Chapter 3

Bright sunlight burned into Kate's eyelids, and she turned her head away with a faint groan. Dag nabbit. If the sun was coming in her window, that meant she was late for work, and she couldn't be late again because—she froze as the memories came rushing back.

Oh no. She was more than late for work, she was screwed.

She cautiously peeled her eyes open—maybe it was just a dream? —and the first thing she saw was a rich, dark mahogany wardrobe elegantly carved in sweeping lines with delicate designs etched into the doors. Beautiful, but unless someone had snuck in and redecorated while she slept, something that was definitely not in her bedroom.

Aw, dag.

Really, she should have known. The bed she was lying in was way too comfortable, and the blankets, light and fluffy and softer than a kitten's behind, were way too luxurious to be her own.

Sighing, she turned over to check out the rest of the room and her eyes immediately caught on the elf sitting at a dainty little bistro-style table, sipping from a teacup and staring out the window, paying her no mind. He was dressed differently than when she'd last seen him, a light blue tunic and darker leggings replacing the armor, but there was no mistaking that face; it was that hot jerk from the tree.

"Definitely not a dream, then," she muttered as she sat up.

"Ae, maedh bollo, in ordha te carase maedh," the elf said, placing his teacup on the table before facing her with a peaceable smile.

Trying to make nice, huh? Well, it was better than that suspicious glare he'd hit her with before he took the book. Still, she wasn't sure she was buying it.

"Uh, hi," she said warily. "Where… am I?" Which was fruitless, of course, as he couldn't understand her, but he answered anyway.

"Teil bin anem thaul onem Arain onem Tiranen Naudh," he stated, then dipped his head a bit before adding in a softer, almost apologetic tone, "Teil baenn dwen."

Kate wasn't quite sure what to do with that.

"Okay, well, that's…that, I guess."

Dag. How was she supposed to communicate with these people? In all her fantasies of running off to Taleria, this had never been an issue. In the books and movies, whatever the characters native language, they had always spoken a common language as well, one she'd thought was English. Apparently not.

So, now what? She had a lot of questions, but how could she possibly ask them? She would have to figure something out, and soon. She didn't know how long she had slept, but she had a pressing need to take care of.

"Hey, buddy? Uh, hi. I need–" she put her hand to her chest and raised her voice, speaking slowly– "I need a washroom."

He cocked his head, studying her with a quizzical expression.

Okay, yeah, 'Ugly American' your way through this, loud and slow, that'll do the trick, she thought, rolling her eyes. Idiot. Try something else.

"In dau uvernia te," he said.

It sounded familiar. Something from the movie?

No, wait, Lindolir had said that, not long before this smartass jumped out of the tree. Was he still telling her where she was? Nice, but not exactly helpful. Back to the problem at hand. How to ask– ooh, lightbulb!

"Okay," she told the elf, "Pay attention."

Kate held out her hands and exaggeratedly mimed washing them, then her face, and using a corner of her blanket as a towel, drying off. Then she shrugged and spread her arms wide while looking around to indicate 'where?'.

The elf, who had been watching her little show with bemused interest, smiled suddenly and stood, moving to a door she hadn't seen behind him.

"Alae!" He opened it with a flourish and stepped aside, revealing– was that a toilet? Oh, sweet lollipops and sundrops, it was!

Kate couldn't help a grin as she scrambled out of the covers and off the bed, feeling quite pleased with herself, until about two steps later when her legs helpfully decided to buckle so she could introduce her face to the rug-warmed floor. And she would have too, except the elf was there before she could even gasp, holding her shoulders in a firm, steadying grip.

He murmured something while she tried to blink past her stuttering thoughts, as a sweet scent like freshly cut grass mixed with something she couldn't quite identify filled her senses.

"I… um, thanks," she muttered, giving her head a slight shake. "I'm okay, you can let go now."

He seemed to understand when she cast a meaningful glance at the washroom behind him and released her, stepping aside so she could pass. She didn't miss how he kept a careful watch on her as she walked, shakier than she'd like, looking ready to pounce if she fell again. She didn't, thankfully, because she was getting tired of this 'swooning damsel in distress' routine.

Seriously, what was up with her? She'd fallen more in the past…however long it had been than she had since that awkward clumsy phase she'd hit at thirteen. Maybe–No, that could wait. Bigger fish to fry. Well, more immediate fish, anyway.

After giving the toilet a quick once over—it looked like one of those fancy ones she'd seen in magazine pictures of rich people's houses, with the tank elevated high on the wall and a long, dangling pull cord for flushing—she did her business and went to wash up.

The sink was the pedestal type, with a single lever to draw the water which came in only one temperature: ice cold. But whatever, it was indoor plumbing, and that was more than she would have expected of elves in a medieval-type world. She wasn't complaining.

As she dried off on what she assumed was a towel, though it seemed to be made of a thick linen, Kate caught sight of her reflection in the simple mirror above the sink and it was only then she noticed her clothes.

What the hell was she wearing? It looked like an oversized christening dress. When did… Oh, no. Had the elves undressed her? Had he?

