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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

Mr. Perez: for letting me type in class

Miss Sharp: you put up with me for no reason I know

Stelmarta: more than words can say!

Albright

Ice ran thought his veins.  How the hell had she known?  The others were as shocked as he, but they had their own demon powers to protect them.  He was defenseless.

She smiled, an abstract thought passed through his mind, she was a pretty lady.  She was an evil demon rider, but man was she a pretty lady.  She wouldn't notice if he could just…

"I would do that, my Lord."

"Damn you get out of my head!"

"I not in your head.  I see what will happen before it happens, I saw you jump over the table and run for the tents."

He paused; she could see things before they happened.  If she could see him jumping before it did, then she…

"YOU" he bellowed, oblivious to the King and his sister.  "You were the Field Marshal!  You saw my Army!"

"Yes"

Then he fell into a silent appraisal.  This little sprite was the intrepid Valdemaran Field Marshal?  She was short, extremely so, and wore little round glasses that made her look like his old elementary school teacher.  Her long black hair was tidily confined in a tail and she was, most notably, not Valdemaran.  Her voice, while well modulated and articulate, had a nasal, slightly lispy accent.  She had chosen not to wear the traditional white, which is why he hadn't counted her among the other Heralds in the camp.  And the little bow mouth had drawn up into what he suspected was amusement at his expense.  This was the tactical genius, the soldier, and the general? Not on his life.

"You are the Lord Captain Commander?"

The King had finally come to articulate and broke the silent spell of appraisal, which both he and Hoshi were trapped in.

"Yes, Highness, I am Albright Sol Arum.  Formerly of the Karsite army, now prisoner number 1451."

"And you didn't see fit to mention this?"

"No, my Lady.  It is traditional among Karsites to ritually assassinate the commander of the opposing army.  I did not anticipate the same to myself."

"It would have worked if you not come here to me."

"Yes, Ho-shi.  So it seems"

 She smiled then, fully.  Man was she a pretty little lady. No! his mind shouted, he should not think that of a Valdemaran and a Herald to boot, but got caught up in admiration long enough to ignore the next remark and caught her displeasure with it.

"No believe so.  If the Son of the Sun heard he was alive he try to come back and take him.  Mister 'Bright' will remain as he is.  Unless was something else you want?"

"No, not at all" He heard himself articulate.

"He could be useful, tactically"

"That would be up to him"

They, all three, turned a penetrating stare in his direction.  He came back into himself.  They were asking- asking! - If he wouldn't mind telling them more about the Karsite Army.  To him it was a miracle.

"I've not a place to go.  I cannot return to Karse, mean my head it would, for his Holiness has assuredly a price on it.  I not mind you asking, but there is likely little help I could give."

"They'll have change information soon as possible."

"Yes, and there wasn't much information I was privy to that had not to do with the army.  Need you not worry on that.  We have no other force to try at Valdemar with.  You," he said addressing Hoshi directly, " fixed that."

She shrugged, but still smiled.  The dark eyes sparkled with amusement.  Little minx, she was getting a kick out of having outsmarted him. He'd show her, some little Valdemaran laughing at the best and the brightest of the Karsite army. Unwillingly Albright could feel his own face grinning back.

"It would seem, then, that the wisest course of action would be to move you from the prisoner work yard to the personal staff.  That way we could keep you on hand without drawing too much attention.  Does that seem agreeable?"

"Hmmm," Hoshi broke eye contact, "Yes, fine. Wonderful."

His pulse was pounding a mile a minute as he contemplated spending a great deal of time together with that little lady in the future.

"I think it would be best if Albright stayed as a guard.  He's clearly got the skills, and that would give him better access.  Wouldn't you agree, Sophi?"

"Yup, Hoshi?"

She just nodded.

"Albright?"

"Yes, that is fine"

"All right then, I'll tell the lieutenant to put you on the rolls, Guardsman."

"Yes, thank you."

He some how managed a salute and pivoted out of the tent.  Wow.  That hadn't been at all what he expected. Some how he believed he'd been outsmarted yet again, but couldn't quite figure out how. No, he knew how. He'd let a pretty face and lively eyes distract him as they decided his fate. Damned, if they weren't pretty eyes.

