Title: Wolf Tracks
Rating: PG-13, and that probably is overkill. Mild language and violence.
Author: EvilKittyCalico (mean_kitty@earthlink.net)
Disclaimer: Just playing in Mercedes Lackey's world. No copyright infringement intended. The character of Jana is mine, anyone else you don't immediately recognize is probably also of my creation. Please don't play with my characters without my permission.
A/N: Takes place after the Mage Storms trilogy, don't be surprised if you stumble across some spoilers for the Owl trilogy as well.
Summary: Jana struggles to make a new life for herself in Valdemar, but the past is reluctant to let her go.

Italics by themselves indicate thoughts.
:: italics :: indicate mindspeech.

Chapter 1 - Meetings


Never had she imagined there would be so much snow! When the first fat flakes had begun to fall a day ago, she had been amazed at their size. When the ground began to disappear under a soft carpet of white, she had gazed at the sight in wonder. Now, with all color wiped clean from the landscape and the air itself become a solid mass of white driven by wind-bourne fury, she was unable to dredge up any emotion other than fear. The little mare she rode had been weary even before they had begun their steady ascension into the hill country, now she fought for each step in the knee deep snow, occasionally stumbling into a drift that came chest deep or higher. She had struggled free with luck and determination up until now, but Jana held no false illusions of what the mare's chances were should they find the going ahead to be any deeper.

I'm sorry sweetling, she murmured. I never meant for you to come to harm. The snow that landed on the mare's neck and rump wasn't melting, but settling to form a delicate tracery of white over the sorrel coat. It was a perfectly normal occurrence for a pasture kept animal with it's full winter's coat come in, where the undercoat insulated the horse so perfectly that no body heat could escape to melt the snow. On Vixen, with her light coat meant for much gentler weather, it was simply another sign that their journey would soon end, one way or another. They needed shelter, and soon!

Jana huddled deeper into the oversized red greatcoat she wore. She had buttoned it up in front till it reached her chin, and tucked the ends back up so that they were held between her thighs and the saddle. The arrangement held in more heat then she had dared hoped it would, and by keeping her hands tucked up under her breasts she had managed to keep her fingers safe from frostbite. She'd pulled her long black hair free from its bun a few miles back, for lack of anything better to protect her ears. Her nose....well, she wouldn't think about that. The rest of her was faring quite well, although she knew that state of affairs would come to a very abrupt end should Vixen falter. She might be able to make it a quarter league on foot, maybe more if she had a concrete goal to aim for, or if she didn't wander off the edge of a cliff. Thank the Bright One for Great-Uncle Triton actually buying her a naming day gift that was functional as well fashionable! The knee length doeskin boots she wore were embroidered in the circular Shin'a'in inspired pattern that was the current rage amongst the JKathan nobility, but also had thick fur from the winter coats of snow hare lining the insides. She was quickly gaining a very deep appreciation of why no one in the north ever wanted to fight wars in winter. A few weeks marching in this, and you'd gladly throw yourself on your enemy's sword just to get away from the cold!

For the past week she had watched the Comb growing larger in the distance as she rode steadily north towards Valdemar. At first Jana had wondered if she'd been given the wrong directions - surely, these mountains were not the hills' the merchant guards spoke of! - but the few fellow travelers she passed by had confirmed her route when she'd stopped to speak with the safer looking ones. The range of hills that stood between Southern Valdemar and Northern Rethwellan could be fierce indeed, they'd warned, but the road would swing her clear of the worst and take her safely through White Foal Pass. They'd also warned her to be sure she had warm clothing and extra winter supplies, advice she had nodded to then foolishly put out of mind. Hadn't she spent nearly every winter of her life out hunting and fishing with her elder brothers? Wasn't she one of the best female trackers her father's huntsman could ever recall? Okay, perhaps the only female tracker anyone in Felwether could recall, but she had still been a match for the younger boys, and many of her own age set as well.

