The Warrior Elf

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Kevin thanked him as he handed over the reins. Then he and Rhianna headed towards the patio doors. “I have to admit, I enjoyed today,” Kevin said as they walked into the dining room.

  “I did, too. But I feel a little guilty keeping you away from your office all day.”

  Kevin laughed. “I’m sure whatever needs to be taken care of is still there. I’ll check my desk before I head up.”

  “What’s on tap for tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kevin answered. “I’ll have to check with Chris and find out what’s gone on today before I can answer that. Let’s meet at breakfast and decide then.”

  “Fine with me,” Rhianna answered as they stopped at the foot of the stairs to the guest quarters. “See you in the morning.”

  Kevin stood at the bottom of the stairs until she reached the top. After she turned down the hall, he nodded and headed for his office.

  When he reached the reception area, it was empty, but he could hear Chris talking to someone. He paused for a moment to see who else was in his office, but the conversation stopped as Nikki barreled out to greet him. Kevin grinned and leaned down to pet her. “Did you miss me, girl?” Nikki sniffed Kevin’s pants and boots and rubbed all over his legs. After petting his dog a little more, Kevin walked into the office with Nikki beside him. Chris was sitting at Kevin’s desk going through the mail. No one else was in there.

  Kevin sat down on one of the guest chairs with Nikki all but in his lap. “Who were you talking to?”

  “Nikki,” Chris answered without looking up. He finished what he was writing, and then looked at Kevin. “I was telling her how busy you’re going to be over the next couple of days.” He held a message out towards Kevin. “You just accepted an invitation to lunch Thursday with Tolliver and his wife. I’ll have one of the pages deliver it tomorrow morning.”

  “I what?” Kevin asked as he took the message and read it. Tolliver had sent a formal invitation and signed it as the town director.

  “Apparently word of your stopping in Fenway’s yesterday has made the rounds. You’re having lunch with Jana and Wrenn tomorrow, dinner with Joan and Karl, lunch on Thursday with Tolliver, and then dinner with Laryn.”

  Kevin looked at Chris, thinking he was kidding, but Chris looked serious. “Really?”’

  Chris nodded. “You don’t have anything scheduled for Friday yet, but give it time. And don’t forget you’ve got Dara for lunch on Saturday.”

  “Believe me, I’m well aware of that one.” Kevin sighed. “Not looking forward to it either.” Then he nodded towards the messages on his desk as he rubbed Nikki’s ears. “Any of those need my attention?”

  “A couple, but nothing urgent. Why don’t you let them go until tomorrow morning? Duane’s leaving before lunch, so Rhianna will probably want to stick around until he goes. That’ll give you plenty of time to get caught up.”

  With a nod, Kevin stood up. “Then let’s call it a day.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Rhianna joined Kevin for breakfast Wednesday morning, she had the dagger he’d bought her on her belt. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  Kevin felt his face heat up and knew his cheeks were bright red. “You’re welcome.”

  With a big grin Rhianna sat down beside him and whispered, “Now no one in here has any doubt about us.”

  “What about your brother?” Kevin asked. “He doesn’t look pleased.”

  “He’s playing big brother. He knows what’s going on.”

  “If you say so,” Kevin said, one eye still on Duane’s frown.

  “Now he can go back home and tell my father we’re doing our part.”

  Lunch with Jana and Wrenn turned out to be fun. Doreen was there, and she and Rhianna spent most of the afternoon talking about the house Doreen wanted to build. Meanwhile Jana and Wrenn told Kevin some stories from the years when Wrenn was governor. Some Kevin had already heard but most were new. Before he knew it the afternoon was fading into evening.

  Kevin and Rhianna made it to the Governor’s House for dinner with only a few minutes to spare. While Joan helped Gracie in the kitchen, Karl, Kevin, and Rhianna played with Caitlyn and Corey out back. By the time dinner was served, the children considered Rhianna their company and insisted she sit between them and tell them about her family and Crinsor Run. Once again, Kevin and Rhianna didn’t make it back to the castle until bedtime.

