The Warrior Elf (54 page)

Eventually he’d ended up working in Tsareth’s stable in Trendon. Under Tsareth, Darius had lived in a room at the back of the stable and had come and gone as he pleased. He’d always had clean clothes, sturdy boots, and good food. But when Rolan took over, things changed. He’d had to move into the cramped quarters in the basement of the castle with the rest of the slaves. Guards escorted him to and from the stable area and he hadn’t been allowed to go anywhere else. His only food had been whatever the soldiers and guards left on the table, and that had to be shared with all the other slaves. When his clothes or boots wore out, he’d had to use whatever scraps he could find to try to repair them.

Five years ago, when Rolan sent for him, Darius had been terrified. He’d heard the guards talking about the sorcerer’s temper and the ease with which he killed, so he’d fully expected to die. But instead of killing him, Rolan had offered to take him to Camden where he could pose as a free man. It was like a dream come true. All he had to do in return was get a job working at the castle and tell Rolan what was going on. Darius had accepted the deal without hesitation.

Rolan had given him some new clothes, new boots, and his own tools. Then he’d brought him to the shed, pointed out the road to Milhaven, and told him all he had to do was find out what Badec liked to eat and drink, what time he got up, when he went to bed, and any routines he followed on a regular basis. Darius hadn’t thought that information could hurt anyone, so he’d agreed. Within a week he’d gotten a job working with Neiven at the castle.

A few years later, when Badec got sick, Darius had wondered if Rolan was behind it, and if he’d used any of the information Darius had given him to carry it out. So the next time they met, he’d asked Rolan outright if he’d caused Badec’s illness. Instead of answering him, Rolan had said he needed to know where Myron was and when he was expected at the castle. When Darius hesitated, Rolan told him not to forget who he belonged to and if he didn’t do as he was told, Rolan would be well within his rights to kill him on the spot. Darius had no doubt that Rolan would kill him, so he’d done the only thing he could. He agreed to see what he could find out.

And so it had gone for the past two years. After Myron took his seat, Rolan wanted to know Myron’s routine and where his apprentice was. Whenever they met, Darius told him what he’d heard, but he was secretly glad he heard so little.

As Darius waited for the sorcerer to arrive, he hoped there wasn’t something new Rolan wanted to know. He wasn’t in a position to find out anything anymore, and if Rolan decided he was no longer any use, he’d either kill him or take him back to Trendon.

When Rolan arrived, he breezed into the shed like he owned the place. “So, what news have you got for me?”

Darius frowned. “About what?”

Rolan slammed his fist down on the work bench. “About Landis! What else have I asked you about? Where is she? Why isn’t she in Milhaven?”

Darius licked his lips and shook his head. “I don’t know, sir. As far as I know, there are no plans for her to come to Milhaven again. The last time she was here she didn’t even leave the castle.”

“Last time? She’s been here more than once?”

Darius nodded. “She’s been here twice that I know of.”

“When?”

“Well, once was near the beginning of November, the day after the big storm. The second time was after Laryn’s wedding, but I’m not sure of the date, sometime near the middle of December.”

“She came in December?”

Again Darius nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell the assassins? They could have killed her!”

“I did tell them, sir, but her plans changed. She was supposed to pick up a kitten at Cira’s house. She asked me to make a carrier for it. As soon as I finished making the carrier, I left to tell the assassins so they’d have plenty of time to get there first. They had me draw them a map so they could find Cira’s house.”

“Then why is she still alive? And why didn’t I hear about it from the assassins?”

“Because she never went out there,” Darius blurted out. “I asked around but no one saw Landis after she went back to Myron’s office, not in the castle, not in Milhaven, nowhere. And no one saw Marcus either. I figured something must have happened somewhere and Marcus had to go help out and she went along to observe. That’s why she was here, to watch Marcus do stuff with magic.” Darius took a deep breath. “I do know Marcus went out to Cira’s the next day and picked up the kitten for her.”

Rolan stared at some point in the distance. Then he frowned and focused on Darius. “Was the elf with her? The warrior elf who was with her in November?”