Well, there was cold, and then there was cold. The relatively gentle winters of southern Jkatha and the fierceness she rode in now were distant cousins at best. It had been growing colder as she rode on, which she had expected and planned for on her departure, packing one of her eldest brother's old greatcoats and a few of his extra shirts she could layer on for warmth. Her first warning that she was out of her range of experience should have come with the observation that the leaves weren't even fully turned, yet it was already as cold as a JKathan mountain top on the darkest midwinter night.

Vixen stumbled again, going to her knees in the snow. She got up slowly, but then stayed rooted to the spot. Jana squeezed her on with her calves, bringing her spurs into play when that failed to illicit a response beyond flattened ears. Bright one bless her soul, the mare had gone farther and done it faster than any animal in her physical condition could be expected to, but she'd reached her limit. Jana swung off Vixen clumsily, swearing softly as she sank up to mid-thigh. Damn this cold, and double-damn this snow! Obviously, the going was getting deeper the further they went. She tried to take a step forward, and ended up face first in the snow. The second attempt wasn't any more successful, nor was the third. If the snow had even been a handspan shallower.....but it wasn't and that was the way she had to take it. Walking was no longer an option. She climbed more then sprang into the saddle, grabbing mane in one hand and the cantle in the other and hauling herself up like a backwoods farmer boy who had never been horseback before. It took two tries for her to unfasten her belt, stabbing her thumb once with the tong of the buckle before it was free of her britches and out from the under the greatcoat.

I dearly hope you live to forgive me for this, she whispered, patting Vixen's neck. She grasped the belt buckle firmly in her right hand and swung the belt back over her thigh so that it hit smartly along the mare's right flank, then brought it neatly up and over the mare's neck and back around to lash the left side with one smooth movement of her hand. Vixen lunged forward, eyes rolled back and nose skyward, crashing through the snow like a frightened deer for several yards before the deep going forced her to a more efficient pace. The belt trick was one Great-Uncle had shown her when she had been small, the only sure way to get her old barn sour pony to even consider leaving his paddock to explore the woods that ran behind Great-Uncle's hunting lodge. She had never felt the least bit guilty about striking him. Rabbit had always been quick to lash out with teeth or heels, and every overture of kindness she'd made to the beast had resulted in some part of her being bloodied and a trip to the city healer.

Vixen kept her head cocked slightly to the side as she struggled through the snow, one liquid brown eye rolled back to keep track of Jana. It was going to be awhile before she earned the mare's full trust back. The finely bred saddlemare was not the sort to tolerate harsh handling, and Jana could only recall once in the mare's seven years where she had resorted to physical punishment with her. That had merely been a light smack with the end of a lead rope to let the then yearling filly know that rearing and striking was a fine way to play with her year mates, but not an acceptable way to greet a much smaller - and breakable - human.

The snowfall was too heavy for Jana to see any of the sky, but the quality of the light was shifting in such a way as to signal the coming night. They had to find shelter, but where? She wasn't even entirely sure what country she was in at the moment, much less the location of the nearest homestead or lodge! And as for living off nature...Ha! The landscape around her was nearly as bad as the stories she had heard the trader's tell of the Pelagir Hills. Scrub brush and dead grasses and towering hills that ended in sheer rock more often then not. The trees she'd seen before the snow began had been pitiful wind-twisted things, too small to even feed a fire through the night much less allow a horse and rider to find shelter beneath their branches.

It had been hellish going even while the fall weather held on and only the threat of snow hung over her head. Six days of camping with no shelter and no fire and barely enough forage to keep a summer fat goat alive, much less a horse ridden hard. If she had been clever she would have packed a waxed canvas tent and traveling charcoal brazier when she left Felwether, but to say that she'd left in a hurry would be something of an understatement. Besides, no one had ever said anything about the snow that surely came straight from the depths of the Shin'a'in hell!

