Well, this is it. The first chapter of Herald of Death. Grim title, isn't it? Twill be revealed why this fic is titled it later on. Much later on. Hopefully, it'll be a fairly long fanfic piece. Anyways, you don't want to hear me yap on and on. On to the story!
Things with (-) around them is mindspeech. Italics are just regular thought, not broadcasting at all.
--
" I don't think she's ready."
"Stop worrying. There's nothing else we can do for her."
"Yes-but-"
"I know. It's hard, isn't it? She's been here for…gods, four years now, and we've taught her all that we can. She's been Chosen-she needs to move on. She's a mage-now she needs to learn to be a Herald."
--
Tari glanced at the road, at Kevaver's ears, and back at the road. She was feeling more nervous by the second-why would the Collegium take her as a student? Why was she Chosen?
And more importantly, could and would they break her bond with Kevaver?
- Kev… -
- Yes, Chosen? -
- They wouldn't break the bond…would they? -
- Chosen. -He stopped in the middle of the road and turned his head to face her. - They will never break our bond as long as I am there to say something about it. -
She smiled, and he continued walking. There were still doubts in her mind though-could they refuse to teach her? What with her talents-
No. Don't think that.
- Chosen… - Kev's mindvoice was hesitant. - If you wanted…I could put a shield on you…one that hides your true power. Actually, I think that that might be a good idea-that way, you won't scare them, and you won't blind every mage that looks at you. -
- What are you talking about? -
- Well, let's just say that it's a very good thing you can't see yourself. -
- Kevaver. Explain what you mean. -
- Chosen, you know magesight? - She nodded- Well, it also shows you the power in a person. When mages look at you, they'd probably be temporarily blinded. -
- Sure, Kev, -she 'said' skeptically.
- I'm serious, Chosen. You could be an adept, with the right training. In fact, if you fought against Herald-Mage Vanyel, and it came down to brute strength, you'd win. -
- Who's Herald-Mage Vanyel? -
- Umm…Let's talk about that another time. -
There was mental silence for a while, then Tari 'said,' - You mean it, then? -
- Yes! That's what I just told you! -The exasperation was patently obvious.
- Oh. -Silence for a while, then,- How long would temporarily be? -
- What? -
- You said that a mage would probably be blinded temporarily. How long would it be? -
- Um…probably a day or so? Longer to recover completely, and it would also depend on how long they saw you for. -
- Ah. Will you shield me, then? -
- Alright. I think that I'd better hide some of your Heraldic gifts, too-it wouldn't do for them to know how many you had. Which ones do you want to keep? -
- Keep? You're not taking any away, are you? -
- Chosen, I'm just hiding some of them from others. You can use them, but I'd advise against it when others are there. -
- Oh. Well…mindspeech, obviously. Um…firestarting, too, and maybe a touch of foresight. Hmm…-
- That's probably good. I'll have them think that you're only a middling power. -
- Got it. -
--
When they were perhaps five minutes away from the city, Kev belatedly realized something.
- Chosen? -
- Hmm? -
- Why have we been thinking in Tayledras? -
- Because that's all I've spoken for the past four years? -
- Oh gods. -
- What? -
- Chosen. -
- Yes? -
- Please tell me you know how to speak Valdemaran. -
- What's that? -
- Oh gods. -
--
Herald Adair was not happy. While this was not an unusual state for him to be in, his Companion was seriously annoyed.
- Chosen, if I have to listen to one more complaint about a student, I will throw you in the pond. -
-That would feel nice. -
- Chosen, I am serious. If your students annoy you so much, ask if you can quit. Ask to go on circuit. But STOP COMPLAINING. -
- Are you mad? If I go on circuit, I'll end up having to get a trainee to intern with me eventually. A year or so out in the field alone with a student? I'd go insane! And I'd have to actually WORK. -
- Have you ever considered being nice to them? It wouldn't kill you, you know. -
- I'm not so sure about that. -
At this point in their dialogue, another Herald entered the conversation.
- Adair might be right, Etana. It might kill him. It would certainly kill me. -
- In which case, Adair, go right ahead with being nice. - This third herald's mindvoice was dancing with humor.
- Oh, shut up. -
- Since when did my head become a meeting place? -demanded Adair.
- Since I came to tell you two that the dean wants you. Adair, Bene, dean's office pronto. -
- Elda, why did we ever befriend you? -
- Because I helped you study? -
- Whatever. -
--
"Dean Dessa, why do you want us?" inquired Adair with his usual bluntness the second he and Bene walked into the room.
