"Van? Stef? Fandes?" Sherri called as she pulled up the stallion she rode and slid to the ground. Gone was the charming little girl replaced with a young woman with raven's wing black hair, high arched eyebrows, dark blue eyes, a slender build honed by activities such as riding and sword play, and a heart shaped face. There was still a coltish quality about her as if she wasn't quite finished. She was all of sixteen but she had the emotional and mental maturity of someone much older.
The woods around her remained still, only a whisper of a breeze shuffled the leaves.
Sherri tied the stallion, Eagle, to a sturdy branch and headed deeper into the wood. She had a harp slung over her shoulder and a sword at her side. Years ago she had learned that others didn't believe in what they couldn't see and she had stopped telling other about the ghosts she saw. Van had taught her how to block them out and to respond with out speaking so she no longer drew strange stares. Stef had taught her to play a variety of instruments, while she would never be a Bard she would be able to play for her friends, if she had any beyond the three ghosts. Y'fandes had even started speaking directly to her after a few months and had taught her to ride.
There were nine people that were the centre of her world, her uncles, still at war, and the three ghosts. If she lost any of them she didn't now what she would do.
"Hey there kitten." A voice greeted her.
"Hey Stef. I brought some new music books." She patted the heavy bag at her side.
"Wonderful." Stefen fell into step beside her. "Have you heard from your uncles?"
"Yes, a letter arrived from Avren this morning. There is still no word from the Princess."
Stef nodded as if this was what he expected. "Anything else?"
"There were two new magical attacks on the border in the past week. The Lord Martial was worried but seems to have forgotten all about the attacks. I suppose that is to be expected. I also received a letter from Uncle Favram. He said there was increased activity among the Hardorn mages but he couldn't find out what was happening."
"Any indication of whether it was for good or bad, for us that is?" Stef asked.
"It could go either way." Sherri answered. "I was hoping to talk to Van. Is he too busy plotting?"
"Doubtful. What's wrong?"
"I am looking into some new sheep that would be sturdier in this climate. We lost a lot of lambs to the late storms. I was going to get his take on it." Sherri explained. "He was raised to be a land owner after all."
"I am glad you aren't asking me. Sheep just don't make it into songs all that often." Stef teased.
"If I throw a party you will be the first I talk to." Sherri grinned. "I hope you have a new plan to stop this bloody fighting."
"We are still trying to iron out the details." Stef hedged.
"Tell me." She urged.
"We know Elspeth is about to make her way back to Valdemar but it will still be months before she makes it back to Haven. She will also be bringing her mate, a mage who will be driven insane by the vrondi."
She nodded. "Couldn't you send a magical message, like we did with those pranks? I still wonder what that creep thought of our gifts."
Stef laughed. It had been her idea to just be annoying and distract Falconsbane and hope for the best. "We considered it but she wouldn't believe anything we sent. As far as she is concerned we are dead and gone."
"Well then, if you can't go to the mountain, the mountain must come to you." She said.
"Bring them here?"
"Why not? Van is strong enough to Fetch them here, is he not?"
"It would deplete him. What good would it be if we get them here and we are too weak to speak?"
"Could I help?" Sherri asked.
"This is not your battle. You have been doing plenty just getting us information." Stef protested.
Sherri scowled at him. "I have six uncles out there risking their necks for Valdemar and the only thing stopping me from joining them is for the moment I can do more good here."
Stef was startled at this revelation.
"Quite frankly, if I could get someone else to relay the information to you I would sign up for the army in a heartbeat. Valdemar is my country and I will do everything I can to make certain it will not fall."
"Relax little one." Vanyel approached her. "You are more useful here. As you know, there is no one else we could go to for more information."
Sherri relaxed. "So, how can I help?"
"I am not certain." Van admitted. "Probably not at all. I can not Fetch that much over that distance."
"What about one of those Gate things? Couldn't you open one, drag them through, and close it?" Sherri suggested. Vanyel had told the vrondi she was an acceptable mage and they longer watched her, he also manipulated the spell on her and her brothers for the purpose of gathering information.
Van grew thoughtful. "That may have possibilities."
Stef and Sherri waited for him to continue but instead he walked off into the forest deep in thought.
Sherri scowled and turned to Stef. "That will be the last we see of him for a while. Care to look through the new music?"
Stef nodded and led her to his valley. A tiny waterfall tumbled down the back wall of the valley that fed a tiny pool perfect for either one child to splash and play or two ghosts enjoy each other's company. Perfect little flowers bloomed around the valley. Many had suffered when she had first been brought her but Stef had simply moved them out of the way and left paths for her to scamper on. Sherri sat cross legged on a sculpted stone and set her books on her lap. It cost Stef in terms of energy to actually turn the pages of the books so she did it for him.
"Of course there is the one about the Demon Brothers." Sherri laughed and opened it to the song about her brothers.
Stef read over her shoulder humming the tune.
Favram, the most headstrong and greatest risk taker of the brothers had been caught by a Hardorn patrol deep inside their own borders. He would have remained undetected except the ranking officer, and the only one not controlled by magic, was unable to read a map and had gotten lost.
