85: Final Resolution

By the time Artemus, Derek and Zach arrived at Edhellond, most of the Elves were already there. Ushered into the library, the three men saw that Maddy and Sanderson were also there, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Daeron was sitting on the couch, an arm around Melyanna, who looked very pleased with herself. Daeron simply looked beat. Valandur was also there, as were Finrod and Glorfindel. Findalaurë, Calandil and Elennen were busy carrying trays of different kinds of drinks and people were taking the beverage of their choice. Daeron was speaking even as the three men entered.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that,” he said. “I hope it’s the last.”

“Amen,” Glorfindel said from where he was standing, a loving arm around Helyanwë, who looked quite content to be there.

“I understand you do this all the time,” Daeron said to Valandur. “How do you stand it?”

“Not all the time, thank the Valar,” Valandur said, “but I’ve had to act as Questioner for the Crown a number of times.” He shrugged, then gave them a sly smile. “The most interesting time was when Glorfindel was kidnapped, beaten nearly to death and then literally dumped on the Valar’s front porch.”

The Wiseman Elves and some of the younger Valinórean Elves gave Glorfindel shocked looks. Artemus glanced at Derek and Zach and saw that they were equally shocked.

“But... I thought Valinor was peaceful!” Zach finally got out.

“It is,” Finrod assured him, “or at least it is now. Long, long ago it wasn’t quite the paradise everyone thought it should be. There were many conflicting factions among the Elves: those who never left Aman and those who did and returned and even those who never came to its shores originally.”

“And then there were the Reborn,” Glorfindel said with a quirk of his lips. “We made things even more interesting.”

Finrod chuckled. “They still do,” he said, “though not as much as before. To tell you the truth, Aman was beginning to feel a little too boring, which is why I insisted on coming here where all the excitement is.”

“Dragging the rest of us with him,” Laurendil said as he entered with Manwen on his arm.

“Do you regret coming, mellon nîn?” Finrod asked.

“Hell no, as the Mortals say,” Laurendil retorted and there were gales of laughter among the Elves. Artemus, Derek and Zach joined them, but Maddy and Sanderson just sat there, their stony expressions giving nothing away of what they were thinking or feeling.

“Well, it was an interesting experience,” Artemus said, leaning against a wall, “but I’m glad it’s over.”

“So, what now?” Derek asked. “How does what happened tonight affect the Academy? I noticed that almost none of the Academy students were present tonight, just a few and I think most of them are locals.”

“Yes,” Glorfindel said. “We deliberately left them out. This was for the benefit of the people of Wiseman and... our guests.” He shot a brief look at Maddy and Sanderson before looking away. “We will reveal ourselves to many of the students in the coming week before they begin their work as Elf Guides in earnest, but not all of them will be brought in. For them, this will just be an interesting experience that they can put on their resumés and go on with their lives.”

“And us? What about us?” Derek insisted.

“If you desire to remain here in Wiseman, we will find work for you,” Glorfindel said. “It may not be what you thought you would be doing with your life but....”

Derek waved a hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter, as long as I’m in the game. I’ll need to go home first, talk things over with my dad. Not about Elves, but about moving here. I’ve always talked with him about any major decisions in my life.”

“And that is as it should be, Derek Lowell,” Finrod said. Then he turned to Artemus. “And what about you, Alex? What do you wish to do?”

“I resigned from the Agency,” he said, casting a glance at Maddy.

“You still need to return to Washington and be debriefed,” Maddy said then. “I refuse to accept your resignation otherwise.”

“You can debrief him here, Maddy,” Amroth said as he came inside with Nimrodel. “Whether you accept Artemus’ resignation or not is immaterial. He will not be going back to Washington and neither will I. Let Ambrose Elwood remain dead. There’s no profit in resurrecting him at this late date.”

“Who did we bury?” Maddy asked him, her eyes dark with suppressed fury.

Amroth shrugged. “I have no idea. A foreign agent who fit my general description in terms of height and build. He was stalking me for some reason. I never learned why. I didn’t stop to ask when I was taking his life.” His voice was cold and unyielding and there was a flatness to the look in his eyes that told them that his emotions were barely under control.

“And Bradford?” Sanderson asked after a moment when all others had gone silent.

