Chapter Two
Shivering slightly, Waternight pulled his hertasi-made cloak tighter around his wiry frame. The cloak was warm and tightly-woven, and had been worked with a light, waxy oil the hertasi used to waterproof the garments they made, but no piece of clothing is ever perfect, and icy trickles of rain managed to find every crack and opening.
I shouldn't even have to be wearing this cloak right now. As if echoing the scout's thoughts, Hrill resettled himself inside the cloak's voluminous hood and grumbled against Waternight's ear. The peregrine hated rain as much as his bondmate. The weather-workers said the skies would be clear for this run…
"I hope you're not brooding again. We're almost back to the Vale, and if you hate weather so much, you shouldn't have become a scout."
Waternight peered at his partner from beneath his hood. Wingfire was wearing her rain-cloak too, but she looked as if the rain didn't bother her in the least. That was probably true, considering she hardly ever noticed weather, much less let it affect her. Indifferent to both extreme heat and cold and seemingly impervious to the elements, Wingfire was the perfect scout. Waternight fought down a small twinge of envy. Wingfire was his best friend, and the best scounting partner anyone could ask for. It wasn't her fault she just happened to be better at it than anyone else in the Vale.
"Vestacha, compared to you, everyone hates weather," he teased, his irritation already lifting. Wingfire did that to him, put him in a better mood just by being there. "Still, I don't think this weather is normal. The mages reported clear weather for this run. There shouldn't have been anything unexpected like this."
"You worry too much, my friend. The mages are human only. They can make mistakes. This is nothing more than a spring rain. Quite normal, I'm sure. Now come, stop worrying. There's the Vale right now, and I, for one, plan on claiming the Sun Pool for a soak. Join me?"
Waternight shook his head. "Would that I could, but Father wants to talk to me. He wants me to "develop" my Mage-sense. He knows that it's small enough to be inconsequential, but he just won't give up the notion that I need it."
"Well, you never know. It may be small, but you know that even the smallest gifts can prove vital. I agree with him. I think you should at least think about it." Wingfire clapped her friend and partner heartily on the back and grinned. "Come find me when your father is done with you. I'll find some food and we can forget all about it for a little while."
"You're Goddess sent, you know that?"
"Of course I am! How could you ever doubt it?"
Chuckling, the two passed into the Vale and out of the rain. Waternight shivered slightly at the light feeling of bubbles skittering across his skin that happened every time he passed through the veil. His father had told him that he could feel it because of his Mage-sense. At the thought of his father, the scout sighed heavily and trudged away in the direction of Stormcall's ekele.
Wingfire watched him go for a moment, then turned away and followed a different path. She unconsciously headed down a trail lined with grey stones that designated it as leading to the common areas of the Vale, pacing the well-known path that would lead her to her favorite soaking pool. She finally reached the secluded spot and brushed aside a curtain of vines, grown there by the hertasi to provide some sort of privacy should the pool's occupants want it. Right now, however, the pool was empty. She stopped at the pool's steaming edge, quickly stripped off her garments, and slid into the hot water without so much as a ripple.
Like most Vales, the hertasi had carved seats and benches of varying height into the basin of the pool. Wingfire scooted around the perimeter until she found one she liked, then settled back with a deep, contented sigh. The water came up to just under her collarbone. She closed her eyes and reveled in just sitting, staying in one place and being completely relaxed. Every time she left the Vale, she was on guard, like all scouts should be. Relaxing one's guard could – and had – end up in one losing one's life. Therefore, Wingfire was at least slightly tense most of the time. As she fully relaxed for the first time in Goddess-knew-how-long, a wave of exhaustion swept over her.
When she had officially reached saturated prune status, Wingfire lazily reached up and untied the thong that held her waist-length hair in a tight braid. She was one of the few scouts who didn't wear their hair the typical shoulder-length, and she liked it that way. Her brother, Sunsong, wore his hair the exact same length. The two had always been close, despite Sunsong being three years Wingfire's junior. They had liked to dress alike as children, and had taken enormous pleasure out of confusing the adults about their identity. However, once adolescence had caught up with Wingfire, she had gained almost a foot in height over her younger brother, and her body had begun to grow feminine curves. With those rather conspicuous additions, the siblings' days of playing twins were over. Wearing their hair the same length was the way they kept a light hold on their younger, carefree days, and reminded each of the other. Wingfire had conceded to the scout's camouflage, however, by dyeing her hair to blend into the forest, while Sunsong's locks were as white-silver as ice. Right now, her hair was a motley arrangement of reddish browns and the like to make her invisible against the autumn foliage. She examined her hair as she combed her fingers through it and watched it float in the water. Hmm… dye's getting a little faded. I should redo it within the next few days.