A quick pat-down revealed she still had her underwear, and that was more than a relief, but why had she been undressed in the first place? And put into that weird-ass nightgown? Maybe it was something innocent, she reasoned, like a hospitality thing to make her more comfortable while she slept, or for examination by a doctor—or healer or whatever their version of that was. She had hit her head, and passed out, after all.

Yes, that was definitely it, she decided, partly because all the less savory possibilities just didn't fit the elves she had read about and admired for so long, though a small, wary voice told her she was being stupidly naïve with that kind of wishful thinking. But it was mostly because that was the only way she was going to be able to leave this room and face that elf again.

When she did, she found the elf pouring something from an ornate silver ewer into a delicately crafted glass. He turned as Kate approached, setting the glass in front of an empty seat, and gestured for her to sit.

Well, why not, what else did she have to do?

Taking the offered seat as the elf settled into the other, she inspected the contents of the glass he had set out for her. It looked like water and didn't seem to have any discernible smell… probably safe.

But was she willing to bet her life on probably?

She thought she could feel the elf watching as she suspiciously eyed the glass, and sure enough, when she glanced up, it was to find him regarding her with a somewhat bemused expression, as if wondering why she would be skeptical of it.

She couldn't help a little snort at that because, really? She had to spell it out for him? Fine. After a moment's thought, she looked down at her nightgown, pulling at the collar and screwing her face up into a 'what the hell' expression, then glanced behind her at the bed, then back to the elf.

He didn't get right away, but understanding soon dawned and, oh, there was that hurt look again.

"Seriously, buddy? You try waking up in a strange place, in different clothes and see how trusting you feel," she muttered. Especially after that tree thing. She rolled her eyes. "Not gonna feel bad for you."

He really did seem at a loss, though it didn't last long before he seemed struck by an idea and quickly drained his teacup, refilled it from the ewer, then took a pointed drink with an eyebrow raised, as if to say, 'see, it's safe, I'm not trying to poison you'.

That did go a long way to placating her—though she could have done without the attitude—and she had seen him pour the drink, so unless he had put something in the ewer he was immune to, it was safe. Besides, if he'd wanted to hurt her, he'd already had plenty of opportunities. Dehydrating herself wouldn't do her any good anyway, and she was already parched, so she finally conceded to take a sip.

And almost choked on the unexpected taste. If that was water, it was the sweetest, purest she had ever tasted. She gave the glass a hard look, and the elf, but he only smiled and took another drink of his own. Maybe they put something in it, like those little bottles of juice sweetener you can buy at the store, she speculated, trying to ignore the elf's barely concealed amusement, or maybe it was just a lack of pollution. Either way, she downed the slim glass in a couple gulps.

The elf kindly refilled it for her, and she guzzled that too. By the third glass she was sated, and the elf had sobered; he seemed to consider her while he poured, and as he finished, he spoke.

"In istan te dau uvernia min," he started as he set the ewer back on the table. "Ornadh tif min dass epeledh ete, e istan mal te istan. E ernia mal teil, mal nach teil."

Kate tried to project a listening face, because she really did want to understand, but it was all just so much gibberish to her.

He rested his chin in his hand with a small sigh before adding, "Sediras arnirnn."

As his gaze drifted back to the window, Kate awkwardly sipped at her water, more for something to do than anything else, and tried to figure out how to ask him a few more questions. Like, where are my clothes, and what the hell is going on here, and are you really an elf, or am I wandering the streets somewhere, talking to lampposts? How could she possibly mime any of that?

Before she could come up with anything coherent, the elf returned his focus to Kate, a sparkle of inspiration glinting in his eye.

"Aduil tif min ineth," he said, and pressing his fingers to his chest, repeated, "Aduil."

"Aw do eel," Kate said slowly. "Adooeel… Your name is Aduil?" She pointed at him and repeated the word.

"Erie!" He smiled and pointed to her. "Maltif tel ineth?"

Well, that one was pretty easy to figure out.

"KATE," she said, slowly and clearly, holding a hand to her own chest.

"KAAA TUH," he repeated.

Okay, maybe she'd overenunciated a bit. She shook her head and tried again.

"Kate."

"Kate?"

"Erie!" she said, figuring the word meant yes or good, and either would work.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he grinned, making a tiny crinkle at the corner of his eye. Kate couldn't help but return the smile, partially for the crinkle, but more for the little thrill that ran through her at the prospect of learning Elvish.

She'd often read the Talerian chronicles when she was a kid, but she'd always skipped over the Elvish parts, too enamored with the story to take the time to try to figure out how to pronounce the strange words. But then she'd seen the movie, and heard it spoken aloud, and the lilting tones, the dancing cadence… she'd immediately fallen in love with the language and she had vowed that night, she would learn it for herself.

She had only gotten as far as printing out a guide from the internet before she had discovered how complex it was and given up. She wasn't smart enough for something like that, and anyway, she'd reasoned, it wasn't like it was something she'd ever be able to use.

Okay, so yeah, clearly, she'd been wrong, but seriously, who could have seen this coming?

Anyway, now she had a real chance, because it had to be easier to learn from a native speaker than a printout.

