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Developing Problems
By: youdontneedtoknow

Chapter 21: Add Hawk

"Thom!" she shrieked again. She ran toward her twin and collapsed upon the earth beside him, grabbing his arm to feel for a pulse. She felt the steady rhythm of blood flowing through his wrist and gave a shallow sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

Thom's eyelids fluttered and he moaned softly, but he didn't move. Her mind blanked; she couldn't think what to do until she heard her brother softly whisper, "Water." She scrambled to her feet and ran to where she had dropped her flask. It had spilled across the dusty ground, so she knelt next to the stream to refill it. Her hands shook as she held it beneath the water's surface, but she managed to fill it completely.

She turned to see George tending to her twin's wounds. His own water canteen dangled from his hip, empty after having been poured over the dirt-filled cut that went straight across Thom's bare chest. George was naked from the waist up, having stripped off his own shirt to use to stopper the flow of Thom's blood. "He needs a healer," George said, looking at her pointedly.

Alanna gulped. "I can't," she whispered. "I haven't…"

George's eyes bored into her own. "You know what to do," he said. She looked down at her twin and saw that, though George applied pressure, the blood still gushed out of Thom's wound, dripping down his sides to mix with the dirt. A sticky, darkly colored mud had formed on the ground beneath him. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Give him some water," she said, handing George her canteen. He obeyed, holding the container to Thom's mouth. She knelt down on the other side of him, opposite George. Still trembling, she placed her hands on her twin's chest and summoned her magic. She found it deep within her, almost buried, and pulled it out of her very core. It flowed through her arms like lightning, making her hair stand on end. She could feel her power going into her twin and surrounding his injuries.

The bleeding subsided. It looked to Alanna as if Thom's flesh was being sewn together, the way it pulled and tightened, but this didn't seem to bother him. Already he looked better; the color was returning to his cheeks and his eyes were half-open, staring at her.

"Sorry," he said. "Saving you wasn't as neat as I imagined it would be."

Alanna laughed through the tears that had already began to stream down her face. "Don't scare me like that, brother," she said, wiping her face on her sleeve.

George pulled away and straightened, looking at the pair with raised eyebrows and a bemused expression on his face. He shook his head and walked off while Alanna used a handkerchief dipped in fresh water to clean off the blood that had begun to congeal to her twin's chest. She worked in silence, and Thom said nothing to her either. Gingerly, she wrapped her twin's chest with a bandage, doing her best to not move him too much, but it was impossible for her to wrap it completely around him without a little effort on his part. He was a good sport about it though, and would turn every so often so that she could get the bandage completely around his body.

George came back with a blanket and a canvas sack that appeared to be stuffed with rags—or clothes, Alanna thought, seeing crimson stains on a few that peeked out. He threw the blanket over Thom's bottom half and held up the stuffed sack. "Might make a good pillow," he said, and bent down to help Thom wedge it beneath his head.

As he straightened up, George looked at Alanna and started. "I didn't realize you were hurt too," he said hoarsely, grabbing her forearm to look at the wound.

"It's nothing," she said, jerking it back.

George looked at her sharply. "It's not nothin', lass," he said. "That can become infected if you don't take care of it." He took her arm again, gently this time, and examined it carefully. "You need to heal yourself," he said, "or that will slow you down considerably."

She shrugged, but knew he was right. She summoned her magic again, pushing it to flow into her arm rather than through it. She looked down to her wound and watched the skin knit together again, just as Thom's had. It hurt, but nothing that she wasn't used to—she'd had healings before. She knew that if she could see through the blood that caked her skin that her arm would have turned pink around the wound's core, new skin already beginning to form. She sighed as the pain of the healing died down, leaving her only with a tingling feeling near the wound and a tiredness in her body.

"Now go wash that off," George said. Alanna obeyed, walking several yards upstream from where George and Thom were.

George sat with Thom, watching him breathe shallowly before falling into a deep sleep. George noted with satisfaction that his breaths had turned slower and fewer. Hopefully a sleep like this would have Thom healed in no time.

Alanna still hadn't returned. George looked around, but didn't see her. He stood up and walked to the large boulder that was on their side of the stream and found her kneeling next to the water, shaking. The acrid smell of stomach acid filled his nostrils as he got closer.

George swore under his breath. He'd forgotten. She'd never been in a real battle before; this was her first time.

He knelt beside her and put his arm around her. "Don't," she said, "I'm sorry I'm so weak, I just…" she trailed off.

He pulled her into his arms. She didn't protest. "It's okay," he said. "It's never easy to take the life of another. There'd be somethin' wrong with you if it was."

"But you didn't throw up," Alanna said.

"No," George said, "I didn't."

"When does it get easier, then?" she asked.

"It doesn't," George said, "you only get better at realizin' you did what you had to do… that you're only killin' those who are trying to kill you… or people you love."

Alanna looked up at him, her tears burning her cheeks. He saw the clean streaks on her cheeks that ran through the dirt that coated her face and smiled gently. He dipped his sleeve into the stream and used it to gently wipe her face. "There," he said. He kissed her forehead. "Now come on, let's get back to your brother."

