~ Chapter 22 ~
"You're looking pensive my Lady Love." Tris said as her wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"Three gryphons from k'Valdemar went missing. As did two packs of kyree, and two dyheli bachelor herds. That was just this last week." Keli said staring out her window. "I feel like I am losing this battle."
"He is hunting nonhumans now?" Tristen asked.
Keli nodded. "The Son of the Sun is reluctant to get involved. Sola has agreed to talk to Her Holiness and convince her to get involved if she can."
"Do you think she can?" Tristen asked.
"I hope so. We need support. Prince Daren has gone to speak to his brother as well. Unfortunately we have no proof of any war." Keli leaned her head back against his shoulder.
"So they aren't likely to act." Tris sighed.
"Exactly. There is no clause in the treaty for paranoia." Keli said sarcastically.
"So what are you planning?" Tristen asked, hoping he could help.
Keli sighed. "I have no idea. We have no clue where he is so we can't strike at him. The only good thing is I don't think he realises we know, he keeps picking at us."
"So he doesn't have a spy." Tristen said after a second's thought.
"At least none that know about me." Keli confirmed.
They remained silent for several long moments.
"Come to bed. You haven't had a good night's sleep in two weeks." Tristen urged.
Keli turned to face him and opened the memory link between them. The link let her share all she wanted to say with out words, her love and her gratitude for him being there when she needed someone.
:I know my angel.: Tris assured her and Sent her energy to revive her flagging energy stores.
Tris urged her into bed, she was asleep even before her head hit the pillow.
"Is she okay?" Fyn asked from the door.
"She's just tired." He assured her. "She has been busy this past month."
Fyn nodded but still looked very worried.
"I won't let any harm come to her." Tristen swore.
"I know." The normally exuberant Fyn said soberly. "Why do they need her so badly?"
"She is the only one who has any knowledge of this mage." Tris closed the door to Keli's room and sat on the couch.
"If I were a Herald, could I help her?" Fyn asked.
"I don't know. There is not much any of us can do." Tristen admitted.
A knock on the door interrupted them. Talia opened the door.
"Is Keli here?" She asked, she looked as drawn as Keli.
"She's sleeping. Has something happened?" Tristen asked with immediate concern.
"He stopped hiding. Fireballs destroyed two villages, both in the north. There is evidence that it was done to raise power by blood sacrifice." Talia relayed.
"Damn it." Tris cursed.
"There is not much we can do now." Talia sighed. "Let her sleep."
"She would want to know immediately." Tris shook his head. "She still sees it as an attack on her people. I guess she can give up the crown but not the responsibility."
Talia nodded sorrowfully. "The Tayledras also say several of the northern tribes have gone missing. Since they are nomadic no one noticed immediately."
"Is Council convening?" Tristen asked.
"No. At least this gives us something more concrete to go to our allies with." Talia leaned against the door frame earily.
"But at what cost?" Tris asked as he returned to the room he shared with Keli.
Keli was sprawled on her back when he entered again.
"Sia." Tris shook her shoulder.
Keli reluctantly woke. "What happened?"
"He attacked openly. Fireballs destroyed two villages in the north." Tristen relayed.
Keli blinked back tears. "How bad is the casualty list?"
Tristen offered her a handkerchief. "We don't know yet."
Keli accepted the square of fabric and wiped away the tears. "Now at least we will have support from our allies."
"That's what Talia said. Try to go back to sleep." Tristen urged.
Keli sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I need to think."
"How about a walk in the field." Tris suggested.
"If you will join me." Keli agreed.
Fyn watched as Tris and Keli left. Absently she finger the strings of her lute just playing bits of songs at random. Keli was almost colourless from the strain and Tris was generally preoccupied with Keli lately and often was the one who chased her down and reminded her to eat or sleep.
Fyn had discovered she hated being useless. Especially when it came to her little family. Talia and Dirk were nice enough but Tris and Keli were hers. They welcomed her into their bed when she had nightmares. Keli still managed to catch her little thefts every time. Tris listened to her every song and applauded.
Setting her lute aside she decided to go for a walk herself. Instead of going to the field she headed to the gardens.
She was in one of the more remote gardens when she heard them.
