117: The Attack on Elf Academy

Prince Legolas returned to Edhellond in the early hours of Wednesday, having been on duty for two full shifts and a part of the third. He felt he should be tired, but he wasn’t, just relieved to be home. He stopped for a moment before opening the front door to analyze that thought: Home. Yes, for all that he had not lived here even for a year, Edhellond was home and there was a sense of satisfaction to that that had been missing from his life for a very long time.

He pushed open the door and went in, thinking he would go upstairs and take a shower, but he heard voices from down the hall leading to the kitchen, and recognizing them, wandered that way, removing his tie and undoing the top button of his uniform as he did. Stepping into the kitchen he saw Glorfindel, Finrod, Amarië and Valandur sitting at the breakfast nook drinking coffee. They all looked up at his entrance.

“Officer Prince,” Glorfindel greeted him, smiling. “And how was your day?”

“Long,” Legolas replied with much feeling.

“Tell me about it,” Glorfindel retorted, snorting lightly. “There’s still some coffee left if you want some.”

“Thank you.” Legolas grabbed a mug and poured himself some coffee and then settled on the bench beside Valandur who moved down to give him room. “Captain Michaelson told me about Daeron. Is he truly well?”

“He sleeps even now,” Finrod assured him. “I checked on him only a short time ago. Vardamir and Melyanna watch over him at the moment.”

“I’m surprised Michaelson even knows what happened here,” Glorfindel said. “No police ever came around to investigate all the noise.”

“The Captain told me Lord Eönwë showed up in his office and told him what had happened, then handed him a list of names. When I left the station, some of my fellow officers were… um… escorting several people in for questioning.” He gave them a quirk of his lips. “Most of them looked terrified.”

“Ah…” was Glorfindel’s only comment as he took a sip from his mug.

“Should not the gunfire here have alerted the neighbors, though?” Valandur asked. “Surely it was not so late that people were not awake and would have heard it.”

“I wondered about that, too,” Glorfindel said. “My guess is that Lord Námo prevented anyone from noticing what was happening.”

“But he did not appear until after the shooting,” Finrod pointed out.

Glorfindel shrugged. “Doesn’t mean he wasn’t around to affect matters. It just means, he only then chose to reveal himself.”

“They tried to burn down Elf Academy,” Legolas offered as he took a sip, relishing the bitterness of the brew.

“What?!”

 “Is it still standing?”

“What about the encampment?”

“Where—?”

Legolas raised a hand to stem the tide of questions. “It is undamaged and the encampment was never in danger.”

“Why wasn’t I alerted?” Glorfindel demanded.

“Perhaps because you were busy here,” Legolas replied with a shrug. “From what I understand, the attack on Elf Academy was almost simultaneous to the attack on Edhellond.”

“Good lord!” Glorfindel exclaimed, looking shocked. “What about Ron and Amroth’s place? They weren’t there, I know, but…”

“As far as I know, there was no incident there,” Legolas assured them.

“So what happened at the college?” Valandur asked.

“You must understand that the police were on high alert,” Legolas said. “Normally, I would not have gone in until the second shift, but both the morning and afternoon shifts were out in force at the same time with the night shift coming in around four, having been dismissed at their usual time. Most of us were assigned to oversee the voting stations, to prevent any trouble there.”

“Yes, we saw some of your fellows at the Grange Hall when we went to vote,” Glorfindel said. “So where were you stationed?”

“At the college, which is why I happened to be there when Elf Academy was threatened,” Legolas replied. “There is a voting station at the Student Union that I understand accommodates students who are locals and are eligible to vote and residents who reside on the north side. I saw Amroth and Vorondur and the ellith there voting. We spoke briefly and they told me that they were continuing on to the encampment to spend the day there.”

“So you were there the entire day?” Finrod asked.

“Yes, and it was quite interesting, watching all the Mortals coming in to vote. I was stationed for a time inside the building and was able to ask one of the attendants questions about the procedure. It was quite fascinating and so different from our own system of law.”

“So you weren’t bored?” Glorfindel asked with a faint smile on his lips.