“Bradford is dead and that is all I will say on the subject,” Amroth replied. “Whether I killed him or not is also immaterial. He is gone and will never return. What you need to concern yourselves with is the present. I do not know Jane Dolan, though the name is familiar to me, but what Farrell said of her makes me believe that she may be dangerous to us still.”

“I was surprised when Dolan was chosen to take Bradford’s place,” Maddy said.

“Because you expected to be chosen?” Artemus couldn’t help asking.

“Hell no!” Maddy exclaimed, giving him a disbelieving look. “Being a deputy director is enough of a headache for me. Last thing I wanted was Bradford’s position.” She paused to take a sip from her glass of beer. “Bradford was a slimy toad in many ways, but he was always up front with his deputy directors and if he decided to take a case away from us, he didn’t go behind our backs to do it. Dolan... what Farrell said is very disturbing.” She frowned and did not look at anyone.

For a moment no one spoke and then Sanderson shifted his position slightly. “All this talk about Elves and... and angels... do you really believe that crap?”

“You saw the evidence before your very eyes, Mr. Sanderson,” Glorfindel said.

“I saw what could well have been a mass hallucination,” Sanderson shot back.

“But would you call these hallucinations?” Finrod asked as he pushed back his hair to reveal the pointed ears even as some of the other Elves did the same.

Both Sanderson and Maddy gasped. “Then Farrell wasn’t making it all up about what Bradford told him about you,” she said, looking at Amroth. “You really are an Elf.”

“Yes,” Amroth said shortly.

“And a king?” Now Maddy’s expression was more sly.

“Once, a long time ago,” Amroth replied with a slight smile. “Those times are past and I am simply Amroth, once of Laurinand, now of Wiseman, Alaska, and I am content.” He smiled more warmly as he looked at Nimrodel, giving her a gentle kiss.

Silence fell among them, then Glorfindel stirred. “You still haven’t told us what you plan to do, Alex,” he said.

“I don’t know,” Artemus answered. “I would like to stay here but I don’t know if I can and then there’s my mom. I vowed I would not even consider doing what Amroth did until after she was gone. I would never put her through that kind of grief. I no longer wish to be Artemus Gordon Meriwether, superspy, but neither am I sure that I want to be Alex Grant, clueless dude, anymore.”

“You could be both,” Amroth said and Artemus gave him a disbelieving look. Amroth nodded. “I’ve been thinking that it cannot be a coincidence that three of us in this room are former intelligence agents and that we are all here in Wiseman.”

“And in that you would be correct.”

Everyone turned at the sound of the voice and Artemus recognized Fionwë. The Elves who were seated stood and all of the Elves began to bow but Fionwë waved a hand. “There is no need, my Children,” he said. “We are all friends here and allies.” He glanced at each of the Mortals. Derek and Zach stood a little straighter and even Artemus felt a thrill of something rush through him as Fionwë glanced his way. Maddy and Sanderson looked doubtful, obviously unsure of who this person was.

“So you are saying that all this was meant to be?” Amroth asked.

“In a way,” Fionwë said as he came further into the room. “No one’s free will was abrogated. You all had choices and you all could have chosen elsewise, but the fact that you did not means that you three are here for a purpose.” He held up his hand to stem the tide of questions on several people’s lips. “What that purpose is is for you to discover. However, all hinges on what Artemus decides now.”

“Gee, thanks,” Artemus retorted with a grimace.

Fionwë gave him a sympathetic smile. “It has always hinged on you, Child,” he said gently. “You are the reason why all has happened as it has. Whether you realize it or not, you have been slowly transformed from the cynical, cold-hearted agent with no room in your life for wonder to the caring, warm individual who sees wonder all around, yet can do what is necessary to safeguard that wonder.”

“Ron said something about me being forged like a sword and that it was a painful process,” Artemus said slowly, not looking at anyone, absently touching his head which was now covered with a fine fuzz of hair so that he looked less bald.

“Yes,” Fionwë said. “An apt analogy. We needed to break you and mold you to be who you were always meant to be before you joined the Agency. Do you remember what you had hoped to do when you first graduated from university?”

“I was thinking of getting my Ph.D. in Linguistics,” Artemus replied, giving them a wry look. “Sometimes I still dream about it, wondering what I would’ve been doing had I followed my dream instead of allowing myself to be drawn into the world of espionage.”

