: Chosen? I think you had better get up. : Jansen's 'voice' carried a hint of amusement: You've slept through the waking bell and will be late for breakfast if you keep on just lying there. :

: Mmmmmf: Avalana replied sleepily to the voice in her head. : I think I'll skip; I had a little snack last night just before I slept. I just want to sleep:

Jansen sighed. His Chosen could be SO forgetful at times. : In case you forgot, you have Mage-Training with Princess Elspeth in the Work Room in about…half a candlemark. : Jansen injected a little mental picture of the Princess, her hands on her hips, shaking a finger at her. : Unless you want to get into REALLY deep trouble…:

: OH HAVENS, you're right! : Ava rammed bolt upright in her bed, a look of panic spreading across her features. : I am SO dead…:

: Remember that Adept Firesong will be assisting her today,: the Companion warned. : After hearings about him virtually remake the Grove to accommodate that ekele there, even I wouldn't want to get on his bad books. : The words were accompanied by a mental shudder.

: By Kal'enel and Vkandis, you're right! : She mentally winced. Huh. By Kal'enel and Vkandis…that's what you get for totally immersing yourself in foreign language studies. You'd think that I was from some sort of Karsite Talyedras clan. Huh.


Finally, she was ready, and ran to the shielded Work Room. She was almost there, and turning a corner when suddenly…

Dong

Dong

Dong

The sound of the Bell echoed through her soul, causing her to trip and sprawl, headfirst, into a green-clad Healer. She shuddered as the Bell tolled its message of the loss of a Herald to the whole of the Palace. With it came a name – Darsheen – and a Companion's name – Nadarie.

Oh no…not them…

The names tore a gaping pathway into her heart, as the way they died was sent into her mind – a vision of them being swarmed by changebeasts that were attacking a merchant train; of being surrounded and calling Final Strike on the beasts. The Healer, also hearing the Bell and understanding what the Trainee must be going through, helped her to one of the side benches.

"What happened? Who died? "The Healer asked anxiously.

"Herald-Mage Darsheen." Her voice was choked with sobs that she valiantly tried to repress. "And her Companion, Nadarie. Dasheen was my eldest sister, and she's only twenty-six!" unable to control herself any more, she broke down and sobbed into the arms of the Healer.

After sobbing awhile, she felt acalming presence take her, as she was transferred to a shoulder clad in white. Knowing that the other was a Herald and could share her pain, her sobs intensified, and she shook in the Herald's arms.

After awhile, her sobs lessened as a soothing 'hand' reached into her and eased her pain. she looked up, into the sympathetic, tear-streaked face of Talia, the Queen's Own.


Talia, while talking to several Jkathan Bards, had Felt an immense lance of pain and sorrow lash into her as the bell rang. Excusing herself, she had rushed into the Collegium, finding the source of the intense pain in the shape of a girl in Greys sobbing onto the shoulders of a Healer. Knowing that the Healer would not be as effective as she herself was, she had sent him away and taken over the child, projecting calm and peace into her as she cried.

When the girl's sobs finally ended and she looked up, Talia asked her softly "May I know your name? "

"A-A-Avalana, Queen's Own." came the soft reply.

"No need to be formal with me. Call me Talia. Avalana…you're Darsheen's sister, are you not?" She frowned.

"Y-Y-yes, Qu-Talia."

"Child, this may sound callous, but the Queen needs to know what happened. Do you know why she died?" Talia asked hesitantly, probing her all the while. Such questions could cause the child's emotional barriers to fall again.

Avalana remained strong, and did not collapse again into a storm of weeping. As she spoke, Talia carefully probed her, to determine if there were any negative emotions that needed healing.

She shivered mentally. They had lost a Heraldic Trainee when, faced with his parent's killers, had been incensed enough to rip out their hearts using Fetching. However, in his rage he had not seen who he was attacking, and had killed his Companion. Sickened and anguished, he had committed suicide, ripping his own heart out. After that, anyone who had lost a sibling or parent were carefully probed and taken for counselling if there was any sign of that same destructive grief.

To her relief, there was no sign of that terrible hatred and anger, just a sense of sorrow and pain, that only time could heal. "Yes, Talia. She was on circuit, and called Final Strike on a band of changebeasts- changebears, I think- that were attacking a merchant convoy. She was patrolling Pelagirs… 4."

"Are you sure that it was just changebeasts? Nothing else? And Pelagirs? Not the Hardorn Border?"

"Yes, Talia, there was no one else nearby, the merchants had fled. She was alone when she died…" at this point, tears started streaming down her face again.

