The Reborn King (Book Six) (39 page)

She whispered in his ear. “You did well. And you will make a fine king.”

“Thank you,” he replied, smiling. “But I wonder. Is Darshan
really
gone?”

“No one knows for sure,” she replied. “His body was swallowed by the sands along with that of the Reborn King. But I’d like to think he is still with us...even if only in spirit.”

The celebration lasted for three days. And when it was over, Lousis and Selena met Mohanisi at the harbor to set off on their new adventure. They said their goodbyes, and Jacob watched as they sailed into the horizon. It felt…permanent. As if a book had been closed, never to be re-opened. Yet, as he rode back to the king's manor, he understood that a new tale was now beginning. A new story for the ages. He smiled and looked up to the heavens.

He was sure that the loving eyes of his parents would be there, watching as it unfolded.

Kaylia sat in the old wooden rocking chair that had once belonged to Gewey’s mother. As she stared into the hearth and watched the flames dance and crackle, she was reminded of the days before her father died. He had built a small house just like this one deep in the forest. It was a place that only a few close friends and relatives knew how to find.

Each s
pring he would take her there for at least a month. He would tell her that it was his time for meditation and reflection, but mostly they just played and hunted wild game.

Normally, these memories would produce a smile and warm feeling in her heart. But this was not a normal night. And she felt no warmth…only sorrow.

Jayden’s voice broke the daydream.

“Mommy! Do you have to go?”

She could see Gewey’s eyes looking back at her as she lifted him onto her lap. “Of course I do. You know that.”

“But I don’t like it when Miss Melli watches us,” he said. His pleading expression would usually get him what he wanted, and he knew it. “She makes us go to bed too early.”

“Well, she just doesn’t understand that you’re half elf,” Kaylia explained. “Melli is human, and human children go to bed early.”

“But I’m five already!” he protested. “And I’m never tired when she tells us it’s time to sleep.”

Kaylia tried her best not to laugh at his pouting little face. “I don’t hear your sisters complaining.”

“Yeah. But they’re girls,” he replied. “They never complain. They just lay in the bed and whisper to each other all night. They think I can’t hear what they’re saying…but I can.”

“That’s not true,” two tiny voices called out in unison.

With auburn hair and bronze skin, the twins were the spitting image of their mother. But their eyes, like Jayden's, unmistakably came from Gewey.

They flashed him an angry look. “We don’t stay up
all
night. You’re a liar.”

“Maybell and Penelope Stedding,” scolded Kaylia. “You will apologize to your brother at once.”

“But mommy...” Maybell began.

“But nothing,” she snapped back. “You don’t call him a liar. Especially when Melli has told me exactly the same thing about what you get up to.”

Both girls did their best to meet their mother’s gaze, but within seconds they were looking at the floor and shifting their feet. “We’re sorry, Jayden.”

Kaylia could not help but notice how unusually close Maybell and Penelope had become over the past four years. The women of the village had told her that this was common for twins. But the fact was, they were
not
common in any way. It was almost as if they shared the same spiritual bond that adult elf mates had. Jayden often felt excluded by this, but there was still no doubt that he loved his sisters very much. In spite of their occasional spats, they generally got along wonderfully well. When they played together in the hayfields, he would watch over them as if he was their parent rather than an older brother.

A knock at the door brought squeals of delight from the girls, and a sour frown from Jayden.

“You are to be on your best behavior,” warned Kaylia softly before calling out: “Come in.”

Linis and Dina entered, followed by Miss Melli. Melli was the wife of a local horse trader and a leading member of the Village Mothers. When Kaylia arrived in Sharpstone, she had been the first villager to welcome her, and was constantly inviting her to join the Mothers at their monthly meetings. It was an invitation that Kaylia invariably declined.

The girls ran headlong across the room and into Linis’ waiting arms. He lifted them off the floor and spun them around.

“Have you missed me?” he asked.

