by Derek Palmer
""You poor young Human man. It's been so long that I've almost forgotten how different you can be when compared to us Alfar. Stian, do you think that those two hussies who live with you have any issues helping each other, either with tongue, fingers or wands while you are away? None of us would have, and nor would any of us think anything about it. We just keep on forgetting that most of you live in a monogamous relationship almost all your lives and that defines your way of thinking. Stian, you really need to talk with Bellcauniel about your issues.""
Then she smoothed my cheek with her fingers.
""Damn, I almost wish that I hadn't promised that I'd wait a bit longer for my turn with you.""
And this woman, who made my still-sore manhood hard with a touch of a finger and one sentence, dared to call Bellcauniel and Fainauriel hussies! However, I felt a bit better after her comment - even if I knew that she had been almost lying. After getting to know the Elves better, I knew that only a few of them really wanted to constantly have sex with men - other than for procreation.
Our trip back to our home valley was without incidents and we were treated almost as heroes. The new grain and other seeds would mean that there wouldn't any shortage of food in the near future and the barrels and empty bottles meant that there would be even more saleable items in the future. Somehow, the idea that we were dealing with a female distributor amused the Elves even more.
Then there was the thing that I still feared somewhat - the discussion with Bellcauniel and Fainauriel.
""So, you created a base for some good business and made some widow happy and very, very satisfied and hoping that she'll see you again?""
I had been almost brutally honest with them but there hadn't been any kind of reaction I might have expected. I couldn't sense any jealousy, anger or other feelings. No, if there was anything it was curiosity. I shrugged.
""You know the business probably better than I do. For the rest of it, I truly have no idea.""
""Stian, there's something in you that makes us forget how young, innocent and inexperienced you are when it comes to dealing with us. We have lived here for so long that I also keep forgetting the differences between our cultures. Back there in my old home where I was married, it was a normal thing to lend him to some other Alfar. You probably have no idea about it, but Veryamedliel has a stepsister here.""
The look on my face told her that I really had had no idea about it.
""Besides, Stian, if you think about it - if we Alfar were a jealous sort - there would be a day that there would be no men to give us babies anymore.""
The smile she gave me equaled the one Meldainiel had given me, but Bellcauniel also took my hand and made me follow her to the bedroom. I saw no reason to resist.
""So, Stian, you want to cash the Bonds the Guardians gave you. How have you planned to do it?""
It was the third day after our return and I was finishing my breakfast when Mylaela had come to me with an older woman I had never seen before. I had been busy for the last two days, helping to put together the new barrels and sorting out all the new grains and seeds we had brought with us.
""As quickly and securely as possible. Preferably leaving a few false trails while doing it.""
""Do you want someone to back you up? Hantaliel here is probably the best tracker we have among us and she's the one who helped us to keep track of you and the Guardians while you were hunting that odd creature.""
I took a look at the almost plain-looking woman who was dressed in clothes that seemed more suitable for moving in the forest than the normal clothes here. I nodded to her. Mylaela, however, wasn't done yet.
""I know that we haven't really discussed what happened back then. The thing is that, even if we aren't able to sense the living things the way you can, we can sense when there are some big magical disturbances taking place here and we also try to keep on track of things happening near us. Unfortunately it seems that those idiots haven't really learned anything about their previous mistakes, since these things keep on happening again and again.""
""I heard that this time, those responsible paid a dear price for their stupidity as they were torn into pieces when the creature escaped.""
""No wonder we were able to sense that the beast was something really exceptional.""
""He. He had a family back where he was taken from and I got a feeling that they had a society of hunters with very strict sense of honor. I'm sure the fact that saved me was that I stood and faced him during the final confrontation.""
I had never before said anything much about what happened, but now I was quite certain that the real reason for Hantaliel being there was that she also knew something about it. If she had been able to follow me back then, without me noticing her, there was a possibility that she knew something about what had happened. Mylaela turned to look at her, too. I looked at her and I could feel those gray eyes on me. Evaluating, calm and steady gray eyes. I got a feeling that those eyes had seen things that could make me shiver.
""That was one of the very few times I remember really seeing magic. From where I was, I wasn't able to see everything that happened, but I was able to sense the huge amounts of magic being used. How come you could do that down there?""
""Cats.""
""What do you mean? Cats?""
""Cats are able to absorb and nullify magic. I tried adding those features to the wooden arrows I used.""
""Mother Earth! How did you discover that?""
I shrugged.
""I learned about cats by accident. I also knew that I would never be able to match him if he'd be fully able to use his magic. Back then, I just wanted to get back home and I decided that I needed to even the odds as much as I could.""
Hantaliel looked at me and, after a while, nodded.
