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

Kirisin moved quickly to the door, unlocked it, and let his sister slip inside. “What did you find out?” he whispered as they moved over to where Angel waited.

Angel could already read the answer on Simralin’s face. Kirisin’s sister glanced out the window, searching the darkness momentarily. Then she leaned close. Even with her face right next to theirs, her words were barely audible. “I might have been followed,” she whispered. “We have to get out of here.”

Angel’s hand tightened on the black staff, and she could feel the magic respond with a surge of sudden warmth. “What happened?”

Simralin continued to search the trees, sharp eyes scanning everything. “Ailie is dead. I found a piece of her gown, torn and soiled, close to where we left her.” She paused, registering the change of expression on Angel’s face. “I’m sorry. But it’s worse than that.” Her gaze shifted to her brother.

“They know about you. Someone saw you running away.”

Kirisin shook his head at once. “That isn’t possible. There wasn’t anyone else there!” He glanced at Angel. “Did you see anyone?”

Angel shook her head. “Who said they saw us?”

“I couldn’t find out. By the time I learned this, I was worried that they knew about me, too. I had to hurry back and warn you. They’ll be here any moment.”

Kirisin sat back slowly. “I can’t believe this.”

Simralin looked at Angel. “We have to run. We have to get far away. If they find us, I don’t like to think about what might happen.”

Angel nodded. “I take your point.”

“Well, I don’t,” Kirisin interjected quickly. “Why can’t we just go to them and explain? We haven’t done anything wrong!”

Angel shook her head. “Listen to me. If Erisha’s father is the demon—wait, let me finish—if he is, he won’t bother to take the time to listen to any of us. He will take the Elfstones and have us killed. But even if he isn’t the demon, someone close to him is. The King already appears to be under the demon’s influence. We know that from his refusal to act on what either you or Erisha have told him. I wish I could tell you that he would act responsibly when he hears what we have to say, but history tells us that he won’t.”

“I agree,” Simralin added. “The demons know who we are and what we are about. They will do what is necessary to stop us. We have to get out of here. I will send someone I can trust to warn our parents to stay away from Arborlon until this business is finished. They will be safe enough. We are the ones in real danger.”

Angel shook her head. “I don’t know. This feels wrong. It feels like we are being manipulated. Demons find us in Ashenell when no one else even knows we are there. A killing takes place that eliminates the only one among us who could spy them out. A second killing serves no purpose other than to enrage the King. Some unnamed person reports Kirisin at the site, someone none of us saw in return. And now we are forced to flee. There is something going on here that we don’t understand.”

“It seems obvious to me.” Simralin was looking out the window again. “The point is to get rid of all of us and steal the Elfstones.”

It was hard to argue with her, but Angel was unconvinced.

She understood enough of demon machinations and duplicity to question anything that seemed obvious. Demons never approached anything in a direct manner. Everything was done with stealth and cunning, with a reliance on misdirection and false trails. The end result was always something other than what it appeared. She couldn’t help but think that it was so here.

Her face tightened with frustration. “Who else knew we were going to beat that graveyard? Who, besides those of us who were there? Someone had to. Someone gave us away.”

Kirisin and his sister exchanged a quick look. “Old Culph knew,” the boy said quietly. “Erisha and I told him.”

“He was also in the Council chambers, hiding behind the walls with you, when Ailie sensed a demon presence.” Angel pointed out.

“Behind the walls, not in the chamber itself!” Kirisin defended. He rushed ahead. “Besides, he was the one who helped us find Pancea Rolt Cruer’s maiden name so that we could track down her tomb. He was the one who helped us with the scribe’s journal and the Queen’s name. Why do that if he was trying to stop us?”

Angel was not persuaded, already half convinced that they had unearthed their culprit. “Where can we find him?”

“He lives in a small cottage at the rear of the Belloruus home,” Kirisin answered. “But going there will put us right in the center of things.”

“We’ll send someone to ask for him.” Simralin pivoted away from the window. “Someone they won’t think to question.”

Angel shook her head. “Who can we trust to do that?”

“Let me take care of that.” Simralin rose from her crouch.

“Right now we need to concentrate on getting out of here!”