15: Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

By the time Finrod was only halfway to Edhellond he was beginning to regret not accepting Nick’s offer of a ride. The snow, which had been falling softly when he left the bookstore, began to fall more heavily before he was halfway to Kodiak and by the time he reached the vicinity of St. Mary of the Snows, he was caught in whiteout conditions, barely able to see two feet before him. There was no traffic on the street and he wondered why he had not sensed the storm coming earlier.

Once he left the town center and stores made way for homes, the conditions got worse, the wind blowing snow into high drifts that even he had difficulty maneuvering through. He was reminded of the Helcaraxë and gritted his teeth, continuing to struggle through the storm. He had to stop a couple of times to catch his breath and the area around his left shoulder began to ache.

How long it took him to reach Sycamore, he could not have said. He only knew where he was because he had counted each intersection as he came to it, knowing that Sycamore would be four intersections from the intersection on which stood St. Mary’s. He leaned against the street sign post for a moment, clutching his bag when the wind threatened to tear it from him, before crossing over and heading west. Edhellond was only two blocks away now, but it could have been two leagues away, or so it felt to him as he trudged on.

When he came to the stone wall that marked the boundary of Edhellond he breathed a sigh of relief, imagining how wonderful it would feel to be inside, sitting beside the fire in the library drinking some of Elrohir’s excellent hot chocolate. Keeping one hand against the wall to guide him, for he still could not see far ahead, he kept on. The wind, which had occasionally gusted so that he was forced to stop and face away from it until it died down, seemed to barrel down upon him with evil intent just as he reached the gates and before he realized what was happening he felt himself being thrown hard against the metal of the gate, cracking his head.

He saw stars for about five seconds and then saw nothing more.

****

Someone shaking him and calling his name roused him and he could not understand what was happening or why he was lying in a pile of snow. He struggled to sit up and felt himself flailing, then someone was lifting him up and he felt himself being carried. Light and warmth assailed him as a door opened and he flinched.

“…get one of the healers,” he heard someone say but he was not sure who it might be. He was feeling too dazed to think clearly, only just realizing that two others were there hastily pulling off his cloak and boots and then he was being lifted again and in another moment he found himself being lowered onto the couch in the library and a quilt was being tucked around him.

He wasn’t sure if he drifted off or not after that. He did sense people around him and someone was examining his head. He winced at the touch and only vaguely heard what was being said around him.

“… slight bump. Must have been thrown against the gate by the wind.”

“… no blood or swelling…”

“Any other injuries…”

“… shoulder… wrenched… where’s the salve?”

“Finrod, can you hear me? Try to stay awake, mellon nîn.”

He thought that was Vardamir talking to him and struggled to open his eyes, but it was hard and he was tired, so tired. Why was he so tired? He wanted to drift away into the darkness but something made him reject that course and he struggled to remain awake.

“That’s it, open your eyes, gwador,” he heard Glorfindel say and the sound of his heart-brother’s voice seemed to anchor him and then he was fully awake and in pain. Vardamir was sitting beside him while he saw Glorfindel and Findalaurë standing behind the healer. Turning his head he saw most of the other residents there looking on, their expressions grave. Nielluin was kneeling at his head, gently stroking his hair.

“What happened?” he rasped.

“Easy now,” Vardamir said, as he and Nielluin helped him to sit up. “You were apparently thrown against the gate by the wind and hit your head. It was only the Valar’s own luck that we found you or even knew to look for you.”

“Luck?” Finrod asked.

“Nick called, telling us he had offered to give you a lift but you said you would walk,” Glorfindel answered. “He was concerned about you and wanted to know if you had gotten back safely. That’s when we sent a search party to look for you and found you lying just outside the gate.”

“Why did I not sense this storm coming?” Finrod asked.

“None of us did,” Glorfindel said with a frown. “All of us felt the storm coming that hit the area back in October. I even knew that the blizzard would be followed by an ice storm that knocked out power and caused the tree to fall on our roof here. Yet, no one sensed this storm coming and we have been here long enough to read the signs.”

“Could this be of the Enemy?” Elrohir asked as he stood with an arm around Serindë.

“It would seem so,” Daeron offered, but his expression was doubtful and many of them were obviously troubled by the possibility given the many grimaces Finrod saw on their fair faces.

“It did come up very suddenly,” Cennanion said. “I was just finishing up at the Academy when it started snowing. By the time I was turning onto Aurora I could barely see where I was going.” Others, who apparently had been out and about, nodded in agreement.

“Well, the important thing is that we found you in time,” Vardamir said. “Now, why don’t the rest of you go and let me give his Highness an examination. I imagine you are in pain.” He looked at Finrod knowingly. Finrod nodded.

