villages south of Kaypra. He was from Leah. He had a message from you telling us that you had gone to the highlands and that you would be away for several weeks and not to worry. Your father and I thought it strange that so old a man would be serving as messenger for Rone’s father, but…»
«Brin!» Jair whispered, wide–eyed.
«There was something familiar about him,” Wil mused suddenly. «It seemed to me that I ought to have known him.»
«Brin, I didn’t send any…» Jair began, then cut himself short. They were all staring at him. «Wait… just wait right here, just… for a moment,” he sputtered, stumbling over the words as he edged past them. «Be right back!»
He dashed past them into the house, down the hallway, through the front room, and into the kitchen. He went at once to the stone hearth where it joined the shelving nooks and traced his way down to the third shelf. Then he moved the loose stone from its niche and reached inside.
His fingers closed over the Elfstones and their familiar leather pouch.
He stood there for a moment, stunned. Then gripping the Stones in his hand, he walked back through the house to where the others still waited on the cobbled walkway. With a grin, he produced the pouch and its contents and displayed them to an astonished Brin and Rone.
There was a long moment of silence as the five stared at one another, Then Brin took her mother with one arm and her father with the other.
«Mother. Father. I think we had better all go inside and sit down for a while.» She smiled. «Jair and I have something to tell you.»