There was something looming up ahead, large enough for it show even through the swirling white. Jana frowned at it, leaning forward and squinting to see if she could bring it into better focus. Vixen's head came up, ears pricked as though she was listening to something. She whickered softy and increased her pace, and Jana tried not to let her hopes ride too far ahead- the mare could be honing in on anything, even a herd of half-frozen goats - but the closer they drew the clearer the outline of the shape was. A building, and a large one at that. She wanted to jump off Vixen and dance her joy, but settled for a small smile that didn't stretch her cold-chapped lips too far. She untucked her hands from under her coat to pick up the reins she had loosely knotted and laid on Vixen's neck, steering the mare around to the leeward side of the lodge where the ground held only a slight dusting of snow. There she dismounted, happier then words could tell at having her feet touch the ground and not sink. She had a few soft words for Vixen, then loosened the saddle girth and slipped the reins over the mare's head to lead her with.

With the snow blocked she could easily see that her salvation was indeed a lodge of some sort, a fairly good-sized and well built one at that. There was a porch at one end, stairs with wooden railing leading up to a door. The other end looked to be some type of built in stable, judging by the double half-doors and scattered straw outside. Her first priority was to get the shivering mare out of the elements, and she headed towards the far side. The door opened with a light push, swinging in on soundless hinges. It was much warmer inside then out, the reason why becoming apparent before she'd made it more then two steps. Two white horses and a half dozen sheep-like creatures with long necks blinked sleepily at her as she led Vixen in. The animals' combined body heat was enough to keep the small space as toasty as if there'd been a fire roaring.

Huh. Looks like we aren't going to be alone after all, she told the mare, but I'm sure they won't mind another. And if they do mind, I'll gladly accept being murdered in my sleep as long as they let me spend a candlemark in front of the fire first. Jana worked as she talked, stripping off Vixen's tack and grabbing handfuls of straw bedding to use in lieu of a brush on the wet red coat. The mare was still shivering, worse than any horse Jana had ever seen before. Poor sweetling. How am I going to get you warm? If she'd been home, she would have fetched the oversized woolen blanket the horsemaster kept for just this purpose, and would have walked the mare up and down the center aisle way of the massive barn until she was dry to the touch. But Jana wasn't at home, and there wasn't any cooler lying around, so how to improvise?

The barn was warm enough that she didn't really need her coat, not with two cotton shirts underneath it. That she laid on Vixen's neck, tying the sleeves together by the mare's throatlatch so it would stay put. Her saddle blanket was too wet from snow and sweat to be useful, but the tack for the white horses was dry and within reach. I hope you don't mind, but I think I need this more then you do at the moment, she told the nearest one as she reached behind him to pull the two saddle blankets off the dowel they'd been hung on. The stallion looked at her almost as though he understood, then stepped forward so that she had better access. She threw one blanket over Vixen's back and the other over her rump, then put the horse in an empty stall between the white mare and a group of three sheep-things. The sheep-things had been messy with their food, pushing enough of it through the slats dividing the stalls so that Vixen would be able to eat her fill. There was already a water bucket three-quarters of the way full in the corner, and she checked to make sure it was clean before latching the stall door closed. She wasn't happy about leaving Vixen alone with a stallion, but he wasn't bothering the mare next to him, and hadn't called out to Vixen or otherwise made a pest of himself. No choice but to trust luck and winter's chill. Jana left her saddle where she'd dropped it, but untied the saddlebags from behind the cantle before slipping out of the cozy barn.

The door wasn't locked, and no one came when she knocked, so she just went in, calling a hello as she did so. Bright Lady, it was good to be warm! She stayed in the entry way for a few moments with her eyes closed and head tilted back, savoring the heat. She could have easily stayed that way half the night, but there were clothes to dry and people to meet and sleep to catch up on. The room she was in was small and undecorated, lit by a single lantern. One wall had a row of wooden peg-hooks that held two dusty dark fur-lined cloaks and two dripping wet white ones. There was a small hallway leading off into the interior.

Hello the house! she called again, and this time she got the answer she had been half-hoping for and half-dreading. The comment she had made to Vixen about being murdered in her sleep was said in jest, but that didn't mean that it also wasn't a real possibility. She couldn't help but feel a small tendril of trepidation rising up within her.

Come down the hall, we've got the fire roaring and some hot wine ready! a women called back. Jana headed towards the voice. The hall led a short ways before opening up into a large central room, where the fire was indeed roaring. Animal-head trophies lined the walls, and an odd assortment of stuffed chairs and tables allowed ample opportunity for occupants to take advantage of the fire's warmth. A tall woman dressed in simple well-fitted white clothes had a clay mug of hot spiced wine in Jana's hands before she knew what had hit her, and she was quickly led over to a plank table where a similarly dressed blonde woman sat.

