MLTF outtakes -- Alix & Parry (Part 5 of 5)

Today concludes the chapter I began posting on Monday. It features Alix and Parry who are referred to in MLTF, but never seen. Alix is Raine's best friend, and Parry is a Conclave emissary and Alix's lover. If you want to read the entire chapter in one sitting, just scroll back to Monday's blog and work your way up.

And you still have today to send me your questions for Raine. She'll answer them here tomorrow. By the way, some of the questions to Raine have been about Tam. ; )

Preface to the Alix & Parry chapter: The following chapter (had it remained in the final version of MLTF) would have taken place immediately after Chapter 7 (which ends on page 109 of the final book). In the old Chapter 7, Janek Tawl asks Raine about a receipt he found in a box in Nigel Nicabar's bedroom. The box contained an elaborate and obscenely expensive mage robe. The receipt was from Alix Toril's shop. The date on the receipt was on the day that Nigel disappeared. Here's Part 5 of 5 -- enjoy!

I took a sharp right turn away from Parry's chosen topic, especially the naked part. "Garadin said you've done work directly for Archmagus Justinius Valerian."

"I have."

"He said you might be able to shed some light on one of his Guardians for me."

"Probably. Which one?"

"Mychael Eiliesor."

Parry just stood there, lips pressed tightly together. The smile he was stifling simply detoured to his eyes. My own expression told him I was not amused.

"You had a run-in with the Paladin?" he asked.

"That would be the Guardian," Alix clarified for me.

"So I gathered. You know him?"

A tiny smile creased Alix's lips. "He commissioned a set of spellsinger robes from me two years ago. That was one set of measurements I didn't mind taking. I almost took them twice, just for fun, but thought that might be a tad obvious."

"You didn't tell me," Parry objected.

Alix reached up and patted him fondly on the cheek. "Before our time, love. I'm certain you've had more than your share of those."

Parry wisely chose not to answer.

"I heard he was in town," she continued. "I thought it was for the goblin king's masked ball, though."

"Justinius had to send a representative," Parry said, "just to be polite. But the old man wasn't feeling polite enough to come himself."

"Doesn't have a soft spot for the Mal'Salins?" I asked.

Parry chuckled. "Justinius doesn't have soft spots for anyone."

I neglected to mention Tarsilia's recent revelation about the Archmage's soft spots. Parry was the last person who needed to know that. Though I had to hand it to Justinius. After what I'd seen last night, who better to send to a Mal'Salin party than Conclave Guardians? I'd never met Archmagus Valerian, but I had to admire his sense of the appropriate.

"Well, it looks like Mychael Eiliesor got bored last night and went out looking to right some wrongs," I said.

Parry grinned. "That sounds like him."

"So, do you know him or not?"

The grin grew. "Our paths have crossed."

I had a sinking feeling I knew where this was going. "Exactly how does he know you?"

"Professionally."

"Yours or his?"

"Mostly his."

Suspicion confirmed. "Then it's safe to say he would remember you."

Parry chuckled. "Yeah, he would."

Equally unfortunate was that I could now say the same for myself.

"What do you need from him?" Parry asked.

"Leaving me alone would be a good start."

"A lot of people who run into our paladin feel the same way--at least those of us who know him on a professional basis. If that's what you're hoping for, don't expect to get your wish."

"What I was hoping was that you knew him on an honorable, professional level, and could speak to him for me, but I should have known that would be too much to ask."

"Yes, you should have," Alix agreed.

Parry shot us both a look. "Disorderly isn't a serious offense. And I was only drunk for two of those charges, for the other I was just disorderly." He thought for a moment. "Well, there were those two mage duels, but since I wasn't the one doing the challenging, I was never convicted." His smile turned smug. "Neither were my challengers, but then they weren't in any condition after the duel to say much, let alone come to court."

Drunk. Disorderly. Drunk and disorderly. And dueling using sorcery probably while drunk. I might as well start packing for Mid now. Just find Mychael Eiliesor's doorstep, show up there, and get it over with. If Parry was the kind of mage Eiliesor dealt with on a daily basis, I really couldn't blame his strike-first-ask-questions-later approach to law enforcement.

"Eiliesor is strictly by the book," Parry continued. "Me, there are some rules that I don't break. Others are merely guidelines for genteel living. But then I've never been much for genteel."

"I'm well aware of your character," I said. "I need to know more about his."

"You don't get to be Guardian Paladin with a less than spotless reputation," Alix told me.

"Nothing's spotless if you look hard enough."

"How hard do you need to look?" Parry asked.

"I have something he wants, and I won't give it to him."

Alix laughed. "The story of every woman's life. Does he know that you have it?"

I nodded. "And we were face-to-face when he found out, so he has a pretty good idea of what I look like. Asking around and putting a name with my face won't be hard."

Alix's mouth slipped into a suggestive grin. "Have you considered just letting him catch you?"

Mychael Eiliesor may be nice to look at, but I was sure the Conclave dungeons were not. I looked her square in the eye. "No."

"You don't have nearly enough fun."

Tam's words came back to me. "So I've been told."

"Eiliesor's a Guardian," Parry said. "The best. He's going to find you sooner or later."

I was going to do everything I could to make that as later as possible.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when Raine will answer your questions. You'l find out more about Raine -- and Tam. ; ) If you have a question you want to ask her, send it to me today.