~*~Still Burning~*~
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Eleven Years Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun rose over the golden fields and shone down on Kalira's face. She reluctantly rose from the warmth of her bed and began to ready herself for another day of work in the fields. Her lessons only began at nine so she often aided her brother and father at work before beginning her studies.
She stepped out into the predawn light and spied her little brother carrying water into the house to warm for lunch. She looked out into the fields and saw her father entering the barn doors, buckets in hand. She ran after him, catching him just as he placed a stool beside one of the cows.
"Father!" she cried, panting. "You promised you'd let me take care of the cows after my last birthday!" she pouted.
Her father chuckled at the expression on his daughter's face. "Very well child. At my age it is easy to forget that your daughter is almost fully grown and at an age to care for herself." He sighed before clearing the way for Kalira.
Before she could begin her task however a strange shadow darkened the doorway to the barn. A Companion stood there observing the two people before it. It's white coat shone in the early morning sunshine and it's hooves made an unearthly jingling sound as it entered. Kalira held her breath as she watched the magnificent creature walk toward her.
It's gentle mind voice echoed in her head as it said, :Hello Kalira. I am Rhoswen and I Choose you.:
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Herald Kiron walked briskly toward the Collegium from Companions Field. On the way in he espied a Companion coming in through the entrance from the city. On her back sat a young girl, looking around in awe.
:Her name is Kalira. She's the newest trainee, from the countryside. This is her first time in the city.:
:What's her gift? Has anyone talked to her yet?: he asked his Companion Koen.
:Not yet, she just arrived. According to her Companion, Rohswen, she has a strong gift of Foresight.:
:I suppose I might as well talk to her then.: replied the Herald, who was still a bit tired from his ride that morning.
As Herald Kiron went to talk to the young girl Darkwind K'Sheyna left the palace, on his way to Firesong's small ekele at the edge of Companions Field. Halfway to his destination he ran into that young man which puzzled him. After the incident at the Dhorisha Plains Firesong had changed. He did not spend as much time out of his ekele and when he did come out he could often be found with Silverfox.
The flamboyant Adept was dressed in muted greens that blended in well with his surroundings. Over his face he wore a mask designed by Darkwind of the same color. As usual his dress flattered his figure and the mask added an air of mystery about him.
"Can you feel it?" he questioned Darkwind immediately. Upon seeing the other's puzzled expression he went on to elaborate. "The mage energies! There is a force emitting strong energies into this area. Can you feel them?"
Darkwind carefully tested his surroundings and surprisedly noticed what Firesong had brought to his attention. "Now that I take the time, I do feel it. What could it be? A new Herald-Mage?"
"That is possible. Come let us find out." replied Firesong, walking to the palace.
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:Why do we continue to attend these pointless meetings?: thought Sun Priest Karal to himself as he listened to the ceaseless drone of a Guild Representative who rattled off the various complaints his colleagues wished to bring to the Queen's attention.
:We are here because something important maybe said and we must be here to hear it.: replied Altra, who sat on the table, allowing Karal to use his eyes to take notes on the meeting. Despite his lack of eyesight Karal took his own notes with Altra's help.
:Even you know that they are whining like children, Altra. After what we've all been through you would think they would be too relieved to be alive to find something to complain about.:
Altra merely responded with a mental sigh. The Firecat made sure none other than Karal could see him at Council meetings, least they think he was a demon. :I do not think they will be complaining much longer.: replied the large cat as the meeting ended and he walked with Karal back to his room to recopy and store the notes he had taken.
:What do you mean by that?: questioned Karal, only to find that Altra would not answer him.
The firecat merely stayed silent while the young Sun Priest painstakingly recopied his notes. Even though Solaris had suggested sending him an assitant Karal had declined. He had been independent for most of his life and did not want to let his experiences at the Dhorisha Plains deprive him of that. An advantage of the previous year's adventure was that now the other Ambassadors gave him his due respect and listened to his ideas without immediately dismissing them as the talk of an inexperienced little boy.
:Altra? What did you mean by that?: he questioned his friend as he prepared himself for a walk to the Compass Rose. After An'desha's decision to stay with the Shin'a'in Karal found himself spending his spare time at the Compass Rose with the Natalie and the Artificers or going to visit the Companions and Iftel gryphons. On a few occasions he spoke to Talia but she worked constantly and he often felt guilty taking up even a few minutes of her time that could be spent with her family.
Of course Altra did not reply to Karal's question. He still tried to keep an aura of mystery about him even though he could no longer avoid Karal's questions by simply jumping away.
Karal entered the Compass Rose to find it abuzz with yet another new idea, as usual. He followed Altra's lead to Natalie's table where the automatically made room for him. A boy, Stefen, immediately caught Karal's attention, insisting there was something he had to see. The boy moved down to show Karal a paper that appeared to have the Valdemaran alphabet written under sequences of raised dots.
"We were thinking of how people can no longer read because they lost their sight, like you. That is not fair to them so we've devised a way to create books for the blind. So now you can read on your own again!"
Karal's heart leapt with hope. He had missed out on one of his favorite past times ever since he had lost his vision. He felt bad asking Altra to do more for him than the Firecat already did. After all, one did not exploit a messenger of Vkandis.
"That is the most wonderful idea I've heard, Stefen. When will it be put into action?"
