“Too late again,” laughed Mistake. “You will never beat me home.”
“I even took a shortcut unknown to you,” laughed Tamar. “Even MistyTrail would have beaten me to the rope. I must be getting old.”
“I would have had to push Mistake out of the way,” laughed MistyTrail. “That would not have been very sisterly.”
“Old?” Mistake frowned as she let go of the rope. “You can’t be much older than us.”
“Probably not,” smiled Tamar, “although I must have a few years on you. It is hard to tell without knowing your ages, but I left boyhood some time ago. Let’s get washed up for the meal. Mother would not be pleased if we arrived at the table as we are.”
MistyTrail whipped the rope to allow the platform to descend. When it reached ground level, they all stepped on. Tamar grasped the rope and swiftly hauled the platform upward. MistyTrail stood and stared at Tamar. She admired his form as his muscular arms powered the elevator up into the tree. When the platform reached the upper level, Tamar turned and saw MistyTrail staring at him. She quickly looked away.
Mistake led the way to the door of the elder’s house. She opened the door and shouted that she and MistyTrail were home. Anija immediately came out of the kitchen, an apron covering her skirt.
“Welcome back,” smiled Anija. “The meal is almost ready.”
She saw Tamar walk in behind the girls. She grinned broadly.
“Are you staying for dinner again?” asked Anija.
“If there is enough,” grinned Tamar. “I just happened to be in the area.”
“I am sure,” chuckled Anija. “That happens most frequently these days. There is always enough at my table for you, son. Go get cleaned up.”
While everyone was getting cleaned up, Volox arrived home. He walked into the kitchen and kissed Anija. She turned and stared at him with concern.
“What is the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing that cannot wait until later,” replied Volox. “Is Tamar coming for dinner again today?”
“Should today be any different than any other day since the girls moved in?” smiled Anija. “The three of them are getting washed up now.”
Volox nodded and left the kitchen. A few minutes later, Mistake and MistyTrail skipped into the kitchen to see if they could help. Anija handed them plates of food to take to the eating room. The family sat down to eat.
“How have you girls been getting on with people?” Anija asked casually. “Have you met any new friends?”
“Not really,” frowned Mistake. “People tend to avoid us. Occasionally someone will say hello, but most people will alter their path to avoid us.”
“That is probably because you are staying with an elder,” replied Volox. “I did warn you about that. They do not feel as if they can approach you. They do not know your status.”
“It is because they are foreigners,” interjected Tamar. “It has nothing to do with where they are staying. Word has spread about the troubling news brought back by the boys. Many people blame Eltor and Caldal for going astray. Their attitude towards the girls is part of that. They are seen as foreigners to be avoided.”
“That is not right,” frowned Anija. “I certainly hope that my son straightens out those misguided fools.”
“He cannot afford to,” Volox interrupted before Tamar could answer. “Tamar is an officer of the queen. He must speak as if he speaks for her.”
Tamar frowned and looked at his father as if Volox knew something that was not being shared.
“How are the girls doing with their lessons?” asked Anija.
“They excel at most things that I teach them,” Tamar reported happily. “Their ability with knives was superior before they arrived, but their archery has greatly improved. They still need much work with the sword, though. They do not do well in close quarters.”
“If one is good enough with a bow and knives,” grinned Mistake, “she would never have to fight in close quarters.”
“That can never be taken for granted,” Tamar replied sternly. “You must be prepared in all skills.”
“Or in none,” interjected Volox.
Tamar frowned again and stared at his father. “What do you know that you are not sharing, Father.”
“It is mealtime,” shrugged Volox.
“So you know of something official then?” asked Tamar.
“We will speak of it outside after the meal,” replied Volox.
“If it concerns the girls,” replied Tamar, “then it affects our family. It can be spoken of here and now. Those are your own rules.”
“They are visitors,” declared Volox.
“They are family,” Anija and Tamar said in unison.
“Not for much longer,” scowled Volox. “Very well,” he sighed. “The queen is greatly disturbed with your private lessons. She has sent word that they are to be stopped immediately.”
“Sent word how?” asked Tamar. “I speak with the queen everyday.”
“And that is another problem,” Volox continued. “It seems that your meetings are grating under Malid’s skin. Queen Alycia has demanded that they continue, but that may well pit you against Malid in the future. You must be careful in this, Tamar. She gave word to Malid who gave it to me. The lessons are to stop immediately.”
“I will speak to the queen in the morning,” stated Tamar. “I will explain the need for the lessons.”
“You will do no such thing,” Volox said sternly. “If you defy the queen, your career is over. My own status as an elder is in danger here. So far she has not learned that the girls live here, but it is only a matter of time.”
“Why should that matter?” asked Anija.
“She sees them as foreigners,” sighed Volox, “and she is not quiet about her feelings. It is no small wonder that people shun them on the streets.”
“This is not fair,” protested Tamar. “I would stand up to the queen on this, and damn my own career, because I feel that I am doing what is right, but I cannot and will not jeopardize your position. Why does she feel this way?”
“We do not want anyone to suffer because of us,” interrupted MistyTrail. “Mistake and I will leave tonight.”
“You are going nowhere,” Anija said with authority. “Volox, I will not allow this to happen. These girls are elves. They have every right to enter Elvangar society. If the queen thinks differently, she is wrong. You will tell her so.”
“I will cease to be an elder if I confront her on such a topic,” warned Volox. “While I am willing to give up my status and this home by telling the queen that she is wrong, to do so for such a trivial reason is foolish. There are other homes where the girls can live. That is what I should have done in the beginning. The queen can do nothing to harm the girls because they have not broken any laws. If they live in the home of a normal family, and are not privately tutored by a high officer in the army, they will never come to the queen’s attention again. I will find a new home for them in the morning.”
“But…” Anija began.
“Father is right,” Tamar interrupted. “I suspect that this started when I passed along the girls’ desire to meet with the queen. I should have known better. I will try to find a lesser officer to continue with the lessons.”
“I can’t imagine the queen being so busy that talking to her would offend her,” frowned Mistake. “We will move to another home. I think it is for the best. As for lessons, I would prefer to learn some magic if that is possible. That would ease the problem with Tamar teaching us.”
“Magic?” questioned Volox. “Do you have abilities?”
“A little,” nodded Mistake. “MistyTrail knows more than I do. She can heal people sometimes. Even if we are not good at it, it would take our minds away from these problems.”
“Finding a magic tutor in Morada will be impossible,” frowned Tamar. “They already have too many students to deal with. It is better that I find another soldier to continue tutoring you.”
“There was an old mage in Etta,” shrugged Mistake. “He did not seem busy to me. He spent several hours doing tricks to make the children laugh while we listened to Eltor telling his tale.”
“Garl is a crazy old man,” scoffed Volox. “He is not even considered a true mage. There is a reason that he has a lot of time on his hands. No one would choose to be his student. He was kicked out of the Society of Mages. You do not know what you are asking.”