Author's Note: First of all, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. I've been absolutely swamped with school and work and all, so it's hard to find time to write. I'm really gonna try my best to get successive chapters up sooner. ALSO, I did use a few paragraphs verbatim from Winds of Change, so those are NOT mine. They are the property of Mercedes Lackey, and no infringement is intended. Hell, I'm not making any money off of this anyway. Enjoy, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!!!
Chapter 4
The first part of the council session that day proceeded smoothly and uneventfully. There were a few disputes that had become serious enough to require the attention of the Vale council, but they were handled swiftly and efficiently. Then came the regular reports from each area of specialty – scouts, mages, artisans, hunters, the dyheli, hertasi, and kyree. After the reports was the time for any council members to bring up any issues they felt needed council attention, and it was at this time that Earthlight stood up. The entire council fell silent and watched her with curious interest. The adept rarely brought any concerns to the council, and besides, as an elder, she had the choice of informing only the other elders of any issue she chose. The fact that she would be addressing the entire council was a rarity. She gently cleared her throat before she spoke.
"I have some very intriguing – and also very mysterious news – that concerns the entire Vale, which is why I have chosen to bring this news to all of you. I'm sure you all noticed the rain we've been having since yesterday, when the weather-workers had predicted clear skies."
The numerous nods and murmurs confirmed her assumption.
"That weather was the result of Gate energies. It-.."
Her pronouncement caused the immediate interest and wariness she had expected, and she was cut off by several alarmed voices.
"A Gate? Built by whom? We've received no message from any of the other Vales, nor from Valdemar." That particular voice belonged to Starwind, senior council elder and one of the Vale founders. She was leaning forward in her seat and her eyebrows were knit together in consternation.
Earthlight held up a hand and the commotion died down.
"That's because none of them built it. We don't actually know who did, but that's not the only mysterious factor here. Two young people – a girl and a boy – came through the Gate, and from the information I've picked up from them, it seems that the Gate opened very briefly in the Void; just long enough to deposit the youngsters." The council would have erupted into chaos had Earthlight not held out her hands and plowed ahead. "I know what you're thinking – Gates can't open in the Void, the very nature of that plane is such that a Gate could never exist. I can't explain it, but that is what happened, as far as I can tell."
Darkfall, the other Vale founder, spoke up quickly. "While the matter of the Gate is important and definitely needs looking into, that is a matter for the Mages to deal with. However, these two young people – that is something that concerns the entire Vale. We all trust your judgment, Earthlight. Tell us about them.
Earthlight hesitated only a moment before speaking. She had decided before the council session to only tell Starwind and Darkfall about Tom and Emily's channels.
"As we all know, Tayledras tradition dictates that outsiders found inside our boundaries are given two options – leave peacefully or face death. There are a few things that gave me pause when considering that option as regards these two. One – due to the Alliance, Tayledras have slowly evolved into being a bit more lenient with the "shoot now, ask questions later" policy. I know some of you are uncomfortable or unhappy with that change, but I for one support it. That is why I didn't have them left for the forest to deal with. Two – these young people were… "spit out" by the Gate. They did not knowingly enter it, and they had no idea where they were when they regained consciousness. Three – the reason for that is because, from what I can tell, they come from a land farther away than any of us can imagine, a land very different from our own. They are utterly lost here. They don't know where they are, they don't know why they're here, and they are very, very far from home." The mage paused to let all that sink in before hitting the council with the suggestion she knew would meet with dissent.
"And I think that we should welcome them into the Vale and make them wing-sibs."
Earthlight sat back and watched as the council exploded into argument. Starwind leaned across her seat and caught Earthlight's eyes in an incredulous stare.
"Are you mad? You ask us to accept two unknown foreigners into the Vale? We know nothing about these youngsters! They could be spies or rogue mages!"
Earthlight met Starwind's stare unflinchingly.
:I know how this appears,: she Mindspoke Starwind and Darkfall. :Believe me, I have no wish to endanger the Vale-:
:Your words would suggest otherwise.: Starwind's mindvoice was dark.