""I was far outside this valley doing some scouting and I was afraid of what I would find when I get back here. I was hurrying back here to warn my sisters about a coming attack by the Ugly People when my pony broke his leg and fell. I also broke my leg and wasn't able to move for some time. Now, when I finally got back, I found you here and I'm told that you warned my sisters about the coming attack and even fought against the Ugly People yourself. Thank you.""
Once she had said all that, she closed up, almost like clam getting back inside its shell. Mylaela turned towards me again.
""Stian, if you think that there's any kind of risk for you to go there, we'd like you not to go. However, if you insist on going, I'd personally like you to talk with Hantaliel about the ways to stay safe. She has been out there probably more than the rest of us together. Still, think about it - do you really need to go?""
I had been thinking about it. I had been thinking about it a lot; especially after what had happened with the Trolls and the Guardians. It was clear that a long-term plan was needed if the Elves wanted to stay alive. If I wanted to stay alive. I even had some crazy ideas regarding that plan, but in order to put those plans into motion some money was needed - or rather, I needed some money - and since I would be the one using that money, I wanted it to be my money. Stupid, I knew. Besides, I wanted my pay. I wanted what belonged to me. Yeah, really stupid, since no money was needed here.
""I do. I think that we will need the money in the future.""
""Mind telling me why?""
""Maybe a bit later. I have some ideas, but I also want to leave some false tracks.""
""As soon as you're ready. For sure, I'm willing to listen to all ideas.""
My initial idea had been to leave as soon as possible, but I decided that a few extra days wouldn't hurt much. Even if I wasn't at all sure what she might be able to teach me, I agreed to see her after the noon meal.
I almost fell on my ass when I entered the room where Hantaliel was waiting for me. I knew that she was there since, from that close, I was almost sure that it was her just because she had one of the smallest magical signatures I had ever seen on anyone. The signature was hers, but the person inside the room wasn't an Elf but an old woman,
with long gray hair and wrinkles. It wasn't just the face that was different but there was something else, too. Her whole appearance shouted that there was an old woman waiting for me in the room. Her movement wasn't the gracious and smooth one you saw among the Elves, but it was labored and slow like you sometimes saw on older people. If I had seen her in the streets of a town I would have never guessed that she was an Elf and not a Human. I stopped by the door and shook my head.
""That’s... unbelievable. If I hadn't met you, I would never have guessed; just wondered a bit about the feeling I'd get from you.""
"They told me about the special skill of yours. Is that how you recognized me?"
Her Anglon was perfect, maybe a bit husky just as you might expect from an older woman.
"Yes - and no. I'm not really fully able to differentiate people that way. However, I remembered that your magical presence was quite unnoticeable when compared to others. It's hard to explain, since it's more like a reversed beacon that I somehow am able to sense."
The old woman shrugged. I knew that it was Hantaliel but still it wasn't her, but the old woman who shrugged.
"Maybe it's that I often think in Anglon instead of the Old Language. Or maybe it's the fact that I've never been that powerful in magic. Or then, it's something else. When I'm out there I need to feel and think as though I was one of them."
That two-day delay extended to five days during which I learned the ways to change my hair color - and not just change it but also how to add some gray into it. In exchange, I managed to show Hantaliel my ability to temporarily cloak myself with magic. The only problem with that was the use of magic. Even if she hadn't heard that the Magicians would waste their talents in using their skills in checking 'normal' people, it wasn't totally unheard of. Even if they weren't really good with it, they had sometimes used their skills in checking crowds, especially close to the capital. One of them might send a magic pulse to the people and then the others would search for reaction or reflection or something. The closer they were to the capital and the Royals, the more paranoid they were.
Hantaliel had been there several times, since that was the only way to really get to know some things. Like what they - the Royal class and the Magicians - had planned for the Elves.
"I've done a whole lot of cleaning there. Nobody pays any attention to an old, half-deaf and ugly cleaning woman."
During those five days I also learned that changing your appearance was the easy part. What was hard was to act, talk and, especially, walk like a different person.
"It doesn't help you if you look different if they recognize you from the way you walk. Think about it: you see a person approaching and you probably know who she or he is before you can see the facial characteristics. Different people walk differently."
Those five days I spent talking and training with Hantaliel had increased my possibility of surviving the trip a great deal. In fact, I felt really ashamed about my carelessness during the business trip. On the other hand, the way I had been there would now force me to act differently. Which in turn would increase my ability to survive in the future. If only Birgit would be able keep the secret. Once Hantaliel had heard about what I had done for our deal, she had just smiled and pointed out that it was the one advantage I had over her. The ability to use my body to my advantage.
