by Terry Brooks
It was an impressive effort. By now the Elven fortifications were more than forty feet high and a dozen feet thick at the narrow point in which they had been established. Ladders and walkways gave the defenders access to the ramparts on the near side; sheer walls with no hand- or footholds confronted attackers on the far. Higher up on the cliffs, crevices in the rocks had been turned into defensive bastions, as well. Any attack force coming down the length of the pass would be vulnerable from three sides and have no cover whatsoever. It seemed as if the Elven position was impregnable.
But Pan didn’t like close places, always preferring to be out in the open, and he knew that he wouldn’t want to be a defender stationed here in this narrow place, no matter how safe it seemed.
Their guide took them over the wall and then led them ahead through the pass to where Tasha was visible working with other Elves on a set of snares and traps that would serve as perimeter defenses.
“Panterra Qu!” Tasha boomed out with obvious pleasure as he caught sight of the other. “Well met, brother!”
While Tenerife shouted down greetings from his perch high up in the rocks, the big man hurried over to the newcomers. “Little sister, too!” Tasha grinned, but the grin fell away when he got close enough to see the girl’s milky eyes. “Shades, what’s this? Your eyes, Prue! What’s happened here?”
He embraced the boy and then the girl, holding the latter much longer and tighter and whispering softly to her. For a moment, Pan thought the big man was going to cry, which would have been a first for him. But Prue said something back, and from Tasha’s reaction—holding her at arm’s length for a closer look at her eyes—it could be assumed that she had told him she wasn’t as blind as it might seem.
Giving Panterra a puzzled glance, he took them both in tow and led them over to where Tenerife was already climbing down to join them. They went through the same thing with the latter once he saw Prue’s eyes, but she quickly calmed him down and then Tasha moved all of them ahead into the pass where they could be alone.
Settled back in a depression in the cliff wall, standing in a loose knot, they gave one another anxious looks.
“Well, here you are,” Tenerife began, giving Prue yet another hug. “Safe and sound in spite of our fears. Welcome back.”
“Tell us what happened to you,” Tasha demanded. “You’re not really blind, you said? But you seem so. Your eyes say you are. Tell us everything.”
Prue did, mostly. She left out the parts about Bonnasaint, preferring to wait on that, telling the brothers only that after returning from her encounter with the demon and the King of the Silver River and finding Pan, the two had come looking for Phryne to see if there was anything they could do to help free her.
“But when I went into the city looking for information, pretending to be a blind pilgrim, I was told she had escaped,” she finished. “So we came here to see if you knew anything.”
Tasha grunted. “We know a lot, and we’ll tell you if you think you can keep it to yourself. That wild child, Xac Wen, came here some days ago after we found out that Phryne was charged with her father’s murder and imprisoned. We knew that wasn’t right, and we were afraid for her. The Queen doesn’t like Phryne, and we thought she might do her harm. So we sent the boy back with instructions to break her free and bring her here. He’s a capable boy; we knew he could do it. He must have done so, since she’s gone.”
“But we’ve heard nothing from her since,” Tenerife added. “You say she escaped sometime night before last?” He exchanged a glance with his brother. “She might have decided it was too dangerous to try to come to us. She might have gone into hiding. But we haven’t seen her or Xac Wen, either.”
“Truth is,” Tasha continued, “we can’t go anywhere just now. We’re being kept right where we are on the Queen’s own orders. Haren Crayel, our captain of the Home Guard, commands this contingent. He’s our friend, so he told us of these orders. Doesn’t mean he intends to go against them, you understand, but he thought that at least we ought to know. He doesn’t believe the charges against Phryne, either.”
He shrugged. “So here we sit, unable to do much of anything.”
“Maybe there’s nothing anyone can do until we know something more,” Pan said quietly.
“Pan and I don’t know much about Phryne’s whereabouts, but we do know something about the Queen’s part in her imprisonment,” Prue said finally. She gave Pan a reassuring smile. “It’s all right. I’m ready to talk about it.”
