La, la, la....I don't own pretty much anything in this story. All the creatures and places and most of the characters belong to Mercedes Lackey (bless her for creating them!) I kind of claim credit for Seraphim and the other original characters, but not for the idea of Companions, etc. See?
....man, this chapter is even more pointless than ususal. :p Sorry. The next chapter should be better.
Wow! Thanks so much for the support! When I first started writing "Angel Wings" I
didn't think it would go over so well! ^_^ It's great. I'm so happy that everyone likes it. Anyhow,
here's the next chapter!
:Well, you look pretty good in that.:
:I know.: I replied, turning my head to look in the direction of the door. Lani and Meriol were standing, crowded in the entrance and watching as the Stable Hand- who's name, he'd told me, was Micca- continued to prepare me for my Journey. My tail swished in agitation. :But if you hadn't said it I probably wouldn't have talked to you for a month.:
:Or at least a candlemark.: Meriol agreed, :which is why Lani mentioned it.:
:Thanks.:
:No problem.:
I had never used my formal tack before. To be honest, I had never used my tack at ALL. But I didn't have a Chosen yet, so I had to reason to use it. Now, I waited only semi-patiently for poor Micca to finish so that I could leave....could he TAKE any longer? No, no. It wasn't his fault. He was doing his best. It was just that....
Damn it, I need to get to Karse!
:Sera, he's almost done, you know.:
I glared at Lani. :Well duh.:
:My, my, SOMEONE's in a bad mood today.:
A sigh. :Sorry, it's just that I'm in a hurry.:
Lani and Meriol regarded me with partial amusement. They knew what the problem was, of course. Everyone knew that Callings made the Companion in question edgy. But....they couldn't know how I was feeling. Not REALLY....
:What are you two doing here, anyway?:
There was a long silence, and suddenly I found myself eyeing them suspiciously.
What was with the hesitation?
They shouldn't have been so quiet....
:Guys?: I demanded, :what's going on-?!:
:So....what did Gwena and Rolan have to say?:
:They had to talk to Elspeth and Darkwind.: I replied shortly. That question had been meant to distract me, that much was obvious. But what could they have been planning....or scheming, whichever. Flicking my forelock out of my eyes, I glanced back at Micca; he was cinching my saddle. :Lani, I know you've got something planned. Just tell me what it is already.:
:.....:
:Lani!:
:.....: She was avoiding my stare.
:....Lani?: I tilted my head to the side to look at her more closely. :Seriously, what is it?:
:We're going with you.:
:WHAT?!: My eyes bulged and I whirled, my eyes landing on Meriol, who had spoken. Behind me, Micca cursed softly at my sudden movement. I twitched, having to restrain myself from bursting from the stall and running Lani and Meriol down. Going with me? What the hell?! I took a handful of breaths and settled myself down so that Micca could finish. :What do you mean 'going with me'?: I grated. :It's MY Choosing Journey. WHY would you be going?:
More hesitation.
:....look, Sera, we're worried about you.:
:Huh?:
Worried? Why would they be worried about me? Sure, Choosing Journeys could be dangerous, but all Companions went eventually....so what would be so different about MY going? ....Gwena and Rolan had been worried....and Elspeth and Darkwind had been concerned....but they knew about my wings, so....
Lani and Meriol COULDN'T know!
:Worried?:
:Of course.: Lani sighed.
:Sera, you're going to Karse.: Meriol added. :We're your friends. How could we NOT be worried?:
Going to Karse....
Wait, I hadn't told them I was going to Karse!
:How do you know where I'm going?:
:Well....: Lani winced mentally; :we might have had a talk....okay, so Gwena came and told us. Sera, we weren't supposed to tell you she had! PLEASE don't let her know-:
:But why did she tell you?: I must have sounded confused, because Meriol chuckled. It wasn't all that funny, really. I mean, after they had made sure no one else was around when they talked to me, why would Gwena have gone and-?
"There you go, Lady!"
Micca's voice interrupted my thoughts and I turned my head to look at him. The boy was standing to the side, arms crossed, looking very accomplished. He was done? I craned my neck to regard my new tack.
The whole outfit was in silver with blue trim; Valdemar's colors. The saddle's silver plating had flower and vine designs engraved in it, along with my own name. The saddle BLANKET was blue and had Valdemar's crest embroidered on it. The bridle and reins were adorned with little silver bells what rang happily when I moved my head, and all the tack, having never been used, shone brightly.
"Now you don't have to thank me." Micca grinned, "I'm more than happy to help. Besides," he added with a wink; "I can tell you're in a hurry. Go on then," a general wave in the direction of the door. "If you WANTED to thank me, though, you could bring back a girlfriend for me."