"Well, we wanted to know if you could test it out for us first. You will have to learn the sequence of dots for each letter first, of course, but then if you could read something that was written with those letters we would have proof that the idea works." replied Natalie.
"I'll be glad to help in anyway I can." assured the Sun Priest, heart brimming with joy for the first time since his return to Valdemar.
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Lavan awoke from a troubled sleep, sweat clinging to his skin. He had dreamt of fire again. Of bodies writhing and screaming in agony to get away while he stood above them consumed with anger. He could not understand the cause of these disturbing nightmares but he dared not consult his father about them. At the age of nine he had finally noticed his father's indifferent treatment of him. He was close to his brothers and sister but he knew they would not be able to understand his dreams any better than he did.
Lan drearily rose from bed to ready himself for school where he could relax and stop worrying about his father's hostility for at least a few hours.
"Lavan! Get down here this instant. If I receive another call from your school complaining about your tardiness I will apprentice you to the first man I see!" exclaimed an irritated Banji as he passed his disinterested gaze over his children lined up before him. They were not allowed out of the house until their father approved their appearance first. He had a reputation as a noble tradesman that he insisted he protect.
Lan hurried down the steps his hair and clothing in disarray. Banji passed a disapproving glance over his son. "You will not leave this house until you have an appearance of some kind of order. I will not have our neighbors gossiping about me when my back is turned." he stated to his son in a cold tone while giving him a withering glare.
"But Father, if I spend anymore time getting ready I will not be able to have breakfast and will not arrive at school on time." pointed out the young man in hopes of his father allowing him to leave early.
"Then you will have to leave without breakfast. That should teach you to be ready in a more timely fashion." replied his father. His look moved to his other children, Lan's two older sisters and his step brother. He casually dismissed them and turned back to his paper.
The children carefully moved outside and began their stroll to school, deliberately keeping their pace slow so their brother could catch up when he was let out.
Lan heaved a sigh as he ran back up the stairs to fix his attire and meet his father's mark of approval. When he returned to the table, his father put down his paper and took in his son's improved appearance. "You may go now. I suspect that if you wait to finish eating you will not be on time. You should run if you want to make sure you get to school in time to receive their meager breakfast."
Lan cast his father a dismayed look before rushing out the door to catch up with his siblings. He panted heavily as he ran with all his strength and energy to reach the school before it was too late receive some form of nourishment.
The boy often wondered what he had done to earn his father's constant disapproval. However, he tried not to contemplate the matter for too long. That line of thought often resulted in a severe headache and the strange memory of a similar feeling.
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Firesong k'Treva felt charged with more energy than he had had since they had put an end to the mage storms. Life was peaceful at last, he had a partner here in Haven, and he was on the verge of discovering the next great mage, a prospective worthy student.
An eager grin lit his face as he forced himself to maintain a dignified pace walking toward the palace. Darkwind in tow, Firesong strolled gracefully through the doors of the palace and made his way to the Herald's Collegium.
We are finally doing something other than educating another ignorant fool about what we can and cannot do. He thought to himself.
Despite the lesson the Mage Storms had taught the people of Valdemar some still believed magic could solve all their problems while others thought it was the cause of all their problems. The weeks after the storms had ceased proved to be tedious and trying as the Heralds sought out the ignorant and misinformed to familiarize them with mage gifts.
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Kalira was shocked into speechlessness when she looked at her surroundings. This was the first time she ever saw the palace and the sheer size of the structure left her stunned. She spied a Herald walking toward her and hastily dismounted off of Rhoswen's back to meet the man.
He had thick black hair with streaks of silver beginning to show at his temple. There were laugh lines around his mouth and eyes and a pleasant twinkle was evident in his blue eyes. Like almost all heralds he was lean and fit and he could still be considered attractive.
Only when she lost contact with her Companion did the crushing realization of what had just happened descend upon her. She dismayed over the thought of not being able to see her family or friends, of never being able to return to the life she knew.
However, before such feelings could overwhelm her Kalira felt herself enveloped in a mental hug and warmer, more optimistic feelings flooded through her.
Kiron smiled as he approached the pale haired girl. If anyone saw her now, surely they'd think she was a divine messenger.
"Welcome to the Collegia, young lady. I am Herald Kiron." greeted the herald when he stood before them. "Good evening, Rhoswen."
The Companion merely snorted a welcome while the Herald led the way into the Collegium. She caught a feeling of uneasiness coming from another Companion as they passed Companion's Field.
:What disturbs you?: she asked her friend.
:You will know when the time comes.: replied the silver white Companion.
:You will tell me if you know something that concerns my chosen.: It was a statement not a question.
The other Companioin remained silent. His friends knew he was often visited by spirits and perhaps he would be visited by a god or goddess when the time came. Yet, he kept silent about these visits, and only revealed his thoughts when he was told to. He heaved a sigh of restlessness as he set himself to wait yet another night for his chosen to awaken his powers.
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A/N: Ok here's the next part. Let me know if it's any good please!! I'm trying to make sure that everyone stays in character but it's not easy. I've got a lot of inspiration for this but I'm running a little low on conflict...I'll get it right though!...Anyway, you know the routine. r&r...let me know if I should keep going...ok bye!
~*~IndianBabeIII~*~