I am not Misty. I don't own anything that has to do with Valdemar. Mercedes Lackey does.

This has some elements that are sort of borrowed from Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom trilogy, but I didn't think it was enough that I needed to put as a crossover, although I wanted to give him a little credit. If you like fantasy, definitely check it out, it's awesome! I'm roughly basing this story directly after Owl Knight. I'm also assuming that Elspeth and Darkwind are back from Hardarn by now (I mean it's been quite a few years since The Mage Storms'n stuff so…). Don't hate me, please.

Sorry for the misspelled words and grammar stuff that are wrong. I got a new Compy and it doesn't have Microsoft Word so I can't even run a spell-check. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Please review too, I always enjoy input from readers!

Ruin ● Resurrection

By LGR

Chapter Four: A Plan at Last

--☼--

"Son of the Sun! The Sunsguard are managing, but many of our Sun-priest mages have been killed. We...we're going to need help." Sun-priest Bernardi reported to her, still sweating buckets even this early in the morning when it was quite cool, almost chilly.

Sun-priest Bernardi was one of the most pompous priests in existence, the only reason Solaris kept him around was that he was one of the few Sunpreists that had supported her from the first, while still keeping contacts with the less enthusiastic clergyman. If she'd have dismissed him with anything less than a miracle from the Sun Lord to justify it, than there would have been a chance of riots. At least he wasn't too stupid a fellow. And if he thought they needed help, then things must be bad.

She tapped her fingers on her alter-like desk.

Whatever was down there at Dawnshill was powerful enough to take out six Mages: one adept, three masters, and a two journeyman. This was quite a predicament. She only prayed that the Sun Lord would help them.

She read the report again. No one could tell really how the mages had been killed, or why their magic wasn't working. She nearly sighed in frustration except that she couldn't let her worry show or else Sun-priest Bernadri would probably break-down right there on the freshly mopped tiled-floor. Chances were he'd turn into a bucket of water, and they'd have to call servants to clean it up.

That thought got her spirits up just enough to keep her mask in place.

"Order all the Sun-priest mages left to stand-by until we know how to counter act this...black magic." she told him. "Let them only work magic indirectly. No attacks. Just support for the Sunsguard when needed, and common spells and wards."

"Yes, holiness!" he said and ran out to give the order. Hansa, the large cream fire-cat that took up a quarter of her large desk, turned to her.

:Solaris: Hansa Mind-spoke her, :Altra and Karal send that they may have an answer to our problem in the form of a newly chosen, but he cannot be sure. They also send that you should not work to hard.:

She smiled. Karal was always thinking of others, especially her.

:Tell them that I will try, and thank them for the good news.: She told Hansa, and after a stretch and receiving a couple of pats in the head, he walked to a patch of sun light on the desk and was gone in her next blink.

This was good news. But not as good as it could be, Heralds were not dedicated to the alliance, though they liked to help when they could, they were dedicated to Valdemar and it's monarch. A chosen would think first of Valdemar and second for the alliance. That meant that Karse would likely be placed second.

Oh well, it would have to do for now. Do not complain when the sun lord provides you with a gift. Even if that gift is not the gift you hoped it would be.

--☼--

Talia had brought Herald-"trainee" Nekimiyah to a private meeting of the Herald's circle that had met the night before, where they questioned him, so as to figure out how to set-up his education and find his place among the trainees.

He obviously couldn't do a regular trainee course. Not only would it be embarrassing to him, it would be near impossible. They needed him out in the field. Now. They couldn't wait very long.

She'd secretly expected an old man that could teach others what to do but wouldn't be able to help very much, despite how he'd saved Elspeth and Darkwind, but she was pleasantly surprised. He wasn't an old man, but he didn't necessarily look like a young man either. Instead, his age seemed to change from one glance to the next.

Despite the way he looked, she could tell that he must have lived at least as long as a regular old man. His mind and emotion patterns weren't like anything she'd seen before except among the very old. And the way he carried himself, spoke, moved, looked at people. He had the quiet confidence possessed by those who knew exactly who they were. Not the attitude the younger person had, who was mostly trying to find their own identity and place in the world. Even here in this foreign place, she couldn't imagine anyone managing to run-rough-shod over him, or telling him what to do without him letting them.

"Do you mind if we test you for gifts?" she asked him in Rethwellian. That was the only language that he happened to know that anyone else on the palace grounds did. Fortunately, most Heralds also learn it.

"Herald Markin has already done so." he said plainly. She blinked. She hadn't known that. They'd brought in Herald Markin specifically to do just that; test his gift. But she hadn't meant for him to do so without permission! She turned to him for an explanation.

"Don't worry Herald Talia, I had Gammon to ask Aerore to ask him and he said it was alright."

