Things to know before reading:
--This chapter is roughly eleven pages long in Word, and converted into larger text and placed onto FanFiction.Net, it is…well, very long. So sit tight, move your legs every five minutes to prevent them from getting cramped, and go get some cheese. ^.^
Kismet of a Changechild
Chapter XI
By Aura Kage
:Khira, dear, wake up,: said Kiriath, Khira's mother and Kyrrith's younger sister, nudging the filly's nose gently. Khira stirred from sleep's embrace to give her mother a nuzzle back and then stood up drowsily, hindquarters first.
:What…: Khira said, annoyed, shaking her head in an attempt to shake it from tiredness. :I'm tired…and-:
:Sweetling, this is very urgent,: Kiriath snapped gently, cutting Khira's arguments short. :Now, you know that you're never, ever supposed to leave the Companion's Field unless you are escorted by someone, or you go Choosing, right?:
:Yeah…duh…: Khira added sleepily, falling over so that her forelegs were crumpled under her torso.
:Well, good. Listen to me, Khira!: Kiriath shouted, and the young Companion jumped up, startled. :Good. Now, listen – I have to go now…:
:Mmm…: Khira said drowsily, starting to flop over again. As the words came in through her ear and were processed, she suddenly realized what her mother had said and was on her hooves, ears pricked. :Wait – WHAT?!:
:I have to go – I have Chosen,: Kiriath said, nuzzling her daughter again and turning. :I'll be back, though, don't worry.:
Khira was afraid – when her Uncle had left to Choose, he had been back a little less than two weeks later, because of the cargo that he had brought back with him. Would her mother be gone just as long – or longer? She had never thought of her mother going to Chose before – what was she going to do without her?! Who was going to tell her to get to bed every night, to get up every morning, to chew her food before she swallowed it? She hoped that she wouldn't have to live all by herself – well, not all by herself, really, because of course there were other Companions in the Companion's Field, but still.
:When?!: Khira demanded, hoping she didn't sound too afraid. :WHEN? You're not going to be gone as long as Uncle, are you? You can't just leave me alone here! How are you going to make sure I don't choke on my grain again? Don't tell me I'm going to live with cousin Marssa!:
Kiriath was already threading silently across the short grasses in the Companion's Field, heading to who-knows-where.
:Don't be silly, Khira,: she said, her voice was riddled with humor. :I'll be back by this afternoon if I take my time.:
:This…afternoon?: Khira said, relived. :Oh, go – I mean, darn. Because I would have really had fun all by myself…and you know, with my favorite cousin Marssa…:
Kiriath laughed and trotted towards the Herald's Collegium, not even bothering to get 'dressed' for this occasion.
~
Kestri sighed, snuggling further into the blanket, moving her head to the side in an attempt to get into a more comfortable position. But it didn't work – giving a throaty burble like someone moaning, she turned her head again and nuzzled into her feathers.
:Wake…:
:No,: Kestri replied firmly in her unconscious state. :Don't want to.:
:? !!:
:Go away,: Kestri said again, wings trembling as she sunk deeper into the blanket, giving a heavy sigh.
:But you can't be my Chosen-: Kiriath said, confused, stomping her foot just outside the entrance door of the Collegium.
:Go talk Snowsong,: Kestri said, gradually growing more and more impatient and frustrated. :Tired.:
:What…? Oh. Ooohhh,: Kiriath said, feeling that if she had hands, she'd slap herself. :Of course. Silly me – you're the scout's bondbird, aren't you?:
:Go away.:
:I thought so! That means that I'm really accidentally speaking to you, and I meant to talk to Snowsong – oh, I'm sorry,: Kiriath apologized as Kestri finally fully awoke and let the Companion know just exactly what she thought of horse-likes invading her peaceful sleep. :Tell you what – wake up Snowsong for me and tell him to go down here, will you?:
:Who you?: Kestri asked irritably, standing up and ruffling her feathers. She flared her wings and flapped down to the windowsill, looking down to see if she could see who her waker was. There wasn't much visible of the Companion – apparently, it had rained last night and everything seemed rather dismal and gray as the remaining dehydrated clouds obscured the light. Plus, part of the roof obstructed her otherwise see-everything vision. The only part of the Companion that Kestri could see was its rump.
:I am Kiriath,: the Companion said, sounding exasperated. :Will you wake up your bondmate – Snowsong – up so I can meet him?:
:You horse-thing,: Kestri said, tilting her head and craning her neck, trying to get a better view.