  When they joined Tolliver and his wife for lunch Thursday, Tolliver was a confident and gracious host, which was good because his wife was skittish and shy. Rhianna tried to draw her out, but every time someone spoke to her, she wrung her hands and stared at the floor as she stammered out a reply. Kevin was relieved when Tolliver said he needed to get back to the store so Nan could have a lunch break.

  Dinner with Steve and Laryn was relaxed. When Laryn insisted Shana have a seat and join them for dessert, Kevin put his arm around the back of Rhianna’s chair, rested his hand on her shoulder, and fingered her hair. When they got up, he held her chair for her, and while they were in the living room, he rested his hand on hers. When it was time to leave, he held out his hand to help her up, and as they left the house, he put his arm around her waist.

  They’d barely cleared Laryn’s front yard when Rhianna started giggling. “Pouring it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”

  “Me? You’re the one who kissed me in the dining room yesterday.”

  “That kiss was nothing compared to the way you acted tonight.”

  Kevin shrugged. “We want her to believe we’re a couple.”

  “She’ll have us married by morning,” Rhianna laughed. “What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”

  “Not a wedding,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “Believe it or not, we don’t have anything we have to do tomorrow unless Chris signed us up for something while we were gone.”

  “It would be nice to hang around the castle for a while.”

  Kevin nodded. “Especially considering we have lunch with Dara on Saturday.”

  “You don’t want to go?”

  “No, I don’t, but we have to,” Kevin said. “Just please keep in mind I’m only related to her by marriage. And to be honest, if Dayed didn’t have his workshop to hide in, I’m not sure he’d still be there. She’s something else.”

  “Then why are we going to her house first?” Rhianna asked.

  Kevin sighed. “You know when you have several things to do, and most of them will be fun, but one will be a real pain? Well, that’s lunch with Dara. So we can either leave the worst for last or get it out of the way first. I opted to get it over with and enjoy the rest without having it hanging over our heads.”

  “Surely she’s not that bad.”

  “Trust me, she is. You’ll see.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Rhianna was upstairs and Kevin was in his office with Chris and Nikki. “What’s been going on around here today?”

  “Nothing much, just a lot of questions about Rhianna. Who is she? How long have you known her? How do you know her? How long is she staying? What’s going on between the two of you? Are you getting serious? And so on.”

  “In other words, the plan’s working.”

  “I’d say so. That kiss yesterday morning didn’t hurt things. Neither did that dagger.” Chris stacked up the papers he’d been working on. “Elin wants one just like it, by the way.”

  “I’m not buying her one,” Kevin said. “I’d have to buy one for every girl in the castle if I did.”

  “I know, but she still wants one. Hope Tolliver has some more.” Chris leaned back in his chair and asked, “How was your day?”

  Kevin gave him a quick replay of his lunch at Tolliver’s and a more detailed description of his dinner at Laryn’s.

  “Shana’s going to have plenty to talk about tomorrow.”

  Kevin nodded. “And hopefully plenty to tell Rolan.”

  “One can hope.” Chris stood up, picked up the papers, and started out the door. “Come on. Nikki’s tired,
and so am I.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  While Kevin was eating breakfast Friday morning, Miranda asked if she could speak with him for a moment before he left. So as soon as he finished eating, he went into the kitchen to see what she wanted. She led him through the door to the kitchen gardens and closed it behind them. “Myron, has something happened? Aren’t you happy with the meals I’ve been serving lately? Is the food not cooked the way you like it? What’s wrong?”

  Kevin frowned as he tried to figure out what was going on. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, the only meal you’ve eaten in the dining room lately is breakfast. From what I’ve heard, you’ve been eating at the tavern a lot.”

  “I’ve eaten at the tavern twice. But you’re right. I haven’t been here as much the last few days as I usually am, but it has nothing to do with your food. You know I love the food around here.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s because of Rhianna.”