Despite the seriousness of my Calling, I had to laugh. He was taking my short temper in stride, I had to admit. And he seemed to be a nice enough boy. I felt badly for being to impatient while he worked. He deserved to be thanked....but a girlfriend? He had to be kidding. Of course me was....
:I think not,: I told him, breaking the Silence and making him blink in surprise. :But thank you anyway.:
"Well!" His face broke into a huge smile, "that was unexpected! You're quite welcome, Lady, and good luck on your Journey!"
I didn't say anything more, of course. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place, but he had been so patient....heaving a sigh, I paced out of the stall and toward where Lani and Meriol were staring at me like I'd grown an extra tail.
Companions simply DIDN'T Speak with humans other than their Chosen....
....ah, but I had already broken the Silence to Speak to Elspeth and Darkwind, so....
:Sera....:
:Got a problem, Meriol?: I waited for them to get out of the way and then brushed past and into the stable yard. They followed quickly behind, both radiating confusion. It was quite amusing, if I do say so. :What would people say if I didn't thank the poor boy after being so impatient with him?:
:But....but you....:
:I Spoke with him. So?:
Another long silence. It was annoying. So I Spoke? So what? There were other- and might I add much more important- things to deal with. I shook my head, making my bridle bells ring, and spun to glare at them both.
:Would you just tell me what Gwena said, already?:
:But....Sera you....what about the Silence?:
:Damn it! Focus! I don't have TIME for this! WHAT DID GWENA SAY?:
Lani flinched at the tone in my Voice. :Gwena was the one who suggested we go with you. She's as worried about your Journey as we are....and she's the one who said you were going into Karse. It's not that no one trusts you, Sera, it's just that we're all concerned for you. Going into Karse is dangerous for a Companion! You shouldn't do it alone.:
:Besides,: Meriol put in with a mental 'wink'; :Karse is pretty far away, and we know you'd be lonely if you were by yourself for all that time.:
:Bite me.:
-and then I jumped in shock when Meriol's teeth nipped my flank.
He had actually BITTEN me?
Oh come on!
I glared at him and growled; :....Meriol....:
A chuckle. :You told me to.:
:Jackass.:
:Now I'm hurt.:
:No you're not.: I replied angrily. The normally amusing interplay between us was NOT making me happy. On the contrary, it was royally pissing me off. Why couldn't Gwena have just kept her mouth shut? Okay, so Companions don't use their mouths to Talk, so what? If she hadn't said anything to Lani and Meriol, I could have been halfway to Karse already!
I was exaggerating and I knew it.
There was no way I could have made it even CLOSE to halfway to the Karsian border. In fact, I probably would have been just outside of Haven if I was lucky. Lani and Meriol weren't really keeping me back by much....but I NEEDED to go....
:Fine.: I grated, :if you're going to come along, get ready. I'll wait for five minutes and then I'm leaving so you'd better hurry.:
Both of them blinked at me in surprise. They probably hadn't expected me to agree. But I knew them too well. Even if I'd said 'no', they would have followed me anyway. This was I was just saving myself a pounding headache.
:Well? Move!:
:Whoa, look who's being pushy.: Meriol observed with chuckle.
:Since when are you so authoritative, Sera?: Lani's eyelashes batted 'innocently' but a second later she sighed. :Okay, okay. C'mon Meriol, let's get tacked up.: A mental grin, :you know Sera, this could be fun! You and me on the road, just us girls-:
:-hey!: Meriol snapped, flicking his tail to slap Lani's side, :I'm here too, you know.:
:Uh-huh.: Lani agreed, turning to go. :Like I said- just us girls.:
:Ouch. That hurts. If I were any less of a stallion I'd be insulted.:
:If you were any less of a stallion you'd be a mare.:
:I hate you.:
:No you don't.:
Their friendly bickering was enough to make me giggle a little, concerned as I was for the Soul I was Feeling, and as I wandered away I couldn't help but be- at least a LITTLE bit- happy that they would be coming with me. But at the same time....three 'Demon' horses walking into Karse? It had sounded bad enough when we had been talking about ONE, but three might have been....
'Bad' would have been an understatement. 'Bad' was the word that everyone had been using to describe the reaction I was probably going to see (in the border towns, anyway) with just me. 'Bad' was NOT enough to describe the reaction that the three of us were probably going to get.
Which meant that I would have to get rid of them before we got to the border.
How am I supposed to ditch them?
