"Not at all," Maybell replied. "We were just talking about the choices a man who has come of age is faced with."
"Is that so?" Kaylia asked. "I hope he listened."
"I think he did," Maybell said, reaching across the table and patting Gewey"s hand.
Lee and Millet returned a few hours later, each carrying a large sack filled with supplies. Lee spent the better part of an hour separating the goods into individual packs small enough for everyone to carry. Maybell insisted on carrying her own provisions, but eventually relented when Gewey pleaded with her.
By dusk, they had made all their preparations and waited in the common room. Eventually, Kaylia stood up and motioned for the others to do the same.
"Linis approaches," Kaylia noted. "Everyone, gather your things."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?" he asked skeptically.
"We elves can sense when others are near," she revealed. "But we can discuss this later; right now, we must leave this place."
Outside, they saw the elf waiting, cloaked and hooded, by the corner of the inn. Kaylia made the introductions, and Linis bowed to each in turn.
"Once we arrive at the gate, you must follow me very carefully," Linis instructed. "My kinsmen are waiting for us about one mile south of the city. The others are waiting to ambush you three miles west."
"If elves can tell when others are near, won"t they sense you moving?" Gewey asked.
"We have ways of masking our presence," he answered. "If we are discovered, two of us will stay with you while the others try to distract them. Now we must hurry. I have paid the gate guard to be absent for the next twenty minutes, but after that, we may be questioned."
Linis led them at a quick pace through the city streets. Gewey kept looking back to check on Maybell, but to his surprise, she seemed to have no trouble keeping up.
As Linis had a.s.sured them, the west gate was unguarded as they pa.s.sed through.
"Follow me along the wall," Linis whispered. "In three hundred yards, there"s a path leading southwest. My people wait for us at its end."
The path was barely visible in the fading daylight. The group tried to keep pace with Linis, but in minutes he was out of sight.
At first Gewey was nervous, but then Linis reappeared along with five other elves. They were all cloaked and hooded in the same dark brown. Two had bows across their backs, and each carried a long knife at their side. They stood in silence as the group approached.
"These are my kinsmen," Linis told them. "All worthy Seekers."
Gewey and the others bowed and introduced themselves. All except Kaylia.
The elves said nothing for a moment, and then one stepped forward. He was a bit taller than Linis, and broader in the shoulders. He pushed back his hood, revealing close-cropped black hair and the same defining sharp features Gewey had come to admire.
"I am Haltris," he said. "My brethren are Sitrisa, Maltora, Santisos, and Prustos. We are honored to be of service." He turned to Kaylia. "It is a special privilege to meet someone so distinguished among our kin." They all bowed low.
Linis" eyes lit up when he saw Maybell. "You bring wisdom, I see. How wonderful! If we survive the night, I hope you will favor me with stories of your times and travels."
"An elf of exceedingly good taste and intelligence, I see," Maybell laughed. "I would be happy to share what I know with you. Though by your standards, I think I"m quite young."
"Wisdom cannot be measured in years," said Linis. "Nor can value. I look forward to speaking with you."
"What"s your plan to avoid the other elves?" Lee asked, stepping forward. "From what I"ve seen of your people, it"s not going to be easy."
"No, it won"t be," Linis acknowledged. "Prustos and Maltora will try to lead them away so we can slip by unnoticed. Our people are not easily fooled, but your pursuers are not Seekers as we are."
Prustos and Maltora nodded sharply at Linis, then disappeared into the forest.
"Don"t worry," Linis a.s.sured them. "They have never failed. Even among Seekers, they are renowned for their skills. Now come, we have far to go before the dawn."
Linis and Santisos lead the way, while Sitrisa guarded the rear. Lee dropped back and joined Sitrisa.
After a few hours, Linis called for a halt. "We rest," he said.
"I hope it"s not on my account," said Maybell. "I"m not tired just yet."
"I would think you strong as any here," Linis laughed. "And wise enough to know when you need to stop."
"Then why do we rest now?" Lee asked.
"Because we"re being chased," Linis replied. "A pursuer will a.s.sume you will run as fast and as hard as you can. A smart predator will bide its time and wait until you"re spent, then strike. If you remain strong, you can turn the predator into prey."