His contact in the area had smuggled the news of his capture across the border and his five elder brothers had come riding to the rescue. When they had caught up with the still lost patrol they had killed nineteen of the twenty men. The only survivor was the idiot officer who had abandoned his men when he saw the massive, muscled, enraged brothers. He had carried the tale back to his king that they had been attacked by a dozen demons. That was where the name had originated.
"I think it is missing something right in here." Stef pointed at the paper.
She fished the silver stick from her bag and placed the notes where he indicated. "That better?"
He hummed it again. "Much better."
She set her harp on her lap and started to play, letting him sing.
After that they continued with a new love song. Stef thought it was romantic, she thought it was maudlin.
"How can you be so unromantic?" Stef asked in mock disbelief, they had this argument often.
"How can you bear to sing that drivel?" Sherri countered. "It is bad enough you live it."
Stef laughed. "You are too young to be a cynic."
"I am too practical to be a romantic." Sherri countered. "Besides, I wouldn't settle for anything less than what you and Van have. You do realise you two are the only couple in my life? And Y'fandes the only female of any real importance."
"You should spend more time with the living." Stef said seriously.
"The living all require me to be lady of the fortress, to fix all wrongs. Here I am only Sherri, music and magic student. I can escape the endless rounds of failed crops, misborn calves, lack of water, too much water, floods, disease, feuds, and raids for a few candlemarks in this forest. Out there, no matter where I go, no matter who I speak with, I am always Lady Sherria."
"Relax. I am just saying you need to expand your circle of acquaintances." Stef said.
"Where? Everyone at the keep is over fifty or under ten. It takes half a day to get to the nearest town and there I am always treated as a lady and as such untouchable."
"Maybe you should hire some young women to work as maids." Stef suggested.
"All the young folk are needed on the farms, male and female. Let's just go back to the songs. We could sing Shadow Stalker and annoy Van. Or Demonbane. He is probably brooding again."
"But he does it so well." Stef laughed. "I think Web of Light would be the most appropriate right now."
Their voices melded with the sound of the harp to give the song an unearthly sound. She sensed Van's appearance but didn't take her attention from the song. After that they slipped into Magic's Price, her favourite of all the Vanyel songs. Then Van chose the next song, My Lady's Eyes, to test her fingering. The three voices filled the woods. After a particularly touching singing of the Windrider Trilogy, Sherri set her harp aside. Unlike the ghosts she had to worry about being able to speak later.
:That was beautiful. You are definitely talented.: Y'fandes praised. She always enjoyed their impromptu concerts.
Sherri made a curtsy to the Companion. She had improved over the past eleven years and it was worthy of being introduced to the queen. "Have you made any progress with the great plan yet?"
"I think so. I believe we could steal their Gate." Van said and leaned against a tree.
"Would you be able to manifest afterwards?" Sherri asked shrewdly.
"Not if I used my own energy. If you are still willing to help…"
They had known for years now that earthbound spirits could draw on her strength to manifest. She something like a focus stone for them. Van, Stef, and Fandes could draw on a node or leyline but most were already tied into the defences of the forest and to draw heavily on the power would weaken the wards, perhaps for years.
"For how long?" Sherri asked. "And when?"
"I doubt it would be for more than a few days. However we would all have to draw on you. You would be bedridden."
"It is easier if I am nearby, why don't I just stay here while you need me?"
"We would prefer if they didn't know about you." Stef answered. "It would bring up a lot of uncomfortable questions."
Sherri grimaced. She hated staying in bed for longer than absolutely necessary. She also knew that if they found out how she was getting her information, her uncles letters, her uncles would suffer. "Very well. Are you just going to kidnap the Princess and her mate or all of them?"
With a thought the pool below them darkened then an image of a group of people in a hot pool chatting amiably appeared. The sole naturally brown haired female was the Princess, the man next to her with the mottled hair was her gentleman, Darkwind, across from her was a young man with ice white hair feeding a firebird, a powerful adept named Firesong, a young man with black hair sat on the edge still clothed talking with the princess and her love, and a pair of gryphons could be seen resting at the edge of the pool watching someone outside the vision.
They couldn't hear what was being said, that would require more power and there was no need.
"We could use all the help we could get." Sherri commented. "If we are going to steal one, why not all of them? After all, it is easier to get forgiveness than beg permission."
"I agree." Vanyel nodded.
Fandes held back, still staring down at the pool. :It would be unwise to anger a foreign adept.:
Sherri snorted. "He has being gloating about his wonderful ancestry ever since we started watching. I think it would be good for him to learn exactly what his inheritance is."
Y'fandes rippled slightly with laughter. :Very well, I agree.:
"So do I." Stef added.
"I better get going." Sherri packed up her stuff quickly. "Who knows, the kitchen may fall down, or worse, grandfather may be thirsty."
The three spirits bid her a fond fair well as she jogged off into the trees.
"Vanyel-ashke, you have the most interesting descendants." Stef laughed.