I hope you will be patient with my rambling writing. I have a tendency to only get around to specific details later and the details of Karolyn will be coming up in later chapters. Thank you for your kind reviews since I know this isn't my best work; I started it when I was thirteen and was very sporadic in my writing. Well, here's the next chapter. Eventually there will be some action too.

Karolyn dreamed of the past that Emily had described. Then her dreams changed, so that she was walking beside a young woman about her own age. She knew it was Emily, though she didn't know how that was possible and didn't care. They didn't speak but just co-existed.

She woke up late the next morning and didn't have a chance to doubt all that had happened because her Companion lay right beside her with her head up and her eyes open. :About time you got up, don't you think?: She teased. :Did you sleep well?:

:Completely.: Karolyn answered. :So what's first on the agenda?:

:First is that you get up. I'll take you to the school and you can get breakfast. Then I'll get mine. Not everyone knows about us yet but you can talk to any of the teachers and Jacy about me. This afternoon you will get your first riding lesson so don't worry about not getting to see me. Any break you have and any pause in class after you finish your assignment, you can come and see me or just mindspeak me. Not all of your fellow students are Herald-trainees. Some will be Bards or Healers. As soon as their gift makes itself known and they start training in it, they will learn all of the history I told you last night. Let's go. I'm hungry and so are you.:

She rode Emily back to the school and got of the bare back. Before the Companion could leave, she said, :Wait. Why and how am I different from usual? You said something about is last night but wouldn't let me ask you.:

:Well,: Emily said reluctantly, :Usually it is a few years before your mind is developed enough into its Gifts that you can speak to your Companion or use Mage-Sight, especially since you have absolutely no training. You will find out more in class. Go on in and get a shower or bath, whichever. Since you were Chosen last night, you won't be expected in class. The first few hours together are important. After lunch is soon enough to start learning.:

Emily trotted away as Karolyn walked into the school building. She still had a thousand questions but she figured she could ask her teachers. She found her room with some difficulty and then went to the bathing room with the uniform she had grabbed. She was starving but she wanted to give a good impression. Nonetheless, she took a short shower and hurried down to the kitchen. The cook gave her a knowing look but didn't say anything as she gave Karolyn a piece of bread with butter and jelly to hold her over the half-hour until noon. With that in hand, she went to explore her room again and see what was in it. The first thing she noticed was that there was a tall window that opened onto a balcony that overlooked the horse stable. No, she thought, scratch that; it is the Companions' Field. Her room was on the second floor of the building so she guessed it was a drop of around fifteen feet to the ground. Also in her bedroom were a nice sized wardrobe, a single bed, and a bedside table to store her textbooks and novels in and to hold a lamp which ran on solar power stored in panels on the shade. She had never understood such before but with what Emily had told her, she guessed that there was some kind of magic involved. She decided she would enjoy living here if her lessons included the magic and history she had heard about.

The noon bell rang, catching her by surprise. She dashed down the stairs to the dining hall and joined the stream of people entering the large room. She made her way to the table where Jacy and her friends were sitting. She wondered about those others but didn't dare ask them if they knew what she did. Instead, she asked if she could sit with them and winked at Jacy. The other girl immediately said yes and smiled.

A few of the kids asked why she had missed class that morning and Karolyn, after sending a quick thought to Emily, replied, "I was so excited that I couldn't get to sleep until late. I guess the teachers must have realized or something because none of them bothered to wake me until half an hour ago." It was a truth of course but she still felt sort of guilty for deceiving them. They accepted her answer, however, and she sighed with relief. Then she asked what she had missed that morning.

"Well," Jacy answered, "The teachers mostly quizzed us on the basics: reading, writing, math, that sort of thing. We don't start history or religions or any such subjects until next semester. This afternoon, the Chosen few will have equitation lessons and then everyone will learn self-defense and weaponswork. Then the afternoon will be free." She put a slight emphasis on the word 'Chosen' that obviously meant the Herald-trainees.