:Yes, I am!: Kiriath said, this time letting her exasperation show. :Please wake up your bondmate!:
:Why not you?: Kestri asked, sincerely curious. The Companion snorted, stomping her hoof in the ground again, making a small droplets splash back on her ivory coat.
:Fine! I will!: Kiriath shouted, trying to keep back her temper and failing. She 'cleared her throat' and got connection with the dormant 'mind' that was Snowsong.
:Hey. Wake up.:
"No…" Snowsong moaned, turning over in his bed while Kiriath watched over his thoughts like a person looking over a reader's shoulder. "I don't want to."
:Wake up!: Kiriath shouted. :WAKE…UP…NOW!:
"Go away!" Snowsong shouted back, his voice muffled by the blanket shoved over his head.
:No! YOU COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, SCOUT, OR I'M GOING TO STOMP UP THERE!:
Snowsong trembled, something about the Companion's tone of voice reminded him of his long-deceased mother.
:NOW!:
:Alright!: Snowsong shouted back, shoving the blanket off and shuddering as his warmth was penetrated. :I'm coming already!:
:Good,: Kiriath said, sniffing indignantly. :Hurry up, Chosen.:
As Snowsong slid to the floor, Kestri turned back and flapped onto his head settling firmly in the nest of magic-bleached hairs before the ex-scout allowed himself to move. He had opened the door and was halfway down the stairs before he realized-
:Wait…Chosen?: Snowsong said, replying to who he hoped was the Companion that had talked to him earlier.
:Come down and find out!: was the teasing reply, and after that Snowsong ran down the stairs and to the front doors, opening them. He saw the snowy frame before him – practically a beacon in the dismal, wet surroundings all around her, like a miniature sun glowing, brilliantly contrasted, in a world of grayish hues.
He walked up to the Companion, hardly noticing that he was barefoot on the wet stones, and squinted at her, as if to make sure she were truly there.
:Of course I am,: Kiriath snapped, though her gentle head-toss to the side and bluer-than-blue eyes took any sting out of her words. Those eyes – they compelled the scout to look at him, and when he did he felt as if he were engulfed by light, falling into a maelstrom of sunlight and dawn-
And when it was all over, he found himself embracing the Companion's neck, feeling very much as if he had been bonded to another bondbird.
Kestri transferred herself from Snowsong's head to the Companions, pleased with the new perching place and pecking experimentally at one of Kiriath's ears, which quickly shot off to the side.
:Ow! Don't do that!: Kiriath reprimanded. Kestri shrunk back at the chastisement, but then crawled further up the head, making extra-careful sure that she didn't wound that pristine coat of white.
From nearby, Ranaena watched this all happening and conveyed it to Rolan, who informed the just-awakening Talia, who dashed to her window and watched the glad reunion with a sigh of relief.
A/N: You knew it was going to happen…
~
Zohariel yawned as he trod up the stairs of the Heralds' Collegium, hardly noticing where he placed his feet as he brought up the small, rather lightweight bag he was supposed to give to someone…he didn't remember who. He knew what was in the bag – a myriad of hate-letters written by parents, encouraged by their children that the new Herald was a demon, and therefore should be deprived of her demonic powers ("especially since it's Firestarting! Watch that thing – she'll get angry over a cup of spilled milk and massacre everyone around her!"), repudiated, and sent back to where she came from. Or eliminated – most preferably the latter.
Wyll had waken him up as soon as the sun rose, though the skies were so ridden with clouds that Zohariel couldn't tell how his teacher had known what time it was – but oh well. This was the first chore that Wyll had told him to do, and since it was only delivering letters that his teacher was too lazy to do…
Zoh yawned as he climbed to what seemed like the top step, wavering a bit on his feet and leaning against a door before continuing. Besides, he could at least see what the Heralds' Collegium looked like – even though all its occupants were asleep. Who was he supposed to give these to, anyway? Talia didn't reside here, and she was the highest rank that Zohariel could think of at the moment, aside from Queen Selenay. Her teacher, maybe?
The blue-clad boy opened a door and looked inside, squinting against the effulgent firelight of flames blazing in a fireplace.
"Oh, hello," a female voice said. "May I help you?"
Zohariel looked up at the origin of the voice, still dazzle-blinded by the firelight. "Uh, yeah. I just have some of these-"
"You're a Blue," she interrupted flatly, clearly not very happy about his appearance. "What do you want?"
"I just have some letters that my teacher wanted to give to you," Zohariel said patiently, his sight returning. The female inside was Gray-clad – meaning that she was a Herald-Trainee, some part of his mind said – and had her hands on her hips, elbows akimbo as she looked at him. Chestnut-colored hair cascaded down over her shoulders, ending at the middle of her upper arm.
