Talia woke that morning with a headache behind her right eye. Not bad, but nagging, Her head felt odd and cobwebby. Perhaps she needed more sleep. Selanay had been chiding her about overwork again. Even in peacetime, they never ran out of tasks it seemed. There were audiences to attend and meetings to call.

For a moment she couldn't remember what she was supposed to be doing today. It seemed very much later than she normally woke up. The light in the room seemed almost noon bright. But if she was supposed to be somewhere, someone would have been banging on her door.

It was all right, today was the beginning of the Midwinter...no, the Midsummer Holiday. Talia had told her maid she'd eat in the common room this morning, so she wouldn't feel like she had to bring up anything. She'd also told her girl to take a rest day and not even bother to come up to tidy. After all these years, she'd never gotten used to servants picking up after her.

Rolan touched her with a note of concern, projecting the image of a Healer into her mind. She shrugged and sent back an image of herself relaxing. The whole Collegium was off on Midsummer Holiday and for the next week, Selanay had no Council meetings or Court Functions for Talia to attend.

Dirk and Teren had taken senior trainee Heralds to the Midsummer Festival in Sunhame in Karse. They had left ten days ago and it would be another month before he returned. She had gone in other years, but this year it just didn't work out. She told Dirk she never minded him leaving because the homecomings were so delightful. Her son Jemmy was also gone this summer, to the Court of Rethwellan with Prince Consort Darren and Selenay's twins.

Elspeth had asked if she had wanted to meet for breakfast. Talia dressed and headed down the stairs. On the way to the common room, her nagging headache was becoming a throbbing one. She thought she'd better find some headache tea in the kitchens. She was having curiously difficult time thinking—as if she'd drunk too much wine the night before.

She stumbled walking through the door. A Herald caught her elbow, he said something she didn't catch and she smiled her gratitude. Rolan Felt alarmed in the back of her mind, but she wasn't sure she understood why.

She saw Elspeth and Darkwind sitting together at the table. For an odd second she found herself unable to recognize the white haired, blue-eyed woman sitting with the equally white haired man. For just a moment she had no idea who she was looking at. "Talia!" said Elspeth "what's wrong?" The moment passed and Tallia slid in beside her. "You look a little dazed this morning."

Talia shrugged, "Your Lady-mother says I work too hard. Truthfully, I have a headache."

"Should I get you some tea?" offered Darkwind

"With a lot of honey," said Elspeth

"I imagine that would help some." said Talia, closing her eyes against the suddenly too-bright light.

After what seemed much too short a time, Darkwind reappeared with tea and a plate of food. It was as if Darkwind had just performed a conjuring trick. "That was quick" she muttered confused, opening her eyes. "Thank you."

There were more alarm feelings from Rolan, but no images accompanied them, Talia couldn't understand what could be upsetting him. Her left hand began to feel odd, as if she'd been sleeping on it . She shook it a little to bring some feeling back into it. It felt as if it wasn't even hers. She decided that she could try and eat at least, but the very idea of food seemed to have lost its appeal.

The light seemed too bright again and she closed her eyes.

After a minute somebody sat down across from her, she opened her eyes to see a blond woman she felt she should know. "Are you all right?" the blond woman asked.

Talia nodded. There was a white haired woman sitting beside her that Talia was certain she did know, who asked, "Talia, love, perhaps you should go see a healer? You don't look well."

Rolan's feelings of alarm were fading away now, as if he were moving beyond the distance at which she could Feel him. She wished these people who were talking to her would hush so she could make sense of what Rolan was trying to tell her.

"I'm all right!" she snapped "Just leave me alone for a minute"

Her headache suddenly spiked intolerably and the light in the room burst behind her eyes. "ROLAN!" she screamed at the top of her voice and mind. Then, Rolan was—just gone. The place where he had been in her mind was burning with horrible pain.

Her whole body hurt dreadfully. She was somewhere dark. Rolan was beyond reach. She tried to understand where she was and what was happening. She couldn't Feel anything or anyone beyond her shields.

Blocked then.

Memory started to fill itself in...Mages were blocking her Gift. Ancar had captured her, killed his own father, killed Kris. She was dying. She'd sent Selenay the broken arrow to warn her not to come into Hardorn. She would die here alone. The argonal she'd just drank would make sure of it...

