Kate and Dante had settled into the house right away, cleaning what
needed cleaning and making themselves at home. Just as Caelan had
predicted, it was 'a good enough place' for the both of them. On the first
morning after their arrival, Dante awoke with the sun and walked the
village streets amidst the sunshine and crisp air. He'd slept on the
floor, leaving Kate with the old bed, and so hadn't disturbed the Princess
from her slumber, but never the less, she'd managed to find him as he made
his way past the blacksmith, and stealthily crept up behind him. When he
paused to gaze into a shop window, Kate ran her finger up his spine and
smirked.
"Ack!" Dante cried, and spun on his heel, determined to capture the culprit. His hand lashed out and snatched Kate's wrist.
"Easy!" Kate retorted, and tried to free her hand, "It's only me!" When she found his grip too tight to escape, Kate quit trying. "And let me go, will you?" There was laughter in her eyes - which now shone a thrilling violet - and she smiled angelically.
"I'm not so easily fooled, Kate," Dante smiled, and pulled the woman closer, then rested his forehead upon her smaller one. "How did you sleep?"
Kate grinned. "With my eyes closed," she said flatly.
"Oh you're hysterical, Kate. A regular Court Jester."
"Am I interrupting?" a lilting voice asked, and Caelan closed the door she'd just exited, then stepped out into the street. Kate heaved a sigh and freed herself from Dante's clasp. Did this woman purposefully intrude upon EVERYTHING? She raked a hand through her hair and dropped it at her side. "No," she said, "You didn't interrupt." It seemed Kate had to lie more and more around these people . . .. And it always seemed that they couldn't tell she was doing it. So much the better - the less they knew about her past, the better. "I'm going for a walk," she said, and breezed past Dante.
"Wait!" he called, but Kate didn't look back, so Dante didn't follow her. Instead, he looked plaintively at Caelan.
"Oh, fine," Caelan replied, "I'll go talk with her," and whisked away after Kate.
Kate fairly stomped from the village and into the woods, fully intending to be alone, until she heard the footsteps of another behind her. Her eyes darkened a shade or two, and she forced a deep snarl back in her throat. Who did that redhead think she WAS, anyway? Kate continued walking.
"Wait!" Caelan called, and hurried up beside the woman, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"I know something's wrong, lovey," Caelan persisted, "I've got a wee bit of Empathy, you know."
"Wonderful."
"I only want to be your friend, Kate," she said, her eyes clouding for a moment.
"Well maybe you should go and find yourself a WEE kitty and make friends with IT." Kate snapped, her arms folded over her chest as they continued deep into the forest. For a moment Caelan was silent, as though she were trying to make sense of what Kate had just said. Soon enough, however, she shook her head and spoke. "I don't see why you hate me, Kate, when you've only just met me. I'm not that terrible, am I? Have I done something wrong?"
"No," Kate kicked at a pebble, "I just hate redheads, that's all."
They didn't speak for a while, after that, and the two women continued into the woods, even after the game trail they'd been following disappeared beneath the dense foliage. Meanwhile, Caelan's mind was working away, and when they'd gone quite a distance, she broke the silence.
"I don't think that's very fair," Caelan protested, walking around a fallen log. "You've only known me for two days - hardly long enough to judge!"
Kate was about to object when she noticed something odd. She looked around, letting her gaze scan the forest until it rested upon Caelan's face.
"What?" Caelan asked, pausing mid-stride.
"Listen," Kate whispered, "Do you hear that?"
The redhead tilted her head to one side and listened. She heard not a sound. "Hear what?" she asked.
"Exactly," Kate replied, "How many forests do you know that are dead silent?"
"Good point."
Kate rolled her eyes. Of COURSE it was a good point. Kate was an excellent - well, an excellent everything. "I get the sneaking suspicion that we're being followed. The question is . . . by whom?"