Look at you! The blonde clucked, managing to come surprising close to an exact impression of Aunt Tean. She had a farmwife's face, tan and lined, with startling grey-blue eyes a noblewoman would envy. Half frozen, and you're not just going to let her drip on the floor, are you Caer?

Give me a chance Tess, give me a chance! I wasn't going to wrestle her to the ground and strip her bare as soon as she stepped clear of the hall! Now, she said, walking around to where Jana could see her better, are you more my size or Tess's? If Tess brought to mind a farmwife then this Caer was a noble, Jana decided. A face shaped like a jeweler cut diamond and smooth skin, eyes of jade and dark hair that tumbled down to her shoulders and held a slight curl. Her eldest brother would have taken a single look at this one and beaten the father's door down asking for permission to come courting!

I think I am closer to your size, my lady, she replied. At least language wasn't the problem she'd feared. Jkatha and Rethwellan spoke nearly the same tongue, with only minor differences in the way some things were named. She'd been told that anyone who could make themselves understood in Rethwellan would have no trouble in Valdemar, but you never really knew until you'd seen a thing firsthand.

+

A candlemark later a very happy, warm and dry Jana sat lounging by the fire, her chair pulled so close the legs were actually resting on the red tiles of the hearth. She was wearing one of Caer's white silver-trimmed shirts, her own britches proving salvageable. Between the high boots and long coat, they had stayed fairly dry. Her boots were drying by the fire, a pair of shearing lined slippers serving to keep her feet warm in the meantime. They were several sizes too large, and slipped off if she wasn't careful how she moved her feet. A soft eiderdown was wrapped around her shoulders and piled high by her neck so that she could nuzzle her cheek against it in pure hedonistic bliss. I never thought I'd be this comfortable again . She had let the first cup of wine go cold while she enjoyed the feel of the warm cup under her hands, but a refill had been provided without complaint, and she sipped the berry flavored drink as she and Caer waited for Tess to return from checking on Vixen. The woman wouldn't hear of Jana going back out into the blizzard herself, not when they had only just finished defrosting her.

The sound of the front door slamming heralded Tess's return, Caer handing her a mug as she rejoined them in the central room.

It's really blowing out there! she said, grabbing an eiderdown of her own and settling down across from Jana and catty-corner to Caer. Your mare seems to be doing fine, and she's warm enough now that I took the blankets off her. I brought your coat back and hung it with the others in the entry.

Now then, Caer began, since it looks like we three will be spending some time together, perhaps we should get to know each other a little better. I was wondering if you would mind starting with why you were attempting the Comb in winter? Her tone was light and teasing, but Jana sensed steel hidden within the silk.

Jana had no intentions of telling the two the truth, no matter how nice they seemed. There was already a price on her head in Jkatha, no need to add Valdemar to that list as well! There was no reason why she couldn't share an edited version of it though, enough of a story to waylay their suspicions with raising more.

Would you believe I don't know? That earned her two identical expressions with raised left eyebrows, and she smothered a laugh before continuing. I've been traveling north ever since I left my home in southern Rethwellan, and I'm afraid my knowledge of the roads ended somewhere around Petras. I was told that the Valdemar Trade Road would take me around the Comb and clear to Haven, and I had every intention of staying on the road, truly I did! But then I saw a small trail leading off into the hills, and some spirit of adventure possessed me to forego common sense and take it. Six days later I was as lost as a Shin'a'in in Petras, it began to snow, and here I ended up.

Tess and Caer exchanged a look, seeming to communicate more then was possible in a single glance. Tess finally turned back to Jana.

So you were headed to Haven?

She shrugged. I thought I might stay in Haven for the winter, then continue on north. I've heard the merchant guards speak of Iftel, and how the border is passable now. That sounded an interesting place to visit.

