Chapter 3
Feather smelled the smoke before she saw the fire. At almost the same time Curin relayed a call for her to report to the affected sector.
She swung down between the tree limbs until she reached her partners, Windbear and Moonhunter. "There is a fire to the south. I have to go. They are sending Foxstar to replace me."
"How bad is the fire?" Moonhunter, the elder of the two men, asked with concern.
"I don't know. Curin is bad for messages. I'll see you when we make our reports." She called as she swung down to the ground. The message sounded urgent enough that she was willing to risk riding a dyhelis and attract attention to make it there faster. A buck she had worked with answered her call and in moments she was flying towards the scent of smoke.
As they neared the fire she Felt her mount's growing fear.
Feather stopped him and dismounted. :I can take it from here. Go find your herd.:
With a wave of regret for not being able to accompany her the entire way, he galloped back the way they came.
Curin acted as her eyes, showing her the massive wall of flames ahead of them and the circling birds of the other scouts.
It was just about sunset so they were probably day scouts returning to the Vale.
Mice scurried under foot trying to escape.
:Call for more help, it is a forest fire!: She called to the swiftly retreating dyheli as she started to run towards the heat. Desperate animals ran past her, fear maddened some actually tried to run through her.
"Where are you?" She yelled. The roar of the fire was growing louder drowning out her words.
Still running she reached out with magic to the heart of the flame and tried to calm it. Anything that would give her just a few minutes more to reach the other scouts.
Above her the tree tops were on fire and flaming debris rained down upon her. She divided her attention between dodging the flames and trying to tame them. A movement caught her eye and she saw the three scouts hunkered down in a shallow pond, cloth over their faces and as much of their bodies submerged as possible.
:Curin, how far is the fire spread?: She demanded as a last burst of speed brought her to the edge of the pond.
"Feather! We have to get out!" One of the scouts shouted to her.
She shook her head. "It closed behind me."
"Can't you put it out?" Another demanded.
Closing her eyes she reached for the heart of the flames again. "I can't stop it, it is too strong."
Curin circled above the flames, sparks striking her feathers. :Get out!:
:I can't, get help!: She called to the frightened bird.
Instead of controlling the entire fire she started focusing on just the area around them; putting out flames with only her will, sucking heat from the air to keep their lungs from burning.
One of the other scouts tied a wet rag around her mouth and started scooping dirt on to the sparks that he could reach.
Feather froze and stared around her like in a dream for a moment. "I got this all wrong!"
"What?"
Instead of answering she started pulling the energy out of the plants and earth around her, out of anything that could burn, and started funnelling it into the rain clouds she could sense far off to the north. The rain may not come in time to save them, but it may keep the fire from reaching the Vale.
~ * ~
Firesong was running before he even finished donning a shirt. He heard the call, along with almost everyone else, that a forest fire was raging out of control.
And he knew Feather was in the heart of it.
At the edge of the veil he met up with the other mages. Allied creatures were pouring into the Vale as the mages started strengthening the shields against the flame and heat.
"Firesong, help with the shields." An elder ordered him as soon as he appeared.
"But Feather is out there!" Firesong protested.
"Think about the clan! The wind is feeding it, if the shields aren't reinforced we will all join her." The Elder ordered.
Firesong knew he couldn't leave the clan and joined the other adepts in quickly strengthening the shields.
Silently he prayed she was all right.
~ * ~
A scout caught Feather as she collapsed, shaking like a leaf. Above her she thought she heard the scream of an owl.
:Go back!: She yelled at her loyal bird.
Instead the bird dove closer.
She Felt the sparks land on Curin's wings and they ignited. She forced herself to break the connection to keep from being pulled into death by Curin. She watched in horror as a charred mass struck a tree not far from her spot.
"What can we do?" The Scout holding her asked.
"Are any of you mages?" She coughed.
They all shook their heads.
"If you see an escape run and don't look back." She ordered and started reaching into the trees around her again. The surviving bushes withered as she pulled the energy from them. Reaching as far as she could she cleared a path for them to the edge of the fire and weakly gestured for them to go.
They hesitated.
"Get help, she will need it!" The one holding her ordered.
Finally she recognized the voice of Silverwolf, his voice roughened by the smoke.
"You can do it." He urged, uncertain of what she was doing.
