Page 37 of The Goddesses' Gifts

“Commander,” nodded the one I suspected was oldest.

They didn’t look at me though, all of them had eyes on Zelfek, their familiar and trusted leader. And I knew then none of them would be willing to follow me.

Why would they look to you? They know weakness when they see it. You don’t even know their names.

“This is your father,” Zelfek gestured to me. They all appraised me with suspicious red eyes. The two boys were the only ones to linger. “Lirraco, Thimdrac, Grelmuh, and Alras.” Zelfek gestured to each of my adult sons. I committed their names and faces to memory. At least as much as I could.

“I remember him,” said the younger of the two boys. But he didn’t reveal anything more. He had to be, what, sixteen?

“He’s won freedom from this place for his offspring,” Zelfek informed them solemnly and gestured to the baby, who had tucked himself under Ozanna’s chin. “And it’s only fair to offer it to all of you, regardless of age.”

The six young elves before me frowned and glanced at one another. They were suspicious, and not of Zelfek.

“Where would we go?” asked the older boy. His voice had already changed, and he was only a year older than his brother.

“Ah, to a place far west, by the ocean,” I explained, my voice wavering with emotion. “With the humans.”

The older four made sour expressions with that revelation. It was like looking in a broken mirror. The younger pair looked frightened.

“We have friends there,” Lhoris added.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They want us to live there.”

“We aren’t welcome anywhere, Lobikno,” said Alras. “We all know this.” The other three nodded in agreement. “I don’t think we’ll be coming.”

And I didn’t have an argument for him because I still couldn’t believe it either. There was a part of me terrified that we’d get back to Bergellon and find its gates closed to us.

“What about you two?” I asked the boys, poised on the edge of adulthood. Would it be right to take them from all they knew without considering what they wanted? Especially without the bonds that would make up for the mistrust I saw in them.

“You haven’t been here,” the older said. “I don’t know you.”

The younger met my eyes and said, “I trust my brothers. I want to stay here.”

Lhoris had been translating for Oz in a quiet whisper.

She sputtered. “You can’t leave them here, Lobikno! I’ll not stand by and let it happen.”

“It’s not your choice!” I snarled back. “Don’t think I’m asking them this lightly, woman.”

Zelfek cocked his head thoughtfully and said, “You could have a real mother,” and gestured to Oz. “One that would fight for you. Even now she wants to protect you from the perils of this life.”

The boys looked at Oz with what might have been the last of their childlike wonder, and for a moment, I thought he might have gotten through to them.

“Little brother needs a mother,” the younger said, lifting his chin to point at the baby.

“You won’t be taking them,” said the oldest, Lirraco. “I will fight for them, and you would lose.” And he was serious. The other three met my gaze with similar determination.

Zelfek snorted. “Don’t be deceived by his …” His gesture to my appearance stuttered while he struggled to find the right words, with a grimace. “… sorry countenance. Your father is my equal in any fight. How often have you beaten me in sparring?”

Lirraco pressed his lips together in a hard line, which answered the question well enough. And he’d settled my worry about the two younger boys staying here. If the older four were willing to look out for them … I glanced at Lhoris. He’d spent time among the other elves while I’d been recovering in the seclusion of a prison cell. He hadn’t known they were mine. I knew because Lhoris would have told me.

My brother shrugged wearily. “Well, they’re not good, but are very much like their new commander. They have principals.”

“I won’t make you leave,” I said to the boys, “but know that all of you are welcome to Bergellon if you decide to leave. Zelfek can’t stop you, since you’re technically free to go, right?” I asked my cousin.

“It doesn’t matter when. Run off with an orc maiden, I won’t stop you,” he chuckled and nudged Grelmuh with an elbow.

“Half-orc,” Grelmuh rolled his eyes. “It was a one-time thing on patrol.”

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