Elfsorrow

'But eat bread and vegetable stew in the meantime, eh?' Blackthorne grimaced.

'Not entirely, my Lord. We've had some success with the rabbits of late.' Luke smiled.

'Ah yes,' said Blackthorne. 'Those.'

It had seemed a grand idea at the time. Capture a few rabbits and breed them. Quick and easy meat, so they thought. Minimal effort and the children of the town had been excited at the prospect of helping. But they had proved susceptible to disease, and they dug. My, how they dug, forcing the fencing to be hammered ever deeper. Blackhorne had been about to abandon the whole project.

'What's different?'

'Well, the mages have isolated the most common disease and devised a treatment for their drinking water that keeps them healthy. And they've also placed a border ward around the fence to a depth of twenty feet. Apparently, it's a low drain spell and is harmless. Just undiggable.'

'Good. Excellent.' Blackthorne smiled. Where would they be without mages?

'The figures are all inside. Shall I wait while you read them?'

'No, no. Thank you, Luke, that's excellent. I'll come to you with any questions.' Luke made to rise. 'Take your time. Finish your wine.'

'Thank you, my Lord.'

'And think on this, as I am. Now the colleges are at war, will the conflict spread here? And if it does, how many refugees will be pushed ahead of it? And when you've made that guess, tell me how you think our defences should be aligned and how our stores would be best protected.'

'That possibility hadn't occurred to me,' said Luke. 'We seem so far away.'

'My job to think ahead, yours to tell me how we deal with it. Take your time.'

Luke stared into his wine. Denser walked with his head bowed despite the beauty of the morning. Time was short and The Unknown didn't really appreciate what he'd asked him to do: try and get Erie

He knew where he'd find her; it was where she spent most of her time. Either tending the grave or lying by it, perhaps singing Lya

This morning, Erie

Gods falling, but she was beautiful. The water had soaked her shirt; the material clinging to the curve of her breasts and the wet hair hanging down her back were bewitching. Denser sighed. For now, he consigned such thoughts to his dreams. He knew Erie

As always, she heard him approach and half turned, the corners of her mouth turned up just slightly.

'I'm sorry I closed the door last night,' she said.

Denser smiled and shook his head. It hadn't been the first time he'd slept elsewhere. 'Don't worry, love.'

'I missed your breathing.'

'Did you?' Denser sat beside her, surprised at her willingness to talk. So often, this was the hardest thing for her. Seeing the grave brought everything back so clearly.

'Everyone has to have something real,' she said, pushing a strand of hair away from her mouth. 'Something that's there the next time you want it.'

'And I'll always be there.'

'But I know why you're here now. Right now.'

'I assumed you would. You know he's right, don't you?' asked Denser, looking for the flash of anger in her eyes. It wasn't there. At least, not yet.

'But no one asked me, did they? You all just assumed I'd go along. That I'd leave her here alone.' She reached out a hand to pat the ground and the tears were there so suddenly. 'How can you ask that of me? She's my daughter.'

Denser put out an arm but Erie

'She'll never be alone. She'll be safe until you return, I'll see to that.'

Erie

Denser wasn't sure if she was joking or not. 'There are the Guild elves.'

'If I'm not here, those witches will meddle. Spoil what I've done.' There was the flash and it saddened Denser's heart.

'Erie

Erie

'Erie

'You'd leave me, would you? If I said no?'

'I'm Raven,' said Denser.

'You're my husband first, you bastard!' she snapped out. 'But The Unknown snaps his fingers and you go ru

'When I asked for his help, he was there. For both of us,' said Denser quietly. 'And he left his family to do it. Balaia needs what we can give it.'

'I've lost everything,' said Erie

'Not quite. There's me, there's The Raven and there's Balaia. You'll never lose me but we have to fight for our country.'

Erie

'Don't you?' replied Denser, and shrugged.

'We don't always win, do we?' said Erie

'No we don't. But we're there nonetheless.'

'And you will go whether I do or not?'

'Oh, love, it's not a choice I want to make. But we've our lives together for ever and I want us to have a country to live in that's worthy of you.'

'Denser, you're so honourable sometimes,' she chided gently, a smile brief as a blink on her lips. 'But you're asking me to leave her and I don't know that I can do that.'

'You'll be among your most trusted friends,' said Denser, and this time she didn't shy away from his arm but allowed him to draw her close. Denser felt a thrill at her beautiful wet hair smell so close to him. 'Here, you'll be alone. With us, you'll never be so.'

'I'll be a burden. Hardly the Raven mage you all remember. I haven't got concentration enough to heal a cut.'

'You'll be fine.' Denser felt he was edging the argument. 'And if you're not with me, I'll fear for you here.'

Erie

Denser cursed silently. 'Don't be angry, please. I don't think The Unknown had much choice. They'd have come here sooner or later anyway. At least now they'll do some good too.'

'Like forcing me from here, you mean.'

'Like freeing Protectors and helping dragons,' said Denser more sharply than he'd intended. He took a breath and softened his tone. 'Look, right now, no one but we and the Al-Drechar know what you carry. And one day I'm sure you'll be open to the hope it offers. But if Xetesk finds out you have the spirit of the One within you, they'll stop at nothing to exploit you. You know that.'

'You've got all the cards, haven't you?' Erie