"What will all those not learning horsemanship study during that class period?" Karolyn asked out of curiosity.

"They have a choice of either music class or first aid. Eventually everyone will take a basic class in both but for now they have a choice between which they feel inclined to and some may later join the riding class. So which one are you assigned to?" Jacy asked with a barely noticeable change of voice that said she already knew but had to ask for everyone else's sake.

"Oh, horses, of course." Came the easy reply. They finished eating a just sat talking until the bell rang. Jacy arose from her seat and asked Karolyn if she would like to walk with her to the field. "Sure," Karolyn said.

A few others from the table joined the two. "So you got Chosen last night?" one of the boys asked. He was about her own age she thought and had been introduced as Michael. Karolyn had been watching him surreptitiously throughout the meal. She had had crushes before but never so intense as this boy made her feel.

"Her name is Emily. Last night after supper when I went on a walk I just was drawn to where she was and looked into her eyes…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's incredible, isn't it. My Companion is Stephen. I have been here ten days now. So you spent last night with her?" By now, Jacy and the others were walking ahead and talking among themselves, allowing the two some privacy.

"Yep, we talked half the night and she told me some basic history. She told me I have strong Mindspeech and she didn't know how powerful a Mage-gift. She also mentioned that most trainees can't answer their Companions in Mindspeech or hear them for a few years." Karolyn found herself talking to this boy she had barely met as if she had known him for years.

Michael startled her out of this revelation as he answered, "Mine said pretty much the same thing so I guess we have something in common. He also said I probably have other Gifts but he wasn't sure what they could be. Well, here we are." They entered the gate with the rest of the Herald-trainees. The teacher was dressed in white and she introduced herself as Sharon.

"So, all of you have been Chosen. Those who are second years on up may go ahead and call and saddle your Companions. The rest of you I will take to the tackshed to show you the equipment. Then you may call your Companion however you like. A few of you may be able to Mindcall if you try. The rest may just call them by name or whistle. All right? Let's go."

Most of the teenagers got a look of concentration on their faces and then hurried straight to the large building that looked like a stable but could be used by the Companions as a shelter without confining them. There were doors but they were designed to be opened and closed by Companions. The six remaining stood in a group containing Jacy, Karolyn, Michael and a few others. Sharon took them to the tackshed and showed them the saddles, each of which had a name on it. Sharon explained that as soon as a Companion reached full growth at the age of ten, a tack was made for him or her. When a Companion died, he or she was buried in full array and with much ceremony next to their Chosen. "So," she concluded, "find your Companion's gear and take it to the other building. There is a similar set up over there for the gear of those who have Chosen. Find an unlabeled one and put your name and your Companion's on it. It will be you duty to clean your tack after you use it and I will show you how after you finish riding to day. So go ahead and get over there and call your Companion."

Michael and Karolyn carried their stuff over to the open building and called mentally for Stephen and Emily. They each noticed that the face of the other did not tense up during the Mindcall, unlike those they had seen earlier. Karolyn decided to experiment. She focused her mind on Michael using the bond she had felt grow between them while they were talking. :Michael?: She thought.

At the same time, she heard a slightly deeper version of his voice say, :Karolyn?: They looked at each other and burst out laughing. As Emily and Stephen approached, the young people continued their mental conversation. They discovered that both were thirteen, though he was a few weeks older than she was. Breaking into their exchange of backgrounds, the Companions asked simultaneously if they were going to saddle them. Mike and Kary (as they had begun to call each other) laughed again and started putting the bitless bridles and elaborate saddles on their friends. They had ridden regular horses before so they didn't have much trouble and any problems with the odd straps could be rectified by asking Emily and Stephen. They also found that they could hear each other's Companion as easily as their own.

Sharon came over as they finished up. She was rather surprised at how easily they had managed and asked them about it as well as about the alternating silence and laughter she had heard from them. If they had been older, she would have realized it was Mindspeech but she knew they had been newly Chosen and usually the only new Chosen that could mindspeak were those who were Chosen much older. Feeling uncomfortable, Karolyn admitted, "I had Emily's help. She told me how to fasten the unfamiliar things."

