Disclaimer: The world of Velgarth, Valdemar, Heralds, Companions, etc is all the work of M. Lackey.
The world of Velgarth, Valdemar, Heralds, Companions, etc is all the work of .Chapter 7 An Arrival and A Breaking
I woke up the next morning and knew something had changed. Time had begun to move for me and I knew that soon I would be forced into whatever spot they deemed appropriate for me. I knew I was right when I walked out and Alberich was waiting for me in full Whites instead of his usual grays.
Alberich is intimidating in his usual gray leather. In Whites let me just say that the authority behind him is, frankly, terrifying. As I sat down across from him, he seemed to loom over me, watching my every movement.
I ate, as quickly as I could without looking foolish. and then changed into the dress clothes that I had had made when I first came. Luckily, Selenay had agreed pretty quickly to paying for at least a couple changes of clothing including a formal outfit. They were much on the same line with my normal clothes except the top had sleeves and the pants were a little bit baggier than usual. When I came out, Alberich only looked me over and then motioned for me to follow. I did so only wearing my knife, not that I had any other weapon. Alberich led the way into the Royal gardens where I hadn't been before. We walked the paths to a back entrance that I somehow knew led to Selenay's private quarters.
So this wasn't supposed to be a full council meeting then? I wondered if the Council knew about me yet or if I'd been kept a secret. (I figured all the Deans knew about me. With all the MindSpeakers about I would have been shocked if they hadn't) It didn't matter to me one way or another. A flash of color caught my eye as I walked along behind Alberich. I stopped and looked up. There in a tree was the most fantastic bird I had ever seen. It was beautiful. Phoenix was the only word I could describe it as. It caught my attention and held it until Alberich came and took my arm pulling me through a door he'd already opened. The bird followed us in, settling itself on the shoulder of a masked man.
I tried to move away from Alberich but he didn't release my arm and I wasn't about to try to get it back from him. I looked around the room and finally noticed (truly noticed) where the bird had landed. I should say on whom the bird landed.
I have to stop my story here and say a few things. One is that Firesong stops your heart even with the mask. My first impression of him was silent power, held by an iron will. He kept his arms loose at his side, but he was coiled as if anything could set him into motion. His body was lithe and strong, what I could see of it under his robes.
Also, he is a peacock. The books always described him that way but I didn't truly understand that until I saw him in person. His robes were done in a myriad of colors, ranging from greens to blues to a subtle shade of purple that I wished I could wear. I got the feeling that I was underdressed next to him but knew that he outshone everyone in the room.
And finally about Firesong before I move on: he is gorgeous. I mean mask not withstanding. He could have had any woman he wanted just by raising an eyebrow. My heart went pitter patter, even knowing he was shaych. If he had given me any indication I would have stripped bare right there and done anything he asked. Alright maybe not anything. Then again…
So, enough about him. Now on to his lover.
It just isn't right that a man has better looking hair than any woman I know. And he does. Yet it doesn't detract from his masculinity. It adds to it. His outfit complimented Firesong's in a way that he was not lost in the background. He wore fewer colors but was striking none the less. I have to say any woman who ended up between the two of them could die a happy woman. I certainly would. He was slightly less muscular than Firesong but I could have fallen quite willingly for him as well. The only thing I could think of was trying out all of his kestra'chern training.
Yes, I'm a single, healthy, red blooded American female. Deal with it.
Alright I admit it I was instantly and irrevocably in lust with the two of them. I hadn't known they had arrived and was glad for it. Seeing the two of them travel wearied and stained would have shattered my imaginings of them. Meeting them like this only enhanced them.
My ruminations only took an instant. They hadn't noticed that I was staring at them. It was a good thing too. I think I drooled slightly and wouldn't that be a fine impression? So, here I was in a room with Elspeth, Darkwind, Firesong (did I mention he was gorgeous?) and Silverfox (equally gorgeous).
Alberich stood off to one side, having finally let go of my arm. He looked as imposing as ever but my attention wasn't on him but on Selenay. She was the one who would run this meeting.
"So, Adept Firesong I would like to introduce you to the reason we sent for you." She motioned toward me but I stubbornly refused to move. "This is Sara Jakeson." She introduced me (incorrectly!) to my two favorite characters out of all the books.
Firesong nodded to me slightly and I imitated the gesture. No need to let him know how I felt. "I am Sarana actually. Not Sara." He looked at me oddly like he hadn't expected me to be able to speak. Hadn't they told him anything? Silverfox smiled to me and I allowed a small smile to play across my lips. Ahh if only they weren't shaych!