The sound of light footsteps approaching the pool broke her train of thought, and she looked towards the entrance to see who was coming. The vine-screen was pushed aside to reveal a devastatingly attractive young mage framed in the last rays of the setting sun. That was how this particular pool had gotten its name – when the sun set, the clearing was filled with its rays, which gave the lighting a distinct reddish glow. It was really quite striking – though at this moment, it was competing with the picture the young man struck. His waist-length hair was ice-white, the top half tied back and the rest hanging loose, though it was currently devoid of adornment. He wore robes in a velvety dark blue silk, which were cut exotically and showed off his impressive figure. Unlike many mages, he excercised his body just as much as his mind, and it showed. He squinted against the sun to see who was in the pool, then grinned warmly when he saw it was Wingfire. She in turn smiled back and waved him over.
"Well met, brother! I should have known to expect you, with a sunset such as this one."
Sunsong shed his robes as he walked towards the pool, then plunged into the water, only to pop back to the surface next to his older sister. He liked his water hot, and didn't mind completely submerging himself in water most would consider too hot for that sort of thing.
"You know me too well. How was your run? That little fall sprinkle didn't send my big tough sister to the Sun Pool, did it? Weather doesn't usually bother you."
"Oh, that's not why I'm here. Or at least, not the only reason – I am human, you know. No, actually, I just haven't had a chance to really relax in a while, and I decided that I deserved it. What's your excuse?" she teased.
Sunsong stretched slowly before answering, a few of his muscles and joints popping. "I'll have you know that I ran that course the dyheli set up several times today, in addition to my usual lessons, so I was working my body and mind. So ha. Truth be told – I'm beat, sister mine."
"Alright, we both deserve this soak. There. Since you mention it, how's your training coming along? You must be – what – near Adept level by now."
"Almost. I've been training under Earthlight, and she's the best we have. We worked on Gates today, and before you ask, no, that is not what caused the rain, though I must admit, it was pretty unexpected. Actually, we were just working on recognizing Gate energies, how to work with them, etc. etc. Mostly theory, really. There'll be a bunch of that before I actually build a Gate myself. That's the test for Adept status – successfully building a Gate by myself."
"Do you know how long you'll have to do theory stuff before you'll be ready for the real thing?"
Sunsong shrugged. "Eh. It varies from mage to mage, obviously, but it generally takes a few months of intensive study and that sort of thing." He reached out and tweaked a lock of Wingfire's hair. "And what about you? Anything new with you or Waternight?"
"Not much new with me, but Waternight is with Stormcall right now – again." Her brother nodded knowingly. "I mean, I know his Mage-sense barely exists as it is, but it can still be useful, but he doesn't see the point in developing it."
"Well, to what extent does he have it?"
"He can't manipulate energies or anything, but he can see and feel them. Actually, sometimes I feel kind of bad for him – it must be so frustrating to see a… a tool, I guess, that you know is useful, but that you can't use." She shrugged. "It doesn't seem to bother him, though. He doesn't really care about magic one way or the other. He knows it has its uses, but he doesn't see how he personally fits into that. I think he figures that he should just stick to what he knows and is good at – scouting."
"I guess I can see his reasoning in that, but you have a point as well." Sunsong tugged fondly at the lock of hair he was holding. "Well, let us hope that he comes to some sort of conclusion in this dilemma of his, hmm?"
* * *
"Father, I know that magic is useful, but that's just it – it's useful for the Mages. I know how important their work is. I am Tayledras, after all. I know that we use it to restore the Uncleansed Lands. Yay magic! But my own gift is small enough to be practically nonexistent, so why waste time that I could be using honing the skills that I really need, skills I use every day? I just don't see the point."
Stormcall gazed fondly at his son and supressed a smile. True, this was a frustrating subject for the two, as they threw the same reasoning at each other every time, neither getting anywhere. But Stormcall was proud that his son at least had sound reasons for his case, even if he didn't agree with them. At least he wasn't like a few people the older Hawkbrother could mention, who blindly refused to believe that magic wasn't the answer to everything. Still, it seemed foolish to him that a Tayledras – a Tayledras – who lived and breathed magic in their very existence and purpose, would refuse to develop his Mage-gift, however small.
"Son, I know that your gift is minor. I'm not asking you to give up scouting, dress yourself in robes, and prance around pretending to be a Mage. All I'm asking is that you let me give you a few lessons in being more aware of your gift, letting it feed you more information. You'd be surprised at how much it can tell you, even latently."
"But -.."
"Here, take me for example. What am I?
Waternight sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You are k'Sheyna's Mage-Scout Liason."
"Exactly. The reason such a position exists is to keep information flowing smoothly between the two groups. The scouts and the Mages are two of the most important elements of the Vale, because they both provide vital information to its occupants."
"Father, I know all this…"
"Just let me finish. Imagine it this way. If you allow your sense to develop, you may notice subtleties that other scouts would miss. That data may prove lifesaving to the Vale. However, if you ignore your gift, you would be depriving k'Sheyna of a potentially essential resource."