Michael chimed in with, "We both have strong Mindspeech and were talking to each other with it."

"How long have you two known each other?" Sharon asked.

They answered together, "We met last night at supper." Sharon got a gleam in her eye at that but only told them to mount up and join the rest of the class.

When everyone was mounted, Sharon said, "Since today is your first day, we will only be riding over the trails for now. You don't need me for that so I will be overseeing the older students at the obstacle course. Those of you with riding experience raise your hands. Very well, keep eye on the others. Not that you will be in danger riding a Companion but it is possible to fall off if you are nervous enough. Don't worry about getting lost. In forty-five minutes, a warning bell will ring. Head back here at that time to groom the hooved ones and clean their tack. Then you will head over to the salle for weapons class. It won't always be this hectic. After today, each year group will take each class separately. Go ahead and get to know each other; you will be doing a lot together."

The teens looked at each other curiously as she rode away. They each gave their name and that of their Companion. Jacy's Companion was Jemmy. The other three kids Kary hadn't known were Karen with Julie, Allen with Randy, and Carl with Elizabeth. Jacy, Kary, Mike, and Carl were all experienced riders so Karen decided to ride near Jacy and Allen to ride near Carl. At first they all rode together with the boys getting to know each other and the girls were soon acting like sisters. They talked about their different backgrounds and how they came to the school and when they had gotten Chosen. Kary thought Jacy was a bit vague about her past but didn't press her.

Jacy had noticed how well Kary and Mike were getting along and started to tease her. Kary, however, confessed that she had a really weird feeling just thinking about him and looking at him made it even stronger. Jacy then admitted that she had known everything about this school long before coming. Her older sister Caitlan, whom she had mentioned before had told her a great deal. She said, "You see, Caitlan and I have always been really close and sometimes could guess what the other was thinking. When she was Chosen, her Companion Kim said I probably would be too so I learned the history early. Caitlan also told me some of the old stories about Heralds and many were lifebonded. My sister said that it is sort of a love at first sight thing. Maybe that is what is going on. If so, you will probably feel it if he is hurt or something. You should try to stay friends or else you will probably both be in agony."

Kary nodded and changed the subject. She asked what Gifts the other two girls had. Jacy was astonished that she knew about Gifts already and Karen wondered what they were talking about. Jacy said, "Gifts are mental abilities like talking mind to mind or moving things with a thought. I think I might have Empathy, like Herald Talia from one of the really old tales was. How did you know about the Gifts, Karolyn?"

"Well, um, when Emily chose me," Kary stuttered, "I just answered her mentally so we spent half the night talking and she told me some history. She said I have Mindspeech and Mage-gift."

"Wow! You have the Mage-gift? How did she know it so soon?" Jacy wanted to know.

Kary confessed, "When you took me to see the Companions' field yesterday I kept seeing the illusion when I looked straight on but from the corner of my eye, they were white with blue eyes. Anyway, when Emily Chose me, she saw that memory. I'm not all that unique am I? Mike said the same was true of him. So, how about you, Karen?"

"I'm just confused. This is all completely strange to me. I was Chosen a few days ago right after lunch after I felt the impulse to come down here. Julie just said, 'I Choose you Karen, I am Julie.' That's all."

"Really? I wonder why I could speak with Emily and then with Mike…?" Kary's voice wandered off.

"You spoke mind to mind with Michael!?" Jacy shrieked, but softly so that the boys couldn't hear.

"Yeah."

"Wow! Hey, wait a sec, I looked over at the two of you when you were saddling your friends and your faces didn't look like you were mindspeaking. Everyone I've ever seen do that frowned or closed their eyes or something to concentrate. Hmm, why don't you and Mike ride off together and talk?" She said with a wink.

Kary blushed and then said, :What do you think Emily?:

:I think she's right. You ask Mike and I'll ask Stephen.:

Kary giggled at Emily's tone of voice and said, :All right.: