Heyla! Can't believe it's already past Christmas... don't blame me, even now I'm putting off a science project just for you. *glares reproachfully at anyone who dares complain*
So, here's why Meyra freaks whe Cal starts talking about wings. Oh, and Meyra's PoV.
***
'I'm an Empath?' The expression on Leran's face was rather amusing, and given that he wasn't really shielding, what Meyra (and probably Cal) was reading was that he thought Empath sounded, well, girly. She nearly laughed.
'Of course,' Cal managed, keeping a straight face. 'Like the Queen's Own Talia from a few generations back. In this area, of course, Talia was well heard of, being where her trader friend spent his winters. No male would call her Gift girly. 'And of course, the last Herald-Mage, Vanyel Ashkevron.'
Leran looked slightly dazed, his Gift had gone from girly to the epitome of amazing. 'Demonsbane had Empathy?'
'I could recite what he had, but that would take a while. Or, in his own words, Mage-Gift, Mindspeech, Farsight, Fetching, Firestarting (minor), Healing (minor), Bardic gift (minor) and Foresight, every Gift but sanity. I remember that someone had recorded him saying that.'
'And I called Cal here,' declared Meyra, sounding amused, 'Mistress-of-Gifts because she has all those Gifts except the non-Heraldic ones and Firestarting. And the addition of sanity.' Leran looked awed.
'But usually Heralds only have one or two Gifts. Mindspeech to the level that they can 'speak their Companion – Talia didn't even have that – and maybe another one.'
Leran's Companion nudged him in the small of his back and snorted. 'Ah, Parach says it's time to leave for Haven now, and that we can talk later.'
'You do that,' Meyra agreed. 'The omnipresent Companions know what's best for us, after all.' All three Companions affixed her with a Look, but she just stuck her tongue out at them.
'Well,' Cal said as the boy left, 'time to go explain to your parents why we were late and why my Companion has red all over his coat.'
Meyra chuckled. 'Let's get moving, guys.'
***
:How much further? I'm so tired I can't even move my lips, so I'm 'speaking this.:
Meyra chuckled. :Only half a mark-ish. Maybe less, Companions are faster then ordinary horses.: Josh snorted as if he had heard that. Of course, it might have been that Daecia had relayed that back to him.
A drowsy half mark later, Calsa sat up suddenly. 'Whazat?' she asked, words slurring tiredly.
'Huh?' Meyra listened for a few minutes, then turned back. 'You got good ears, Cal. That's my brother, the horrible Raen.' She smiled wearily. 'Fighting is tiring, did you know that?'
'Yes. Actually, I think Tor's worse, just after Tor's done with us, back in the Collegium, that is, we get to go relax for a bit.'
'Never thought I'd agree with you on that one.' They were still silent, the only sounds they made the chimming of the silver hooves. For a while.
'Hi Meyra!' called an overly energetic voice. 'Why so tired? Someone keeping you up?' She was too tired to answer, but that didn't stop Calsa from afixing her brother with one of those stoney eyed looks normally only used by Weaponsmasters and reserved for their more waywards students more hopeless moments.
Raen's grin faded and he hesitated, and Meyra received a sense of satisfaction from Cal. 'You know him?' the other girl asked, tone piteous.
'My brother Raen, actually,' she stated unnecessarily.
'Ah,' was Cal's only comment. Raen's confidence quickly returned when she didn't say anything else, and he immediately started reciting everything all their family and mutual friends had gotten into. Cal rode alongside them in stony silence, silver eyes searching for any hint of an ambush.
'And Silverstar made Adept! Just yesterday!' Meyra smiled with pride in her older sister's accomplishments, but immediately sobered as she remembered the accident that had enabled them. The accident the day of her Choosing.
:It wasn't your fault, beloved,: came Daecia's Mindvoice, unusually solemn. :It wasn't anyone's fault. Your sister know's that, and she doesn't blame you.:
:But I do,: Meyra responded. How could Daecia understand? It had been her idea to go look for those last few berries… 'I knew she'd do it,' she answered Raen. 'Adept at thirty? Now that I wasn't expecting.'
