Once Darren gave the order to set up a Healer's tent on the battlefield, he went to make sure that it was one of the Skybolt's own Healers who was tending Kero. She was edgy about outsiders knowing that Need was anything but an ordinary sword.

As Darren had expected, Shallan had gotten one of their Healers to look at their Captain--she'd brought him herself, before the Herald that Eldan had sent was back. The Skybolt's Healer made a great show of examining and working on her. This was a rehearsed act, to avoid questions.

When he was done, he reassured Darren and Herald Eldan that Kerowyn was in a Healing trance, not a coma, "She'll be fine in the morning. It was just a glancing blow--her helm took most of it."

Eldan, who'd witnessed the attack, looked dubious though the Valdemaran Healers were satisfied. They took Kerowyn into the tent followed by the Companion who'd apparently Chosen her. Darren hoped to be on hand when Kero came to and discovered she'd gotten a Companion to go with her magic sword.

Darren told the Valdamaran Healers to make sure they left her sword with her, "She'll react badly if she wakes up without her weapon." he said to them. They nodded knowingly--they were accustomed to fighting men and women.

Selenay and the older Herald that had been with her before stood outside the tent, talking quietly. Darren walked over to them, followed by Jasan.

"We need to send for Talia." Selenay was telling the Herald, "If..." she saw Darren and whatever she was going to say died on her lips. She recovered quickly however, clearing her throat, "Elspeth can handle things there for a few days."

The older Herald frowned in concentration for a moment, "Elcarth says that Talia and Dirk will be on their way in a candlemark." said the Herald.

"Is there anyone here that is close to him? I don't want him to be alone if the worst happens."

"I'll ask Alberich to look in on him"

"Perfect. Thank you. Would you also see to getting the lists of other casualties?" Selenay was keeping one eye on Darren as she spoke.

The Herald nodded and bowed slightly to Selenay, then to Darren, "Of course, I'll start that now. If you need me for anything else, call me." he mounted his Companion who had come trotting up.

Darren gave Selenay the same kind of half bow he'd seen the Herald give her. "Highness." he said formally, but with (he hoped) his most charming smile

She laughed kindly and Darren warmed right through, "Please, Prince Darren" she replied, "Just call me Selenay."

"Then, you must call me Darren." he told her, pleased that this was going so well. He glanced toward the tent, "How is the Companion?" he asked, sobering.

She sighed, biting her lip, "The Healers can't say. She lost a lot of blood. Those bastards hit her with a short blade, fortunately. If it had been a sword, she would have bled out quickly." Selenay's blue eyes clouded with an old sadness, and Darren wanted to put his arms around her again, this time to comfort her. He couldn't remember ever being affected by a woman like this before.

"What happens to the Herald if the Companion dies?" Darren asked quietly. He figured he'd better know what he was in for.

Selenay looked from him to Jasan and back, "Sometimes they're Chosen again. They're never quite the same, though."

"What about the ones who don't get Chosen again?" Darren asked, "Do they have to give up being a Herald?"

Selenay looked rather bleak, "The ones who don't get Chosen again are usually dead." Her Companion nuzzled her cheek and for a moment she leaned against the mare, drawing strength, "Still, Kyldathar's young and Companions have remarkable powers to Heal. I won't give up hope yet." She smiled at Darren again. "I believe there is some attempt at food preparation being made. Would you care to join me in my tent for dinner?"

In answer, Darren extended his arm courteously, delighted to have some excuse to have her arm in his.

**

Kerowyn was vaguely aware of Healer Jaran making a big fuss of her. He knew that Need would take care of her, but she instructed him to do just this if she ever took a serious wound while they were working on a contract.

Someone picked her up and put her on a litter and she drifted off again.

When next Kerowyn came back to herself, she was lying on a cot covered in a layer of warm blankets. She couldn't think where she was. She heard the sound of two men talking quietly. She opened her eyes to slits, her head was aching and she wanted desperately to go back to sleep. A gray haired man sat with his back to her on the other side of a large tent. The red light of sunset was coming in through the tent flap.