 “I’ll go get something for that,” Elladan said as he and the others began shuffling out.

Finrod looked around as people were leaving. “I had a bag with me….”

“We rescued it along with you and it’s in the hallway,” Daeron said as he was leaving. “If you wish, I will take it to your room and I promise I won’t peek.”

Finrod chuckled and nodded and Daeron left.

Findalaurë, Nielluin and Glorfindel hesitated to leave and Vardamir smiled. “You two may remain if you stay quiet,” he said to the ellyn, “but I think you should leave my dear so your uncle can have some privacy.”

“It is well, child,” Finrod said to Nielluin, when the elleth still hesitated to leave. “Perhaps you would be so kind as to draw a bath for me while Vardamir looks me over.”

“Of course, Uncle,” the elleth said and left.

Vardamir began asking Finrod questions and having him track his finger as he moved it back and forth and up and down, while Glorfindel and Findalaurë looked on. Then he asked Finrod to rotate his left shoulder. That caused him to grimace and utter a swear word in Quenya that had Glorfindel raising an eyebrow and Findalaurë giggling in embarrassment.

“Damnable shoulder,” he muttered by way of apology. Vardamir kept his expression sober but his eyes were bright with amusement.

“I am almost tempted to have you wear a sling for a while to help keep you from using that arm until the shoulder muscles heal but I know you will not bother. Try not to lift that arm any higher than heart level for the next couple of days, all right?”

Finrod nodded. “What time is it?”

“Nearly seven,” Glorfindel answered.

Finrod stared at him in disbelief. “It was just past four when Nick and I parted company. When did he call?”

“About a half an hour or so ago,” Glorfindel said.

Before Finrod could respond, the library door opened and Elladan came in carrying two glasses, one of which was water, the other some sort of herbal concoction. “Drink this,” Elladan said. “It should help relieve some of the pain.” Finrod accepted the herbal concoction, drinking it quickly and then taking the glass of water to wash away the bitter taste. “Any dizziness or double vision?” Elladan asked Vardamir who shook his head.

“Other than the bump on his head and wrenching his shoulder, he appears to be fine. I would recommend bed rest or at least that he stay indoors and remain quiet for a couple of days.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Elladan retorted with a snort. “No one’s going anywhere with this storm.”

“How long will it last?” Findalaurë asked. “Cal and Alan and I had made plans to go skating with some friends tomorrow.”

Finrod gave his son a fond look, and the other three Elves gave the younger ellon indulgent smiles. It was Glorfindel who answered his question. “That is hard to say. The last blizzard lasted only for a day or so but it was followed by an ice storm and it was nearly three days before the plows reached us and we didn’t regain full power until later. We’re fine here. There’s plenty of food and we have a gas stove, so even if we lose power we can still cook and we do have a generator, so we can have lights as well. The blizzard may not last long but it might take a while for them to clear the streets. I would not expect anyone to be able to go skating tomorrow at any rate.”

Findalaurë gave a nod, looking a bit glum. Finrod smiled at his youngest. “When I receive my first paycheck we will go and buy you your own skates.” Findalaurë gave him a surprised look and then he smiled and nodded. Finrod turned to Glorfindel. “That reminds me. Nick suggested I open an account at the bank. He said it would be more legitimate if he can give me a check rather than cash.”

“We’ll go to the bank and open an account for you as soon as we are able,” Glorfindel said. “I think for the moment a savings account will be appropriate. The bank will issue you a debit card and you can use that to pay for purchases without having to always go to the bank and withdraw funds.”

“Whatever you think is best. I will leave all that to your good judgment for you understand the intricacies of this society better than I,” Finrod averred.

“What about the rest of us?” Vardamir asked. “Should we consider opening accounts as well? At the moment, none of us are accepting pay for our services at the hospital and clinic, for we are still learning the ropes, as I believe Kyle Stoner put it, but both Geoffrey Harris and John Lawrence have intimated that they would like to start putting us on their… payroll, I think is the word, sooner rather than later.”

“That is something to consider,” Glorfindel said with a nod. “As each of you find employment, a bank account will give you greater legitimacy in this society. I know Daeron has provided you all with Social Security numbers. You should be getting cards shortly. Once you have them then opening a bank account will not be a problem.”

“Well, a discussion for another time,” Vardamir said, casting a knowing eye over Finrod who was now blinking and resisting a yawn. “Why don’t you rest for a bit? Are you hungry? You should eat something. You expended a great deal of energy fighting that storm.”

“I could do with something to eat,” Finrod said. “I need to get up anyway and….” A knock came to the door. “Come,” he called out and the door opened to reveal Nielluin.

