Precious Jewel

Time was running out. He was going to lose everything in a matter of hours and the woman had the nerve to keep him waiting—for well over half an hour now! The young boy behind the counter didn’t bother to look up when he stormed over again, “Get your mother out here now!” he barked, slamming his fist into the counter for good measure.1

It didn’t startle the young lad. He looked up with his gold-hued eyes, “Momma will do as she pleases, Sir. There’s nothing I can do to say otherwise.”2

As if that were that, the boy went right back to the scroll he was reading…or at least, Garris was pretty sure the boy was reading it. ‘Course…that was the same scroll he’d been reading for the last half hour! “You get her out here now or I’m going to drag her out myself!” he growled, turning to glance at the sign that warned visitors away from the restricted hallway.3

“It’s restricted,” reminded the boy without looking up. Growling a choice word, Garris turned and marched down that hallway. The boy didn’t even bother to stop him—some restriction!4

For a moment, Garris wasn’t sure what to do next. The hall was a little narrow for it but there were doors on either side and each one looked just as promising as the next. Each one, strangely enough, just held somewhat more elaborate quarters than any of the ones in the customer wing.5

“You certainly don’t understand the meaning of privacy,” her voice could have soothed a thousand ragged knives. Garris turned to find her standing in a doorway he hadn’t even noticed, her arms folded over her rounded belly in a manner that spoke great annoyance. “Get back to that waiting room this instance, Mister Garris, or you shan’t get any help from me or my family!”6

“I won’t need any of your family’s help if you don’t hurry up!” he snapped, coming to stand right before her.7

Her belly nudged him in the thigh and she bent her head upwards to look at him, well aware that he did so to feel superior to her, “…I’ll not warn you again, Mister Garris,” her voice echoed slightly and her eyes glittered red.8

All that was lost on him as he grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her out with him, “I will have what I want now!”9

Garris saw the darkness close over him with great alarm. The tall figure tore the woman from his grasp and had him plastered to the wall, hand about his throat and a dagger tip just below. “Hands off my wife, Garris,” the elfish brogue was unmistakable.10

A light chuckle from out of view didn’t even distract the elf as he forcefully pushed Garris out of the corridor, dagger still prodding the man’s side. At the cast iron gates, the elf pushed him out and let the iron hinges swing back into place, “Be glad nothing worse happened to you, Garris,” the elf’s voice was nearly void of emotion as he eyed the man through the bars, “Lesser men have been killed for less!”11

Rayne stood there as the elf turned about, a half smile reaching her eyes as she gave him the familiar look, “I know you could have handled it, Rayne,” the elf cupped her cheek lovingly, “You are, after all, quite the important youwarkee...” He kissed her nose before pulling her into his arms and sighing over the top of her head, “But you know how I worry…”12

“Yes, yes,” chuckled the woman in his arms, “But you’ll never learn the most important thing, Eyrion: I’m even worse when I have a baby on the way.”13

“Your adventuring days are over,” reminded the elf as he swept a long lock of blue hair out of his face, “At least give me some reason to pamper you!”14

“Not now, Eyrion,” she smiled sweetly before twirling out of his arms, “I have dinner to cook and a son to get into the bath.”