Thank you Tessababe and wizard116.
I apologise once again for any mistakes this is my first Misty book and I am little hazy on the finer details. -edit- And please note I am aiming to update at least once a week, hopefully round the Friday, Saturday mark so if you want to keep up that's when I should be updating)
Keisha smoothed the last of the bruise balm over the bruises and lacerations on Sages back. She had been doing this for the last eight or so weeks and now nearly all of the bruises and cuts had faded, all that remained were the scars, both physical and mental, and they too were slowly being healed.
"All done" She said cheerily moving, back to wipe her hands on a rag, Sage rolled off his stomach and sat up. He pulled his shirt back on. He was still wearing the same simple style clothes they had given him when he first arrived, no matter what they had said he had still asked for them. He pulled on his top and sat on the edge of the treatment table looking round her workshop at the flowers and herbs she grew in there until she came back to him carrying the next part of his treatment, different sized and weighted balls filled with sand. She gave the two lightest ones to him.
"Raise your arms" She told him, she had made a routine of exercises for him to do once a day, something Silverfox had suggested to her, to help get movement back into his recently healed shoulder, arm and fingers. Obediently he raised both arms straight out, the left one, the one that had been both broken and dislocated, was still slightly lower then the right. She gave him slightly heavier balls each time he repeated the exercise until he couldn't lift a ball with his left hand. She noted that he had improved, he had barely been able to manage the third heaviest one, now he could just lift the fifth one. Next she had him wiggle his fingers and squeeze the various sized balls. Still his left hand was weaker, also his fingers on that hand were still slightly bent, but she reassured him that they would get better with time, the muscles had to stretch.
Finally when they were done she let him go with a smile. Watching him walk down the path looking at the flowers around him. She had to smile, after all he had gone through, and what that was exactly, no-one knew for he had not told much, but it was bad that they knew. The fact he was still able to be happy and look forward was amazing. She turned from the doorway and went about tidying up her treatment room, ready for the next person.
With a nod of thanks Sage picked up his shirt slid into it and jumped off the table and left her workshop. He walked slowly down the paths from Keisha's healers building. Not looking which path was on because he was looking at everything around him, the world fascinated him. He had a child like innocence in wanting to know things, how they worked, what made them go. This in turn amused the Hawkbrothers, it had taken them a while to get used to his questions and his strange way of talking. He sighed a happy sigh, people here were so nice and helpful, a shadow flickered across his eyes, would he have to tell them about what happened, where he had been across the sea for all this time. No one had asked him, but still he knew they must wonder, he knew because he could sense it, he had empathy, among everything else, this they had found out after the first few days of un-aided healing sleep, Starfall had found him cowering in the corner of his room, his hands over his ears to block out the "Talking".
Snapping out of his revere he found his walk had taken him up by a water fall. No one was around, and he had some time before he had to go and see Starfall or Darian and sometimes Firesong they were teaching him about shielding so he would stop "hearing" and sensing what people thought, they had been shocked when they "Saw" the shielding he had developed over the years, it was the all or nothing approach, he either heard everything or nothing.
So he sat down on the rocks and watched the water bubbling away, it was so peaceful up here, he watched the little trickle of water run down to become the waterfall. These were amazing things these waterfalls the Hertasi had told him that the mages had helped make these, he could feel the slight pulse of mage power all around him. He loved this Vale, it was the first one he had ever been in, he felt so at home, the feel of magic it was so alive.
Silverfox had been walking along the same path as Sage had, enjoying the same view, he was about to step out when he saw Sage enjoying the waterfall. He looked so peaceful so worry free that he didn't want to interrupt. He watched the "Boy". It had been a universal decision to think of Sage as how he looked, rather then how old he was. It was simpler and saved explaining, not all the people in the Vale knew about Sage. And Sage said he didn't mind being thought of has young, it made him feel as though he had a new start.
Since Sage had, had a hair cut and a wash and his bruises were fading, they could see how pale he really was, far paler then any "Normal" human, and his hair was now so short so it stuck out round his head rather like a dandelion clock, Silverfox had thought. Silverfox had thought himself quite well hidden, but he jumped slightly when Sage spoke to him with out looking.