"I see the wisdom," Lee said, nodding respectfully. "I wish I had known long ago that elves such as you existed. I could have learned much."
Linis smiled humbly. "Years ago, I would have killed you the second I saw you. I"m ashamed to say that my current att.i.tude towards humans is a fairly recent development."
"What changed your mind?" Lee asked.
Linis sat on the forest floor and motioned for Lee to join him.
"Many years ago, I was sent to find one of our kin. She had left her people on a Soul Quest. When she hadn"t returned after several years, her father asked me to find her. It took me three years, but I succeeded, only to find that she had taken a human man as a mate. I reported what I had found to her father, and he ordered her execution."
Lee"s eyes shot over to Dina who was several yards away, tending to the meal. "Was there a child?"
"Strange you should ask," Linis remarked. "In fact, there was a child. She had known that I"d seen her, and she sent her mate and the child away to a human city. When I returned, she pleaded with me to spare her husband and child. She explained how the human had saved her and sacrificed everything to care for her. My heart was moved by her story."
"What did you do?"
"I told her to run. She could never allow herself to be seen by another elf, and she could never let it be known a child came from her union with a human."
"You let her live?" Lee asked, shocked.
"I did," he replied solemnly. "What became of her, I don"t know. After that, my perceptions began to change. If one of our kind could find love with a human, what did that say about our beliefs?"
Lee sat in silent thought for a moment. "What would you do if you found that child today?" he asked, finally.
"I would welcome her," Linis replied. "She may very well be the future of all the people of the world."
"You swear that she would not be harmed?" Lee pressed him.
"Of course," said Linis. "But why do you ask?"
Lee eyes went to Dina. "That child is with you now."
Linis followed Lee"s gaze. "She must not know," he said. "At least, not now."
"Why?" Lee replied indignantly. "She has the right to know."
"And I will tell her," Linis a.s.sured him. "I a.s.sume she thinks that her mother is dead, and if she learns what I have told you, she may try to seek her out. If she is the offspring of a human and an elf, then she may very well be the catalyst that unites our two races. But if she exposes herself too soon, she will not live long enough to fulfill that destiny."
"I think you should leave that decision to her," Lee suggested. "She is not rash or foolhardy. If you speak to her and explain things to her, I know she"ll do the right thing."
"I"ll consider your words," he said thoughtfully. "Until then, I would ask you to keep silent about this."
Lee nodded. "I"ll keep it to myself for the time being."
Just then, Santisos walked over to where the two of them were sitting. "We should move on," he advised. "I don"t think we are pursued as yet."
Linis got to his feet and gathered the group together. They walked for another two hours, then rested again for a short time.
Lee watched to see if Linis approached Dina, but to his disappointment, the elf didn"t speak to her.
Dawn was just breaking when Prustos and Maltora returned. Their faces were expressionless. Linis spoke privately with them for a few moments, then rejoined the group.
"Our pursuers have been led away," Linis announced. An audible sigh of relief rippled through the party. "They will eventually discover they have been deceived, but we will be well away by then. We"ll rest here for a few hours, so try to sleep if you can."
Linis walked over to Dina and motioned for her to follow him. Lee could see she was nervous; the last time she got too close to an elf, she nearly had her throat cut. She looked around and noticed Lee watching. He gave her a nod, hoping to offer some rea.s.surance, and she returned the gesture before following Linis into the forest.
They returned an hour later. From his seat on a fallen tree, Lee could see that Dina looked both excited and terrified. Gewey, Millet, and Maybell had rolled out blankets and were sleeping under an oak, while Kaylia and the other elves stood nearby, speaking in whispers. Dina came over and sat next to him as Linis went to join the other elves.
"He told you?" Lee asked softy.
Dina nodded, her eyes staring into nothingness. "I don"t know what to do," she said. Her voice trembled with emotion. "My mother may be alive. I never dared to dream such a thing was possible."
"What will you do?" he asked. "Will you seek her out?"
"No," she replied immediately. "At least, not yet. I have my duties, and I will not abandon them."
Lee reached over and put his arm around her, pulling her close. "When the time comes, I"ll help you find her."
Dina put her head on Lee"s shoulder, allowing him to comfort her. "Thank you," she whispered. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "You"re a good friend."