Then she told Tasha and Tenerife of Bonnasaint’s attempt and failure to kill them and of his admission that he was responsible for killing Oparion Amarantyne and that the Queen had arranged it. She also told them of Panterra’s plan to bring the assassin here to be held prisoner by the Orullians and their companions until a way could be found to allow him to tell his story to the High Council so that Phryne might be exonerated.
“But late yesterday he got free of his bonds and got his hands on me and told Pan he would kill me if we didn’t let him go.” She spoke more quickly now, wanting to get through it. “Pan stalled him long enough that I slipped his hold and used my knife.”
She stopped, shaking her head. “So now we’re starting over on how to prove that Phryne didn’t kill her father.”
The Orullians stared at her. “Your resilience and determination are admirable,” Tenerife said finally. “But I sometimes wonder about your common sense.”
“I don’t think it bears dwelling on,” Tasha said to him, making a dismissive gesture. “Little sister doesn’t need to hear this.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Prue looked from one to the other. “I put myself in a position where all this could happen. What kind of common sense does that show? I’ve never killed anyone before this whole business started, and I hope never to kill anyone again. I’m not made for that. Last night I was so upset with myself that I was blaming Panterra for things that weren’t his fault. I was so angry I wasn’t able to think about anything else. Now I just wish I could find a way to make things right.”
“Prue,” Panterra said softly.
Tasha held up one hand, silencing him. “Well, little sister, I can tell you this much. I would rather have things all wrong and you alive than the other way around. Choices are hard to come by when your life is in danger. I don’t care how this turned out or what you had to do. It is enough that you are here with us.”
“He’s right.” Tenerife reached out and took her hands in his. “He sees the truth of it. How you reacted and what you were forced to do is terrible enough without trying to assign blame for your choices. Let it go, Prue Liss. We love you, and we don’t want you shouldering burdens that aren’t yours to bear.”
Then he took her in his arms and held her, and for just a moment Panterra Qu was startled to see something in the Elf’s eyes and face that told him Prue meant a great deal more to him than anything he had revealed before.
“Thank you,” Prue whispered, lifting her head away and kissing his cheek. “You really are my brothers, both Tasha and you.”
“Always were,” Tenerife added, coloring slightly.
“Wait, now. We haven’t been told everything yet.” Tasha gestured at Panterra. “You carry the staff that belongs to Sider Ament. How did that come about?”
Pan sighed wearily, as if the effort to speak were too much for him. “Sider was killed by Arik Siq outside Declan Reach maybe ten days ago. I couldn’t stop it, even though I tried. When he was dying, he offered me the staff, and I agreed to take it. Now it’s mine to use in the defense of the people of the valley.”
“We hadn’t heard about this,” Tenerife said.
“The staff is a great responsibility,” Tasha said. “More than you probably want to deal with. But you are like that, Panterra. You always were. You will do as well with it as Sider would have. You will be strong like he was.”
“But the demon hunts you because of the staff,” Tenerife pressed. “So we’ll have to help you keep watch for it. D
emons might be mythical in the lore of Men, but Elves know better. We have our histories, and demons have always been part of them. You are at great risk.”
“We can speak of that later,” Pan said, not comfortable talking about the matter. He knew how things stood without being reminded. “Do you have any idea at all where we can find Phryne?”
They talked about it at length, but neither of the Orullians could help. Normally, if she were in trouble, she would go either to her grandmother or to them. Or, in this instance, Tasha added, she would send Xac Wen in her place. Likely it would be the latter.
“He can’t stand not being at the center of things,” the big man insisted confidently. “Give it time. He’ll show.”