"You need not hide on my account Kestra'chern sir" Sage spoke slowly, as he had found most people unable to follow his lilting stammer if he spoke quickly.
Silverfox stepped out and walked to join Sage sitting on the rocks, the morning light played with the bubbling water, he could see why Sage had stopped here. Silverfox chose a rock not to close to Sage, as they had all noted he was rather nervous in male company, but then that was probably justified.
Silverfox had enjoyed talking to Sage, as he had known Amberdrake, a well known Kestra'chern, who had been friends with Urtho, although what he knew was limited he was happy to share. Silverfox was happy to listen, talking was one of the best healers, he hoped that Sage would eventually trust them enough to fill in the years between then and now. He had told bits, but the latter part of his life had not been mentioned, the closet he had come was to say "The land across the sea".
All this though thinking had taken no more then a few seconds. "I didn't realise you were aware of me, I didn't want to disturb you" Silverfox said aloud, getting comfortable.
"Slaves always know when someone is around" Sage had replied with a half grin. Turning his head to look at Silverfox.
Silverfox thought this over for a second and then nodded, he couldn't think of an answer to a statement like that. "How is your arm now?" he asked instead, changing the subject.
Sage turned to face him, crossing his legs on his rock. He lifted his arm up to as high as it would go.
"Slightly better, but I still can not lift it above my head. Healer Keisha said it would get better with time, and if I keep doing those exercises with the balls" He told Silverfox lowering his arm. He looked at the Kestra'chern from under his lashes before speaking again.
"Thank you for them" He said quietly. "No-one had ever helped me before"
Silverfox smiled, "Your welcome, I thought they would work for you, I have seen warriors who have had bad injuries use something similar" Silverfox told him, "As long as you keep them up you will be fine" Silverfox went on. He thought about the stretches that Firesong now did, they'd helped him regain some flexibility.
He was about to say more, but Sage had turned away, looking into the distance, one of the other more powerful of his gifts that he had wished to be trained in was Foresight. It turned out that he had very strong magic in this area, something Firesong guessed was intentional by Urtho. Even though he had only been practising for a few months he was getting to be good at seeing which future was likely. As Sage had explained it, he saw not one possible future but many, although things that other people did determined which would happen.
Firesong had told Silverfox one night, that even though Sage had been made from all magic- theold magic.He didn't want to know how to use some of it, only how to control it. Healing and helping seemed to be the main theme of what he wanted to learn, every time Firesong or Darian had mentioned battle magic, or offensive magicto Sage he had changed the subject or gone very quiet. He though this over to himself whilst he waited for Sage to finish "Seeing" whatever it was he could see.
There was another meeting planned for later in the day. It was to discuss what action should be taken if the people Sage had run from should ever come looking, they would never give him back, whatever he was meant for, it was not what they had been using him for. He was one of them now.
Silverfox was suddenly aware of Sage touching his arm to get his attention, as soon as he focused on Sage, the "Boy" moved back. He looked unnerved, Silverfox wondered what he had seen, he didn't have to wait long.
"Someone is coming" Sage started, "Someone in white all white, with long hair, he had a white horse, but the horse feels wrong, he is with a man, noble I think" Sage finished. Silverfox knew instantly who it must be, Herald Anda, "The noble old or young?" he asked starting to rise.
Sage thought for a moment eyes closed "Old"
"Its Lord Breon then and Herald Anda" Silverfox explained starting back down the path. "There is something else" Sage called after him, "The noble did not look happy". Silverfox who had stopped to here the last bit of information nodded and set off down the path to let the others know they would have guests. Leaving Sage alone on his rock.
Sage tried to get interested in the water again but he was to distracted. The white horse kept coming back to mind, he knew there was something about the horse, it was more then it seemed, and what on earth was a Herald he mused. He had missed so much being away, but he was catching up slowly, he had been overjoyed to hear and see that the Hertasi, dyheli, kyree and Gryphons had all survived the towers collapse and had gotten away. He could remember pulling the very delirous Urtho out of the tower and getting him someway away, before the mage had died. He remembered the pain of magical backlash, and the pain of having to bury Urtho. Sage had laid him to rest under some of the rubble of the tower he had loved so much.