Darius shook his head. “No she wasn’t. I’ve only seen Rhianna with Landis that one time.”

“Rhianna? You know the elf’s name?”

“Everyone in Milhaven knows her. She’s around here a lot.”

“She is?”

Darius nodded.

“Why?”

Darius shrugged. “All I know is she’s staying in town with one of the women Myron rescued from the slavers.”

“See what you can find out about Landis. And see if you can find out why that elf’s hanging around Milhaven. If you hear anything I need to know, you know how to contact me. And don’t forget, I own you, and how long you’re allowed to live here is up to me. Prove you’re worth it or I’ll take you back and put you to work in my stable.” Then, with a twist of his key, Rolan was gone.

Chapter 32

Sorting Things Out

Friday morning shortly after Kevin reached his office, Ariel knocked on his doorframe and said, “Eryn’s here to see you.”

Kevin put the papers he was working on away. “Send her in.”

Eryn smiled as she walked in. “I’m ready to go home if you’ve got time to take me.”

“Are you sure?” Kevin asked. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“It’s time, but I’ve enjoyed my visit. Doreen has been a gracious hostess, and it did me a world of good to spend time with some other women who’ve been through the same ordeal I have. It helped to see how well they’ve adjusted to their new lives. I hope I’m as fortunate with my own.”

“At least you’ll have your husband and father to help you.”

“I hope,” Eryn said quietly. “My husband may have remarried by now, and as for my father? He may have left Farragon. He’d have left after my mother died if it hadn’t been for me. With me gone,” she shrugged, “there’s no telling where he is.”

“Well, you’re welcome here anytime you want to come, to visit or to live. All you have to do is let me know.”

Eryn smiled. “Depending on what I find in Farragon, I may take you up on that.”

Kevin nodded and walked over to the big map of Terah hanging on his wall. “Show me where we need to go.”

Eryn studied the map and pointed to a spot on the southeast coast of Farragon. “It’s not marked on your map, but our settlement is near that little bit of land jutting out there.”

Kevin focused on the spot as he put his hand on her arm and turned the key. Moments later, they were on a deserted beach.

After she recovered from the energy flow, Eryn looked around and shook her head.

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

“We’re at Rocky Shores, but I don’t think this is the right place anymore.” She scanned the beach in both directions. “I guess everyone who escaped moved on, including my husband.”

“All right,” Kevin said. “You said he trained soldiers. Would the soldiers in the next town know where he went?”

“Possibly,” Eryn said, still distracted by the emptiness around her.

“Where is it?”

“Caster’s Point is the closest thing to a town around here. It’s twenty miles up the coast.” She pointed towards the northeast.

Kevin set up his seeing eye. He hadn’t tried to see something that far away before, but if he could spot a clearing several miles up the coast, they’d use the key to get there and try again. He felt like he’d pushed the eye out as far as he could without losing focus when he spotted a road running along the coast. He aimed for the road, put his hand on her arm, and turned the key.

Once they got to the road, he set his seeing eye up while he supported Eryn.

She recovered a lot quicker that time. “This road,” she said as she looked around. “If it’s the one I think it is, it leads to Caster’s Point.”

Meanwhile Kevin had used his seeing eye to follow the road along the coastline. “Well, there’s a town a couple of miles ahead of us, but I don’t know if it’s Caster’s Point. Shall we go see?”

Eryn nodded and put her hand back on Kevin’s arm. One more turn of the key had them standing in a little wooded cove on the outskirts of town. It only took Eryn a couple of deep breaths to recover that time. She straightened her clothes, held her head up, her shoulders back, and said, “Let’s go find my husband.”

A few minutes later Eryn touched Kevin’s arm to get his attention. “The man who used to be the local sergeant owns that store. Let me see if he knows anything. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Kevin nodded.

Five minutes later, she was back outside. “He said Murphy went with my father to train the troops at Canapolis, but they left shortly after the raid, so chances are they aren’t there anymore.” Eryn’s shoulders fell. “This is hopeless. We’ll never find them.”

“Don’t give up. We’ve hardly started looking. Does he have a map inside by any chance?”

“Probably. I’ll ask.”

