Elder Race

This was a very well done short piece by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
Tells the tale of a 4th daughter who seeks the assistance of an ancient ally, a sorcerer in a distant tower, in order to save her kingdom from a demonic threat approaching in kingdoms nearby.

The twist is that the “sorcerer” is actually an anthropologist who is supposed to be simply monitoring these people, who are descendants of colonists from Earth many generations past. He's not supposed to intervene or help. He's already broken his strict creed before, so why is he getting involved again?

Good story with a good ending.