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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within by Fiondil	17 Review(s)
Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 6/23/2014
For once I am glad that so many Elves are there; with only the initial crowd, there would not have been enough healers. And from the looks of it, Elven healing mixed with Mortal surgery was doing more good than one alone. To hear that Glorfindel's ring is missing is really worrying, knowing what the ring does – and considering his emotional and now physical state. You don't do anything by half, do you? It was a bit unexpected to see Josiah and the others coming, but it seems they did a decent job in diffusing the tension a bit. And it was good that so many of the Mortals came, also, showing how many were worried about Glorfindel. For once I am glad that I am so far behind – at least I don't have to wait for updates when it gets so nerve-wracking! Author Reply: This chapter is nerve-wracking for sure, Kitty, with a lot of emotions flying hither and yon. And it's interesting that it took Mortals to help diffuse the tensions between the different groups of Elves, I think. And no, I try not to do anything by halves. grin Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it.

Laer	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/29/2014
Wow such a moving chapter. Loved the three religious leaders helping the elves and the mortals through this. :) Now as for the ring that is missing. I am betting someone is going to see the ring and that will help them find at least one of the butt picks that did this. Loren will be in for a long recovery, I hope no brain damage has been had and if so hope it don't take him back to the days of the Golden Flower...or the War of The Ring. Then Fin would have to be the one to take Loren by the hand and help him to maneuver around in with these mortals. yikes! As for Glorfindel and Finrod the real personalities...that might be a whole 'nother bucket of worms. (and yes I know they are the same beings, but they are different personalities.) And another yikes on the elves trying to wade through all the papers and politics that go with Loren's job. Cringe worthy stuff there. Then we have Helena...or rather Helyanwë; as she thinks of herself as only an elf related to a prince. I know she feels horrible for what has happened, but does she truly understand what she did? How she hurt someone that she thought she loved. Oi Vey. I did like the interaction between Kyle and Vardamir. They should both stay their own person, and learn from each other. I am sure they will need that ability in the times to come :) Author Reply: Hi Laer. I'm glad you found the chapter moving. It's pretty fraught with a lot of emotions, not all of the positive. I think I even breathed a sigh of relief when I finished writing it. Glorfindel's too hard-headed to suffer much brain damage. grin Helena/Helyanwë will need to do a lot of soul-searching here. Let's hope she's learned something (or will learn something) from all this. I'm sure Kyle's and Vardamir's respect for one another has only been deepened by this crisis and Kyle will begin to rely on the Elven healers more, recognizing that they have different powers that can only help in saving people's lives. Thanks for taking the time to read and review. I very much appreciate it.

Lyana	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
So many things I loved about this chapter! I think Kyle and Vardamir have a whole new respect for and appreciation of each other's abilities, and that's only a good thing. And Dave too... Now to get human forensic techniques working alongside elven skills and senses, and I'm looking forward to this investigation! And the rabbi, priest and pastor all showing up and being proactive - very good... An unseen battle indeed! As the Elves begin to understand more of the Mortal story, I wonder if they will begin to be a little jealous of humanity's relationship with the One. Love overcoming fear and vengeance... Love always wins. I hope they all remember that. Author Reply: Love always wins for sure, Lyana, and I'm sure they will remember that. I'm sure Kyle and Vardamir's professional relationship has gone to a whole new level and they will work even more closely with one another and I think Dave will be rethinking certain assumptions he's had about the Elves as well. You may be on to something about the Elves perhaps begin to feel a little jealous of humanity's relationship with the One, but I don't see a massive turnout at the next revival and everyone "answering the Call". grin Thanks for commenting. It's much appreciated.

rikki	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
Ah, the power of prayer. No matter what your religious belief, it can move and change the whole atmosphere. I loved it when the some of the listeners were answering "Amen!" after Josiah's prayer. Three diverse sects, but very powerful in their own way. I would not be surprised to see some of the church members show up with casseroles and cakes for the elves. Love your brother and make sure he is fed! It was disturbing to hear that Glorfindel suffered a cardiac arrest. He is going to be one sick elf for a while, even if elves do heal quickly. I think Finrod and all the elves are going to be surprised when they try to help out where Glorfindel has been working and finding out how much he truly has been facing. Sometimes an on-hand demo can show a lot more than just telling someone this is how it is. The mortals showing up to give their support to the elves is hopefully building a stronger relationship between the two groups. Still more problems to face now in finding the attackers, healing the divisions between the elves and between the elves and the mortals. Until Glorfindel wakes up and can tell the police what happened, it's going to be a slow and tortuous investigation into what led up to the attack. Hopefully, the two Legolas' will not rub the mortals the wrong way when they are looking for clues. It should also be fun watching the two elves learn about modern day procedures for securing the evidence that is found. This is where I would expect that Alex and Derek could do a good job tracking down the perps and solving the crime. Author Reply: Hi rikki. Prayer can move mountains. Glorfindel will be one sick Elf for a while, that's for sure. He's been severely traumatized and having surgery doesn't help. We'll see how things progress from here with Glorfindel temporarily out of commission and we'll see what affect the mortal police investigation has on at least one of the Elves later. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated.