“Not at all,” Legolas assured them.

“The attack here did not occur until after the polls closed,” Valandur said then, “and you said they attacked Elf Academy around the same time. Why were you still on campus?”

“The polls were indeed closed, but those who were overseeing the voting were still there finishing up. I had rotated out of the shift at that time and was outside speaking quietly to the two other officers who were on break. As we were standing there, I heard the commotion of several vehicles coming on campus. Where we were standing, we could see them all parking in one of the lots between the Student Union and the library, quite illegally, mind you.”

The other three chuckled at the affronted tone.

“Spoken like a true officer of the law,” Glorfindel said teasingly, giving the younger ellon an approving smile.

Legolas felt himself blush for some reason as he continued his narrative. “My fellow officers and I looked at each other in disbelief….

****

“If they’re here to vote, they’re a little late,” Officer Natalie Curran commented sardonically to her fellow officers as they watched people pour out of cars and trucks.

“Something tells me that’s not why they’re here,” Officer Steve Johnson retorted, squinting into the falling dusk which was making it difficult for them to see details. “Prince, do you see weapons?”

“Yes,” Legolas answered readily enough. “Mostly rifles.”

“Damn!” Johnson exclaimed. “That can’t be good. Nat, go in and get Huggins and Slayton,” he ordered and she nodded, running inside. “Where are they heading?” Johnson mused, looking confused.

It took a moment for Legolas to realize that the intruders, as he saw them, were not heading toward them, but were moving diagonally across the parking lot. “There is only one place they could be going in that direction,” he said. “Elf Academy.”

Johnson uttered a curse even as Curran came back out with Lee Huggins and Rick Slayton. “Prince, find us the fastest way there,” Johnson ordered as all five of them started jogging. Johnson squeezed the talk button of the microphone on the epaulette of his uniform that was connected to the radio at his belt, speaking into it. “Dispatch, One-Baker-Five. We’ve got a bunch of people—”

“Eleven,” Legolas corrected automatically.

“Er… eleven people armed with weapons heading for Elf Academy, purpose unknown. Request backup.”

“Ten-four, One-Baker-Five,” came the dispassionate reply. “ETA on backup is five minutes.”

“Ten-four.” Johnson acknowledged.

“That may be too late,” Slayton commented.

“Is that building occupied?” Curran asked.

“No,” Legolas replied. “I understand there will be people coming in later in the week for a convention, I believe the word is, but at the moment the building is empty.”

“Why didn’t they park in the Academy parking lot?” Huggins asked. “It’s a helluva lot closer and we wouldn’t have seen them.”

“Let’s be grateful for small favors,” Johnson retorted as they ran between a couple of buildings.

Legolas was careful to keep to a pace that his fellow officers could handle, mentally plotting their path. The intruders had parked on the east side of campus in a small parking lot reserved for faculty that was nestled between the Student Union and the library, which meant that it would take them a few minutes to cross the intervening space to Elf Academy since they must go north around the library. He and the other officers were actually closer to Elf Academy and could move almost in a direct line. Even so, he did not think they would get there before the others.

That prediction proved true. Legolas saw the intruders reaching the building at a run when he and his fellow officers were still several hundred yards away and said as much.

“Damn!” Johnson exclaimed even as he unlatched the clasp on his holster, though he didn’t pull his weapon out. Everyone else did the same. “Can you see what they’re doing?” he asked Legolas, squinting in the near darkness.

“They appear to be placing something on the walls of the building.”

“Explosives?” Curran ventured, but no one else bothered to comment.

“They are running,” Legolas informed them, “and towards us. I do not think they know we are here.”

“Spread out!” Johnson hissed the order, pulling out his gun and planting himself. Legolas moved to his right to do the same as the other officers complied with the command, forming a line, their weapons drawn and at the ready.

And then everything went white.

Legolas found himself sprawled on the ground without remembering how he got there. He shook his head to clear the confusion from his mind, trying to get his motor reflexes under control. He could hear screams but they were a distant thing that did not concern him. He stood, feeling bruised all over but otherwise whole. He looked around for his fellow officers and saw them sprawled on the ground, just beginning to move. Huggins helped Curran up, while Slayton and Johnson limped over to him.

