I watched as my best friend, Daya of Zalmon, got up from the ground and turn to face the mage and me. Her eyes were blood red, just like how the Blood-Adepts had turned right before he had touched her. Oh Star-Eyed, I thought in realization, she's not only picked up on his powers, she's picked up on his obsessions.

She had warned me about that. She not only picked up powers and talents, but obsessions, feelings, knowledge, and, as she had assumed, evil intent. Oh, by the gods, we are in trouble. . . I thought in panic as I stared in horror into her eyes.

"To show it truly is in effect, kill this girl."

"Yes, Master Lacoren." She stated flatly, devoid of any emotion as she turned toward me. My heart skipped a beat as the nothingness in her eyes sank into my soul. Oh Star-Eyed, please make her see me with her own eyes! Please!

Something within my best friend in front of me stirred, and for one instant, so quick I wasn't even sure it was there, her eyes resumed their normal green. She hesitated then, her eyes, blood red once more, locked with mine and everything went dark.

* * *

I woke to the sounds of birds in my ear. Literally, because directly on my head was a mocking bird, trilling it's annoying tune. Its Annoyingness started to pick at my ear lobe and I tried brushed it away, but was too lethargic from what my fogged brain identified as spell residue. In a rush, everything came back to me, the camp, the mage, the bandits, and Daya. But, why wasn't I dead? I kept asking myself. I should be dead! Unless something had stopped her, something like, the Star-Eyed? No, impossible. Not possible right? I shook my head, trying to get those insistent thoughts out of my head.

"I'm w'ou'o' my dep'," I told my self out loud, my tongue strangely not working, then thought of the only people that were qualified to deal with this situation.

The Heralds.

* * *

I staggered into our camp, barely able to stay upright, and immediately I felt the female Herald take my arm and put it on her shoulders to hold me up. I tried to murmured a thanks but I don't believe it actually left my mouth. I staggered on toward the Herald's quarters, leaning heavily on the her shoulders, and when we reached her tent, she let go of me and I fell onto her pallet. There I lay, panting laboriously, while the Herald shouted out orders I didn't hear. The tent roof swam before my eyes and I shut them tightly. I heard movements next to me and felt my head lift. I snapped my eyes open, but just saw our Healer Bane holding a mug of some foul smelling liquid. He put this to my lips and I drank without a question. I downed the whole potion in one gulp, and a great grimace, and almost immediately, the banging in my head subsided. I sat up gingerly, and looked into the eyes of the Heralds, one pair blue, one pair green. The female, Katli I remembered, spoke first.

"What happened?" She asked quietly with no signs of anger, while her partner fumed, "Where's Daya?"

I gasped out my story, still panting a bit, about how we had found the bandit camp, Daya had identified the blood mage, how she had seen confused about something, then how we had been found. I ended with Daya turning what I expected was evil.

"The mage took off his glove. . .his eyes flashed red. . .and reached down. . .he touched her skin. . .as if expecting something to attack him. . .her eyes then flashed red. . .then she got up. . .nobody challenged her. . .he smiled. . .ordered her to kill me. The next thing I know is I'm waking up with a bird on my head, and with a pounding headache. I came back here as fast as I could. . . "

"How did she turn evil?" The pompous Herald asked me,

"Oh. Forgot about that." I paused, weighing the gravity of the situation with the pledge I had made to Daya those long years ago. The situation won and I sighed unhappily, "When Daya touches someone, she gets their powers, talents, or obsessions. In this case, supposedly, evil. She warned me about something like this happening."

"Do you remember what happened just before she tried to kill you?" The male Herald asked impatiently.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that, too. She turned toward me, said 'yes master' then some weird name, I don't remember what, then something flickered in the back of her eyes, they turned normal, then everything went black, as I said." Pain was returning to my head.

"Do you remember the mage's name, or maybe what it sounded like?" I grimaced as the pain began coming faster.

"Something like Lasren, or Lasrenen or something," I said then started at the swift intakes of breath both Heralds gasped. "What?" I demanded.

