t immediately answer, Alastar said, “Mikos. Do you know where Mikos is? Or his aide?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I haven’t seen either one of them since right after the new year. I thought they’d gone back to Hendon Port.”

  Alastar shook his head.

  “Maybe your mother knows. He reported to her on a regular basis.”

  Franco spoke up. “Gwendolyn’s dead, Lamar. Has been for over a month now.”

  “I’m so sorry, sir,” Lamar said. “I didn’t know. I don’t get much news out here.”

  “You didn’t happen to find a pile of ashes in Mikos’s office, did you?” Alastar asked.

  Lamar frowned. “A pile of ashes? Not that I know of, but I haven’t been to his office since sometime last year. When he wanted to see me, he came out here.”

  “Would you mind taking me there?” Alastar asked.

  “It’s right this way, sir.” Lamar motioned towards one of the tunnels.

  As they walked through the tunnels, Meachum asked, “Has something happened? A cave-in or something?”

  Lamar shook his head. “No. Why?”

  “Everything’s shut down.”

  “After all the guards and slaves left there wasn’t anyone to work the mines. I’m sorting and storing the tools and getting a final inventory ready to send to Varnel now.”

  “Varnel’s not there anymore,” Franco said.

  Lamar raised his eyebrows. “Who’s the business manager then?”

  “Franco handles all of that now,” Alastar said. “When your inventory is done, send it to him. But I’d like to back up a minute. What do you mean when all the guards and slaves left? Where did they go?”

  Lamar shook his head. “I don’t know. One day we were in full operation, and the next day all the guards packed up and left. I didn’t see the slaves leave, but since they were gone, I figured Gwendolyn sent them somewhere else.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “Right at the end of January. I’ve spent the last two months packing things up and making an inventory of what’s here and where it’s stored. I started down in the mine and I’ve been working my way out. I should be done in another week or so, and then unless you’ve got something else you want me to do, I figured I’d head out and see if I can find work somewhere else.”

  For a moment Alastar didn’t say anything. “I had no idea this mine had shut down. I want to get it back in operation as soon as possible. Do you know where the guards went?”

  Lamar shook his head. “Most just left. The few I talked to said they were heading home, but I don’t know where they were from.”

  Alastar thought for a minute. “So I’ll need to find new guards as well as some men to work the mines. It’ll take me some time to get things going again, but would you be willing to stay on as foreman here?”

  “Of course, sir,” Lamar said. “Just let me know when to expect the men.”

  They walked on a little farther, and then Lamar stopped at the doorway of a cave room with a big desk sitting on the far side. “This is Mikos’s office, sir.”

  Alastar walked in and looked around. When he couldn’t find any sign of ashes, he started going through the desk drawers. He found notes about slave arrivals, assignments, food orders, and various other details of the slave business. From what he could tell, Mikos expected to return the last time he left his office. After a few more minutes, he shrugged and joined the others at the doorway.

  “If you hear anything from my brother, tell him to contact me.” Alastar took out his key. “We’ll let you know when to expect to reopen the mines. And thank you for taking care of things here. I won’t forget it.”

  After they got back to Hendon Port, Alastar asked Meachum if he was willing to go back to the mines to work.

  “I serve where you need me, sir,” Meachum answered.

  “Good. Then I’m appointing you captain over the mine guards. Can you find the guards you need here at the castle or do we need to recruit some new ones?”

  “I could take enough castle guards to staff the mines, but it would cut into the number of guards available here. I’d like to have a few seasoned guards, but if we can recruit some new ones, I’ll take some with me and leave some here to replace the guards I take.”

  Alastar nodded his approval. “And how many slaves will you need to operate the mines?”

  “I’m not sure. It depends on the shape of the men. Young, strong men can do more work than older or sick ones, but I’d say fifty to start, and we can add more after the first fifty learn what to do.”

  Alastar nodded again. “We’ll take care of those.”

  After Meachum left, Franco asked, “What are you thinking?”

  “That willing miners might work better than forced miners.”

  “And where are you going to get willing miners?”

  “From the ranks of slaves who’ve grown up here,” Alastar said. “What do you think a young man who’s been raised as a slave would say if I offered him his freedom in exchange for five years of hard labor? Would he go for it?”

  “Knowing you could order him to work there without giving him anything in return? I’d say there’s a good chance he’d say yes.”

  Alastar sat down at his desk. “See if you can find ten strong young men who’ve been slaves for at least half their lives. Set up a meeting with them for tomorrow morning and we’ll see what their reaction is.”

  “All right, but why are you doing this?”

  “I think it’s entirely possible the slaves revolted and the guards couldn’t do a thing about it. They were outnumbered, and if the slaves had been working in the mines, they were probably in better shape than the men guarding them. I’d like to avoid a r
evolt.”

  “What makes you think they revolted?”

  “It’s the only thing that explains why none of the guards contacted my mother to let her know what had happened. She would probably have killed them for letting the slaves escape.”

  “But if that’s what happened, why didn’t Lamar tell us?”

  “He might not have known. There was a house back in the woods near the mine entrance. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where he lives. After all, he’s in charge of the mining operation, not the slaves or the guards. He could have slept right through the whole thing if it happened overnight.”

  “I guess that makes sense. What do you want to do about supplies? If we’re treating them like workers, should we provide beds?”

  Alastar nodded. “And good food, but I imagine Lamar knows who delivered the food before and can take care of getting it started again. We’ll need cooks though. Maybe we can make similar arrangements with some of the single women.”

  Franco made a few notes and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “And we need to find Mikos.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Camden

  While Alastar was dealing with the mines, Mikos was floating down the West River with a small load of goods on his boat wondering how to turn this short-term hauling stint into a long-term operation. He and Devron had lucked into this one. They’d been in the right place at the right time for once. The man who had the hauling contract for the whole northern end of the West River had broken his leg and needed someone to take over his route for a while, but he’d be back to work by the middle of May, and Mikos and Devron would be back to looking for odd jobs.

  Mikos wanted more than that. He wanted the security of knowing where his next meal was coming from. He’d never lived hand to mouth before, and he didn’t like it. Devron, on the other hand, had adapted to their new life with ease. He knew how to handle a boat, how to fish, and how to cook what he caught. If it hadn’t been for him, Mikos might have starved to death, but no man could live off fish forever, or at least Mikos didn’t want to. He wanted bread, nice and warm from the oven. Every time he thought about the meals they’d had at the tavern in Bridgeport his mouth watered. He wanted to be able to eat like that at least several times a week if not every day. They had to find a regular route.