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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil

48: Bad News

Wednesday, Alex woke to find that the feeling of dread was still with him.

“I don’t understand it,” he groused at Derek as the two set about getting ready for their day. “I thought that feeling of dread I had yesterday was nerves, you know, first day on the job butterflies, like you said, so why do I still have it?”

“I don’t know, mate,” Derek said with a shrug. “Maybe you should give Ron a call and talk to him about it.”

“Do you think it’s, you know, some sort of premonition?” Alex asked worriedly.

Derek thought about it for a moment before answering. “Let me ask you this: when you were with the Agency, didn’t you tell me you sometimes had these feelings and even though you didn’t understand them you acted on them and that saved your life?”

“Yeah, sure, but that’s not unique to me. Just about every agent I know who does field work has experienced something like it. It’s a sixth sense that helps keep you alive. Those who ignored it usually ended up dead.”

“Well, just because you’re no longer an agent, why would that sixth sense suddenly cease to function?”

Now it was Alex’s turn to mull over Derek’s words. “You think I should pay attention to what I’m feeling and look for its cause instead of assuming it’s butterflies or something?”

“That’s up to you,” Derek responded quietly. “As Finrod might say, what does your heart tell you?” He glanced at the microwave clock and scowled. “I’d better be going or I’ll be late. I really should’ve found a place in Bettles or Evansville like everyone else who works for the resort. This commute is wretched in the winter.”

“You might consider finding a room to rent,” Alex suggested, putting aside his own worries, “and just come back to Wiseman on your days off, or if you really want to move to Bettles, that’s fine with me.”

“And leave you in the lurch? Why would I do that?”

“I can certainly afford to pay the full rent. This place is dirt cheap compared to my apartment in DC. Or I can advertise for a flatmate, as they call them in England. It’s up to you. Your safety and well-being are more important to me than having you here to talk to.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it. Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure. Get going. I have to get ready to connect with my linguistics class in a bit.”

Derek nodded. “Well, have fun with that. I’ll call if I end up staying overnight at the resort. We’ve had a couple of people out with the flu or something and now that Bobbie’s not there any longer, Marty’s a bit shorthanded. “

“I’ll plan something simple for dinner, so if you’re not back in time, it’s no big deal and I’ll just freeze your portion.”

With that Derek headed out the door while Alex busied himself with the breakfast dishes before pouring himself a second cup of coffee and going to the living room where his laptop was set up in a corner along with a printer and a file cabinet, creating a mini-office space. Derek’s laptop generally went with him and if he needed something printed he could send the file wirelessly to their printer. Alex settled in his chair and turned on the computer, mulling over his conversation with Derek as it booted up. He was tempted to follow up on Derek’s suggestion that he call Ron, but, glancing at the time, he realized he would have to do it later. It took a minute or so for him to connect to the virtual classroom and then the next two hours were spent in his ‘Introduction to Linguistics’ class, which was actually an undergraduate class that was a prerequisite for a number of his other classes. This was one of two classes he was taking this term, the other being ‘Narratology’. That class was scheduled for the afternoon.

Around ten, he was startled by the sound of his phone ringing and silently cursed whoever was on the other end as he fished for it. “Yes, hello,” he said irritably while at the same time keeping an eye on the computer screen as he watched the professor write something on the board, illustrating some point she was making about morphology.

“Alex, this is Dave Michaelson.”

Alex found himself sitting upright, the feeling of dread that had been in the background of his consciousness now washing over him like a wave. “What is it?” he asked, almost in a whisper.

“It’s Farrell. He’s escaped.”

All thought of his class left him as he sat there feeling stunned. Alex forced himself to stay seated, taking a couple of deep breaths, trying to assimilate what he had just heard.

“Alex?”

“Yeah, I’m here. When? How?”

“Last night. They were transporting him between prisons in preparation for the trial. Apparently he had help from the outside and he was prepared for it.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“The guards were knocked out with tear gas but otherwise they’re fine.”

“Same MO that Farrell used to break out those two guys who tried to kidnap me and Derek.”

“Yeah, I realized that. Look, the FBI’s been called in on this and—”

“They’ll never find him,” Alex interrupted. “The Agency is very good at hiding its people when they want to. By now Farrell’s out of the country on an agency plane with a new ID. What about the other three?”

“Still under lock and key as far as I know. I’ve received no word otherwise. Their trials are set for later.”

“Have you called Ambrose… er… I mean Ryan?”

“No. That was my next name on the list.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll call him and I’ll alert the others at Edhellond.”

“You really think he’s gone?”

“Someone in the Agency arranged for him to escape. I’ll give Madison Washburn a call as well, find out what she knows. My guess is that the order came from higher up and Maddy’s not in the loop.” At least I sincerely hope not, he thought to himself.

“Well, I’m not convinced that Farrell is no longer in the country and until I know otherwise I’m going to assume that he’s coming here to take you and Ryan out and anyone else who happens to get in his way.”

“He’d be a fool to do that,” Alex stated.

“He’s obsessed with revenge against you and Ryan, Alex,” Michaelson retorted. “He won’t be satisfied with meekly leaving the country and taking up a new life in some banana republic that has no extradition treaty with the US. He won’t be satisfied with anything until he sees you and Ryan dead.”

“Well, thanks for the heads-up anyway,” Alex said.

“Damn! You are a supercilious son of a gun, aren’t you?” Michaelson said angrily.

“I can take care of myself, Dave,” Alex replied.

“Famous last words. Fine. I was going to offer police protection but I can tell you’re not going to accept it.”

“Trust me, Dave, if Farrell is gunning for me, all the police in the world won’t protect me and they’ll just get hurt in the process.”

“You don’t think he’ll just take you out with a sniper gun?”

“Even if he did, what could you or anyone else do about it? But actually, if Farrell’s going to come after me, he’s going to make it up close and personal. He will want to see me face-to-face before he pulls the trigger.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ve dealt with his type before. Trust me on this, Dave, and look, I really do appreciate you giving me a heads-up. My main concern is collateral damage. Farrell won’t be particular and he’ll try to get to me through others, like Derek, so if you’re offering protection, I’ll be easier in my mind if you give it to Derek and Zach. They’re vulnerable and they both have suffered enough because of him.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks. Oh, any news on who attacked Loren?”

“We found his ring in a hock shop in Nolan. The owner’s given us a description of the person who brought it to him and we’ve identified the perp, but we haven’t made any arrests as yet. We’re gathering more evidence but we hope to make a bust soon.”

“Good. The sooner Loren gets that ring back, the better, from what I understand.”

“It’s just a ring,” Michaelson said dismissively.

Alex grinned even though the police captain could not see him. “You should know by now, Dave, that with Elves nothing is what it seems. That ring is more than just a ring, though I don’t know any details. All I do know is that everyone in Edhellond is worried and they won’t breathe easy until they get it back.”

“Great,” Michaelson muttered. “Well, the ring is evidence. He’s not going to get it back anytime soon, I’m afraid.”

“You may not have any choice in the matter, Dave. Finrod was really worried about Loren being without the ring. They all were. I don’t know why myself, but I got the feeling that without it, Loren is in trouble.”

“Boy, Loren is always in trouble,” Michaelson retorted. “Okay, I’ve got another call coming in. I’ll be in touch.”

With that, he hung up and Alex put his phone down. On the computer screen the instructor was finishing her lecture, giving the class an essay assignment, reminding them that papers needed to be submitted by five o’clock on Monday. Alex jotted down the information, then ended the session. Before shutting down, he accessed his email account and was not surprised to see one from Maddy. It was encrypted and he opened up the encryption program that would allow him to read it. As he suspected, she had already heard about Farrell’s escape.

I have my suspicions as to who arranged it, but I have no proof, he read. Keep an eye out. My source says he’s on his way to Wiseman.

