22. Power Will Rise

Keladry slept two nights and day without stirring. Divina assured me that it was only natural, she having lost so much blood and battling Maggur. I left her bedside only when absolutely necessary, holding her limp and scarred hand while watching for signs of consciousness. The two sparrows Quicksilver and Nari kept watch with me, while Jump curled at the foot of the bed. Anita and Tavis came to visit once in a while, bringing information that the other mage Gissa had yet to be captured from where she had barred herself within the tower. Maggur unfortunately had been murdered in his dungeon soon after being sent there. Unsurprising once the soldiers realized how far his manipulations had involved the people and their families. Anita also brought word that the other tribes were actually willing to dethrone Maggur the Red. His methods apparently had become so extreme that even the Blood Bond could not veil the damage he was orchestrating. I nodded, but wasn't truly concerned.

Predictably, Keladry woke early the next morning before the sun had risen and after I had dozed off, my head resting next to her shoulder on the mattress. The touch of her fingers on my face slowly drew me back to consciousness. For a moment I could do nothing but look at her, the dreamy hazel eyes stopping the air in my lungs. So much had happened since I had last seen her. Now she had a faint scar marring her left cheek and a more worldly look in her misty eyes. She smiled weakly, her fingers slipping to my lips.

"You followed me?"

"Mithros, what did you expect me to do? I followed you last time and I'll always follow you until you stop trying to take the world on your shoulders."

Her eyes began tearing. Embarrassed, she tried to brush them away.

"Dom, I-"

I caught her hand and gently shushed her. "It's alright love." You don't have to be strong for me.

Her smile lit the room and filled the ache in my chest. Conscious of her injuries, I carefully leaned over and kissed her feeling her pent up fear and emotional exhaustion releasing with the tears dampening my fingertips. As much as I longed for more, I pulled back after a moment. She'd have none of it and firmly drew me to her by the collar of my shirt while pressing her mouth hungrily to mine. I didn't argue. We held each other fiercely until the loneliness of the past month had been swept away. When I reluctantly pulled back a second time, we were faced with three pairs of curious eyes as dog and birds stared. Jump whined, his broken tail beating the quilt. Keladry held out a hand to him which he immediately thrust his square head under and bathed her wrist with his tongue in greeting. The sparrows chirped and fussed over her head and shoulders like a lost nestling. I choked out a laugh.

"They wouldn't let me leave without them. Peachblossom is in the stables."

For a long moment her head remained bowed over her faithful canine. When she finally looked up at me, her voice was businesslike.

"What of Maggur?"

"Dead. One of the guards took it upon himself to do away with him after hearing that his son had become one of the metal monsters. The others are a little miffed about it, but I think the feeling is mostly jealousy because they didn't get a piece of him first."

"Atum and the others?"

"All fine, the appearance of the townspeople coming out armed to confront the soldiers seemed enough to shock the soldiers out of Maggur's control. There wasn't any fight left in any of them."

"Do they know about Gissa of Ranchne?"

"They have her cornered up in the top tower of the Eire. She's spelled the doors and barricaded herself from the inside, but it's only a matter of time."

Keladry shook her head and began trying to get to her feet. "From what the Wild Mage Daine told the King, Gissa was once willing to poison an entire valley just to be able to mine the rock for opals. I don't think she'd be simply hiding in hopes we eventually go away."

Before I could protest there came a pounding on the door. A soldier called out, "Sir Domitan, your presence is needed immediately at the castle. The Lady Protector also, if she is able. The witch is doing something which none of us can stop."

I sighed as Keladry stubbornly began pulling on her boots. I merely handed her a long leather coat and surreptitiously held her steady by the arm since she was still weak from her injuries. Her oddly torn dress flapped around her legs. Without a word, we followed the soldier.

888

Fingers drumming restlessly on the wooden table of the mess hall, Tavis watched from his seat as Anita paced the stone floor. It wasn't a persistent pacing, but she would periodically move from the window to the great fireplace, then back again, her attention always on the high tower of the castle just visible from their slight advantage of one of the lower towers. Finally he sighed,

"Ani, there is nothing we can do right now - not until either the Protector wakes up, or the Seers bring word."

