Disclaimer: All Valdemar related items in the below story are the possessions of Mercedes Lackey, not me.

A/N thanks to all reviewers.  Just want to confirm that this is Elsa's POV not Asia's and it starts just about where our protagonistic pony wanders off.  Anyway hope you like it.

            We weren't far from the farm when Bart and I dismounted to talk.  I watched as Asia and Ralph wandered away, to graze it was sure. 

            "They're long gone," Bart remarked to me, tearing my attention from our companions. 

            "I know that," I sighed.  He had said that as if there were something I could do about it.  The clan was close though, I knew that much.  I missed my family in some ways, yet in others I felt free of them.     

            As a child I had learned to fear and even hate heralds.  When Miss Elmira told me I was being chosen I had fought until the vile animal, I had thought her horrible at the time, had walked up to me.  I didn't have any choice but to go with her though.  Miss Elmira had made that much quite clear.

            "Elsie?" Bart said lightly reaching out and tugging at my hair teasingly.

            "What, Mew?" I asked pulling my hair away from him, I liked him well enough but sometimes he made me feel downright uncomfortable.

            "I was just saying that I don't think there are any survivors here."

            "They probably fled by now," I agreed flatly, and returned to my previous train of thought.  Now I that I had met Asia though I knew better.  The clan had lied to me about heralds.  I wasn't sure they weren't lying about other things too.  I was confused and I knew it, but the worst part was that I had no one to talk to about it.  I couldn't tell Asia, I simply couldn't bring myself to say I had truly hated her. 

            The other problem with telling her was that I feared for her.  Feared to lose her.

            "Elsie, you are zoning out again," Bart remarked with an amused grin.  I was about to return the smile but I felt the sudden need to look for Asia.  As I glanced around I noticed she wasn't there.  I was about to have Bart ask Ralph if he knew where my companion was when I felt her presence drop from my mind entirely.  For the first time in months I was completely alone in my mind.  There was no comforting presence, not even the fuzzy half-awareness that I felt when I used a mental shield.  Startled I called out to Asia and then to Ralph, not caring about protocol in my worry.

            :Where is she Ralph?:

            :I don't know, she went toward the farm for a closer look:

            :Asia!: I screamed mentally.

            "What's wrong?" Bart asked, concern painting his features.

            "She's gone," I whispered, near tears.  I tried to stay calm, crying in front of Bart would not be comfortable, but I couldn't hold back as thoughts of all the terrible things that could have happened to Asia flashed through my mind.

            "Asia?  Can't you speak her?" Bart asked quizzically.

            "No, she's completely gone," I gulped and looked at Bart briefly; the pity in his face was too much.  I felt a tear streak down my face.   If the clan had been hanging around Asia was probably dead. 

            "Oh, Elsie … we'll find her," Bart assured me, but I knew he just wanted to comfort me.  I shook my head unhappily.

            Ralph came to join us, :I can't find her: he remarked simply.

            I tried to focus on him but found my sight obscured by tears. I realized I was sobbing idiotically, like a child slighted of a cookie.  I was worried that Bart would think I was childish and silly, but he pulled me into a hug instead.

            At first I tried to pull away, yet I found that he was a comfort.  Eventually I relaxed just sobbed myself out while Bart whispered assurances to me.  I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I felt … something, it wasn't Asia but it reminded me of her.  I looked up but it was gone just as quickly as it had come.  I felt well enough by then to dry my eyes off though, and stand without Bart's support.

            "Are you alright?" Bart asked me quietly.

            "No," I sniffled, "But I'm as good as I'll be until we find her."

            "We'll find her, knowing Asia she probably wandered into the burned barn to see an interesting piece of charred wood and a falling piece of wood knocked her out."

            "I don't think so," I replied, but his comment helped me to, if not smile, at least soften my expression.

            "Let's see if we can't find her."

            "I don't think we will …"

            "Why not?"

            "I just don't."

            "Do you know something I don't?" Bart asked curiously.

            "Look, the clan wants the truth spell … for their experiments, on compelling people into doing things."

            "Compelling?"

            "Yes, they look for people, kids mainly, with rare gifts to attempt to compile a team that could theoretically overthrow the throne."

            "How?"

            "They didn't tell me that!  I was barely even a trainee.  They used a raw form of their spell on Asia when she came for me.  That's part of why she was so sick, their spell needs some work to get rid of the side-effects."

            "Asia can't show them how to truth-spell something."

            "I know that, they wanted me to, that was the other reason for spell, to buy time."

            I explained everything I knew about the clan's plans to Bart and Ralph, "so if we go to find her and are caught things will turn out badly, but I can't just abandon her and they know that!" I concluded angry at Miss Elmira and knowing she knew exactly what she was doing, testing my loyalties.  I knew who I had to choose though; there wasn't any real choice to make.

A/N I know this was kind of short comparatively, but I had some minor writer's block and I nearly fell asleep in class no less than 20 times today so as I am currently sleep deprived (by my own stupid choices, not that I didn't absolutely have to read and do my homework after my band concert thereby only starting it at around 11)   Anyway once again anything that doesn't make sense can be corrected … clarification is only a review away ;-)  thanks again to reviewers of the previous chapter.  I think I'll go back to Asia's POV I like her much better.  Elsa is too cold and Asia is more fun.  Yeah, anyway… I think I'm going to go to sleep now … I get to go to special Olympics instead of school tomorrow with NHS to help run stuff so that'll be interesting…right this author's note is going to be longer than the chapter!  Oh well, you could skip it if you want… oh yeah, now I have red hair (I got it dyed, I have a slight (okay, okay major) obsession with red hair)  anyway I'll stop yapping at you now.