Waternight didn't respond immediately, but he looked like he had just accidentally swallowed a rather large bug, and was finding the experience highly distasteful. Stormcall mentally nodded to himself. Good. That means he's thinking about what I said, instead of just reacting like he has been. Maybe he'll see the sense in this after all. At length, Waternight's expression changed to one of reluctant resignation.
"Alright. I'll let you give me these 'lessons,' if it will please you. But," he raised his eyebrows in emphasis. "That's it. I don't want you to try to weasel me into anymore magic business."
Stormcall smiled gently. "Deal." He held out his hand, and his son grasped his wrist for a moment, then let go. "Now, since you're here, we might as well start now."
Waternight sighed and settled into a cushion near his father. This was going to be a long night.
* * *
The next day found the scouting partners up at dawn and back out on their circuit. It was raining again – or rather, still, as the rain from the previous day hadn't let up, and had even gotten heavier. The morning was quiet, however. At noon, the two decided to take to the trees for a bite to eat. Wingfire, being the expert on plants that she was, knew of a tree with a thick tangle of leaves and branches about half way up that would provide decent protection from the monotonous rain.
Waternight sighed as he settled his back against the huge trunk and pulled scout rations from his pack. The trees in the Pelagirs were massive – twelve men stretched fingertip to fingertip would have been hard-pressed to circle one of the giants. The branches were fully as thick as the trunk of any normal tree, and most Tayledras were as at home in the branches as they were on the ground.
The rustle of leaves announced the presence of Hrill and Vraen, Wingfire's golden eagle, as they backwinged to a stop and perched on the branches near their bondmates. Bondbird stock tended to be fully two or three times the size of their wild counterparts, and Vraen was the largest bondbird in the Vale. For the most part, Wingfire didn't carry him if she could possibly avoid it. When the need arose, though, she had a clever perch-like contraption that could be strapped across her shoulders to hold Vraen. Windstrike, one of the Vale's engineers, had created it for her, and though he had warned her that her mobility would be severely limited while wearing the thing, Wingifre doubted she'd ever be wearing it in a situation that required full mobility.
She glanced at Waternight before once again concentrating on her own rations. "Why the sigh?"
Waternight smiled tiredly. "Just reminding myself to keep checking things with Mage-sight. I finally gave in to my father, and he wants me to look at everything with it, so I get practice and it'll come more easily to me."
"Makes sense. See anything interesting?"
"Hold on, let me check." Waternight set his food aside, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. His lack of training in using his gift made it necessary for him to concentrate fairly hard in order to use it. A few minutes passed as he made a mental sweep of the few surrounding furlongs. He frowned slightly, then opened his eyes. "That's odd. There are no creatures that have anything to do with magic – twisted by it, or attracted to it, or magical by nature – near here. That doesn't make any sense, they're usually fairly evenly spread out. There should be at least a few of each kind around here, but…" He shook his head in confusion.
"That's serious, Waternight. Can you tell where they are?" Wingfire had dropped all humor and was every inch the serious scout she had trained to be.
Instead of answering, her partner closed his eyes again. They stayed closed for longer this time as Waternight stretched his untrained talent to its limits. Finally, he opened his eyes again.
"I'm not getting much specifically, but there's a definite sense of something pulling them north and a bit east."
"Can you tell how far from here the source of the pulling is?"
"No more than a candlemark by dyheli, I'd say."
Wingfire swallowed the rest of her food quickly and started to pack her things quickly and efficiently. "Still in our sector. We're going to need some dyheli, then. Here, you send Hrill back to the Vale and ask for two volunteers to come meet us, and we'll start out in that direction. They'll catch up with us soon, and we'll already have a head start." She shrugged her pack back onto her shoulders and swung down out of the branches to keep watch until Waternight followed.
:Hrill, go back to the Vale, tell Earthlight we found magic problems, and ask Myrvac for two volunteer mounts. Tell them its important and to come quickly.:
Hrill bobbed his head and chirruped in comprehension, then dove off the branch and shot off towards the Vale so quickly he was a blur. Nothing was faster than a peregrine in flight. Waternight had heard that the Guardian Spirits in Valdemar were incredibly fast, and while he doubted that they could best his bird, he had to admit that if anything could, it would be a Guardian Spirit.
The scout whistled sharply to Wingfire, who appeared a minute later back up in the branches.
"We should run the trees for this one," he explained to her. "We're going to need to move quickly."
Wingfire nodded. "Right."
The two set off. It took each a minute or so, but once they found their rhythm, they were moving through the trees like water. Both scouts had released the climbing tools from their backs, and used the hooked ends to pull branches closer so they could jump from tree to tree with greater ease. Foliage sped by as they moved quickly and quietly towards their goal.
They were a third of the way there when they heard the warning call of a peregrine coming in to land. They knew it meant that their mounts had arrived, so they both paused and Waternight held up his arm and braced it for Hrill's impact. The handsome peregrine backwinged sharply and landed heavily on the scout's arm. He swiveled his head and looked into his bondmate's eyes.
