Bearers of the Black Staff

That became more the case than ever after the death of her mother, when her father, alone now and preoccupied, let her go her own way. Had he known half of the things she did during that time period, even a quarter of the escapades in which she had engaged or the dangerous situations into which she’d put herself, he would have locked her away until she was old enough to know better. Phryne, as her grandmother correctly surmised, had never been very good about knowing better, only knowing what she wanted.

So joshing and teasing with Rendelen and Dash came naturally, just three Elves of similar background and shared worldview, sitting around a fire and passing the time.

Only one area was taboo. No mention was made of the King’s personal life or his young Queen. Even Elven Hunters were astute enough to know that this was forbidden territory when it came to Phryne Amarantyne.

They slept soundly until the sunrise woke them, then set out to finish their journey. They climbed into the mountains, bright sunlight washing the landscape as yesterday’s weather moved on, the clouds and mists of early morning dissipating, the skies turning clear and blue. By midday, they had reached the slopes leading up to the pass and were met by sentries keeping watch. Within another hour, they had ascended the final section of their climb, moved into the near end of the pass, and could hear the sounds of construction ahead.

The first thing Phryne noticed as they entered the split and saw the first of the staging areas was how close the fortifications were to the near end of the pass. Within minutes, she could see the defenses themselves, braced across a narrows where the cliff walls offered sheer drops of more than two hundred feet. She had envisioned the defenses being set farther in toward the far end of the pass, thinking the Elves would want to fight for every inch of the twisty passageway if the first set of defenses was breached. Clearly, someone had decided otherwise.

She had her chance to discover whom as Tasha caught sight of her from where he was working on fashioning logs into buttresses for the walls and hailed her over.

“Welcome, cousin!” he boomed, wrapping his big arms around her.

A few mouths gaped as he embraced her, for she was a Princess and no one hugged a Princess like that without permission. But Tasha was Tasha, and she expected no less.

“Good to see you, Tasha,” she greeted him, hugging back. “I’ve missed you.”

“And me, as well, I hope,” said Tenerife, appearing at his brother’s side to claim his own hug. “Your father set you free again, I gather?”

“He said he thought I had learned my lesson.”

“Which lesson would that be, I wonder?” Tenerife gave her a wink. “How are things in Arborlon? How is Panterra doing without Prue?”

She grimaced. “Must you keep reminding me about that?” She sighed. “Well enough, when he left. Sider Ament took him off to the south to visit the villages there and try to rally support for protecting the other passes. I haven’t seen him since. What about here?”

“You can see for yourself, if you want,” Tasha offered. “We’ve gotten the better part of the defensive wall finished. Should be all the way done in three days. Is that why you’re here? To give your father a report?”

“Of course not!” She tried to look offended. “I’m only here to see that both of you are safe and sound. But you seem well enough, so I might as well have a look around.”

The brothers laughed, and Tasha took her arm and steered her toward the wall. “Come with us, cousin Princess, and see how the working Elves do their job.”

With Tenerife in tow, he took her through piles of building supplies and equipment—logs and huge stones hauled up from the valley; chains, clamps, and latching forged by their smiths; and heavy ropes, block and tackle, and pulleys and hoists manufactured by their craftsmen. She looked at everything, still confused by the positioning of the wall. “Why did you build it so close to the near end of the pass?” she asked finally.

Tasha laughed. “Seems like a mistake, doesn’t it? But only if you judge the choice without thinking it through. Let me explain.” He gestured at the cliffs to either side. “This is the narrowest point in the pass where the cliff walls cannot be climbed by attackers to bypass the fortifications. We’ve already eliminated some of the climbing paths and footholds farther in, sheering back the wall even farther. On this side, we’ve hewed out footholds that allow us to place defenders all along the upper stretches of the cliffs, back out of sight of those approaching. Archers will take those positions if we are attacked. Because of time constraints, we decided early on to build a single wall rather than a series. One good wall will have to be enough. We also chose this site based on something a little less obvious. Come over here.”

He guided her to the wall, and together the three cousins climbed ladders to parapets and descended on the far side. Tasha led the way forward for perhaps two dozen yards and stopped, pointing up. “Now look up. There, in those clefts to either side.”