“I’m going with you this time. If he has a map, I’ll need to see it.”

Kevin opened the door for Eryn and followed her into the man’s dry goods store.

“Do you have a map with Canapolis marked on it?” Eryn asked the man behind the counter.

“Sure.” He pulled a scroll out from under his desk and unrolled it. “It’s right here.” He pointed to a dot father up the coast.

Kevin focused on the dot, thanked the man, put his hand on Eryn’s arm and turned the key.

When they emerged on the outskirts of Canapolis, Eryn recovered almost immediately and started laughing. “You need to give people a little warning before you do that,” she said between chuckles. “He’s probably standing there with his mouth hanging open, wondering where we went and what happened to us.”

“I told him thank you,” Kevin said as they walked towards the center of Canapolis.

Eryn shook her head. “Not enough. Most of these people have never seen anyone come and go by key.”

“I’ll be more careful from here on out,” Kevin said. “But I’m in a bit of a hurry. We’re losing daylight and I don’t want to be wandering around in someone else’s province after dark.”

“I didn’t think about that. Will your being here upset Edwin? I don’t mean to cause any trouble.”

Kevin shook his head. “I’ll have Chris write him when I get back and explain what I was doing in case he gets any reports of people disappearing into thin air, but if we have to come back and try again, I’ll drop by his castle to let him know I’m in the area.”

Eryn nodded. Then she spotted a sign outside a small building. “That’s the district captain’s office. If anyone in Canapolis knows where Dougan is, he will.”

Kevin nodded as they headed for the small office.

When he knocked on the door, a young man opened it and said, “Good afternoon. Cpt. Shernon isn’t here right now. I’m his aide, Narco. Can I help you?”

“Hello,” Kevin said. “We’re looking for this lady’s father. He’s a warrior elf and we were hoping your captain might know where he is.”

Narco’s mouth dropped open. “Do you mean Dougan? Are you Eryn?”

Eryn smiled and nodded. “Do you know my father?”

“He lives outside town. I think the man who’s with him is his son-in-law. Is Murphy your husband?”

Eryn hadn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until she exhaled. “Yes, he is. Could you please direct us to their house?”

“I’ll do better than that,” Narco said. “I’m ready to shut down for the night and I live out that way. If you can give me five minutes to finish up in here, I’ll take you there myself.”

Eryn glanced at Kevin, who nodded. “Thank you. We’ll wait for you out here, out of your way.”

Twenty minutes later, Eryn knocked on the door of the house Narco had assured her belonged to her father. A few minutes later a very tall, thin elf opened the door.

Eryn smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. “Father. It’s so good to see you again.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Two hours later, Kevin made it back to his office. Before he could sit down, Chris stormed in, slammed the door, and put his hands on his hips. “Where have you been?!”

“I took Eryn to Farragon,” Kevin answered. “Why? What happened?”

“No one knew where you were!” Chris yelled. “No one knew if something had happened to you! No one knew anything!” Chris took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me before you left?”

Kevin paused. “I didn’t think I’d be gone more than ten minutes. I was just taking her back home, but the area was deserted, so we headed up the coast to see if we could find anyone who knew where her father and husband were. I’m sorry, but I had no idea when I left I’d be gone so long.”

Chris all but growled. “Steve and Laryn were supposed to go to Rainbow Valley this morning. They’ve gone back to their house now. Do you want to take them or do you want me to?”

“Do they know I took off without telling anyone?”

Chris nodded.

“Who else knows?”

“Everyone I could find. I asked anyone and everyone if they knew where you were. Even Rhianna.”

Kevin rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Serves you right. Now, back to my question. Are you taking them or do you want me to?”

Kevin handed Chris the key. “You take them. Maybe they’ll forget about this by the time I see them again.”

“You should be so lucky,” Chris snarled as he turned to go. “And stay put. I want to know what happened in Farragon.”

A few minutes after Chris left, Ariel knocked on Kevin’s door. When Kevin looked up, he asked, “Can I get you anything? Some coffee? Something to eat?”

“Coffee would be nice. Thank you.”

When Ariel brought the coffee in, he said, “Chris was worried about you. That’s all.”