Alex snorted, having a good idea just who Maddy’s source of information was. “And if your source knows that, Maddy, why doesn’t he just pick the guy up and throw him back into prison where he belongs?” he asked out loud as he sent off a reply to the Deputy Director.

“Well, that would be cheating, wouldn’t it?”

Only training kept Alex from jumping at the sound of the voice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see a Maia grinning at him. It was Olórin, still dressed in the faded jeans and gray cardigan he'd last seen him in, looking like someone's grandfather. Alex noted with wry amusement that he stood well away from him. Apparently, Fionwë had warned the other Maiar about sneaking up on him.

“You’ve allowed Farrell to escape,” Alex said accusingly.

“We’ve allowed nothing, Alex Grant,” Olórin corrected, turning grave. “We have no orders to interfere.”

“So why are you here?” Alex asked.

“To let you know that while we cannot interfere with events, we can offer our assistance.”

“You can assist by grabbing Farrell and putting him back in prison,” Alex demanded, shutting down his computer and standing to stretch.

“What would you do if you had no knowledge of our existence?” Olórin asked. “How would you handle the news of Farrell’s escape?”

“By making sure that Farrell comes after me and leaves everyone else alone.” He picked up his empty mug and headed for the kitchen with Olórin following him.

“You know his primary obsession is with Amroth.”

“Yeah, I figured that, but I’m going to arrange for Amroth and Della to disappear for a time so the only person Farrell will be gunning for is me. I can handle him.”

“Then you don’t really need me or my fellow Maiar to help you,” Olórin pointed out.

Alex frowned as he rinsed his mug and set it on the drainboard. “I’m obviously missing something here. You just said you could offer assistance.”

“Yes, but not the way you think,” Olórin said. “Your primary concern is for the safety of others, rather than for yourself, and that is commendable. I can make sure that your friends remain safe while you hold yourself out as a target. What happens then is up to you and the outcome is not assured.”

“So you’re saying that Farrell could well succeed in getting to me and you won’t jump in and save me.”

“Not unless given explicit instructions to do so.”

“But the others will remain safe regardless.”

“Yes.”

“Why them and not me?”

“A fair question. Let me ask you this: do you want protection?”

Alex blinked, not sure what the Maia was getting at. His confusion must have shown for the Maia smiled. “Alex, do you want protection? You only have to ask and it will be granted.”

“I haven’t asked, not for myself,” Alex said slowly.

Olórin nodded. “And until you do, I cannot offer it.”

“But you offer it for the others?”

“Because you’ve asked for it in their names.”

“What if someone does the same for me?”

“Then it will be granted, though you won’t be aware of it, even as the others will not be aware of it.”

“Amroth’s going to want to set himself up as a target.”

“Yes, but he has Nimrodel and the twins to consider, so you will be able to argue him out of it.”

Alex thought about that for a moment and then nodded. “Fine. It doesn’t matter if you offer me protection or not. Farrell is and always has been my problem. You make sure everyone else stays safe. I’ll deal with this.”

“Just remember that you are not alone,” Olórin reminded him. “You have resources to call on, not just your mortal law enforcement, but the Elves and me.”

“I’ll remember that,” Alex said, but he spoke to empty air, the scent of rosemary and something else that he could not identify filling the space where the Maia had been. “Neat trick,” he called out and thought he heard laughter as if coming from a great distance and couldn’t help grinning. Then his expression sobered and he went back into the living room and picked up the phone, speed dialing a number.

“Quinn O’Brien,” he heard Finrod answer after the fourth ring.

“Finrod, it’s Alex Grant. Dave Michaelson just called. Farrell escaped last night.”

There was a brief second of silence and then he heard Finrod speaking to another. “Nick, I must go. There’s an emergency.”

“Ah, sure….” Alex heard Nick Greene say, sounding a bit uncertain about it all.

“I am sorry,” Finrod said, “but lives are at stake, literally.”

“Then go and stay safe,” Nick responded more forcefully.

“Alex?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Can you pick me up? I will wait for you before St. Mary’s.”

