August tells Egelric four things

“Sir?” Ethelwyn whispered.

Egelric choked and sat up. “Is she home?”

“No, the elf named August is here to see you.”

“Does he know where she is?” he asked eagerly.

“He didn’t say. He wants to talk to you.”

“The devil!” Egelric slid his legs out of the bed, and then he froze as he realized what his steward had said. “Did he tell you he was an elf?”

“You did, sir.”

“I did?”

“You told me I should admit any elves calling themselves Ears or August.”

“I said elves?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Damn. Damn! Where are my clothes?”

Egelric snorted in impatience at the thought of getting dressed – with the shirt and tunic and belts and boots and buckles of a knight. Perhaps the elf knew where she was!

“Never mind!” he hissed before Ethelwyn could speak, and he pulled on a pair of leggings and ran down the stairs in his bare feet. Sometimes he longed to be a peasant again.

Egelric had not forgotten that fine face, though it had been clean-​​shaven the last time he had seen it. He had opened his mouth to ask the young elf about Iylaine almost before he had opened the door, but at the sight of him, he was swept back two years to that tragic night, the longest of the year, and one of the darkest he had ever spent.

Now, as he had then, the elf had a look of cool compassion that made Egelric long to abandon himself to it. Now, as he had then, Egelric had the idea that this was what the face of death would look like – at least to those to whom death would come as a relief.

But the elf was only another living creature such as he. “I greet you,” he said, startling Egelric back into his present tragedy.

“Have you found her?” Egelric asked.

“No.”

“Have you even been looking for her?” Egelric cried in frustration. He had nothing from the elves but a week-​​old promise from Ears that they would all be searching for his daughter.

“We are looking for her. We shall not stop until we have learned what has happened to her.” The elf’s slow speech was infuriating.

“Until you’ve learned what has happened to her? I only want to find her!”

“As do we. We are searching for her, of course. However, Vash wanted me to tell you several things before – ”

“Who is Vash?”

The young elf’s pale face seemed to go paler. “That was a mistake.”

“Who is Vash?”

“Vash is Ears,” he sighed. “I was not supposed to tell you his name.”

“Never mind that. What did he want you to tell me? Where is he?”

“Vash is unwell and could not make the journey. He wanted me – ”

“So he isn’t searching? He’s the one who told me he could know whether my daughter was near or not! Or can you all do that?”

“Egelric, Vash is helping us search for her. None has done more than he. May I tell you what he wanted me to say?”

“I beg your pardon.”

“One, he wanted me to tell you that your daughter is alive.”

“How do you know that?” Egelric cried. “Where is she?”

“We don’t know where she is, but we – ”

“Then how do you know?”

The elf’s eyebrows came down in a frown. “We are elves.”

“I hadn’t forgotten!”

The elf sighed wearily. “May I speak?”

“Speak!”

“One, she is alive. Two, he wants to tell you that you may stop searching for her. She isn’t – ”

“Stop?” Egelric laughed harshly. “I shan’t stop until I have found her, though I grow old with searching.”

“You won’t find her. She isn’t hiding in a cave or beneath a bush.”

“Then where is she?”

“We don’t know. But she is not merely hiding – or hidden – somewhere in the valley.”

“Did she leave the valley?”

“We don’t know. If she were in a cave or beneath a bush, or even in one of your houses, we would know it. Do you understand?”

“You know she’s alive, you know where she is not, but you can’t tell me where she is?”

“That is so. We hope to learn more when the moon is full. That is the last thing I was to tell you.”

“The moon?” Egelric wailed. “What does that have to do with anything? When will that be?”

“In seven days.”

“You want me to stop searching for my daughter and wait seven days because you hope to learn more then? And if you do not? And if she is hurt or in danger – ” Egelric choked on a sob. “She’ll be telling herself her Da is looking for her. I won’t have my Baby learn that I gave up and went home because you told me to. She’ll be telling herself her Da will never stop looking for her!”

Egelric sobbed again and fell to his knees, exhausted and overcome by the thought of his lost little girl, frightened and perhaps hurting, comforting herself with the belief that her father would never stop searching for her. If only he could be certain she believed it! He did not think he had been good enough a father to have earned such faith.

The elf kneeled before him and said gently, “That isn’t what we mean. Vash is only worried that you will injure yourself with so much searching.”

“Vash doesn’t have a daughter. Do you?”

“I shall have a child in the spring.”

“Neither of you has any idea what it is to be a father.”

“That may be so,” he admitted. “However, you may tell yourself that we too shall never stop searching for her.”

“And bring her back to me when you do.”

The elf rose and pulled Egelric gently to his feet. “We shall certainly bring her back to you as soon as she is found.”

“And if someone is holding her or hurting her, you shall bring him to me too.”

“Egelric, I assure you that if there is such a someone, there will be nothing left of him to bring back after we elves have finished with him.”