Delver Magic III: Balance of Fate by Jeff Inlo (thriller books to read txt) 📕

“Only to a degree,” the elf answered. “Why tell me this at all, why tell me of your ability to see people’s destiny unless you would be willing to reveal what you see?”

“That is simple. As I said before, I know why you are here. I wanted you to know how I knew this so that there would be no tension between us over this issue.”

“Very well, I can allow that, but it seems to me that if you know why I’m here, then you already know the outcome of this meeting.”

Here, Enin became stern. “Please never make that assumption. You must never for one moment believe that I know how all things will unfold. You see, that’s where choice plays its part. We have a choice in how to deal with events, even events we are destined to face. We can not avoid our choices, just like we can not avoid our destiny. Since free will is just that, I can’t state with authority how this meeting will end. All you need to understand is that I can see certain events in people’s lives that they are destined to face. That doesn’t mean I know how these events will unfold or conclude.”

“Then how do we move forward?”

“Let us forget destiny and now treat this as we should treat all matters, with an honest discussion. I will begin by telling you why I think you are here. You have left your camp and you wish to become my guard. Yes?”

With a nod, Holli affirmed the wizard’s prediction. “I must admit it is rather unnerving to actually hear this, because I have not spoken it to a single soul, but yes, that is why I’m here.”

“Fine, we have that out of the way and we can talk of the issue plainly. The truth is I have questions for you and there are things I would ask of you if you were to take on this responsibility. If I don’t like the answers, or if you don’t like my conditions, then it is an arrangement we cannot have.”

“What questions do you have?”

Enin furrowed his brow and did his best to place his questions in the best order. “The first one I have is why did you leave your camp?”

“The camp elders asked me to leave,” Holli responded without emotion, as if the request had nothing to do with her personally at all. “They felt they could not lead effectively with my presence in camp. My role at Sanctum Mountain lifted my standing among the other elves. They feel that this puts me as part of elflore and would create confusion. It was not my place to question them. A guard simply does her duty. They said I must leave, and so I left. They also asked Lief to leave. Did you already know that as well?”

“That’s hard to answer,” Enin admitted. “I wish to be honest with you, but it’s very difficult to describe what it is I see. It’s not like I see this big image in my mind of you and Lief walking out of your camp. It’s more of an understanding. For Lief, I know that he faces a challenging time ahead.”

Holli nodded knowingly. “He did not leave under the best of circumstances.”

“I imagine not,” the wizard agreed. “Let us, however, return to you.” A light hearted smile quickly grasped Enin’s lips as if he thought of a funny story. He laughed as he explained. “You know, that’s actually funny—that I’m the one refocusing the conversation on the topic at hand. It’s normally the other way around. People always tell me that I can go off topic and get distracted. It’s not like I mean to, it just kind of happens. You see, I’m actually amazed at how I see things work. Every thing is interrelated yet at the same time everything seems to be disconnected. One thing that happens doesn’t seem to have anything to do with another, but a few seasons later, the two events come together in one way or the other. It’s like you and I. When we first met, you mistrusted me. Now, you want me to trust you enough to let you be some kind of personal guard for me. It’s not that I don’t trust you, we will get to that later. It’s just that I’m trying to explain how I now see things. That’s why it can seem as if I lose my focus on things. You’ll have to get used to it if you’re going to spend time around me.”

“Kind of like now,” the elf added with a sly smile of her own.

“Aha, you got me. Seems like I went off topic right after I tried to get us back on to it. Very good. Yes, let’s get back to you. You left camp because the elders felt you would be too much of a legendary figure and that would interfere with their ability to lead, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Understandable, but what is not so clear is why you would come here?”

“Because I am a guard, it is more than what I do, it is what I am. I do not wish to change that. My duty is to keep others safe, thus I considered where I might be most useful.”

“And you thought you would be most useful protecting me?”

“You are a very powerful wizard and while I do not believe you need protection, having an elf guard with you would be beneficial to both you and those you serve. There are many that might come to you seeking assistance or guidance. There are also the curious that might come to you. Then of course, there are also other wizards that may come here with less than desirable intentions.”