“Your bath awaits you, Uncle.”

“Thank you, my dear. I appreciate your solicitousness. I will bathe and then have some dinner before retiring for the night.” This last was directed toward Vardamir.

“Good enough,” Vardamir said, standing. “We will stick to softly boiled eggs and toast for now. I do not want to risk you being sick to your stomach.”

Finrod just nodded, knowing the truth of the healer’s words. He needed a little assistance from Findalaurë to stand and there was a second or two of lightheadedness that passed very quickly. His son offered to escort him to the bathroom and then to the kitchen, which an offer he graciously accepted, while the others followed them out of the library.

An hour later, having bathed and eaten a light meal, Finrod was in bed, falling swiftly asleep to the sound of the storm raging outside.

****

The snow was still falling when he woke, the clock just striking eight. He felt rested if sore and had no problem in dressing. Coming downstairs he could smell cooking and found most of the Elves congregated in the kitchen and dining room and it was obvious that they had been engaged in feasting. All conversation stopped as he entered.

“Sleep well?” Laurendil was the first to ask, giving Finrod a clinical once-over.

“Yes, very well, thank you.” Finrod replied. “And before you ask, I do not feel dizzy nor am I seeing double. My shoulder and my head still feel sore and probably will for another day or two. What I am is famished.”

“Well, we can certainly remedy that,” Glorfindel said with a grin. “We’re making Belgian waffles today.”

“Belgian waffles? What are they?”

“Well, now, why don’t you just sit here and find out?” Daeron suggested with a grin, gesturing to where he had been sitting in the breakfast nook. Finrod accepted the offer.

“I am surprised that you are even making a large breakfast. We just did so three days ago.”

“Nowhere to go,” Vorondur said. “A good four feet fell overnight and it’s still coming down. We’re still unsure when it will blow itself out. This is not a normal storm, even for Alaska, or at least that is the opinion of most of us.”

“If the storm continues for several days, how will that affect our celebrations?” Finrod asked.

“Well, it would curtail them to some extent,” Glorfindel answered as he began making the batter. “If no one can get out, our friends won’t be able to get here Christmas Day.” He shrugged. “That is not, in itself, a problem, for we would simply have them come over on another day, perhaps in the evening. I am more concerned about Alex’s mother. She’s due to fly into Fairbanks tomorrow and Alex had planned to drive down and pick her up. He was planning for them to stay the night in Fairbanks and then drive up on Friday.”

“Will this weather cancel her flight?” Elladan asked.

“It shouldn’t,” Daeron replied. “I was checking the Doppler radar earlier and this storm seems to be staying well north of Fairbanks and heading due east. Why not give Alex a call later and find out what he plans to do? If he could somehow get to Bettles, maybe his mother can catch the Friday morning flight out of Fairbanks instead of him going all the way down there to pick her up.”

Glorfindel nodded as he poured batter into the waffle iron. “I’ll call him in an hour or so in case he’s sleeping in since he wouldn’t be working today with this blizzard.”

“So what are our plans for today if we are all forced to remain inside?” Finrod asked.

“Regardless of the weather, those of us scheduled to be at the hospital still have to be there,” Vardamir replied. “I spoke with Kyle earlier, as he was on duty, and he told me that they are fine for now, but some of the staff have been there past their shifts because of the storm, so they will welcome the relief. I told him that even those who are not healers can come and lend a hand, so half of us are planning to go to the hospital and a few are going over to the college.”

“Is the clinic there open?” Finrod asked. “I thought the college has shut down until next month.”

“It has, and yes, the clinic is not operating,” Daeron answered. “I imagine that the clinic staff is pitching in at St. Luke’s during the Christmas break, but the Academy is still running so we administrators need to be there and it is even more important for us to be there now considering the last storm we had. I had those two generators overhauled and I even had one of them replaced. I want to make sure they are both running perfectly in case power is lost again.”

“Again? Oh, you mean, during the last storm,” Finrod said.

“Actually the power went out last night around eleven,” Glorfindel said as he slid a waffle onto a plate and handed it to Finrod. “It was only out for about an hour. Dan and Roy went over to the Academy to make sure they were all well. Most of the students were already asleep and unaware that the power had gone out. They’re still there making breakfast for the students since the kitchen staff can’t get in today. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when or if we will lose power, so some of us will be at the Academy today and if necessary we’ll remain there during the night.”

“And it will be a long night, for today is the solstice,” Ercassë pointed out.

Glorfindel shrugged. “At any rate, that is the plan, and if the storm lets up in the meantime, I, for one, will not complain.”