“That explosion went off too early,” Slyaton said. “They must not have set the timer correctly.”

“No, I do not think they had anything to do with it,” Legolas commented and pointed in the direction of Elf Academy.

“That can’t be right,” Curran said as she and Huggins joined them. She was blinking rapidly and shaking her head as if trying to clear her vision.

In spite of the explosion, the building appeared unharmed. Legolas had expected to see it engulfed in flames, but there was nothing. He saw that the would-be arsonists were only now picking themselves up off the ground. Having been that much closer to the explosion, he was not surprised to see them still looking dazed.

“Let’s cuff them while they’re still down,” Johnson said, returning his gun to its holster and removing the cuffs on his belt. The others started to do the same while Legolas kept his gun in his hand, covering the Mortals still on the ground.

And then the night went white again, but this time there was no explosion, just a silence that settled over the land as Maiar appeared, surrounding them all. Legolas recognized a few of them, including Fionwë and Olórin, who looked as deadly as the others with a sword of light in his hands and Legolas, warrior that he was, saw that this particular Maia was as comfortable with the weapon as he was with his own.

“Holy crap!” Huggins uttered in absolute shock and Legolas saw expressions of wonder bordering on fear in the faces of his fellow officers, while the intruders yelled and someone actually shot a couple of rounds in panic. Legolas’ partners all went for their guns but he held up a hand in an imperious manner.

“No,” he said with all the authority of a prince behind that one word and amazingly, or perhaps not, the other officers obeyed. The Maiar never flinched. The intruders huddled closer, obviously afraid. For a painful moment or two, no one moved, the Maiar absolutely still. Only the soft sound of whimpering and the night breeze ruffling their hair broke the silence that had fallen around them.

Legolas put his gun away and took three steps forward. Every Maia tracked him. He faced Fionwë, whom he knew was Eönwë’s second, and gave the Maia a proper bow of respect, his hand over his heart.

“Greetings, Prince Legolas Thranduilion,” Fionwë said formally, sheathing his own weapon, though none of the other Maiar did so.

“My lord Fionwë,” Legolas replied just as formally. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“It was our pleasure,” Fionwë replied, then he turned his gaze upon the Mortals still crouched on the ground before him and his expression went glacial. “You play dangerous games, my children,” he said softly. “You believe yourself righteous in your actions, but I tell you truly, that you are acting out of fear and hatred and you act without the approval of the One.”

“We’re God-fearing people,” one of the Men declared. “We are doing God’s work in driving out the godless and the demons from our midst.”

“How can blowing up a building be God’s work?” Curran scoffed.

“And just where were you running to?” Johnson demanded. “Your vehicles are in the parking lot next to the library. And now I think I know why. You wanted to make sure they were safe from the explosion.”

“They are carrying weapons. I think they meant to attack those who are at the encampment,” Legolas offered, giving the attackers a disdainful look. “A foolish gesture on their part. They would not have succeeded.”

“No, they would not have,” Fionwë averred. “Just as they did not succeed in blowing up Elf Academy.”

“Yeah, about that,” Johnson said. “How is it that building is still standing after the explosion? It should be engulfed in flames.”

Fionwë chuckled as did the other Maiar. “Did you like that? That was one of my better illusions.”

“Illusion?” Curran echoed, sounding pale.

“Oh yes, the C4 that these… people planted never exploded. That was us,” and he gestured to the other Maiar.

“But if that’s true,” one of the intruders exclaimed boldly, “the charges should’ve gone off by now. They were set on a timer.”