“Hmmmm, you think I might be called out often by young eager spell casters wishing to prove themselves? They might wish to challenge me to some kind of wizard’s duel. If they can defeat me, they might make a name for themselves? Actually, it’s not like that at all. Many have indeed shown up, but not to challenge me. Most of them just want to learn. Others want to try and examine me from a distance. I can always sense them and any confrontation is always rather minimal. I give them some things to think about and they go on their way. So far, all of them have been satisfied with what I’ve told them.”

“I doubt there is much I could do better in that regard.” Holli agreed. “If I tried, I would only get in your way, thus I would not even entertain the thought of actually trying to protect you from a conflict with another spell-caster. That, however, is really not my intended purpose. When a stranger comes to town to ask for you there are often bystanders that become curious. I would endeavor to keep such innocents from putting themselves in danger. A guard protects not just a single individual but the camp as a whole.”

“Well, we do have the militia guard for that. You’ve met Sy. He is in charge of keeping the town safe.”

“Again, I would not interfere with him as well,” Holli conceded. “He is able and I would only be a distraction to him and his soldiers. But I ask you, are there not times that you are involved in your own matters of magic that you would like to ensure that no one around you mistakenly puts themselves in harms way?”

“Hmmmm…”

“It is not a matter of me keeping an eye on you. It is a matter of keeping an eye on those that might stumble upon your presence at the wrong time. This is what an elf guard has done for ages. While the magic was encased in Ingar’s sphere, we often directed humans away from our camps without them ever knowing we were there. We kept ourselves safe by keeping others away, and in turn, kept them safe as well.”

“I understand that,” Enin allowed, “and actually it raises another question. Rather than come here, why not simply join another elf camp and continue as an elf guard there?”

Holli shook her head. “I discounted this idea the moment I left my camp. Being an elf guard involves a tremendous amount of trust. There are times an elf guard’s orders will supersede the orders of the elf council. When the safety of the camp or an elder is in question, quick decisions must be made and orders must be followed without debate. If I were to join another camp, my loyalties would always be suspect, and thus, my decisions would always invite questions, invite doubt. That is not acceptable.”

“Couldn’t they find a position within the elf guard that would give you less authority?”

“It is possible they could treat me as a trainee, but I doubt I would be able to adjust to that. While I believe I can adjust to most situations, I must understand certain limitations. I have spent countless cycles of the seasons as an elf guard relying on what I have learned, trusting my judgment, developing confidence in my decisions, learning to take control when necessary. Returning to the level of a trainee would require me to ignore what I have engrained in my being. It would be as if I asked you to cast nothing but the most basic of spells and never trust yourself to truly tap into your magical powers.”

“So you decided that if you could not guard another elf camp, you would try to find someone else that could benefit from your training.”

“Exactly.”

With an accepting wave of the hand, Enin acknowledged the benefits of having Holli as a guard. “I agree there are times I would like to make sure that no one unexpectedly is put in any kind of danger. A set of elf guard eyes watching would indeed be an added benefit. You are indeed well trained and so I doubt I would have to worry about your safety too often. I am concerned about your level of potential interference.”

“I’m not sure I understand that concern,” Holli responded quickly.

“You just said your orders can sometimes come ahead of even those on your camp council.”

“Only when safety is a paramount issue.”

Here, Enin shook his head. “That wouldn’t do. You would have to understand that my safety is of my concern only and your interpretation of a possible hazard to my well-being must never override my own. As my guard, your priority would be on protecting those around me, keeping me advised of surrounding circumstances, being watchful of hazards I might not see—I can accept all of this—but you must never actively intervene over my objections simply because you feel my own safety is at risk. In essence, I am saying that I would always have the final word, even when you think my safety is in jeopardy. Would you be able to accept that stipulation?”

“I will adapt to that.”

“That is good, but I am also going to have to ask something else of you if you are to be my guard. It may not make sense to you, but I have my reasons.”

Holli became intrigued but remained quiet.

Enin spoke here with more of a gleam in his eye. “I want to be able to teach you how to use the magic. Now I know you use the magic passively. You use it to increase your awareness of what’s around you, you use it to remain alert to possible dangers. I think you even use it to steady your own inner strength. I must tell you this is all