The elder woman smiled at the dark-haired Herald. "Because, my dear, we have an extremely unusual new trainee."
"Which means dysfunctional."
Dessa frowned. "Adair, please at least try to be civil. This child is not 'dysfunctional.'"
"Then what's the problem?" inquired Bene.
"Well…"
"Dessa. We can't help you if we don't know what the damn problem is!"
"Adair, remember what I said about being civil?"
"Sort of…"
"I just said it less than five minutes ago, Adair."
"The problem," interrupted Herald Elda, who entered the dean's office, "is that we have a trainee who doesn't speak a word of Valdemaran."
She looked meaningfully at Adair. Dessa sighed. "Yes, it's true. She doesn't speak a word of Valdemaran."
"Who chose her?" inquired Bene.
"Kevaver. But what's interesting about this is that Kevaver says he found her in Sorrows, yet she clearly isn't from Valdemar. Oddly enough, she had never even heard of Valdemar, or Companions, or Heralds."
"So? I had never heard of those things, either," replied Adair. "What I find interesting is that she was in Sorrows."
At this precise moment, a trainee stuck her head in the door. "Dean Dessa? The healers want you-I think that Sheriden's landed himself in Healers again, and we've got trainees holding off some very angry blues, but I don't know how much longer they can keep the door barred…"
"Gods. Why did I ever get assigned this job?" sighed Dessa, conveniently ignoring the fact that she had asked for the job the second that the old dean had retired. "Alright, I'm coming. You lot are to deal with the new trainee," she added, tossing these words back to the three teachers.
Now it was Adair's turn to sigh. "Lovely. Just perfect. Elda, I ask out of curiosity-would this new trainee have anything to do with the ruckus I heard a little earlier?"
"No, that was probably Sheriden. Honestly, that boy will be the end of us!" Elda exclaimed. "And Adair, I want you to be nice to the new trainee. She hasn't spoken at all since she arrived, and I'm rather worried. Her Companion assures us that she's not stupid or dumb, and is in fact yelling at him for only telling her half an hour ago that she didn't know the native language."
"Hey, she's like Eta and I!"
"Exactly. That's why I want you to be her mentor."
"Wait-wha-why can't Bene do it?" demanded Adair. As a sudden thought hit him, he felt his eyes widen.
"Elda, please," he said, almost begging. This wasn't good-she had her wiser-than-thou expression on. "Don't tell me that there's a…a…" His voice trailed off into silence, and he simply stared pitifully at her. Behind them, Bene was snickering.
"Shut up, Bene," said Elda calmly. "No, Adair, you're not lifebonded to her, and good thing, too. I think that Bene-not to mention the rest of the Collegia-would die laughing if they found out you had a lifebond."
- Not to mention me, - added Etana.
Adair rolled his eyes at this. "Thank the gods."
"No, but I want you to do it because of the exact reason you mentioned earlier."
"Wha-"
"That you and her are a lot alike, language-wise." Elda smirked as Adair groaned. He had provided her with a reason himself.
"But-but-," he said, grasping at straws, "but why couldn't…I don't know…Mahari do it?" He named a Karsite Herald teacher, who had come in the same position he had.
"Because, according to her Companion, she's only spoken Tayledras for the past four years." Elda smiled even more broadly now, having gotten him into her trap.
"Button-pusher," he accused her.
"If it gets you to do what I want? Then yes, I am," she agreed complacently.
That wasn't fair, he thought. Curse it, Elda knew how the mention of the Hawkbrothers affected him, seeing as they had helped him train his very unpredictable, very powerful firestarting gift.
Making one last attempt to get out of it, he said desperately, "She'll be another me! You can barely deal with one of me-what about having to live with two of me?"
"I think we can handle it," spoke up Bene. Adair glared at him.
"Traitor," he muttered. He heaved a sigh. "Fine, I give in. What talents does she have?"
"Firestarting, Mindspeech, Magegift, and a touch of Foresight," Elda informed him.
"You make them sound like a list of ingredients," Adair muttered. "How strong is she?"
"Middling to weak in all."
"Let's go meet a new trainee."
--
Tari glanced at the building-the Collegia, Kev had said. When the hell were the Heralds coming back?
- Kev, what am I going to do about this language problem? -
- Well, they're getting a Tayledras speaker to come out and talk to you. - She sensed a slight hesitation in his mindvoice.
