Mist clung to\nthe ground. Fine tendrils of thick fog snaked over the roots of the lower\ndistrict of Eld\u2019rin as the door to Ilrin\u2019s home opened, and she stepped out,\nher mother following her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin\u2019s mother\nwas about as old as Dilmir\u2019s aunt, perhaps a few years younger. She was tall,\neven for an elf, and strongly built, but had a handsome face. She was well\nknown by her neighbors for her kindness to all. Ilrin was her only child, and\nshe loved her above all else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIlrin,\u201d she\nsaid, as Ilrin made to leave. Ilrin turned, looking back at her mother. \u201cWho do\nyou train with in the afternoons?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin paused, a\nconfused look crossing her face. \u201cDilmir,\u201d she said. \u201cYou know that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin\u2019s mother\nsmiled. \u201cYes,\u201d she said, \u201cI just wanted to be sure. I heard something strange about\nhim yesterday.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d asked\nIlrin, though she thought she knew the answer already. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI heard he\u2019s\nbeen acting\u2026 differently, of late. They say that he has been casting spells in\nthe morning that are difficult even for mages. Is this true, Ilrin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin was about\nto reply, but then paused. \u201cNo,\u201d she said finally. \u201cHe\u2019s just getting better at\nmagic, that\u2019s all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother looked\nat her, and then decided to go on. \u201cI heard also,\u201d she said, \u201cthat he beat you\nat swordplay yesterday.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin had not\nexpected this. She had only been beaten last night. She hadn\u2019t told her mother,\nbut that had been because she was too tired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI watched the\ntwo of you train not that long ago,\u201d continued her mother, \u201cand I know he could\nnever have gotten past your guard.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe just got\nbetter,\u201d repeated Ilrin. \u201cI was tired, and he was faster than I was.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother did not\nreply, but looked steadily into Ilrin\u2019s eyes, her own filled with nothing but concern.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIlrin,\u201d she\nsaid, \u201care you sure nothing is wrong with Dilmir?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin was on the\nverge of saying, \u201cYes,\u201d but stopped. It was evident that whatever rumors her\nmother had heard had been exaggerated somewhat, but it was still true that\nDilmir seemed to have improved with magic overnight. Still,<\/em> she thought to herself, that\ndoesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s anything wrong with him<\/em>. She looked up at her mother,\nand said, very firmly, \u201cYes. He\u2019s fine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her mother\nsearched her face for a moment, and then rose. \u201cVery well,\u201d she said. \u201cYou had\nbest hurry, otherwise you\u2019ll be late. Tell Dilmir to be here at seven. You\u2019ve\nbeen trying to get him over here for dinner for weeks, perhaps now would be a\ngood opportunity.\u201d With a wave of her hand, she motioned her daughter away,\ninto the mist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin turned and\nwalked the familiar path down the root. The houses of the lower district were\ngrown from the thick roots that grew there, all spreading from four large trees\nin the center. Each house was small, though big enough for an average family.\nThe entire district was lower than the rest of Eld\u2019rin, which meant that the\nearly morning mists lingered there for several hours after the rest was burned\noff by the sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin had always\nfound that she liked walking in fog. She could barely see where she was going,\nlet alone her surroundings, but she new the path so well that she knew every\ndetail of every branch in her way. One could get lost in the mist very easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin suddenly\nstopped as strange voices met her ears. It was common for elves to meet in the\nlower district in the morning, as there was less chance of them being\ndiscovered. What made her stop was what they were saying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Alfimir was\nright to attack him, he\u2019s too powerful,\u201d a rough voice said. Ilrin stiffened,\nlistening carefully. There was only one elf Alfimir had ever attacked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI agree,\u201d said\na thinner voice, from much closer by, \u201cbut the council refuses to act. I tried\nto make them see reason, but they continue to be blinded by his false play.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe seems to be\nhaving trouble with that now, though, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d said a deep voice. A general\nmurmur of ascent followed this statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d\nsaid the first voice. \u201cI heard he nearly blew himself up yesterday. And that\ntree, it must have been fifty or sixty feet high!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s too\npowerful,\u201d said the thin voice, and Ilrin realized that the speakers must just\nbe on the root next to hers. \u201cHe must be stopped.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe hasn\u2019t done\nanything harmful yet though,\u201d said the deep voice ponderously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat then? Are\nwe to wait until he does? No, I say we act now, while we can still control\nhim.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI agree,\u201d said\nthe first voice, \u201cHe can\u2019t stay here, it\u2019s too risky. He\u2019s a danger to himself,\nas well as the rest of us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd if the\ncouncil refuses to act, then we need someone who will.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n A brief pause\nfollowed this statement, until it was broken by the thin voiced elf. \u201cThe\nothers should be warned to stay away from him; he\u2019s too unpredictable. That\ngirl that trains with him, what\u2019s her name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIlrin. She\nmeets him every day to train. She should be told.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin didn\u2019t\nwait to hear any more. Heart pounding at what she had heard, she raced as\nquickly as she dared through the fog down the root, until she came to the\ncenter of Eld\u2019rin. There, as he had been every morning for seven years, stood\nDilmir, waiting for her. She slowed her pace to a walk as she came out of the\nfrothing mist, and he stood to greet her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat took you\nso long?\u201d he inquired as they set out together towards the main gate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin shrugged.\n\u201cMy mother wanted to say some things,\u201d she said noncommittally. It was second\nnature to an elf to keep secrets, at least until he knew exactly what results\nthey would have when told. All elves were taught to mask their faces so that\nothers could not determine their emotions, and Ilrin kept what she had heard\nfrom Dilmir almost automatically. More than that, however, she was aware of the\ntrouble that now pressed down on him, and did not want to worry him further\njust yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir looked\nahead, satisfied, but Ilrin remained looking at the ground, deep in thought. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mist clung to the ground. Fine tendrils of thick fog snaked over the roots of the lower district of Eld\u2019rin as the door to Ilrin\u2019s home opened, and she stepped out, her mother following her. Ilrin\u2019s mother was about as old as Dilmir\u2019s aunt, perhaps a few years younger. She was tall, even for an … Continue reading Chapter Eight – Unseen Suspicions<\/span>