She turned worried blue eyes to him. "I know that, but I also know there is something not right. Maggur found out how to use the ancient powers from words most have long forgotten. That is how he created his control over us. What if there is an even stronger potion she is trying to create up there?" She frowned and returned to the window. "She also knows magic which we have never seen which she learned from places over the mountains and seas. We've never considered her possible true power."

"The elder White Tiger is coming here to see what can be done. However, she is still an old woman who is not used to all this activity." Tavis stood and walked towards her, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "We have made it this far, now we must trust the inner strength of our people."

Standing next to her, he was startled to realize how small she was. Her face had hollows he didn't remember, her trim waist was almost delicate and her smooth, strong hands lean to the point where each strong tendon became easily visible when she moved them. Previously there had been not real time to look at her, but once the shock of her return had worn off, he could see how the years had taken an extreme toll on her. Almost unconsciously he touched the deepened hollow at the base of her throat. Meeting her startled gaze, he asked softly, "Has your separation been this harsh to you?"

Her jaw tightened and she turned away. Angrily he drew her back by the shoulder. "Anita, you are punishing yourself for something you had no part in."

"You know nothing of punishment!" She glared, brushing his hand away. "Do you know why Daxon died? Because of my un-Blessed Sight, he fought to protect me. He lead a rebellion against the Red, but he was doing it for my sake."

"So you exiled yourself after his death out of guilt?"

"Out of love. I loved him, though I only told him enough times which can be counted on one hand." She paused, trembling in remembered anguish. "One he never heard unless he could from the other world. How could I go back to my tribe when my pride kept me from my own family?"

Tavis smiled and pushed back the blond wave of hair which curtained her away from him. She was not crying but her voice was broken. Gently resting his forehead against hers, he refused to let her turn away again.

"Your pride is keeping you from healing. Daxon would not have wanted you in this torment over him. He loved you, just as I love you now." Anita's eyes were closed in silent refusal. "Ani, look at me." When she finally did, he bent and kissed her for the first time. It took a bit of encouragement before she responded, but he swore to himself that she would lose count of how many times he would repeat that phrase.

A flash of light made them both start. The high tower was wreathed in brilliant orange light. As they watched, it blew the stone shingles off of the roof, exposing Gissa who held a book in one hand and an object which gleamed cold in the morning sun. Tavis sprinted across the mess room and flung open the door. He snapped out an order to the soldier passing by,

"Bring the Sergeant of Tortall here, and the Protector if possible."

"That silly young one, she is trying something that is far past her understanding."

Divina stood at another doorway with the twins on either side of her frail figure. Blue and red eyes were full of sadness as she made her way towards the window.

"She does not realize the consequences of her actions."

Anita stared in disgust and fear at the swirling orange storm. "What is it?"

"She is trying to cast a spell to cut off all Seeing. If the prophecy cannot be fulfilled according to her plan, then she intends that it will never be fulfilled."

"Cut off all Seeing? One person cannot do that alone can they?"

Divina tapped the stone with her cane thoughtfully. "Not if they wish to live and see the chaos they create, but it can be done. I'm surprised that they found that text, however, for it had been sealed away centuries ago."

"How can we stop her?"

Divina smiled. "You cannot. You are too young to sacrifice your heart in such a way, for it will destroy you. I will handle this."

We followed the soldier to a room where Anita Karr and Tavis Zalin waited. Something didn't seem quite right for they were simply standing and looking out a window where from our angle could be seen only partial flashes of orange light.

"That's Gissa." Keladry quickened her pace. Our allies turned and met us with grim faces. Looking up at the high tower, I started at the sight of a bright orange sphere swirling around a solitary figure. The wind began screaming eerily as a smaller, more stooped person climbed up onto what was left of the upper room's planked floor. It was the old Seer, standing alone with her walking stick in hand. As we watched, silver light began gathering around her ancient body in a glowing halo. Keladry turned and began darting towards the door. Anita grabbed her as she passed, but she struggled to pull away.