"Celandine," Linis called. "Come, meet your brethren."
Dina wiped her eyes and went over to the elves. They had all pulled back their hoods and were smiling warmly. Lee"s heart lifted at the scene. Each elf took her hands then embraced her. Kaylia motioned for Lee to join them.
"Lee," said Linis. "We have a favor to ask."
"I"ll help if I can," he replied.
Linis took Dina"s hand and looked into her eyes. "We ask that you watch over our sister and protect her," he said. "Kaylia has told us that you are strong and honorable, and that your skill in battle is great. She is the future of both races, and she needs such a guardian."
Lee smiled broadly. "You need not ask," he said. "But I will swear to it."
"Your friends are of great worth," Linis told Dina. "Keep them close."
Dina nodded and embraced him tightly.
When the others awoke, Dina told them excitedly what had happened. Maybell hugged her repeatedly, while Gewey and Millet looked on happily. They promised her they too would help find her mother when the time came.
"It"s like I have a family for the first time," Dina told Gewey as they walked on. "All my life I"ve been afraid of being discovered. I still can"t be out in the open, but I have part of my heritage back."
"I"m happy for you," Gewey said. His words were sincere, but he couldn"t help but envy her newfound sense of belonging.
"We will take you as far as Gristol," Linis announced when they stopped for a midday meal. "We have brethren there that will help you."
"You won"t be joining us the whole way?" asked Gewey.
"Unfortunately, we have other tasks we can"t ignore," Linis replied. "But we will be leaving you in good hands."
"That will be perfect," Maybell announced, tearing off a piece of flatbread. "Though I am sad to leave your company."
"As am I," said Linis. "You would honor me with your company as we walk. I refuse to pa.s.s up the opportunity to speak to a human who has seen as much of your world as you have."
"Keep talking like that and you"ll have me driving you mad with my stories," she said cheerfully.
"Nonsense," he replied. "Most of the humans we know are too young to have seen the changing world. To us, you contain a wealth of knowledge that we would prefer not to do without. It is two weeks to Gristol, and you will find that I will not tire of your stories."
"Don"t say that I didn"t warn you," laughed Maybell.
Chapter 20.
For the next several days, they followed Linis and his Seekers along little known trails and paths. The going was easy and everyone was in good spirits.
Dina spent most of her time among the elves, laughing and talking. Linis offered to a.s.sist Kaylia with Gewey"s training. She gratefully accepted, though it made Gewey feel uneasy. Linis remarked on how much Gewey had learned, and how quickly he mastered difficult techniques, but to Gewey"s relief, he didn"t ask any difficult questions that would force him to lie.
True to her word, Maybell walked with Linis, regaling him with story after story about the life she had lived and the things she had seen. The elf listened attentively without ever seeming to tire of her tales, despite the woman"s apparent ability to speak for hours without pausing.
Millet spent much of his time with Prustos, who as it turned out was an expert in herbal cures and remedies. He showed Millet several common plants and mosses that had healing properties, and could be used to save lives if one were injured in the wilderness.
Lee continued to work with Gewey on drawing power from the earth, but Gewey was careful to take it slowly. After four days, he was able to control the flow of the power, even allowing it to enter into his body. The feeling was amazing. He felt invulnerable. Lee warned him not to take in too much too quickly, but Gewey couldn"t help but want more.
On the fifth day, Gewey completely opened himself to the strength and energy of the earth. At first, he felt invigorated, but eventually the power overwhelmed him, knocking him to the ground. Lee helped him to his feet, reprimanding him sharply for such irresponsible behavior; secretly, however, he was pleased with Gewey"s progress.
By the eighth day, Gewey was feeling as if he had no troubles at all. Linis was unbelievably adept at finding the easiest routes through the forest, making a full day"s march seem like a leisurely stroll down a well-paved road. Laughter and storytelling was a matter of course as they sat next to the fire each evening.
It was just after noon on the tenth day when things changed. Maybell was describing the Temple of the Far Sky to Linis, when he suddenly stiffened and commanded everyone to halt and be silent. The other elves-including Kaylia-rushed to Linis" side, hands on their knives. Lee drew his sword and motioned for Millet, Gewey, Dina, and Maybell to move behind him.