StarBlaze: *smiles* So, you're back again? *flips hair over shoulder* Well I shouldn't wonder. I am a wonderful fanfic writer. *gryns* I've been taking lessons in humility from Hotohori and Nuri-chan. Don't worry, I know I'm very bad. You're probably here hoping that this chapter is better than the last. Either that or you're here out of sympathy. Anywho, FY fans, this here's where your fave characters come in. ^.~ It'll be fun.
Tamahome: *mutters* I hate it when she says that.
StarBlaze: *punches him in the nose* Shut it, little ghost.
Tama: Ow! *covers swollen nose with hands* Who're you calling little ghost?!
StarBlaze: *rolls eyes and whaps him in the back of his head*
Tamahome: Ow! *starts to cry*
StarBlaze: *sighs* Hey Mitsy! I think Tama here needs you again!
Mitsukake: Again? Did you hit him, Star?
StarBlaze: *sheepishly* Yeah. It's just so…tempting.
Tamahome: *sniffles* She hit me twice!
Mitsukake: *patiently* Say you're sorry, StarBlaze.
StarBlaze: *sweatdrop* Ah…Gomen ne, Tama. Now that's settled, please review. No flames though, or I'll set Tamahome on fire.
*Tama shrieks in terror*
StarBlaze: *winces* Ow, watch the eardrums!
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Nuriko dismounted quickly and caught the stranger when she started to fall. The feminine seishi looked at his fellows in surprise. "Ah…What should we do now?"
"Mitsukake should heal her, of course," Miaka answered without a second thought. "She's obviously ill, or drugged, or something."
"Or she could be some sort of spy," Tamahome pointed out. "Just look at that those weapons."
Obviously, the young woman's horse didn't care much for that idea. The big, white stallion shot Tamahome a murderous look, and snorted in disgust. He probably would have kicked the seishi, too, if he wasn't short a leg. Tamahome gulped.
Nuriko laughed. "Well, somebody doesn't agree with you, Tama-kins!"
"I agree with Miaka, no da," Chichiri interjected gently. "We can take away her weapons until we find out what she's up to, no da."
They looked at Hotohori, expecting the young emperor to make the decision. He thought for a moment. "There is a village not to far from here. We'll room at an inn there, and then Mitsukake can heal her. If you'll kindly heal her horse, Mitsukake, we'll re-tack him and have him carry her packs- and weapons, in case she wakes up again. Somebody can ride double with her until we get to the village."
"I will," Nuriko volunteered. "I've got her already, and I can make sure she doesn't cause any trouble if she wakes up on us."
Mitsukake slipped on her horse's bridle and- being Mitsukake- regarded the fact that it had no bit impassively. Nuriko held the reins, ignoring the reviling look the horse was giving him.
When Mitsukake had finished, the horse gave him a look that could only be interpreted as surprised as he put his weight on the formally injured leg. Once they had finished, the horse followed Nuriko docilely until they reached the village.
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As soon as Dee's eyes opened, she jumped to her feet, groping for the sword that wasn't there. She cursed under her breath; she was outnumbered 8 to 1- though the girl and the slightly younger boy probably couldn't be counted for much in a fight- and totally unarmed, save for her two little throwing knives in their hidden sheathes. She dipped down into her reservoirs of magical energy, and cursed again. She was curiously drained.
Chichiri noted the alarm in the woman's face. "Relax, no da," he said soothingly. "We won't hurt you if you don't hurt us, no da."
Her gaze ticked over to the monk. There was something wrong with the way he was talking, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then she realized he wasn't speaking any language that she knew, but she could comprehend it somehow. :Kavor?:
:Did you know that some of them have very open minds?:
:Kavor!: Dee was shocked; prying into minds uninvited was against the Heraldic code of ethics.
:I only picked out the language and placed it in your mind. It was necessary. How else were you to convince them that you weren't a spy?:
:A spy?:
:They were discussing the possibility that you might be a spy after you fainted. They aren't bad people, love, just wary.:
Dee relaxed her guard slightly; if Kavor thought they weren't going to hurt her, she was prepared to believe him. "Who are you?" she asked, tasting the odd language on her own tongue.
Hotohori granted her with a level gaze. "We were about to ask you the same question. It isn't everyday that we meet with a heavily armed stranger on the road."
Dee raised a delicate eyebrow. Heavily armed? Is he serious? If it were up to some of my friends back in Haven, I would have been armed to the teeth!
