Page 53 of Elven Throne

The air quickly filled with the creak and groan of other doors opening, the soft whisper of bare feet or soft-soled shoes, and the familiar thump of heavy boots filled the air. Tent and yurt flaps ruffled aside.

The clack of a door gently closing came from the closest barn with the open loft window, all painted the same color as the farmhouse, but Rebecca didn’t see who had closed that door—if anyone had stepped out of the barn or had simply stolen a peek at their visitors before retreating back inside.

She was too busy watching what felt like a massive wave of people emerging from every outbuilding behind the farmhouse, all of which had previously seemed empty until proving otherwise.

Men and women of every age emerged from the buildings with calm, compassionate smiles, eyes wide in curiosity as they filtered among the Shade members standing there in numb realization.

Or maybe they were all too exhausted to react in any other way.

Then came the urgent, rapid patter of much smaller feet. Rebecca caught a glimpse of three small children, the oldest no more than nine or ten, racing out of one trailer only to dart behind the next outbuilding to peer at their unexpected guests from around the corner.

Several other children did the same. Some of the younger ones emerged with their mothers and fathers, hiding behind the legs of adults as they gaped at the strangers entering their world.

Two younger women carried bundles of swaddling blankets around silent infants in their arms.

It all happened at once. No time to count the figures emerging from their homes after the gray-haired man’s announcement. But it seemed entirely possible that there were more of them than there were Shade members standing on the lawn.

Every new face lit up with open excitement and obvious pleasure as they milled around the open space. No one seemed aggravated or discomforted by their new guests, as if the entire property and all its inhabitants were here for the sole purpose of housing and aiding and welcoming with open arms any stranger and traveler in need of a little extra help.

A middle-aged man with blonde hair cropped particularly short stopped in front of Burke and flashed him a brilliant grin.

“Mornin’,” he said, extending a hand. “Call me Terrence. Good to see ya.”

Burke looked entirely shell-shocked for a moment, but he quickly shook himself out of it and accepted Terrence’s open hand. “Burke. Thanks for…all of this. We really—”

“Naw, don’t mention it. We’re happy to help. Come on. I’ll show you around, then we’ll get you and yours settled in a bit, huh?”

Burke and the others around him exchanged surprised and grateful looks, then followed Terrence across the yard.

Then it seemed everyone was talking all at once.

“You lookexhausted. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that for you faster than you can say, ‘Where’s a bed?’”

“Well, look at the size ofyou. That barn loft’s definitely off limits, but we’ll find you something. Hey, have you ever pulled a field plow? I’d put money on you being faster than the damned mules. And smarter.”

Titus’s rumbling bellow of hearty laughter boomed across the property.

Then Rebecca could no longer pick out the individual conversations among the mingling dozens of them breaking out all at once.

The children crept from their hiding places behind the buildings, sneaking closer in groups of two or three, driven by an insatiable curiosity about such a large number of visiting strangers.

The shyness didn’t last long, broken instantly by a young girl’s bubbly, unfettered laughter when Nyx peered down at her. The katari summoned a glittering bubble of light on her fingertip before letting it burst in a shower of glittering specks and violet light.

Then the children ran wild everywhere, shouting at each other and laughing, asking poignantly direct questions in high-pitched voices as they quickly weeded out the more kid-friendly operatives.

No more shyness and confusion once courage and independence and insatiable curiosity took their place to quickly run the show.

Gentle support and encouragement came from every direction while the operatives broke away in small groups to follow the shifters who’d greeted them.

Soon enough, the rhythmic echo of hammers pounding against nails added to the noise, joined by chittering morning birdsong from the trees along the riverbank.

It seemed everyone had a place to be and a job to do. No one left behind in cluelessness or neglect while laughter rose in small pockets amidst the conversation.

Clearly, Shade now found themselves exactly where they needed to be, only too grateful for the kindness and hospitality of more strangers than they could count.

Moreshiftersthan they could count.

Rebecca had to keep reminding herself of that single poignant detail, which, at a glance, didn’t seem to matter much at all.

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