No Smell

"Leif."

"Yes, Mother?" I said turning at the doorway.

"Yelena is lost again. Only the brother that had searched for her for fourteen years can find her."

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I talked to Rusalka as a tacked her up. "Can you find Kiki and

Yelena?"

She snorted at me in disdain.

"I'll take that as a yes," I muttered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As soon as we reached the plains Rusalka took off. We were almost flying. I wasn't expecting the burst of speed ail nab Almost toppled off instead of the several hour trip I was expecting, my ride through the plain became one of an hour and a half.

Yelena and Kiki seamed to materialize as Rusalka slowed to a walk then halt.

My eyes were wide with shock, "She's never cone that before."

I looked at my horse. She was covered in sweat, but didn't

seem winded or stressed. I could see a sudden shift in Yelena's eyes and stance. She was trying not to laugh at me!

"I call that Kiki's gust-of-wind gait," she informed me. "Is Rusalka a Sandseed horse?"

I nodded. I was about to say something when-

BAM!

Someone leaped at me and knocked me off of my horse. He landed on top of me, sitting on my chest. Before I realized what had happened, he held my machete to my throat. I was a little panicky and struggling for breath.

"What are you doing here?" the man demanded.

"Come. To see. Yelena." I wheezed.

"Why?"

Yelena had obviously decided to help me out. "It's alright, Valek. He's my brother." Valek moved my machete away from me but remained seated.

A look of terror was on my face, I could just feel it. My brain was barely functioning. "Valek? You nave no smell. No aura."

Valek looked at my sister, "Is he a simpleton?"

She smiled; Valek, a highly trained assassin, was sitting on me, and my sister smiles at him. "No," she started, pulling Valek off of me. "His magic can since a persons soul. Your immunity must be blocking his power."

She bent over me," Are you alright?"

Looking nervously at Valet, I sat ups "That depends."

"Don't worry about him, he's just overprotective."

Valek looked at her and harrumphed. "If you could keep out of trouble for one day, protecting you wouldn't be so instinctive?" He nabbed his leg. "Or so pained."

As I stood, Yelena's annoyance returned. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

I glanced at Valek then stared at the grass below me. "It was something Mother said."

She just looked at me.

"She told me you were lost again. And only the brother who had searched for you for fourteen years could find you."

"How did you find me?" Yelena asked. She was genuinely curious.

I gestured at Rusalka. "Kiki had found Topaz in the plains, so I though since Rusalka was bred by the Sandseeds, I asked her to find Kiki. And... And..."

"She found us very fast" Yelena paused, thinking. "Why does Perl think I'm lost? And why send you? You weren't any help last time:"

I flinched." don't know why she sent me."

Yelena was opening her mouth to say something then saw someone over my shoulder. It was the same Story Weaver as before.

"A good guy," Yelena said to Valek who looked ready to attack.

Valek started muttering but I wasn't paying attention to him anymore. I was more concerned about the Story Weaver.

I wasn't focusing on what was being said. I was worrying about why the Story Weaver kept following me. Then something caught my attention. The Weaver said, "I came o make sure you keep your promise."

"What promise?" Valek and I asked in unison.

Yelena just waved our question away. "I will, but not now. We need-"

"I know what you intend to do. You will not succeed with that unless you untangle yourself," the Weaver told her.

The Story Weaver held out his hands, one to Yelena, and the other to me.

Valek huffed. "Looks like a family affair. I'll be close by if you need me, love."

I was determined. I stepped forward and grabbed the Story Weaver's hand. I shot Yelena a look. "Let's finish this."