Thom had fallen asleep in their absence, but he seemed to be shaking a little. George sighed. "He needs another blanket," he said. "That one's much too thin."

Alanna nodded. She could see her twin's shivers. "I can warm him with my Gift," she said. George shook his head. "You need to save your strength too. I'll see what the bandits left behind at their camp. We're goin' to need another horse, too."

"Wait!" Alanna said. "What if there's more of them?"

George shook his head. "There won't be," he said. "Didn't you hear the archer yell out that he'd found the ones the crown was looking for? Bandits are a greedy bunch, none of them would stay behind and miss the chance to claim a part of the reward."

Alanna shook her head. "No, I couldn't hear what he said," she told him. "I was too busy trying not to die."

George chuckled. "I'll be right back," he said. "We'll set up camp by the stream tonight so we don't have to go too far."

Alanna stood up. "I'm going to take that as a suggestion for me to fetch our own supplies," she said as George nodded and disappeared into the trees on the other side of the stream.

She found the beginnings of their camp and the horses not far away, munching nonchalantly on the grass as if nothing major had just occurred. "Well you two are obviously not war horses," she grumbled as she grabbed their reins. "We could've used some help back there." They looked at her with vacant stares. George had barely started to build a fire when he'd been interrupted, so there wasn't anything to pack. She led the pair back to the stream and started rummaging through their saddlebags.

She had the beginnings of their tent set up when George returned. He was wearing a new shirt—new to him, anyway—and leading a scruffy-looking mare. He had a few full bags slung over his shoulder. "They had horses for the lot of them. I turned them all loose except this one. She was the nicest looking of the bunch." He knelt next to Thom and pulled a blanket from his pack, tucking it around him. Thom woke with a start, then moaned appreciatively.

"Much better," he said. "Thank you, George Cooper."

George smiled. "It's nice to finally make your acquaintance, Lord Thom."

Thom chuckled softly. "Odd to realize we've never met, though we've corresponded regularly."

"Odd indeed," George said, stroking his chin in thought.

"Corresponded?" Alanna asked.

"Your brother and I have exchanged a fair bit of letters since you started usin' my men as your messengers," George told her. "Natural for two who care about the same person to be friends, don't you think?" he teased.

Thom chortled. "I think my interest is a little more pure than yours is, rogue."

George grinned. "Now, lad, my interests are pure— even if my intentions are not." He gave Alanna one of his flirtatious winks.

"Please, George, not in front of me," Thom said, rolling his eyes. "She is my sister, after all."

"I'd appreciate if you'd stop talking about me and start talking to me for a moment here!" Alanna said, voice shrilly.

They both looked at her guiltily. "Yes?" Thom said.

"Would you mind telling me exactly what you're doing here, Thom?" she asked. "How on earth did you get here?"

"Please, Alanna," Thom said. "Let me get a bite to eat before you begin the interrogations.

She sighed. "I guess we should get dinner started," she said.

George had found a net at the bandit tent, and Alanna spent the better part of the next hour dangling over the stream with it, pulling at it swiftly every now and then when she thought she saw a fish. She slowly made her way down the stream whenever she felt her luck wearing out at a spot, keeping an eye out for deeper and slower areas where the fish might be hiding.

At one particular location, she saw a massive furry bundle clinging to a log on the other side of the stream. She got closer to see what it was and swore. Reaching across with her net, she managed to scoop it up and bring it over to her.

By the time she returned to their location, George had got the fire roaring and was busy trying to melt some cheese over a roll without burning his fingers. When he saw the look on her face and what she carried, he laughed in a way she hadn't heard in a long time. "Well, lass," he said. "I s'pose you'll be hopin' that I can find another wig for you?"

She glared at him and tossed him the fish. She'd been lucky. The stream had been teeming with fish, and she had managed to secure half a dozen moderately sized ones, enough to give them something of a hearty dinner. While George gutted the fish and began to cook them, Alanna returned to setting up the tents.

She was tightening a knot when George came over. "Food's almost done," he said. "I'm goin' to let it sit on the fire for a little longer." He bent down and helped her fasten the last few knots that would secure the tent.

"We'd do better to set another one up too," he said. "Three of us won't fit under this one."

Alanna looked at him. They didn't have to say anything to understand each other. The two of them had been sleeping in the same tent since the beginning of the journey—for warmth and for comfort, Alanna told herself— but she wasn't sure what the sleeping arrangements should be with Thom there. If it was really just for warmth… well, Thom would need warmth more than George did.

"Can you just set up something up around me?" Thom asked. "I don't want to move yet. Pity the wounded man and just throw something on top of me; I'll be fine."

Alanna hesitated. "D'you want me to sleep with you?" she asked. "To keep you warm?"

She could swear she saw him roll his eyes from all the way over there. "I think I can manage. I don't want you bumping into me in the middle of the night."

Alanna smiled a little. "Well, that settles that, I guess," she said. "D'you have another tent in there?" she pointed at the bag George had brought with him from the bandit camp. He nodded.

"We'll set it up after we eat," he said. Alanna nodded, and together they brought the food over to where Thom lay and sat next to him. Alanna helped her twin eat, while George worked on picking the leaves and twigs out of her wig between mouthfuls of fish.