“I can be there in about fifteen minutes. I was going to call Amroth next.”

“No, do not bother. I will contact Glorfindel and have him and Valandur meet us at Amroth’s.”

“Good enough. I’ll see you shortly.” He ended the call and went to grab his coat and car keys. At the last minute, he detoured to his bedroom, opened his closet and reached up to the top shelf where he pulled down a small case, placing it on the bed. It had a computer lock and he punched in the proper code which only he knew, opening the case to a GLOCK 26 9mm handgun, his personal choice for concealed carry. He pulled it out and checked to see that the clip was empty before grabbing two preloaded magazines and shoving them into a pocket of his coat. He clipped on a belt holster for the gun, covering it with the sweatshirt he was wearing so it could not be seen, before shrugging on his coat. The last item he took out of the case was a slim wallet that contained his concealed carry permit and shoved that into one of his coat pockets as well. Then he closed the case and returned it to the closet and headed out.

Finrod was waiting for him as promised before St. Mary’s, his cloak billowing about him in the slight breeze, mild for this time of year. His head was uncovered. As he got in the car and pulled the seatbelt over him, he said, “Glorfindel and Valandur are on their way. Glorfindel was at the college when I talked with him, so he’s stopping at Edhellond to pick up Valandur and I think Daeron will be with him.”

“Daeron is very wise and he seems to be able to keep Loren from exploding,” Alex said as he pulled into traffic and headed for Amroth’s house.

Finrod grinned, “For which we can be thankful.”

“Olórin paid me a visit,” Alex said baldly.

“Indeed? How interesting.”

Alex stole a glance at the ellon, quirking his lips into a wry smile. “Is that all you have to say?”

“You will have to tell us what prompted him to come to you,” was Finrod’s response and Alex nodded in agreement.

Within minutes, they were pulling into the driveway to find Glorfindel’s van already there. Before they even reached the front door, it opened and Vorondur was there to greet him, looking grave.

“Loren’s told us the news,” he said as he ushered them inside, automatically taking Finrod’s cloak as the Elf-prince handed it to him. Alex was left to hang up his coat himself. “We’re in the kitchen. Holly’s made pumpkin bread and we have tea all set out.”

“This isn’t a tea party, Ron, but a war council,” Alex retorted.

“And can it not be both, child?” the Elf replied with a smile as he led them down the hall to the kitchen where they found Loren, Valandur, Daeron, Amroth, Nimrodel and Ercassë sitting or standing about. They all looked up as the three entered.

“So why did Dave Michaelson call you and not us?” Glorfindel demanded by way of greeting.

“And a good morning to you, too, Loren,” Alex said with a grin. Glorfindel muttered something that might have been ‘good morning’ but Alex suspected that it was something else entirely. Daeron rolling his eyes as the other three ellyn grinned and the two ellith blushed confirmed his suspicions. “He was going to call everyone concerned,” he said, ignoring the byplay. “I just happened to be first on the list. I told him I would contact you instead.”

“Fair enough,” Vorondur said. “Let’s all take a deep breath and a step back. High emotions are no good to us here. We need to remain calm and focused.”

The tea kettle suddenly began whistling and Ercassë took it off the burner and poured the boiling water into a tea pot. For a few minutes, they busied themselves with filling cups and grabbing some still warm pumpkin bread before Finrod turned to Alex. “Tell us what you know.”

“What I know is little enough,” Alex admitted. “According to Michaelson, Farrell escaped last night while being transported between prisons with a little help from the Agency, or so I suspect and so does Maddy.”

“Do we know who?” Glorfindel asked.

“Does it matter?” Amroth retorted. “He’s escaped. Who helped is not relevant at the moment.” He turned to Alex. “You’re assuming he’s heading here to finish what he started.”

“That’s Dave’s idea. Personally, I would hope he’s out of the country by now, but Maddy says her source says otherwise.” He gave them a significant look and they all took his meaning.

“Is that confirmed, though?” Amroth insisted.