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
They did defuse the situation nicely, I must say. When three of such different traditions cooperate many miracles can happen as a result! And it's good to know that Glorfindel's spirit didn't try a runner again. I'm certain that there are a few Maiar lurking about unseen, and now the Hunters will be searching for a particular ring. I don't envy whoever is found holding it! Author Reply: Many miracles can indeed happen, Larner. I'm sure there were an entire legion of Maiar making sure Glorfindel's fëa didn't do a runner even if the Elves didn't sense them. grin Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.

obsidianj	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
Nice title. It is not only Glorfindel who got rescued here. I liked it that everyone who entered the waiting rooms especially the mortals picked up on the tension between the occupants. It must have been a shock to Dave to literally "see" the shield going up over the OR. It probably gave him some new perspective of the powers of the elves. I liked the prayer scene. It was a strange ritual for the elves, but it seems to have the desired effect. Now they need to figure out who did this. There were some ominous hints in this chapter, and the missing ring makes me wonder... Author Reply: Glad you liked the title, obsidianj, and you're right that refers to more than one kind of rescue. And it was probably the first time Dave actually witnessed the powers of the Elves, which probably had been discussed but never fully demonstrated. Walking on snow and not being as affected by cold is one thing, raising shields with the flick of a thought is something else entirely, and don't even think about Songs of Power! grin Anyway, the prayer fest, as Alex called it, was indeed a strange ritual for the Elves, but it did the trick. And perhaps we'll learn who was responsible eventually. Thanks for reviewing. I appreciate it very much.

Sunny	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
Poor Glorfindel! He always seems to end up the worse for wear, somehow! At least he is out of immediate danger now, and certainly all the Elven healers are doing their very best to keep him on the right side of the Gates of Mandos. And it wouldn't surprise me if Námo's Maiar are lining up to keep him out the Halls - _one_ round with him there would have been enough for them, and then some! I wonder where Glorfindel's ring ended up, and if he will get it back again. And why it was stolen in the first place. If it was just a theft after a gang of hoodlums beat him up (and it would have them at least a score of them to get Glorfindel into this state, and they would not have ended up undamaged, I'm sure) or someone - or something - else is sniffing around the place. In which case this theft might have nastier implications. I see that Valandur seems to be taking an interest in Alex. And Val is a smar cookie. I'm sure he will make a point of developing a good working relationship with him and Amroth. Which will surely come in very useful at a later date. Heh. Grand Central Station. The only thing lacking then would be cats manipulating hyperstrings. (In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm referring to Diane Duane Feline Wizards series.) I think it's fairly obvious that it probably was Fionwë who called Charles and Josiah in. And they - and rabbi Cohen - did their work well, in managing to defuse the tensions and bad feeling in the waiting room. I'm sure the Valinorean Elves found it a rather weird and alien experience (especially the bit about the reference to walking through the valley of the shadow of death, immortals that they are) Well, with Glorfindel out for the count for now, and probably for quite a while while he heals, too, Finrod will clearly have to step up and take more of a hand as a leader. Which he really isn't ready for - the current Mortal world, and Wiseman, is really an alien environment for him and the other newcomers, even if a lot of them won't admit it. I hope Finrod and the others are willing to take advice, and also to ask for it, in order to not stomp too hard on various tender toes among the Mortals of Wiseman. I'm sure they will blunder around some, but hopefully the damage won't be too bad. Author Reply: Hi Sunny. Yeah, poor Glorfindel, but while he's not exactly out of the woods yet, he's in good hands with all the Elven healers on hand as well as the mortal doctors and nurses. As for his ring, that will be addressed eventually. Valandur is very interested in Alex, especially in his spying abilities. He knows that Alex is a great asset to the Elves and we will actually see the two together later on in the story and see how they interact with one another. Haven't gotten around to reading the Feline Wizards series yet, but it's on my bucket list of reads for when I have... ahem... time. Certainly one of the Maiar put in the call after consulting with the Valar, no doubt, and a good thing too. And we'll see how Finrod deals with taking charge while Glorfindel is out of commission. Thanks for leaving a comment. It's greatly appreciated.

Ellie	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
Cyberspace consumed my first attempt at a review. Go figure. Loved the prayer warriors here. The elves have been told repeatedly that this war is being fought on many fronts and they really don't seem to have seen it. Maybe they will gain a better understanding of that now. It was awesome watching the prayer warriors in action and the effect they had on the elves and on the mortals, too. Author Reply: Hi Ellie. Cyberspace has that habit sometimes. It can be pretty frustrating. Anyway, prayer warriors is a good term for the three ministers. And I think you're right that this is the first time the Elves have a real sense that the war they are fighting or will be fighting is more than just a physical war but a spiritual one as well. Thanks for leaving a review. It's greatly appreciated.

demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
Oh, I also noticed that Dr. Stoner and Vardamir seemed to be back in harmony again by the time they were through. I hope that means that the experience showed them they can work together. The whole "Alien Overlord thing" has got to be overcome by both parties! Author Reply: Kyle might have been miffed by Vardamir's attitude, but he's a professional and the patient always comes first, and probably as the surgery progressed, his respect for the Elven healer deepened. But you're right that the whole "alien overlord" mentally does have to be overcome by both parties. Hopefully this incident will help.

demeter d	Reviewed Chapter: 26 on 3/28/2014
"We were called in". INDEED, and I am sure all of us have our own ideas of how and by whom! Well, I hope that now the Elves have been granted a bit of insight as to why the Mortals have the audacity to speak to the Creator directly, without benefit of Maiar or other types of Angels. And just perhaps, some of them might have been open to the fact that we have been granted our own kinds of Power; different from theirs, perhaps, but no less a gift from the same Creator. I think that Josiah has just been granted the opportunity to give basically the same sermon to a roomful of battling Elves that he gave to his own congregation on Sunday. Now, to see if it had any effect! (Thank you, by the way. I just realized that had you timed Friday's cliff-hanger for a Monday, we all would have had an extra day to wait for a resolution! Nicely done!) Author Reply: Hi Demeter d. Hopefully, the Elves will indeed recognize that we Mortals have our own kinds of Power. And yes, Josiah pretty much repeated his previous sermon but to the other side, so to speak. Hopefully, that message will sink in as well. And trust me, I did not plan it so that the cliffhanger was timed for Friday, it just happened that way. grin Thanks for reviewing. I very much appreciate it.

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