"That's a relief, then, it isn't an invasion" Talia said thoughtfully, forgetting Ava's presence momentarily. "That means that the Empire is still quiet…Oh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, finally remembering Avalana. "Go with your sister and take the morning and afternoon off, I'll arrange it. After all, Heralds are human too…"

As Avalana ran out towards Companion's field, Talia debated calling her back and asking her the reason why she had been using the same books that Elspeth had been searching for that night. She decided against it; it was better for the girl to get over her own grief first.

Suddenly, Rolan sent her a picture of Selenay and a feeling of 'need'.

Huh? Why does Selenay want to see me for? Ah well, she is my Queen, and her wish is my command. Although the Bards are going to be really put off by this…


When Talia reached the council room, she saw not only the full council, but Alberich sitting there as well. Startled, she queried Rolan and Ahrodie to see if they knew anything. From both, she got the felling that they knew, but they weren't going to tell her.

Humph. Companions. Sometimes I wish they would just be a bit more open and share SOME of their knowledge with us, instead of just making s blunder through this. Anyway, I might as well see what's going to happen now…

Taking her seat behind Selenay, she motioned for Alberich to continue speaking. She absently noticed that he was speaking precise Valdemaran in deference to the councillors.

"… A recurring dream for a while now, and am pretty sure that it is Foresight. The dreams always start with an image of the temple of Vkandis, with a bright light shining from its inside. I kneel before it, and it segues into a different scene. In the dreams, I am always outside haven, upon my Companion Kantor. I would feel a sudden inrushing of air, into the city, before the city explodes in waves of fire and chaos. I turn Kantor and run, but the flames catch up and I wake up just before the flames touch me."

Talia felt his carefully hidden fear at the thought of being burnt, and instinctively soothed it. Alberich unconsciously relaxed as he continued speaking.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep at all. No, it was not the fire this time. It was something else. I felt that something was going wrong soon…maybe even tonight. I told this to our Queen, who asked me to tell it to you."

Firesong, who was also present, asked thoughtfully "Alberich, can you describe the 'fire and chaos' a bit more clearly?"

"It starts with the inrushing of air. I would then see a glow pulse from the centre of the city, around the Palace area. Then, the glow would suddenly expand, taking all in its path. All around, fire would be rushing out of the ground and falling from the sky, and even the Terilee gave off its own fires. After that, I turn and run away. All I know, that is."

Noticing the lapse back into Karsite syntax, Talia increased her soothing, keeping Alberich calm for the further questions to come.

The room once again erupted into debates as the Talyedras Adept steeped his fingers thoughtfully. After awhile, he said quietly "The situation that Alberich described could be four adept-ranked mages channelling Final Strikes together…"

As everyone in the room was frozen into shock by that possible scenario, a small figure in Whites stood up from the back of the room. Herald-chronicler Myste took the floor from Alberich, and addressed the councillors. "That, however, is not the only case."

"At the Battle of Burning Pines, Lavan Firestorm had called down an inferno of power after his Companion, Kaliara was killed. The firestorm he called down sounds like Alberich's Foresight dream, an almost exact copy. And for those who do not know, Lavan Firestorm's powers were first activated here in Haven, and it burned down an entire building. That was a rather weak one for him, as he had not yet grown into his full power of the Firestorm. If a powerful Firestarting gift opens up and bursts into full power abruptly…it may produce the same effects as Firesong's scenario."

A deathly silence gripped the room as the council was faced with not only one, but two scenarios that would destroy Haven, and all who lived in it.

The silence was broken by Kerowyn uncomfortably clearing her throat and asking "Alberich, your Foresight is a weak one, right?"

"Yes."

"Then that means…that such an even may easily happen within a month's time. We have no time left. Lords and Ladies, we must evacuate the city and its immediate surroundings, or risk the entire population of Haven being wiped out in a flash. We must evacuate Haven."

"Not necessarily." Talia stood up, surprising everyone. "The temple of Vkandis probably means that He himself is steering Alberich's visions this way. Remember, I am a Sunpriest. He may also be extending its power so as to give Alberich a glimpse into the distant future. In fact, as there has been no word from any of the Heralds with Foresight stronger than Alberich's I would say that this is the case."

"Well then. That makes it easier." Selenay replied, with obvious relief. "about the second 'feeling' that Alberich had, I think we can do nought but watch out for it."

"Now, moving on to agriculture. I believe lord Nolan has some matters to put forward…"