The Warrior Elf (6 page)

Joan nodded. “We have six women who don’t have anywhere to go and who need to make arrangements for their future. Five of them are going to be fairly easy, I hope. At least I’ve got a starting point. It’s the sixth who’s going to be a problem.”

“Why?”

“She’s rather abrasive and has an entitled attitude. At home we’d call her a diva. She has plans for her future, but I don’t think they’re going to work out. Unfortunately she wants you to make sure they do.”

Kevin frowned. “What kind of plans?”

Before Joan could say, her door swung open and Doreen walked in.

Joan glared at her. “I told you I’d send for you when Myron had time to see you.”

“And I decided to save you the trouble,” Doreen said. “It looks like my timing’s perfect. Myron’s here and he’s obviously not busy since he has time to chat.”

Joan clenched her teeth. “Myron, this is Doreen, the woman I was telling you about. And Doreen, this is Myron, the man who rescued you from the dungeon.”

“And the one who let me get captured in the first place.” Doreen held her hand out to Myron. “No hard feelings though, since you did manage to rescue us. Now, if you’ll just make sure I get my life back, all will be forgiven.”

“See what I mean?” Joan asked Kevin.

Kevin gave a slight nod. “Shall we go to my office?”

“Yes, I think that would be best.” Doreen turned towards the open door. Right before she stepped into the hall, she glanced back at Joan. “I’ll see you later about the arrangements for my bridal chest.”

Joan looked at Kevin. “What’s a bridal chest?” she mouthed.

Kevin shrugged and followed Doreen through the door.

~ ~ ~ ~

Chris was in the reception area when Kevin and Doreen walked in. He tilted his head towards the coffee carafe when he caught Kevin’s eye. At Kevin’s nod, he fixed a tray with the carafe and three cups and followed Kevin into the office. After he set the tray on the back table, Doreen stepped over and said, “I’ll take care of this. You may go.”

Chris raised his eyebrows and glanced at Kevin.

“Doreen,” Kevin said, “this is Chris, my assistant. We both like our coffee black, thank you.”

Chris sat down at the desk he used in Kevin’s office and took out some paper and a pen.

Doreen looked at the paper as she handed him a cup of coffee. “What’s that for?”

“I always take notes during Kevin’s interviews,” Chris said. “Helps keep things straight.”

“Be sure you get it right the first time. I do not like having to repeat myself.”

“Doreen, have a seat so we can get started,” Kevin said. “I have another meeting in fifteen minutes.”

Doreen set Kevin’s coffee on the side of his desk and sat down with hers. “I was hoping you could spare one of your citizens a little more time than that, but since that’s all the time we have, I’ll get straight to the point.” She straightened her shoulders, shook her head to get her hair to settle just right, smiled, and began. “Before the raid, I was betrothed to Jared, a businessman in Bushwell. After I was finally rescued, I wrote to Jared to tell him of my whereabouts, but his business manager intercepted my letter. I haven’t heard one word from Jared, but his manager wrote that since my father had been killed during the raid, Jared was pursuing other interests.”

Doreen wrinkled her nose. “I don’t care for Jared’s business manager and I feel sure he’s figured out that once I’m married to Jared, he’s gone. I’m also sure he’s the one who encouraged Jared to look elsewhere for a wife. I want you to go to Bushwell, find Jared, and tell him I’m here and he needs to honor the promises he made to both me and my father. If you hadn’t allowed slavers to capture me and murder my father, I would be getting married in May. You need to make sure that still happens.” Doreen leaned back in her seat and smiled. “It’s going to take me a little time to get my bridal chest together, so I need this taken care of this week. When do you plan to go talk to Jared?”

Kevin cleared his throat. “I’m sorry your life got interrupted, but I’m not responsible for that. Slavers have been raiding the coasts for years, and everyone who lives there knows it and accepts the risks. I am not to blame for your father’s death or your capture.” Doreen’s face hardened as she opened her mouth to speak, but Kevin raised his hand to stop her. “However, I will take you to Bushwell and let you talk to Jared yourself. The two of you can decide what you’re going to do. If he wants to marry you, I’m sure that can be arranged. You can stay in Bushwell until time for the wedding or you can come back here, whichever you prefer. But if he’s changed his mind, that’s none of my concern. No one should ever be forced to marry someone they don’t want to, and I will not do it.”

