Elf Sight

Elf Sight

Published by

Broken Gate Publishing

PO Box 6241

Maroochydore BC 4558

Australia

978-1-925131-00-0 (Kindle)

978-1-925131-09-3 (Print)

978-1-925131-24-6 (Printed in Australia)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Copyright 2013 © Avril Petersen

Cover design by Caitlyn Petersen

All rights reserved

For my family, who have helped make me who I am.

Seventeen-year-old Shadow thinks their country is in bad shape if her Pa is considered one of their greatest heroes. To her he’s the bitter man she has to escape before he learns the secret she’s kept her entire life. Getting away, with the help of her brother Irlan, is meant to simplify things. Instead, they become involved in plots against the royal family, hidden identities and magic-wielding enemies.

This novel was written by an Australian author using Australian spelling.

Careful not to smudge the glass, Shadow Morgan peered out the window near the tavern door, knowing she’d be safely hidden behind the door when her Pa came inside. She pushed her long, dark brown plait out of the way, jumping when a hand dropped onto her shoulder.

“Irlan.” She glared up at him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” At six foot her brother was five inches taller than her, but had the same dark brown hair and eyes that both her and their Pa had.

“What are you looking at?” Irlan held a straw broom loosely in one hand.

“I don’t know. I missed the start of the conversation. Pa’s out there arguing with General Farnell Serensten.”

“Isn’t Serensten-”

She made a sharp motion with her hand. “Quiet. I don’t want to miss what’s happening.” Behind Irlan she could see several long-term patrons had left their ales on the wooden tables to peer out windows. Her Ma would have her cleaning the smudges off those windows later.

“Make room.” Irlan pushed her aside.

Shadow shouldered her way back to the window. “Find your own space.”

Irlan shrugged and moved to the window on the other side of the door. Peering past the smudge her brother had left on the glass, Shadow gazed at the tavern yard. Afternoon shadows spread out behind her Pa and the soldiers.

“Come on Gil, what’ll one more time hurt?” From anyone else the words might have come out as a plea, they didn’t when spoken by Farnell.

He didn’t look like a man accustomed to pleading. He was completely army, from his arrow straight stance, his immaculate uniform, close cropped salt and pepper hair and cold blue eyes that Shadow bet could have a soldier quivering in his boots within seconds. Her Pa wasn’t in the least intimidated. This didn’t surprise her as he was usually the one making others do the quivering.

“One more time?” Gil bellowed. “One more time?” He pointed to his empty sleeve. “Only got one more of these. What do you expect me to do? Drink my ale through a straw?”

One of the General’s men who held the horses’ reins snickered and Gil’s face grew even redder, right through to his scalp beneath his thinning brown hair. Farnell shot a look towards the man who quickly turned away from the cold blue stare.

“Look, why don’t we go into your tavern and I’ll buy a round of drinks. Matters like this shouldn’t be discussed in the open.” Farnell kept his tone even and his expression neutral.

“Never! I’ve got nothing more to say to you. I don’t want to hear another word.” Gil turned to walk into his tavern.

Shadow tensed, ready to hurry back to the bar. If her Pa caught her spying on him she’d never hear the end of it.

“Your last job gave you the money to buy this tavern. What if I told you this job is worth twice as much?” Farnell asked.

Gil halted. Then shook his head. He half turned to Farnell. With his one arm he gestured towards the tavern. “Twice the price of this? Can’t be done. The last job cost one arm. I don’t have two left to lose.” He stomped towards the tavern.

Farnell called out as Gil reached the door, “We’re staying in the clearing just down the road. We leave at first light. Remember. Twice the fee.” Not getting any response, Farnell turned back to his men. “Mount up. Back to camp.”

As the soldiers hurried to obey Farnell, Gil made his way inside. He cuffed Irlan who randomly moved the broom about not far from the window. While her Pa was distracted, Shadow took the opportunity to hurry behind the bar where she was supposed to be serving.

“What are you doing? Get back to work you lazy lump.”

“I was sweeping.” Irlan stared defiantly at Gil as he held up the broom. Angry brown eyes were the only similarity between them. While Gil was an average height with a broad chest and thick legs, Irlan was tall and wiry.

“Sweeping! You lying little-” Gil raised his fist and took a step towards Irlan.

“Gil.” His wife, Gennie, hurried over to rest a hand on his arm. She shot one of her usual looks of mingled concern and warning towards her son before she turned to her husband. “Your supper’s ready. You’ll want it while it’s nice and hot.” She was short, slight of frame, with mousy brown hair, and a perpetual look of worry in her blue eyes.

Gil stared at her a moment before he pulled away and strode towards his table. Plonking himself down he looked over to Shadow behind the bar. “Shadow! An ale girl. Look lively.”

Shadow grabbed a mug, quickly filled it and hurried to her Pa’s table. He grunted as she placed it in front of him and downed it in one go. She forced her face to remain expressionless. Why had Farnell brought up all the things they tried so hard to avoid? No one spoke of the days when Gil had been whole, or if they did it was in whispers. And no one ever mentioned his elf sight or asked him to use it.

Gil slammed the mug on the table. “Another girl. Don’t waste time.”

Lips thinning, Shadow grabbed the mug and headed for the bar. She passed close to her brother as she did. At seventeen Shadow was a year younger than Irlan, but half the time felt like she was the one who looked out for him. “Stay out of his way, Irlan. He still hasn’t forgiven you for racing his stallion yesterday.”

“The old bugger never forgives. You should know that by now,” Irlan muttered as they reached the bar.

“Shh, he’ll take his belt to you again.” Shadow glanced towards Gil. “And at the rate he’s downing ale he’ll be looking for someone to use it on.”

“Hush you two.” Gennie pushed them both behind the bar. “Give me that.” She took the mug from her daughter. “Now make yourselves scarce. I’ve sent someone to fetch Molly. She’ll serve tonight.”

Shadow looked out over the rapidly filling tables. “Are you sure?” Gennie looked exhausted, like she should be the one taking the night off.

Gennie nodded, brushing strands of hair back from her face. “Go on.”

Nodding, Shadow followed her brother through the door behind the bar. It led into their living quarters. Two rooms downstairs and a cramped loft upstairs that she and Irlan shared. They took fruit from the table and Shadow borrowed her Ma’s cloak as they left by the back door.

Shadow paused before she entered the woods, which started not far from the rear of the tavern. Night had fallen and darkness filled the spaces under the tall trees. She took a bite from her apple as she hurried after Irlan, who had stopped to look back at her. Leaves crunched under her feet as she joined him.

“What are you doing? Come on.”

“I wish things were different.” Shadow sighed. “If he’d only stay away from the drink he wouldn’t be half as bad.”

“He’s still a moody old bugger even sober,” Irlan said.

“I wish we’d known him before he lost his arm. Some of the stories they tell when he’s not about
are-”

Irlan interrupted. “Who cares? He’s no bloody hero now. He’s a useless old drunk.”

Shadow fell silent as she continued to walk beside her brother. There wasn’t anything she could say to argue that point. She didn’t even know why she wanted to. It felt disloyal to always complain about their Pa. Especially when she heard some of the stories whispered in the tavern when the men had been drinking heavily. No one spoke to Gil about the days before he lost his arm. That was a sure way to make him angry. But stories were still whispered in tones of awe. Particularly the battle of Wolf Ridge.

“It’s not right. We shouldn’t have to sleep outside because he’s going to get roaring drunk,” Irlan complained.

“Oh Irlan, how would you feel? Look what he came back to.”

“At least he came back. How many died?”

“He probably felt guilty. He hadn’t been there when Ma caught childbed fever. Or when she couldn’t work, or when they threw us onto the streets because she couldn’t pay the rent. He had promised to be back in time to help her choose a name for me. And he wasn’t.”

“If he was a real man he wouldn’t have called his daughter a shadow on his life,” Irlan reminded her.

She pushed aside the flare of anger his words caused. “There’s nothing we can do about it.” She paused. “Don’t go on about it tomorrow and upset Ma.”

“I’m not an idiot. You don’t have to remind me.”

She held back a smile. Yes, she did. But soon he’d have to look out for himself. She wouldn’t be at the tavern forever. She had plans.

Silence again fell between them, eventually broken by Irlan. “What did the soldiers want?”

“They need someone to find something magic hid.”

“If I had elf sight I’d go with them. Why couldn’t I have it?” He swore. “It’s not fair. It’s meant to run in families. Grandpa Morgan had it and his aunt had it and who knows how many before them.”

“You’ll find a way out eventually,” Shadow said softly.

“How?” Irlan snarled. “I’ve got no money, and food and board isn’t a fair pay.”

“You’ll have to find a new hiding place for your tips. Somewhere he won’t think to look this time.” Shadow rested her hand on her brother’s arm and wished there was something else she could say. Something she could do.

“Do you know how many years it took me to save that money?” Irlan shook her hand off. “Four years! And I still needed more before I could afford to get away from him. I’m eighteen. A man! I can’t spend the rest of my life under his thumb. If he doesn’t end up killing me in a drunken rage, I’ll probably kill him fighting back.”

“Oh Irlan.” Shadow threw both her arms around her brother and rested her head on his chest. “Don’t speak like that. Please. When I marry Elrick, I’m sure he’ll find a place for you on his family farm.” Shadow felt Irlan tense. She drew back. “What? What happened?”