"That mage is one we have known has been here for some time, we just couldn't find it," The female had gone quite pale, and I could see her hands shaking. "Erik, this is way over our heads. We must call for the Grove born, both, and their Chosen." I squinted through the pain and asked what in Haven were they talking about. "Did she say Lacoren?" And at my nod, both their faces turned many shades paler. "The Blood-Mage Lacoren is the most powerful of all of the Order of Trakash. He is their pride, and there is none more powerful than perhaps Falconsbane. We heard he'd left his school some nineteen, twenty years ago then returned after a year, then came back out a year ago." She turned back to me, "Did he have a red triangle with a black skull within?" And at my nod they turned, if possible, paler. Then both their heads snapped up and looked in the direction of where their Companions were standing. They sighed and said done at the same time.

"The Grove borns are on their way, with their Chosen, and so are Darkwind, Firesong, and a Companion by the name of Erana." The female Herald looked puzzled, and stole a glance toward Erik then looked sharply back at me, "Why, I have no idea, but she insisted on coming," She now turned to me, "Can you take us back to their camp?" She asked and at my hesitant affirmative, she nodded with satisfaction, "Even if they've moved on, we can follow their trail. Let's move!"

* * *

We reached their deserted camp just as dusk fell over the woods. There wasn't anything left, just a barren clearing with a few holes (some fireplaces presumably) and a ditch (perhaps lavatrine). We searched around the camp but could find no trail leading away.

"They've moved on." Herald Katli stated the obvious in an impassive tone.

"Yes..." Erik replied with an expression of puzzlement, and we both looked at him puzzled, yet expectant, "There is a trace of mage energy here, faint, yet there." He paused, seemed to be stretching himself, grabbing at some unknown thing, then a triumphant smile appeared on his lips. "It's definitely Blood Magic! I can smell it!"

His partner turned to him, "Can you find out what it was for? Is that possible?"

"The trace is definitely a gate, the patterns are pretty much the same. And he didn't go far, just a few leagues to the-" He paused in concentration, "-West! Yes, due West!" He pointed and we immediately set off, scrambling through the bushes and brambles as fast as we could. We soon reached a path and Erik pause, his hands tugging at something invisible. His eyes once again brightened and he set off left at a sprint. The women followed as fast as they could and after going only ten steps, the Companions burst out of nowhere.

There weren't two Companions, but four, one of whom she recognized as the Grove Born Stallion Rolan. The Companions immediately stopped, right in front of us, and stood stock still, staring further down the road in the direction we had been heading. The two Heralds immediately mounted their Companions and there was an awkward moment when the white-clad and white-by-magic beings looked at me. Then the Grove Born presented his side to me and grabbed my shirt between his teeth, then pulled me till I had to clamber up onto his back.

Going against all protocol, of course.

As soon as she was settled, the Companions set of at a gait between a canter and a gallop, and I, a horse person all my life, was startled into speechlessness at how smooth and fast they could move.

The strange party of seven came to a fork in the road and just as Muri was framing a question as to which one to take, the swept off down the right one. After what must have been three hours of solid riding, we stumbled into their camp.

Literally.

The Heralds immediately jumped off their Companions, I following a second later, obviously having had some warning that we were close, and ran up to my best friend to try to grab her.

That was a mistake.

She threw them off her with one sweep of her arm, knocking them into trees and unconscious. With a nonchalant wave of her hand, she tossed the two vengeful charging Companions into the air then into the same trees their Chosen had been knocked into, with the same result.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Rolan came pounding up from behind my best friend Daya and touched his nose to her cheek...

Just like a kiss...

A flash of blue-white light blinded me and everybody else, then cleared to find a tired Rolan heaving deep breaths next to a sprawled out on the ground Daya. Unconscious.

A shriek of rage from behind me made me start and turn around to see the Blood-Mage jumping at me with a sword, not of metal but of magic, in his hands.

I opened my mouth to scream.



Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk about a CLIFFHANGER!! Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next chapter will be up soon, now that I have it all mapped out. I didn't know really what was going on before, but now I have a clearer idea. I hope you liked it!

Sorry it took me so long but I was occupied by several RPGs that I have joined and made. RPG means Role Playing Game (or gig if your English). They are all based on Mercedes Lackey's books and I would advise that you join because they are a lot of fun.

They are all at avidgamers.com. You just put one of the following after avidgamers.com/.

thefield/ by Etcetera-cat

dreamsofblue/ by Senashenta

lostin/

valdemarcalling/ that's mine

stealinghearts/ that's Firefox's

starsvaldemar/

and many more, not only at avidgamers.com.