She took the letters that Zohariel gave and looked at them suspiciously, narrowing her eyes as if she expected something untrustworthy to happen. She began to open them, and Zohariel waited, weight shifting from foot to foot.
"By the way, I'm Kuriana," the Herald-Trainee said conversationally as she withdrew a letter. "Kuri for short."
"I'm Zohariel."
"Nice name," 'Kuri' commented, dropping the bag of letters with a crackle of papers scratching against each other. She tried to open the letter that she was retrieved, frowning at it.
"Not a nice reputation, though," Zohariel muttered, easily catching the unreliability that the Herald-Trainee gave to him.
"Nope, I wouldn't say so," Kuri said, unfolding the sheet of creamy-colored paper and frowning at it. Her eyes narrowed as they flew further down the paper, and the fire in fireplace roared suddenly, making Zoh jump.
"I didn't write any!" the Blue said quickly, fear rising as the flames crackled, growling. "I swear I didn't! I can even tell you who did write them-"
"No fear, I know who did," Kuri said, taking a deep breath as if she were trying to restrain herself. The fire shrank back to its original size, but Zoh's heart was still beating in his throat. She crumpled the paper in her hand and threw it back into the back, then threw the whole thing into the fire. "It was Havlah, Bree, Vyra, Mria, and Lana, wasn't it? And while they were at it, they went ahead and convinced the whole Unaffiliated-Collegium place that Dawn was evil."
Zoh nodded rapidly, watching as the fire consumed the letters.
"Well, go back and tell them all that their ploy didn't work, and that Derik and Kuri send their love," the femme fumed, looking out her window that conveniently faced the Unaffiliated. She glared with such fury down at them that Zoh was afraid for a moment that she would burn it down (only for a moment, because then he immediately thought that if she did burn it down, he would be very happy rather than afraid), but the Herald-Trainee did nothing. Finally, he backed away and left, closing the door softly and leaning against it, feeling as if he had faced his worst fear only to find out that it was worse than what he thought it was.
These Heralds are scary…controlling the fires like that, as if it doesn't even drain them! Gods…
I wish I was one of them…
~
Dawnshadow was asleep in the dark, closed in, comfortable security that she had found under the bed that had been provided for her in the room. Above the bed, she had felt uncomfortably exposed and cold – under the bed was much, much better.
"Dawnshadow! Dawnshadow, look! I got Chosen, I got Chosen, I got Chosen – I can stay here with you and Derik!" Snowsong shouted happily, throwing open the door. His eyes darted to above her bed, and he saw that her covers had been thrown back.
"Dawnshadow? Where are you?"
Too many people calling my name…
"Dawnshadow! Dawnshadow?"
Stop bothering me…
"Dawnshadow, hey – where'd you go?"
Leave me alone already…
That last thought echoing through her mind gave her an unpleasant memory-
The sunlight obscured by the faces of enraged people, screaming both in fear and anger, slamming down their weapons, however mundane they be-
Dawnshadow yelped, instantly afraid, and bumped her head against the bottom of her bed. "Ow!"
"Dawnshadow?" Snowsong looked under the bed and saw the Changechild's eyes looking back at him, illuminated so they were mirrors reflecting eerie green light at him. "What're you doing down there?"
"I was sleeping," Dawnshadow muttered, rubbing her head where she had slammed it against the bed. Snowsong extended a hand, which she took to help her emerge from the forever-darkness of under-the-bed.
"Why?" Snowsong said, confused. "Under the bed, I mean?"
"Because…it's too big above the bed," Dawnshadow said, sounding as if she were whining as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. "How can you sleep up there?"
Snowsong gave her a dumbfounded stare, which Dawnshadow was immune to, and finally said, "Dawnshadow – I got Chosen!"
"You – what?"
"I got Chosen! Isn't that…great?" Snowsong said, feeling as if he had never been happier in his life – though, perhaps, when he had been bonded to Kestri, it had maybe been a little bit happier than this.
Dawnshadow's pupils dilated, a movement that Snowsong no longer flinched at. "Yeah – that is good! What are your Gifts? Do you know?"