:Horned ones come. Tingly ones, too,: he said in the simple mindspeech possessed by all the birds of bondbird stock.
Waternight raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Tingly one" was Hrill's name for a mage.
:Which tingly ones come?: he asked.
:Old earthy female and feels-like-Wingfire male.:
"Old earthy female"…that has to be Earthlight – he always comments that her mind feels earthy. And "feels-like-Wingfire male?" Who could that – oh. It must be Sunsong. Sibs tend to have a similar feel to them.
"The dyheli are here – along with two unexpected additions. It seems that your brother and his teacher accompanied our horned friends on this little jaunt."
Wingfire rolled her eyes. "Bless the Star-Eyed, will he never learn? Sunsong is forever wanting some 'action,' as he calls it. As if playing with nodes and the Heartstone weren't action enough for him. Well, let's go meet them. We need to get there ten minutes ago."
The partners dropped out of the tree they were in and landed in crouches on the forest floor. Four dyheli were waiting patiently, two already bearing riders. Earthlight and Sunsong had had the sense to at least change out of their ridiculously impractical robes and into spare scouts clothing before leaving the Vale, and they had bound their hair to keep it out of the way.
"At least you didn't come out here dressed as moonflowers," Wingfire stated, foregoing preamble all together.
"Well, we'd hardly be of aid tripping all over ourselves or getting our garments pinned to trees with arrows, would we, youngling?" Earthlight's tone was light and calm with an undertone of amusement. "Hrill's message was that there was a magical disturbance, and who is there better equipped to deal with such a problem but two strong scouts to take care of the physical, and two strong mages to deal with the magical?"
Wingfire didn't blush, but she did feel properly rebuked for her sharpness. "Apologies, elder."
Earthlight gentled her rebuke with a smile and a waved hand. "No need. There is danger, and danger causes stress. Now, come mount up and we'll see what we can do about this problem, shall we?"
Wingfire and Waternight swung easily up onto the thin leather pads that the dyheli wore. The deer-like creatures wouldn't tolerate a saddle, but did allow the pads to soften the blow of their sharp withers to whomever might be riding them. As soon as both scouts had their balance, the dyheli were off, springing forward with such suddeness that anyone but a Tayledras would have been left in the dirt.
Waternight concentrated on their destination, so used to riding dyheli-back that moving with the creature's movements was second nature. All of a sudden, he Felt his mind being wrenched quickly and efficiently from his control. Before his shock could manifest itself as resistence, he heard a mindvoice in his head.
:Don't fear, I am simply seeing the place as you saw it. Then you have no need to guide us, and we get there that much faster.:
The dyheli. Of course. The scout had always known that they could take control of one's mind with great ease, but he'd never been on the receiving end of it himself. He wasn't sure if he liked it much.
But the dyheli was right – in no time at all, Waternight heard the warning call of his bondbird. The other's heard it too and pulled up, knowing its meaning. The four Hawkbrothers jumped from their mounts' backs and gathered in a circle. All of them were on their highest guard, and had drawn whatever weapons they carried. Earthlight's eyes stared off into the foliage for a moment, then snapped back to her comrades. Sunsong caught the look of utter shock on her face for a split second before it set into grim lines.
"Changewolves," she said shortly. "Four of them. They have something surrounded. I See other creatures nearby, but I'm guessing the Changewolves drove them back."
The others matched her grim face as they heard her words. Changewolves were wolves that had been caught in the Changecircles caused by the Mage Storms several years ago. Many of the circles had been healed by various Vales, but a few still existed here and there. Plus, much to the dismay of the Tayledras and other peoples living on the edges of the Pelegirs, the changes wrought upon those creatuers unfortunate enough to caught in a Changecircle were often passed onto the young. This particular variation of Changecreature was huge, fully twice the size of their already-large original form. They had long, serrated fangs, and claws that would have been more at home on Vraen than any mammal. And they were fearless. They never hesitated to attack, no matter the odds.
And the odds were not in the favor of the Tayledras.
"Alright," Wingfire said, taking charge of the situation. "The best strategy is for me and Waternight to take to the trees and use our bows against them while you two," she nodded at Earthlight and Sunsong. "Make a shield that will protect you from physical blows as well as magical. That way, you can get in, see what it is they're after, and perhaps rescue it, if you deem it worth rescuing."
Earthlight shook her head. "Changewolves eat magic. Our shield would collapse the moment we created it. You can't harm them with magic. It's going to have to be done with physical weapons."
"Damn. Then we lose our advantage." Wingfire thought furiously for a moment. "Fine, then the mages in the trees with bows, me and Waternight on the ground. Our climbing sticks should have enough reach to keep us somewhat out of their striking range."
The others nodded agreement and then dispersed. Sunsong and Earthlight disappeared up two trees as the scouts jogged towards the small clearing that held the Changewolves and their mysterious prey.
