Chapter 2
*
Talia returned to herself, slightly dazed, to find the girl, Kella, still sobbing, in her arms. Gently, she reached into her mind, and put her to sleep. Kella's hysterical crying had exhausted her anyway, and Talia was able to remove some of her fear at the same time. Talia put her on Sterran's saddle, noticing that even in sleep Kella's fingers tightened around the pommel. She stepped back to examine the Companion.
"Sterran," He looked at her, blue eyes challenging. "Can you keep her shielded?"
The Companion nodded without breaking eye contact.
"If she isn't touching you?"
The Companion shook his head without disturbing his sleeping burden.
Talia turned to face Dirk and Teren, waiting impatiently for her news. "She's called Kella." She informed them. "She is Chosen, irregular as it may be." She rubbed the side of her face in an unconscious sign of exhaustion. Dirk stepped forward, placing an arm around her, keeping her upright.
"What happened to her?" Teren asked Talia. "And why did she flin herself at you?" This last was said with a touch of resentment, as though Teren could not understand why he would be treated with terror, and Talia be welcomed like a long lost friend.
"The second first." Talia replied. "I look very similar to her mother and her sister. It seems likely that she mistook me for a family member. And the first -" Talia shuddered slightly. Kella's traumatic memories were still firmly branded on her mind. "Her family were traders who did drug smuggling on the side. In the Rethwellan mountains, they were attacked by bandits. Her sister put her in a tree to hide, and led the bandits away from her. Kella got to watch her family being killed. The trauma released her gifts early. There's Empathy, and at least one other - I can't tell which, but the only gifts she has are communication gifts. She has no shields whatsoever." Talia sighed. "She will push emotions into the minds of anyone around her, and project her nightmares at people, and the only way Sterran can impose shields is if Kella stays in constant contact with him."
"Sounds like another for Companion's Cottage." Dirk remarked, still supporting the exhausted Talia.
"It does indeed." Said Teren, before catching sight of Talia's slightly bemused expression. "There have been other Chosen too traumatised to be separated from their Companions at first." He explained. "So Companion's Cottage was built. It's on one end of the tackshed - both Companion and Chosen can fit in it comfortably. It's perfect for those difficult situations."
*
Kella woke. She was on a straw bed, covered with canvas, pillowing her head on Sterran's flank. She was covered by a thick, warm blanket, and this place felt 'safe' to her. She opened her eyes.
She was in a large, stone walled room. Unlike the waystations Sterran had taken her to, this had windows. They looked out onto a broad meadow, dotted with trees. There was a wooden door, which stood open. It was broad and wide enough for Sterran to walk through, with Kella on his back. Inside the room was a firplace, a bookshelf and a table and chair, as well as the matress that Sterran and Kella shared.
A tray was on the table, and there was someone in the chair.
She sat up sharply, before she relaxed again. She knew this person was no threat. She thought about this for a while, and then realized that she had been analysing her own behaviour. A week ago, she never would have done that. It was as though from the moment Sterran had Chosen her, she had woken up from a state of dream.
:What did you do to me, Sterran?: she asked him in wonder.
:Everything I know, you know.: he told her. :But it only works when you are touching me - when you move away, you are a tiny little girl who has just lost her parents.:
That would explain why, when she wasn't touching Sterran, everything was suddenly so terrifying, and she suddenly couldn't think. :Will it always be like that?: she asked, slightly worried by this prospect.
:No, only until you grow up a little.: Sterran reasured her. :In the meantime, things will work fine like this.:
The person in the chair looked around. Kella recognized her - just vaguely. Yesterday, some people had taken her away from Sterran. She couldn't remember perfectly, but this person had come. She looked like Hanna, and Mother - without Sterran there to keep her out of her detatchedness, she would have run to this stranger again.
It never occurred to Kella to be angry at this loss of her innocence. On the contrary, she was grateful to Sterran, for giving her the intelligence of an adult, rather than the confusion of a tiny, bereft child.
The woman moved to look straight at Kella.
