Free Demonkin by Richard S. Tuttle

and Eulena closed her eyes and placed her hands on the historian's body.
    Outside the locked room, King Elengal retreated to his office. He slumped into his chair and stared at the desktop. Eventually, the strain took hold of the elven king, and his eyes closed in a fitful sleep. Some time later, a guard came into the office and loudly closed the door. The king woke with a startled look on his face.
    “How is he?” the king asked.
    “The door is still closed,” reported the guard. “I came to tell you what is going on with K'san. The soldiers have seized three women from the Heart. They are currently looking for Eulena.”
    “Eulena?” the king echoed with alarm. “For what reason?”
    “They have not said,” answered the guard.
    “Do they know that she is in the city?”
    “No,” replied the guard. “I told them that she was off visiting her daughter. They asked where the daughter lived, and I told them. I am sorry if this was wrong. I fear lying to K'san.”
    “You did right,” said the king. “If they have access to the archives, they can easily find out the village that Liliana lives in. Did you get any idea of why they are searching for these particular women, or what they plan to do with them?”
    “Nothing at all,” replied the guard. “I suspect that they plan to take the women with them. Can we do anything to stop it?”
    “I am open to suggestions,” sighed the king. “With three mages and a hundred soldiers, I do not think we would fare well in a battle with them, and even if we did win, we would be jeopardizing everything we have been planning for. The Dielderal would be annihilated within a week.”
    “That is the feeling of the others as well,” stated the guard. “There is much frustration among the people over this. We feel so helpless.”
    “Maybe I can talk them out of whatever it is they are planning,” the king said as he rose to his feet.
    “You would be well advised to remain clear of them,” warned the guard. “They are not in a hospitable mood.”
    “Neither am I,” scowled the king, “and I cannot stand by while they abduct our women.”
    “Then we will stand alongside you,” declared the guard as he started to follow the king.
    King Elengal stopped and turned to face the guard. “No. I will not give them the chance to slaughter us all. I alone will face them, and I will try to do so in a non-confrontational way, but no matter what happens, no one else is to argue with them. See that everyone else stays out of it.”
    “As you wish,” the guard replied resignedly.
    King Elengal turned and strode out of the building. He walked to the historian's hut and found that K'san had taken it over as his own. He walked in without knocking and K'san looked up with irritation on his face.
    “I understand that you are gathering women from their homes,” King Elengal said. “That is not called for under our agreement with the emperor.”
    “Then the agreement has changed,” growled K'san. “Get out of here and leave us alone.”
    “The emperor has also promised that our archives would be respected as sacred to our people,” the king continued. “I do intend to lodge a protest with the emperor over this.”
    King Elengal was not sure if it was his imagination or not, but he thought he detected a flicker of fear in K'san's eyes. K'san rose from his seat and glowered at the king. King Elengal decided to press further.
    “I ask you again,” the king asked authoritatively, “for what purpose are you taking elven women from their homes?”
    K'san's arm rose quickly. The king's eyes widened in horror as a ball of fire shot from K'san's fingertips. The fireball struck the king's chest, and his body was thrown out the doorway from the force of the impact. The king landed on his back and slid a few feet before stopping. The king opened his mouth to scream in pain, but nothing came forth. Instead, his whole world was deadly silent. During that brief moment, the king heard