“And that is something that you will never know for you did not choose that route,” Fionwë said sympathetically, “but there is no reason why you cannot pursue that dream now if you are determined to leave the Agency.”

For a moment, Artemus did not speak, but then he looked at Amroth. “Why do you say that you find it significant that Derek and I are here with you?”

“Can you not guess, my son?” Amroth replied. “We are slowly building the Army of Light and every army needs....”

“Intelligence,” Artemus supplied.

“And you can take that any way you wish,” Fionwë said with a wide grin. There was a great deal of quiet laughter at that, but Artemus went still and he thought he heard the ghost of a laugh, a familiar laugh, one that had once belonged to a friend and an enemy. He shook his head as if to clear it of an elusive memory.

“So, you’re saying what? That you want Derek and me to become spies for Elf Academy?”

“Intelligence officers,” Derek said with a supercilious sniff.

“Whatever,” Artemus responded impatiently, still looking at Amroth.

“The Enemy is moving,” Amroth said. “We are seeing this even now. Farrell and his goons were the first sally, so to speak, but they will certainly not be the last. The fact that Maddy was being stonewalled by various people at the Agency leads me to believe that more is going on than even we may suspect.”

“And that is certainly true,” Fionwë said. “Eönwë, himself, took on the assignment of watching over the events in Washington, rather than leaving it to others, though I think he’s now assigned Manveru and Erunáro to that task.” He turned to Maddy. “If you join us, they will help you.”

“Join you?” Maddy exclaimed. “And what would I be joining? I’ve already given my oath to protect this country and her allies against their enemies. I will not foreswear it as others have.” She gave Artemus and Amroth a dark look.

“Nor would we ask you to,” Fionwë said calmly. “But you will be in a unique position to help. It is why you were encouraged to come here against all custom, so you may have an opportunity to learn the truth about many matters.”

“And if I decide not to join in your little conspiracy?” Maddy asked.

“Then you will be made to forget this conversation,” Fionwë replied, “you and Mr. Sanderson, both. You will both leave here believing that the man you thought was Ambrose Elwood turns out not to be him and that you have accepted Artemus’ resignation. We will continue monitoring what is happening in Washington but you will have no part in that.”

“And me?” Sanderson asked. “You do not ask me if I want to join you. You simply say that if Deputy Director Washburn does than I am in as well, but if she says no, then I’m out whether I want to be or not.”

Fionwë shook his head. “On the contrary. The decision has to come freely from you both, but if one of you decides against joining us, then for your own safety, you will both be made to forget what happened here tonight. You will continue to look for appropriate representation of Mr. Farrell and the others and you will deplore what a disaster this assignment has turned out to be but that will be all. The decision is yours and yours alone to make.”

“No pressure, Maddy,” Artemus couldn’t help saying, giving her a wicked look.

“Silence, my son,” Amroth said. “This is not a time for such levity. Much hinges on what is decided here tonight.”

Artemus nodded, looking chastened and kept his eyes on the floor.

“If we decline your offer to join you,” Maddy said, “will you... er... recruit others at the Agency instead?”

“About that I will not speak,” Fionwë replied. “You must make your decisions without knowing what alternatives there may be in place. Here you must take a step into the unknown, trusting in yourselves and in the One Who brought us altogether this night. I will tell you this. If you say no, do not think that you are no longer on the side of Light, for the One does not abandon his Children whatever decisions they make. Yet, if you say yes, know that your lives, if not your souls, may well be in danger.”

Maddy snorted. “I was an agent before I was ever an administrator. I could tell you tales of my time in Russia that would curl your hair.” She paused, looking at Sanderson. “You believe all this?” she asked him.

“Before I became a lawyer and joined the Agency, I was in Nam,” Sanderson replied. “I saw things, hell, I did things, that would do more than curl your hair. I saw Evil up close and personal and it’s face was all too familiar to me, for I saw it every day in the mirror. I vowed that if I survived that hell, I would devote my life to doing everything I could to keep that evil at bay. I figured becoming a lawyer was the way to go.” He shrugged. “Maybe it wasn’t the right choice. I don’t know.”

“It may not have been the right choice, Child, but the One is very good at drawing straight with crooked lines, which is why you are here tonight with us,” Fionwë said. “Your skills as an officer of the law will come in handy as time goes on, assuming you join us, that is.”

Sanderson looked at Maddy. “I’m in or at least I want to be. Life was getting a bit dull and with my wife gone and the children grown and living their own lives, I’m feeling like Richard Gere in that movie where he decides he wants to learn ballroom dancing. I’d like to do a little bit of dancing myself before the end.”

“Maddy, in spite of everything, I think you have a core of integrity that not even being involved in espionage has failed to corrupt,” Artemus said with all sincerity. “It’s why I was very glad that you were my boss and not someone like Healy or Bernstein.”

Maddy rolled her eyes. “Please do not mention those two slimy toads in my presence,” she said. “I always feel I need a good long shower after dealing with either of them.”

“So you see my point,” Artemus said with a grin. “It would be nice to know that there’s someone in the Agency who is on the side of the angels, so to speak. Thinking back, I know there is too much darkness there and not enough light. That place is corrupting and I’m well glad to be out of there.”

“But you want me to go back into that den of iniquity,” Maddy shot him an ironic look.

Artemus shrugged. “You’ll go back regardless, but would you like to go back with no knowledge of the danger that you will encounter when you do? Dolan has her finger in the pie and she’s going to be mighty curious as to what is going on here. That won’t change whatever your decision. We need the Agency off our backs. At the same time, we need the Agency, or some members of it, working behind the scenes in our favor.”

“You’ve decided to join them,” Maddy said, giving him a shrewd look. “You keep saying ‘our’ rather than ‘their’.”

Artemus raised an eyebrow in surprise and then looked more thoughtful. “I guess I have. I still don’t know if I’m Artemus or Alex or both, but I want to find out. My main concern is my mom. She’s not going to understand.”

“She understands more than you give her credit for,” Fionwë said.

“Yet, what do I tell her? Hi, Mom. I’ve quit the spy business and now I’m going to go live with the Elves?”

There were chuckles all around.

“Why don’t you invite her here for Christmas?” Glorfindel suggested. “You can then tell her about your decision to leave the Agency. Let her see you as ‘Alex’ rather than as ‘Artemus’. Give her a chance to see you in your new role as a regular guy holding down a regular job.”

“As an Elf Guide?” Artemus retorted with a grin. “Yeah, well, perhaps you’re right. I think she would enjoy the visit and I know I would, but afterwards? What is to prevent someone from the Agency from trying to get to me through her.”

“If she moves here, you won’t have to worry about that,” Glorfindel said.

“And if she doesn’t?” Artemus shot back.

“Then she will be protected by us,” Fionwë assured him, “though we cannot and will not interfere with the normal course of her life as it must be lived out. But we will see that no outside harm comes to her because of you.”

“So, what is decided?” Finrod said. “What will each of you do?”

For a long moment silence hung over them all. Artemus kept his eyes on the floor, thinking everything through, trying to picture himself as an Elf Guide and perhaps something more than that if Amroth had his way. He felt a rising sense of excitement, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He did not know what the future would bring, but he knew that he wanted to be a part of it and he wanted to be a part of it right here in Wiseman.

He looked up and saw Maddy squaring her shoulders. “If Sanderson wants in, I’m willing to join you as well, but I will not betray my oaths to my country.”

“Nor would we ask you to,” Fionwë said gravely. “Are you agreed to this, Gregory Sanderson?”

“You bet,” the Man said with relish. “I don’t know what good I’ll be. Lawyers are a dime a dozen, after all, but I’m willing to help however I can.”

Fionwë nodded and the Elves smiled. Then the Maia turned to Artemus. “And you, Artemus Gordon Meriwether, what have you decided?”

Artemus hesitated for a moment before answering, sweeping his gaze around the room. Derek and Zach were standing next to him, both of them giving him encouraging smiles. The expressions on the faces of most of the Elves were unreadable to him, but Amroth gave him a warm smile and Daeron nodded gravely, as did Finrod when he looked at him. Vorondur, standing with his arm around Ercassë, gave him a thumbs-up, which surprised him at first, but it was a reassuring gesture that somehow helped him with his decision. Finally, he stepped toward Glorfindel, holding out his hand.

“Hello. I’m Alex Gordon Grant and I want to be an Elf Guide.”

For a brief second, Glorfindel did not move. Then he smiled and held out his own hand. “Welcome to Elf Academy, Alex Gordon Grant,” he said, shaking Alex’s hand. “Welcome home.”