"Good morning, Kella." The woman said. Her voice was soft, but easily audible in the quiet room.
"Good morning, Herald Talia." Kella said in reply. Talia looked very surprised, and Kella thanked Sterran yet again for his gift of knowledge.
Kella rose to her feet, keeping one hand on Sterran's leg as he rose as well. Kella folded the blanket and placed it on one end of the canvas- covered straw matress.
Talia seemed to have recovered from her surprise at this point, and brought Kella the tray from the table. On it was a large breakfast; enough to make up for the scanty Waystation meals of the past few days. Kella took her seat again, and, using Sterran as a back rest, quickly ate the food. Talia had had the forethought to bring food for Sterran, too, and so he also had a good meal.
Talia resumed her seat, watching Kella with a bemused expression. Kella's actions were not the actions of a four year old girl.
Kella decided to take the initiative again. "Are there some clothes I could use?" she asked Talia politely. "These are not quite at there best."
Talia's eyes flared with surprise again, but she answered easily enough. "In the cupboard." She replied. "Generally, the people Chosen by Companions wear grey, but we couldn't find any Greys to fit you, I'm afraid."
Kella smiled wryly - an incongruously adult expression on her childish face. "Yes," she said dryly. "I doubt that you get many Trainees are as small as me."
The cupboard was near enough to the bed that Kella could reach it without letting go of Sterran, and she pulled out a heavy canvas tunic, trews and a shirt. Although facing the other way, Kella could imagine Talia's expression of surprise.
No doubt she thought I'd choose one of the dresses.Kella thought with a smile as she dressed in the clothes. The tunic was the right size, but the blue colour did not suit Kella as well as her usual dark green. Well, with the money she had in the purse - which she saw on the table - she could buy herself some clothes.
"I assume you want to take me somewhere." The now dressed Kella told Talia crisply. "You have to report my awakening to your superiors, and perhaps get the Colegium dean to tell me that classes should perhaps wait until I'm settled in." Kella swung herself onto Sterran's bare back. "So lead on."
*
Talia returned to herself, slightly dazed, to find the girl, Kella, still sobbing, in her arms. Gently, she reached into her mind, and put her to sleep. Kella's hysterical crying had exhausted her anyway, and Talia was able to remove some of her fear at the same time. Talia put her on Sterran's saddle, noticing that even in sleep Kella's fingers tightened around the pommel. She stepped back to examine the Companion.
"Sterran," He looked at her, blue eyes challenging. "Can you keep her shielded?"
The Companion nodded without breaking eye contact.
"If she isn't touching you?"
The Companion shook his head without disturbing his sleeping burden.
Talia turned to face Dirk and Teren, waiting impatiently for her news. "She's called Kella." She informed them. "She is Chosen, irregular as it may be." She rubbed the side of her face in an unconscious sign of exhaustion. Dirk stepped forward, placing an arm around her, keeping her upright.
"What happened to her?" Teren asked Talia. "And why did she flin herself at you?" This last was said with a touch of resentment, as though Teren could not understand why he would be treated with terror, and Talia be welcomed like a long lost friend.
"The second first." Talia replied. "I look very similar to her mother and her sister. It seems likely that she mistook me for a family member. And the first -" Talia shuddered slightly. Kella's traumatic memories were still firmly branded on her mind. "Her family were traders who did drug smuggling on the side. In the Rethwellan mountains, they were attacked by bandits. Her sister put her in a tree to hide, and led the bandits away from her. Kella got to watch her family being killed. The trauma released her gifts early. There's Empathy, and at least one other - I can't tell which, but the only gifts she has are communication gifts. She has no shields whatsoever." Talia sighed. "She will push emotions into the minds of anyone around her, and project her nightmares at people, and the only way Sterran can impose shields is if Kella stays in constant contact with him."
"Sounds like another for Companion's Cottage." Dirk remarked, still supporting the exhausted Talia.
