“Where is the Druid?” his brother asked, getting right to the point. He walked to the curtained windows at the back of the room and looked out through the folds. “Still aboard ship?”
“Gone back into the Dragon’s Teeth,” Ahren answered. It was not a lie exactly, just a shading of the truth. Kylen didn’t need to know everything just yet. In particular, he didn’t need to know how things stood with the Druids.
“Were you successful in your efforts on this expedition, brother?”
“Mostly, yes.”
Kylen arched an eyebrow. “I am told you return with less than a quarter of those who went.”
“More than that. Some have gone on to their homes. There was no need for them to come here. But, yes, many were lost, Ard Patrinell and his Elven Hunters among them.”
“So that of all the Elves who went, you alone survived?”
Ahren nodded. He could hear the accusation in the other’s words, but he refused to dignify it with a response. He did not need to justify himself to anyone now, least of all to his brother, whose only disappointment was that even a single Elf had survived.
Kylen Elessedil moved away from the window and came over to stand in front of him. “Tell me, then. Did you find the Elfstones? Do you have them with you?”
He could not quite hide the eagerness in his voice or the flush that colored his fair skin. Kylen saw himself empowered by the Elfstones. He did not understand their demands. He might not even realize that they were useless in most of the situations in which he would think to use them. It was the lure of their power that drew him, and the thought of it obscured his thinking.
Still, it was not Ahren’s problem. “I have them. I will give them to you as soon as I am certain we are clear on the terms of the agreement Father and Walker reached.”
Anger flooded his brother’s face. “It is not your place to remind me of my obligations! I know what my father promised! If the Druid has fulfilled his part of the bargain—if you have the Elfstones and a share of the Elven magic to give to me—then it shall be done as Father wished!”
His brother made no attempt to hide the fact that he thought everything was intended just for him rather than for the Elven people. Kylen was a brave man and a strong fighter, but too ambitious for his own good and not much of a politician. He would be causing problems with the Elven High Council by now. He would have already angered certain segments of his people.
“The Elfstones will be yours by the time I leave,” Ahren said. “The magic Walker sought to find requires translation and interpretation in order to comprehend its origins and worth. Those Elves who go to become Druids in the forming of the new council can help with that work. Two dozen would be an adequate number to start.”
“A dozen will do,” his brother said. “You may choose them yourself.”
Ahren shook his head. “Two dozen are necessary.”
“You test my patience, Ahren.” Kylen glared at him, then nodded. “Very well, they are yours.”
“A full share of the money promised to each of the men and women who went on this expedition must be paid out to the survivors or to the families of the dead.”
His brother nodded grudgingly. He was looking at Ahren with something that approached respect, clearly impressed, if not pleased, by his younger brother’s poise and determination. “Anything else? You’ll want to keep the airship, I expect.”
Ahren didn’t bother answering. Instead, he reached into his pocket, withdrew the pouch containing the Elfstones, and handed it to his brother. Kylen took only a moment to release the drawstrings and dump the Stones into his hand. He stared down wordlessly into their depthless blue facets, an unmistakable hunger in his eyes.
“Do you need me to tell you how to make the magic work?” Ahren asked cautiously.
His brother looked over at him. “I know more about them than you think, little brother. I made a point of finding out.”