Author's note: Hey, guys. Dominic and True_Blue, glad you're back; I was getting worried there. Hey, Psycho, nice to hear from you.
In a week or so there'll be an AU version of Torn in Two going up on my website; I wrote it on request, but I'm not posting it here.
The rating's a little higher on this one, guys, though you won't need it till the last chapter; implied nastyness ahoy!
Releasing Demons
Beginnings
The party on the Animarium had ended. Most of the Rangers had either gone to bed or were asleep in the courtyard. Cole was out talking to the Lion. Princess Shayla had returned to the fountain, and Merrick had gone back to Willie's. Alyssa looked around and nodded—everything was normal.
Or almost everything. Tara was sitting by the fountain.
It wasn't unusual to see her on the Animarium, but she rarely spent the night; she preferred to go back to her own house, especially since her departure and return. Sometimes the Rangers compromised by having their parties there, but usually she just asked someone to take her home.
"Tara?" Alyssa asked softly. "Do you want to go home?"
"No. Thank you, no."
"Are you all right?" She knelt beside Tara, who hadn't looked away from the fountain.
"Yes. The fountain reminds me of someone I knew, that's all."
"Who was it?" Tara didn't answer for a moment.
"I told you once that I choose not to fall in love."
"Yes."
"I haven't always." She sat in silence for a long moment. Finally Alyssa sighed softly.
"You don't have to tell me."
"No, but…I would like to."
"Go ahead." Alyssa said instantly, shifting so she was sitting next to her.
"It was…a long time ago. Before I visited Animaria; in fact, it was why I visited Animaria…"
This country is a lot like home was, Thariin thought to herself. Trees everywhere…and all untouched by men.
She'd been in this country for some weeks now, having wandered to its' shores. She hadn't visited here in a long time.
And the last time it was nothing. A lump of rock. I much prefer it this way. She nodded slowly. We were good for this country.
"Hello, camp!" a voice called, disturbing her from her thoughts. "Anyone there?"
Thariin sat up on her tree branch. "Who's there?"
"A traveller! May I come in?"
"If you want." She dropped lightly out of the tree and was kneeling demurely over her pot when the man came within sight.
"Nice spot." he said approvingly.
"Thank you. Would you like something to eat? I was just about to."
"Thank you, I would. What are you having?"
"Rabbit stew."
"My favourite." She smiled.
"I haven't a spare plate; do you have one?"
"I do. Let me…now where is it…ah. Here." He held out a battered plate. Smiling, she loaded it with stew and he settled to eat it.
"Mmm…thank you."
"You're welcome." Filling her own plate, Thariin settled to eat it, carefully examining her companion at the same time.
["Hold it!" Alyssa said suddenly.
"What?" Tara asked.
"You told me you couldn't cook."
"No, I told you I don't cook. And I don't, not on a cooker or microwave. Let me at that fire and I'll cook you a feast. But I don't cook indoors."
"Oh." Alyssa nodded slowly. "Right. Sorry. Go on."
"Where was…oh yes, I was examining my new companion, wasn't I…"]
He was older than she was; maybe twenty or a little younger. Scratch that…he's older than I *look*. I still have a lot of years on him. He's cute, though.
Thick brown hair topped a gentle face, with piercing eyes in a very deep blue. He was taller than she was, dressed in clothes fine enough to scream, 'Nobility!' But he wasn't wearing any jewellery, and that was unusual; at this time, in this place, everyone wore jewellery.
"Have you finished?" He hadn't looked up from his plate.
"Excuse me?"
"Have you finished looking at me? You're making me self-conscious." Thariin grinned, looking away.
"You mean you're not used to it yet?" When she looked back he was studying her.
"You don't know who I am, do you."
"No. I only came here recently."
"Where from?"
"I don't think the name would mean anything to you."
"Try me."
"Gaul."
"Oh, yes. Past Brittania, right? The Romans rule there, I hear." She nodded.