:Hear me out. There is something else about these two – they're names are Tom and Emily – that I believe will lead you to agree with me. I did not tell this to the entire council because I don't want too many to know it, and only you two will understand its implications anyway. These two have the widest, strongest channels for Magegift I've ever seen. It is absolutely imperative that they receive training, or their gifts will destroy them, and quite possibly a large chunk of wherever they are with them. And "wherever they are" is HERE. Plus… they both have channels that I've… I've never seen before. Channels I've never even heard of. You know what that means.:
:Yes… like the Heralds always say… strong gifts and strange gifts always appear right before they're needed,: Darkfall said thoughtfully.
:I don't like this at all.:
Earthlight nodded at Starwind in sympathy. :Believe me, if the roles were reversed, neither would I. But as I see it, we don't really have a choice. We either offer these two protection and training, and have these powerful gifts on our side, or we set them loose and risk a very messy problem sometime in the future.:
* * *
They all sat around the clearing – the same one underneath the ekele, the same one that Earthlight had vacated some time earlier in order to attend the council session, with a promise to return with "important news." Whatever that was.
Tom and Emily leaned against a huge tree, reclining between massive roots that swelled up from the ground only to disappear back into it. The scout, Waternight, leaned against another tree, close to theirs. The two gryphons were lounging in a patch of sunlight, and the other two humans who had joined the group at the same time as the gryphons were sitting together in the center. Luckily, this clearing was rather well protected from the elements, so the ground was relatively dry, despite all the rainfall. It was also close enough to the Vale that hazards of the forest were rarely a problem – this little tidbit had been provided by the new male, a mage named Sunsong. The other newcomer was Sunsong's sister and Waternight's scouting partner, Wingfire. Conversation had been sparse, as Tom and Emily were still rather overwhelmed at being oh-so-casually dropped right into the middle of their favorite fantastical universe.
"So," Hylera said calmly. "You seem to know quite a bit about us – or at least, about our kind, and about our featherless-family." She gestured towards the Hawkbrothers. "How is it you know so much?"
Waternight looked up at the teens with interest. "Yes, you said something about books. There are books about us? That can't be possible – Tayledras are notorious for their secrecy."
Emily shook her head. "In this world, yeah. Back… where we're from, this world doesn't really exist. There's this woman – this author – named Mercedes Lackey. She's written this entire series of fantasy novels, I think about twenty-two books, all based on Valdemar and Tayledras and Karse and Shin'a'in and Hardorn and whatnot. Basically, all of Velgarth. Tom and I love those books. I own all of them, I read them all the time. They start chronologically with the Mage Wars of prehistory -.."
Striihl sat up and perked his ear-tufts forward. His crest fluffed a bit in interest. "The Mage Wars? You mean the ones between Ma'ar and the Mage of Silence? There are records of this?"
"Yeah, all about Urtho and Skandranon and Ma'ar and the Heighlei Empire and Amberdrake and all those people."
"Urtho… the Mage of Silence… his name has been forgotten for so long, and now you bring it back to us." Striihl was looking at the teens with something like awe in his eyes. "So much from that time has been lost. We have no detailed records. What we do have is mostly legend, speculation, and guesses. What do your records say?"
"Well, they're not really records," Tom corrected. "They're books – fiction novels. They're very detailed. It's like reading a story. Instead of like a history book, which is only 'and then there was this war from this year to this year and these were the key people involved' and stuff, they're more like 'and then Skandranon walked into Urtho's chamber and their conversation went like this.' The books have conversations, detailed military plans, things they were all thinking, peoples' histories, all that kind of stuff." He paused and looked at Emily, while the gryphons were watching him eagerly. "If we had known we were gonna get tossed into Velgarth, we should've brought your books with us," he chuckled. "I know I don't remember half the details of what was in them."
"For real." A shadowed look passed briefly over Emily's face as something occurred to her. "Speaking of my books – as they're at home – um… are we going to be able to get back?"
The clearing fell silent. The two scouts looked at each other and shrugged – the more complicated dealings of magic were beyond them. The gryphons were earth-mages, and so couldn't work with higher level power. Sunsong was the only high-level mage there. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, he cleared his throat.
"Well… we won't really know anything about that until we know a lot more about how and why you're here. That could take some time. Also, Earthlight and the other Adepts would know more about that."
"Anyway, that's neither here nor now," Wingfire broke in. The tension was getting a little thick for her liking. "You said there were many books in this… 'series' of yours. Since the first ones are about the Mage Wars, what are the other ones about?"