'I always was unexpected,' came a soft voice to her right. 'Even by our beloved parents.' Silverstar winked at the reference to her somewhat illegimate past, brushing the prematurely silver hair out of her face. 'So, who's your friend.'
'Well, I'm sure you know Raen,' Silver grinned, 'and the silent one to my right,' Cal inclined her head graciously, 'is Herald-Mage Trainee Calsa.'
'Stronger Mage-Gift than you, sister-mine. Now there's a surprise.' Cal smiled, apparently having taken a liking to Silver.
As they reached the farmhouse, she saw her parents again. Willowy Ayria's green eyes and stocky Morten's blue ones sparkled with pride at the sight of their daughter astride a Companion. Ayria dusted her hands on her apron and reached out to hug her. 'My daughter all grown up,' she sighed.
***
'Meyra,' Silverstar called, 'are you busy?' She wasn't, and was currently watching Calsa's hopelessness with fascination. The girl had never cooked when she was younger, and Ayria was determined to remedy that. So she was up to her elbows in flour and had a smudge of it under her nose, but obviously enjoying herself.
Still, upon hearing Meyra's name she looked up curiously, only resuming when she saw Meyra nod back. When in Haven's name did she get so protective? Now there's a stupid question, after she sent us charging into that viper's nest. She pulled herself up to see what it was that Silver wanted.
'A walk, perhaps?' She nodded, trying to guess what it was that her sister wanted. They walked in silence, through the field of corn, ears starting to swell. Meyra breathed in deeply, enjoying the earth smell of the farm. It had been too long since she was last home.
Once past the fields, they walked into the shady forest, the cooler air nice after the warm sun. she looked around and could see no changes since the last time she had been here. Then her gaze rested on one spot in particular.
'No,' she whispered, stepping back a few paces. 'No.'
-- She was twelve again, and Silver was twenty-four. Ayria had been planning on making some jam, and they had already gotten most of the berries. 'Why don't we get the ones in the forest,' Meyra had asked. Silver had agreed to come too.
It was shady then too, and they dallied in the forest to cool off. Once they reached the berries, they weren't paying much attention to anything, so the bear came as a surprise. It was a great lumbering thing, no danger at all, but they had jumped back all the same, jumped back into –
- a Changecircle.
They were trapped there for who knows how long, molten fire pouring through them, agony making time pass slower. Silverstar had already reached Master, so she tried to channel the worst of it away, but not without the magic burning her channels wider and bleaching her hair to a Tayledras white and her eyes to blue.
burned through Meyra, and since she had no channels, it awoke her Gifts, not changing her appearance. They were there till Daecia had come, come and pulled them out.
And there was one other change, a change that the three of them, Meyra, Silver and Daecia, had kept secret from all others.- -
'Meyra,' came Silverstar's voice, calling her back to reality. 'You'll have to face it someday.'
'No! I don't!' she shouted.
'Yes you do,' that calm voice replied. 'I already have.'
'But why? Why?'
'Because until you do,' Silver stated angerly, 'it will be a weakness that can be used against you. A weakness that should be a strength.'
'No,' Meyra wept, falling down on her knees, 'no.' A slight shimmer enveloped Silver, and she knelt down to put an arm – an arm and a silvery wing – around her sister, holding her as she wept.
She finally stopped, and looked up to her sister. 'Do they work? I mean, can they be used to fly with?'
She smiled slightly. 'You haven't even been curious enough to try that?' she responded in mock-surpirse. 'Well then you can find out for yourself. Up!' Meyra returned the smile shakily, then concentrated on letting down the barriers she had built so long ago. The shimmer encircled her, and when it dispersed, her black-brown wings touched her sister's silver ones. She spread them hesitantly, then beat them a few time expirementaly. They leaped up into the sky, past the trees, past the highest branches.
Flying is fun…
***
Shadowwalker: So? Like? No like? Want to implant my head upon a sharp stick and use it to warn others? (hopefully not that last).
Winddancer: Let us know by pressing that oh-so-pretty button at the bottom of the screen.
Sunwing: Chirp!