This wasn't comforting in the least. Caelan let her eyes scan the woods, searching for a familiar landmark and finding none. Followed? Who could have followed them all the way out here? A rustle in a nearby shrub caught both of the ladies' attention. Something was watching them - Kate could feel it. Was it an assassin? Sent from her father's forces to find and destroy her? "It can't be," she mumbled to herself as her eyes shifted from their previous silver hue to a ghostly black.
"Can't be what?" This odd woman had Caelan perplexed. She talked to herself, she was jumpy, and those kaleidoscope eyes just weren't right! And now she was walking around as though she expected someone to leap out from behind a tree and sing a merry tune.
Kate didn't reply for a long time, searching the trail they'd walked in on for signs of life that'd gone otherwise unnoticed. She found nothing, only sets of paw-prints in the topsoil. "Caelan? Come and look at these." Caelan lived around here; perhaps SHE'D be able to tell what made the tracks. "What do you make of them?"
Emerald eyes examined the prints, and Caelan's skin paled. "Bloody hell . . .."
That didn't sound good.
"What?" Kate asked, staring at Caelan for what seemed like hours. The woman didn't respond - it was as though she hadn't even heard the inquiry.
"Dammit!" Kate yelled, and yanked Caelan to her side with one powerful tug, "I asked you a question!" Caelan blinked and stared at Kate for a long beat before licking her lips. "Wyrsa." She snapped, and wrenched her arm away.
"What?"
"Wyrsa, Kate . . .. I was too bloody ignorant to realize we'd wandered right into their territory." One fist clenched, the green-eyed woman pounded a tree trunk. "And we're too far into their land to escape before they attack."
"So? We'll fight back. They can't be that bad. I've got my FireStarting Gift, we can beat them with a hand behind our backs."
"No. No we can't, Kate."
"Oh? And I suppose you're going to tell me they're immune to fire, then?"
"No. Your FireStarting Gift isn't of any use here."
"Like hell it's not," Kate snapped, and aimed at the nearest shrub. Nothing happened. "My - my Gift!" she cried incredulously, "It won't work!"
In a gesture that said 'I told you so', Caelan shook her head and began retracing her steps. "And none of my magic will work against them, either. They drain anything with even a HINT of magic and eat it."
"Eat it? You mean the magic?"
A nod. "As though it were meat."
"Damn . . .. Then what do we do?"
Caelan stared Kate directly in the face. "What do we do, Kate? We run."
"Ack!" Dante cried, and spun on his heel, determined to capture the culprit. His hand lashed out and snatched Kate's wrist.
"Easy!" Kate retorted, and tried to free her hand, "It's only me!" When she found his grip too tight to escape, Kate quit trying. "And let me go, will you?" There was laughter in her eyes - which now shone a thrilling violet - and she smiled angelically.
"I'm not so easily fooled, Kate," Dante smiled, and pulled the woman closer, then rested his forehead upon her smaller one. "How did you sleep?"
Kate grinned. "With my eyes closed," she said flatly.
"Oh you're hysterical, Kate. A regular Court Jester."
"Am I interrupting?" a lilting voice asked, and Caelan closed the door she'd just exited, then stepped out into the street. Kate heaved a sigh and freed herself from Dante's clasp. Did this woman purposefully intrude upon EVERYTHING? She raked a hand through her hair and dropped it at her side. "No," she said, "You didn't interrupt." It seemed Kate had to lie more and more around these people . . .. And it always seemed that they couldn't tell she was doing it. So much the better - the less they knew about her past, the better. "I'm going for a walk," she said, and breezed past Dante.
"Wait!" he called, but Kate didn't look back, so Dante didn't follow her. Instead, he looked plaintively at Caelan.
"Oh, fine," Caelan replied, "I'll go talk with her," and whisked away after Kate.
Kate fairly stomped from the village and into the woods, fully intending to be alone, until she heard the footsteps of another behind her. Her eyes darkened a shade or two, and she forced a deep snarl back in her throat. Who did that redhead think she WAS, anyway? Kate continued walking.
"Wait!" Caelan called, and hurried up beside the woman, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"I know something's wrong, lovey," Caelan persisted, "I've got a wee bit of Empathy, you know."