“Yes, yes,” they replied, giggling as Linis put them down and playfully tickled their tummies. “Did you bring us something? Did you?”

He stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips. “Bring you something? When do I ever bring you anything?”

“Stop teasing,” said Maybell. “I know you did.”

Linis paused, still attempting to look as if he had no idea what they were talking about. Then, slowly, he smiled and reached into
his pocket to pull out a small bag. Penelope snatched it from his hand and opened it as fast as her little fingers could manage.

“Elf candy,” the girls cried out with glee. They each pulled out a small green ball and popped it in their mouths. “Thank you, Uncle Linis.”

“And what about me?” asked Dina, pretending to be hurt by their lack of attention. “No hugs for your auntie?”

The twins laughed and embraced her while she showered the tops of their heads with kisses.

Jayden did not seem as excited. Still, he forced a smile and hugged them both.

“What’s wrong, Jayden?” asked Linis.

The boy shifted and kicked the floor with the toe of his shoe. “It’s nothing.”

“I think I know,” said Dina. She produced a small piece of cloth and handed this to Jayden.

His eyes lit up when he unfolded it and saw that it contained a bar of chocolate.

“He doesn’t like elf candy,” Dina told Linis, as if he should have known this all along.

“What?” he cried. “What’s not to like?”

“It’s just too sour, that's all,” said Jayden.

Dina knelt down and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry. I don’t like it either.”

This brought a smile to his face. He hugged her again, this time with more enthusiasm.

“Now all of you need to get ready for bed,” announced Melli.

Her words brought moans of discontent from all three children.

“You heard her,” said Kaylia.

They lowered their heads and filed from the room with angry little faces and dragging steps.

“You should let them stay up just a short while longer,” Kaylia said quietly, after they'd gone. “Elf children have a bit more energy than a human child.”

Melli smiled. “Of course. I sometimes forget that they are half elf. It's the ears that throw me. They’re not pointed and...”

Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. “Oh my. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t…I mean, your ears are lovely…What I meant to say…”

“
It’s fine,” Kaylia told her. “I know you meant no offense. Just let them stay up a wee bit longer tonight. But not too late of course. After all, they are half human too.”

Melli’s face was still red with embarrassment. “I’ll read them some stories before bed. That should tire them out.”

Kaylia smiled in approval, then went into the children’s rooms to kiss them goodbye.

Linis had a wagon waiting outside, drawn by a pair of sturdy work horses. “A far cry from the steeds we once rode,” he said. “But they serve my needs.”

They climbed aboard the front and Linis cracked the reins. The sun was just below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of red and purple. Linis took a deep breath and wrapped his arm around Dina.

“It’s still hard to imagine you as a farmer,” remarked Kaylia.

Linis shrugged. “I enjoy it well enough. My uncle was a farmer. He taught me some of the skills when I was a boy. Well…before I was sent to train as a
seeker
.”

“I love him as a farmer,” Dina chipped in. “He stays at home.”

“That was our bargain,” said Linis. “Dina would retire from the order, and I would settle into a life befitting a family man.”

“Do you miss it?” asked Kaylia. “Being a
seeker
? Adventuring?”

“The travel, yes,” he admitted. “But I have seen all the danger I care to see.”

“And when do you intend to start this
family
of yours?” Kaylia teased. “How long must I wait for good news?”

Dina’s face twisted into a scowl. “Unfortunately, becoming a farmer did not relieve him of his caution. He insists that we wait until after our fourth harvest.”

“I will not make beggars of my offspring,” Linis countered. “If we live alongside the humans, then we must adapt to some of their ways. And a hunter and tracker makes very little gold.”

Kaylia threw her head back in laughter. Linis had refused to accept any kind of reward from King Jacob for his service, while Dina had donated the retirement grant she was allotted as a former High Lady of Valshara to the victims of the war. Of course, this made them essentially penniless.

“I have paid back the loan I took to buy our farm last year,” Linis continued, his tone defensive. “And this year I’ll make enough for us to provide the things befitting a son or daughter of mine.”

Dina kissed his cheek. “Always the proud elf
seeker
.” She turned to Kaylia. “You know, Melli made me promise to ask...”

Kaylia’s hard stare cut her off. “I’m not going to be a bloody village mother,” she snapped. “It’s bad enough that they are constantly at my door pestering me to tell them elf stories and teach them elf cooking. I’m not going to willingly put myself among them.”

“Not enjoying living among humans?” asked Linis.

“I like it just fine,” she replied. “But I have never liked gossipy women. I don’t care to hear about what store clerk’s husband was found passed out drunk in the streets, or whose wife was flirting with the Baltrian trader who came to town last week.”

“They do more than that,” Dina protested. She had become a village mother the year before, though was less deeply involved than Melli. “Well…they try to do more.” Kaylia’s eyes never blinked. Dina sighed. “Okay, they
are
a bunch of gossips. But you could at least come with me once in a while. I could use the company.”

“I will consider it.”

They talked of simple matters for the rest of the ride. Finally, they arrived at Starfinder Manor. Millet was already standing outside the front to greet them, a welcoming smile on his face.

Torches lit the drive all the way up to the entrance, and the aroma of mint lamb wafted on the breeze through the open door.

Kaylia immediately jumped down from the wagon and threw her arms around Millet. “It is always wonderful to see you.”

“And you, my dear,” he replied. “Though I do wish it was more often. This house gets lonely, and I am in dire need of sophisticated company.”

“I hear that the mayor visits you quite often,” joked Linis. He gave Millet’s shoulders a fond squeeze.

Millet huffed. “I
f only Barty would run for office. Then I wouldn’t mind the…
honor
...of a mayoral visit.”

“He’s too busy these days,” said Dina. “And that's your fault really. If you hadn’t suggested to King Jacob that he bestow the Nal’Thain fortune to Randson, he would most likely be staying in Sharpstone a lot more.”

“Don’t remind me,” said Millet sourly. “Now we are stuck with that fool Melton Fathing. If ever there was a more annoying man born, I haven’t heard of him.” He grinned at Linis. “Perhaps it is time we had an elf mayor.”

Linis laughed boisterously. “The people here may be accommodating. But I doubt they are ready for that.”

“Perhaps one day,” Millet responded. He gave an elaborate wink. “Perhaps even one day soon. You'd be amazed at how convincing a man of wealth and influence can be in a small town.”

“And you certainly have wealth,” teased Kaylia. “I heard that you brought back ten wagonloads of gold from Baltria.”

“Gossip is unbecoming an elf,” scolded Millet. “You know good and well that it was only two wagonloads.”

This produced a round of laughter from everyone.

Millet led them inside to where wine and fine cheese was already waiting. They each took a seat. Kaylia glared at the empty place beside her.

“What is it, my dear?” asked Millet.

Kaylia shot him an accusing stare. “I think you know. Where is he?”

Millet held up his hands. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

“Is that right?” She slid her chair back and looked to the open door at the far end of the dining hall. “You had better come out before I drag you out.”

Millet sighed and glanced in the same direction. “Do as she says, Gewey. I don’t want her breaking my things over your thick skull.” He turned back to Kaylia. “I was going to tell you of his return, I promise. But he made me swear to wait so that he could surprise you.”

Gewey appeared, smiling boyishly. His hair was still damp from a recent shower, and his fresh white shirt and brown pants were neatly pressed.

He strode over to the table and kissed her on the cheek. “You have no sense of humor, my love,” he told her.

At first she pretended to resist, but soon her arms were wrapped around his neck. He then embraced both Dina and Linis before sitting down.

“I thought you might miss it this year,” said Dina.

“I thought so too,” he replied. “But I managed to settle things in Gath in time. They’ll be purchasing all of their hay from me next year.”

“That’s no excuse for being late,” chided Kaylia. “You had plenty of time to get home. The children miss you.”