:I think, little love, that they are in the middle of some sort of war. Some of the stablehands have been discussing it,: Kavor added helpfully.
:It's a good thing you have a fondness for gossip, horse. D'you think they've heard of Heralds? Or should I just be a traveling mage or merc?:
:I doubt they've heard of Heralds. Be a mage. A mercenary would arouse suspicion. But the weapons…:
:I'll let on that I'm barely more powerful than a conjurer. An attractive woman traveling alone needs a way to defend herself,: she added coyly. She felt him chuckle in her mind.
The unspoken conversation had taken barely more than a few seconds. She smiled graciously. "Ah, you are right. Allow me to introduce myself," she swept into a lavish imitation of a court bow. "I am Deirdre, a traveling magician. I conjure for the delight of those both young and old, after a small fee, of course," she added innocently, sounding very much like a street magician.
But the Suzaku sichiseishi were not convinced. "And what's with the weaponry?" Nuriko insisted. "Couldn't a magician defend herself with her magic?"
"Defend myself…with simple illusions?" She gave him a puzzled look. "I don't think I could do that very successfully…sir." At least, she thought that Nuriko was a he. He did look very feminine.
"I'm sure that horse of yours could defend you very well," Tamahome muttered bitterly. "He sure seemed willing enough earlier."
"He would defend me, with his life if the need arose," Dee replied, "but one cannot rely on her horse to get her out of every sticky situation. Now, really," she interrupted before anyone else could open their mouths, "what is with the interrogation? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"
"No," Hotohori replied evenly, "but we cannot be too careful in these most uncertain of times."
To everyone's surprise, Dee bowed to the young emporer- this time minus the flourishes, in all seriousness. "Now that is something that I can understand, my lord." It was clear to the Herald's trained eye that Hotohori was royalty of some sort. He carried himself with the same regal air that most good monarchs had. "But be warned," she added, looking him in the eye, "in the future such caution may cause you to lose an unexpected ally. At least let a body know that you mean them no harm before interrogating them like a suspect for murder!" She laughed, dispelling the spell of seriousness that she had cast upon the group. "Now that that's settled, I'll ask you to forgive my ignorance! I fear I am newly come here, by quite unexpected means. Perhaps you could fill me in on why y'all are being so wary?"
Quite a few in the group sweatdropped at this. Only Mitsukake stayed as cool and unruffled as ever. Hotohori filled Dee in on what was happening; from the war with Kutou right down to the summoning of Suzaku. He belatedly realized that they still hadn't confirmed whether or not she was a spy; telling her so much might not have been the best idea he'd ever had. Dearest Suzaku, he prayed, please let her be no more than she seems, otherwise I just made a most horrible mistake.
"Blessed Trine!" Dee exclaimed. "With all of that I'm surprised that you weren't more cautious! Agnira bless-"
:PAIN! PainfearangergriefstayawayfromthemPAIN!:
"Gods!" Dee gasped, falling to her knees clutching her head. Someone untrained, but very strongly Gifted, was in terrible danger. Dee wasn't a strong MindSpeaker; she had to trance to MindSpeak just about anyone save for Kavor.
Strengthening her magical and mental sheilds, Dee managed to stagger to her feet. "My weapons," she croaked to the others.
"What's wro-?" Hotohori started.
"My weapons, dammit!" They were all too shocked at her reaction to move. Cursing, she looked around, finally spotting her sword. Dee snatched it up, ran out the door and headed for the stables. Thankfully, they had put Kavor in the coral. He sailed over the fence and ran to meet her. Dee vaulted onto his back before he even came to a complete stop, his lack of saddle or bridle not hindering her in the least. She heard the others running after her, but she pushed them out of her mind. They weren't important, not while there was someone who needed her help.
Kavor ran at his full speed, something they'd never needed to use before, as a Companion's pace could run the fastest Shin'a'in bred horse into the ground. She worked with him, shifting her weight with him. It helped, especially at this pace, and he Sent her a wordless, distracted, burst of gratitude. He knows where we're going, otherwise he wouldn't be going so fast. Dearest gods, I hope whoever that was is all right!
Kavor skidded to a halt and they were confronted with a very odd sight. There was a group of younglings and a group of ruffians separated by a wall of fire. The oldest youngling was nearest to the flames; he was on his knees, clutching his head- a pose reminiscent of Dee when she had heard his MindCall. It had to have been his- there was no doubt in Dee's mind. Not only was the poor boy a powerful MindSpeaker, but a FireStarter as well. She spared him a moment of sympathy as she slid off of Kavor's back.