- What is it? -
- Umm…Chosen, let's just say that if this particular Herald annoys you, try not to hurt him. -
- Why would he annoy me? -
- Herald Adair is the most infamous Herald around. He acts like it's his business to annoy people. Oh, and he's the most powerful Firestarter since the reign of Queen Selenay. - There was no time for further conversation, as the Heralds had finally returned.
The dark-haired lady Herald that had been here before paused to smile kindly at her, then turned to one of the two people with her. The lean, dark man she turned to was staring around at the world with a morose expression. Behind them trailed a big redheaded man with a faintly bear-like look about him, who appeared to find the whole situation very amusing.
The female Herald nodded to the dark man, and he took a deep breath and began to talk.
"Look, what's your name?" he inquired. In Tayledras.
Tari's eyes widened, and she instantly replied, "Nefertari or Tari. May I inquire as to your name?"
The man's eyebrows lifted for a moment, and looked almost amused-and faintly impressed. "You may. It's Adair."
"Herald Adair. So you're the most powerful Firestarter since the reign of Queen Selenay?" The foreign names weren't that hard to pronounce, just odd.
It was his turn to be startled. "How did you know that?"
"Kev told me."
"Of course. Now, we need to get down to business. We can have your Companion put you into a sort of coma, and teach you the basics of Valdemaran. It'll make it easier for you to learn it than if you learn it all by scratch. Trust me, I came here speaking nothing but my own language-it was harder for me than it'll be for you." He doubtfully looked her up and down, taking in her skin and hair, both darker than his. "You don't look very Hawkbrother-like, though."
"I'm not." His questioning stare forced her to elaborate. "My teachers didn't speak my language, and preferred to speak in the Hawkbrother tongue, anyways."
"I see."
"Oh, and also-why do you need to ask me if I want to learn the hard way or the basics-installed-into-your-mind way?"
"Damn healers say that we can't put people into a coma without asking them. Something about it not being morally right."
Tari grimaced. "Well, I agree, so can we get on with it?"
"Yes, we can. Kevaver, now would be perfect, thank you."
That was the last thing she heard before darkness covered her.
--
Elda examined the girl, who was lying crumpled on the ground next to her Companion. "Well, Adair?" she inquired. "What's her name?"
"Nefertari, or Tari," was the reply. "She said she learned the Hawkbrother tongue because her teachers preferred to speak it and didn't know her language."
"Ah." The tone was slightly questioning.
Adair sighed. "No, I don't know who her teachers were, or what they taught her. She didn't say."
"Oh, well. It would have been interesting to find out. Now, where are we going to put her?"
"Excuse me?"
"We're out of rooms," explained Elda. "There were so many Blues this year, they had to put some in here. In fact, they're still getting them, and are, I believe, flowing into Healers by now. She'll have to room with someone, but who?"
Bene nodded. "I see your problem. You'll want to put her with other first-years, right? The noble-borns are used to having their own room, and won't want to share, and the common-born trainees won't want to share because they've finally got their own room. We need someone who really won't care."
"And is a girl," added Elda.
"Right, and is a girl. Now let's see…who is there that fits these descriptions…hmmm…"
And at this moment, the gods took pity on the poor stupid mortals and caused the girl who would be perfect to come flying down the path.
No, not literally flying! Just running really, really fast. And not looking where she was going, which caused her to slam into Elda's back.
"Oh! Sorry, Herald," she panted. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"It's fine," Elda said absently. "Now, girl, what's your name?"
"Uh..." The girl was clearly confused about the change in subject. "I'm Heraldic Trainee Eala."
"Eala, what year are you in?"
"Uh…first? Um, Herald, if you don't mind me asking, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Trust me, Eala, it's important. Now, do you mind having a roommate?"
Eala was looking more and more worried for the Herald's sanity. "Herald, are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes, yes, Eala, I'm sure! Now please answer the question."
"Well, no…"
"Perfect! Eala, this girl on the ground is your new roommate. I'm sure you two will get along fabulously. Now that that's settled, we three will go see to other arrangements." Elda strode off, Bene and Adair following quickly. Eala stared after them for a moment, then shrugged and sat down next to the girl who looked like a shadow.
--
And here we are! My first multi-chapter fic, second ever fanfic, and first ML fanfic! The title could definitely use some work, but it's the best-and only-thing I could come up with. I know, it wasn't much of a cliff-hanger, but it was the best I could come up with. Hopefully, it's enough to keep you reading-and me writing! (Don't worry, I will! Even if everyone hates this fic, I will continue it for me.)
