Disclaimer: This is not the final version as it will be available from the usual e-book sellers and eventually, bookstores. Rather, it should be seen as an (almost) final draft. If you are interested in becoming a beta reader, or you have any comments, suggestions or thoughts that you feel I should consider before publishing please drop me a line using the contact form.
Messenger Duty
They returned to Bernard’s house and she started leading both horses round towards the stables, meaning to start grooming them. Bernard called to her before she’d made five steps.
“Ala, I’m afraid you’re not done yet. Best take Lightning back to the farm and ask there for another fast mount. You’ll need to carry a message to Ford Inn. Once you’re remounted come back, I’ll have the message and some supplies ready. It’s going to be a long night.”
Ala nodded, realising she should have anticipated it. The Duke needed to know what happened as quickly as possible. She mounted Lightning and rode to the farm she had borrowed him from. The farm’s owner, a man named Hank came out to meet her.
“Ah, Ala. How went the patrol?”
“We ran into some raiders. Peter Osbertsson was killed.”
“Truly? What misfortune. What of the Oakharrowers? How many?”
“Eighteen.”
“Eighteen? You patrol rides with ten, does it not? What happened?”
“Some of them rode home…”
He looked confused for a second. “And the rest?”
“Were carried by their companions..”
“Truly? That must have been quite a fight then. I hope they take it to heart. They certainly had it coming. I’m glad that you pulled through. At those odds, only one man lost is a blessing. I’ll go into town tonight, I think, buy the militiamen an ale. It sounds like they earned their pay.”
She nodded, wondering if Peter’s wife would ever see it that way. “Lightning did wonderfully, but Bernard requests a fresh mount. I have to take a message to the Ford Inn, for the Duke.”
“Aye, understood. I’ll get you Lightfoot, she’s rested and she’ll get you to the Ford quickly.”
“Thank you.”
She rode back to Bernard less than half an hour later. Bernard met her with a sealed scroll tube, a bag of food and a large water skin.
“As fast as you can to the Ford Inn, Ala. Tell Friedrich the Innkeep, this must go to Peyrepertuse with all haste. It has the highest priority. I know he’s a bigoted bastard, but don’t you take any lip from him. The message to the Duke, with all haste, alright? Otherwise he’ll have to answer to me.”
“I will make sure he understands.”
“Good. Friedrich is an ass, but I can’t have him being difficult when I delegate a task. Make it very clear that he will have to deal with me if he doesn’t fulfil his oath bound duties immediately.”
“Don’t worry, Bernard. I’ll warn him if he’s difficult.”
“I know you will. Good journey!”
It was already dark as she rode out of Thetwick again, with only a trace of dusk remaining in the west. It never bothered her much, she could make all the light she needed and she knew her eyesight was a lot better than a normal human’s.
The innkeepers of the Ford Inn owed service to the Duke as part of the right to operate their establishment, just like all members of the Innkeepers Guild. Among several other official duties, an Innkeeper was to make certain messages were carried swiftly to wherever the Lord needed them to go. Both the Caravanners and the Innkeeper’s guild had to carry messages as one of the conditions of their Royal Charters. Ala sometimes visited the Ford Inn with the militia patrols, but only rarely. Mostly problems were in the northern half of the Westmarch and they only patrolled south when there was an orck sighting. None of those patrols had ever led to anything – Ala had never actually seen an orck, though they had found tracks belonging to a small group on a few occasions. Every year there were a few incidents, mostly between men seeking to mind ore from the Irin Mountains, but the militia had never managed to actually find any of the offending orcks.
She knew Friedrich Corbin, the Innkeeper of the Ford Inn. He wasn’t a pleasant character, full of prejudice. He took the message without Ala needing to remind him that Bernard would come visit if he didn’t do it as swiftly as he could. He seemed to know full well that if she came in with a missive, obviously having ridden through the night, that it was on Bernard’s authority. At least he had figured that much out since the last time she was here. Still, she wasn’t offered a complimentary hot meal before she rode back. She was certain he would have offered Bernard one.
One bright point of her visits to the Ford Inn was that it was where the only half elf she knew of lived. Ala sought her out this time as she had attempted to before. She looked like a young girl, barely able to be described as a teenager. Her features were dark and earthy, her hair a rich dark brown and her eyes emerald. The girl was clearly forced to work hard but Ala wasn’t going to be put off again as she desperately wanted to talk about her heritage with anyone who might share some of her perspective.
“Hello there.”
“Mornin’ mistress.”
“Look, you’re a half elf, right?”
The girl looked at her apprehensively.
“Aye, mistress.”
“So am I. Look, do you have a moment?”
“Uncle Friedrich doesn’t like me to tarry or talk to the customers. He gets… upset.”
Ala had the impression he might do more than that, the girl seemed scared.
“Friedrich, I need your serving girl for a few moments, outside,” Ala called to the innkeep. He just frowned, but she was sure he’d heard.
“Come on, outside, we should have a few minutes before he gets impatient.”
In the courtyard, Ala found them a place out of view, near where Lightfoot waited.
“So, what’s your name? I’m Ala.”
“Alissa. You’re really a half elf?”
Ala removed her headscarf and showed her ears.
“You really are. I’ve never met another one,” Alissa said, now smiling.
“Me either, to be honest, that’s why I wanted to talk.”
“You live in Thetwick?”
“I do. Say, can I ask, how old are you?”
“Me? Thirty five.”
“You’re very tall for thirty five. I don’t think I was anything like your size at that age. I was certainly smaller when I arrived in Thetwick.”
Alissa shrugged, “I don’t know… I’m just like this… we’re different in a lot more ways though. I never knew my father, me ma says he was an elf… an earth elf.”
“I never knew either of my parents. I don’t know whether it was my mother or father was human, or what sort of elf the other was… maybe that’s what’s makes us so different?”
“Still more alike than any of them,” Alissa said gesturing in the direction of the humans.
“I suppose so,” said Ala who couldn’t help but smile. “I sometimes come by here when I ride patrols with the militia. Maybe we can find a few minutes to talk whenever I’m here?”
“I’d like that.”
From that moment on, they had been friends. It stayed confusing to Ala. Though it was obvious that while Alissa aged far more slowly than humans, Ala was sure it was still much faster than she had ever done. The only theory either of them could imagine was that Alissa obviously had a father of a different sub species than she did and that was somehow of influence. Alissa herself didn’t know obviously, she was at least as isolated from elven affairs as Ala had ever been.
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