She Reached to the front of the flames and her deadly touch started killing the vibrant vegetation. She continued to funnel the power into the storm until she could feel it would be one of the worst in centuries, then she started pouring the Power into Leylines, anything to keep the Fire from consuming it. She was barely conscious when she felt the heat around her lessen. He exhausted mind knew only two things. That she had to keep pulling the power and Curin was dead. Her bright little friend, sometimes clumsy, sometimes foolish, had died trying to reach her.
Loud explosions echoed through the skeletal trees as the now dead trees gave in to their own weight and fell, often shattering like icicles in the process.
Finally her mind lost its grip and she slid into the darkness.
~ * ~
Firesong and the others stared in disbelief as the great trees grew pale and grey before collapsing. Try as the fire might it found no purchase on the dead ground. Frost coated everything as the flames slowly died for lack of fuel.
Dawn was staining the horizon as the last ember died.
"Thank the Goddess." Someone whispered near him.
"Feather did it." He said softly.
His parent's stood on either side of him, exhaustion lining their faces.
"Our poor little girl." His mother whispered.
Firesong shook off his shock and ran for the shields, forcing his way through with brutal power. He refused to believe that his sister, a Fireadept, had succumbed to a forest fire.
The tumbled trees were frozen to the touch and quickly crumbling to dust as he scrambled over each of them. Two scorched figures emerged from the lingering smoke.
"Feather!" Firesong yelled and ran towards them, praying it was her.
"She's still back there. Down." One of the men rasped and pointed behind him. "With Silverwolf."
Firesong didn't wait for more but ran in the direction indicated. Even here the ground was frozen and felt curiously dead. "Feather, where are you!"
It was nearing noon when he found them. The two figures were blackened and motionless.
He fell to his knees beside the prone figures and touched the neck of the one closest to him, the soot stained features not that of his sister but of Silverwolf, the young scout's hair was singed short and burns covered most of his face but it was obvious the burns didn't pain him, his death was obvious. Scrambling to the other figure he found her staring up at the sky that was quickly becoming overcast. Her bright blue eyes vacant.
"Goddess, don't take her." He begged and felt for a pulse. It was so weak he thought it was only a desperate wish at first.
He could Feel she was completely drained of all Power. Taking both of her cold hands in his, he fed as much energy as he could spare into her body. No Healer was needed to tell him she was experience a bad case of backlash, probably bad enough to kill her.
The first heavy drop of rain hit him on the back of his neck. In seconds it became a downpour so think he couldn't see the skeletons of the trees around him. He quickly erected a small version of the Vale shields around them.
His entire body was quivering with power loss as he collapsed next to her, his last conscious thought was to tap into a leyline to feed the shields.
~ * ~
The Vale was silent. People missing loved ones gathered in the Heartstone grove to wait for news that didn't come. Above them lightening and wind lashed at the shield with supernatural fury, drowning the last of the fires that ranged to the west and causing streams and rivers to over flow their banks.
"I am sure they are alright." Feather and Firesong's worried mother whispered. "We should never have let her become a scout."
Their father stared at the ground, silent.
"I would even like to hear Feather swear it is Firesong's fault for making her a Firestarter again." She wiped her tears away. "It has been seven years and she still insists if he hadn't wanted that candle lit she would never have become a Firestarter."
"I think it is more of a joke now." He said finally. "They laugh when they say it."
"When can we send someone out?" She demanded. "I need to know if they are alive."
A flutter of white caught his eye. "Look, there is Firesong's Aya, Firesong is alive otherwise he would be mourning and pulling out his feathers or already dead."
She took a shuddering breath and focused on the desperate bird as he tried to breach the still powerful shields.
~ * ~
Slowly the loud thunder and roar of rain on the hard ground, unimpeded by leaves, reached her. She was as cold as if it were the heart of winter. Trying to sit up she collapsed.
The last events she remembered filtered into her mind.
Finding the trapped scouts. Curin flying to her rescue, and dying. Silverwolf staying with her when the others ran to bring help.
And the darkness.
Every breath hurt as she struggled on to her side. Stretched flat beside her was Firesong. His clothes stained mostly black, his hair a tangled disaster, his face covered in soot.
"Firesong." She croaked and touched his shoulder.
He didn't stir.
"Pinky!" She tried to yell but it was no louder than before.
Slowly he roused. "Goddess Bless! You're alive." He pulled her close causing her to yelp in pain as he touched some freshly discovered burns. He gingerly released her.
"Hurt. Thirsty." She said hoarsely.
