Chapter Two- Meetings and Discoveries

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Firedance mentally sighed as he was, once again, looked over by one of his soon-to-be teachers. Firesong had finally appeared out of his miniature Vale, which was somewhere in the Companion's Field. Now, the Adept that had helped save everyone from the worst of the Mage Storms was here, looking over Firedance like one would a horse.

"…How much do you know of magic?" Firesong asked.

"I passed my Master's Trial only days before the first of the Mage Storms occurred," Firedance replied. "But since then I haven't touched on the ley-lines very much. I've left all but the Journeymen magicks to the Adepts in my Vale. They're trying to set up their own ley-lines to the Heartstone so we can keep and harness the power we once had."

"A good enough answer. Are you willing to continue?" Firesong turned away to look out Firedance's window, peering out casually at the Field. "I can take the magic from you, if you wish."

"No," Firedance replied firmly. "I have a feeling that my Vale will need as many Mages as possible. The only reason they sent me here was all of the Adepts back home are too busy gathering ley-lines."

"I see."

The young Tayledras frowned. It seemed like Firesong wanted him to continue; but what was there to say? He had to help his Vale, even if he didn't particularly like the idea of actually touching a powerful node.

Firedance didn't mind using magic; he found it very helpful in many situations. However, the idea of touching something more powerful than a ley-line chilled him.

But I have the power to continue, even if I personally don't want to, he thought. Worry about the Vale first; when everything is finally settled, then you can consider never using the magic again. As long as you can control it.

After another moment, Firedance said, "To be honest, I'll probably never want to use Adept magic, after my Vale is back to normal. But I'd rather get it in control, help out, then forget instead of trying to rid myself of the magic and watch my Vale struggle because they are a Mage short. Or worse, have them use a younger Mage who isn't ready, and ends up being injured from attempting to do what I could do with ease."

"Again, a fair answer. Very well." Firesong turned back. "K'Shira… You are near k'Treva, as I recall. How is it that we never met?"

"We did meet, though under different names. Besides, we're a generation apart," Firedance replied. "Or almost so."

Firesong winced. "Ouch. That hurt, you know, being called old. What was your old name?"

"I was called Skydance. A decent name, but I earned my new one."

"Skydance.. Skydance… Ah!" Firesong snapped his fingers. "The one quick on his feet, eh? I remember you! You were about ten or so, weren't you? Showing off and dancing so quickly no one could keep up with you."

Firedance smiled. "That's right."

"Well, in that case, glad to meet you again." Firesong reached a hand up to scratch at his mask absently. "When would you like to start your lessons, Firedance?"

"Whenever."

"Ach, never say that to your teachers! We will give you lessons on the spot, you know!" Firesong smiled beneath the mask. "Very well. In that case, you may start by whatever warm ups you were taught in your Vale. Switch to Oversight, as I will, and we shall see how you manage working so near the Palace's Heartstone."

Trying to ignore that last part, Firedance obeyed. He gave a mental little twist to his eyes, and when he blinked, everything was suddenly glowing different shades of green. To him, even the stones that made up the walls in his room were very faintly glowing with hints of life, or former life.

Next, he felt for a nearby ley-line. A small one, as small as possible. But to his dismay, all of the ley-lines in and near the Palace were "huge", pulsing with more life than he usually worked with. Giving a small, barely audible sigh, he cautiously connected to one that was a little farther away from the Palace's Heartstone than the others were. He braced himself for the sudden rush of power, and thanked the gods for his common sense; if he hadn't been prepared, he may well have been lost in the initial rush of the moment, like a pupil trying to go through his Master Trial.

Then, the young Tayledras searched for some simple things to "lift" with his magical abilities. He picked a book in a nearby shelf, and used his magic to push it up into the air. Then, keeping it in place, he worked to lift another item, a little bit smaller. He ended up lifting a feather from his former bondbird, Eyan.

That brought an unexpected pang of sadness. Firesong, he knew, had a bondbird back in his small Vale; Darkwind's had been hunting.

Eyan.. beak opened in a last attempt at breathing before succumbing to the cool darkness known as death… Firedance, kneeling over him and sobbing like a child over a lost best friend…

Firedance firmly told himself to stop it, shoving aside the painful memories, and went back to work.

After a few more minutes, his warm ups were completed, his mental muscles stretched, and he returned to the "real" world.

Firesong took a moment longer than Firedance did, no doubt making sure everything was still in place before coming back to give his new pupil a look of approval. "Well done," he said. "I Felt an odd emotion from you at one point, but you managed to deal with that on your own."

"It's still hard not to get distracted by random thoughts," Firedance admitted.

"It always is," Firesong agreed. "But the results of ignoring those thoughts are worthwhile, are they not?"

The young man nodded.

"Very well, let's move on to the actual lesson…"

Firedance found that, while Firesong was a hard teacher, he was a good one as well. By the end of the first lesson, which took about two hours, the young Tayledras was exhausted, but felt a glow of accomplishment at being able to do what Firesong had requested of him.

At the end, Firedance allowed his shields to diminish until only the thinnest of them remained, and leaned against the bed for support. Firesong watched him for a moment before pushing himself off the floor, where both had been seated during the lesson.

"Very impressive, young one. Especially for a first. Perhaps your teachers in K'Shira require you to know more before you take your Master's Trial than in k'Treva." Firesong thought for a moment, then said, "I believe Darkwind will lesson you tomorrow. For now, wash up and head down to the Court. You are to be presented to the Queen of Valdemar tonight." He gave Firedance a sly look. "You do realize what being ahead of others in your group means, correct?"

Group? Oh, that's right… they teach Heralds and other students, too. Huh. Wonder why I wasn't in a group for my first lesson.

"You're probably wondering why you were alone this time," Firesong said. "Well, for the first lessons, especially for one who is already partially trained, we like to see how you do before we pair you with any other person or group. However, you are the only one that appears to be this far… you will have to tutor, instead of learn with your group for a time." He smiled. "You will tutor the Journeymen levels, and after, you will take lessons either from Darkwind or myself."

Is that a good thing? Firedance wondered. But he didn't let this show; he merely said, "Yes, Firesong."

"You know the way down to the official Throne room?" At Firedance's hesitant nod, Firesong said, "Good. Ask if you get lost, but I believe you'll be fine. Dinner and such will be in about a candlemark."

Firesong headed towards the door, but then paused. "If you like to make a show of yourself, call your bondbird. The Valdemarans seem to love things that are extravagant." He chuckled a little.

Firedance, however, was not laughing. He stood, frozen, as though someone had just dumped a bucket of ice cold water on his head. His face was immediately drained of all color, leaving him almost as pale as a Companion.

However, the words that were spoken next were even, calm. "I don't have a bondbird with me. Thanks all the same."

"Do you?" To Firedance's relief, Firesong didn't comment further, though the young Tayledras got an abrupt look from his teacher. "Hmm. Well, I'll see you in a candlemark."

Firedance nodded. Then, when his teacher left his room, he let his head drop into his hands.

Oh, Goddess… My poor Eyan, killed by a cold-drake…

When he finally managed to push his feelings aside, he had only half a candlemark left before the dinner. With that thought in mind, he hurriedly washed, then dressed in a clean outfit.

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A/N: I felt kind of guilty, since I mostly wrote about Rhia last time. After all, it is partially his story, too! Hope you enjoyed.