  “She doesn’t care for our food? Well, that’s easy. Tell me what she likes and I’ll see to it we have it.”

  Kevin quickly shook his head. “That’s not it. She likes your food just fine. It’s because people want to meet her. We keep getting invitations for lunch, dinner, tea, and so on, and I can’t turn them down without hurting someone’s feelings. They’re trying to make her welcome. Even Tolliver invited us to his house for lunch.”

  “Tolliver? As nervous as he gets every time he’s within a hundred feet of this place?”

  Kevin nodded. “But you should see him at home. He’s a relaxed and congenial host.” Then he put his arm around Miranda’s shoulders. “I’m sorry if we hurt your feelings, but I’m sure you can understand the position we’re in.”

  Miranda nodded. “It’s fine. I just didn’t want you thinking you had to leave home to get a decent meal. We can change the menu or the way we cook things anytime you want us to. All you’ve got to do is say so.”

  “I like things the way they are, so please don’t change anything, all right?”

  Miranda smiled as she opened the door to her kitchen. “Remember what I said though. All it takes is a word and we’ll do what we can to please.” And with that, she turned back to her stove.

  Rhianna had finished eating by the time Kevin got back to the table so they went down to the office. As soon as they walked in, Ariel handed Rhianna a message. “This came for you in the morning mail.”

  “Thank you.” Rhianna fingered the message and frowned. The only person who would be writing to her was her father, and that usually meant something was wrong. “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to get something from my room.”

  Kevin nodded, wondering if the message involved him. With a shrug he went into his office and sat down at his desk. If it was something he needed to know, she’d tell him. In the meantime, he had work to do.

  Half an hour later there was a knock on his door and Ariel stuck his head in. “Rhianna’s back. Would you like for me to send her in?”

  Kevin nodded and quickly finished the message he was writing. As Rhianna walked in, he put his pen down and gave her his full attention. “Is everything all right?”

  “Would you mind if I shut the door?” she asked.

  “No, of course not.”

  Rhianna closed it and sat down across from Kevin. “We may have a slight problem.” Then she handed him the note.

  Rhianna,

  I received a message from Weldon this morning. Your presence is required by the Council of Elders at their meeting at noon on Monday.

  If Myron can bring you home sometime this weekend, Xantha will fly you to South Port Monday morning. I will give you directions to Weldon’s office when I see you.

  Hayden

  Kevin read through the message twice before he handed it back to her. “If you want me to, I can take you to the meeting. It would be easier if we all went together.”

  “Are you planning to be there?”

  Kevin nodded. “Along with Marcus, Alek, Theresa, and anyone else you want to take.”

  “I appreciate that, but I’m not sure how much good it’ll do.”

  “Why?”

  “They might not be willing to listen to anyone else.”

  “Well, they’ll listen to me.”

  Rhianna smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  “You’re worried about this, aren’t you?”

  “A bit,” Rhianna admitted. “Being questioned by the members of the Council of Elders is serious.”

  “What could happen?”

  “Well, there are three possibilities.” Rhianna paused and then said, “The best possible outcome is I’ll explain what happened, they’ll believe me, and the whole thing will be dropped. But since a lot of the men roaming around North Amden are either saying I killed a man for no reason or saying I killed him because he tried to stop me from abducting Landis, they may decide there’s more to it than I’m willing to admit. Weldon’s the only one on the council who really knows me, but we’re related so he’s going to have to stay out of it. No one else on the council can vouch for me.”

  Kevin frowned, but didn’t interrupt, so Rhianna continued. “If they conclude that I killed him, they’ll have to decide whether or not it was justified, but at the same time, they’ll probably figure if it was justified, I would have admitted it to start with. Therefore, since I’m not admitting it, it must have been unjustified. And that’s how I could end up in all kinds of trouble.”

  “All right,” Kevin said slowly. “You didn’t kill him, so justified, unjustified doesn’t really figure in, but I see what you’re saying. If they decide against you, what happens then?”

