Home From the Sea by Mercedes Lackey

Author:Mercedes Lackey [Lackey, Mercedes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101588598
Publisher: Daw Books, Inc.
Published: 2012-06-05T07:00:00+00:00

Mari was just a little vexed at the way things were progressing—or rather, were not progressing. Here she was, trying to get Idwal’s interest, and he was absolutely oblivious to her hints. And she just couldn’t seem to get rid of the others, except for Mabon, who had stood up one night after Idwal finished telling a tale, announced that he simply could not offer anything that the others couldn’t do better, and that he was going back to the sea.

Poor Mabon. It didn’t help that it was true. He couldn’t teach her magic, he couldn’t tell a tale, was not any sort of musician, wasn’t as handsome as Rhodri, wasn’t as amusing as Trefor, and wasn’t anything like the help with the fishing that Niarl was. She had felt terribly sorry for him—but not so sorry that she was going to run after him and beg him to come back.

After all, if she didn’t eliminate someone, that unpleasant creature, the clan leader—she still didn’t know his name—would begin to suspect what she was up to. She was supposed to be deciding among these suitors. He had clearly sent her good choices, so some delay was perfectly natural as she was spoiled for choice. Still, if she had gone much longer without one giving up, things would look suspicious indeed. Mabon did her a favor.

She couldn’t stay vexed at Idwal for long, however, since what Idwal was teaching her was so very fascinating. It was all so exciting that as soon as a lesson began, she would completely forget she was supposed to be annoyed.

Already she could reliably invite the three Tylwyth Teg—Idwal said they were true Elementals, and not actually Fair Folk—that lived in the spring nearest the cottage. One would always come, often two, and reasonably often, all three. This, Idwal said, meant that her “calls” would work, and more to the point, if she needed an Elemental, one would likely turn up without her needing to call.

And she could see other creatures now, though she couldn’t really communicate with them in a meaningful way—others being the creatures of the other three elements, fire, earth and air. Air, she saw most often, the transparent winged girls that were the primary Air Elementals; earth now and again in the form of little hobs and good-tempered creatures she couldn’t put a name to in the meadow; and fire, once, in the fire that heated the oven, a strange, lizard-like creature with glowing eyes.

Idwal had taught her how to protect herself, how to hide herself from the eyes of magicians, and promised to teach her how to defend and attack at need. She was looking forward to that. But today he had been quite mysterious, and told her only to come down to the shore at dawn, because he wished to surprise her.

So down to the shore she went, in the early morning before the boys came, for that was when he had specified. She crept out of the cottage without

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