At least, you'd think so. But as Aduil began moving about the room, pointing to objects and naming them, Kate's hopes fell flat. She could pick the words up easily enough, that wasn't the problem, like when he pointed to the bed and said 'tawin', easy, right? The problem was she couldn't be sure what it meant. It could have meant bed. Or it could have meant mattress, or blanket, or white—the color of the bedspread—or even sleep. Okay, that last was probably a stretch, but still, she couldn't see how knowing what to call these things would help them communicate. Unless she had an urgent need for a bed or a table, it seemed pretty useless.

She wondered if he'd ever had to teach anyone anything before, if this was his method. But she really couldn't bring herself to complain, even if he would have understood, because the way his face just lit up whenever she got a word right, as if he really thought he was doing good, it was almost cute.

Okay, it was more than cute, and more than a little endearing.

After he taught her the word for washroom—and that could be useful—Kate thought he had run out of ideas, until he retreated to the table and returned with something small and black in his hands, and she stilled.

Her book.

Dag nabbit, her book! She'd almost forgotten about that, too busy mooning over that stupid elf. Just one more reason you can't trust a pretty face.

She forced herself to relax. Maybe if he thought it was nothing, he wouldn't insist on keeping it.

"Pardh," he said, holding it out.

Really? He was giving it back? That easy?

She reached for it, but he didn't let go.

Right, the name game.

She dropped her hand.

"Pardh," she repeated. "Book?"

"Book," he agreed. "Maltif sed book? Maltif bin nadh?"

"You want to know what it is," she guessed. "And just how do you expect me to answer that, Aduil? You haven't given me enough to go on. I mean, it would be different if it was about tables and chairs and…"

Oh.

That actually wasn't a bad idea. If she could convince him it was something like an instruction book on interior design, it would solve a lot of problems. It wouldn't even be that hard to mime, especially with the addition of the few words she had. All she'd have to do was refer to the book while she moved furniture around.

It could work.

The demon's eye printed on the cover might pose a problem though.

She was still trying to puzzle that out when he pulled something from the book that pushed all thoughts of interior design far away, because she had forgotten about that, and it was going to be a hell of a lot harder to explain than a drawing of an eye.

It was a bookmark. Of course, normally that wouldn't be a problem, but this was the bookmark she had gotten at a school book fair just after the Talerian Chronicles movie came out, and it featured an action shot of Lindolir, with weapons drawn, standing back to back with Jex.

Jex, who was of the dog-like Tolar race, mortal enemies of the Meadowood elves.

To be fair, there weren't many other elves who got along with them well, but no one had a hate-on for the Tolar like the Meadowood elves. Kate had never been quite sure why that was, the books didn't really go into much detail about it, and both sides told different stories, but whatever the cause, the two races had warred for centuries and had been at odds ever since. So, while it wasn't all that surprising Aduil might be a bit curious about why the bookmark showed his buddy Lindolir and a Tolar defending each other rather than ripping each other apart, it wouldn't be easy to explain.

"Maltif sed?"

The bright and cheery light he'd had while he was teaching her was gone now, replaced by something hard and sharp, something that said he'd come for answers and he wasn't leaving without them, in whatever form she could manage.

Not good.

Kate slowly crossed to the bed, buying herself time to think. By the time she turned around and sat, she had it.

He wanted answers? Fine. She could do that.

She smiled sweetly and reached out a hand. "May I?"

He frowned but gave her the bookmark. He hesitated when she held out her other hand for the book, but eventually gave it over. When she had them both, she opened the book and ran her finger over the page as if to underline the words as she pretended to read. Then she paused, dropped the bookmark in and closed it, setting it aside as she mimed pouring a glass of water and drinking it. That done, she grabbed the book and continued pretending to read from where she'd left off, only for a moment before closing it again, with a generous portion of the bookmark sticking out the top, and held it up for Aduil to see.

"Bookmark," she stated, and pointing first to one then the other, added, "book, mark. Bookmark."

Aduil slowly nodded as he retrieved the pair and quietly repeated, "Bookmark," while Kate sat back, folding her arms over her chest with a smug smile, feeling quite clever to have skirted the issue so expertly.

Until he held the bookmark back out to Kate and pointed to the image with a stern, questioning look.

"Lindolir," he said.

Dag.

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Translations

"Ae, maedh bollo, in ordha te carase maedh." - Ah, good morning, I hope you rested well.

"Teil bin anem thaul onem Arain onem Tiranen Naudh," - You are in the hall of the King of the Forest Realm,

"Teil baenn dwen." - You are safe here.

"In dau uvernia te," - I do not understand you.

"Alae!" - Behold!

"In istan te dau uvernia min," - I know you do not understand me,

"Ornadh tif min dass epeledh ete, e istan mal te istan. E ernia mal teil, mal nach teil." - Yet it is my task to speak with you, to know what you know. To understand what you are, what threat you are.

"Sediras arnirnn." - This will be difficult.

"Aduil tif min ineth," - Aduil is my name,

"Erie!" - Yes!

"Maltif tel ineth?" - What is your name?

'Tawin' - Bed

"Pardh," - Book,

"Maltif sed book? Maltif bin nadh?" - What is this book? What is in it?

"Maltif sed?" - What is this?