The Elves of Cintra (Book 2 of The Genesis of Shannara)

“Just enough so that you would do what was needed, Kirisin.

Never more. I gave you those bits and pieces to keep you looking. I didn’t know what had become of the seeking-Stones after Pancea Rolt Gotrin’s death. I knew they were buried with her, but not where she was buried. Some things were kept secret even from me. But you and your friends figured it out, and you got possession of them. I couldn’t have done that, not as a demon and not even as old Culph, keeper of the Elven histories. It needed the right person, a Chosen committed to saving the most precious of the Elven talismans.”

“But that could just as easily have been Erisha!” Kirisin was incensed. “Why did you kill her?”

The demon shrugged. “Killing her was a way to make you run, you and your sister and the Knight of the Word. I needed you to leave the Cintra and go off on your own where you could be dealt with more easily. And of course, I needed you to go looking for the Loden. In any case, Erisha was never the one who was meant to wield the Elfstones. Any fool could tell that she was too weak-minded to do what was needed. It was always you. You were the strong one. You were the one who was determined. Killing her was the perfect way to fuel that determination.”

He smiled, and that smile stung like salt on an open wound.

“I have lived among the Elves as old Culph for a long time. Years. Before that, I was someone else. Before that, someone else again. But my disguise as Culph was the most useful of them all because it gave me access to everything crucial to understanding the history of the Elves. I could research their lore and discover their weaknesses. It was clear to all of us who serve the Void that at some point they would have to be dealt with. The question was when. And how it was to be done. They were a sizable nation, albeit less populous than humans.

But still, a force with which to be reckoned. What was to be done with them when it was time to act? I watched and waited over the years, knowing the time was coming and the answers must be found. Old Culph, hardly more than a part of the King’s furniture, was never suspected.”

Having survived the first few minutes of the old man’s admission of who and what he was, Kirisin was beginning to look for a way out of this mess. He had no plan other than to keep Culph talking—keep the demon talking, he corrected himself bitterly, for demon was what the thing that masqueraded as Culph was. As long as he kept it talking, he had a chance to find a way to escape. It didn’t seem to be armed, didn’t seem to have any weapon at all. But it had managed to overcome Simralin, perhaps even to kill her. Kirisin hated himself for thinking it, but he didn’t know if he believed that his sister was still alive.

Bitterness welled up, so strong it made him want to throw caution aside and attack the thing standing in front of him. But he held himself in check—talking, talking, and all the while searching for a solution to his dilemma.

He had a sudden burst of inspired hope. He had forgotten about Angel! She was still out there and coming his way. Maybe she would reach him in time to help! But then he remembered that the demon wouldn’t have come alone; it would have brought that thing with it. “Where is your…the other demon, the one that tracked Angel?”

The demon smiled. “Both are outside. Renewing an old rivalry, I believe. If it ends the way I expect it will, we won’t see either of them again.” It folded its bony arms across its chest. “As I told you before, I had help in this business. But I think any need for that sort of help is at an end.”

Kirisin’s mouth tightened. “Maybe things won’t work out the way you think.

Maybe you’ll be sorry you ever used us like this.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” The demon made a dismissive gesture. “In any case, it won’t affect us. I made sure we wouldn’t be disturbed. This time belongs just to you and me, Kirisin. So let’s make the best use of it. You are owed an explanation, and you shall have it.” It paused.

“Do you want to know about the King? Do you want to know why he was so determined to stop you?”

“I would guess it had something to do with you,” the boy answered. He was gripping the Loden so tightly that the sharp edges were cutting into his palm.