"Tell me your story." Firesong said, flowing into a vacant seat.
To be able to sit like that, I would have to have either better muscle control or a lot less bones. It was beautiful. Sorry, I'm drooling again aren't I?
I launched into my story one more time, in almost the exact same words as before. He listened closely, never interrupting with a question of his own. When I finally wound down he just sat quietly for a moment. "I think you were right, Elspeth. There really is now way we can send her home. To create a Gate we would have to have an anchor on the other side and some knowledge of where to place the Gate. We have neither one. So, now we must decide what to do with her."
Have I said before that I hate being talked about like I'm not there?
"Hey! You can talk to me. I'm right here!" I said, a bit angrily.
He turned ice cold blue eyes on me and looked me up and down. (Excuse me drool moment. Use your imagination.) "I'm sorry, Sarana. You're right. But, I have to agree with the other mages here. There is no way to send you home." He said softly. "I will not even waste the energy to try..."
"Waste the energy?" I exploded. "I bet if it were you trapped somewhere else, you wouldn't consider it wasted energy!" I stood quickly, knocking back the chair I had been sitting on. "If you were being held prisoner, and not allowed to do anything except what your guards allowed, it would not be a waste of energy! So excuse me my dear Adept, if I don't believe it to be wasted!" With that, I barreled out of the room, back into the garden, fighting the tears that had held back for so long.
I had just yelled at probably one of the most famous mages in all of Velgarth history and then ran from the room like a frightened child. I was really a mess.
I heard someone behind me say, "let her go." Then I was too far away to hear anything. I ran blindly, not caring where I went. The sobs wracked my body, making it hard to keep moving. But keep moving I did. I vaulted over a fence and kept running. White blurs in the corners of my eyes told me I was either in the Field or near it. Then I saw the Grove. That's where it had all began. Mayhap if I went back it could all end there too.
I ran blindly not caring if I fell or hurt myself. When everything but the Grove was blocked from my view I collapsed. "Why? Why do this to me? I'm just a nanny and a writer. Why?!" My voice echoed hollowly around, no answer coming from the trees or from the silent bell tower there. Nothing stirred the trees and no Companions magically appeared to give me my answers.
I continued sobbing for a time, the hot tears leaving streaks down my normally pale face. I knew I looked a wreck and didn't really care. I was stuck in a place I had no right being in. Energy would be "wasted" trying to get me home. It was all too much. I had let it build until it was bursting out in this rare form of emotion from me. A soft warm nose touched my heaving shoulders. I looked up, eyes still blinded by tears and stared at the white form just next to me.
My gut knew instantly which companion would dare come here and try to ease my emotional pain. Frankly, I wasn't in the mood for it. Not then. I pushed myself back to my feet, having fallen to my knees and glared at Rolan.
"Kiss my ass, horse." I said, nastily, before I ran for the gates. Maybe I could lose myself in Haven before anyone realized I was gone.
I didn't even make the gates before I was spotted. Except it wasn't a human or even a Companion that found me. Aya caught the corner of my eye as he winged overhead. I didn't even attempt to run. I knew I couldn't hide from the bondbird. Life was not good. I was stuck in a fantasy world where I was, if not hated, then certainly too much of a risk to be let out of sight. Keep your friends close and your enemies, closer.
I had lost my family. My friends. Everything had been taken from me in one simple fall down a mountain. I had been gone a month, maybe a bit longer, now. Missing for three weeks in the Blue Ridge. What would the Gillespies do? I'm sure they would replace me. But would it be easy? I doubted it. It was a plum job. Still, it was hard to find that right person who was willing to do all the work and get very few benefits. I had enjoyed it because it allowed me freedom for my writing.
I missed them desperately. They had become a second family for me. Although I had enjoyed my four weeks a year in the mountains, coming back to them had taken the place of my family that had lived on the other side of the country. I had children around and a loving family that loved having me around even at the holidays. I was always included in all their vacation plans and often asked my opinions. I loved them and now they would have to call California and tell my mother, who had taught how to hike that I'd taken a fall and died in our beloved Mountains. I would have cried, had there been anything left.
Would they have a body to mourn? Was there something left of me there to tell them that I was gone? Or would they continue to wonder, as hope faded ever so slowly into the background as more and more time passed? These questions plagued me as I began looking for a place to hide. Not permanently, but for a time, just to get away from those who held my life in their hands.