The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Shana gave up on sleep around daybreak Friday morning. She couldn’t decide what to do. If she told Myron what Rolan was planning, he could make sure both Rhianna and Landis were safe. But if she did that, not only would she die, so would her parents. She figured her death was inevitable at this point, but she was still hoping she could find some way to save her parents.

  She was supposed to have a session with Rhianna that morning. She’d skipped it Thursday because she couldn’t face Rhianna knowing what Rolan had planned, and she didn’t think today would be any better. As she dressed, she once again considered going to Myron with everything she knew, everything that had happened since the night Rolan had burst into their home and shattered their lives. But would Myron be able to see past the spying part? Would he understand she didn’t have any choice?

  Shana delayed leaving for Laryn’s house as long as she could, but eventually the time came when she really had to go. She didn’t know what to do, not about training with Rhianna, not about talking to Myron, not about anything. All she knew was she wanted this to end.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Shana wasn’t the only one who had trouble sleeping Thursday night. Fasil had been awake most of the night playing out different scenarios in his head. Every plan he came up with had about the same chance of success. Unfortunately, in every case, he could see it going wrong easier than he could see it going right.

  While they ate breakfast, he said, “Correll is the best shot of the four of us, so he’ll take the lead. I’ll back him up. Amos, I want you and Bruno in the wagon, ready to get out of there the second we get her knocked out and loaded up.”

  “What wagon?” Amos asked.

  “The one you need to get today,” Fasil said, “and be sure you find something to use to cover her up, something other than a blanket. We don’t want it to look suspicious.”

  Amos thought for a moment. “Will you be in the wagon with us?”

  Fasil shook his head. “We’ll come along behind you and make sure no one follows you back here.”

  Amos nodded. “Then why don’t we use a buggy? It’s a lot easier to hide someone in the back of a buggy than in a wagon.”

  “Fine with me, if you can come up with a buggy,” Fasil agreed.

  “We don’t need it until this afternoon,” Amos said. “That’s plenty of time.”

  Fasil turned to Bruno. “How much of that stuff will you have by this afternoon?”

  Bruno frowned. “I’m not sure how to answer that. We’ll have enough for the tip of the arrow for Rhianna and to keep her unconscious provided Rolan doesn’t wait too long to collect her.”

  “Do we have enough to put some on the tip of eight arrows? I’d like for Correll and me both to have at least three arrows we can use to knock someone out, and I think you and Amos should have a couple with you.”

  “I don’t know if we have that much,” Bruno said slowly. “We weren’t able to test it on an elf. She might come around quicker than a human. If she does, we’ll go through a bit of it keeping her down.”

  Fasil frowned.

  “Bruno and I can use regular arrows,” Amos said. “If anyone comes along and messes with us, we’ll kill ‘em. Safer than leaving them alive anyway.”

  “I guess,” Fasil said slowly.

  “I think we need to blindfold the elf,” Correll said. “Just because that stuff makes her sleep doesn’t mean she won’t be able to see when she starts waking up. If Myron gets her back, I don’t want her to be able to identify us.”

  “She’ll know who shot her, Correll,” Bruno said. “Blindfolding her might protect me and Amos, maybe Fasil, but the opium’s not that fast. She’ll see you before it knocks her out.”

  Correll glared at Bruno. “Maybe I’ll make sure she knows who’s responsible for the knockout stuff, too.”

  “Enough!” Fasil snapped. “But blindfolding the elf’s a good idea. At least she won’t be able to see where she is and what’s around her. She might not be so quick to translocate if she can’t see anything.”

  “When do you want to get in position?” Correll asked.

  “By lunchtime. I want to be out there and ready when she heads out to the garden. The quicker we get this done, the better I’ll feel.”

  Bruno frowned. “We only have so much of the knockout stuff. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and we’ll have an angry warrior elf on our hands. You might want to wait as long as possible.”

  “The four of us should be able to handle one woman, elf or not,” Amos said.

  Bruno shook his head.

