right
to know.
“I will wait until you are ready to tell me about them. You
don’t have to say anything.”
He looked up at her, surprised. “So you read minds now?”
She laughed. “I didn’t think you sprang to life on the mountainside
the day you saved me. You had a life before, and it was an interesting one. You
have the scars to show it. But I imagine it must truly hurt to be wounded here.”
She pointed to her heart. “Perhaps we were meant to find each other. I will
help you heal, and you will help to fill the emptiness I’ve always felt.”
“Empty? Why?” They started up the slope. The day was still
new, but they had a long way to go before they reached the first outpost camp.
“I have always been dissatisfied with my life. More times
than I like to admit I infringed upon my tribe’s rules and was punished. My
clan mother despaired of me. She tried, but nothing I ever did filled the void
inside me.”
“Do you miss anyone in your tribe?”
There was a pause while they scaled the last bit of cliff,
then it was downhill for a while. She trotted easily. Like all fae, she could
walk on top of snow and was light-footed and fleet. They moved well together,
he thought.
“I miss my clan mother, and some of my friends I will miss
bitterly. It pains me that I will never see my home again. I lived in a large
cavern of many galleries in the Winding Brook valley. It is as beautiful as its
name implies. Our caverns are vast and comfortable. I hope your caverns are as
nice.”
“We don’t live in caves.”
She missed a step and stumbled. “Where do you live?”
He grinned. “In a house. I hope it’s clean when I return. If
not, Sebring and Merlin will answer to me.”
“Your maids?”
“My brothers-in-law. They are Melle’s brothers, and a pair
of troublemakers they are, too. You’ll see, they can charm the bees from their
honey, and all the girls in the village are besotted with them.”
“You are a wood elf. How many other tribes are there of your
kind?”
“We wood elves form seven tribes. Then there are the elves
of the great plains with their magnificent horses, and the marsh elves, shy and
reclusive. We’ve always counted the d’ark t’uath as part of our clan. We refer
to you as the dark elves or the stone elves.” He held a branch aside for her
and then ducked under it. “Then there is the fairy kingdom. Fairies live in
great cities, like Hivernia City. They have built castles and roads, seaports
and…whatever it is fairies build. They love everything colorful and rich. We
elves are more simple. We like things that come from nature and we don’t try to
change them.”
“I don’t think I’ll like Hivernia City. Will we live in the
forest in your house?”
“We will have to visit Hivernia City after we see Frostbone.
But don’t worry. I know Branagh and Melle and they will make you feel welcome.
Melle knows what it’s like to be an elf living amidst fairy folk. Are you
tired? We can rest.”
“No. Let’s continue until we reach the camp. Then I will lie
down and sleep for a thousand years.”
Llewellyn looked at her closely. Her skin seemed pale and
her eyes darker than usual. Pain drew fine lines around her mouth and nose. “The
camp is on the bottom of the next gorge. We will be there in a half an hour.”
When they got there, Llewellyn was relieved to see that they
would be alone. It was a small cave, set in between two mighty boulders.
Sometimes traders came to the outpost camps, so everything was ready for
travelers. There was a stack of firewood outside, and Llewellyn found a large
bucket and went to the stream to fetch water. When he got back, Tamara had
already built a fire in the huge stone fireplace.
“That heat feels good,” he said, ducking through the
deerskin flap that served as a door, pouring the water into a kettle and
hanging the kettle on a chain set over the fire.
“I thought wood elves were impervious to cold,” she teased.
“We are, but
to know.
“I will wait until you are ready to tell me about them. You
don’t have to say anything.”
He looked up at her, surprised. “So you read minds now?”
She laughed. “I didn’t think you sprang to life on the mountainside
the day you saved me. You had a life before, and it was an interesting one. You
have the scars to show it. But I imagine it must truly hurt to be wounded here.”
She pointed to her heart. “Perhaps we were meant to find each other. I will
help you heal, and you will help to fill the emptiness I’ve always felt.”
“Empty? Why?” They started up the slope. The day was still
new, but they had a long way to go before they reached the first outpost camp.
“I have always been dissatisfied with my life. More times
than I like to admit I infringed upon my tribe’s rules and was punished. My
clan mother despaired of me. She tried, but nothing I ever did filled the void
inside me.”
“Do you miss anyone in your tribe?”
There was a pause while they scaled the last bit of cliff,
then it was downhill for a while. She trotted easily. Like all fae, she could
walk on top of snow and was light-footed and fleet. They moved well together,
he thought.
“I miss my clan mother, and some of my friends I will miss
bitterly. It pains me that I will never see my home again. I lived in a large
cavern of many galleries in the Winding Brook valley. It is as beautiful as its
name implies. Our caverns are vast and comfortable. I hope your caverns are as
nice.”
“We don’t live in caves.”
She missed a step and stumbled. “Where do you live?”
He grinned. “In a house. I hope it’s clean when I return. If
not, Sebring and Merlin will answer to me.”
“Your maids?”
“My brothers-in-law. They are Melle’s brothers, and a pair
of troublemakers they are, too. You’ll see, they can charm the bees from their
honey, and all the girls in the village are besotted with them.”
“You are a wood elf. How many other tribes are there of your
kind?”
“We wood elves form seven tribes. Then there are the elves
of the great plains with their magnificent horses, and the marsh elves, shy and
reclusive. We’ve always counted the d’ark t’uath as part of our clan. We refer
to you as the dark elves or the stone elves.” He held a branch aside for her
and then ducked under it. “Then there is the fairy kingdom. Fairies live in
great cities, like Hivernia City. They have built castles and roads, seaports
and…whatever it is fairies build. They love everything colorful and rich. We
elves are more simple. We like things that come from nature and we don’t try to
change them.”
“I don’t think I’ll like Hivernia City. Will we live in the
forest in your house?”
“We will have to visit Hivernia City after we see Frostbone.
But don’t worry. I know Branagh and Melle and they will make you feel welcome.
Melle knows what it’s like to be an elf living amidst fairy folk. Are you
tired? We can rest.”
“No. Let’s continue until we reach the camp. Then I will lie
down and sleep for a thousand years.”
Llewellyn looked at her closely. Her skin seemed pale and
her eyes darker than usual. Pain drew fine lines around her mouth and nose. “The
camp is on the bottom of the next gorge. We will be there in a half an hour.”
When they got there, Llewellyn was relieved to see that they
would be alone. It was a small cave, set in between two mighty boulders.
Sometimes traders came to the outpost camps, so everything was ready for
travelers. There was a stack of firewood outside, and Llewellyn found a large
bucket and went to the stream to fetch water. When he got back, Tamara had
already built a fire in the huge stone fireplace.
“That heat feels good,” he said, ducking through the
deerskin flap that served as a door, pouring the water into a kettle and
hanging the kettle on a chain set over the fire.
“I thought wood elves were impervious to cold,” she teased.
“We are, but
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