"I see," said Solomon, and fleetingly wondered if that was why she wore her hair down around her ears. "The elves with which I'm familiar haven't been seen in a very long time, and they usually referred to the fey folk--the sídhe."

He managed a brief smile. "Of course, there are those who have claimed that sorcerers, such as myself, are elves ourselves--the older folk, Tuatha Dé Danann, who lived on my nation's land before mortals did. Legend says they agreed to leave our shores to allow mortals room to prosper, and went into their mounds, the sídhe. Since then the word has become, for some, synonymous with both dwelling and people."