"Yes. I like it much better here."
"Why?" She gestured around them.
"Romans don't like trees. They cut them down whenever they can. I prefer to have trees around me."
"I sympathise with the Romans, although I wouldn't cut them down for no reason."
"How can you say that?" Absently, she scooped out a second helping of stew for each of them.
"Look around you." He gestured. "The Romans are soldiers and they fight on level ground. In the forest you can't see more than a few feet."
"So that gives them the right to destroy a beautiful, living creature?" He frowned. "Trees are alive, you know. Not alive like us, but they feel and react, they breathe and grow…"
"You're not comparing a human being to a tree?" Thariin's eyes flashed.
"Why not?"
The boy laughed. "It's obviously…"
"Look behind you." Thariin interrupted him. The boy turned and saw…
"Trees. I can see trees any time."
"No. Look at them." She moved to kneel beside him, pointing carefully. "See the way the branches bend?"
"Yes."
"Now look under them. See the sapling there? The bigger tree protects it from the wind and rain, keeps it safe. How is that different from a human parent with a child?"
"It's a tree." He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "It's just a tree."
"You're an idiot." she muttered, lifting her plate again.
"You really don't know who I am."
"Should I?" He shook his head quickly.
"No, not at all. I just…at home most people know who I am."
"When I lived at home everyone knew who I was. It got…restricting, after a while." Thariin looked away, occupying herself with clearing up her plate.
"Is that why you're here? Gaul is a long way for a girl to come." She shrugged.
"I was bored at home. And there was no one left there anyway. So I came."
"I heard," he scrunched closer to her, "that the Romans don't let their girls do anything without a man's permission."
"That's true."
"So how'd you get out here on your own?"
"I'm not Roman. So I don't really care what they think."
"Not…Then what were you doing in Gaul?"
"I wanted to see what it was like."
"And you just…went. All by yourself?"
"Why not?" She looked up at him.
"Well, 'cos you're…you're…"
"What? A girl?"
"No! Well, yes, I mean obviously you're a girl," he gave her a slow, appreciative look to match his tone, "but I was going to say you're young."
"I'm older than I look." She put her plate back in her pack and looked at him. "Are you staying?"
"What?"
"Staying for the night or moving on?"
"Uh—staying, I guess, if you don't mind. It'll be dark soon."
"Why would I mind? Just don't chop down any trees." He nodded.
"Do you have a name?" he asked suddenly.
"Many."
"Do you want to tell me?"
"Which one would you like?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"You don't have to tell me. I just don't want to be calling you 'hey you' all night."
"Were you going to be talking to me all night?" Seeing the look on his face, she laughed and relented. "All right. You can call me…Deirbhile."
"Deirbhile. I'm Cerbhall."
"Ker-Vall." she repeated carefully. "What does it mean?"
"Brave in battle." She laughed. "What? My father's idea. He's Cathal."
"Ka-hal?"
"Strong in war."
"Of course." She smiled. "Pre-emptive naming."
"What?" She lay back, linking her hands behind her head.
"There are places where children aren't named until they're well into their teens. That way, their names can be tailored to them. And then there are places, like here, where children are named for what their parents want them to be."
"So why Deirbhile?"
"I like the name." She rolled over, looking past the fire at him. "Are you brave in battle?"
"Don't know. I've never been in battle." He shrugged. "I like to think I would be."
"Very few men are brave in battle." She looked straight into the fire. "Almost no one remembers why they're fighting…it's just, 'He's trying to kill me, I'd better kill him first.' But not so coherent."
"And the ones who do remember?" Cerbhall asked softly.
"Those are the ones you need to watch out for. If they're not affected, they're dangerous."
"Dangerous." She looked back at him.
"You've never been in a battle? When you have, you'll understand." With that she rolled onto her other side and closed her eyes. Cerbhall shifted onto his back, linking his hands behind his head, and stared up at the stars.
