Page 8 of The Elven Healer's Apprentice

“Maybe, maybe not.” The elder brother offered me a sly grin. “If I convince him to remove one of the new ones, it won’t come back.”

I groaned. Having no brothers of my own, I had no first-hand experience with the nuances of expressing brotherly affection. But I had spent enough time around the spymaster Illeron and his brother, the notorious Casimir, to know such expressions might have sharp edges. “Should he appear at my clinic missing an adult tooth, I shall remove one of yours to replace it.”

The elder brother’s eyes grew wide.

“Master Healer, it is good to see you.” Lady Ellonra, a half-elf noblewoman and a regular client, approached with a new child in her arms. We had become almost friends considering allthe times I had attended her births. I had overseen the growth of her five boys, or apparently six.

“I see congratulations are in order,” I said, nodding to the bundle in her arms. “I don’t recall you being with child when I left.”

She smiled serenely as she tucked the little one’s head close. “I wasn’t. This little one was a surprise. I was so grateful that your apprentice was available for the birth. Her assistance was vital considering little Ella presented breech.”

“Apprentice?” My startled query slipped from my mouth before I caught it. “Lippin?”

“No, Adela.” Lady Ellonra peered at me. “Your apprentice, Adela.”

Keeping my features blank, I nodded as though agreeing, although awkwardly. “Is that who you are all here to see?” I glanced around the gathering, which I now realized was composed of mothers and young children.

“Of course. We visit once a month to check on the little one’s growth or if we have any concerns. You chose your apprentice well. She is very knowledgeable, despite being human.”

Suddenly, I realized who Adela probably was. Anger flared. How dare she pose as my apprentice? A common human dealing in superstition and— “I am sure she has done well considering how much training she has received.” Which was none at all.

Something of my sudden rancor must’ve leaked through into my tone for Lady Ellonra peered at me strangely.

“Excuse me.” I offered her a perfunctory bow. “I suddenly feel the need to speak to my apprentice. Where might I find her?”

The lady gestured toward the open doorway of the clinic. Wading through the children scattering in my path, I stalked toward the entrance of the examining room where I usually interviewed patients on clinic days.

“Master Healer,” Lippin called from behind me, but I ignored him. Stepping through the doorway, I paused and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. The familiar scents of lemon, vinegar, and orange filled my nose as the sound of a baby’s cooing reached my ears.

“Oh, you are growing big.” A warm voice, low and soft but definitely feminine, spoke.

The child babbled and then laughed. “Is he eating well?” the voice asked as I finally spotted the speaker. She stood in the fall of sunlight from the open windows. A gentle breeze teased a few tendrils of warm chestnut hair that had escaped from a messy bun pinned to the top of her head. She looked remarkably healthier now than when I had last laid eyes on her a bit over a year past.

“Uther loves his vegetables and mashed roots,” Maddie, the lad’s mother, replied. The boy, a strapping six-month-old by the looks of him, giggled and clapped his hands.

“What is the meaning of this?” I demanded.

Both elf and woman looked up. Maddie’s eyes widened as she regarded me. “Greetings, M-m-master Healer.”

Less intimidated than the elf, Adela simply glanced at me before turning back to examining the lad. She calmly asked developmental questions of the mother as though I hadn’t spoken.

Maddie responded, but not without a few hesitant glances my way.

I crossed my arms over my chest, glowering at the interloper. Finally, the exam finished. Adela escorted mother and child to the door. Apologizing to the crowd, she urged them to return the next day. Then, she closed the door and started cleaning up and setting the room to rights.

“What is the meaning of this?” I demanded again. “I return after a year-long’s captivity to find an invader in my home.”

“You brought me here,” she responded, gathering soiled linens into a basket.

“To the isolation hut.” I glared at her, but to no effect.

She worked with quiet efficiency. Once the room had been straightened, she started checking supplies. Using a bit of charcoal, she noted the levels of the jars and scribbled words on the curling parchment.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“My assigned tasks,” she replied without looking up from her work.

“Who assigned them to you?”

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