((Tessabe- thank you for the review, I must apologise for the spelling, I do try but sometimes I do miss things but please bare with me I am trying to keep it readable. Also please note, that I am trying to back Date the mystery man to Urtho times, whilst the story is set when Darian is about 25, five or so years after Owl Knight Also thank you to wizard116 and Keiko-keket. Thank you))

Keisha stepped outside the small room, she had been watching the mystery man for the past two hours and all he had done was stir in his sleep, one she had aided for he looked as though he could do with a sleep. And mumble a few incoherent words. Her sowing lay on her vacated chair, for now she took in some fresher air at the window a little down the passage from the room. Being in the same room as the man had made her feel funny, as though she couldn't relax completely, she had her shields up all the time now, something she had learnt from Nightwind all those years ago. She reflected for a moment, before a slight change in the breathing in the room told her, her patient was now awake. She walked to the main outer door and looked round for one of the Hertasi, very soon one appeared waiting patiently.

"Please tell Firesong, Darian, Silverfox and Starfall thatheis awake, but please to come few at a time and try to be unthreatening" She told it. The Hertasi nodded and disappeared just as swiftly as it had appeared. Happy they would come soon she went back inside, making sure to make some noise, she didn't want to scare him. She was also glad she was not dressed in the "Normal" Hawkbrother style, she was wearing her modified greens. Knee length green tunic, and loose green trews, and a scarf round her waist. The tunic and scarf had leaves embroidered in a paler green. Hopefully the young man would know what all green clothes meant.

As she came back to the door of the room she was about to step inside, when her empathic senses, picked up fear. Not just the normal "Don't know where you are fear" but the real fear for what was going to happen to him fear. It drowned out all other emotions the lad may have had except pain, the pain for his injuries. Tightening her shields she took and breath and stepped into the room.

The young man had managed to sit himself up, he was looking down at his clothes touching them ever so gently in case they vanished, she guessed they must have been the nicest things he had worn for a while. Evidently he hadn't heard her. She coughed softly to get his attention, his head flew up like a startled horse, fear again crossed his face and then confusion, she was dressed Hawkbrother, but she wasn't. He stared at the cover on the bed not meeting her gaze again.

"How do you feel?" She asked staying by the door, she didn't want to add to the lads fear she wanted him to feel safe.

The young man gaze did not leave the cover but he opened his mouth a few times trying to speak before the words came out, "Fine, thank you Lady" He spoke with a stammer and an unusual lilt to his voice, not one she had heard before. And he could speak Tayledras.

"My name is Keisha, I am a healer with the Hawk brothers, you are in the K'Valdemar Vale, you are safe now" She went on.
The lad said nothing.

"Do you have a name?" She tried.

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes for a second, she saw astonishment that she wanted to know his name.
"My name is Sage, Lady Healer" Again he stammered, it was like he had to think about the words before he could say them. Slowly she walked and sat back down on the chair she had vacated, moving gracefully and slowly, she didn't want to scare him.
He looked as though he wanted to say something, but he wouldn't. she wondered why he didn't and then she remembered that he had been a slave, and that someone had once told her slaves only spoke when spoken to and they definitely did not ask questions of there betters. Thinking about all the things people had told her about slavery she knew they would have there work cut out for them.

"Is there something you want to ask?" She tried to ask in the friendliest tone she could. "Yes, Lady, please forgive me, but is this really Hawkbrothers?, I am safe?" He was looking up at her through his eyelashes he would not meet her gaze directly.
"Yes, you are. No one will hurt you whilst you are here you are safe" and then as an after thought "You are FREE" she added with feeling. Sage looked at her with a lopsided look, she could not read his expression. He went to get up put she pushed him gently back down.
"Don't try that just yet" She said with a smile. "you have heal".
He nodded and settled back down.

She was about to ask him some more when the others arrived, and despite her asking, all of them were there. But to their credit Firesong, Darian and Starfall came into the room fully Silverfox stayed outside the room.

They looked at Sage, he looked at them through his lashes, the fear she could feel coming off him had subsided slightly when she had told him where he was, and thankfully he wasn't afraid of the new arrivals. All of them haddressed down.
Darian was dressed simply but richly in his normal browns. Firesong, was all different shades of blue and Starfall was in his favourite silver and white robe.