"I didn't bring anything." Firesong apologized and carefully rearranged her on her back as close to him as possible, trying to share body heat. Her constant teeth chatter told him she was still in danger. Pulling off the nearest node he started to feed her energy and bring up the temperature of their mini vale.
"Wolf?" She asked.
Firesong looked beyond her at the body of her friend. "I am sorry."
"Should…have…run." She said, slipping back towards the darkness.
Firesong wished he had thought to bring a cloak. :Feather is alive, barely. We need a healer as soon as possible!:
~ * ~
The mindcall for help relieved many hearts as a whisper of gratitude rushed through the gathered people. It was obvious Firesong was weak as well but he was conscious and with Feather.
Their parents openly sobbed at the welcome voice.
It was three days before the rain let up enough to send out a search party for them. Firesong had recovered enough in that time to force Silverwolf's body from their sanctuary with a quick plea for forgiveness but he was still unable to carry Feather through the heartless downpour to the Vale.
He spent his time trying to keep her warm with what little he had, he couldn't even get enough fuel together for a fire. She didn't open her eyes again as they waited.
Finally, on the third day of no food and little sleep Firesong swore he heard yells. The rain had slackened enough that he could see the trees around them.
"Over here!" He stood shakily and waved his arms.
Creating a bright magelight he heard exclamations of relief as shadows moved towards them.
The faces of the scouts all blurred together as they wrapped blankets they had brought in waterproof bags around the two survivors. A pouch of nuts and fruit was forced into Firesong's hands and he was settled off to the side as the Healer saw to Feather.
"We need to get her back as quickly as possible." The Healer pronounced before turning back to Firesong. "Why do I always seem to treat you two in pairs?"
Firesong shrugged. "Coincidence?"
The Healer examined him. "You are in better shape than your sister, but you knew that." He said calmly. "You took good care of her."
"I tried." Firesong blinked sleepily.
Before the group was ready to leave he was fast asleep.
~ * ~
Feather woke slowly to a bright bedroom she had not used since she was fifteen. Blankets were tucked tight about her, almost trapping her in the bed. "Hello?"
Her mother appeared in the doorway almost immediately. "Bless the Lady, You are awake."
Feather mindcalled for Curin, her constant companion. Before she even finished her sending she remembered Curin's pain and fear as she tried to reach her Bondmate.
"I know." He mother sat next to her and stroked her cheek. "I am sorry you lost her."
Feather managed to keep back the tears for several heartbeats before her mother's sympathy drew out the tears that she had held back since she saw Curin plummet through the trees.
Her father and brother quickly joined her mother next to her bed; each trying to offer comfort.
"I'm sorry." Firesong said rubbing her shoulder.
Feather released a shuddering breath and tried to get a grip on herself. "Why? What more could you have done?"
Firesong smiled sadly. "Do you remember what happened to Silverwolf?"
She nodded sadly. "He should have left."
"As far I can tell he was trying to shelter you with his body." Firesong said softly.
She forced herself into a sitting position and stared down at the nearly healed burns on her arms. "The storm? Did it come in time?"
"You saved the Vale but the storm put out the rest of the fire." Her mother assured her. "That was quick thinking."
"I just had to stop it. It was too big for me to control." Feather shuddered as she remembered touching the heart of the fire. It was what she had always imagined a Firestorm being. "Can I just be alone?"
Reluctantly, her parents left but Firesong lingered.
"They have a new name for you." Firesong took their mother's place on the edge of the bed. "Icestone. Even where there was fire you created frost. The ground is cracked from the mixture of heat and cold."
"Better than Firevine." She said with a shrug.
Firesong captured her face with one hand. His every instinct screamed he should comfort her but he didn't know how. "I am sorry about Curin and Silverwolf but you can't blame yourself. Silverwolf must have known he would die if he stayed. He was trying to protect you."
"I know." She wiped her tears away. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Over three weeks now. You can get up on a few more days. I am afraid your tree is one of the ones that died but you are welcome to live with me until you have a new place." Firesong offered.
"What about the land? Is it alright? Did I damage it forever?" She asked still trying to maintain her composure.
"No, it is returning to normal as we speak. You created a magical void, now the magic is pouring back in, this time it is pure and untainted so you helped Heal this are at least some." Firesong assured her. "Rest now. We can talk more tomorrow."
The newly renamed Icestone started to protest when the soft touch of his magic sent her tumbling into slumber.