A plan formed quickly in Dee's mind. :Kav, love, I want you to herd those ruffians, if you will. Feel free to knock a few heads if you feel the need, but keep them alive and what little brains they have intact. I'll contain our poor FireStarter.: Kavor snorted in agreement and the two parted ways.
Dee rushed to the boy's side, but didn't touch him; he could interpret that as an attack. The heat was intense, the fire roaring in her ears. The flames licked at her, burning and blistering her skin. It hurt, it hurt badly, but the boy in front of her was in more pain than she. She lowered her sheilds fully and was able to see the boy's mind. Her stomach roiled at the breach of ethics, but she needed to know how to comfort the boy and bring him out of his panic.
The other children, she saw, he was escorting home from their schooling. As with Valdemar, these children were all educated by a village priest, this boy's brother. The children looked up to the older boy, and when the ruffians attacked, he knew he had to do anything to protect them.
Dee extended a small "touch" to the boy. That surprised him; the flames wavered for a moment. :It's all right, sweetling, they're safe.:
The boy had a little trouble replying. :…who…?: There were layers of surprise, fear, and caution overlaying his "voice."
:I'm a friend, youngling. My name is Deirdre.:
:the children…all right?:
:Yes, all of them. You can call the flames off, now.:
:I DON'T KNOW HOW!: the boy "shouted" in desperation.
Dee winced. :Easy, love. All is not lost. I can help you, if you wish.:
:…please…: he replied, meekly this time. Dee nodded once, to herself. She placed sheilds firmly over the boy and took controlof the flames quickly, before they could spread.
She gasped suddenly in surprise; she had dreadfully miscalculated. Someone Masterclass could handle this, but Dee was still a Journeyman. It took everything she had just to contain the flames. There was no way to douse them alone.
:But you are not alone.:
:Kavor…: Her Companion fed her energy through their bond; Dee could feel it bolstering her wavering strength. Dee closed her eyes and concentrated. The simplest spell an apprentice ever learned was how to create fire. All Dee had to do was the opposite, on a monumental scale.
And when she was finished, she could feel the beginnings of a reaction-headache pounding behind her eyes. And the boy's was going to be a helluva lot worse. Speaking of the boy…
Dee's lips curved into a small smile when she spotted him; the poor boy had fallen into unconsciousness. Which was a blessing, considering the pain he would have been experiencing, if he were awake. Although he was scorched and burned, he still looked so innocent, lying there as though he were merely sleeping. He couldn't be more than thirteen at most. She smoothed his singed hair tenderly. Poor boy, she thought. Poor, poor baby.
Kavor was doing an excellent job of herding the ruffians; not that it was the hardest job in the world. They were all stared at the wide, scorched, smoking line running across the cobblestones. Dee looked over at the huddled group of terrified children.
"Younglings," she croaked, her voice harsh from the smoke she had breathed. The children jumped at being addressed, and turned frightened eyes on her. "Do you think that you can make it home by yourselves? Your benefactor is not well enough." The group nodded, turned and ran.
Dee sighed and put a hand to her aching head.
"It seems, Magician Deirdre," Hotohori said coolly behind her, "that you are much more than you appear to be."
TBC
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StarBlaze: *cracks fingers* Well, that was better than I had expected. And I have decided on the times that it is set in.
*a hush falls over the audience…err, fanfic readers.*
StarBlaze: *clears throat for suspense* Ahem. I have decided that in the Mercedes Lackey world, it takes place a couple of generations after the Mage Storms trilogy. *shrugs* I like Van, Stef and 'Fandes. I don't think I'd be able to not mention them in any way. And since Dee doesn't have ForeSight, she can't know about him before he's alive.
*Fanfic readers applaud, ooh, and ahh accordingly*
StarBlaze: And as for the FY world, well, *sheepishly* a time that never actually appears in the series. I couldn't think of a time where Miaka and all of the seishi were traveling together. I was considering having at the time when they first find "Chiriko" (a.k.a. Amiboshi), but I had already written Chichiri into the story, and it would just take too much effort. Ah, well, as I've said before, it's AU, so it doesn't really matter, since I'm not gonna screw around with the storyline.
*Disgruntled fanfic readers mutter after being so let down*
StarBlaze: *sweatdrop* Ahh, review please! And remember what I said about flames…
*everybody hears Tama shrieking in the background*