TASHA WAS RIGHT. But it didn’t happen until evening, long after Panterra and Prue had visited with the Orullians and even pitched in to help them build their snares, having more than a little experience in such matters. The friends had settled into a comfortable reunion, talking of mundane things as the hours rolled on and the daylight began to fade, keeping the more serious matters at bay until later that night when the day’s work was done and they could talk alone. They were all eating dinner, gathered about a cooking fire with other Elves, trading stories and sharing experiences, when one of the sentries from inside the valley appeared with Xac Wen in tow. The boy looked as if he had made a hard trek to reach them, his face dirty and sweat-stained, his clothing torn and rumpled.
Tasha rose to meet him, wrinkling his nose. “Stay downwind of me, you muddied little squirrel. No, wait. Don’t say anything just yet. Moren will take you out to wash and give you fresh clothes.” He turned to the sentry. “Anything close to a near fit will do. Then bring him back. We’ll feed and water him and see what he has to say. Go.”
The sentry hauled a grumbling Xac Wen off to bathe and change, and by the time the boy returned, looking much better, the four friends had finished eating and moved off to a more isolated place. As promised, they gave him food and drink and waited to hear what he had to say.
What he said first, to Prue Liss, was, “What happened to your eyes?”
“Nothing. It’s a disguise.” She blinked as if to demonstrate. “Tell us about Phryne.”
The boy shrugged. “I got her out, just like Tasha told me to,” he said, wolfing down large bites of food between words. But when Tasha cleared his throat and caught his eye, he put his plate aside. “Like I said, I freed her. But then things got strange. First, someone sent her a note saying help was coming. Wasn’t me. Wasn’t you, was it? No? I didn’t think so. Anyway, we never did find out who it was, but Phryne thought it might be the Queen. Since you say you didn’t send it, I’d guess she was right. She thought the Queen might be planning to let her escape and then kill her afterward. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Phryne said she had to go to her grandmother’s house to look around. So we did, even though I thought it was dangerous. There was no reasoning with her. We searched the house, looking for something. I don’t know what. Phryne wouldn’t say what it was. Then this ghost thing appeared. It looked like her grandmother—like Mistral—but it wasn’t real. It talked to Phryne and made this message out of fire that burned in the air and told Phryne to go to the Ashenell. Then some of the Queen’s pet guards came looking, and we got out of the house just in time. Phryne was furious. I think she would have done something about them if she could have managed it, but instead she made me go to the Ashenell with her. Well, she didn’t make me go exactly. It was more like I made her take me. I couldn’t leave her alone. So I went with her and she walked under the Belloruusian Arch and just disappeared!”
He stared at them breathlessly, dark hair tousled and damp, eyes wild and excited. “So what do we do now?”
“You know, if this were anybody else telling this story, I might think they were making it up,” Tasha offered.
“I still think he’s making it up,” Tenerife interjected, his lean face reflecting more than a little doubt. “You are, aren’t you, you little water mite?”
“No, it’s true—all of it!” The boy looked seriously offended. “How could I make up something like that? Oh, I forgot. At the house, when that ghost thing appeared looking like Mistral, it said something about Elfstones and that she had them hidden and that Phryne should come and get them. I think that was why we went to the Ashenell, although it might just have been because Phryne wanted to find her grandmother. She was really worried about her.”
“So Phryne disappeared?” Panterra pressed. “She vanished just like that? Didn’t say or do anything?”
The boy nodded. “She was right there in front of me one moment, walking under the arch, and then she was gone. I looked all over. I even walked under the arch like she did. Nothing happened. I waited all day for her to come back, and she didn’t. So I came here.”
Tasha reached out and ruffled his hair. “You did the right thing. Too bad we don’t know more about where she’s disappeared to, though. Then we would know where to start looking.”
“The Ashenell,” Prue said at once. “That’s where.”
“Then why didn’t Xac find her?” Tenerife asked in confusion. “He said he was there all day and didn’t see her again.”
“Not in the Ashenell. Below the Ashenell. She’s gone down into the lower regions, just as Kirisin and Simralin Belloruus did all those years ago. She’s gone down there to meet with Mistral. Don’t you know the story?”