Hantaliel might have joined me on my trip to the town on the western coast, but she needed to get her leg fully healed, which unfortunately meant that they might need to break it again. It didn't sound too good, but I believed that Allynna knew what she was doing. Once they got her leg straight they could start healing it. When they described that procedure to me I decided not to break any bones if I could avoid it.
Moving through the narrow pass to the coast gave me some conflicting feelings, but most importantly it didn't feel like going back home. Even if the nature, the trees and all the surroundings still felt familiar, it didn't really feel like going back home as it had felt after my journey with the Guardians. I had been wondering about this but the only clear feeling I had was sadness. Sadness for the innocence I had lost - and there would be no way of getting it back.
It took me a few days to get close to the town there by the ocean. The northernmost deep harbor was on this coast. The fishermen there considered themselves the toughest ones in the whole nation and, remembering the way the sea had sometimes looked, I believed that they had a good reason to think that way. During this trip I might eat some of the fish they caught - before going to cash the Bonds. After that - that would remain to be seen.
I used almost one extra day finding a place for Luna outside of the town and safe from possible scavengers - and Humans. Once I was happy with the place, I started my walk to the town. I had a small mirror with me which I used to check the way I looked. The herbs that were used to darken my hair should last for a week or two, depending on how often I would wash my hair. Besides that, there were some extensions added to my hair that allowed me to tie it up. In addition, I wore my oldest, most worn set of clothes that had started to be a bit too small, too. Barely wearable, but suitable for this occasion.
The fish was good but nothing so special, and while eating, I also managed to find out the places where I could use my Bonds. The first one was the office that worked as a bank for people in town. The second was a group of merchants working together, each of them specialized on different things - but the most important thing was their combined cashier. Meaning that they most likely had enough money to cash one of my Bonds. The only problem was which one of these two places I would visit first.
No, there was a second problem. Those Bonds were of paper and they weighed next to nothing. A coin of ten Crowns weighed something. Ten coins of ten Crowns weighed quite a bit more. Twenty, thirty or more of those coins were real weight - and carrying them silently would take some effort. In general, the towns here should have been quite safe, but ten Crowns alone was a lot of money for most people. One, two or three hundred would almost be a fortune - and those coins held no signature. The one who had the coin owned it. Thinking about it, and remembering the discussions first with the former Guardian and then with Hantaliel, I was quite certain that I wasn't openly looked for. No, that would have raised too many questions the leaders of the Guardians didn't want to answer. They - or some of them - would like to catch me or kill me. Preferably getting the money or Bonds while doing it. If I hadn't been all that sure about the darker side of the Guardians after the talk that old former Guardian had had with me, I believed it now. In fact, I was sure that those men I had killed and then dumped into the rapids had been Guardians. Not like the Guardians that walk around the forests trying to keep the people safe, but Guardians nevertheless. Just as those men who had killed Birgit's husband because of his side-businesses, had been Guardians.
I guess that I really wasn't quite as naïve as I had been. I just wasn't sure if I was any happier because of it. In several ways, my life had been much easier when I was a naïve young man. On the other hand, now I had a family again, even if it wasn't like the families I had seen before. Maybe my life wasn't supposed to be easy.
Stian did not to check the bank the following morning, but Gudrun did. Hantaliel had made it clear to me that if I really wanted to be successful while moving unnoticed in that town, I couldn't just disguise myself and pretend to be somebody else. No, she had become an old cleaning woman when that was needed, and I now needed to become an old woman, Gudrun, when I walked around the town in the morning. I walked like an old woman, and I even tried to think like an old woman, disapproving of the loud young people and trying to bargain while buying some food from the market. Once Gudrun was certain that there were no hidden Guardians or any other people keeping eye on the area, she convinced Stian that it would be safe to enter the area.
Thankfully, there were places nearby where I could take off the dress, tie my hair and wash away the little make-up I had been wearing. All that took just a few blinks of an eye - or maybe a moment longer. Even thoug
h the dress had been thin, I had really needed to move slowly in order to stop myself from sweating too much. In fact, that had helped me to be Gudrun.
Now I was Stian again, but not the same Stian I usually was. My hair was long and dark brown, almost black, tied together at the back of my head. There was no beard, as it didn't really grow on me yet. Besides, Hantaliel had assured me that I should be safe enough like this, especially as the people looking for me would have to rely on second-hand information. Now, I looked different, walked in a different way and overdid my northern accent somewhat. That would have to be enough.
"Good day, sir. I've got a few Bonds I'd like to cash."
I had leaned forward and spoken with a soft voice in a way that the other customers would not be able to hear us. The man behind the desk now showed some interest, but not too much.