“Tell him about your visitor,” Finrod said to Alex before he could reply to Amroth’s question.

“Yeah, well, Olórin showed up.”

“Did he now?” Valandur said raising one eyebrow. “How interesting.”

“Finrod thinks so, too. Anything you guys want to share with me?” Alex suddenly realized that he was the lone Mortal among all the Elves and for some reason that revelation made him uneasy.

Valandur gave him a shrug. “When that one makes an appearance, things become… interesting for many.”

“Him, but not any of the other Maiar?” Alex asked, looking unconvinced.

“Oh the others offer their own brand of excitement, have no doubt about that,” Valandur said with a chuckle, “but Olórin, well, let’s just say that if that one is openly involved, and we know this because he appeared to you personally, then things are about to get very interesting indeed for us all.”

Finrod nodded as did Glorfindel, though the others looked somewhat bemused and Alex realized that they were the ones who had never been to Aman.

“Okay, I can see that,” Alex said after a bit, “but it doesn’t alter the fact that we need to make plans. Amroth, I think you and Della need to hide.”

“Now listen here—” Amroth started to say somewhat angrily, but Finrod cut him off.

“No, mellon nîn, Alex is correct. You must think of your children. If you are killed, what will become of them and Nimrodel? They are already drawing upon your fëa. You are in no condition to fight.”

“What do you have in mind, Alex?” Glorfindel asked, giving him a shrewd look. “I can tell that you’ve already thought things through.”

Alex gave them a mischievous smile. “We send them to the Barony of Winter’s Gate and have Gwyn hide them,” Alex replied and both Daeron and Finrod gave him wide-eyed looks at the implication of his words while Glorfindel merely nodded. The others were naturally puzzled, not understanding the reference.

“Barony of Winter’s Gate?” Nimrodel asked. “Where’s that?”

“Who the hell is Gwyn and how can he protect us any better than all of you?” Amroth demanded almost at the same time.

“We were going to wait until Saturday when we were in council to tell you,” Glorfindel said after giving Finrod a questioning look to which the Elf-prince nodded, “but while we were in Fairbanks we met two Elves.”

 “What?!” several voices exclaimed as one.

“You’ve met other Elves and you don’t tell us?” Amroth demanded, looking both hurt and angry at the same time. He glared at Vorondur. “All you said was that you met some people in this SCA and you decided to use it as a vehicle for training our people. You made no mention of meeting other Elves.”

“There are reasons why we didn’t,” Finrod intervened before Vorondur could speak, “and this is not the time to go into explanations. Alex’s suggestion has merit. Gwyn and Gareth can certainly offer their protection.”

“And the protection of Gwaith-en-Angbor,” Daeron added. “Do not dismiss them, Finrod,” he said when the other ellon looked to disagree. “Mortals they may be, but they’ve been Elf-trained. You saw this at the demo.”

“Okay, just what the hell are you talking about? Barony of Winter’s Gate? Gwaith-en-Angbor? Talk sense, will you!” Amroth nearly shouted in anger and frustration.

Vorondur reached over and placed a warning hand on Amroth’s arm. “Stay calm,” he said with grave authority, “you’re upsetting the twins. Can you not feel their agitation?”

Alex found himself staring at Nimrodel along with everyone else, but the elleth sat there calmly, a hand held protectively across her stomach which was clearly round in pregnancy. Amroth blushed, muttering an apology as he leaned over to kiss his wife, who accepted it with a gracious smile.

“That’s better,” Vorondur said approvingly and then gave Finrod and Glorfindel a stern look. “I think we need to hold a council meeting sooner than Saturday, like tonight, if at all possible.”

“I agree,” Finrod said. “This news changes everything. Would you make the arrangements, Daeron? Should we involve the Mortals?”

“Not by my council,” Valandur answered before anyone else could speak. “At least, not all of them. Alex should be there and perhaps we can ask Dave Michaelson to come. He may have further information that we will need to make informed choices.”

“I should tell you that Olórin told me that Amroth, Della, Derek and Zach will be protected,” Alex said.