"Wonderful."
"I only want to be your friend, Kate," she said, her eyes clouding for a moment.
"Well maybe you should go and find yourself a WEE kitty and make friends with IT." Kate snapped, her arms folded over her chest as they continued deep into the forest. For a moment Caelan was silent, as though she were trying to make sense of what Kate had just said. Soon enough, however, she shook her head and spoke. "I don't see why you hate me, Kate, when you've only just met me. I'm not that terrible, am I? Have I done something wrong?"
"No," Kate kicked at a pebble, "I just hate redheads, that's all."
They didn't speak for a while, after that, and the two women continued into the woods, even after the game trail they'd been following disappeared beneath the dense foliage. Meanwhile, Caelan's mind was working away, and when they'd gone quite a distance, she broke the silence.
"I don't think that's very fair," Caelan protested, walking around a fallen log. "You've only known me for two days - hardly long enough to judge!"
Kate was about to object when she noticed something odd. She looked around, letting her gaze scan the forest until it rested upon Caelan's face.
"What?" Caelan asked, pausing mid-stride.
"Listen," Kate whispered, "Do you hear that?"
The redhead tilted her head to one side and listened. She heard not a sound. "Hear what?" she asked.
"Exactly," Kate replied, "How many forests do you know that are dead silent?"
"Good point."
Kate rolled her eyes. Of COURSE it was a good point. Kate was an excellent - well, an excellent everything. "I get the sneaking suspicion that we're being followed. The question is . . . by whom?"
This wasn't comforting in the least. Caelan let her eyes scan the woods, searching for a familiar landmark and finding none. Followed? Who could have followed them all the way out here? A rustle in a nearby shrub caught both of the ladies' attention. Something was watching them - Kate could feel it. Was it an assassin? Sent from her father's forces to find and destroy her? "It can't be," she mumbled to herself as her eyes shifted from their previous silver hue to a ghostly black.
"Can't be what?" This odd woman had Caelan perplexed. She talked to herself, she was jumpy, and those kaleidoscope eyes just weren't right! And now she was walking around as though she expected someone to leap out from behind a tree and sing a merry tune.
Kate didn't reply for a long time, searching the trail they'd walked in on for signs of life that'd gone otherwise unnoticed. She found nothing, only sets of paw-prints in the topsoil. "Caelan? Come and look at these." Caelan lived around here; perhaps SHE'D be able to tell what made the tracks. "What do you make of them?"
Emerald eyes examined the prints, and Caelan's skin paled. "Bloody hell . . .."
That didn't sound good.
"What?" Kate asked, staring at Caelan for what seemed like hours. The woman didn't respond - it was as though she hadn't even heard the inquiry.
"Dammit!" Kate yelled, and yanked Caelan to her side with one powerful tug, "I asked you a question!" Caelan blinked and stared at Kate for a long beat before licking her lips. "Wyrsa." She snapped, and wrenched her arm away.
"What?"
"Wyrsa, Kate . . .. I was too bloody ignorant to realize we'd wandered right into their territory." One fist clenched, the green-eyed woman pounded a tree trunk. "And we're too far into their land to escape before they attack."
"So? We'll fight back. They can't be that bad. I've got my FireStarting Gift, we can beat them with a hand behind our backs."
"No. No we can't, Kate."
"Oh? And I suppose you're going to tell me they're immune to fire, then?"
"No. Your FireStarting Gift isn't of any use here."
"Like hell it's not," Kate snapped, and aimed at the nearest shrub. Nothing happened. "My - my Gift!" she cried incredulously, "It won't work!"
In a gesture that said 'I told you so', Caelan shook her head and began retracing her steps. "And none of my magic will work against them, either. They drain anything with even a HINT of magic and eat it."
"Eat it? You mean the magic?"
A nod. "As though it were meat."
"Damn . . .. Then what do we do?"
Caelan stared Kate directly in the face. "What do we do, Kate? We run."