Page 16 of The Elven Healer's Apprentice

Adela’s concerned gaze met Ethe’s over the dark head of the boy. “Didn’t you understand his request?”

Ethe shuddered in horror. “I don’t understand a word he says.”

Understanding dawned in Adela’s jade eyes. A frown tugged at her lips as her brows puckered. “It takes patience and attentiveness.” She narrowed her attention on Ethe’s features. “You need to spend at least half your time each day with him, no helpers and no attendants, just the two of you until you can accurately understand him. Think of it as training for him. He cannot learn to speak well without hearing the words pronounced regularly and often.”

Adela carried the child across and coaxed him into his mother’s arms. Ethe’s awkward juggling of the boy spoke for itself. She had little experience handling him. “No attendants?” Ethe’s wary, slightly panicked expression revealed far more than her awkward handling of her son.

“None. Now let me escort you to the gate.”

“No need, our shadow elves are waiting for us.” Ethe settled the child awkwardly on her hip. For all of her discomfort, her son seemed to delight in the new attention. Tugging on his mother’s dangling hair, he conformed to her clumsy hold.

Shadow elves stepped out from the shadows behind the door and bowed to me, Adela, and our patients. Then, one elf laid a hand on Ethe’s shoulder. Hugion waved an open-handed greeting to the other of the shadow elves. The mother handed over the child, and then the four of them were gone.

I shivered at the remaining curls of shadow that dissipated in their wake.

“Why don’t you like shadow elves?” Adela regarded me curiously.

“I am not a patient to be fixed.”

She tilted her head as she narrowed her gaze slightly. “You don’t shadow walk and you avoid shadow elves.” Turning, she began clearing away the mess the child had made of my examining room. “Did you have a bad experience?”

“He detests the shadow lands.” Casimir stepped out of the shadows beneath the window. “Greetings, Merlon.”

Adela’s breath caught in surprise, but otherwise, she remained calm as she turned to greet him. “Are you Merlon’s next patient?”

Casimir snorted softly. “Hardly. Though I requested the last slot on his schedule this morning.”

“If you are here about Veta…” The tensing of Casimir’s whole being answered my question before I had voiced it. I groaned in frustration. “Overly protective shadow elves are going to be the death of me. What is it this time?”

“Merely a refill.” He lifted the now empty bottle of nausea relieving draught I had prepared for him only a month past.

“Has the morning sickness not passed yet?” I demanded.

Casimir shrugged. “The twins made her ill through the seventh month. And seeing as there are three…” He lifted his eyebrows at me. The humor lurking in the depths of his silver-green eyes annoyed me more than was rational. What was worse was he knew it, too.

I took the bottle and left for the still room. If I had an apprentice, which I didn’t, I would’ve chosen another elf healer, not a human. Someone who would take over dreadfully dreary tasks like mixing up stomach-settling potions for lovesick shadow elves.

∞∞∞

Adela

Merlon left in a fit of annoyance, leaving me alone with the shadow elf. The strange elf wasn’t the first of his kind I had met. Shadow elves made up slightly less than half of the elven population of Eldarlan. Sina informed me of this, but I had also learned from experience. About half of the babies I had delivered over the past year were dark-skinned shadow elf children, regardless of the parents being shadow elves or light elves.

Junipergo explained that the child melding with shadow or light magic in the womb caused the difference. This determined their skill set and the limitations of their abilities and their exterior appearance.

I eyed Casimir occasionally as I cleaned. Tall and broad-shouldered, he appeared more dangerous than most of the elves I had encountered. And he emanated a contained power while also possessing a presence of calm that I appreciated. Merlon radiated power, but of a different kind, more of a constant annoyance that made the air sharp and tingly. At least around me.

“Have we met?” Casimir approached as I spread the wash rag over the rack sitting in the sun pouring through the window.

I glanced up at him. “I don’t think so.” Flashing him a friendly smile, I went to the cupboard to pull out a new cover for the examining table. I changed it daily despite Merlon’s protests that his sanitizing spell dealt with almost all contaminants, at least the ones difficult to heal.

“It is good to see Merlon taking an apprentice. He is alone too much.” Crossing his arms over his chest, the shadow elf watched me with interest.

“I am not his apprentice,” I corrected. “And you best not mention that word in his presence. He is touchy about others labeling me as such.”

“Ah, he still hasn’t gotten over the fiasco of the last one. You should ask him about that if you haven’t already.” Casimir’s voice was light and teasing, a sharp contrast to his stoic exterior.

Despite the desire to know more, I refused to ask. Instead, I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the edge of the examining table. “Might I ask a question?”

---