"I don't know yet," Snowsong admitted, suddenly remembering that, in order to be Chosen, you had to have Gifts. He remembered being 'tested' for Gifts back at k'Vala Vale – and he remembered, very clearly, being told that he didn't have any left. "In fact…I'm not supposed to have any Gifts…"
:Told you,: Kestri crowed in the back of his mind, fluffing her feathers, still perched on his head. :Told you! Told you! Told you!:
"Yes, you did, Kestri…" Snowsong said, sitting straight, legs folded underneath him reflectively. "But…I don't feel any different…"
"Maybe your Gift isn't something like Empathy," Dawnshadow suggested, copying him and sitting up straight as well. "But maybe it's something like…like Farsight! See if you can see way over there, or something-"
The Changechild pointed at the window, and Snowsong looked at it and squinted his eyes, trying to see if he could see anything far away. But it was useless…for one, Snowsong wasn't exactly sure how he was suppose to call on Farsight; for two, what if he didn't have it anyway?
:You'll find out soon…: Kiriath said, sounding a bit unsure in his mind. No, not just a bit unsure – a lot unsure, and very nervous. The one part of Snowsong that cared about what the Companion thought at the moment felt very slightly hurt. The other parts of Snowsong were either excited about having Gifts, or thinking about Kestri and how she had seemed to know last night that he would be Chosen.
"Maybe…Fetching?" Dawnshadow asked, leaning forward expectantly as Snowsong scratched the side of his head and attempted to call Dawnshadow's blanket to him.
Derik interrupted the game – he opened the door, startling both of them, and was laughing.
"So, you've been Chosen!" he laughed, leaning against the doorframe, already garbed in his Whites. "How does it feel, eh? I bet everything I own that you'll go straight to Darkwind!"
"D…Darkwind?" Snowsong said, mouth dropping and eyes lighting up. Dawnshadow thought she had never seen anyone so thunderstruck and joyful as the scout at that moment. "You can't mean…Darkwind k'Sheyna?!"
"The same one," Derik said, nodding and clearly very pleased with himself. "Of course, I don't know him…well, personally, anyway. I know his name, though, and that's enough."
"Darkwind?" Snowsong echoed again, feeling dazed.
"Yeah, that's what I said," Syrkaderik said, eyebrows arching as he watched Snowsong's face intently.
"Darkwind?!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Derik said, kneeling down on the ground and shaking the ex-scout's shoulders. "Yes, Darkwind, but it might be only if you have the Mage-Gift!"
"The…the Mage-Gift?" Snowsong echoed, confused. Evidently, his intelligence had been replaced by his awe.
Derik sighed. "Yes, the Mage-Gift – the power to control ley-lines and nodes and other fun things. Fun, isn't it. Now – both of your get dressed. Snowsong needs to get his wits back so we can try and figure what Gifts he has, and Dawnie needs to start her riding lessons with me."
"Wha – what?" Dawnshadow echoed, feeling her heart drop. Riding lessons? Already?
Derik chuckled at the look on both of their faces, now matching each other. "Yep! Hurry up, now, before you miss breakfast…"
~
"A Tayledras Herald," Darkwind said, amused. Vree was perched on a T-shaped perching-place erected especially for the forest gyre's use.
"Not really," Elspeth said, glancing at the mirror to glare at her semi-unkempt hair. "Apparently, he left his vale without telling anyone – though I think they probably know that he's gone and just want to let him go on his way."
"Hmm" was all that Darkwind replied. Elspeth was certainly in a hurry – she had just received an important note about something that she wasn't telling Darkwind about at the moment, and seemed also very nervous.
"Ashke…" Darkwind interrupted.
"Yes?" the former heir-to-the-throne said, sounding remarkably patient. "What is it? I'm in a hurry."
"You have your Whites on backwards," the Tayledras said, flattening his grin and trying not to chuckle as Elspeth looked down at herself, arms spread, and saw that her love was speaking the truth. With an exasperated sigh, she got the Whites on the right way and abruptly left. Darkwind thought he heard a faint 'farewell' muffled by the doorway.
:What wrong?: Vree inquired, tilting his head. Darkwind scratched his bondmate's crest feathers, giving a shrug.
"I don't know. Elspeth-ashke will tell us later, I hope, when she comes back," Darkwind told his bondbird. Vree stared at him, uncomprehending, and Darkwind remembered belatedly that he had to keep things simple.
"I don't know…maybe later."
:Oh. Okay. Go hunting now?: Vree asked, lifting his head hopefully. Darkwind smiled at him and nodded.
"Yes, hunting now…nothing better to do," he added to himself rather bitterly, a phrase that Vree ignored as he climbed into the hawking glove on Darkwind's arm. "I hope the Herald has the Mage-Gift…as much as I'm not a very good teacher, it will be interesting teaching someone who was formerly Tayledras."
