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as pretty in her own nonhuman way as any girl in
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Bracklin. Her eyes were big and blue, sparkling with
mischief as she looked at him, her nose was pertly up-
turned, and her long yellow braids curved smoothly
down her simple blue tunic and skirt and the curves of
her buxom young body in a way that made Kevin swal-
low hard.
He froze in panic as she swayed that curvy body to
his side.
"I'm Elli. But you already know that. What's your
name?"
"I I I'm... uh... Kevin."
"Uh-Kevin?" she teased.
"N-no.Just Kevin."
"That's a nice name." She fixed her big blue eyes on
his face. "Do you think my name is nice, too?"
ttT ___ »
"Elli!" her mother snapped, "Stop bothering the boy.
You, boy, come here."
Elli flounced away, pouting deliriously. Sheepishly,
Kevin went up to the counter. "Here," Grakka said
shortly. "Try this."
Kevin looked at the sword in dismay. "It's so..."
"Plain?" Grakka finished. "Pretty never won battles.
Go ahead. Try it out."
Kevin took a few practice swings, then tried an
96 Mercedes Lackey ^Josephs Sherman
experimental pass or two. He straightened, smiling. "I
like it. It feels... right."
"Good. Because from what your warrior buddy here
tells me, there's no dme to design a sword specially for
you." She gave him a speculative glance. "Too bad. It's
always a challenge to make a sword that'll be useful for
a reasonable while for you younglings who are still
changing build almost every day." Grakka shrugged.
"Ah well, some other time. That'll be five gold crowns."
"Five..."
"Go wait outside," Lydia murmured to him. "1*11 take
care of this."
Kevin knew that an adventurer as professional as
Lydia would know how to bargain much better than
someone from a small town. But that didn't stop him
from feeling a surge of annoyance at being sent away
like a little boy.
"Hi, Kevin," a voice purred.
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"Uh,hi,EllL"
She smiled up at him as brightly as a sunny day. "I
have to spend all my time in this dull old place. I never
get to go anywhere. But an adventurer like you must
have seen all ants of wonderful things."
Westerinrfaff?
"I, uh ... " Kevin wasn't about to confess the truth
about Bracklin and his drab life to this lovely creature.
"Sure. Why don't we sit down " he patted a bench
along the wall " and I'll tell you all about them."
Maybe this wasn't going to be such a painful wait
after all. Kevin began weaving a tale of Bardic wonder
about his adventures in Count Volmar's casde and on
the road to Westerin. As Elli stared at him adoringly, he
turned the skirmish with the bandits into epic adven-
ture, spinning it out until he and his party had
overcome a whole army of outlaws.
"Why, that's wonderfull" Elli breathed, edging closer
to him.
CASTLE OF DECEPTION 97
She was, he discovered, wearing some sort of sweet,
flowery perfume, a heady scent Warily, he let his hand
slide towards her, and felt a shock race through him
when her own small hand, rough with work but deli-
cate all the same, dosed about his fingers. Breathless,
the bardling sat frozen, not daring to move, wondering
what would happen if he tried to put an arm around
her. About him the bustle ofWesterin seemed as distant
and remote as a dream.
Kevin nearly yelped when Lydia tapped him on the
shoulder. "Wake up, lover boy. Here's your sword."
Blushing, Kevin released EUi's hand and scrambled
to his feet
"You owe Grakka two gold crowns, four silver,"
Lydia continued blandly. "And you, Erii "
"That's Elli!" the dwarf girl said indignantly.
"Whatever. Your mother's calling you. Here's the
money we owe her. Now, scoot!"
Elli scuttled into the shop. But she paused just long
enough in the doorway to blow Kevin a kiss.
Lydia chuckled. "Pretty, isn'tshe? Can't be a day over
fifty."
"Fifty!"
"Young for a dwarf. Momma Grakka has to be push-
ing a hundred, if not more. Yup, little EUi's got to be
fifty, all right, just about the dwarven age of puberty.
Hot for marriage, too, or ... ah ... whatever. Grakka
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has her hands full!"
She glanced at Kevin, who was still staring towards
the weapons shop, and chuckled anew. "Forget it, kid.
These human-Other romances never work out. Be-
sides, in a few more years, sweet little Elli is gonna be all
grown up and look just like her tough old momma."
Oh. Well. The bardling sighed, disillusioned.
"Come on, Kevin. The elves must be bored out of
their minds. And who knows what mischief Tich'ki's
working!"
98 MercedesLackey S^Josef)ha Sherman
What Tich'ki had been doing was trying to teach the
two elves how to play cards. She had already, it turned
out, won one night's free lodging for their horses from
the stablekeep.
"Never even noticed the cards were marked, eh?**
Lydia murmured wryly. "And don't give me that 'in-
nocent litde me* look, either, my dear. I know you far
too well! Let's get out of here before we wind up in
prison."
If anything, the crowds seemed to have gotten worse
as the day progressed. Kevin, one hand on his new
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