  “Anything else?” Fasil asked. When no one said anything, he looked at Bruno. “Can you have that stuff ready by lunch?”

  Bruno nodded and held up the little cup of sap he’d collected before daybreak.

  “And you’ll have the buggy?” Fasil asked Amos.

  “Heading out to get it now.” Amos stood up.

  Fasil looked at Correll. “And you get some rest. I want you in top form when you aim that arrow this afternoon. Our lives are going to depend on you hitting your mark.”

  Chapter 49

  Trouble at Doreen's

  Friday morning started out nice and calm at the castle. Kevin ran through his routine while Marshall took Watson and Nikki out for a quick run. Then, after breakfast, an excited Marshall knocked on Kevin’s door with his overnight bag in hand.

  “Ready to go?” Kevin asked as he stood up.

  Marshall grinned and nodded.

  “Then let’s go,” Kevin said as he took out his key.

  When he got back half an hour later, Marcus was in the office playing tug-of-war with Nikki. “Do you need me for anything today?” Marcus asked as he and Nikki kept playing.

  “Not as far as I know, but if you keep that up, she won’t let you leave,” Kevin said, grinning.

  Marcus gave the rope a few more tugs and then let Nikki have it. “Tolliver asked me to put a new roof on his house a couple of days ago. Thought I’d see if I can get it taken care of today.”

  “Do you need any help?”

  “A couple of the guards are going with me,” Marcus answered as Nikki nudged his hand with the rope still in her mouth. “We should be able to get it done by mid-afternoon. Thought I’d go see if Hayley wanted to go for a walk or something after we finish.”

  “If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

  Marcus nodded, petted Nikki, and said, “See you later.”

  As soon as Marcus left, Rhianna walked in. “I’ve got a training session in a few minutes. Do you want me to take Nikki with me? Or do you want to keep her in here this morning?”

  “Marshall took her out for a good run before breakfast. She’ll be fine in here until lunch.”

  Rhianna grabbed Nikki’s rope and played with her for a few minutes. Then she ruffled Nikki’s fur and said, “Guess I’d better get going. See you after we’re done.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After she finished with her students, Rhianna joined Kevin and Nikki for lunch out on the patio. While they ate, they talked about everything in general and nothing in particular. At one point, Rhianna mentioned that everyone thought the bells were a good idea. “Doreen put ours beside the back door. She figures if we have an emergency, it’ll happen in the kitchen. She says it’s the most dangerous room in the house.”

  Kevin laughed. “I imagine Ainsley would agree with her on that.”

  “She does. The two of them have been spending a lot of time together since Fenway closed the kitchen.”

  “Doesn’t Ainsley still wait on the customers?”

  Rhianna nodded. “But she’s not needed until lunchtime, and since they’re not serving food, they don’t have many customers for lunch. They’re still busy at night though.”

  “Do you think he’ll start serving meals again?”

  “Only if he can find a cook. Ainsley wants to get Blair in there, but I can’t see her leaving the chapel.”

  “I don’t know. She might, and judging b
y the few times I’ve eaten her food, she’d be good.”

  “I’ve eaten a lot of her food, and Fenway’s business would be booming if she was cooking there, but she’s loyal. The sisters took care of her when she needed it. She won’t leave them easily.”

  “Well, the one who took care of her was Theresa, and she’s gone now. Anyway, time will tell.”

  After they finished eating, Kevin walked Rhianna and Nikki to the stable where Corin was waiting.

  “Are you coming out later?” Rhianna asked as she mounted the unicorn.

  “After dinner.”

  “Then we’ll wait for you before we go for a walk.” Rhianna snapped her fingers to get Nikki’s attention. “Come on, girl. Let’s go see Shelley.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As the day wore on, Shana felt worse and worse. She’d gone to Rhianna’s training session, but had been so jittery Rhianna made her stop for fear she’d hurt herself. Shana blamed it on a headache and left the practice field. She wasn’t lying about her head. It was bad enough she could barely prepare lunch. Laryn became so concerned she took her to Sister Agnes.

  When they reached the chapel, Sister Agnes examined Shana and insisted she lie down for a while. “I’ll bring you some tea that will take care of your headache, but while I’m fixing it, I want you to close your eyes and try to relax.”

  Shana closed her eyes and tried not to think. She let her mind drift as her body relaxed. After a few minutes, she realized she had to tell Myron everything. It was the only way she’d ever get any peace. She’d go see him just as soon as her head quit hurting. She knew she’d be in trouble for spying, and Myron could do whatever he wanted to with her, but she would beg him to find some way to save her parents. They were innocent in all of this, just like Rhianna and Landis, and she’d do whatever she could to save them.

  When Sister Agnes came back with the tea, Shana leaned up and drank it down.

  “Lie back and close your eyes for a minute,” Sister Agnes said, “and your headache will soon be gone.” She spread a blanket over Shana and pulled the door to as she left the room. Then she went to the front parlor where Laryn was waiting.

  When Sister Agnes walked in, Laryn stood up and asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

  “I have no idea,” Sister Agnes said as she sank down on the couch. When she saw how worried Laryn looked, she shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Come on, sit down.” After Laryn sat back down, Sister Agnes explained. “I know what’s wrong with her physically. She needs sleep. That’s where the headache’s coming from. I doubt she’s slept more than a couple of hours in several days.” Sister Agnes paused. “What I meant is I don’t know what’s bothering her. She’s awfully upset and nervous about something, but she’s not saying what. I couldn’t get her to open up to me. Do you think she’ll talk to you?”

  Laryn shook her head. “I’ve been trying to find out what’s worrying her for two days now. All I could get out of her was that her head hurts. If she was willing to talk to me, I think she would have by now.”

  “Does she have any close friends? Anyone she confides in?”

  “Not that I know of. She’s been a bit of a loner ever since her parents left.”

  Sister Agnes thought for a moment and shook her head. “If she won’t talk to us, we can’t do anything to help with the big problem, but I can do something about the headache. The tea I gave her will put her to sleep and keep her sleeping for around eight hours. When she wakes up, I’ll get some food in her and send her right back to sleep. Maybe she’ll be able to figure out how to handle whatever’s bothering her once she gets some rest.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Meanwhile, the assassins were getting in position. Correll had seen Saryn fall out of the tree when Rhianna’s knife hit him, so he found a good spot on the ground between a bush and a large tree. He figured he could fire through the bush, and if he missed, or if the elf translocated, he’d duck down behind the bush and hide. He had three arrows that had been dipped in the opium sap, but he wasn’t sure the opium would knock the elf out, which was another reason he opted for a spot where he could hide. He didn’t want to give her a target if that stuff didn’t work.

  Fasil found a spot a hundred feet from the bush where Correll was waiting. He ducked behind a stack of lumber between the shed and the garden. As long as he stayed down, he wasn’t visible from either the garden or the house. If Rhianna went to the shed he might have a problem, but as long as he kept the lumber between them, she wouldn’t be able to see him, and he wasn’t worried about anyone else showing up back there. The only other woman he’d seen out back over the past few weeks had been the one who owned the house, and the few times he’d seen her, she’d been with Rhianna.

  Amos had liberated a buggy from Fenway’s barn. He knew Fenway and his daughter would both be at the tavern, so no one would notice anything was missing until long after they were done. He didn’t know about anyone else, but as soon as Rolan collected the elf, he was leaving. No way he wanted to be anywhere around when Myron found out someone had taken his elf.

  Bruno was in the buggy with Amos. They were parked inside the woods a hundred yards from Rhianna’s gardens. They were close enough Correll could carry the elf to the buggy, but far enough away not to be spotted.

  Bruno had some extra opium sap with him in case it didn’t work as well on the elf as it had on the farmer, but he hoped he wouldn’t need it. Even if he didn’t use any extra, he was afraid he wouldn’t have enough to keep the elf unconscious if Rolan waited until morning to pick her up. He’d already decided if she was still with them at sunset, he’d have to push his luck and go back to the chapel garden to see if he could collect some more sap. He really hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. He wanted to get this mess over with and the elf off their hands before they all got caught - or worse.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Shelley knew Nikki would be coming home with Rhianna, so she was waiting right inside the front door when they got there. As soon as Rhianna let Nikki in, Shelley grabbed the pup around the neck and buried her face in Nikki’s fur. “Ooh, Nikki,” she sighed. “I’ve missed you so much!”

  While Shelley nuzzled Nikki’s neck, Rhianna went upstairs to change into some old clothes. By the time she came back down, Shelley and Nikki were in the front parlor playing tug-of-war with a piece of rope Doreen had given them. At the moment Nikki was winning and Shelley was all giggles as Nikki pulled her around the room.

  “I’m heading out back,” Rhianna said to Neisha, who was sitting off to the side sewing a new dress for Shelley. “Want me to take Nikki with me?”

  Neisha smiled and shook her head. “They’re fine. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

  “Just let Nikki out the back door when she wants out. She’ll find me.”

  Neisha nodded, still smiling as she watched her daughter play with a dog who was as tall as she was.

  As Rhianna went down the hall, she stuck her head in Doreen’s office to say hi. “I’m going out back for a while unless there’s something you want me to do.”

  Doreen shook her head. “I want to enter these last few charges in my ledger and then I’m done. I’ll be out there before long.”

  “You want to work in the garden?”

  Doreen shrugged. “That or build something. I’ve been in here long enough. If I don’t do something physical, I’m going to get irritable. I can feel it coming.”

  Rhianna laughed and headed outside. She stopped by the shed to pick up the wheelbarrow, her gloves, and the small tools she used for weeding.

  As Rhianna settled down to work in the garden, Correll slipped an arrow out of his quiver and got ready to shoot. He carefully shifted around until he was on his knees and then positioned his bow so the arrow poked through the top of the bush. As he slowly pulled back to fire, the back door of the house opened and Nikki rushed out. When Rhianna heard the door slam shut, she stood up and turned towards the house.

  Correll smiled to himself. He couldn’t ask for h
is target to be in a more perfect position. He pulled back a little bit more and fired his arrow right as Nikki leapt up to greet Rhianna, but as Nikki jumped, Rhianna heard the faint twang of the bowstring as it was released. She was gone before the arrow cleared the bush.

  The arrow grazed the top of Nikki’s shoulder, and with a terrified yelp, she fell to the ground and whimpered.

  Shelley, who had followed Nikki through the back door, saw Nikki jerk and fall to the ground. She screamed as she ran towards the wounded and frightened pup. She fell down beside Nikki and held her tight as her tears mixed with the blood from Nikki’s shoulder.

  Meanwhile, Rhianna wasn’t in the archer’s sight anymore. She’d translocated twenty feet away. Before her feet were set, she had a knife in each hand, scanning for the archer.

  Correll crouched down behind the bush, barely daring to breathe as he nocked another arrow. He had enough opium-tipped arrows for two more shots, but before he could shoot, he had to find his target. He tried to listen for her, but Shelley’s screams drowned out everything else. He was going to have to risk peeking through the top of the bush.

  Rhianna was watching for movement, any kind of movement, and the slight shake of a couple of branches on the bush didn’t escape her attention. She didn’t let anything distract her as she waited for her target to show himself.

  Correll eased back on his knees and straightened up enough to peek through the branches. He spotted Rhianna a second before her knife tore through his arm and pinned it to the tree behind him. He felt the bite of the knife and tried to bring his arm down to his side, but it wouldn’t budge. He dropped his bow and reached up with his other hand to try to dislodge the knife, but a second knife whizzed by his shoulder, grabbing a piece of his tunic and pinning it to the tree. Correll took a deep breath and held perfectly still as he stared at the elf who had yet another knife in her hand. He couldn’t hear her over the child’s screams, but he knew what she’d said. “Move again and you die.”