~
It was one of those days again – the black-clad man was tired, every breath rattling in his throat as if snakes were nesting in his lungs, but he had more strength. Enough to keep him 'sated', enough to give him strength to make the journey to the city called 'Haven' in pursuit of his creation.
His breath hissed through his gritted teeth as he staggered through the marketplace, some part of his mind detecting the Changechild's presence growing ever closer. He was linked to her, as she was linked to him – though her memories of that had been replaced by the fake ones of being used as a plaything by some vicious monster. He had to admit to himself that it was a clever idea, to very carefully knock out the Changechild and inflict those damages so that it looked like what he hoped it to look. He had then dropped her purposely in the path of a Tayledras scout – he would take her back, of course, and because he had cleverly created the Changechild so she would possess certain bits of personality from both of the creatures she had been fused with – cat and human.
A human for intelligence and because she would most likely be accepted because of that strange Nyara happening years ago that would readily make the Tayledras trust her…
A cat for a predatory instinct that lay dormant at the back of her mind, like a crouching hunter only waiting for a signal to attack. She was powerful, though it wasn't readily obvious. If she had only been faced with a certain situation, she would be able to take down the most powerful of foes, or die trying…
But I had not counted on the fact that the human part of her would be…Gifted. The thought had never even occurred to me that maybe one component of her would be…uniquely different.
So 'Dawnshadow,' as she was named, was Chosen and whisked off to Haven, eliminating the blood-mage's old plan to take over the power of the k'Vala Heartstone.
But she is still the same she was, Herald-Trainee or not…she is still unconsciously compelled to assess her surroundings, courtesy of the cat, and remember them for when I come to harvest them.
For now, I let you roam free, my little kitten…for now, you are free to frisk and frolic and do whatever you wish, so long as you do your duty.
The mage was intelligent – but he had made one, fatal mistake…and that was to try and mimic the gryphons. He had seen them often while hiding out in the forest, hurtling themselves out of their aeries and bobbing into graceful flight, masters of earth and sky. His teacher (who was now dead) had never taught him that if he ever dared to mutate his given form, he would become more and more like it. So he had given himself a beak, and wings, and claws – but as the 'gryphon' melted into his form, so its personality melted in with his. They were a deadly pair, the bloodthirsty instincts of a gryphon and the just-short-of-insane dreams of a bloodpath-mage…
But he loved it. He loved every single waking moment he was in that form, always ready to annihilate, always ready to spring into a fight. With a flex of his talons and a hiss from the back of his throat, he could inflict fear – oh, fear! Delicious, wonderful fear…it fed him, nurtured him, and raised him. With a clap of his wings opening, he would be a fleeting shadow across the sky; a flip of those wings would bring him higher, to hide amongst the clouds…of lower, into a plummet to push the life of something out through their throats.
But the longer he stayed in that beloved form, the harder it was for him to revert back to his original one, and when he did manage to become human, it was agony. His injuries were transferred to his weak, pitiful human body, and were always far more hurtful than when he was in gryphon-form. But he could not travel through the roads, among the humans (he thought of them as a different species now) as a gryphon…even now he had to get somewhere secluded and become gryphon. The amount of power that he had withdrawn from the worthless person he killed just outside of Haven was beginning to wear off; soon, soon, he would be in ecstasy again.
The man, breathing becoming shallow and forced, moved into the shadows of a home near to the palace and all of the Collegiums, and with a sigh of relief became what he truly believed was him once more.
~
"I…um, I'm S-Snowsong k-k'Vala," the Tayledras stuttered, looking very uncomfortable in front of Darkwind. "And…and this is K-Kestri."
Darkwind watched the ex-scout with some amusement, but kept himself from smiling – the boy might take it as a bad sign.
"And I'm Darkwind k'Sheyna, and this is Vree," Darkwind said easily, gesturing to the forest gyre on his arm. Both bondbirds regarded each other respectfully, Kestri watching Vree at an equal height from Snowsong's head.
:Small,: Vree commented privately to Darkwind. Darkwind had to agree with him – Kestri, for a bondbird, was very small…the size of a jay, or a robin.
"So, you've been Chosen…by who?" Darkwind asked conversationally, knowing that if Snowsong replied, he wouldn't know the Companion anyway. He sat down, beckoning Snowsong to do so as well; they were outside somewhere on the grounds, because Darkwind had felt that if Snowsong did have the Mage-Gift, then he could teach him some of the basics. Outside was a much better place to teach someone how to control pools of magic – though that might have been just Darkwind's Tayledras-biased opinion.