With a cold shiver, she realized what had woken her. The two men were talking in Karsite. All thoughts of sleep were pushed away, but she couldn't seem to get rid of the cobwebs. She wondered if she'd been drugged.

She reached out her hand. Star-eyed be praised, Need was right beside her, leaning up against the cot. She'd make sense of that later.

There only seemed to be the two men here and the one closest to her was sitting on the floor at his ease. The other one was sitting, wrapped in blankets, next to a large pile of rugs or something. He didn't look like any threat--he looked like he'd been injured somehow.

Kerowyn took a deep breath, grasped Need's hilt and surged out of the blankets piled on top of her, pulling Need from her sheath. Kerowyn's knees were shaky but she held Need steadily enough, pointing her at the man closest to her.

He turned around at the sound of her standing up. He had a face seamed with old scars and the sharp Karsite look about him. She saw him tense as if to spring to his feet, and then he deliberately relaxed. He didn't stand, but raised open hands to show he was unarmed, "Peace, Captain." he said in oddly accented Valdemaran, "You are among friends."

:Chosen! Calm down!: someone was Mindspeaking to her. Kero shook her aching head. The voice was one she recognized but couldn't place. It was a woman's voice, as trusted as Tarma's or her Grandmother's would be. She looked around for the source, confusedly.

A Companion stood beside her.

"Oh." she said vaguely, "You weren't a dream."

:No, kechara, I'm not.: said Sayvil gently.

Kerowyn's mind was slowly lurching into functioning, :Who's that? Where am I? And why is a Karsite here? And why does my head hurt so much?: she Mindspoke to the Companion, dropping Needs point a trifle. With a start, she saw that what she had taken for a pile of textile was another Companion, also covered in blankets like the injured man.

:That's Herald Alberich. He and Herald Neave always speak in Karsite. Your head hurts because someone hit you over the head with a mace. You're in the Healer's tent. You can't wake up properly because you are supposed to be in a Healing trance. And you need to lie back down before you fall down.:

"Oh." said Kerowyn cleverly. She sheathed Need, "Sorry," she muttered at the dark haired man, who gave who gave her a half smile and a nod before he turned back to the other man.

She lay back down, making sure that she tucked Need next to her on the cot.

It was quite dark when she woke up, feeling much more alert. Need was tugging on her insistently, she wanted Kero to do something. Kerowyn lay quietly trying to figure out what the sword, which had been remarkably since they'd entered Valdemar, wanted.

:Chosen?: the voice of her Companion made her jump, :Sorry.: said Sayvil, :I heard you wake up. How do you feel?:

:Better: Kerowyn sat up slowly. It was very dark and as she put her foot down her knee brushed a cot that was set up right next to hers.

:That's Eldan.: supplied Sayvil, :He wanted to be nearby.:

A figure came in holding a candle, wearing the green robes of a Valdemaran Healer. Kerowyn couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. It went to lean over the Herald curled up with his Companion. First touching the man and then the Companion.

The Healer straightened and turned to see Kerowyn sitting up on her bed, "Captain? You're awake. Do you need anything?" asked a woman's voice.

"No. No, I'm fine." she replied softly, not wanting to wake Eldan or the other man that was lying near the sleeping Companion.

The Healer walked closer, walking around the sleeping Eldan to stand in front of Kerowyn, "Would you look up please?" Kerowyn did so. The Healer brought the candle to where she could see Kero's eyes. She put a hand over one of Kero's eyes, took it away. Did the same with the other eye, checking to see that both her eyes reacted to the candlelight. The Healer smiled, looking pleased. "Your Healer said you mostly needed rest. He's gone to get some sleep now. He said he'd be back to check on you in the morning. You were very lucky, you should be just fine."

"Are we the only casualties?" asked Kerowyn looking around.

"You and Herald Neave and his Companion are the only Herald casualties. We treat the Heralds separately because we also treat Companions." The Healer took a candle stub out of a holder and put the lit one in it. "I'll be awake, right outside if you need me, Captain." said the Healer as she left.

Need was tugging harder at Kerowyn. :What's going on there?: Kerowyn asked indicating the man and the Companion.