There were chuckles all around. Finrod concentrated on eating and the others did the same. At one point, Glorfindel picked up the landline phone and punched in a number, then waited a few seconds. “Ah, good morning, Alex,” he said brightly. “We were wondering how this storm might affect your plans to pick up your mother tomorrow.”

He paused to listen to whatever Alex had to say, nodding. “Indeed? Well, I’m glad to hear it… Yes, we’re well. Power went out for about an hour last night but other than that… Hopefully, but if not, we’ll just postpone the ceremony until you and Derek can get here… Yes… talk with you later. Safe trip.” He hung up the phone and turned to those listening. “He says that he had a funny feeling that he should leave earlier for Fairbanks than originally planned and left yesterday afternoon just before the storm hit. He only went as far as Evansville, as the original plan was for Derek and Andy to accompany him. Andy apparently joined his son on a tour he’d been giving yesterday. At any rate, they all stayed the night there. Marty put them up. They are just finishing breakfast and will be heading on. The storm does not seem to have affected them as much and Alex said there shouldn’t be any problem getting to Fairbanks. Getting back may be problematic if the storm continues but that’s something they’ll worry about if and when they have to.”

“So, something told Alex to leave a day earlier,” Vorondur said neutrally.

“Or someone,” Glorfindel rejoined.

Vorondur nodded, “Yet, we should not forget his heritage and his ability to foresee on occasion.”

“Does it really matter?” Daeron asked. “The end result is the same. He’s outside of the area and is able to pick up his mother. Whether they make it back before Christmas Eve is immaterial. The point is he is outside Wiseman.”

“You think it significant?” Glorfindel asked with a frown.

Daeron shrugged, apparently not willing or able to commit himself to a definitive answer. “I find this sudden storm suspicious, and I don’t like the implication of the fact that none of us felt it coming. I can understand those who are newly come to these shores not being able to read the signs properly yet, but you and I and the other Wiseman Elves have been here long enough that we should have picked up on it. And I am recalling Finrod’s observation that Alex was targeted by the Sleeper. Now, just as he is ready to meet his mother and bring her here, this storm shows up. It cannot be coincidence.”

“You think something wants to keep them apart?” Erestor asked.

“Or at least keep her away from here,” Daeron replied.

“But why?” Erestor’s wife, Lindorillë, demanded. “Unless this storm never stops, Alex will bring her here as soon as he can, so why bother?”

“Unless it isn’t that someone is trying to keep Anne from coming here, but to keep her away just long enough for something to happen or not happen,” Amroth suggested.

That gave them all pause and more than one person looked troubled. Finrod had remained silent during the exchange, concentrating on eating, but now he put down his fork and took a sip of juice before offering a comment. “Do not forget my own experiences with the storm last night. I do not think it mere chance that the wind slammed me into the gate and knocked me out. If Nick had not called to see if I was well, would any of you have thought to look for me or would you have assumed that I had taken shelter somewhere in town?”

“We would have called you,” Glorfindel said, “and if we had gotten no answer we would have gone in search of you.”

“But would you have been in time?” Finrod insisted and there was an uncomfortable silence at the implication of his words. “At any rate, if the Enemy is behind all this, he has been thwarted in whatever he hoped to accomplish. I am safe and alive and Alex is on his way to Fairbanks to meet his mother. They may be delayed returning if the storm does not let up, but Alex is not trapped here in Wiseman.”

“We may never know,” Vorondur offered.

“No, we may not,” Finrod said in agreement. “At any rate, is there anything that needs to be done here while those of you who will brave the storm are gone and who will remain behind? I do not wish to sit about in idleness while others are risking their lives in this storm.”

“Well, those of us who deal with the Academy will be going there shortly,” Glorfindel said. “I think the youngsters are staying here and Vorondur and Holly, right?”

Vorondur nodded. “Holly and I will come over to the Academy later to spell you. We’ll stay the night there.”

“Della and I aren’t going anywhere either,” Amroth said.

“Well, I’ll leave it to you to find ways of keeping Finrod entertained,” Glorfindel said with a grin, “but I don’t want to come home later to find any of you on the dining room table doing the limbo dance.”

There was laughter all around and Amroth promised that no one was planning to do anything of the sort. Vorondur informed Finrod that he had the psychological profile on the students he’d asked for ready for his perusal and Finrod thanked him, suggesting that they retire to the library to go over it together. That appeared to be the signal for everyone else to finish up with the breakfast and within a half an hour the house virtually emptied out. As Finrod sat in the library with Vorondur, listening to the ellon explain the criteria they were using to determine which students should be told the truth about Elf Academy, the house fell into an eerie silence and only the wailing of the wind outside could be heard.