"Kiriath," Snowsong replied without hesitation, sitting down. He lifted his hands to his head and Kestri walked onto his beckoning fingers, and Snowsong gently set her on the ground beside him.
:Play?: Vree inquired hopefully.
:Yes!: Kestri replied enthusiastically; though Snowsong might have not had any friends at k'Vala, his bondbird did, and she had been missing them ever since she left. Strange that a bondbird was more social than its bondmate.
Darkwind, hearing the two-word conversation, fished a bit of ribbon out of his pocket, having had the notion that Vree would attempt a game. The forestgyre took it in his talon before his bondmate launched him into the sky, screeching teasingly. Kestri killy'd and flared her wings, racing after Vree in an attempt to rip away his ribbon.
Snowsong was nervously picking apart a blade of grass; when Darkwind cleared his throat, he jumped and tensed.
"So…we're very much alike, aren't we?" Darkwind said conversationally.
"Wh – what?" Snowsong said, looking very flustered.
"Well, if you think about it…" Darkwind replied, hiding a grin, "…we both were Tayledras scouts, we both found a Changechild, we are both in Valdemar, and we both have a Gifts that we didn't use. I know that you either didn't know you had magic, or it developed overnight, but we both still didn't use it for a period of time, correct?"
"Umm…yes," Snowsong said apprehensively, running his tongue over his lips.
Silence.
"How…how are you going to see if I have Mage-Gift or not?" Snowsong asked finally, looking up at Darkwind.
"Easy. Just look at you with MageSight," Darkwind replied lightly. "So…hold still…"
The last words were a joke, said as if Snowsong did move then he would be seriously injured, but the ex-scout took it seriously and tried not to move at all as Darkwind invoked MageSight.
At first there seemed to be nothing…then, he saw the tiniest, growing flicker of magic in the boy – like a drowsy animal awakening, so was the magic attempting to 'rise and awaken.' Even as Darkwind watched, the glow began to grow larger and stronger.
In fact, if Snowsong were trained accurately, he would someday come Adept-level.
"You have the Mage-Gift," Darkwind informed the ex-scout, flickering out his MageSight. Snowsong sighed in relief, and just then Kestri cried in triumph as the torn ribbon fell to the ground, rippling. The kestrel lifted it from the ground and cawed at Vree tauntingly, then rose to the air, the forest gyre fast behind her.
"I…I do?" Snowsong asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means that you'll be able to control ley-lines and nodes when you get more trained, and your hair will get lighter and lighter," Darkwind explained patiently, feeling that Snowsong did know what the Mage-Gift was and was only surprised.
"Oh."
"If you like, I could even be your teacher for that-"
"Really?! Could you?!" Snowsong nearly shouted, failing to keep control over his eagerness. Darkwind allowed a smile this time, and laughed at the scout's happiness.
He blushed in embarrassment and turned to the skies, watching their bondbirds play to draw the subject away. Vree was getting closer and closer to Kestri, and none of her sharp turns were being taken by surprise by the forest gyre-
Snowsong smiled grimly. He had seen this trick too many times to lose faith in the kestrel – back in k'Vala, he had taken an odd joy to knowing that no one's bondbird could ever defeat his little kestrel in ribbon-tag.
Just as Vree cried out victoriously when his talon touched the end of the ribbon, Kestri's wings flared and flapped downwards, propelling her up. The forest gyre shot underneath her as Kestri hovered, 'cackling' as the forest gyre flared his own wings to see what had happened to her.
"She…can hover!" Darkwind exclaimed, startled as he watched the kestrel levitate in the same place before zooming off in another direction.
:What? How!: Vree cried, anguished, speeding after the little bird.
"All kestrels can," Snowsong said grimly, unable to contain his happiness that he and Kestri shared in 'defeating' the older, supposedly greater one.
"Oh…I forgot about that!" Darkwind cursed, slamming his fist down on the ground before standing up and dusting himself off. "No bondbird can beat another with those kind of maneuvers…"
"Except another kestrel," Snowsong chimed, lifting his hand up into the air. Kestri plunged down and flared her wings at the last moment, alighting gracefully on his wrist, still clutching the ribbon. Snowsong moved his hand over so she was safely transferred to his head, and Darkwind retrieved Vree from the sky.
"Except another kestrel," Darkwind agreed, letting Snowsong catch up with him. "Heyla, Snowsong…let's go back inside and get something to eat, alright?"
~
"…and Derik and Kuri send their love," Zohariel said with great delight in the mask of rage that Havlah had on at the moment.
"That…darn them!" Havlah screamed, arms stiff at her side. "I can't believe they didn't even listen to us!"
:Oh, no, they listened all right,: a voice chuckled into Zohariel's mind. :They just ignored you.:
KHIRA?! Zohariel thought, surprised that the young Companion was able to talk to him.
:Oh, yes!: Khira said sweetly. :You didn't know that I could talk to you, huh?:
No! Of course not!
:Ha!:
Does this mean that I'm…Mindspeaking?
:No, sorry,: Khira said. :I can just spy on your thoughts, is all. Here, let me look at that Havlah – oh! She's UGLY!:
"What's wrong with you?" Havlah demanded as Zohariel burst into laughter. "You don't think this is funny, do you? You realize that we're all in danger because of this demon, don't you?"
"Oh – oh yes, of course," Zohariel said quickly. He stood up from the table and ripped the napkin off his neck. "Sorry, Havlah – I have to go do…um…some chores, or something, that I forgot to do earlier. Bye!"
"Zohariel! Come back here!" Havlah cried out. "Did I already tell you that she can breathe fire? That's how she burned down half the marketplace!"
:Half the marketplace my tail!: Khira snorted as Zohariel fought to control another gale of chuckles. :The only demon I see here that's breathing fire is that worthless little…thing!:
Zohariel stopped running just as he came across his dorm; Khira was still with him, though she sounded a bit faint.
So…you mean you've been able to speak to me in the Unaffiliated all along?
:Oh, well…I didn't know until today,: Khira admitted. :It never occurred to me that I'd be able to talk to someone far away until Ranaena told me that she told Rolan that my mother Chose.:
Chose, huh? Zohariel couldn't help feeling a little jealous of that.
:Yeah…that Tayledras scout I told you about yesterday,: Khira said. :Gods…this place is interesting! You have to show me around sometime.:
So long as you're always with me, I'll be able to show you everything!
:No, not always…see, I'm already getting fainter,: Khira said sadly. :But – I've already been spying on you, and since you can't come down and see me anymore, I guess this will have to do.:
There was a tone in the Companion's voice that made Zohariel think that she was lying-
:Nope! Companions can't lie!: Khira chimed in.
Wow…you know, this is a little weird, having you know exactly what I'm thinking.
:You'll get used to it,: Khira said comfortingly. :Good to get to know how to bear with it now, so that when you get Chosen you won't be so surprised when your Companion reads your thoughts all the time.:
Khira…you know I won't get Chosen-
:Yes you will!: the Companion insisted. :That Tayledras scout did – he didn't even know he had any magic until today! You'll get Chosen, Zoh, believe me…remember, Companions can't lie!:
Yeah…I guess…
~
Derik couldn't breathe; he was on his back, convulsing helplessly and gasping for breath, hands clutching his sides as they began to ache. He kicked the grounds like a child having a tantrum. It was the forth time he had done this.
"It's not funny!" Dawnshadow cried, anguished.
Derik didn't answer; he couldn't, as he was trying to sustain enough air for his lungs.
:Oh…my…gods!: he replied in Mindspeech instead. :That…gods…I have never seen anyone be so horrible…or comical…riding horses!:
"It's not funny!" Dawnshadow moaned, sinking to the ground, legs beneath her. "It's hard! I swear it is!"
Mishi, a golden-cream hued mare, snorted and pawed at the ground, fully bedecked in riding gear, looking for all the world as if she were frustrated as well. Mishi belonged to someone residing in the hills not that far away from Haven; Kyrrith and Ranaena were lying down on the ground nearby, watching intently. At least they were sparing Dawnshadow their laughs…though they were probably just laughing mentally.
Derik finally regained control of himself and stood up, dusting himself off, face reddened as he fought to force back chuckles. "Alright, alright…well, remount. Here, I promise – just this one, last try, and then we go home."
Dawnshadow sighed and turned around, facing the mare who was watching her with those bored-looking eyes. "I can do this," the Changechild muttered to herself, sighing and clapping her hands together. "I can do this."
:She can't do this, can she,: Ranaena said flatly, not really asking a question.
:Nope,: Kyrrith replied with firm confidence backing his words. :But I suppose Derik wants another laugh.:
Mishi watched Dawnshadow put her leg on the foot-thingy – the stirrup, Dawnshadow thought to herself, wondering if she had correctly remembered the name – and mounted…at least the Changechild could do that much.
"Now dig your heel into her side," Derik instructed.
"But…I thought you had to move the reins, like this," Dawnshadow said, demonstrating the movement by jiggling the reins.
"Oh…nope," Derik said, shaking his head to emphasize. "That's just what I do, 'cause I'm horse-ignorant and just instruct Rae verbally."
"Oh." Dawnshadow dug her heel into the horse's side, wondering faintly if she was hurting her, but somehow got the reassurance that she hadn't. Mishi moved forward ever so slowly, knowing that her rider wasn't experienced, and Dawnshadow rocked back and forth, trying to keep her balance.
The mare completed a full circle before Dawnshadow lost it and fell over, one foot still caught in the stirrup. The mare whinnied and snorted, then looked back to see what was stopping her from continuing the walk.
Derik was shaking his head, finding enough strength to force down chuckles, and gestured at Dawnshadow and the Companions. "C'mon, let's go. I promised."
The Changechild stood up and dusted herself off as Ranaena followed Derik and Kyrrith trotted up to her. She looked as if she were concentrating deeply on something-
"Wait!" Dawnshadow shouted, making Derik and Ranaena stop. "Wait, let me just try one more time…and hold on…"
The Changechild ran off through the field that Mishi and the rest of the horses were kept on, and found what she was looking for – a long, slender stick. She ran back to the mare and mounted, looking eager, still holding the stick with one hand and holding the reins with the other.
"What're you doing, Dawnie?" Derik inquired.
"Wait – I just want to try this…put my heel into your side, like this…" Dawnshadow muttered to herself quietly. Or was it to herself? She seemed to be talking to Mishi.
The mare trotted forward at Dawnshadow's physical command, and Dawnshadow put the stick off to her side, shifting it to different positions periodically; up, then down, then right, then up, then left again, all according to the mare's movements.
And she wasn't falling off.
"Faster!" Dawnshadow whispered, pleased at her accomplishment, and the mare complied, moving into a gallop. All the while the stick was moving at her side, and when she gestured the mare to bring her back to Derik and the Companions they all looked startled.
"See! I did it!" she cried in triumph while Derik closed his mouth. "It worked!"
"Why were you holding that stick?" Derik asked, one hand on his hip, eyebrow raised.
"Because – because see, Mishi told me that when I was riding her, I had a different balance then humans did, because I guess I was different or something-" Dawnshadow said excitedly before Derik cut her off.
"Wait – Mishi told you?"
"Yes, I told you that. Well, she said that I should get a tail or something, so I got a stick, 'cause that's kinda close enough – and you know what? She was right! It's because I have a different sense of balance than humans do…" Dawnshadow continued excitedly, dropping the stick on the ground beside her while Mishi began to graze.
:Ranaena…do you have any idea what Dawnie's talking about?: Derik inquired.
:Well, yes, actually,: Rae replied lightly. :Kyrrith's telling me – either Dawnshadow knows how to talk horse because she's merged with an animal, or she's an Animal Mindspeaker.:
:Kyrrith thinks the latter is right, doesn't he.:
:Yep.:
"It's alright, Dawnie – I believe you," Derik said, cutting Dawnshadow off. "And in fact, I think we'll be able to cut horseback riding lessons from now on…but you'll have to take this other class for another gift you have."
"Another gift?"
"Yeah, see…it's called Animal Mindspeaking…"
~
"We have to get it back for this," Havlah growled to her four friends, who all nodded rapidly. "We have to. We have to kick that demon off the Heralds' Collegium before it gets everyone to believe that it's good…"
"But how?" Lana asked.
"I don't know…there's really nothing we can do, since it's with Sir Kaderik all the time!" Havlah moaned. "Like he knows what we're going to do."
"Well, he's a ForeSeer, so…" Bree trailed off.
"Yes, but that's not the point," Havlah snapped. "We have to get it to do something that would make it look bad…"
"But whatever happens, it's horse will know," Vyra commented. "The white one."
"Yeah, you're right about that…"
"But…isn't there some sort of spell-thing?" Mria suggested. "One that makes people do things? I forget what it's called, but it starts with a 'c'…"
"A coercion spell!" Havlah cried out immediately. "That's perfect! We can make it do whatever we want…and then we can make the spell to say that it can't tell anyone – even better, that it can't reveal it to anyone, so not even its horse!"
"But…aren't those illegal?" Bree asked. Havlah glared at her.
"Listen, if you want to just sit here and let yourself die a horrible, painful death by a demon, then go on ahead," she snarled. "Me, I'm going to stop that evil creature before it has a chance to hurt anyone else."