"Well, after those ones, there's the trilogy about Vanyel." Emily started mentally ticking off books. "Then there are a few about Tarma and Kethry, then a trilogy about Talia, then a trilogy about Elspeth and Darkwind and Firesong and the whole Ancar and Falconsbane business. Then there's a trilogy about the mage storms and the Eastern Empire and Karse and all that fun stuff. Then there's the ones about Darien and and Keisha and Errold's Grove and k'Valdemar. Then there's a stand-alone about Skif starting right before he was Chosen. Oh, and one about Lavan Firestorm. And the latest one is about Alberich. I think that's all of them."
Wingfire opened her mouth to ask another question just as Earthlight reentered the clearing. Immediately, everyone's attention was on her. She stopped next to the gryphons and surveyed the little gathering for a moment before speaking.
"I've come back with good news." She caught Emily and Tom's gaze. "I've told the council about you, and they've agreed to offer you the protection and brotherhood of the Vale, if that is what you'd like. They've agreed to let you take the oath and become wing-sibs."
"What? Sight-unseen? You guys don't know anything about us! What reason could you possibly have for even wanting us to become wing-sibs, and how the hell did the council agree to it?"
Emily caught Tom's arm before he could continue. She pulled him a few feet away and spoke to him in a low voice.
"Do we really have any other options here? Look, you're the one who said we should go with this for the time being. Despite our rather warm welcome, we both know how rare it is for Tayledras to offer outsiders this kind of status. I think we should take them up on it, at least until we find out what the hell is going on."
"I know, it's just so... weird. I feel like I should be waking up any second."
"I know how you feel."
Tom cleared his throat as he and Emily turned back to the rest of the group.
"Uh, sorry about that. It's just a little hard to take in."
Earthlight smiled acceptingly at him.
"Of course. This has been a long day for all of us."
"Well, hopefully, we'll be able to figure out what's going on," Emily spoke up. "We've decided to accept your offer. We're very honored that you've asked us to become wing-sibs, and we hope we do the title justice."
Striihl chuckled good-naturedly. "That was a pretty speech, youngling. We'll make a diplomat of you yet." Emily shot him a wry glance and shrugged. "Anyway," he continued, "You will not be allowed to enter the Vale until you have taken the oath. Until then, this ekele should be fine for them to stay in. It's not being used for anything else, Earthlight?"
"No, they can stay here. Preparations for the ceremony should only take a few days, at most. If someone stays with them, they will be quite safe."
Sunsong stepped forward. He'd been rather quiet up to this point. "I'll stay with them. We won't really have time for lessons anyway, with all the preparations being made."
Earthlight nodded. "Good, that takes care of that. Now, I have to return to the Vale to inform the elders of your decision – they'll let the rest of the council know. Oh, and I'll arrange for some clothing and such to be brought here to the ekele."
"I'll help you," said Wingfire.
Earthlight nodded. "Well then… Sunsong will help you two get settled, and Wingfire will be back soon with things for you. We'll keep you informed about the ceremony."
"Thank you," Emily said politely.
With that, Earthlight left with Wingfire and Waternight, and the gryphons sprang into the air and flew off in the same direction, leaving Tom and Emily in the clearing with Sunsong.
Emily looked at the mage, really looked at him, for the first time since he had entered the clearing. He appeared to be close to her own age, probably a few years older. He was the same height as Tom, and built similarly.
And in damn good shape… Emily thought appreciatively as she took in the mage's toned body and muscles.
His hair was pure white, and currently pulled back in a simple braid that hung to his waist. He had a handsome face. His eyes were ice-blue, framed by a pair of arched white eyebrows. A straight nose led down to a fine mouth. All in all –
Hot damn… that is one fine hunk of man right there.
And that very man had just turned to her and Tom, and appeared to be about to speak.
"Well, there's no use in standing around here, waiting to catch a chill. Let's go back up into the ekele and you can get settled."
* * *
"I can't believe this is happening."
Tom looked up from fastening a feathered and beaded leather wrist cuff. Emily was retying the waistband of her shorts. They'd spent the last three days in the empty ekele, but the clothing they'd arrived in had only just been returned to them, clean and dry. Apparently, they were expected to wear that clothing for the Oathtaking, to represent that they were foreigners. They were given wrist cuffs, necklaces, and headbands, all beaded and feathered, to wear as well, to represent their new Wingbrother status. Wingfire had brought the ornaments to them with an amused smile. It was tradition for an outsider taking the Oath to wear beaded and feathered braids at their temples, she had told them, but that their lack of hair made that somewhat improbable. Now, the night of the Oathtaking had arrived. Tom and Emily stood in the sleeping chamber of the ekele, waiting for Earthlight to come fetch them. Tom looked at Emily's face and saw the barely concealed nervousness.