They frowned, and gave each other another Look. I hope you are not offended by my doubt, Caer said, but it seems very strange for a young woman to be out alone with no weapons, and no real idea of where she's going.

I've no betrothed who will be riding up demanding my return if that's what you're worried about, and no guardsmen on my trail. Jana made her tone firm without spilling over into rudeness. She wanted to discourage prying without getting kicked out into the blizzard. I wanted adventure, and there were few possibilities for me in my home village that I favored. I perhaps should have taken note of how many Bard's tales ended with the adventuring hero dead or dying, but I've managed this far and I can manage farther.

I suppose that's as much information as we have a right too, Tess said slowly, while her expression stated exactly the opposite. Still, it's a miracle you made it this far - do you realize you're almost clear of the Comb? - and I think you have a very interesting story to tell someday. Now, as you've already gathered, I'm Tess and this is Caer. We're both Heralds, in service to the Queen of Valdemar.

Like guardsmen? Jana asked. She had heard of the Heralds of Valdemar, but other then their tendency to parade around dressed like archery targets, the stories hadn't had much detail as to who they were and what they did.

Caer thought on the question a moment before answering. A little like guardsmen, yes, in that we help keep the peace and join in on fighting during times of war. But we also serve to gather and carry information for the Queen, enforce the law and dispense justice when needed.

Like bringing the government to the people instead of the other way around? It was a good idea, once you thought about it. She had never been allowed to go with her father when he met with the outlying vassals, since that was man's work and not a future lady's concern, but her brothers had always come back rich with tales to tell. One of the underlying themes to most of their stories was that a watched pot rarely boils over. Troubles quickly seen to were troubles quickly resolved, but leaving the people to stew for a year while they waited for the lord's return could mean bloodshed.


Yes, that is a good analogy. Each Herald who isn't on a special assignment - such as teaching at the Collegium, or the Herald Chronicler - regularly goes out on circuit, traveling from town to town. New Heralds spend their first circuit with a more experienced Herald, to better learn the job. This is Tess's first time on circuit since she was given her Whites. We were nearly at the end of our circuit when this storm hit.

We'll be heading back to Haven as soon as the weather is safe to travel, Tess added. You are more than welcome to ride back with us if you wish, though the trip may not go as quickly as it would if you rode alone

Thank you very much for the offer! Slow or not, you won't see the end of me until Haven. Guides! Knowledgeable, well armed guides I don't have to pay! Jana could have kissed either woman right then and there, but settled for a restrained smile.

Finally, things were starting to look up.




+

It was nearly midnight when Caer slipped quietly out the door of the old hunting lodge, leaving the mysterious Jana curled up in an armchair and Tess snoring away like one of the artificer's steam contraptions in their bed. The snow had stopped an hour before, leaving the night crystal sharp and bright under the moonlight. The snow crunching under her boots sounded disproportionally loud in the silent night, but there wasn't any sneaking up on Melli anyway.

:: You should be in bed :: her Companion chided, knowing that Caer would ignore her as was her usual. Her mind-voice carried overtones of the joy of a warm bed on a cold night, almost as though she was overlaying a picture on her words. Caer walked over to hand-comb Melli's mane, her favorite mindless activity to indulge in when she was trying to think things through.

With the way Tess snores? If I recall, you've opted to spend more then one night out in the snow rather then share close quarters with her in a way station.

:: Are you two spreading lies about my Chosen again? :: Gavin yawned, propped his forelegs out in front of him as though he was considering getting up, then thought better of it and settled himself back down in the straw. Caer still wasn't sure if having her bondmate's Companion speak freely to her was a blessing or curse. Sometimes just having one sarcastic horse in her head was more then she could handle. For that matter, she still wondered if she wouldn't have been happier being just plain in love' and not lifebonded.

:: Of course, :: Melli joked. :: Tess sleeps quietly, fish fly and cats bark at the moon. :: Gavin flattened his ears for a moment, and Melli tossed her head, blue eyes bright with laughter.

:: You're worried about the little traveler, :: Gavin said, making it a statement.