Sophia

It took little coaxing to get Hoshi to go, but once she did Sophia shared a grin with her brother.

"Was it just me, or are the two of them completely besotted with each other?"

"You know I'm the empath, that's my line."

He chuckled, "Yeah"

"He is, most definitely. I don't know about Hoshi, though."

"You didn't…"

"No! I don't go snooping around in other people's heads without a damn good reason. Besides," she sniffed, "Hoshi's got some damn good shields."

"You tried!"

"Maybe."

"And you couldn't get in," He hooted with laughter,  " you, who insisted she work on her shielding so you could get some sleep, can't get in!"

"That," she said, with some severely bruised dignity, "is entirely besides the point.

"Right, I believe you. "

"Well, this certainly complicates things."

"It does indeed."

Sophia took her leave from her brother to think about this alarming development in Valdemaran/Karsite relations. Interesting was the least of the developments. If they had a Karsite Field Marshal who was besotted enough to give them whatever information they demanded that would be a very good thing. But if word got out to the Son of the Sun that this guy was still alive they'd have some major technical difficulties. As if life wasn't complicated enough.

   "Heyla!  You seen Hoshi?"

"Yeah, we just got out of the last council meeting. Why?"

  "She's wandering around with an expression that looks like her dog just died."

"She is?"

"Yup"

"Thanks Janna. I'll check it out."

"She headed over that way, to the workout fields."

"Thanks."

  Hoshi was in the workout field all right. She was beating the stuffing out of something. It looked like a slab of something heavy, wood or brick, suspended by a string from a tree and covered by minimal padding. She was, barehanded and barefoot, pounding at it with fists, feet, knees and elbows.

"You have better things to do with your time."

"Not really"

 "I do"

"Then why are you here?"

"I think you know why"

"Damn Heralds"

"Hey now, you're one of us too."

"Yes"

"What's that?"

"Makiwara"

"What?"

"Tree covered by canvas quilt padding. Use to strengthen hands and feet. See?"

She displayed her hands. They were rough, even rougher now that she'd been working them. Callus swelled up over the first two knuckles, down the palm, and along the blade edge. Her feet were the same. The knuckles were now slightly red and bloody from the impacts.

"Ouch"

"Not really, you get used to it."

"I'm sure you do."

"So?"

"So what?"

She glared, "I feel you try to poke around in my head. What now?"

"It would seem, from what happened last night, that you're gift has gotten slightly ahead of itself. At least in your personal life. First that little incident with the dream about Cedric and now Mr. Albright Sol Arum."

She used a word that Sophia didn't know she knew.

"Yes, well, that too. I take it that's never happened before?"

"No. The dreams never about me or mine. Never."

"Hmm"

"What that mean?"

"That means we have a problem."

"I could have tell you that!" Hoshi glared, angry.

"Oh, lovey, we've all got problems. At least a thought-sensor can block it out. I know you can't block foresight. I'm sorry for having brought you into all of this." Sophia sat herself down under the tree, depression catching up to her.

Hoshi sighed deeply and sat on the ground, under the tree, with Sophia. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

"You see the weapons tent?"

"From here? Yeah."

"I can't. Not without these" She held up the glasses. "You get them for me. I not forget that. You do many things for me. I not forget that either. I have no regret." She sighed deeply again, "Better here than on Nagano. Much better. I'll take the problems as they come. No regrets, Lady Sophia."

Sophia felt her eyes tear up. That was likely the most touching thing one of her Heralds had ever said to her.

 "Damn you I'm supposed to be the empath here." 

Hoshi shrugged, "Sorry"

"No you're not."

She shrugged again, "OK, I'm not."

Sophia couldn't help chuckling. "So what are we gonna do 'bout this?"

"Wait. It will all be well in the end."

"Is that your gift speaking or you?"

"Me"

"Well, hell."

"No, Lady Sophia. Not hell. Just rough."

"Won't argue with a lady who see's the future."

"Good"