"Well if it isn't the Baby Bandit." A cultured voice sneered.
Fyn ignored them.
"Do you think she is as mad as her mother? I hear she actually thinks she's an Empress." A second voice said in a similar tone.
They didn't have a chance to say anymore before Fyn tackled the second speaker. She bloodied his nose and blacked his eye before the other one hauled her off. He got his hand bit, drawing blood, for his efforts and then was set upon himself. Fyn split his lip and blacked another eye.
"Enough!" A single command rang through the evening air. "What is the meaning of this brawl?"
Fyn scrambled to her feet and faced an older man whose black hair was now mostly grey, scars and wrinkles lined his face, and he had piercing black eyes.
"They said Keli was mad." Fyn explained.
"And that is why you attacked them?" He demanded.
"Keli is my family, you are supposed to defend you family. And they called me the Baby Bandit." Fyn added the last bit as an after thought.
The two older boys slowly got to their feet.
"So you two provoked a little girl?" The man turned his gaze on the boys.
"She's lying, she's just gutter trash." One said as he wiped blood from his nose.
Only the quick intervention of the man stopped her from pummelling them again. He seemed to find this rather amusing.
"Let's take this to the Provost Martial." The man suggested. The boys followed obediently, certain they would be found in the right. He kept a tight grip on Fyn since she was still glaring daggers at the boys.
The Provost Martial was in his office when they found him.
"Hello Alberich, what brings this pleasant surprise?" The Lord asked with a sigh.
"I found these children involved in a fight in the south gardens." Alberich pushed the boys forward.
The Lord took in the injuries of the boys. "Duelling over a lady's hand gentlemen?"
"Nope." Fyn answered for them.
"What happened, I assume you saw what they were fighting over." He asked her.
"No. There weren't fighting with each other. I did that because they called Keli mad and called me the Bandit Baby and then they called me gutter trash." Fyn said mutinously.
Fyn saw the corner of Alberich's mouth twitch.
"You can't believe her!" One started to complain.
"She's lying, we were practicing wrestling." The other protested.
"No you weren't. You just don't want to admit you were beaten up by a girl!" Fyn accused.
"Stop trying to get us into trouble. Everyone knows you are a liar." One sneered.
This time Alberich wasn't fast enough to stop her and she managed to get the offending boy on the ground and blacken his other eye.
Alberich hauled her off her feet. "Perhaps you two should be quiet." He said to the boys as Fyn swung at them again.
"I think it is fairly clear who is telling the truth." The Provost martial eyed the boys coolly. "You two were obviously provoking a fight and got exactly what you wanted. This isn't the first time your actions have been brought to my attention."
The boys protested but were silenced with a gesture.
"I have spoken to both of your parents before about you bullying the younger trainees and warned them if this happens again would be expelled. I will speak with them tomorrow, now go before Alberich releases the little firebrand again."
Both boys vanished quickly.
Alberich put Fyn on her feet.
"What's my punishment?" She asked the Provost Martial.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Fyn." She answered dutifully.
"Ah, yes, Herald Keli's adopted daughter. I will speak to her about this incident as well. You obviously weren't in the wrong but you should have found a way to resolve it without violence." He scolded but it was without heat.
"Skif says sometimes you have to beat thick heads hard for them to learn something." Fyn said.
Alberich laughed. "He would know."
"Is he the one who taught you to do that?" The Provost Martial asked.
Fyn shook her head. "I learned that before I came to the palace. Kick, bite, and hit everything within reach. He teaches me ordinary stuff like wrestling, swords, and knives because I got him in the balls the first time we wrestled."
Alberich laughed again.
"Well, you better have your knuckles seen to. And be more careful with your hands next time, they are very valuable to a bard." The Provost Martial warned.
"I am going to be a Herald, I just have to find a Companion who wants to Choose me." Fyn explained.
Alberich was actually grinning now. "Come along then little Firebrand. We'll take you to the Healers."
Fyn waved farewell to the Provost Martial and let herself be led to the Healers.
"You are a fierce little thing." Alberich commented.
"Keli says it's good to fierce for things that are important to you. She nearly turned my parents into mice or something like that." Fyn explained.