But then, Lani and Meriol- good friends as they were- were also very intelligent Companions. They would know the dangers. They DID know the dangers, or they wouldn't be so concerned for me. If I talked to them about it, they would understand....wouldn't they?
I sighed.
Whether they understood or not was irrelevant if they decided to come into Karse with me.
There was no way I could stop them....
....and what was taking them so long?
If they were still fighting instead of getting ready, so help me God....
They KNOW I need to go! Gods, sometimes I wonder why- of all the Companions in the Field- THEY are the ones I ended up friends with. I heaved a sigh and the band around my stomach added pressure at my inhalation, reminding me of the tack I was wearing. It was going to take a little getting used to.... -but I don't think I could have survived this long without them. Lani and Meriol- bless their stupid hides- are the reason I've managed to....if they hadn't been around....
My mind seemed to be avoiding that particular train of thought, but even though I couldn't directly finish the thought, I knew exactly how it should have ended. Because of my wings, I had been isolated from the others....with the exception of Mother, who protected me from outside influences, Gwena and Rolan who taught me and kept an eye on me....and Lani, who was too stubborn and friendly to be kept away when I tried to brush her off. And then when she found out about my....thing....for Meriol she couldn't keep herself from inviting him to hand around with us....
....and so the three of us were the closest circle of friends possible.
If it hadn't been for them, I might not have made it through. I had been so lonely until Lani and Meriol.
It hurt to think about it.
:Ha, Sera! Want to see something funny?:
:Huh?: I was a little surprised when Lani's voice suddenly sounded. I hadn't seen them coming back. I turned quickly to look at them- and had to laugh. What was it about them that could always make me giggle? :Meriol, what are you doing?:
:Hm? I'm trying to- damn it!:
I giggled again.
Somehow, he'd managed to get the rein on his bride caught around his ears.
I watched him shake his head, trying to dislodge it.
Just seeing him doing something so incredibly silly made my worrying less, and I knew that having them come along- if doing nothing else for me- would keep me sane. With Lani and Meriol around, I would never go into a panic....never let my concern for that Soul overcome me....
Thank the Gods for good friends.
:Meriol,: a managed through my mental giggles, :....by the Bright Lady....how did you manage....to get your rein....tangled in your ears....?:
Meriol looked at me through sad eyes. :I tossed my head. Micca tacked me and Lani up in record time and when we got outside I wanted to re-settle the bridle.: He told me mournfully, :I only tossed my head and now I'm stuck!:
:Stuck....: Lani mused, :the story of your life?:
:Shut up, Lani.:
:Look, Meriol,: I sighed, :if I get you unstuck, can we get going please?:
Meriol nodded his head emphatically, making his mane flop around and I sighed. Sometimes he was just too much....mentally shaking my head, I wandered over and craned my neck. Then I locked my teeth onto the tiny strap of leather and tugged.
:Tilt your head, Meriol. Sera, tug to the left. No, no, not THAT left-:
:Lani!: I snapped, still pulling on the rein, :either help or shut up!:
:I AM helping.: Lani informed me, :I'm supervising.:
:Lani, I'm going to KILL you!:
:Do Companions kill?:
:I'll make an exception!:
:Ow, ow!: Meriol whined.
I had been pulling too roughly while I talked with Lani and when Meriol's Voice yelped in pain I eased off a bit. :Meriol, this isn't working. Try tipping your head to the side and pulling back while I tug on it- yeah, like that.:
Meriol tilted his head and stepped back, and I pulled at the same time.
And the rein fell free of his ears to rest on his neck where it was supposed to.
:Ouch. That huuuurt.: He flicked his ears, :I think it pulled part of my mane out, too.:
:Baby.:
:Leave me alone, Lani. You didn't even try to help.: His eyes landed on me and he 'smiled'; :thank you very much, Sera! May the Gods bless and keep you!:
I sighed, almost laughing. But the urgency of my Calling was back at me again....
:Can we go now? I hate to rush you and all, but it's kind of important.:
:Yeah, yeah.: Meriol agreed, :let's get moving!:
Lani agreed. :And we're off. It's going to be fun seeing something other than the Palace and the Field for a change.:
I agreed with her, I really did, but I wasn't looking forward to the trip as much as she and Meriol were. But I had a much different reason to go than they did, and a much more serious one at that. Actually I was concerned for them. Did they really know what they were getting into? I could only hope....
:Alright, let's go.: I started forward, my hooves ringing on the cobblestone, and they followed quickly behind. Their Mindvoices happily bickered as they walked; was it just me or were they taking things to lightly? :Let's go.: I repeated, then had to add; :FINALLY!: