16. Resistance

Over the next few days I kept to the family house of the tribe's leader. None of the villagers spoke voluntarily with me, and when I reached out to them, they shrank away. Something was wrong. The two mystics of the White Tiger clan had yet to summon us, and I was beginning to feel impatient. Then one night I went to bed, only to wake up in a room completely different than the one from the day before. Disoriented, I grabbed for my sword and came up with nothing. Heart pounding, I got up from the pallet on a stone floor.

It was a cave - that much was clear. Pulling on my tunic and boots, I cautiously moved to the door. Unlocked. It led to a much larger room, lined with identical wooden doors. Frustrated and unarmed, I cursed under my breath.

"A little lost?"

Jumping out of my skin, I whirled to see Anita standing four doors down with a torch.

"How did we get here? One minute I'm in Cairo, the next, I'm waking up who-knows-where."

Her smile was apologetic. "We put you to sleep and carried you here. We could not let an outsider see the path to our sanctuary."

My jaw clenched. "I understand your concern for security, but you could have at least asked before drugging me."

"My father ordered it. Now come. They are waiting."

They I assumed were the two who had predicted our coming, and of Keladry's, and who-knows-what else. I followed Anita down the row of doors and entered the sixth. To my surprise, the enormous passage was lit with natural light that had been reflected by mirrors from outside. The endless stone walls had been painted with deeds of past heroes and deities. Each god or goddess represented had some sort of animal characteristic - a fierce, blinding white tiger watched them all.

"What is this?"

"These are the gods of my people."

"And why is the tiger simply standing to the side?"

She glanced sideways at me, torch light dancing shadows across her face. "It is what my people do - have done for millennium. We've maintained a balance between the tribes and the gods to stave off disaster."

I looked over my shoulder at the glowing golden eyes of the majestic cat.

We entered a chamber decorated in white and purple. In the center of the room stood a raised dais with two throne-like chairs made from what looked like carved green stone. An old woman and man sat side by side, their white hair streaked occasionally with black and falling part way over their shoulders.

"Seers Thoth and Nut, I bring you Domitan."

The woman raised milky eyes to look in our direction.

"Ah yes, the one from the South. We've been expecting you."

Black eyes of the man pierced mine. "Everything is now in motion."

Irritated at the cryptic tones, I made a conscious effort to keep my eyes from rolling.

"With all respect, I've been hearing that sort of thing ever since I arrived in Cairo with Lady Karr. Could you please be a little more clear? Just what is in motion?"

The woman I assumed was Nut laughed. "Young ones these days are so impatient."

The man nodded. "But he does deserve to know."

Nut nodded. "That he does." Her sightless eyes closed. "Young Domitan, how loyal are you to this Protector of the Small?"

I swallowed hard. "I would give my life without second thought if it meant saving her."

The two seers smiled. "Such blindness, devoted love..."

Thoth held out his hand. "Come here."

Cautiously I stepped forward and gave him my hand.

"You must listen and be patient. Keladry is not in harm's way. Not yet. But things have begun simply with her presence here with Maggur the Red. Danger and chaos are approaching."

Tingles ran up my arm.

"What do I do to stop it?"

Nut's smile saddened. "You cannot."

I nearly jerked away, but the woman's hand darted out to grab the collar of my shirt.

"You cannot stop a grass fire. However, sometimes a fire is healthy. New growth does not have to struggle past the old. This is why you are here. Wait till the fire is over."

"What about Keladry?"

"She will start the fire. Only she can make the choices which will lead to her own death, or lead us to a new life."

"And am I expected to simply stand to the side and watch her?"

"Your presence here is a hope to us. That she has such loyal friends from her home country means that she has compassion - something which Maggur the Red has not."

Thoth nodded towards the doorway. "You saw the history of our people on the way here. Our gods are not as strong as yours. We are divided by pettiness. They have given us this last test to prove ourselves worthy of their concern." He smiled sadly. "They gave us a prophecy. Instead of uniting our people, we became divided."

Nut continued. "The tribes were once on harmonious grounds with one another. The Lynx clan were Scanra's warriors, prideful of their bodily strength. The Stags were our craftsmen and scholars. They were interested in beauty and knowledge. The Vipers were a wary and secretive tribe, skeptical and cautious in everything they involved themselves in, from personal interactions, to tribal alliances. But they were the ideal informants in times of battle. Our tribe, the White Tiger were the mouthpiece of the Scanran gods. We presented judgment and opinion in the future of Scanra as a whole. The overseers of a nation made of independents. The other tribes have had their wars with one another over centuries, but they always came to us in the end to solve their differences. We kept our distance, waiting and watching. The Black Hawk tribe are fierce warriors, but were also our messengers. Not even the Viper clan could carry information as quickly as a Hawk."

The seer sighed. "Now it has all changed. The balance has shifted dangerously and the gods abandon us. The Protector is our last hope - we could not even be given a savior from our own people. The Viper's greed overtook them with the rise of Maggur. The Lynx wish to prove themselves as the greatest fighting force of the North. The Stags have turned their crafts to creating weapons of destruction - beautiful and deadly. All that we may do is watch and wait for the final judgment."

The complete resignation in their tone made my frustration boil over. If they were their deities' voices, how could they not speak out against the atrocities that their so-called-leader had committed? Maggur had slaughtered innocent children. Started a war in the name of Scanra based on a misinterpreted vision. And yet they remained silent, hidden up in these mountains, waiting for their country to be abandoned - not even trying to prove themselves to the gods who watched over them. My fists clenched and I growled.

"You fools! You spend all your time merely watching the wars and suffering of others - holding your distance and pretending to be above all of it. When they come crawling back, torn to shreds, you play the forgiving lord when you've done nothing! Nothing! It's no wonder your gods have given up on you."

Anita stared agape at me. I had probably just blown my chance at making some agreement for their help in rescuing Keladry, but it didn't really matter - she would never want help from hypocrites. Thoth and Nut calmly nodded.

"Yes, our gods are leaving us to our own ends. The White Tiger clan has indeed been watching from afar for longer than what was good for us. We are not deities, simply a tired mouthpiece which will now speak for itself. A tiger still is a tiger, with teeth and claws of its own. It shall be proven."

I blinked at the sudden power in their voices.

Nut waved her hand and a tapestry drew back to reveal an opening to the outside. A black eagle glided inside, landing gracefully on Thoth's outstretched arm. The razor sharp talons shredded cloth but did not scratch the man's skin.

"We received a message from the Black Hawk tribe a few days ago. This worked hand in hand with the visions from the Powers. We knew of your coming, we knew of the Key. Events have begun which cannot be stopped and that the White Tiger must become a part of."

I sighed, completely exasperated at the riddles of these people.

"Would you mind horribly if you simply told me what's going on?"

The two ordained ones of the tribe smiled at me with a slightly parental air.

"Maggur must fall. Revolution has begun."

888

I hadn't given the White Tiger clan enough credit. They were well prepared for a war, as if they had simply been waiting for a final signal to declare action. Anita said that the signal had been my arrival, heralded by the message of the Black Hawks. No action had been made previously due to the fact that no one knew if the Blood Bond could be overcome and the word of the Hawks genuine. The odds were still not the best, two tribes against a possible three, but I was willing to take them if it meant a better chance at finding Keladry. There had been some word that the people may rise to our cause. The fighting forces were the only ones under Maggur's direct influence.

I was back to waiting. If I had hated inaction earlier, I absolutely loathed it now. On the verge of actually finding my lady knight, I could do nothing but wait. One step forwards, then tied down. The sparrows who were still loyally fluttering after me seemed to benefit from the lull. Nari and Quicksilver had stoically endured the fierce cold, but it had clearly been sapping their energy. Now they chirped to one another, bouncing down the stone corridors and hunting the subterranean insects which Jump stirred up by sniffing in shadowed crevices. Peachblossom I had been told was well stabled back in Cairo. We would pick him up on the way to the Eire of Horus.

Anita Karr smiled when I joined her on a balcony carved out of the living rock, overlooking the hollow which nested Cairo. We were only a day's walk from the town, but so high above it that the view stretched clear for miles.

"So what do you think? Was this the sort of homecoming you expected?"

She had tied back her curling blond hair with a blue ribbon but the steady wind was tugging it loose. With a sigh, she began twisting it into a braid.

"I expected never to return."

I frowned. "But you hate what Maggur did to you. He had your husband killed."

Her eyes darkened. "My husband was a wonderful man. He believed in my sight, even when it brought ridicule upon him. I loved him for that. After he died, the tribes were severed from one another. I lost more than just my husband and family."

"What?"

Anita simply shook her head and did not answer.

Leon, still wrapped in the white tiger skin, approached us.

"Domitan, do you have any faith in the Powers?"

Startled at the abrupt question, I stuttered, "Powers? What do you mean?"

Anita's father smiled. "I know you pine for your loved one. There is a way you can see her, just for a short time. It is slightly hazardous for one who is not trained, but it may be done."

My heart leapt. I would be able to see Keladry?

"What do I need to do?"

The man smiled at my eagerness. Anita's face echoed his, but with a shadow of sorrow.

"The seers have the strength to cast one's consciousness into another's if the link between them is strong, such as love. However, the mind must be either aware of the cast and accept it, or unconscious. The best way is when you are sleeping."

"I can see her in a dream then?"

"Atch, but only for a short time and you must return when you feel the cast slipping. If you do not, you may become lost and never return to your own consciousness."

I was willing to risk anything.

"Tonight then."

888

"My cub, I know this is a hard time for you."

Anita turned and looked up at her father, noting how thin and tired his body appeared. His eye were the same strong and vibrant blue as they were ten years ago. Ten years ago at her wedding he had smiled at her with such pride, those eyes glowing. Now they held sorrow, for her, and their people.

"I will continue. This is my fate. I was not given the Sight without a reason, and I've come to accept that. I have accepted the death of Daxon, and the break between the Black Hawks and our people."

"You were so close to them. The three of you inseparable. Once you came running to me, saying you wished to fly."

Anita smiled. "I was a child. I have grown past that."

Leon moved to sit next to her, wrapping a fold of the soft skin around her shoulders and drawing her close. "You are still my child. Even when you told me you would never return, I knew this day would come."

Wirily she poked him. "I'm supposed to be the one who can See."

"Call it a parent's intuition."

For a long moment they sat in silence. Leon gently stroked his daughter's hair.

"Your mother died hoping to see you one last time."

Anita could feel her throat tighten.

"I wouldn't know why. She hated what I had."

"But you were still her child. She knew that, and I'm sure you do too."

She sighed. "I never hated her. I just wanted her to love me for everything I was." Her fingers traced the black lines in the fur. "I knew the night she died. I felt it in the wind."

"And what did you do?"

"I forgave her. Her spirit moved on."

Leon looked down at her. "I'm glad."

Standing, Anita helped her father to his feet. "It is about time. Domitan will need my help."

888

Feeling decidedly awkward, I lay on my back on the stone floor of the seers' chambers. A heavy black rug was thrown accross my lap and I looked up at the three faces above me.

"You know this looks like a funeral and not particularly reassuring."

Thoth smiled. "It is for your protection. Your body must remain warm while your mind is traveling, or it may not wake on your return."

Nut's hand gently touched my left shoulder and felt down to my hand. Holding it by the wrist, she placed two fingers to my pulse. Thoth did the same on the right.

"We know where the Protector is located, however, it is up to you to make contact with her."

"How do I do that?"

Anita settled herself above my head and placed her palms on my temples. "I will guide you. Do not release my presence, even for a moment. If I loose you, you may never find your way back. I know how to cast my mind, but I will not know what to look for. That is up to you."

I couldn't help smiling. "How encouraging."

Her eyes were troubled. "Are you sure you want to do this Dom?"

It was the first time she had ever called me by my casual name. The sound of it only deepened my determination.

"I do."

"Close your eyes and relax then."

It was strange. I almost thought I was dreaming, soaring through a glorious emptiness. A whisper held me back, I could feel something just behind me. Don't go. Mentally I clung to the familiar voice of Anita. I'm going to lift the shield. Don't wander off. It felt like I had left a cave and walked straight into the sun. If I could have squinted against the blast of mental voices, I would have. No words could be distinguished - it swirled in a roar. Then Anita pulled me above the chaos.

Open your eyes.

Eyes? My eyes lay back with my body. I felt a murmur of humor.

Open the eye in your mind. Picture the one you seek, hear her voice, see her face.

I concentrated on the memories of the last time Keladry had been with me. How her hair had felt when I tied on her griffin headband. How the night before I had willingly let her go into the trap which had led to this. Her determination to find peace between the countries. The streangth and weakness we each held in regards with one another.

She's here.

My heart almost stopped beating. Somehow I could see her, laying on a bed of shadow, her chest gently rising and falling in sleep. Without thinking I raised a hand to touch her face and paused. My body was a misty outline, the darkness easily visible through my skin.

It is your spirit, not your flesh that you see. It is the same for the Protector. Now wake her.

Hesitently I placed my ghostly hand on her shoulder. Thankful that it didn't simply go through her, I whispered,

"Keladry? Keladry can you hear me?"

She murmured. "Dom?"

"Yes love. I'm here."

Her eyes opened, dark and unfocused. How I had missed them. Cupping her face I smiled.

"I've missed you so badly. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. But what are you doing here?"

"I'm in Scanra. Some of the tribes are going to rebel against Maggur. I'm with them."

Reality was rapidly dawning on her.

"Dom... I'm dreaming. This isn't real. Maggur's tricking me again."

He had done something to her then. I clenched my jaw in anger. He would pay harshly when I saw him again.

"No love, it is a dream, but it has no connection to Maggur. I'm with the White Tiger clan. They're uniting with the Black Hawks. Stay alive till I get there."

She frowned. "Black Hawks? I've met one of them. Tavis Zalin hinted that something like a rebellion would be coming."

Anita's presence made a strange spasm but I ignored it.

"Keladry, I know this is hard to believe, but I'm only in your mind. I wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Are there others?"

"The winter has cut off the forces. It will be some time."

Keladry sat up. Her hair had grown, brushing her shoulders. Pushing it back with one hand, she tilted her head to the side, regarding me closely.

"Prove that you're really Dom."

I smiled. "We both know the same Meathead. We've worked togeather at New Hope and Haven. The first day I met you, you'd forgotten to eat breakfast. Your independent and stubborn mount is Peachblossom. You have no tolerance for alcohol, and I love you with every breath in my body."

She gravely processed the information. "Sounds like the Dom I know. But I have to see for myself."

With that she launched herself at me and I willingly caught her.

"I'll prove it."

It's a strange thing to kiss someone's mind. Strange, but most definitly not unpleasent. My entire being tingled and sparked. Somehow I sensed that lingering too long in that sort of embrace would not be wise. Pulling back, I grinned.

"Satisfied?"

Keladry smile back. "Dom, wherever you really are, you had better hurry up at get here."