They slipped behind two trees and cautiously looked around them, assessing the situation. For a moment, neither scout saw the two bodies lying prone in the middle of the clearing. The Changewolves were snarling and snapping at each other, each trying to claim the bodies as its own, and none of them getting anywhere. Finally, around the flying spittle and snapping teeth, Waternight spied the two. He motioned to Wingfire to get her attention, then gestured at the bodies. She flicked her eyes in the direction he indicated, quickly taking everything in, then made a brief hand gesture that meant they would try to take care of the situation with minimum bloodshed.
So we're to try and 'rescue' those two. If they're even alive…
Waternight turned his attention once more to the quarreling Changewolves. Their fighting was becoming more aggressive, though one of the creatures managed to fight its way over to the two bodies. It stood over them, snapping its formidable teeth at the others as they tried to grab a share of the helpless prey. It managed to take chunk of the hide of one other Changewolf when the interloper got too close, causing the injured one and the two remaining ones to pull back for a moment. Waternight was grateful that they hadn't yet caught the Hawkbrothers' scent.
He decided that this lull in the scuffle was the clearest chance they would get. He caught Wingfire's eye, who Mindspoke Vraen.
The victorious Changewolf was snuffling wetly at the two bodies lying on the forest floor. It licked its massive chops once, drooling thick saliva onto them, then lowered its open mouth, ready to tear into the soft flesh.
A harsh, piercing scream rang out through the trees as Vraen dove on the Changewolf at the same time that Sunsong and Earthlight each sighted one of the other three with arrows and let fly. Sunsong's arrow found its mark – the back of the skull of one of the creatures. It severed its spinal cord and the creature collapsed. However, Earthlight was a bit out of practice in archery, spending most of her time keeping up the magical defenses of the Vale, and her arrow barely missed, merely ruffling the impressive mane of the huge creature.
Suddenly aware that they were being attacked, the two unoccupied Changewolves whirled and caught the scouts' scent. They began to stalk the two, hunger propelling their limbs.
Meanwhile, Vraen had bound his talons to the skull of the Changewolf that stood over the two bodies. He was raking bloody furrows in its scalp while beating at its face with his massive wings, trying to confuse it. It was working, but the predator was still standing over the bodies, and kept coming perilously close to stepping on them and injuring them with its razor sharp claws. Keeping one eye on the approaching Changewolves, Wingfire noticed the danger and called to Vraen.
:Vraen! Injured bird! Bring evil one away from hurt ones!:
Immediately, the golden eagle let go of the Changewolf's scalp and flapped a short distance away. He circled, just out of reach, screaming a challenge at the monstrous creature. The Changewolf snarled at the bird and leapt after him. It sprang into the air, trying to reach Vraen, who was mocking it mercilessly. The beast missed, but Vraen sliced into its nose as it tried to grab him out of the air. Moving stealthily and subtly away from the bodies lying in the foliage, Vraen slowly led the increasingly furious Changewolf out of the clearing.
The absence of one Changewolf was of little comfort to the two scouts, however, who barely had time to brace themselves before the remaining two beasts charged. Fortunately, Changewolves were solitary creatures, so teaming up against the scouts never crossed their small minds. The one that had barely escaped being skewered by Earthlight's arrow chose Wingfire as its target, while the remaining one focused on Waternight, forcing the two scouts from each others' sides.
The one on the left barreled towards Waternight at full speed, its claws churning the saturated earth to mud. The scout was in an awkward position, between a large tree and a wall of dense underbrush, and quickly realized that he'd have little to no mobility where he was. He quickly backed into the brush, pushing himself deeper than he'd like into the foliage. The Changewolf followed, snarling hungrily.
Wingfire faced the remaining beast and swiped rainwater out of her eyes, muttering a curse under her breath at the inopportune weather. She balanced lightly on the balls of her feet and gripped her climbing tool in her hands, watching closely for any move the Changewolf might make. It was currently facing her, snarling and snapping, making short rushes and then aborting them. Wingfire was careful to keep herself between the monster and the two unmoving beings on the forest floor. Quick as a snake, she lunged forward and slashed out with her weapon, moving the wickedly curved blade so quickly it was a blur. She had underestimated the Changewolf's reflexes, however, and quickly jumped back as the beast dodged her blow and tried to strike her with its long, serrated claws. A few more tries and misses made Wingfire pull slightly back, still guarding the bodies, and reevaluate the situation. The monster was watching her as closely as she was watching it, and it was fast. She'd need to distract it somehow.
:Earthlight,: she mindspoke. :Can you shoot at it, but not hit it? Just distract it.: She felt the mage's assent as a quick mental nod, rather than in words. Readying herself, she edged closer to the drooling creature. She knew she'd have one chance to attack, and a very short time span in which to do it. Hawkbrother bows were silent, and were designed to conveniently lack the tell-tale twang of a bow being released, but the scout's listening ears heard the whisper-soft hiss of the arrow through the air, and exploded into action before the arrow even reached its destination.
