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Amalirahc grinned and poked Miyuki in the side. "I want to see him," he laughed. "Come on. Show me!"

Emile just stared at Lin. It wasn't just unbelievable, it was impossible!

"What is he, immortal?" he asked in disbelief. Not that he really thought it was true, but what else could it be?

Amalirahc's eyes grew bright when he saw the infant, and he reached out to poke the baby ever so gently in the belly.

Andarien's eyes opened ever so slightly at the change of hands, the speech, and the poke, and he looked up at Amalirahc through sleepy violet eyes, and then his eyes flickered over to Miyuki and stared up at her.

Emile stared at Andarien, then Amalirahc, then at Miyuki, and then he stared back at Lin.

"What are you people?" he asked breathlessly.

Andarien kept his eyes on Miyuki's face, and Amalirahc giggled a bit. "He's cute," he said with a grin. "I bet when he grows up he'll be just as smart as you and your parents!"

Andarien looked at Amalirahc when he spoke, but then he yawned. His sleep had been rudely interrupted by the attack, and he was still very tired. He snuggled into Miyuki's arms and started sucking on his fist.

Amalirahc giggled again, and his expression turned a bit wistful. "I wish I had a little brother or sister."

Emile blinked, then looked around at everyone. "Everyone else is elven or has elven blood," he murmured again, his eyes moving over them. "Except me ..."

His eyes rested on Luk, who was helping to load the other wagon, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "What about him? He's human, isn't he?"

"That would be really neat," Amalirahc grinned. "Can you just see it? Going traveling with little brothers and sisters and showing them all the places we've seen?" He chuckled. "Wouldn't that just be great?"


Emile started to nod, but then he did a double take and blinked again. "His what's a what?"

In all his years he had never heard of an elf and a human in a relationship. It was simply unheard of in the Four Lands.

Amalirahc grinned. "You bet I am! And if Mama and Ada say we're going somewhere else, I'm going to tell them I don't want to leave you traveling all alone again! Besides, you'll need us," he added with a laugh. "Look at the trouble you get into without us!"

Suddenly, without warning, Andarien hiccupped, and somehow he ended up with his whole fist in his mouth. He blinked at his fist, then looked up at Miyuki and blinked again.


Emile stared at Lin. "Another continent? There are other lands? Where is he from? Are there others like him? Like the others? Those who just joined you, the dark ones." He nodded at Haldia and Kelirahc. "What are they? Where are they from? Are they from the same continent as the half human?"

There was a line of drool that went from Andarien's fist to his mouth as Miyuki helped remove his fist from his mouth, and he blinked up at Miyuki silently as she reprimanded him. Then suddenly his lips spread in a smile and he giggled in the way that only babies could.

Amalirahc laughed. "He's so cute!" he exclaimed again.


A light appeared in Emile's eyes, and it seemed as though he was daydreaming.

"Other ... lands," he murmured softly. "By the Valar ... would I ever love to see those places ..."

His eyes focused again, and he looked eagerly at Lin. "Do you think I could? Go with you to those places, I mean?"

Amalirahc giggled. "He's so cute," he agreed. "Can I hold him? Please?"

Emile's smile grew wider and he clapped his hands together. "Excellent!" he beamed. "That's wonderful! Thank you!"

Just then, Earendil joined them, resting his hands over the edge of the wagon and poking Lin's leg.

"We're ready to go," he told her. "Though we're still undecided as to direction. Further into the Southland, or turning north and west."

Amalirahc took Andarien carefully from Miyuki, listening carefully to her instructions. He had never held a baby before.

But the moment Andarien was in Amalirahc's hands, the infant started to whimper again. Amalirahc looked worried. "Maybe I better not hold him after all," he said anxiously, holding him back out to Miyuki.

Emile closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Well ... if we turn west southwest ... we could bypass Prydz ... we can follow the Ob lake west to Ardruin. It's the human capital. The elves aren't liked there much more than here, but at the very least they're less likely to attack. Too political."

Earendil looked thoughtfully at Emile. His instinct was not to trust the man, but Lin had asked his opinion, and even if he couldn't trust the human, he would at least trust Lin.

"If you feel that it's safe," he murmured, "then I will inform the others."