"I know," he said. "I mean, we're about to become Hawkbrothers. We'll be Tom and Emily k'whatever."
"K'Vayas," Emily corrected.
"Right, yeah."
A knock came from outside the room. It was time. The two friends looked at each other.
"You ready?" Emily asked.
"You bet."
They exited the room and found Earthlight waiting for them. She said nothing, but the look she gave them was so full of encouragement that they each felt some of their anxiety melt away. The mage turned and descended from the ekele, and they followed.
Wingfire, Waternight, and Sunsong were all waiting in the clearing under the treehouse. All of the Hawkbrothers were dressed exquisitely. Up until now, Tom and Emily had only seen them in scout garb, and had seen nothing of the famed flamboyancy and artistry of Tayledras clothing. Now, though, all four were dressed in exotic robes made of what looked like fine silks and velvets and gossamers. They hardly looked human in those robes, and more like spirits or gods. Emily suddenly felt very underdressed.
Sunsong joined Earthlight in front of Tom and Emily, and the two scouts fell in behind them, so that they were all walking towards the Vale in two-by-two-by-two formation. They walked in silence, giving Tom and Emily time to become nervous all over again.
To distract herself, Emily found herself watching Sunsong's back as he moved gracefully ahead of her. The young mage had stayed with her and Tom in the ekele while preparations for the Oathtaking were made. He had been friendly and interesting to talk to – and the three of them had talked a lot, as there hadn't been much else to do. He had told them about himself and about their other rescuers, and they had told him about their home and of themselves as well. He was 24, it turned out, and three years younger than Wingfire. Waternight was 25. It was anyone's guess as to how old Earthlight was. Tayledras tended to live very long lives. Over the past three days, as she got to know him, Emily had developed quite a crush on Sunsong.
And why not? He's intelligent, interesting, nice – and hot as hell. Besides, I crush on, like, everyone, so I know how to keep them in perspective. They're fun, but I won't be crushed if nothing comes of it. Which it won't. Nothing ever does. Oh well… they're fun while they last. Silently heaving a sigh of resignation, Emily contented herself with enjoying the way the mage's body moved with grace and ease, the way his muscles shifted beneath the sensuous material of his robes.
Tom, meanwhile, was also thinking about one of their hosts. He and Emily had been mostly in contact with Sunsong for the past few days, but Wingfire had stopped by several times to bring food and conversation. Waternight had accompanied her twice, but he'd never come by himself. He'd seemed… not nervous exactly, but tense in the presence of the teens. Tom had noticed the handsome scout immediately, and had caught Waternight sneaking tentative and fleeting looks at him several times. It wasn't much, but it allowed a flicker of hope to kindle next to the acute interest that Tom had in the scout. If only he weren't so damn skittish…
Darkness had settled by the time the small party reached the Vale entrance, sneaking up on them swiftly so that Emily was a little bit surprised when she noticed the soft glow of lanterns on either side of what appeared to be a path between two normal, medium sized boulders creeping with moss. Earthlight and Sunsong did not hesitate at the entrance, but walked right through, leaving Tom and Emily little choice but to follow. The moment they passed between the stones, Emily felt an odd sensation wash over her, like she was dipping herself in carbonation that skittered and danced across her skin. She glanced at Tom in awe, and met his wide-eyed gaze. He felt it too.
As the group passed into the Vale, they were joined by more Tayledras. With every step, the number of people grew, until they were surrounded by innumerable men and women, each one dressed finely and exotically. The darkness hid most of the Vale from view, but Emily caught glimpses of shapes and shadows outside the glow of the lanterns that were spaced regularly along their path. Night did nothing, however, to prevent a feeling of unease to creep up Emily's spine. In confusion, she looked around, but saw nothing but face after unfamiliar face. The feeling grew, welling up inside her with a distinct flavor of suspicion and distrust. With a start, an inkling of the cause came to her, and she started to look closer at the faces traveling along side of her. Some showed eager interest, most were carefully neutral, but some… some showed poorly concealed suspicion and unease. Unused to such sensations, Emily was confused and alarmed by the feeling that welled inside her, yet was clearly not her own. She shivered and reached for Tom's hand, grasping it tightly. The feelings immediately stopped. Tom glanced at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly.