It was a purposeful miss – it whizzed past the Changewolf's nose, causing the creature to turn its attention away from the whirlwind that was Wingfire for one deadly second. While its attention was diverted, Wingfire leapt and brought the pointed tip of the blade down into the creature's skull with all of her strength. The force was so great that it crushed the thick bone, and the Changewolf dropped to the ground with a wet, sickening thud.
Breathing heavily and still clutching her weapon, Wingfire started towards the two figures laying in the steadily deepening mud. As she lowered herself into a crouch beside them, she felt one, then two, then three light mindtouches, and acknowledged them with return touches of her own. Her three companions joined her, and together they looked down at what they'd just risked their lives to save – if they were even still alive.
Surprisingly, they were. Ignoring their faces, Sunsong did a quick examination of their bodies, dipping his othersight briefly into them to check for internal injuries. When he was finished, he faced his companions.
"Nothing too serious," he reported. "Mainly bruises and shallow cuts and scrapes, nothing internal. Looks like we got here before the Changewolves had time to do any further damage. But… they're out cold, and it's deeper than just unconsciousness. I felt something… off, but somewhat familiar. Earthlight, I'd like you to take a look. It feels like something I know, but I can't quite place it."
She nodded, then closed her eyes to better concentrate on the task. Reaching out, she touched each body lightly. An immediate crease appeared between her eyebrows, and she frowned slightly. She went deeper still, and her body went slack for a moment when she identified what Sunsong had felt. Coming out of the othersight, she stared absently at the body on the right before starting, and turning back to the others.
"Star Eyed… Sunsong, I'm not surprised that you didn't recognize it, but that it was familiar to you." She took a deep breath. "These two… they have traces – strong traces – of Gate energies in them. But it's not a Gate that opened here. The best way I can describe it is that a Gate opened somewhere very, very far away. Farther even than the Salten Sea." The others gaped at that piece of information. "Someplace not only very, very far, but very, very different. I caught flashes of it… I can't even begin to describe what I saw, but the images were very brief. Anyway, the Gate that opened there dropped them here, but not only did they not create the Gate, not only did they not purposefully enter it, not only did they have no idea where they were going, but it didn't even open here. It opened in the Void, and some force opened the barrier between here and the void just long enough for them to fall here…" She trailed off, running out of things to say, though her mind was a whirlwind, trying to picture how this could have happened, and why, and what the implications were. The others were also stunned, though Sunsong had a better grasp on the concepts his teacher was talking about, and its magnitude.
"If it opened in the void, that would be why we didn't feel it…" Sunsong muttered to himself. Earthlight heard him.
"Exactly. Yet the energies were strong enough to affect the weather."
Waternight worried his lip with his teeth, then voiced the question they were all wondering about. "What do we do with them?"
"Normally, we'd either drag them to our boundaries and leave them there, or just leave them here and let the forest take care of them," Wingfire said reluctantly.
Sunsong whirled on his sister, eyes wide and flashing with opposition. "No! I refuse to kill these two with no provocation. Tayledras always give interlopers the chance to turn around and leave unharmed."
The scout held up her hands. "I said normally, brother. In normal circumstances, many would agree it was the right thing to do." She sighed. "But I agree with you. Something tells me that it would not be the right thing to do in this case."
"Earthlight? What do you think?" Waternight asked quietly.
The old mage was silent for a moment as she thought, absentmindedly squeezing rain from her hair.
"I don't think we should leave them here," she said finally said, hesitantly. "Something tells me also that it would be a grave mistake. But we know nothing about them. I think we should take them to one of the unused scout ekeles that lie outside the Vale. That way we can deal with them without compromising the Vale itself." She thought a second more, then added, "And I think we should get their language from Myrvac, but wait until we know more about them before giving them Tayledras."
The three remaining Hawkbrothers each gave their consent to the idea, then Sunsong and Waternight each bent to pick up one of the figures. They were a boy and a girl, appearing to be in their late teen years or young adults. As the scouts and mages returned to where the dyheli were waiting, the two men examined their burdens more closely. Both were soaked through and through, the water and mud plastering their bizarre, outlandish garments to their skin.
Waternight bore the boy, whose clammy skin, in health, would probably bear some resemblance to the golden tone of the Tayledras. His eyes were closed, so the scout had couldn't see what color they were, but he had dark lashes that seemed almost to be as thick as the black hair that covered his head. His hair was extremely short by Tayledras standards, and, glancing across at the girl, Waternight saw that hers was the same length. The young man's nose was straight and fine, and his noble mouth was parted slightly, expelling even, shallow puffs of air. His frame was large, but he was not overweight, rather athletic in stature. His features were refined yet undeniably masculine and very handsome.
