Demonkin (74 page)

“And the water witch? Are we sure she didn’t survive?”

“Inconceivable,” answered Colonel Taerin. “Even after the Skate went down, the batteries continued to pepper the sea for half an hour. Besides, nothing could survive the swarm of sharks that amassed in the Needle.”

“What about the other ships?”

“There has been no sign of them. They have not tried to run the blockade off the coast, and the patrols sent to search for them have not had any luck. We don’t know where they are.”

“Have the patrols keep searching,” ordered Kyrga. “I also want reports of any signs of wreckage. Elves have never been good sailors. I would not be surprised if they manage to sink those ships all by themselves.”

* * * *

The elves who were parents of the children held in Giza filed into the large chamber as King Elengal had requested. Their faces were long as they expected to hear of some disaster befalling their children. They were the only parents who had not been reunited with their children, and while they had been given assurances that the children were safe, they secretly harbored doubts. They could not understand why their children had not been brought to the Isle of Despair like the others. When they were all seated, King Elengal entered the chamber and stood before them. Perched on his shoulder was a fairy, and the elves marveled as the tiny woman smiled at them.

“This wonderful little woman is called Bitsy,” announced the elven king. “She has asked me to assemble all of you. She has something important to say.”

The elves were anxious, but the fairy’s cheerful demeanor was disarming.

“I actually have very little to say,” smiled the fairy, “but there are words that you need to hear. Watch closely as I present a vision for you.”

The air before the elves shimmered, and an image of a large common room came into view. Seated at the tables in the common room were hundreds of elven children. The elves gasped as the children came into focus, but they remained leery of what was to come. As they watched, one of the children rose from his chair and walked towards them. He grinned as he introduced himself. Squeals of delight came from the parents of the boy as other elves patted them reassuringly. The elven boy went on to tell about himself before returning to his seat. Immediately another child rose and introduced herself. For several hours, the fairy kept the image showing as each elven child was given a chance to step forward and identify himself. When the image finally winked out of existence, the elves were chatting happily with one another, talking about their children and how they had grown. Bitsy was exhausted, but she waited patiently for the group to quiet down. Eventually the elves noticed the fairy again and began to thank her for carrying the images of their children. Bitsy bowed and smiled.

“I am very tired now,” announced the fairy, “but I have another treat for you. It will have to wait until after I nap, but I would like to do the same thing here that I did in Aranak.”

“Do you mean that you will carry images of us back to our children?” asked one of the elves.

“That is exactly what I mean,” smiled Bitsy. “You can introduce yourselves and tell your children whatever you want to, but I must be fresh to carry the images.”

“Then you should rest long and well,” grinned the elf. “We will need some time to think of the right words, but we have much to say to our children.”

“And to the people who helped free them,” added another elf. “To those heroes, we are eternally grateful.”

THE END 

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