  “If they decide the death was at my hands and unjustified, they’d rule that I’d violated my oath. That would mean I would no longer be a warrior elf.”

  “Would that be the end of it?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Next they’d have to decide whether the violation was unintentional through poor judgment or a blatant disregard for my oath. If they decide it was poor judgment, I’d be forbidden to carry weapons or leave North Amden. If they decide I ignored my oath, I’d be allowed to keep my weapons, but I’d be banished from North Amden and all other elven communities. I wouldn’t be allowed to see my parents again, or even write to them, or them to me. As far as the elves would be concerned, I’d no longer exist. The only time my name would be mentioned would be as an example of disgrace.”

  Kevin exhaled in a low whistle. “That’s drastic.”

  Rhianna nodded. “We take our oaths seriously.”

  “Do you remember the oath?”

  “Sure. It’s ingrained in us during training.”

  “What is it?”

  “I pledge to come to the aid of any and all elves, protect their homes, and defend their lands in any way I can wherever I may be. I will endeavor to deal fairly with all who cross my path, shelter those in need, and live my life with honor from this day forth.”

  Kevin sat quietly for a moment. “I wish we had something along those lines for the sorcerers who sit on the council. Actually, I’d like to have something like that for all sorcerers.”

  “But it only works if those who take the pledge do so willingly, and with every intention of living up to it.”

  Kevin could see tears starting to form in Rhianna’s eyes. “You didn’t violate your oath, Rhianna. We both know it, and we’ll make sure the council knows it, too.”

  Rhianna wiped at her eyes as she nodded. “I know.” Then she stood up. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to find Corin and go for a ride by myself right now.”

  Kevin nodded as he stood up. He walked Rhianna to his office door and turned towards her before opening it. “We’ll get this straightened out. You’re not going to get in trouble for protecting my people. I won’t allow it.”

  A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  “We’ll go talk to Hayden after dinner tonight and s
ee what he says.”

  Rhianna nodded. “That’s fine, but I need a little time alone now. See you later.”

  After Rhianna left, Kevin motioned for both Chris and Ariel to join him. Once they had, Kevin looked at Ariel. “I need to see Alek and Marcus as soon as possible, preferably together, but if that can’t be arranged, I’ll see them individually. Send someone to find them.”

  Ariel nodded as he left.

  Chris shut the door. “What’s up?”

  Kevin told Chris about the message and the possible outcomes.

  “Whew,” Chris said. “They play rough over there.”

  Kevin nodded. “They do.”

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  Kevin told him that he was going to show up at the meeting with everyone involved except Landis. “I’m hoping they’ll listen to Rhianna and that’ll be the end of it, but if not, they’ll listen to me.”

  “Unless they’ve heard the two of you are together.”

  “I know,” Kevin said. “That’s why I’m taking Theresa. Rhianna said the elves have a great deal of respect for sisters. I’m counting on her as backup.”

  “So I guess I need to keep Monday open?”

  Kevin nodded. “And if you come up with anything else we can use, let me know.”

  Forty-five minutes later, Ariel knocked on Kevin’s door to tell him Marcus and Alek were there. Once they were seated, Kevin explained about Rolan’s men, the rumors they were spreading about Saryn’s death, and the summons Rhianna had received. “She’s a little concerned they may not take her word for what happened since they’re hearing a different story from so many other people.”

  “Well, we were there. They weren’t,” Marcus said. “If you want me to, I’ll show them the scar from where his arrow went in my shoulder.”

  “I wasn’t wounded, but I saw the whole thing, and I know for a fact Saryn was alive long after the girls were gone. I helped load him into the wagon that brought him up to the castle.” Then, after a moment, Alek added, “It might not be a bad idea to take the guard who found him hanging in his cell. He might not have seen the attack, but since there’s no way she was in Saryn’s cell, she had nothing to do with his death.”