"By the gods... We can't let her do that alone!"

Anita's eyes were sorrowful. I gently restrained Keladry as the White Tigress shook her head. "This is what she has been waiting for her entire life. There was a book of the ancient magic which was lost centuries ago. Divina took on the task to wait for it to be found, for it's powers are too dangerous for a country of divided clans."

Suddenly, the blond woman swayed on her feet. Tavis caught her by the arm, but she drew back. "I, however, she wants to see." Before anyone could question her, she had darted away through a nearby door. Tavis followed after a moment's hesitation, leaving me once again with Keladry.

The fighting had intensified in the last few seconds. Mage fighting always made me uneasy simply because I felt so helpless against such attacks. I needed something I could physically defend myself from and the possibility of having my free thought altered stirred up a deep anger. Silver light was holding back the orange flames which surrounded the Ancient. Divina's lips were moving, but I could hear nothing though the roaring. She raised her walking stick and stabbed it in the air towards Gissa. A silver bolt darted out but was deflected by the book in the mage's hand. She in turn raised the other object in a hand made of metal. An opal gleamed and burst into intense red-orange fire which closed in on the White Tiger. I watched in apprehension as the old woman stumble to one knee. Keladry cursed and ran. Startled, I followed.

Divina was on both knees by the time we made it to the top of the staircase. Anita, Tavis, Salamis, and Saliman were all ahead of us, unable to pass the tongues of fire that were sporadically whipping across the opening. The old Seer's voice was still strong even though her body looked beaten. She spread her hands out in a gesture of appeal.

"Child, I give you one last chance to give me the book. You know not what you do and how great a threat you are creating to yourself and the world around you."

Gissa clutched the unnamed book of magic to her chest, her dark hair whirling around her smooth golden face and her eyes black with hate. "Old woman, I don't care about the world. No one can stop me and I will have revenge for Maggur and myself. If I am not the Chosen, then I will make sure there will never be a Chosen."

She opened the book and began reciting something in ancient Scanran. The red-orange blaze began backflowing into the opal. Sweat beaded on Gissa's forehead. Divina sighed and voiced what sounded like a prayer.

"Those who go before me, give me strength. Those who come behind me, give me courage. Those with me now, give me hope."

The silver light began gathering in her pleading palms, dancing back and forth in a white-hot ribbon. A sphere formed around Gissa growing brighter. Divina slowly brought her hands together and the sphere began to shrink. From inside, she could be seen screaming but there was no sound. The opal exploded in fire, but none escaped. Divina's hands closed and the white light vanished with a slight popping sound.

Anita pushed past the twins up the remaining stairs and knelt next to the old Seer who had immediately slumped to the wooden floor. I watched as the others gathered around, the boy and girl kneeling in front of her as Anita gently lifted her head and shoulders. The old woman's breathing fluttered lightly in her chest. Tavis and I exchanged glances. She was dying.

Divina smiled at the earthy brown heads of Salamis and Salaman. "I give my place to you, young ones. You have proven yourselves well, and will now be the new God-Speakers. Lead the people with your wisdom." She reached out to take Anita's hand in her frail one and sat up on her own to turn and look at the younger Seer.

"You, I know you have suffered from your Sight. Can you forgive the gods if I tell you it was necessary to teach you a new way of Seeing? For now," She held out her other hand to Tavis who took it instinctively, but with confusion. "Now you will lead your people in a new way of life. There will be no more division between our clans." Divina gave a thin laugh. "Poor Maggur the Red. He was right about most of the Prophecy."

Keladry frowned.

"Right that he was the Red, and he would have many victories. Right that the Chosen One would come from the South. He created his beasts of iron and bringing a power of which our country had never seen. However," She coughed, "He was not the one who would unite the clans, and the Protector was not the Key. Those verses will be fulfilled only through a union between the Hawks and Tigers."

Anita and Tavis stared aghast at one another.