He stayed where he was for a moment longer, and then she heard him walk away. She followed, taking her time, listening to the voices of the others greeting him as he returned.
Then they were all hugging one another a final time, exchanging good-byes and good lucks and promises to be careful and to meet again soon.
When it came Tasha’s turn to hug her, Prue felt his hand press something into hers.
“These are for you,” he said. “Keep them safe until you find the right person to give them to. It isn’t me or Tenerife, and just now I can’t say who it is. But I know they will be safe with you.”
She realized from the size and shape of what she held that he had given her the blue Elfstones. “I can’t take these,” she said. “They belong to the Elves.”
“They do,” the big man agreed. “To all the Elves, in point of fact. But only one can wield them, and it shouldn’t be just anyone. It should be someone who thinks less of himself than of his people. Or her people, perhaps. For now, they should be put away somewhere safe. Phryne gave them to me … there, at the end, when I was carrying her from the pass. She told me to keep them safe. You may be blind, little sister, but you see things much more clearly than most people.”
Prue shook her head. “This just doesn’t feel right. I’m not even an Elf.”
“Ah, but you are. We’ve already established that, haven’t we, Tenerife?”
“Some time back,” his brother replied. “In fact, you yourself told Xac Wen you were an Elf, if I remember right.”
“So keep them safe until the Elves are ready for them again. You’ll know when the time is right.”
Then they were moving away, the brothers and Pan, calling back to them, their voices fading out as they passed through the trees and down the pathways and beyond her hearing.
She felt Aislinne put her arm around her shoulders. “They will be back before you know it,” she whispered. “Safe and sound.”
Prue nodded wordlessly. She knew without question that what Aislinne said was true.
FOR BETSY MITCHELL
A good editor, a better friend
BY TERRY BROOKS
SHANNARA
First King of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara
THE HERITAGE OF SHANNARA
The Scions of Shannara
The Druid of Shannara
The Elf Queen of Shannara
The Talismans of Shannara
THE VOYAGE OF THE JERLE SHANNARA Ilse Witch
Antrax
Morgawr
HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA
Jarka Ruus
Tanequil
Straken
GENESIS OF SHANNARA
Armageddon’s Children
The Elves of Cintra
The Gypsy Morph
LEGENDS OF SHANNARA
Bearers of the Black Staff
The Measure of the Magic
The World of Shannara
THE MAGIC KINGDOM OF LANDOVER
Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!
The Black Unicorn
Wizard at Large
The Tangle Box
Witches’ Brew
A Princess of Landover
THE WORD AND THE VOID
Running with the Demon
A Knight of the Word
Angel Fire East
Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TERRY BROOKS is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the Legends of Shannara novels Bearers of the Black Staff and The Measue of the Magic; the Genesis of Shannara novels Armageddon’s Children, The Elves of Cintra, and The Gypsy Morph; The Sword of Shannara; the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr; the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken; the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life; and the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas, Star Wars:? Episode I The Phantom Menace.? His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century. The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full-time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.