A sneaky tendril of thought floated into her mind, It scraped over raw places like salt in a wound. A mage was trying to get at her again. If he was trying that, his shields might be weakened. She could at least get that much revenge. With all the strength she could muster she turned every scrap of pain and fear and anger and grief back into his face.

She fell back, spent. She couldn't feel the surface she lay on. For a long time, it seemed, she lay in the dark. She wished she could see Dirk again.

A luminous door opened in the wall. Talia cringed away from the light only expecting Ancar or his guards. A figure stood there peering into the dark corners. She realized, with a leap of her heart, it was a man dressed in Herald's Whites.

"Herald Talia?" He called

"Here." she gasped, weakly

He saw her then, and gathered her up, gently. Some of the burning in her head eased. Oddly, they walked directly into a sunlit courtyard without passing through the rest of the building. The Herald was a tall man with white hair and beard. She didn't know his face, but there was something irresistibly familiar about him, "Its all right now, little sister, I've come to take you home." He said softly.

Her chest was burning, like there wasn't enough air, then the feeling passed. The Herald was sitting so that Talia was propped up against him. "Herald?" she said breathlessly, she cried out as a small movement sent a wave of pain over her "But I sent a broken arrow..."

She realized suddenly that they were not alone. Ominous shapes were gathering around them. She began to ready herself to defend them both. "No little sister," the tall Herald said, "there's no one here who'll hurt you".

Someone sat down in front of her. "Talia? Herald Talia?" asked a woman's voice. The woman came into better view A strong jawed broad shouldered blond in Whites. Standing up beside her, another Herald, a woman with iron gray hair bound into a tail and a beak of a nose.

Talia's shoulder started bleeding again. "Who's there?" she whispered, clutching at the wound.

The blond woman replied "It's Herald Kerowyn"

Talia reached out her bloody hand and touched Kerowyn's hand and the other woman's leg to reassure herself that the rescue was not some fantasy concocted by fever and drug dreams. She clutched at Kerowyn's hands with both of hers, her vision swimming now. Kerowyn's Whites changed color strangely. "Selenay...you've got to tell Selenay. Orthallen's a traitor. Ancar...killed Kris."

"Shh...Talia, its all right. Ancar's dead"

Talia fell back in relief. Her head was throbbing again

"Little Bird?" someone said softly in her ear

"Kris? Is that you?" She turned to the voice. It was Kris. He smiled down at her as he knelt on the other side of her from the tall Herald.

"I'm sorry, m'lord" Kris said to the other man, then to Talia, "We'll come for you soon, Talia Not now, but soon."

Talia didn't understand, but the tall Herald looked anguished. And the pain in her head precluded thinking "Kris? It hurts," she wept. "I can't find Dirk." It was true, the place where she usually felt him was cold and empty. "Tell him I need him, here."

Kris seemed to look at the tall Herald for permission, but it was the gray haired woman standing near Kerowyn, who snapped "Go on then, boy. I should think she's earned a few favors."

Kris stooped and kissed Talia's forehead. "I'll tell him, Little Bird"

"Talia!" called the blond woman.

A dark, forbidding figure appeared beside the Herald. Talia cringed in sudden fear, the thing reached a claw towards her and Talia threw up a hand to ward it off "No!" she cried.

The Herald called out to her, but Talia couldn't understand the words.

The thing put its hand to her forehead and sharp pain ran down her spine. Frantically, she turned the pain back on the thing.

It pulled back from her. Then Kerowyn took her hand again, "Talia, its all right, I swear." The tall Herald beside her murmured the same. The figure in front of her sharpened and blurred making her want to vomit. "Its Devan," said the tall Herald, "He's trying to find out what's wrong." he said quietly

"I can't see you properly." she told Kerowyn—Kerowyn's Whites kept changing color, "What's happening?"

The sharp pain in Talia's head redoubled and reached down her spine again. She gasped.

"I don't know, Please let the healer in." said Kerowyn

Talia didn't have any fight left anymore. She turned her face into the tall Herald's shoulder and squeezed Kerowyn's hand. After a moment she remembered that she knew Devan, after another she felt the soft healing trance stealing over her. She let it pull her into sleep.

She was just awake enough to realize that someone was moving her. She was being lifted up and her head started to burn again. She began to try to struggle out of the trance.

The tall Herald was beside her again.

"She stays with me." he told the healers. The burning in her head quieted and she felt herself drifting off again.