:Kyldathar was injured during the battle. Neave was under her as she fell and blacked out. Kyldathar lost a lot of blood while they were laying there.: Sayvil sighed, :Healing Companions is chancy. Sometimes we just can't be fixed. We-we think they're both dying.: Sayvil's mind voice took on a flat despairing tone, :Neave's Bond with Kyldathar was always strong, and he's been pouring his energy into her. He fell unconcious about a candlemark ago.:

:So Kyldathar's a mare?: asked Kerowyn, beginning to understand what Need might want. Perhaps Need didn't realize the dying female wasn't a woman but a Companion mare, or perhaps she didn't care. She'd just sensed a female in jeopardy.

:Yes. Why?:

:My sword, it's magic. It has healing powers. It only works for females, and I think she wants to help the Companion.:

Sayvil considered what Kerowyn was saying for a long moment , :Show me.: she said at last.

Kerowyn understood Sayvil to mean she wanted Kerowyn to drop all her shields--to be completely open to her. For a moment Kerowyn hesitated, but she reckoned if she was in debt for a lamb, she might as well be in debt for a sheep. Kerowyn dropped all her shields for the first time since she learned to shield.

Kerowyn had half expected to feel like her head was being rummaged through. Sayvil, instead, moved through her mind as though through a library, carefully examining memories and putting them back in the order she found them.

:I do think she might be able to help. All right, let's try. It can't hurt and it might help.:

Kerwyn stood up and looked at Eldan, who was snoring. :I'd rather not have the whole world knowing about Need...:

Sayvil whickered like a soft chuckle, :He won't wake up. Ratha says he's so worn out you could have a tourney in here and he wouldn't notice. I can keep the Healer out, too.:

That was an interesting thing to say, thought Kerowyn.

Kerowyn took Need and went to sit down next to the Companion. This was what Need wanted--she was making that clear in the back of Kero's mind. The Herald and Companion were both hardly breathing. Kerowyn laid the sword against the Companion's side. As she did so, she felt a strong wrenching tug on her mind and a sensation of falling into blackness.

She snatched both sword and mind back, her heart racing with panic.

:All right. I see what she's doing. It looks like she's using a mage spell in combination with normal Healing...hmm. I haven't seen that in a very long time.: said Sayvil calmly, she knelt down next to Kerowyn, :Put your hand on my neck and then put the sword down.:

This time the sensation was of standing in a swift river, feeling the water run past her.

:She is using a mage spell,: Sayvil was saying, :But she needs more energy than she can tap for this. I wonder...: Sayvil sounded as though she was talking to herself.

:??:

Kerowyn jumped. Something had come into the tent and was watching her. She looked around, but couldn't see it. The sensation of energy movement became stronger as did the sensation of being stared at. Was this what had driven her mages to distraction?

:Shoo.: said Sayvil absently, as though shooing away an overly freindly dog, :Go, we're busy.:

:!!:

The feeling of being watched went away.

After a long time, the Companion began to breathe more deeply and evenly. As did the Herald. It seemed that whatever Need was doing to the Companion was doing the Herald good as well. Kerowyn couldn't tell anything else in the dim candlelight.

A hand grabbed the wrist that held Need. Kerowyn looked at the Herald laying beside her. His eyes were confused and sleep muddled, "What are you doing?" he whispered.

It was Sayvil who replied, :Helping Kyldathar find her way back. Go back to sleep lad.: The boy didn't even seem to realize that it was Sayvil who spoke, he just nodded and dozed off again.

:I think we can stop now: said Sayvil after a few more minutes, she sounded very satisfied.

:Will the Companion live?: asked Kerowyn.

:Oh yes,: chuckled Sayvil, :She absolutely will. I don't think Neave will remember in the morning, if you're worried. I think he was too far gone to really register what we were doing.:

:That suits me.: said Kerowyn.

She looked back at the cot Eldan was sleeping on. It looked quite sturdy and not too narrow. She stood, taking Need with her and Sayvil went back to the place she had been lying on. "Eldan?" Kero whispered to him and shook his shoulder. He opened his eyes, smiling delightedly when he saw her, "Is there room in there for me?" she asked.

"I think so." he said, moving over.