Gammon was Markin's Companion, and unfortunately they tended to do things without authorization. That's why she'd specifically told him to wait for her to ask. At least he'd asked permission from Nekimiyah first.

She could tell from the disapproving feeling she was getting from Rolan that his companion was going to get a talking-to. From the way Alberitch's emotions mirrored Rolan's she figured Kantor might get in on the chastising as well.

"Well, what did you find out?" she asked him.

"He's got two gifts that I can see. One we know of, and another that I've never seen before, or at least I don't think I've seen it before." he told them all in Valdemaran while talia translated for Nekimiyah. "He's got all forms of Mind-speech in spades Talia, including the one that allows you to move things with your mind. He could probably be a mind-healer, with the power he's got there."

A mind-healer? Talia was a Mind-healer. The healing of the mind didn't really require so much a healing gift, as a gift that allowed one to access another's mind. She used her Empathy to do so, but she'd never heard of anyone using powerful mind-speech.

"A mind-healer? Can someone use mind-speech to heal the mind?" The Dean asked, also skeptical.

"It's just what I say. I don't think that's the way he uses it, but he might be able to if he practiced."

"So, how powerful is powerful? Give us a comparison here." Herald Kyril wondered.

Herald Markin thought for a moment before he spoke. "Well, we don't have a Herald that's particularly gifted with this sort if Mind-speech, but, and this is only a rough-estimate-sort-of-comparison, but I'd say that he'd about five times as powerful as the strongest mind-speakers we have, that includes Herald Elspeth. He could probably talk to anyone in their head whether they had the gift or not."

That was...almost disturbing. No one said a thing, Talia had long since stopped translating for Nekimiyah. She blinked and gathered her thoughts, then repeated what Herald Markin had said in Rethwellian.

He just shrugged, not looking particularly surprised. That was an odd response, but whatever.

"What is his other gift, Markin?" Herald Myste asked.

"Well...I'm not even sure if it counts as a gift. But..."

"Just spit it out!"

"Well, he's got probably every-sort of Mage-sight in existence; including ones I've never seen before. He'd probably see every kind of gift anyone us has ever seen as some-sort of energy." He said.

That...well, that was an odd gift. What would one do with it? Well, Talia did have one thing it was good for, if she could see when Markin had started to probe Nekimiyah for gifts, she could have stopped him; told him to wait. Then Talia had a thought.

"Then he's not a mage?" she asked.

"Nope, he's not a mage at all."

"But he's got mage-sight? He can see magic but he can't use it?" she asked.

He shrugged, "If he can, he doesn't. Not even as much as someone who has journeyman talent and doesn't know it. You can always see some usage, even if they don't notice they're doing magic. He doesn't have any."

That went against a lot of what she'd been told by the other mages. They held to the theory that if you could see it, you could use it. This was a very odd case.

"Oh yeah, Talia. Just to warn you, apparently he can see when people are Mind-speaking, and who their mind-speaking to and all kinds of other stuff that I don't know what it is. He probably does, though. Unless you're mind-speaking a companion you might want to watch Mind-speaking about him. I don't know him, of course, but I know I'd be pretty annoyed if people were mind-speaking around me left and right. I don't know how he feels about it, it was just a thought." he said, scratching his forehead almost nervously.

"Thank you Markin, we'll keep that in mind." Talia said. Markin, his job being finished, he swiftly left the room after a few quick see-you-later's,

"Aerore, has told me some of this 'Trainee' business, are you going to place me as a trainee?" She hadn't been expecting Nekimiyah to say anything (he'd scarcely added more than a sentence to opinion or question) and she nearly jumped. He also had a surprisingly deep voice that she wasn't used to.

"Well, sort of. We aren't quite sure how we're going to do this." She told him. "When most people are chosen, they are chosen as children or teens. We've had plenty of people chosen when they were older though, sometimes much older. But that isn't so much the problem. The problem is that we have all these things happening everywhere. We need you out there, but we also need to teach you here. We're not sure how we are going to do both at once."

He thought for a moment "Let's look at this immediate problem of the dead and strange happenings, it is truly the most pressing, then you can decide what you will do with me." he told her.

She did just that.

When this problem had begun to spring up, they'd set up a council similar to the one they'd had during the mage storms, with Sejanes and Karal, and Master Levy heading it. The difference was it was much more organized and able to deal with the problems than the one there'd been some years ago. Talia and the other Heralds led Nekimiyah to the council chamber where the meetings were being held. If Talia's sense of time was right, they should have just let out a meeting, which meant Karal would likely still be there.

"Karal?" Herald Talia inquired, as she came in the chamber with the other Heralds trailing behind her. Karal was there, his eyes were blank because of his blind-ness but his mind was a sharp as ever, which was all to be expect from a man who was in his late twenties. Altra the fire-cat had become his eyes when Karal had lost his sight in suppressing the final-blow of the Mage-storms, some time ago. Since then, they were never apart.