“You have to make him honor his word,” Doreen demanded. “I’m supposed to have servants to handle the household tasks. I want the life I was promised, the life that was stolen from me when you let those slavers raid our shores! You need to fix this!”

Kevin took a deep breath. “Yelling at me won’t do any good. I told you I’d take you to Bushwell and let you talk to Jared and I will, but you might want to take a different approach with him. Demanding that he marry you probably isn’t your best option.” Kevin paused and then asked, “Doreen, how well do you know Jared?”

“I don’t know him at all. Jared and my father arranged everything in Bushwell. His business manager brought the contract to our house for my father to sign. Jared was supposed to, but his manager said he was too busy.” Doreen took a deep breath. “I want the life I was promised. If I don’t marry him, I don’t have anywhere to go or any way to live. I’ve already lost my home and my father. Don’t let me lose my future, too. Promise me you’ll make Jared honor his word so I can get my life back.”

“All I can promise is to take you to Bushwell and let you talk to Jared. Then we’ll see where things stand.” A moment later, he added, “In the meantime, if I were you I’d ask some of the women around here how to approach Jared. I don’t think your way will work. Now, I hate to rush you, but I’ve got another meeting.” Kevin stood up and walked around to the front of his desk.

“When can we go?” Doreen asked as she stood up. “I need to get this settled.”

“I have a meeting tomorrow morning, but I should be done by lunch. Want to go then? Or would you rather wait and go in the evening, after dinner?”

“After dinner is better for a personal call, and at that time I shouldn’t run into his business manager.”

“Fine. I’ll meet you here tomorrow evening,” Kevin said as he ushered her through the door. As soon as she was out, he shut the door and leaned against it. “I did not see that one coming.”

Chris laughed. “Did you hear a ‘thank you for rescuing me’ anywhere in there?”

Kevin shook his head. “If I were Jared, I’d run for the hills, but personally I hope he marries her and takes her off our hands. Now, what’s next?”

~ ~ ~ ~

Hayden and Xantha arrived in Willow Canyon shortly after lunch Monday afternoon. Glendymere was waiting for them outside.
“Good afternoon, Hayden. Xantha let me know you were nearby. What can I do for you?”

“Sorry to disturb you,” Hayden said as he dismounted, “but I need to speak with Rhianna.”

Glendymere mentally asked Rhianna to come outside.
“She should be here in a moment. You seem troubled. Is there anything I can do?”

“Not yet, but I may need you before this is over,” Hayden said. “It depends on what she says.”

Glendymere nodded.

A couple of minutes later, Rhianna walked out of the cave. “Father? What are you doing here? Is mother all right? Has anyone been hurt?”

Hayden shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. Everyone’s fine, but we need to talk. Now.”

Rhianna’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“I got a message from the Council of Elders,” Hayden added.

Rhianna’s eyebrows arched even higher.

Glendymere gave Hayden a nod.
“Why don’t you talk in Rainbow Valley? Sari and Taelor have finished for the day. You won’t be disturbed.
”

Fifteen minutes later, Hayden, Rhianna, and Xantha were at the cave entrance in Rainbow Valley.

“Is this all right?” Rhianna asked. “Or would you rather go inside?”

“Here’s fine.” Hayden handed Rhianna the note.

After she read it, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I had no idea.”

“What happened?”

“It was supposed to be so simple,” Rhianna began. “Just a quick trip to Milhaven and back.”

“Why in the world did you let her go to Milhaven? You know Rolan’s searching for her!”

“We were only there for one day. We thought we could get in and out before anyone noticed.”

“And how did that work out?!”

Rhianna felt her face flush.

“Whose idea was it to go to Milhaven anyway?”

“Actually, mine,” Rhianna said slowly.

“Why?”

“Landis has never lived around humans and she had no idea what human magic could do. I thought it might help her decide whether or not she wants to become a sorcerer if she could see what one does. The plan was for her to follow one of Myron’s sorcerers around for the day and observe. Simple as that.”

“But why did you go?”

“I went in case she needed me, and to be honest, I wanted to see what human sorcerers did, too.”

“But if only Landis had been seen, no one would have connected her with us and we wouldn’t have Rolan’s men crawling all over North Amden making nuisances of themselves!”

“I didn’t think about being seen,” Rhianna admitted.