"This is Sage" She said standing and stepping forward so she was between Sage and the rest, Sage this is Darian, Firesong, Starfall Mages of this Vale and that outside is Silverfox Kestra' chern." She motioned to each as she said their name. At Silverfoxs title, Sage actually looked up and looked at Silverfox for a long minute and then away again.

"Sage we know you have had a hard time but there are something's we would like answers to" Starfall said not waiting for anymore small talk. -He sat down on the chair that Keisha had left, he didn't want to be looming over the young man-.

The sooner the unpleasant was out of the way the sooner the healing and getting better would start, mentally and physically. Keisha retreated a little so she was in the background, but still on hand if she felt Sage got to upset when Keisha had moved she could see Firesong's face, he looked deep in thought, or more correctly what she could see below the mask. She was glad he had picked one of the plainer masks, she wasn't sure how Sage would react to some of the more elaborate ones. She listened to Starfall he had started to ask questions.

"Lets start at the beginning, how old are you?" Starfall was starting easy.
"I don't rightly know Lord mage" Sage voice was quiet, but it didn't hide the stammer or the lilt.
Starfall frowned "My name is Starfall, I am no lord, you don't know how old you are, do you know where you were born, What Vale?"

Sage looked up slowly he was unsure but he answered. "I was not born, I was created in the tower, no vale" Starfall's face went into confusion he was thinking what Sage had just told him. Darian's too. Created in a tower, it sounded like one of the horror tales her father would tell her brothers.

Sage was looking from face to face, it was clear by his face that this was something he didn't tell many people this. Keisha was about to say something when a snap of Firesong's fingers broke the silence, he stepped forward so Sage could see him. Firesong had a slight smile on his face. "I think I can help here, You are Sage" He said pointing to the young man. "Created in the Mage tower, you were created to help with something weren't you, but the tower collapsed before you were finished" He queried. The others looked at him as though he had gone mad.

"When I was in Valdemar at the palace I was reading in the collegiums libraries trying to find a cause and cure to the Mage Storms, when I found something, you know about Urtho and Ma'ar and it was the collapsing of Urtho's tower that was the trigger" the others nodded blankly this they knew, only Sage was looking animated.

"Well in those books was a diary, it was taken from Urtho's own notes, it told of something he'd made to help stop Ma'ar, he said he called it Sage, he would be the key" Firesong shrugged, "That was all, the rest of the Diary was lost when the tower fell"

The others looked dumb founded, this meant that Sage was far older then anyone had ever imagined.

"Are you immortal" Darian asked thoughtfully.

"No sir, I can not die, for I do not live" Sage replied. Darian looked confused for a moment.

"What are you then?, how can you not live?, you look human" Darian went on. He sat down on the floor, in a tailor seat, Firesong did the same and Keisha noted that Silverfox had come into the room quietly and was standing by the door, watching Sage overtly.

"I have heard of something like that" Darian added quietly, "I thought it was rumour, not real" his voice trailed off.

Sage looked round. "Urtho, made me to look human, I am made of magic. The old magic, before the storms. As long as there is magic I am. If the magic were to fade then so would I. He made me to be a" He paused thinking for the word. "A Holder for magic, a channel. I am key for something" Sages face went sad pain and loss flashed across his eyes, before he hid his feelings. "Urtho died before he could train me properly. Although he did tell me, if anything happened, find the Tayledras." he paused for a second gesturing awkardly to his features. "Thats why he made me look like this, a Tayledras with strong power would be less strange round the tower" He looked at the others, they were nodding, it was true, Hawkbrothers were noted for the unusual powers

"they will be able to help. I am thing for good, Sage said "that's why he had made me, to help fight evil."

He stopped and looked away from them all. "I was good, I was" he said to himself, quietly barely audible.

Firesong rose from his seat on the floor and looked to the door pointedly, the others got the message. This had been enough. Too many memories would be bad. Slowly the others stood.

"We will come back later" Starfall said gently as they left. Silverfox was the last one to the door he turned . Giving Sage a hard, thoughtfully look, then he too turned and left quietly.

Keisha helped Sage lay back down and helped him comfortable, checking his wounds quickly. She aided him into sleep and left him. The she went to find Firesong and ask some questions about Sage before going back to her workshop, to check on her bruise balm, she had a feeling that she would need a lot for Sage.

((And that is the end of this chapter. So please review again and tell me what you think.))