He's beautiful… Waternight gazed down at the young man's face, enthralled by his beauty. Realizing the path his thoughts were taking, Waternight frowned and looked away from his burden's face. Stupid, he rebuked himself harshly. You don't know a thing about him. You have no idea if he's shaych, or even if such a thing is accepted where he's from… wherever he's from…
The Hawkbrothers reached the dyheli and mounted up, the men still holding the young man and women. They had to juggle slightly to accomplish mounting the dyheli without dropping their unconscious burdens. Finally, everyone was situated, and they started back to the Vale. Like his sister's partner, Sunsong was studying his unwitting passenger. He still held her in his arms against his chest. There were no reins to hold onto – dyheli would never allow a bridle – and it was still raining, and there was a chill in the air. They were all soaked, but the young man and women were absolutely saturated. Sunsong angled his upper body so that he was shielding the girl from the worst of the rain, and it gave him the opportunity to look at her more closely.
What stood out the most was her paleness. Her skin was cold and clammy, and almost ghost-white, but Sunsong thought she'd have good color when she was healthy and warm. Hair that would be golden-brown when it dried clung to her forehead in startlingly short locks. The mage was intrigued by that short hair. Very few Tayledras had hair so short, not even scouts, and women, almost never. The rain was making it spike and stand on end. Her nose was short and slightly turned up at the end. Her full lips were pale and slack. She was tall and slender, but surprisingly bendable – Sunsong had had no trouble in maneuvering her limbs while mounting. Despite the short hair, Sunsong found the girl incredibly feminine and pretty, even with her death-like palor. Her features were refined and attractive, her figure curvy and feminine. She was not slight of stature or figure at all, but something about her gave Sunsong an oddly tight sensation in his chest, and he subconsciously hunched his shoulders further over her in an unwitting gesture of protection.
They were all lost in their own thoughts. Wingfire was riding to the left of and slightly behind Waternight, and she watched him as he watched his unconscious passenger. She felt her heart sinking as she witnessed the soft gaze on his face suddenly twist into an ugly, self-hating frown. Biting off a curse, she repressed the urge to mindspeak him and offer some advice. She'd seen that look on his face before – that utterly enraptured look that he got when he was completely smitten. Waternight fell easily in love, but not easily out again. He was vulnerable to getting hurt, she knew all too well. It was usually she who picked up the shards of his broken heart and helped him piece them back together. But she also knew that he was very resistant to advice. That was why he'd been so reluctant to do what his father had suggested. It was a character flaw that had the potential to get him into trouble, but he suppressed it in the field. In any case, Wingfire knew she'd have to hold her tongue where this mysterious young man was concerned unless her partner came to her and asked for advice himself. She sighed, and merely hoped fervently that she would not have to put Waternight back together yet again.
While the three younger Tayledras were thinking about the strangers, Earthlight pondered them as well, though the bent of her thoughts were very different from the others'. She was concerned – more deeply concerned than she had let on during her explanation of the outlanders' arrival. The visual flashes she had gotten while brushing their minds… quite simply, they terrified her. Earthlight considered herself a learned and worldy person. She was the Shin'a'in liason for the Vale, after all, and she'd traveled extensively, and read even more. A bit of secret pride, she believed she knew at least a fact or two about most of the known countries and cultures on Velgarth. But the things she'd caught glimpses of from the two young strangers were utterly and completely alien to her. Never in all her travels or reading had she come across anything that even remotely resembled the bizarre and frightening things in those flashes. Things her mind shied from.
And then there's the matter of the Gate… That shouldn't be possible. Gates just don't open in the Void! A Gate without a terminus will suck its caster into the Void, but that's why they can't open there in the first place. The Void consumes energy, and the more energy you use, the stronger the pull from the Void will be if the barrier is opened. In theory, a Gate that opened into the Void would just… collapse into itself and disintegrate. Yet from what I Felt, the Gate that brought them here did open in the Void. And then left them there. I Felt that there was a moment between when the Gate closed and that force forced the barrier open long enough to drop them into the forest. What could have done that? What could have had enough power? And, Star Eyed, why?
Earthlight was becoming increasingly more and more uneasy with the implications of the questions simmering in her mind. It was clear she'd have to discuss in depth with Darkfall and Starwind, the Vale founders, and most senior in the council.
The Adept was so wrapped up in her thoughts and worries that she barely noticed Wingfire riding ahead to obtain some dry clothing for them all and bring it to an ekele not far from the vale. When the scout was gone, the rest of the party rode on in silence, each immersed in his or her own musings, until they rode into view of the ekele where Wingfire waited. Myrvac, the dyheli king stag stood beside her. Waternight, Sunsong, and Earthlight all dismounted with the same weariness that was apparent in Wingfire's stance. They approached her and Myrvac, who glanced at the foreigners.
:You want their tongue, then?: It wasn't a question. The men barely had time to set their burdens on the ground before they found themselves on the ground, biting back groans at their headaches. Earthlight recovered first, as she'd been given languages in this manner before, and thanked the king stag. He bobbed his head, then left, the other four dyheli following him.