Hayden shook his head. “Did you throw a knife at that man?”

Rhianna hesitated. “Yes, but he wasn’t an innocent bystander. He shot Marcus, the sorcerer, and I was afraid if I didn’t do something he’d shoot Landis, too. Even so, I didn’t throw the knife until he was taking aim.”

“Did you kill him?”

Rhianna shook her head. “I hit him in the shoulder. He did fall and break his leg when my knife hit, but we were in the backyard of a chapel. They took care of him right away. He would have been fine if someone hadn’t murdered him in his jail cell that night.”

Hayden frowned. “Murdered him? In a jail cell? In Milhaven?”

Rhianna nodded.

“Bet General Crandal wasn’t too pleased about that.”

“No, from what Myron said, he certainly wasn’t.” Then Rhianna frowned. “You know General Crandal?”

“I’ve known him for years, through Badec. He’s a good man.”

“Oh,” Rhianna said quietly. “I keep forgetting you knew Myron’s father.”

“And his grandfather.” Hayden sighed. “I didn’t want you mixed up in this to start with. If you’d listened to me and stayed in Crinsor Run, none of this would have happened.”

“You were afraid I’d get hurt, but I haven’t. I defended myself and Landis. I think it was a good thing I was there.”

“If you’d stayed home where you belong she never would have been in Milhaven, the man wouldn’t have shot the sorcerer, and there wouldn’t have been any reason for you defend anyone!”

The look Rhianna gave her father could have melted lead.

“Now we’ve got one big mess on our hands and Crinsor Run isn’t safe for Landis or Taelor anymore.” Hayden paused and took a couple of deep breaths. “I’ll grant you that you didn’t cause all this trouble on purpose, but it’s still your doing, so it’s up to you to clean it up.”

“But I don’t know how to do that,” Rhianna said as her face paled.

“Talk to Myron. It’s his fault, too. He should have known better than take either of you to Milhaven, but especially you. Everyone who saw you knew you were an elf, and where do elves live? North Amden! You gave Rolan a target, Rhianna. If this keeps up, we’ll be at war with the humans before long. You read the letter. This is serious. Get it fixed!”

“If I may?”
Xantha interrupted. Hayden and Rhianna both looked at him.
“I may have a solution if anyone’s interested.”

Rhianna nodded while Hayden crossed his arms and leaned back a bit.

“Make it clear to everyone in Milhaven, including Rolan’s spies, that Rhianna’s connection is to Myron, not Landis.”

Rhianna frowned. “But my only connection with him is Landis.”

“That doesn’t matter. If everyone believes you and Myron are involved and you were with Landis as a favor to him, they’ll stop trying to find Landis through you.”

A slow smile spread across Hayden’s face. “That might work.” Then he turned to Rhianna. “Do it.”

Rhianna’s frown deepened. “We wouldn’t have met if not for Landis. How could we be involved? What are you talking about?”

“You’re Duane’s sister, and everyone who’s been around Milhaven for any length of time knows Duane and Badec were friends, and if they were friends, it stands to reason Duane would be friends with Myron too, and as Duane’s sister, naturally you would know Myron. In fact, I think it would be a good idea for you and Duane to visit him, maybe this weekend.”

“I guess I could know him, but why would he ask me to go with Landis?” Rhianna asked slowly.

“You’re a warrior elf,” Hayden said. “Who better to safeguard someone?”

“But why would he ask me? His asking me doesn’t make sense unless he and I have some connection separate from her.” Rhianna shook her head.

“You’re a woman, he’s a man. Shouldn’t be too hard to figure that one out,”
Xantha said with a hint of a chuckle.

Rhianna’s eyes popped wide open as her jaw dropped. “You want us to pretend to have
that
type of connection? To like each other?”

As Xantha nodded, Rhianna shook her head, slowly at first and then vigorously.

“You’re a warrior elf, sworn to do whatever is necessary to defend North Amden and any and all elves, aren’t you?” Hayden asked.

“Yes, but...”

“No buts. You need to see to it that everyone in and around Milhaven is convinced the only reason you escorted Landis was because he asked you to.”

“And since they had a bad storm the night before and he was going to be busy taking care of damage, it’s even more believable that he’d turn to the woman he’s courting to ask for help.”

“Courting?!”

Hayden nodded. “Courting.”