Fionwë gave the Man a cold look and he visibly wilted. “You mean this?” He held out his left hand and something appeared in it. Legolas recognized it as a timer, having been instructed about bombs and how they were to be dealt with in his course of studies with Conrad. The intruders all gasped. Fionwë looked at the timer in his hand and uttered a phrase in a language that none understood, not even Legolas. It was harsh in tone and a dark pressure seemed to build, as if a storm were about to break, and then the timer burst into blue flames. Every Mortal gasped, some even crying out in fear, throwing up arms to shield their faces. Even Legolas was startled and he had to force himself not to step back. Fionwë never flinched, but continued staring at the object in his hand. The flames faded after a moment or two and they could see that the timer had been turned into ash. A slight wind rustled around them and the ashes floated away into the night.

The silence that followed was broken by the distant sound of a siren coming closer and then they saw the flashing lights of several police cars and a fire truck heading for the Elf Academy parking lot. Fionwë turned his gaze upon the police. “I believe your backup has arrived,” he said.

“Curran, go bring them here and warn them about the C4. I’m assuming it’s still there?” He addressed his question at Fionwë.

The Maia nodded. “We have left them where they were planted as we know not to tamper with… um… evidence, I believe you call it. Care must be taken to remove them, of course, but one of us will remain to ensure that none of the charges detonate.”

“Uh, just one?” Johnson asked, looking dubious.

“I will assign two, if that will make you happy, Stephen,” Fionwë said, ignoring the startled look on the Mortal’s face when he spoke his name, “but honestly, even the very least of us can handle a few Mortal-made explosives. After all, we often play hide-and-find using the core of stars as hiding places. I’m particularly fond of hiding in neutron stars, myself.”

Every Mortal gaped at the Maia calmly standing there. Legolas’ only response was a raised eyebrow, recognizing that Fionwë was deliberately setting the Mortals up, especially the arsonists.

“Ah, um, yeah, well, thanks,” Johnson stuttered, then pulled himself together. “Okay, Curran go. Everyone else, let’s read them their rights. We’ll book them for attempted arson.”

“And attempted murder,” Fionwë said. “Remember, they were heading for the encampment to do bodily harm upon the Elves after they set the explosives.”

“And these eleven were going to take on the entire encampment?” Johnson asked disbelievingly.

 “No,” Fionwë countered. “They were intending to meet up with the fifty or so who were planning to burn down Edhellond.”

“Edhellond!” Legolas exclaimed in shock. “What—?”

“Fear not! The attempt has been foiled and all are safe. Nornoros, Ravenni, go and oversee the dismantling of the explosives. Everyone else, resume your duties.” Most of the other Maiar nodded their heads and faded from view. Nornoros of the People of Manwë and Ravenni of the People of Tulkas sheathed their swords and began walking toward Elf Academy, their forms shifting until they appeared as humans dressed as police officers. Only Olórin remained with Fionwë, going among the Mortals still huddled together and taking their weapons. No one tried to stop him.

Curran arrived just then with several other police officers and the next few minutes were taken up with explanations and Mirandizing the prisoners before they were being carted off. Olórin, handed the weapons he’d collected over to the police and then sauntered off toward the encampment, shifting his form as he went until he appeared as an old man. Legolas joined Johnson in consulting with the captain of the firefighters overseeing the dismantling of the C4 to determine the extent to which the building would have been damaged had the explosives gone off. Fionwë followed, now appearing to them in his Finn disguise.

“There’s enough C4 to have not only destroyed this building, but it would have shattered the windows of some of the nearby buildings as well,” the captain explained. “Trees would’ve caught on fire. Half the campus might well have gone up in flames. Can’t figure out what happened though. There was a report of an explosion, which is what brought us here, but there’s nothing, not even a scorch mark.”

“That was the doing of the Maiar,” Legolas said, nodding to Fionwë.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The Man looked confused.

“He means, I and my fellow angels, as you would call us, prevented the C4 from actually exploding,” Fionwë explained. “What everyone witnessed was an illusion as a means of stopping the arsonists. And now that you have everything well in hand, I will leave you.” And with that, he simply vanished in a flash of iridescent light, leaving the two Mortals gaping and Legolas rolling his eyes.

“Show off,” he muttered and was not surprised to hear the sound of distant laughter….

****

Glorfindel, Finrod, Amarië and Valandur stared at Legolas as he finished his narrative.

“Well, that was interesting,” Valandur commented after a moment.