"So," Alanna said once she and Thom had finished eating, "mind explaining how you got here?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Thom said gingerly.

"But… how…" Alanna couldn't quite formulate the question, too wrapped up in the implications of the answer.

"It's been a pet project of mine to learn how to transform myself for a while now. I was reading up on it, especially after the use I saw George's messengers had in relaying secret information. A hawk? I'd be the best spy in the country, and a good messenger to boot if I ever felt like going into service for the Crown.

"Plus, I know that none of the Mithran priests knew how to do it. I like learning how to do things that none of them can," he said with a smug grin. "I hadn't quite got the hang of it until I got word you'd be discovered. After that… I think my body shocked itself into transforming completely," he said. He tried to adjust himself, but moaned in response. "I think I'm bruised all over," he said. "That man hit me pretty hard after he slashed me across the chest."

"But why were you traveling like this, though?" Alanna asked.

Thom raised an eyebrow. "Would you take a horse for a journey of weeks when you could travel as a hawk and cut your time in half? This way I also wouldn't have had to deal with bandits or other humans like you've had to. Just… bigger hawks…" he said thoughtfully.

"And where are your clothes?" she asked.

Thom blushed, which Alanna supposed was a good sign after all of that blood he'd lost. "You can't carry much when you're in hawk form. I figured I'd reveal myself to you at some place and have you get clothes for me once you got to the city. It's not like I needed to bring anything besides myself to protect you."

She looked at him incredulous. "You were just going to pop up somewhere naked?"

George and Thom both laughed. "Sorry, sister," Thom said. "I hadn't realized how much the idea would offend you."

She was the one blushing now. "It wouldn't offend me! It just doesn't seem like a very well thought out plan!"

Thom smiled. "Well, anyway, I caught up to you a few days ago. I figured I'd follow you until you got nearer to the city and then reveal myself then." He winced in pain again. "Only once you disappeared into the forest, I had a hard time finding you again. I only was able to when I heard a yell. I got there right in time to see someone holding a knife to your throat."

Alanna caught her twin's eye sheepishly and smiled. "Yeah, thanks for that," she said.

Thom smiled. "And I'd do it again," he said. "Just a little more gracefully next time. Less blood, more magic."

Alanna laughed. "I'll take blood over magic any day."

Thom rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to get over that at some point," he said. "The gods don't take kindly to those who ignore their gifts."

She chose to ignore this as well. "So what are we going to do now?" she asked them both. "You're hurt. It's going to be hard for you to move like this."

"I'll manage," he said. "Just let me rest."

George had finished picking through Alanna's wig. It didn't look half bad, she thought. Once it was dry, it even looked like the curls might spring back. Alanna took it from him and placed it upright on a skinny stump in the hopes that it would all dry in the same direction and she'd be able to wear it for the rest of their journey.

She turned to find George looking through the packs to take stock of their food. Alanna didn't like the worried expression on his face.

"We'll have to stop at an inn tomorrow," he whispered to her, not wanting to wake Thom, who'd fallen asleep as soon as he was done eating. "Your brother's not going to heal very fast if he's only eatin' stale cheese and a little bit of bread."

She nodded. "Is there one nearby?" she asked.

George hesitated. "The closest one… I don't know it very well. I've never stayed there before."

"Well," Alanna said, "there might be a bounty on our heads, but Thom's not in trouble and they're not expecting us to be all together. A group of three is a little less suspicious than two when the king's men are looking for two, isn't it?"

George nodded thoughtfully. "Aye, lass, that's true. Still, I don't want to attract any suspicion. We'll have to make the best of the wig you've got and do somethin' to cover that hair of your brother's. Red hair's fair uncommon, and everyone knows what you look like. Your brother's the spittin' image of you, albeit a little taller and brawnier."

Alanna stuck her tongue out at him. "I think I've got a little more muscle than my mage of a brother," she said. "After all, I'm halfway to becoming a knight."

George smiled and grabbed her shoulder. "Muscle and trainin' aren't what make a man's shoulders broad," he said. "You'll have a small frame no matter how strong you are."

"Doesn't matter," she said. "I can still beat anyone with a sword in my hand."

"Aye," George nodded, "that you can. But still, we need to tread lightly tomorrow."

"Well, I think the wig will be fine," Alanna said. "It doesn't look too bad right now. And we can bandage up Thom's head to cover his hair."

"That'll work, lass," he said. "I saw a cap back at the bandit camp we can put on him too, so we don't get too many questions if there's just the bandage." He pulled the tent out of the bag beside him and Alanna stood to help. The two of them worked soundlessly to set it up around Thom, well-practiced in the art of tent-making after so many nights repeating the ritual together.

"Now, let's get to sleep," George whispered. He pulled her arm, gesturing toward the other tent. She followed quietly, not wanting to wake her brother. She was careful to put some distance between herself and George. She didn't want Thom to think her indecent.

All of her careful maneuvering before she fell asleep, however, didn't stop her from rolling right up next to him in the middle of the night when it started to get cold. George smiled when he felt her press up against him, just as she'd done every other night.