At long last, the group entered a sparse, brightly lit clearing, inhabited by a tall spire. It looked to be of marble or quartz or some other translucent rock, but it glowed warmly and seemed to almost pulse, as if it were alive. Tom and Emily stared up at it in amazement.
"It's a heartstone…" Tom breathed. He couldn't take his eyes from it. It seemed to draw him in – only Emily's hand in his grounded him and kept him from falling into the energy the heartstone exuded. He felt a squeeze on his hand and succeeded in tearing his eyes from the pillar and focusing them on an elderly man with a noble stature. He was wrinkled and wizened, yet his eyes were sharp and intelligent. He wore an intricately embroidered brocade surcoat that reached to the ground, and his hair was full of ornaments. He was the epitome of stateliness, yet he regarded Tom and Emily casually, and Tom realized that Sunsong and Earthlight had stepped to the sides.
The clearing was silent, and thick with anticipation. After regarding the teens for a moment, the elder held his hands up before him, and Tom and Emily found themselves looking through a bluish mist. Emily's eyes widened for a moment as she remembered some of the details of Elspeth's Oathtaking – this was the Truth Spell they were under.
The man lowered his hands, then once again looked at Tom and Emily casually.
"Do you bring any ill-intent into this Vale?" He asked the question in the same tone of voice one would expect a question about the weather would come in. The two friends answered in unison.
"No."
"Is it your wish to be made a brother of this Clan?"
As soon as he asked the question, a wave of yearning rushed through Emily's body, startling her with its intensity, and she answered somewhat more forcefully than she intended.
"Yes," she said. Tom echoed her response.
The elder smiled slightly at her, then breathed deeply before continuing. "Hear, then, the privileges of brotherhood: to come and go freely within all lands held by Tayledras k'Vayas; to call upon your brothers in time of need; to ask of us teaching; to make your home among us. Hear also the responsibilities of brotherhood: to keep the secrets of the Clan; to neither bring nor lead strangers among us; to keep our lands and guard them as we do; to answer to our need if no other oath prevents; to teach when it is asked of you, aid when it is asked of you, give shelter and succor to your brothers of the Clan, of Tayledras, and of Shin'a'in. Can you be bound to these conditions?"
Again, the friends answered in unison. "Yes."
The elder now became all seriousness. "Then there is another vow you must make. But it is a vow that must not be taken in ignorance. So watch, and listen, and heed."
A great ball of white mist rose up from the ground between Tom and Emily and the elder. The teens watched as the history of the Kaled'a'in and the sundering of the clans played out before them. They watched and listened at the earth seemed to drop away from their feet and be transformed into an endless void of starry night, and the voice of the Star Eyed echoed in their minds, repeating the pledge she had demanded of the separated peoples, to be guardians of the land that had been twisted and perverted by rampant magic and storms of wild energy, to use the power she gifted them with to cleanse that land and make it whole again. Then the mist faded and Tom and Emily came back to themselves in time to hear the elder continue with the ceremony.
"This is the last oath you must swear – that you will aid your brothers of the Clan in their duty, as your own oaths permit – and that never will you use what is taught you here for the sake of your own power, pride, and status. Do you so swear?"
"We do," they assented.
With their declaration, the glow of the Truth Spell faded. The elder relaxed his posture slightly, though when he spoke, it was still with formality.
"Then I, Darkfall, elder and cofounder of k'Vayas, and the rest of the Vale here present, gladly accept your oaths, and welcome you into the Vale. I give you the names of Tom and Emily k'Vayas, to use where you will."
With those closing words, Darkfall smiled warmly and welcomingly at them, and discreetly stepped back to allow a swarm of people to envelope the two newest members of the Tayledras Clan k'Vayas. The group consisted mainly of youngsters and teenagers who were eager to learn all about their outlandish Wingsibs, but hadn't yet learned tactful restraint. Tom and Emily grinned at the curious faces that surrounded them. But before they had a chance to be barraged with questions, Wingfire plowed her way through the crowd and planted herself at the friends' side. Grinning openly, eyes twinkling with merriment and a hint of mischief, she seized them both by the arm.
"And now," she said laughingly, "It's time for the party."