Blank looks greeted her question, even from Panterra, who had no idea what she was talking about. She gave them an exasperated look.
“All right, then—listen. Five hundred years ago, the Elfstones were in the possession of the dead, specifically Pancea Rolt Gotrin, an Elven sorceress long dead but very powerful even so. Her shade met with Kirisin and struck a bargain with him. If she gave him the blue Elfstones, the ones they called the seeking-Stones, he would agree to do what he could to persuade the Elven living to seek out and make use of the magic they had lost or forgotten since the days of Faerie. That was how the Elfstones ended up in the hands of the Belloruus family over the years. Mistral must have had them last and told Phryne about them.”
“And then sent her underground beneath the Ashenell burial grounds to retrieve them?” Tenerife demanded, clearly disbelieving the whole thing. He shook his head. “Why would she drag her granddaughter down there? Why not just come back up and give them to her? What would Mistral Belloruus be doing down there, anyway? How would she even find the way?”
“The way was hidden before, but Kirisin found it,” Prue persisted. She gave Tenerife a withering look. “Why is it that I know all this and you don’t? No wonder the dead kept the Elfstones from the living for so long! The living don’t even know their own history!”
“Calm down,” Tasha hushed her, giving Pan a quick look. “We don’t want to fight among ourselves. We just want to find a way to help Phryne.”
“The Elfstones are a very powerful magic, aren’t they?” Prue asked pointedly. “If they were to come into Phryne’s possession, it could make a huge difference in what happens to her. Doesn’t it make sense that she would take a chance on being able to recover them? Wouldn’t she at least go looking if her grandmother asked her to?”
Both Orullians nodded somewhat reluctantly. “She would,” Tasha said. “She’s stubborn that way. She would be seeking a way to get back at Isoeld Severine and avenge her father’s murder. It begins to look more and more as if the assassin was telling the truth about the Queen. But how do we get to Phryne to find out?”
“I can show you where she disappeared!” Xac Wen announced, looking eager to depart immediately. “You just have to come with me!”
Panterra looked at the brothers. “Tasha and Tenerife have to stay here. They won’t be allowed to leave just yet. But Prue and I can come with you. Maybe we can do something to help find her.”
“Because you’re really Elves, even though you don’t look it?” the boy deadpanned.
Pan cocked an eyebrow. “Careful, now.”
“All right,” Tasha agreed. “You take little sister and go with Xac. And you, squirrel boy, take them where they need to go and make certain nothing happens to them. You didn’t do so well with Phryne, so let’s do better with our Tracker friends.”
“That wasn’t my fault!” the boy exclaimed in dismay. He turned to Pan and Prue. “It wasn’t!”
“No, Xac, it wasn’t,” Prue agreed, reaching out to touch his cheek. “It was just something that happened, and assigning blame for it doesn’t help anyone. I should know. Will you take us?”
The boy glanced at the other three as if to make certain of his footing, and then he gave her a firm nod. “I will take you anywhere you want to go, Prue Liss. And I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you.”
He looked at Tasha. “We could leave right away.”
Tasha rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow will be soon enough for this. Some of us need our rest.”
“Not me,” said the boy, and went back to eating.
PHRYNE AMARANTYNE EXPERIENCED A MOMENT OF disorientation, a quick change of light to twilight and outside to inside, followed by a loss of balance and a recognition that she wasn’t where she had been even a moment earlier. She stopped and tried to regain her sense of place and time, casting about for something familiar. There was nothing she recognized. The Belloruusian Arch, the Ashenell, the tombs and markers, the buildings of the city off in the distance, the day she had walked through only moments before—all gone.
She felt instant panic, fed by the realization that she had lost everything familiar and found in its place nothing she knew. She breathed in and out quickly, and her heart raced wildly. Be calm, she told herself. You’re all right. Nothing has hurt you, nothing will.