Something doesn't add up about her, and I don't mean the obvious. When Melli had alerted her to a visitor in the barn, she'd assumed the girl would be a mercenary of some sort, or a mage. Someone you could reasonably expect to have the wits and skills to make it through such a nasty storm. But when the youngling came walking in the room, Caer had barely been able to cover her shock. Jana couldn't be past her sixteenth naming day, if that, and about as ruggedly built as a dyheli fawn. Those hands were too soft for her to be anything but noble or mage born, and the only weapon she could lay claim to was an eating knife carefully packed away in her bags. How the girl had managed to stay alive on the roads from South Rethwellan to here was past either Tess or Caer's understanding.

:: We are most certainly not hearing the entire story, Chosen. Although I do not feel that she is any threat. ::

:: Nor do I, :: Gavin agreed. :: But yes, she is holding back no few small details ::

Caer frowned as she worked out a particularly nasty tangle. Really, she sometimes thought Gavin helped Melli make a mess of herself just to give Caer something to do. Running from something? Or someone. I don't suppose there's anything either one of you cares to share with me? Both Companions stayed silent, but exchanged glances. Telltale guilty glances. she prodded. You both know I'll stand her all blessed night and poke you incessantly if need be.

:: She is a mage. Untrained, but with adept potential, :: Melli admitted, after the silence had gone on too long.

She probably could have worked that snarl free without yanking out quite so much hair, but it got her point across to Melli. How did the Companions know these things sometimes? She was half convinced they were all mages themselves. Untrained mage as in she might accidentally light our campfires without warning or mage as in might accidentally flatten a town without warning?

:: I do not think you have cause to worry. She has shields around herself that are very strong - but I also do not think she even knows they are there. ::

Someone else put them there?

:: Or if she did something with magic to traumatize herself while young, :: Gavin answered, :: and then put them in place unconsciously to stop the bad' things from reoccurring. ::

That's possible? Well then, I could see that. We've certainly seen enough Trainees come in that have done similar things with their Gifts. Remember that Holderkin boy last midsummer? And if she falls into that category, she may not even remember the bad' thing. She sighed. Why can't anything ever be simple?

:: Because if it was, you'd be bored out of your mind within a sevenday ::

She smacked Melli lightly on the shoulder. That was a rhetorical question, horse. How is her mare doing, anyway? She stood up on her toes to get a better look over Melli's back, spotting the horse over in the far corner by the chirras. Wasn't she supposed to be in the stall next to you?

:: I let her out. She seems to enjoy the chirras' company more then she does our own. Poor thing, she was on her last legs when she came in, but she seems to be doing much better now. ::

Yes, she does look better. She went over to take a closer look. The bright sorrel was dozing on her feet, obviously not comfortable enough with the strange surroundings to lay down for a deeper dream-sleep. The sound of Caer's footsteps brought her to attention, head swinging around to fix one large eye on the approaching woman. She didn't retreat further into the stall, but she didn't come forward for a greeting either. The mare was underweight, not terribly, but enough for Caer to catch the outline of her ribs with each rising breathe and note the too prominent hipbones. She was recently shod, the even and well-set clinches speaking of a job well done and an above average farrier. Jana must have opened her purse strings quite a bit for that job. Ridden hard, but well cared for. She certainly is a fine little thing. Purebred Shin'a'in? she asked, walking back over to Melli.

:: Most certainly purebred. It shows in her head. See how wide set her eyes are? There's a brain between those foxy little ears, :: Melli said. :: If she is a cull, then she must have come from the most discriminating clan to ever set foot on the plains. :: It was a source of much amusement to the Companion that Caer always asked her opinion of horseflesh. Caer maintained that there was no better way to get information then to go to the source, and she had learned a great deal from Melli in the years since being chosen. She was just careful to never share how it was she came to her knowledge. She still hadn't lived down the hawking incident, no need to give the other Heralds even more joke fodder,

Then either our little traveler is a thief, or she comes from some means. Somehow I doubt the former, she doesn't have the physical constitution for that line of work. She sighed, leaning into Melli's shoulder and enjoying the warmth of the Companion's body. Curious and curiouser. I do hope our find decides to talk to us before we reach Haven.

:: As do I Chosen, as do I. ::