Book 4: Chapter 43: Alliances

Book 4: Chapter 43: Alliances

“Why would I do that?” asked K’hana, sitting primly on an elaborately colored cushion.

“Because you need people,” Elijah answered. “Your city here is not as isolated as you think. You can’t even run your tower, can you? Or did something change while I was gone?”

“We feel confident that, with your notes, we can overcome our deficiencies,” she claimed. But even Elijah, who sometimes missed social cues, could tell that she was exaggerating.

He said as much, which elicited a frown from the beautiful elf before he added, “But if you ally yourselves with Seattle, you will have all the help you could want.”

“And in return, I will help them find water,” she said.

To Elijah, it seemed like a perfectly good deal. She had an ability that the people of Seattle sorely needed, and the elves of Arvandor had a need that Seattle’s much larger population could help fill. So, he was a little confused as to why K’hana would object to the proposed alliance.

“I don’t get what the issue is,” he admitted, leaning back on his own cushion. He looked around. There were a few other elves there, each one sitting on their own unique cushions, but they all clearly deferred to K’hana. Elijah reached down and took a loud, slurping sip of the tea he’d been provided. It was flavorful, with a hint of something fruity, but he couldn’t identify it. “Good tea. Seriously, though – what’s going on? Why wouldn’t you want to form an alliance?”

“We have heard of this city,” she answered with a sigh. “It is a place of chaos. War. Their laws are not followed, and they do not care for their people. It is a shameful place, and I do not wish to associate with the people who would create such a city.”

“Ouch. Tell me how you really feel,” Elijah muttered to himself. “Would it help if I told you that the man I want you to meet is a good guy?”

“If he was a good person, he would have put a stop to the injustice so prevalent in his city,” K’hana pointed out.

“That’s kind of what I’m trying to facilitate,” Elijah stated. “Water is the problem. It’s complicated, but for most people in Seattle, there’s not enough of it. If you can help them solve that issue, it will save a lot of lives. And it will give Isaiah the leverage he needs to take firmer control. Peace is what’s at stake here. You can help with that.”

There was a chance it would prevent Elijah from having to kill a lot of people on Mercer Mesa, too. After Valoria, his bloodlust had been sated. He would kill if he had to, but if he could avoid it, he would.

“More importantly, it helps you,” Elijah said. “How long until the tower surges? A month? Maybe two? You’ll be overrun by Voxx.”

“You could help us conquer it,” she suggested.

“I have other things to do,” Elijah said. “And even if I didn’t, relying on me is not a viable long-term solution. I won’t always be around.”

“You could be,” came a voice from nearby.

Elijah glanced in that direction, and he saw that the sentence had originated with an older elf. The only real nods to age were a couple of lines at the corners of her eyes and gray hair, but Elijah could tell she was much older than she appeared.

“What do you mean?” Elijah asked.

“You are young, fit, and powerful. I propose a joining with our Water Witch,” she said.

For a second, Elijah struggled to wrap his mind around what the elf had said, but when he did, his eyes flicked toward K’hana. Her expression was stoic, but there was a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

He coughed.

“Uh...no, thanks,” he said.

K’hana blurted, “What?”

“Why?” asked the older elf at the same time.

“Um...right. That probably sounded rude. In my culture, people...um...join together as a couple because they’re in love. Not to cement an alliance.”

Of course, that wasn’t necessarily true. Throughout history, marriage – which was what he assumed they were talking about – had been used as a diplomatic tool. Yet, that had fallen out of favor long ago, and Elijah was anything but comfortable with it. In addition, despite K’hana’s obvious beauty, he just didn’t find her all that appealing. Perhaps it was her personality, which was a little too reserved for his taste, or the alien nature of her looks, but when he looked at her, he just didn’t feel those sorts of feelings.

Or maybe he just preferred humans.

He didn’t think of himself as that picky regarding looks. However, there was a cultural gulf between them that would almost assuredly be difficult to bridge. But maybe that was just his excuse. Regardless, he couldn’t help his tastes. And that was only considering it from a personal standpoint. It was even less appealing from a political perspective. The elves just didn’t have much that he wanted, so even if he was willing to leave his grove – which he definitely was not – there wasn’t a lot of reason for him to latch himself to Arvandor.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“I think I need to introduce you to a friend,” Elijah said. Then, he explained how Lucy’s greenhouse worked, finishing with, “I’m sure that if you help them, she’ll be willing to help you. Maybe she could even help you set up a greenhouse of your own. I don’t want to speak for her, but just knowing what’s possible could help. And if not, I’d be happy to assist. You could have just asked, though. No need for the subterfuge.”

“I see,” she said. “I apologize if I offended you.”

Then, she bowed.

Elijah let out another sigh. “Oh, c’mon. Don’t do that. Let’s just...let’s just go,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and we’re on a timer.”

Indeed, Elijah hadn’t really thought his little excursion through. For one, while he thought his own presence was necessary, he had no intention of taking Miguel back into Seattle. The whole point was to help the young man to commune with nature, and that part of the journey would be finished once they reached the Circle of Spears, where Elijah intended to send Miguel back home.

But he’d forgotten one major thing before setting out.

His coffee. The cherries were assuredly ready to be separated from the beans by now, which meant that he needed to do that as soon as possible or he would lose the whole batch. After that, he only needed to wait a day or so for them to dry, then enlist the help of a Cook to roast them.

Regardless – the point was that he needed to head back to the island for a few days before continuing on to Seattle. Which presented a problem, if K’hana wanted to tag along. It had been his idea, but one he’d barely thought through.

“Also, and don’t freak out, but I’m going to take you to my island for a couple of days. We’ll be back on track soon after that,” he said.

“How?”

“Magic.”

“That’s his answer to everything,” Miguel said. “You get used to it.”

“I don’t understand,” K’hana said.

“It’s simple. Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Didn’t expect that answer, did you?” Miguel laughed.

“I did not,” Elijah admitted. “But I guess we’ve got a few days. Hopefully, I will have earned her trust by then. And if not...well, we’ll figure it out. Onward and upward, I always say.”

“I’ve never heard you say that,” Miguel pointed out.

“Shut up. And respect your elders,” Elijah said. “Now finish packing. We’re on the clock here.”

To drive the point home, he tapped his finger against his wrist. Clearly, K’hana didn’t understand the gesture, which just as obviously had her rethinking her decision to accompany him to Seattle. But at least Miguel made the connection, because he spent the next couple of minutes thrusting his belongings into his pack.

“Why did you take all of that out?” Elijah asked.

“Because you said we were going to be here for a little while.”

“Don’t do that. Keep things in your pack until you need it,” Elijah said. “You should write that down.”

“I don’t have a pen or paper.”

“Then remember it.”

“I probably won’t,” Miguel admitted.

Elijah sighed, then glanced at K’hana. “Young people, right? So disrespectful.”

She didn’t answer, which Elijah chose to take as agreement. In any case, once Miguel was packed, the trio set off through the city, eventually exiting into the Twilight Clefts and beginning their journey to the Circle of Spears.