He didn't know how long his sat on the rubble, Ma'ars mercenaries had found him sometime later, fled after their had died to loot the battlefields. They had never guessed they would find something like Sage. They never guessed what he was. They had took him away with them. Back to their home over the sea, that had been so long ago. He shook himself out of his memories, he was to learn how to heal and help, and how to stop hearing and feeling what other people thought and felt. He would be useful. He told himself sternly.
Getting off his rock, he went to find someone who could tell him, what a Herald was. He knew that Darian and Firesong would be busy if a noble was about. So he continued on up the path until he came to cliffs and rocks at the top edge of the lake. He saw Kel taking a bath, spraying water everywhere as he rolled about in the shallows. Sage smiled waiting far enough away so he wouldn't get wet, when Kel had shook himself off and had laid down on a nice warm flat rock. Not realising that Kel had not seen him he walked on up to the rock, and stepped round so he was facing Kel.
"Kel can I talk to you please?" Sage asked. If it was possible for a gryphon to jump then Kel came very close, he had been dozing off, his eyes half closed, when Sage suddenly appeared in front of him, he reacted instinctively, his talons stopped a fraction away from the young man.
Sage to his credit did not move an inch, a good thing giving if he had of done, he would now have some nasty scratches. Kel lowered his fist and sat up. "Sage, you dolt, I could've hurt you then, didn't anyone tell you never sneak up on a sleeping gryphon" Kel spluttered out. That had been a close call. It unnerved him that someone could sneak up on him like that.
"Kel I am sorry, really I am, I thought you have seen me" Sage apologised, he also know how close that had been. He looked so worried that Kel relented, "It doesn't matter, no harm done, you said you wanted to talk, what was it?" he asked lying back down, his head resting on his forelegs. Sage took a seat on the edge of the rock, "What is a Herald? And what is their horse?" He asked. "One has just come in, Silverfox didn't have time to say what they were"
"A herald" Kel said shocked how could someone not know what a herald was, if it had been anyone else, he would of suspected them to have been joking, but not with Sage. "A herald is someone who has been chosen by a companion" He explained, Sages face creased with thought, then he realised the horse was the companion. "The herald usually has some mage gift, like mind speech or foresight something like that, and them and the companion help in the smooth running of Valdemar" Kel finished. Sage nodded, he had seen similar things, only un-magical, even though the horse now had a name, something was still not right with it. He jumped off the rock, he was going to see this for himself. Kel watched him go with a sigh, before resuming his sleep on his rock.
Sage stepped quietly round the side of the council chamber, he could hear voices inside, they were talking about something, in heated voices. He stopped to listen. "Well I said I can feel something here, its disturbing all the nodes and lines round here, you must have felt it" Said a strange voice, it was male but slightly higher then normal, but cultured. Not Hawkbrother.
"They is nothing strange here, no lines or node in the vale have been disturbed" Returned a voice, Darian, Sage identified.
"Experiments then, a trainee mage maybe" A deeper voice questioned.
"No, no trainees" That was Firesong. Sage had a feeling that they were hiding something, then he realised as he listen more, it was him, they were hiding him from these strangers.
Sage dropped his shields ever so slightly, So he could feel what was happening, anger from the two strangers at something being hidden from them, and amusement from the Hawkbrother mages.
"Well" demanded the lighter voice "What is it? that's been doing this, what"
"There is no it anywhere" started Firesong. But then he stopped, he could feel Sage outside, although Sage had some control over his shields they were not brilliant. "Sage don't reveal yourself not yet, please wait until you have more control on your shields" Firesong mind spoke to Sage, "We will sort them out"
Sage resisted for a moment and then mentally nodded, "I will leave them for you, I want to see the horse anyway, it looks pretty" he added before swinging away from the window to find the companion. Leaving the meeting and the fussing noble behind.
Soon Sage came to the trees on the edge dyheli field, he sensed the companion before he saw him, and when he did it took his breath away, "Star Lady be blessed" he cursed under his breath, "I never thought I would see this, sothey come back."
((and that is all for now, I end on a cliff hanger to keep you keen. I will update as soon as I can, and please review I love them all, they help me make a better story for all"