"It does indeed." Said Teren, before catching sight of Talia's slightly bemused expression. "There have been other Chosen too traumatised to be separated from their Companions at first." He explained. "So Companion's Cottage was built. It's on one end of the tackshed - both Companion and Chosen can fit in it comfortably. It's perfect for those difficult situations."
*
Kella woke. She was on a straw bed, covered with canvas, pillowing her head on Sterran's flank. She was covered by a thick, warm blanket, and this place felt 'safe' to her. She opened her eyes.
She was in a large, stone walled room. Unlike the waystations Sterran had taken her to, this had windows. They looked out onto a broad meadow, dotted with trees. There was a wooden door, which stood open. It was broad and wide enough for Sterran to walk through, with Kella on his back. Inside the room was a firplace, a bookshelf and a table and chair, as well as the matress that Sterran and Kella shared.
A tray was on the table, and there was someone in the chair.
She sat up sharply, before she relaxed again. She knew this person was no threat. She thought about this for a while, and then realized that she had been analysing her own behaviour. A week ago, she never would have done that. It was as though from the moment Sterran had Chosen her, she had woken up from a state of dream.
:What did you do to me, Sterran?: she asked him in wonder.
:Everything I know, you know.: he told her. :But it only works when you are touching me - when you move away, you are a tiny little girl who has just lost her parents.:
That would explain why, when she wasn't touching Sterran, everything was suddenly so terrifying, and she suddenly couldn't think. :Will it always be like that?: she asked, slightly worried by this prospect.
:No, only until you grow up a little.: Sterran reasured her. :In the meantime, things will work fine like this.:
The person in the chair looked around. Kella recognized her - just vaguely. Yesterday, some people had taken her away from Sterran. She couldn't remember perfectly, but this person had come. She looked like Hanna, and Mother - without Sterran there to keep her out of her detatchedness, she would have run to this stranger again.
It never occurred to Kella to be angry at this loss of her innocence. On the contrary, she was grateful to Sterran, for giving her the intelligence of an adult, rather than the confusion of a tiny, bereft child.
The woman moved to look straight at Kella.
"Good morning, Kella." The woman said. Her voice was soft, but easily audible in the quiet room.
"Good morning, Herald Talia." Kella said in reply. Talia looked very surprised, and Kella thanked Sterran yet again for his gift of knowledge.
Kella rose to her feet, keeping one hand on Sterran's leg as he rose as well. Kella folded the blanket and placed it on one end of the canvas- covered straw matress.
Talia seemed to have recovered from her surprise at this point, and brought Kella the tray from the table. On it was a large breakfast; enough to make up for the scanty Waystation meals of the past few days. Kella took her seat again, and, using Sterran as a back rest, quickly ate the food. Talia had had the forethought to bring food for Sterran, too, and so he also had a good meal.
Talia resumed her seat, watching Kella with a bemused expression. Kella's actions were not the actions of a four year old girl.
Kella decided to take the initiative again. "Are there some clothes I could use?" she asked Talia politely. "These are not quite at there best."
Talia's eyes flared with surprise again, but she answered easily enough. "In the cupboard." She replied. "Generally, the people Chosen by Companions wear grey, but we couldn't find any Greys to fit you, I'm afraid."
Kella smiled wryly - an incongruously adult expression on her childish face. "Yes," she said dryly. "I doubt that you get many Trainees are as small as me."
The cupboard was near enough to the bed that Kella could reach it without letting go of Sterran, and she pulled out a heavy canvas tunic, trews and a shirt. Although facing the other way, Kella could imagine Talia's expression of surprise.
No doubt she thought I'd choose one of the dresses.Kella thought with a smile as she dressed in the clothes. The tunic was the right size, but the blue colour did not suit Kella as well as her usual dark green. Well, with the money she had in the purse - which she saw on the table - she could buy herself some clothes.
"I assume you want to take me somewhere." The now dressed Kella told Talia crisply. "You have to report my awakening to your superiors, and perhaps get the Colegium dean to tell me that classes should perhaps wait until I'm settled in." Kella swung herself onto Sterran's bare back. "So lead on."