L.J. McDonald – The worth of a Sylph

Sylph series 2,5 published November 2010.

From the anthology A Midwinter Fantasy, by Leanne Renee Hieber, Helen Scott Taylor and L.J. McDonald. This time I have read only this one story.



This is the story of Mace, one of the original few Battle Sylphs to belong to Solie, Queen of the Sylphs. For the last 19 years, he has belonged to Lily, the widow who takes care of all the orphans in the Valley of the Sylphs. Mace has looked after the girls she raised, but has ignored the boys mostly. Lily she is becoming old, almost 90 now, and she wants Mace to go look for a new master to belong to, one he can truly love and form a soul bond with.
Her last charge, a 14 year old boy named Yaden, has run away, and Lily wants Mace to go after him, and bring him back home. But both she and the Queen forbid him to kill on this mission, or reveal himself in his true form.
What Mace does not expect to find, is a woman he made love for one night, while he was still in his suit or armor form, in the power of his evil master. Sally never forgot him, and she claims she has born him a son. Sylphs and humans cannot have children together, but Sally is adamount that Travis is his. Her family hates Mace for ruining her 19 years ago, and she and her son are shunned. So when Mace finds out that Yaden has joined a band of outlaws, just like Travis, he takes Sally with him to find both boys. But things are not as easy as Mace thinks. For some reason, the bandits are not that afraid of him, and under orders not to kill, there is little Mace can do.


This is a very lovely short story. Mace finally finds out that human men (or boys) are not as bad as he always believed. And he has the chance to find real love with Sally, when Lily will pass away. But will she be true to her word, and give Mace and Sally a chance for love?
Sally is a great character. All those years she has claimed that Mace is the father of her son, and that he will come back for her. She has strength, she never cowered to the wishes of her family. And now she will do anything to get her son back. Mace likes her spirit, and strength, the perfect Master for a Battle Sylph.
Mace has a good life with Lily as his master, but theirs is not a true bond, and he longs for one. When Lily tells him to find a new woman as his next master, he doesn’t really want to. Nor does he expect to find one he can love so fast.

A short story, but a good one, with full focus on Mace. He truly deserves happiness after everything he has had to endure. He has to change his beliefs, when he finds out about his son, and that Jayden also thinks of him as a father. He never did like human males before, couldn’t understand why Heyou and Ril do. He also has to learn some new powers, he never bothered with before.

8 stars.