"There is something else. Given that our kidnapper avoids elves, I’d guess that he is an elf. I don’t doubt that the people abducted have been killed. He’s squeamish about killing those of his own race. They’re the option of last choice. The fact, by the way, that there are no ordinary elves is explained quite simply. There are no known cases of any elf with the RA-17 allele not having magical ability, not according to the medical sources I’ve been able to get at so far. It’s postulated that RA-17 greatly increases the probability of being magically active. It fits beautifully. Oh, and before you ask, although the RA-17 is a single allele, it only arises as a result of complex polygene forms elsewhere. Hence the rarity."