Disclaimer:
I don't own it. I make no profit off of it. I mean to offend no one's sensibilities. Please God don't sue.
Thank You: MOM: I love you
Tony-o: for courage & the right things to do
Miss Sharp: you put up with me for no reason I know
Stelmarta: more than words can say!
SleepytimeNighttime in the Valdemaran camp was a very interesting affair. With the post haste arrival of the rest of the army, they were crowded into half again as many tents as were necessary for a force their size. The prisoners also made it a very cozy situation. They remedied the situation by 'hot' bunking the cot, more than one individual was entitled to a single bed. They were 'hot' because the shift switches always kept one person asleep at a time; the cot would still be warm from the body heat of its previous occupant.
Hoshi was no exception to the rule; she shared a tent with Suki, Sophia, Gwen, Mattie, and Janna. They slept off and on, in twelve to fourteen hour shifts. She shared her cot with Suki. Hoshi, Mattie, and Sophia were usually together at one time. Hoshi hadn't had any problems with her Gift thus far, at least since the initial vision that prompted the whole campaign. She wasn't to be that lucky tonight.
The perspective shifted, she was flying upside-down over the capital
Hoshi groaned, sick with the disorientation her mind imposed on her.
It was the temple district, the homes of the Gods of Valdemar. The people didn't look up as her mind's eye flew up up up and over them. There was a processional. Formally attired people crowded the precinct in jubilation.
"Oh crap," she thought, "who'd try and kill at a wedding processional?"
The happy couple smiled and laughed, the man wore a green tunic and robe. The woman wore black.
"Black is a color of mourning in Valdemar" Hoshi thought, puzzled, "it is not like Nagano where the white is the symbol of sorrow and black of jubilation"
Most of the other guests wore green, not white, and many of them were Heralds. Hoshi was one of them.
Shock filled Hoshi, could she be watching her own death?
Perspective again shifted, she was beside herself, watching from the rear as the couple made their vows. The man was tall, the woman short, and the vows were lovingly given.
A chill of foreboding filled Hoshi; she recognized the feeling from meeting Cedric the other day. She'd walked over to talk to him, and the feeling had magnified a hundredfold.
The happy couple turned, to file jubilantly down the aisle. Shock fell down to her toes. It was a wedding all right; it was Cedric and Suki's wedding.
Hoshi woke with an outraged shout, in a cold sweat.
Sophia
She was tired, bone weary. Things, while going smoothly were still incredibly time consuming. She stumbled in the semi-darkness to the tent she shared with several other Heralds, including Hoshi. It was very relaxing to sleep in a close proximity of other Heralds. They were trained to shield without even thinking, to an Empath, that was a gift without measure.
Except Hoshi. She did shield without thinking, which was the first thing they taught her. Even through the peripheral shielding she was a restless sleeper. It was the Foresight coming to her in her dreams.
Sophia checked on her regularly as she came to the tent. It was partially habit and partially concern for such a powerful gift in the hands of one so inexperienced in mind magic. She wasn't the only one. Mattie, who also shared the tent, checked up on Hoshi routinely. So did Hardin, so did Suki, and so did everyone else. They made sure she got enough sleep, ate regularly, and spent some time, however minimal, relaxing. Left to her own devices she would work herself into her grave.
Sophia's eyes adjusted to the dark, Hoshi was asleep, restlessly, but asleep. Sophia readied herself for bed, chatting sleepily with Mattie, who'd come in after her. They both dropped off almost instantly. It was a Heraldic habit to take sleep when and where it was offered.
What was not a Heraldic habit was waking up to the screaming of one of their fellow sisters-in-arms.
"What the..."
"Hoshi!'
"Did you see something?"
"Are you alright?"
"Hoshi!"
"Wake up!"
"Relax, here have some"
"Ohmigod Are you OK?"
"Calm down."
"Breathe"
Hoshi stopped quickly. She reached for the bucket that, until now, had been curiously placed near her bed. Sophia now realized that Hoshi had anticipated the nausea of the disorienting visions. Mattie held her hair back as she returned her dinner, lunch, breakfast, and any other memory of food that could have possibly existed.
"Are you OK?"
"Does it look like I'm Ok?"
"Are you gonna be sick again?"
"I'm FINE. Leave me alone."
"You're not fine, you just work up in the middle of a nightmare."
"What happened?"
"Nothing"
"Bull, Hoshi you're terrified. I can feel it and I'm pretty sure half the damn camp could hear it. Now you start talking or I'll declare you medically unfit to continue duty."
"You can't do that!"
"Watch me"
"C'mon Hoshi I know she's being drastic, but we're here to help. Heralds stick together damnit. Remember what I said when we left Haven. We've got to stick together."
: You can trust them Chosen. Heralds don't lie. They'll keep your confidence:
"Will all of you just shut up!"
Silence reigned. Sophia set about lighting some candles. Mattie gave Hoshi her little flask of Ehhris wine. Hoshi sat and drank and slowly started to cry. Hot silent tears streamed down her face, with barely a hiccup or word of protest, she let Sophia come over and wrap Hoshi up in her arms.
"Lovey we look out for each other. You don't have to face anything alone."
Slowly the tale came out. Sophia hugged her tightly and Mattie stroked the midnight curtain of her black hair.
Hiccupping slightly, Hoshi turned a tear-streaked face to her newly discovered friends.
"Why that have to happen? We together and happy and everything good and now my stupid, damn, bloody useless gift ruin everything! "
"Well, you're still together, unless there's something you haven't told us, and I'm sure there's something that can be done. Remember Foresight only show what will happen if nothing changes from the way it is."
"But I no want change it! What right have me to tell Suki what she can be happy? She take care of me when no one else do. I have no right to take from her anything she want. She give me all. They be happy together. I want them happy. WHY?"
Sophia realized that her command of the language was rapidly slipping as she began to swear and curse the Gods and call all sorts of things out that neither she nor Mattie could decipher.
"Hoshi. Hoshi! Pull yourself together. We need you thinking and not emoting and crying like some lily-livered raw recruit!"
Still sniffling, Hoshi immediately reacted with the stubborn, mulish expression that Sophia had come to recognize and secretly despise. Now it proved itself useful.
"We need to work on this. Logical, reasoned sensible thought."
Hoshi said something in Nagani that sounded too emphatic.
" Whatever. Think woman! They're going to be together, fine. You want to see it through, fine. Quit whining and start thinking. At the moment they're more inclined to homicide rather than matrimony. You want it to work, you need to work on it."
"We'll all work on it," chimed in Mattie.
"Just think about getting Suki and Cedric together."
The shields in the room, being lowered in the crisis, were thin enough that the sudden image of skinny, bony Cedric and short, plump Suki in a passionate embrace jumped from one woman to the next. The silly picture set off a round of giggles that none could stifle.
"They're quite a mismatch aren't they?" Sophia gasped, between giggles.
"Yup"