"Your Keli sounds very wise." Alberich commented.
"She is." Fyn agreed.
"How will she react?" He asked neutrally.
"She'll sigh, give me a look, and then say she expects me to behave with more discretion in the future." Fyn said.
"Have you gotten into fights before?" Alberich asked.
"No. She does that every time I do something foolish. Keli doesn't get angry." Fyn explained.
"She probably knows you would rebel against being yelled at." Alberich commented.
"She also knows every time I get into trouble." Fyn sighed. "I can't hide anything from her. When I get back she'll probably say 'next time outthink them rather than outfight them.'"
"She is right. Why didn't you downplay the incident if you thought you were going to get into trouble?" He asked suspiciously.
Fyn grinned widely. "I heard their moms saying if they were expelled they would be sent home until they were twenty."
"Removing your enemy by means far or foul, eh?" Alberich ruffled Fyn's riot of corkscrew curls affectionately.
"No one likes them, they're mean and nasty." Fyn said decisively. "Are you from Karse?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" He asked.
"Solaris is from Karse too, I think I like Karsites." Fyn said with the certainty of a child.
"You have met the Son of the Sun?" Alberich asked, stunned at her revelation.
"Nope, Solaris is a big Firecat who asks me to sing sometimes and teases Keli. She is off 'talking to herself' at the moment." Fyn explained.
They had reached the Healer's so he wasn't able to press her for more information.
Fyn was examining the freshly Healed scrapes when Keli caught up with her.
"I told you she would know I got into trouble." Fyn whispered to Alberich.
Keli examined Fyn's knuckles. "I already spoke to the Provost Martial."
"The boys had it coming." Alberich defended Fyn.
"I know." Keli suppressed a smile. "I expected you to behave with more decorum than that however."
Fyn grimaced at the mild scolding.
"You are taking this better than I expected you would." Alberich admitted.
"I did something very similar when I was younger. No amounting of ranting got through to me." Keli admitted.
"Told you she wouldn't yell." Fyn said.
"I am very pleased she is capable of taking care of herself. But all she accomplished was sending two boys home and to make a reputation as a hothead for herself." Keli said with a pointed look at her sister.
"What's my punishment?" Fyn asked reluctantly.
"You know of the Temple in the city that cares for old and injured animals?" Keli asked.
Fyn nodded.
"You are going to spend a month helping the monks there. A candlemark a day."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Fyn said happily.
"You'll start there in a few days." Keli informed her. "Just as soon as they are told to expect you."
Fyn slid off the table. "Can I go now?"
"Yes." Keli said.
Fyn dashed out of the room.
"That is an odd punishment." Alberich commented.
"Many of the animals there were crippled by people who thought with their fists." Keli explained. "She doesn't learn well from lectures."
"So you will show her what the consequences of fighting first and thinking later." Alberich said in understanding.
"Exactly. I had the same experience when I was her age. It hit home hard." Keli explained.
"You knew this day would arrive." Alberich commented.
"Of course I did. She is a hothead. I have already arranged it with the priests." Keli answered.
Alberich nodded. "Good solution."
"I was raised by a wise man, when in doubt, I do as he did." Keli smiled fondly at her memories. "I just pray I do the right things."
"She says she wants to become a Herald."
Keli laughed. "She decided shortly after we met she was going to become a Herald."
"I am pleased to have met both of you." Alberich said formally.
"I am glad to meet the famous Alberich." Keli said just as formally. "You were a legend in my time."
Alberich was honestly surprised.
"You were considered a great hero in Karse for not only being the first Karsite Herald and partly responsible for bringing an end to the war. But also, and I quote 'wise and great of heart' and that is from one of the few texts that survived to my time. There were even five plays and seventy books analysing your life.
"There was one movie that broke all previous earning records. Filled with massive special effects and high priced actors that made you one of the most revered people in my history. "
Keli left. Now why had she said that?
:It is part of being a Queen's Own.: Kenyon explained
:He needed to hear that?: Keli asked doubtfully.
:Yes. He has felt bad for years for betraying his country.: Kenyon explained.
:Sometimes betrayal is the best thing you can do.: Keli said as she went in search of Tris where she had left him in the Grove.