S01E14 - Alfin Enclave

*****

Colin and Brice arrived shortly after dawn, their armour polished and gleaming in the magical light of the breakfast room. I bid goodbye to the girls with a promise to see them at dinner, when Yvonne should be returning from her vigil. Grabbing up my trenchent and a pack filled with a waterskin and the makings of a small lunch, I followed them out the west wing and into the garden.

We exited the palace under steel grey skies that promised a cold rain to come with blustery, damp breezes. I was glad I had nabbed a cloak from the wardrobe, even if it was garish in my opinion. Protection from elements is a great spell, but proper preparation is a better one.

Passing through the King’s Gate and turning east, we passed along a narrow, unnamed street where the buildings squeezed together claustrophobically overhead and the smell of piss was strong. It emerged on Harlisted road, named for the fact that it went to the city of Harlisted, and passed out of the city proper within a few minutes. The northern district of the city was known simply as North Gate, and it had spilled outside the walls and into the surrounding fields. Small houses and shops clustered along the road, already awake and active in the grey light of the dawn.

There was surprisingly little smoke from the chimneys and Colin explained that most people knew a cantrip or two that would extend the life of a fire and reduce the need for wood or coal. The magic wouldn’t last long, but with an entire family contributing spells could be maintained indefinitely. Some of the more well-off would purchase enchanted items, like cold rocks for keeping things cool, logs that would burn all night, paper wards that would repel pests.

I reevaluated my opinion of the era as Colin explained the life of the average commoner. While the wealthy may have access to more enchanted items for personal comfort, a peasant family could live in modest comfort by using magical cantrips and the occasional miracle from the Lady.

But the use of magic use came with its own price, he warned. Because commoners didn’t have access to a locus the magic was powered by their own life-force, which put a strain on the body and caused them to age faster. The lifespan of the average peasant was about 50 years, even lower if they overexerted themselves and burned through their life-force using magic. They even have a saying for it: ‘A spell today is a lost tomorrow’.

But it doesn’t stop them from using magic. Comfort today is better than none and tomorrow may never come.

We walked along Harlisted road, which was formed from spell-hardened earth by journeymen mages constantly in motion to keep it in repair. Although there were some enchanted sledges that accomplished the same task, it was considered a rite of passage for all mages to travel the roads for four years after their apprenticeship. They would visit the resident mage in each tiny village and city to rest, learn and ‘pass the stone’, which I gathered was a power source for their spell work.

“Any idea what I should expect?” I asked Brice as we walked the short distance to the enclave.

“None at all,” he admitted. “The Elfen enclaves are considered a separate country, like an embassy. They have their own laws within a bowshot of the forest, much like the Dwarfen undercities.”

“So probably just a training day, yes?

“Probably,” Colin said. “You have an unbound debt in exchange for training. There will be some discussion of how to settle that debt, but the training is already assured.”

“You make it sound ominous,” I said. “Should I expect to hand over my first-born child?

Colin considered it seriously for a moment. “No, I shouldn’t think so,” He said. “Your daughter is already an adult. Considering that you’re a Magus, you’ll probably be requested to perform some magic or enchantment for them.”

“That’s reassuring,” I grumbled, wondering what I was getting into.

The cottages fell behind us and a well-tended forest appeared over a rise, dark green against the leaden skies. We turned from the road and made our way down a well travelled path to the edge of the forest, where Ryllae was waiting for us. Her usual outfit had been replaced with a savoy blue dress of heavy wool that reached her knees, white linen hose, and hard-soled moccasins dyed green and decorated with elaborate beadwork. A bright green cloak of linen trimmed in rusty-red vair was draped across her shoulders and embroidered with silver. A thin sword was belted at her waist, the silvery hilt emerging from a scabbard of persimmon coloured leather.

“Come,” she said, holding out her right hand to me.

I hesitated, unsure what she wanted.

She stepped forward and took my hand in hers, then led us a short way into the forest. A trio of guards in forest green leather and armed with spears were stationed outside a hut made of cob, the mud and moss construction blending perfectly with the trees.

“Host these two men until I return,” She said to them, indicating Brice and Colin with her free hand.

I gave Brice a questioning look and he returned it with a slight shrug.

With a pull on my hand, Ryllae led me deeper into the enclave. We walked along the path as it meandered and I spotted more cob dwellings nestled in the trees, each appearing as nothing more than a moss covered boulder or grassy hill until I spotted the outline of a door or window. Colourful flowers and mushrooms covered the forest floor in abundance and bright pixies danced among them, vanishing with laughter like tinkling bells when I sought to pin them with my gaze.

The gloom was deeper here, hues of green and brown that wrapped me in a sense of sacred privacy as Ryllae led me along by the hand. I wondered how many other humans had entered this enclave and seen its quiet beauty.

The dirt path gave way to one of artfully carved stone, each paver deeply etched with a unique design that integrated into an aesthetically pleasing whole, leading us towards a large hill ringed by towering trees.

Other Elves were here, men and women dressed in dappled clothing of green and brown, with yellow or red embroidery artfully enhancing cuffs and collars. They went about their business without pause or notice of the stranger in their midst. An Elfish girl appearing to be no more than five years old stared sombrely as we passed, then ran and vanished along another path into the forest.

Ryllae’s delicate fingers entwined with mine, like those of a lover, gently tugging me ever forward when I would slow to look at some curious mushroom or find the tiny sprite that hid behind it. Doors were set in the side of the large hill, carved with thousands of leaves that appeared to move as we approached. A guard was stationed on each side of the entrance, watching in silence as we approached.

“I seek the counsel of Elders,” Ryllae said, “and to bring Magus Samuel Carter before them.”

One of the guards opened the door and we stepped through and into a small vestibule of smoothed cob, designed to hold cloaks and coats, with many pegs on the wall. A doorway framed in carved wood led to a large chamber, where a dozen silver-haired elves sat on cushions in a semi-circle.

She pulled me forward, fingers gripping mine, until we stood before them. I gripped my trenchant awkwardly as their eyes judged me and lingered on my fingers trapped by Ryllae’s hand.

“I bring before the Elders Magus Samuel Carter,” She said to the relaxed group. “Who has bargained for training with his trenchent.”

“His trenchent?” one of the Elders asked. “I recognise the blade as that of your father’s.”

“His by my right of gifting.” Ryllae answered.

“And what does this human bargain?” said another Elder, shifting on his cushion.

“He did not limit the debt,” she replied.

The group shifted forward at that, like sharks scenting blood in the water.

“And who holds the debt?” asked another of the nameless Elders.

“I do, by the passage of debt,” she responded.

“And will you pass this debt to the Elders?” Another inquired.

“I will not. I will keep it for myself,” she said.

“And what will you demand as payment?” spoke another, her eyes fixated on our entwined fingers.

“I demand the right to a child.” She announced.

I gaped at her in shock, unable to form word or thought.

“Magus Samuel Carter is a hero summoned from another world to defeat the evil that spreads in the north, “Ryllae said, squeezing my fingers between hers. “I have travelled the Alefin Ways with him and found him to be companionable. He gifted me knowledge of our kin in other worlds and I repaid that gift with the trenchent of my father. He has both powerful magic and eyes to see the fae folk that hide from human sight. I have claimed his debt and demand the right to a child.”

“And what does the Magus have to say?” one of the Elders asked.

I recalled the conversations I had with Ryllae as we walked the enchanted path, how she shared with me the fate of the Elves and their sacred Loia trees that held the key to their birth and afterlife, and considered her demand.

She wanted a child, and I’m not really the love ‘em and leave ‘em type of guy. I swing monogamous pretty hard, although just like any other guy I’ve had my share of one night stands. Could I get her pregnant and just walk away? Is that fair to the child, to grow up without a father? What’s the penalty for failure to pay cross-reality child support? Am I really on the hook for an off the cuff remark about being indebted for training? Why the heck am I fighting against a tumble in the sheets with a beautiful elf?

My tongue lay thick in my mouth and fought it to speak. “I have questions,” I managed.

“You may ask,” an Elder said, smoothing her blue robes.

“I was under the impression that elves required Loia fruit to, um, make children,” I said.

“For an Earias, a true elf, yes. Half-breeds, Ebdotas, are always possible.” She replied. “If an Earias conceives with a human, the Ebdotas can can conceive with Earias unto the seventh generation. The Ebdotas are forbidden to conceive except through an Earias.”

I processed this information and gathered they had something of a eugenics program going on, where they would conceive with humans and the fertile half-breed result would only be allowed to conceive with the true elves. After seven generations the bloodline was pure enough that they were sterile again.

I turned to look at Ryllae. Her eyes, green flecked with blue, searched mine. “You understand that I’m not going to be here forever,” I said. “That I’ll be returning to my world when the Demon Queen is defeated. I won’t be around to help raise a child.”

“Humans are not allowed to raise the children,” She said. “They have no knowledge of our culture.”

“You wish me to make a child with you and abandon it never to know its father?”

“We seek to preserve our species and our ways,” she smiled. “It is a pleasant duty.”

I thought about Tracy and the fact that we were in an Ometh-class world, where it was highly likely that our death would be a final one. I needed every advantage I could get, including Elfish allies. I kicked my inner sense of morality in the nuts and hog-tied it. I wouldn’t be the first to leave behind a child in another world. Or come home with one.

“A child in exchange for weapon training is a poor bargain,” I said to her, gathering my words and trying to assemble them into something that would benefit me long term. “In my world, only the worst sort of person abandons their child. I understand the desire to preserve the Elfish race, but leaving behind a child and having no knowledge of who is caring for it bothers me. Travel with me and teach me the ways of your people so I’ll know who is raising my child.”

Ryllae searched my face, looking into my eyes, behind them. “I can see that you are a man who cares for his children,” She said, her gaze never wavering. Then she squeezed my fingers tight. “I will agree to this bargain.

*****

Author’s Note: I really didn't expect this to turn out the way it did, to be honest. I just kept writing and the episode appeared. Sam was supposed to go shopping today

Also: Counsel is correct, not council. she seeks advice.

Completion date: 01DEC2019

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