"Are you sure he just dropped that language in my head, and didn't run the entire herd through my skull?" Sunsong groaned. His sister's face appeared above him, and she helped him into a sitting position before handing him a small jug.
"It's pain medicine. I figured we'd need it," she explained. Sunsong took an eager mouthful, then gasped at the taste. Wingfire grimaced in empathy. "Tastes like hoof cleanings, I know. But it works." She took the jug back from him and gave it to the others, who accepted it with much the same enthusiasm as Sunsong had.
Waternight hoisted himself to his feet and stumbled over to the young foreigners, who were still out cold. He mindspoke Hrill, who flew up to the ekele and undid a latch that let down a rope with wooden rungs. Sunsong joined the scout at the foot of the ladder, carrying the girl. The looked at the wobbly ladder, than at each other.
"Well… this should prove to be interesting," Sunsong said wryly. Waternight just grunted.
They hoisted the teens up over their shoulders, balancing them slightly forward so they could catch them if they started to slide, then climbed up to the lofted dwelling. The women followed the men and joined them in a hastily-prepared sleeping chamber. It hadn't been used in some time – that was evident from the slightly musty smell – but it was clean and dry and airtight. The weather wouldn't reach the inhabitants.
"Here, get him out of those wet clothes and put these on him. I've got the girl." Wingfire thrust a large bundle of clothing into Waternight's arms, keeping about half for herself. She efficiently stripped the strange, saturated garments from the girl's unresponsive body, looking at them curiously before setting them aside. They were unlike any clothes she had ever seen before. The girl had been wearing something that looked like breeches that had been cut off at the knee, only they were extremely loose around the legs and cinched at the waist by some sort of tie. More strange, however, was the strip of metal teeth that seemed to hold the garment together. The shirt was a little bit less strange. It was grey and close-fitting, with wide straps instead of sleeves. There was another similar shirt underneath that one, with thinner straps, a tighter chest, and a bright purplish-red color.
Piling the sopping clothes on a chair next to the bed, Wingfire briskly dried the girl's body with a towel, then maneuvered her limbs into a pair of soft breeches and a loose shirt. She tucked the girl into the bed, and looked over at Waternight, who had dressed the boy similarly and put him in the other side of the bed. Neither teen moved an inch on their own. As the Hawkbrothers watched, color began to return to the foreigners' palid skin. Earthlight sat on the edge of the bed and once again touched them each gently in turn, reading them. She remained motionless longer than the first time, and a small crease of fatigue marred her brow when she finally resurfaced. She stood up, and the two young adults both sighed deeply, and turned towards each other. The boy reached his hand out blindly and found the girl's arm. They both quieted.
"Well," Earthlight sighed. "Their unconsciousness was so deep because threads of the Gate were still tied to them. Not enough to drain them quickly, but enough to be a steady pull on their energy. I removed the threads, but I couldn't close the channels that they were attached to. It's like they're… locked open, almost. Which means they'll recover and regain consciousness quickly, but as of right now, I literally cannot block them." She looked bewildered and a little bit frightened. "I've… never seen anything like this before. These younglings have two of the widest, strongest channels for Magegift that I've ever seen." She paused, then added quietly. "I think that if they get training – which is absolutely imperative, if it's safe to do so – they will be two of the strongest mages the world has ever seen."
Earthlight's words were met with a shocked silence. There was nothing to say to a pronouncement of such magnitude. All four Tayledras stared down at the sleeping youngsters as the new information slowly settled in their minds. The boy and girl looked so innocent, sleeping soundly. It hardly seemed possible that they would possess a power more terrible and wonderful than any of them had ever dreamed. It was difficult to wrap one's mind around. Finally, Wingfire, ever efficient, broke the silence.
"Well," she said briskly. "Let us hope that they heal and wake quickly, then, so that we may speak with them and discover whether they are the sort that we should train, or the sort that we should… deal with otherwise."
Waternight grimaced, and Sunsong looked as though he'd swallowed something very bitter, but Earthlight nodded gravely. She knew, better than all of them, the necessity of such a course of action, should it be inevitable. Clans had been destroyed by their own "mercy" in similar situations.
"In that case, we should let them sleep off their ordeal," she said. "We'll keep guards posted at all times." She paused for a moment. "I… don't think we should tell Darkfall and Starwind about these two yet. I think we should see how things develop first. But we'll need more guards."
"Hylera and Striihl," Sunsong said immediately. "I trust them implicitly. Plus, no one in their right mind would cross a full grown gryphon."
"These two may not be in their right minds," Wingfire pointed out.
"True, but Hylera and Striihl can take down even crazed enemies, at least of this size. I don't think we'll have to worry about that."
"The gryphons it is, then. They should suffice. We'll have three watches of two each." Earthlight seemed satisfied with the arrangement. "Now let us hope that these two wake quickly. The sooner I know what to do with them, the happier I'll be."