Me: (Is dressed in black, tying hair back carefully. Once again doesn't realize people are there for several minutes) Doody, doody, doo. Howdy Doody looked for his shoe. (Sees people and stares at them, then composes self again and pretends to be cheerful) Como Estas! I'm here just getting ready for an excursion to…You know? Never mind. I didn't say anything. At all.

Disclaimer: COOKIES!

Me: You've been running around looking for those cookies for the past thirty-six hours. Are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really?

Disclaimer: Come out, come out wherever you are!

Me: That answers my question.

Disclaimer: I am not!

Me: (looks suspiciously innocent) Hmm? What aren't you?

Disclaimer: I'm not…(Pauses and looks thoughtful. Key phrase: looks) What was I saying?

Me: (Sighs) Nothing.

Disclaimer: Are you-

Me: Yes.

Disclaimer: (Goes blank for a second. Then…) COOKIES! (Goes off in pursuit of cookies again, forgetting that they don't exist)

Me: I love my power over the stupid. (Turns to readers) As you should know by now, none of these characters are mine, nor will they ever be. Oh, just a note: Kaelin is pronounced like Kaylin. I don't know how else you would pronounce it, but you never know. In any case, on with the story!

Talks by Eveiveneg

"As of late, we've been having trouble." That was Raoul. "Villages, sometimes towns, being attacked. Homes set on fire, buildings turned to rubble. The first time it happened, the Riders went out to see what happened and search for who had done. Nothing. Not a trace of the attackers was found. It's kept on for the past few months. None of the villagers knew what had happened, not even the ones on watch."

Gayle curled her legs up beneath her, Indian style. Kaelin and Alan were listening intently to what was being said. Though fascinated, they were confused by the descriptions of the raids. No, not even raids. Nothing was taken, according to Raoul, Flyndan, and Dom.

Numair started talking. "When any of the mages, including Alanna and myself, try to scry for some idea of what happened, all we get are cloudy images. Alanna said it reminded her of when her daughter Aly was missing five years ago." Gayle felt Alan shift uneasily. She could guess what that had been like for him, not to know where his sister was.

"Third Company went to check it out, along with Kel and Neal." Dom was saying. "It was terrible. The village was in ruins. Many of the people had been killed. When we asked the villagers what had happened, they said they had no idea. They hadn't seen a soul." She heard a sigh.

A small silence came. Suddenly Kel said, "No. Wait, I remember a talking to a little girl. She said she'd seen something."

"Really? What?" Percy asked. "She'd woken up in the middle of the night. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, she heard a noise. She got up to look out the window, and saw a tall, dark figure. It seemed to be made of shadows, just as silent and fast moving as one." Kel was speaking slowly and softly, as though she was trying to remember.

Gayle furrowed her brow. That sounded like…No. It couldn't be. Or could it?

"When the figure turned, she said it had eyes like fire, burning just as fiercely and with out mercy. She ran back to bed and hid under the covers when it disappeared." Kel sounded thoughtful.

The talks continued in this fashion, with descriptions of the attacks and lack of sight capability. But Gayle barely took it in. All she could think about were Kel's words. A creature of shadow with eyes of flame…

After a while, the two young men looked at her, impatient to go. She nodded her understanding and stood up slowly, lost in her thoughts. She led them down the stairs and into the small room beneath the house. Alan strode over to the pile of rags, slid open the plank of wood, and pulled himself through.

Kaelin quickly went after him, obviously glad to be getting out. Gayle followed, but at a slower pace. She didn't even notice when she nearly tripped. She simply righted herself and continued. She slowed to a stop. Maybe, just maybe… Reaching up, she grabbed the edges of the small space and pulled herself up and out.

She crawled out from under the porch and jumped up onto it. Without a single glance or word to the others, she sat down and immersed herself in her thoughts.

Kaelin and Alan were quietly discussing what had just happened. "That was…odd." Alan remarked. Kaelin nodded. "Strangest thing I've ever heard. Attacks on villages with no trace of who did it…" He shook his head. "None of it makes sense." He looked around.

Tobe had gone off to graze the horses. He could see him patting them contentedly. He looked over to his left at Gayle. The tall girl was staring off into nothing, her eyes glazed over and a small frown playing across her face. "Hey." He snapped his fingers in front of her face. She started and looked over at him. "You awake?" He asked with raised eyebrows. She rolled eyes. "What do you think, Eaton? I'm answering you." He shrugged. "Just checking." She twisted her red lips to the side, annoyed. "Yeah, yeah."

She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Hey," she said. "What's with the Sergeant and Lady Keladry?" Alan looked at her oddly. "What about them?" She smiled slightly. "A blind guy could see that they're crazy about each other." Kaelin pretended to not understand. "Oh? How so?"

"I heard how Domitan's voice went all soft when he started talking about her." Gayle leaned back. "Even before then, I saw them glancing at each other when they thought nobody was looking." She looked back at them. "It's kind of sweet, actually. Sad, but sweet. Has anybody tried to get them together?" Kaelin raised his eyebrows. "No, why?" There was a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh, no reason." Her voice was too innocent. "What do you plan to do to them?" He was really curious about it.

She looked at him, surprise all over her face. "Nothing. Why ever would you think I was going to do something to them?" He rolled his eyes. He could tell she was lying. "On second thought, I don't think I want to know." She smiled. "I didn't think so."

They all went silent, thinking. Watching Gayle out of the corner of his eye, Kaelin wondered what she was thinking about. Her face had been sad and serious before. Now she was smiling to herself, an evil light in her eye. Probably Dom and Kel, he thought. Only someone with something like that on their mind would have such a wicked grin on their face.

Tobe came back later, the horses trailing after him. Gayle watched him, a curious expression on her face. She wondered if any others, besides the Wild Mage, whom Percy had told her about, had wild magic. She was fascinated by it. She would have loved to be able to communicate with animals, wild and docile. If she could, the orphanage wouldn't have been so lonely. There had been plenty of birds flying around outside the windows. A couple of dogs lived there with the adults who stayed there. It also would have helped when her parents had gone away for a couple of days. They'd left her by herself, knowing she could take care of herself.

That might have been true, but she hadn't had many friends. For some reason, people had avoided her. She didn't know why. Every time she'd tried to talk to someone, they would politely answer, then hurry away. It had always bothered her. There wasn't much she could do about it now, though. Now that she was stuck here in Tortall. Where was that, anyway? Was she just dreaming? Or was this real? She didn't think it was her imagination. She'd been here a couple weeks, talking with Percy and helping him out. He'd filled her in on Tortall, who was in charge, who was famous, what they could do. He'd said that maybe Numair could get her back, since he was such a powerful mage. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to go back. She liked it here, a lot better than her home. The only thing that had really kept her there was her parents, and now they were gone…

Numair's voice rose inside. She couldn't make out what exactly he said, but she heard his angry tone. He'd gotten her worried. She knew he was the same Numair from her tower vision. What if he recognized her? What would he do? Would he do anything? She drummed her fingers on the wood.

She shook her head. These thoughts were too serious for now. Her thoughts drifted back to the sergeant and the Lady Knight. She felt a grin forming on her lips. They obviously wanted each other, but couldn't tell the other. She was just going to have to help bring them together. The sergeant Domitan was handsome, blue-eyed and dark-haired, always laughing. Lady Keladry was tall and muscular, with serious hazel eyes and short, light-brown hair. She was too serious and Domitan was too easy-going. They'd make a good couple.

She lay down and, with a small grunt, lifted herself upside down. Kaelin raised his cocked an eyebrow in a silent question. "Helps me think." She said easily, smiling. She started walking along the length of the porch, consumed with plans for the knight and sergeant. The three boys watched her, Tobe rolling his eyes at her, Alan confused, and Kaelin amused.

Meeting their eyes, she asked, "You are aware staring is rude, aren't you?" Tobe sighed in exasperation and turned back to the horses. "Is it? I had no idea." Kaelin said dryly. She strolled over to him and stared at him. "You are impudent, squire. I will stand for no insolence." With that she thumped him on the head with one of her feet. "Hey!" He grabbed for her foot. She stepped nimbly out of reach. "I don't think so." He stood up, a grim grin on his face. "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson in manners." He started towards her.

She grinned. "Catch me if you can!" She started running, using her hands to propel herself forwards. Kaelin chased after her. Alan and Tobe collapsed into laughter, watching Gayle outrun Kaelin on her hands. Soon, attracted by the squire and servant's guffaws, the group came outside.

"Is she doing what I think she is?" Asked Neal, watching Gayle with a confused look. The two couldn't answer, they were laughing so hard. Dom grinned. "She's got a lot of upper body strength. She can hold herself up on her arms and run around." Raoul was leaning against the doorframe, trying unsuccessfully to suppress his laughter. Percy was smiling. "She's a handful, that lass."

Gayle was taunting Kaelin. "Can't catch me, Eaton? Come on, my grandmother is faster than that, and she's paralyzed from the waist down!" He was slowing down, weighted down by his sword and weapons. Gayle was about two hundred yards ahead of him. "Ah, come on!" She called. "It was just getting fun!" He glared at her. She sighed. "So much for some exercise." She muttered.

She turned back to the house, and was surprised to see everyone outside. Most of them had red faces, trying to with hold their giggles. She smiled and waltzed over. "How long have you been watching?" She asked, a rueful expression on her face. "Long enough to appreciate the scene." Kel managed before collapsing back into laughter. Percy was shaking his head. She pouted prettily. "I was provoked." She pointed over to Kaelin, bent over and trying to catch his breath, with a foot. "Were you?" Percy asked, eyebrows raised. "It seems to be the other way around."

"Well," She admitted. "It might have been." Kaelin was stalking over towards her, an annoyed expression on his face. "Oh, good, you're back for more?" Gayle asked excitedly. He stared at her for a moment, then walked back on the porch. He sat down with a plop and moaned. "Ouch. I hurt." He looked at them mournful expression. Alan seemed to have recovered slightly. "Oh," he said, putting a hand on Kaelin's shoulder. "That was really funny. Please, no more."

"I have to say," Kaelin said with a grin. "Miss Falconer is quite fast. I shudder to think how much quicker she is on her feet." She smiled mischievously. Kaelin felt his heart skip a beat, but ignored it. She strolled up and flipped herself onto the porch. "I feel so privileged to have successfully caused such a famed group of people to laugh." She said conversationally. She grinned at them. "Talks over?" She asked. Raoul nodded, still chuckling.

"Good. I always feel so unloved when excluded from a conversation." She looked sad for a moment, then her smile came back. As the others began to talk amongst themselves, she slid over to Percy. "You heard?" He asked quietly. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Up until when the sergeant was describing the attack on the fourth of January." She answered, almost inaudible. "All right. We've decided something. We're going to-"

Raoul, coming to talk to him, interrupted him. "Nice one, Gayle. Kaelin really deserved it." He was wiping tears from his eyes. Standing stock still, she swung a hand up to her head in a salute. "Glad to help out in anyway I can, SIR!" He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it. Don't call me sir. It's just Raoul." She grinned. "All right. I won't do it again." She paused. "Sir Raoul." She saw him grin back before she walked off.

"So," someone said conversationally. She turned and found laughing blue eyes watching her. "Someone who's finally put Meathead the Second in his place." She raised her eyebrows. "The second?First being?" He smiled and nodded towards Sir Nealan. "Ah." She looked at the knight a moment, then added. "It fits, sergeant." He shook his head. "No, no. Only my men call me that. My friends call me Dom." She stared at him. "But I'm not your friend." He grinned. "Anyone who successfully torments Meathead II is a friend of mine."

She pouted. "I didn't torment him. Just gave him a bit of exercise." She paused, watching Kaelin. "Though I can see now it was well-needed. Exactly was does Sir Nealan do with him?" Dom rolled his eyes. "Pretty much makes him heal anyone with the slightest bit of a cough." She looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to exercise him more then." The sergeant grinned. "You have my blessing." She curtsied with an invisible skirt. "Why, thank you, dearest, darling Domitan. I'm ever so grateful to those who condone my cause." He laughed. "Our Court jester has arrived." Lady Knight Keladry came over to them.

Gayle put on an excited face. "Really? When can I start?" The knight smiled. "It seems you have some competition, Dom." Gayle grinned mischievously. "I do love competition." Dom looked frightened. "No, no. You win. I don't want to end up like Kaelin." She snapped her fingers in disappointment. "So Lady Knight Keladry-" The knight put up her hands. "Please. I dislike formal tittles. Just Kel would do fine." Gayle sighed mournfully. "Darn." She said sorrowfully. "I was really looking forward to using such a long title every time I addressed you." The two grinned. "Anyway," She hesitated. "Go on." Kel encouraged. "I want to hear."

Gayle started up again. "Well, since you're so eager to find out-" A large force barreled into her. "Ow." She said, dazed. Elle had run into her, excited to be outside. "That was unexpected." Dom and Kel grabbed her and pulled her back on her feet. Their hands accidentally touched and they both blushed.

Gayle smiled, a corner of her mouth coming up. Seeing her watching them, Kel hastily said, "Listen, I got to go. See you later Gayle." She just watched her, then turned to the sergeant, eyebrows raised. "What?" Dom asked, still a bit red. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She answered, her grin going wider and wickeder. "I'll talk to you later, Sarge." She saluted him and waltzed off the porch.

Oh, the joys of unrequited love, she thought. I can't wait to try something out on them. She suddenly felt someone watching her. She turned and saw the mage Numair looking at her intently. He was frowning, as if trying to remember something. It unnerved her, so she slipped around the house, wanting to be alone.

She watched the lake, her eyes sad. Since her parents had been killed, she'd wanted revenge. Now she was here. She wanted to stay here, but if she did, she'd never find out who had killed her parents. And even if she did manage to get to earth and find the murderer, could she even come back here? And if she stayed here, how would she survive? Percy was great, but she couldn't live off his hospitality forever. What would she do for a living?

She signed unhappily. She didn't like to think about serious things, but she had to right now. How in the world would she figure out what to do otherwise? Leaning against the house walls, she played with a strand of her hair that had escaped her hat. Percy had mentioned the Queen's Riders. She was the right age. Maybe she could join them. She'd always wanted to be some kind of warrior. She smiled slightly at the thought. At six years of age she'd pestered her parents into giving her lessons in archery, hand-to-hand combat, and fencing. She'd greatly enjoyed them, until that night…

A shout startled her from this gloomy train of thought. Someone seemed to be giving orders. She walked over towards the sound, curious. She saw everyone going down towards the horses, mounting them or waiting next to them. She went over to Percy, eyebrows raised. "We're heading off with them to Corus. Go pack your things." She shook her head in defeat and went to do as she was told. As she packed her clothes into a bag, she contemplated her choices. The Riders would be accepting trainees soon. She'd have to stay in Corus, if she wanted to join. Sighing, she slung the bag over her shoulder and went back outside.

Most of the group had mounted up, ready to go. Percy had his own horse, Fire Dancer, saddled and ready. She watched them with an amused expression. Raoul called out to her. "Why aren't you up?" She smiled slightly. "As Percy seems to have forgotten, I haven't got a horse to mount up on." She drawled. "That's all right." Kel said. "You can ride Peachblossom. He'll behave." She looked at the giant horse beside her. "Won't you?" The roan gave her a resigned expression.

Gayle strolled over. "Rather large, isn't he?" She commented dryly. Peachblossom eyed her distrustfully. "If he doesn't like me, I'll just die from disappointment." She put her hand over her heart. Patting him, she stepped into the stirrup and swung herself onto the saddle. She'd learned how to ride at her grandfather's ranch before he'd died a couple years ago. She knew how to deal with ornery horses such as Peachblossom.

They set off, Gayle following at a trot. She felt more content on a horse. It reminded her of how her grandfather had taught her. "Don't be afraid to show them whose boss." She remembered him saying one day, long ago. "If you show any signs of doubt, they'll just act even more stubborn." Peachblossom didn't seem too bad, considering the other horses she'd dealt with.

She lapsed into a half daydream, thinking back on all those times she'd met an ornery pony or horse. She stared off unseeingly at the lake, smiling slightly. Suddenly, light flashed against the surface and an image appeared.

A young woman stood in the ruins of a building, inspecting it. She was dressed in breeches, a shirt, and leather jerkin; a piece of cloth wrapped around one bicep. A circle with a red ring around it decorated the cloth.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared. The girl looked up and a half spider half human thing came down. "Ah," it said in a raspy voice. "It seems we have a guest." Pulling out her bow, the woman shot the thing, only to have more arrive. She shot and killed each one, trying desperately to keep the creatures at bay. A strand of yellow green web wrapped around her leg. She screamed and dropped the bow. The spidrens descended on her…

Gayle blinked. The picture was gone. What had that been? She wondered. She rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things?

She felt something pull on her head. Suddenly, her hat came flying off and her hair cascaded down. She looked around and saw Kaelin riding next to her, grinning happily and clutching her hat. "Looking for this?" He asked innocently. She stared at him for a second, then started to smile. "Um, Gayle?" Dom had seen the events unfold. "You've got a scary look in your eye."

"Do I?" She asked him, still watching Kaelin unblinkingly. Kaelin was starting to look uncomfortable. With good reason, of course. It wasn't everyday a girl looked at you with a murderous gleam in her eyes. She hadn't done anything to him yet, of course, but looking at her told Kaelin she was going to do something, something really unpleasant. She smiled at him sweetly, then mouthed, "I'll be talking to you later."

He looked at her uneasily. She'd turned to talk to Dom, braiding her hair as she spoke. It was very beautiful hair. Long and scarlet, it curled in just the right places, tumbling all the way down her back. He shook his head. If he kept thinking like that, who knew what would happen.

Gayle caught his look and grinned again, obviously impatient to get to him later on. Her gaze shifted to the right. Numair was staring at her again, but this time with recognition. His eyes were wide and surprised, his mouth slightly agape. She swore softly, fingering her long red hair. She should have dyed it, or something. She hadn't wanted anybody to recognize her. But then again, she hadn't suspected that she would ever meet him again. She'd just thought the vision was her imagination.

Who had those other people been? She couldn't remember their names, just Numair's. But she did remember the other man's black hair, and the woman's purple eyes. You just didn't see that color everyday.

"Hey." She blinked. Turning back to Dom, she saw he was watching her with an eyebrow crooked. "What?" She asked, confused. "You listening? Or are you to involved in your evil thoughts for my dear cousin's squire?" She shook her head and sighed. "No. But thanks for reminding me." She could see out of the corner of her eye that Kaelin was still eyeing her uneasily. Her mouth curled into a smile.

"Anyway," She looked back at Dom. "I've been meaning to ask something." His mind was obviously on other things, if his expression was any indication. In fact, he must have been thinking about Kel. "Yes? What?" He questioned, taking a drink from his water canteen. "Are you courting anybody?" He spit the water out, drenching his horse's neck. "Easy there," She said, patting him on the back. "Don't kill yourself."

"W-What?" He stuttered, staring at her. "Once again, are you courting anyone?" He glanced at Kel quickly before answering. "No. Why?" Gayle smiled to herself. "Just asking." He still looked a bit disoriented.

"I've got to go ask Kel something." She announced after a pause. "See you around." She surveyed him, then added, "You should probably clean yourself up before seeing to your men. They'll probably ask about it, and of course, that'll be just too embarrassing, won't it?" His face seemed to pale. "What do you mean?" He asked quietly. She just grinned at him. "You know what I'm talking about. Toodles." She rode off, leaving the sergeant white-faced and out of breath.

They finally reached the Third Company, after much tormenting and harassing on Gayle's part. The Company had stopped to set up camp, and was currently lounging around, bored. When he saw Raoul riding towards them, Qasim smiled and greeted them. "How did your errand go?" He asked. "Quite well, actually." The Knight Commander said happily. "We talked things out, and decided that it would be best if our friend came with us. Qasim, may I introduce my friend, Percy Miller?" Percy rode forward, bowing from his perch. "I'm honored to meet you, Qasim." He said gallantly.

Gayle smiled as she watched them. Percy could handle others well. But of course, he'd had practice. Her face darkened. She hadn't. Seventeen years and barely anybody had said a word to her.

"And who is this young man?" She looked up. The dark-faced man was looking at her as he inquired this. She suppressed a grin. Riding forward, she stopped a few feet in front of him. Bowing from the waist, she said, "Gayle Falconer, at your service." She grinned at him. He seemed to have gone a bit red. "I am sorry, Miss Falconer." She smiled at him, and shook her head. "It's alright. You're not the only one to have mistaken me for a man." She heard everyone shift uncomfortably behind her. She dismounted and held out her hand. The older man took it, saying, "Welcome to the Third Company, Gayle."

-

This was a pretty boring chapter. Sorry, and stuff. I'll try and make the next one a bit more interesting.

Eveiveneg