"Yes, Sun's Ray? How may I help you and your companions?" Karal said from his seat, but she suspected he was studying the map laid across the large table, as that was what Altra had been looking at until he'd turned his head when they'd come in.

"We'd like you to explain to our new herald-to-be Nekimiyah what the situation is. You do know Rethwellian, right? Very good." she turned to Nekimiyah, "Nekimiyah? This is ambassador Karal of the Karsite embassy and a Sun-priest of Vkandis along with The Fire-cat, Altra. Karal, this is newly Chosen of Aerore, Nekimiyah Jigan-Rhion."

"We're pleased to meet you." Karal told him when he reached them after getting up.

"And I you, and Master Altra." and they clasped hands and Altra gave a nod of his feline head.

"Now, you wanted to know the situation? Well, there are many reports of odd things, mostly concerning the dead or strange demons and mages. We have reports from Karse, Rethwellian, Hardarn, Iftel, and also here in Valdemar. The ones from Karse are mostly centered near a town called Dawnshill, where there have been a number of casualties." he said sadly.

"In Hardarn, in Greenvale, there have been reports also other villages as well, but King Tremane doesn't have very many men to spare for those. They're going to check them out before dispatching the army. Rethwellan's reports are from small villages all over the mountains, they haven't penetrated to the main part of the country yet.

"Iftel says there are attacks from strange beings and supposed dead in an area called Chafendarkin, very near the border to Valdemar. These are the main attacks, and they are marked here on the Map in red. Other unconfirmed or lesser attacks are in green." Karal said, pointing at the map in places as he explained.

Though Nekimiyah couldn't read the language, he studied the map expertly asking questions about the nature of the attacks for each one in red, and some in green. The other Heralds, who hadn't seen this map yet, were also gazing at large spread of paper.

She noticed a red mark in the north-west corner of Valdemar. Unfortunately, the name of the town was covered.

"Karal, what's that town up there with the red mark? No, the other red mark. Yeah that one." Herald Myste asked before Talia could.

"That's Errold's Grove, Firesong sent us a message from K'Valdemar Vale a few hours ago." Karal said. "Apparently it's not too serious yet, but we thought it should be counted as red because of it's designation as a diplomatic meeting place as well as the large number of people."

"I see." she said.

"Tell all mages to stop all offensive activities. Only shields, support magic, mind-magic or healing magic. Use military men for the most part, or else your mages will be sucked dry of their energy, while strengthening the power of the enemy. There are ways of avoiding this, but I'm not a mage; I don't know all the details."

"Herald Talia, is there perhaps a way that I could inspect all trainees, and perhaps full-Heralds, to see if any may have the ability to be apprenticed, before I go? If we can have at least one other person, this might be somewhat easier. They may be able to take care of these lesser attacks after a time with me.

"This is the way I believe will be most efficient: As this 'Errold's Grove' seems to be managing, their problems must be put aside to deal with those in more danger. Rethwellian will be the most difficult as it is in the mountains, it I'm afraid must be last, I will need another helping me when I come here. Sun-priest Karal, this Sunhame is the Capital, yes?"

"Of Karse? Yes, it is."

"And you have been here, yes?"

"Yes, of course."

"Is this were most Sun-priests are? And the acolytes as well?"

"Yes. Many will be at Dawnshill because of the major attack, but otherwise, yes."

"Then this is my suggestion. I would go south to take care of the attack on Sweetsprings. Then, continue on to Karse, and stop at Sunshame to search for more apprentices. Then go on to the major attack on Dawnshill, here." He said to them, pointing to Sunshame on the Map.

Talia did nothing but nod understanding, he was the expert here, not her, and she wanted to hear his opinion before they decided what to do.

"After this, I would continue to Hardarn, and the attack on Greenvale, then to investigate these villages that gave minor reports. After which, I would go to the attack on the Iftel-Valdemar border, then those in near the Forest of Sorrows, then to Errold's Grove. Perhaps then will any apprentices with me be ready to go to Rethwellian, after a rest. It is very dangerous when working in mountains."

It made sense. It covered as many of the major attacked areas as it could, without zigzagging all over the place.

"This is a very good plan." Herald Teren said. "It can be seen as a year on circuit. That's perfect, especially if you can find a full Herald to be an apprentice. You'll need at least one person to accompany you, anyway."

Talia agreed, this was a good plan. It was definitely unorthodox for a Herald to be put directly into whites, (especially when they didn't even know the language!), but it couldn't be helped.

"We need to talk this over with Selenay first." She said.


I told you I'd do it and I did! Chapter four is revised. Not much has changed, it just has better spelling and grammar, for the most part, but I hope it gives you piece of mind! If you guys see anything I missed, you can say exactly what it is in a review.

Enjoy!