“Oh? And why them in particular?” Glorfindel asked, narrowing his eyes.

Alex found he could not look at anyone directly for some reason and felt himself blushing. “Ah… because I asked for it?”

There was a brief moment of silence and then Finrod nodded. “You did not ask for yourself,” he stated and Alex shook his head.

“He told me that I could ask and it would be granted or others could ask for me, though I would not know of it.”

“And why have you not asked for yourself?” Vorondur enquired.

Alex shrugged. “After Amroth, Farrell wants me. If Amroth is out of his reach, then he’s only going to come after me and no one else.”

“So you’re setting yourself up as a target?” Valandur asked. “Is that wise?” He looked to Amroth.

“It’s not exactly prudent, but it makes sense,” Amroth answered. “Alex has played this game before. He knows what he’s about.”

“Fine,” Glorfindel said brusquely. “Do we know if Farrell is in Wiseman already?”

“Who can say?” Amroth replied with a shrug. “My guess is that those who helped him escape had plans to get him out of the country, but if he was able to nix that idea and convince them to take him to Wiseman, they may already be here or they are on the way. It depends on how much convincing he had to do, since the others would have had their own orders and there may have been a period of indecision on everyone’s part. That can only help us as it gives us more time to prepare.”

“What about the other three agents?” Daeron asked.

“Michaelson says they’re still in lockup,” Alex replied. “If he hears anything different, he’ll let us know.”

“Then let us make our arrangements,” Finrod said. “We will call for a council meeting this evening. Amroth, you and Nimrodel should be prepared to leave as soon as we finish.”

“I want Misty to come with us,” Nimrodel said softly, looking to Amroth who nodded.

“Yes, that would be wise,” Valandur said. “Perhaps one of the ellyn should go as well?”

“We can discuss it at the meeting,” Finrod said, “Also, we will need to contact Gwyn to warn him.”

“I have his email address,” Daeron said. “I’ll send him a message as soon as we finish here.”

“Good enough,” Finrod said. “Then if we are agreed, we shall leave you. I need to get back to the bookstore and I imagine some of you need to return to your own duties.”

“I’ve got my next linguistics class in about an hour,” Alex said. “Feels weird to think of sitting in my living room listening to a lecture while somewhere out there is someone who wants me dead.”

“You may want to reconsider asking for protection,” Vorondur suggested but Alex just shrugged, not willing to agree. The others began to stand, the meeting obviously over. Alex offered to drop Finrod off and the ellon thanked him as they headed for the front door to claim coats and cloaks.

“Oh, by the way, Ron,” Alex said as he was buttoning up his coat, “I was planning to call you after my morning class and tell you about this feeling of dread I’ve had since yesterday. I thought at first it was just butterflies, you know, because yesterday was my first day teaching, but the feeling was still with me this morning. Derek thought perhaps it was a premonition. I wasn’t so sure, but now….”

“Hmm… that is interesting,” Vorondur said and the others looked at Alex with varying degrees of attention. “We may wish to explore this further. You are scheduled for a session on Friday, are you not?”

Alex nodded. “Though with Farrell on the loose maybe—”

“No. Keep to your normal routine,” Amroth insisted. “You know that the best way to draw someone out is to make them think you’re not aware of them.”

“But he has to know that the authorities will alert us,” Alex protested.

“Yes, but I noticed there was nothing in the news this morning about the escape, which leads me to suspect the authorities are keeping it under wraps for now,” Amroth pointed out. “So, for now, keep to your schedule and you may not ask for protection for yourself, but I certainly will and so will we all.”

The other Elves nodded and Alex reddened slightly under their regard. “Thanks,” he muttered and then they were saying their farewells and a minute later he and Finrod were driving away. He dropped the Elf off at the Safeway and then headed back home, reaching it in plenty of time to connect with his class. And though the subject matter was interesting enough and the instructor engaging, Alex found his mind wandering as he considered how best to draw Farrell out of hiding in such a way as not to endanger anyone else.





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