“You think?” Glorfindel retorted with a snort. “I find it very disturbing and I don’t mean the fact that those people intended to blow up Elf Academy.”

“What part disturbs you the most, then?” Finrod asked.

“The part where the Maiar in both instances made an appearance,” Glorfindel replied. He held up a hand to forestall whatever objections the others were about to make. “Look, I appreciate what they did, but what happens the next time when they’re no longer here protecting the kings?”

“Do you think there will be a next time?” Valandur asked.

“Bound to be,” Glorfindel said with a shrug. “These people are being manipulated, I have no doubt, and whoever is doing the manipulation is not going to stop just because his or her plans haven’t worked out so far. We’ve been lucky that the Maiar are here, but that will not be the case after next week.”

“Why not?” Legolas asked. “Why shouldn’t some of them remain behind?”

“Well, I know that a few are keeping watch over Wiseman as a whole,” Glorfindel said, “but we’re not likely to have an entire legion of them at our beck and call the way we have now.”

“And you do not think a handful of Maiar will be able to keep us protected?” Finrod asked. “Even the least of the Maiar has the ability to destroy this planet, indeed the entire solar system, without raising a sweat, as I believe you would say. I think the… the show of force we have witnessed this evening was on purpose and strictly for the benefit of those Mortals who are clearly deluded as to what is going on and what their roles are. They are true pawns of whoever is behind these attacks. Perhaps now they will rethink certain truths as they are being arrested for attempted arson and murder.”

“You may be right, I’m not saying you’re not, but I just don’t like this display of power by the Maiar,” Glorfindel countered. “It may send the wrong message to our friends and allies.”

“What message would that be?” Valandur asked.

“The message that whenever we get into trouble, we’ll be rescued by angels, to use the Mortal word. There is a belief among them that there are guardian angels, but up to now, it’s been a theoretical belief, something taken on faith alone without any real proof. Now, they have proof, but they might not realize until it’s too late that the Maiar are not necessarily here for their benefit but for the benefit of those visiting from Valinor and once they’re gone, so are the Maiar. I just think that some people will simply assume that all those Maiar will still be hanging around and helping us out of our difficulties, but you all know that that is not how it works.”

“And you do not think the Mortals are aware of this?” Valandur asked.

“I’m saying I don’t know,” Glorfindel corrected. “I hope they realize what a unique situation we find ourselves in at the moment and not take the presence of the Maiar for granted. That way lies danger for us all.”

“I agree,” Valandur admitted, “but I think Finrod is also correct when he says that all that has happened has been for the sake of the Mortals, especially the naysayers. They need to know what the score truly is and this show of Maiarin force and power may be the only way to convince them that they are on the wrong side.”

“Sometimes, even the most convincing evidence is not enough to deter someone who believes in the righteousness of their actions,” Glorfindel said softly. “I have lived among the Mortals long enough to know this for truth.”

“Well, the damage has been done, if damage it is,” Finrod said philosophically. “We will simply have to deal with the consequences as they appear, just as the Mortals must. Will there be a celebration now that Robert Locke has been declared the new Mayor?”

“No, not as such,” Glorfindel said and then went on to explain about the swearing-in ceremony that would take place on the Fourth of July. “The next month or so will be a transitional period as Harry and others ease out of their offices and Locke and the other winners take up the reins of government.”

“I think Dave Michaelson will be sending someone to get statements from you and the kings sometime today,” Legolas informed them.

“Well, I’ll be happy to oblige, but I do not think the kings should be bothered,” Glorfindel said. “They won’t be here anyway and I doubt anyone’s going to be serving them a subpoena to testify should any of this come to trial.”

“Perhaps one of us should go to the encampment to make sure they are not importuned,” Finrod suggested.

“We’ll both go,” Glorfindel said. “Whoever Dave is sending to get statements from us can find us at the encampment.”

Valandur and Legolas nodded.

“I will come with you, my love,” Amarië said to Finrod and he did not object, giving her a loving kiss. A few moments later the three left, making their way down the street toward the campus.