Hey everyone. Sorry this chapter is a bit late, and I'm not even sure I like this chapter. Had the duty round from hell last night, complete with having to call the cops. Plus, school started, so I'm trying to balance homework and my job. Anyhoo, here are some responses to your wonderful comments:

Fireblade: In my family, which has numerous great-aunts and –uncles, we just refer to everyone as if they were regular aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews are regular by extension. In the interest of not having to write "Great-Aunt Kero" every time one of the girls talked to Kero, I just followed my family tradition. I also thought that anyone who was reading this story would know of Kero's relation to Dierna and be able to draw the oppopriate conclusion, and therefore left the explanation out. The girls might get to meet some of the Bolts later on, though. I'm still working on later parts of the plot.

This-Is-Not-A-Flame: There is no way I would perceive your post as a flame. Like I said earlier, I don't have the books with me so I can't look up references. I knew Dierdre was wrong, but I couldn't look it up in the book and I had already spent hours choosing the girls' names, so I wasn't up to looking up everything on the Internet. Thank you for the correction! As soon as I figure out how to edit the story, I'll fix Dierna's name. If you see any other mistakes with spelling or people's names, let me know. Thanks!

Wizard116: OK, to the best of my knowledge, here are the pronunciations of the girls' names. I got them out of a site of baby names, so I'm drawing on my limited knowledge of the languages they come from that I learned in my Etymology class last semester.

Acacia: Uh-KAY-see-uh

Ianthe: Ee-ANN-tee

Caia: KY-uh

Damini: DAY-min-ee

I'll give you the baby's name pronunciation when we get to that part of the story.

Again, thank you for all the wonderful comments, everyone. I am very happy that you are all enjoying my story.Now, on with the tale!

Disclaimer: I am not Mercedes Lackey nor do I own any of her characters.

Chapter 4

            "It really doesn't look too bad."

            Talia tugged lightly on the ends of Kero's hair as she sat on high lip of the tub that Kero was bathing Damini in. The luke-warm water seemed to have taken a liking to Kero. Currently, she was wetter than the toddler in the bathtub. Kero glanced up at Talia, dragging her attention away from the toddler for an instant. Damini took advantage of that instant by trying to make a break for the hallway, but Kero caught the slippery little girl before she even made it over the edge of the tub and plopped her back into the soapy water with a splash. Damini giggled in delight and began slapping the water, drenching Kero's hair and soaking her old lightweight tunic, with which she had replaced her ruined leathers, with more water. Talia smiled as she reminisced over the days when Jemmie was small enough to bathe like that.

            "Yes, it does." Kero's comment drew her back to the present. "It still smells like it's been lit on fire, and I've already washed it once today." Damini splashed again. "Make that twice."

            "Nonsense. It just needs a trim to even it out and get rid of the ragged ends. What did Eldan use to cut it, a spoon? We'll get Jeri to do it for you. She'll make you presentable."

            "If I want to go to court."

            "If you want to be a mean, scary mercenary captain."

            Kero gave her own hair an abrupt tug as if trying to make it longer.

            "I've had long hair as long as I can remember. What can I possibly do with hair this short so that it won't get in my way? And still look like a mercenary?"

            Recognizing the signs of exhaustion in Kero, Talia attempted to quickly change the subject while the racket of the other little girls bathing increased to shrieks and shouts of laughter. Raising her head, Kero took in the carnage. The bathing tubs in their immediate area had been abandoned by the other bathers in search of quieter surroundings. Not that one needed a tub to bathe here. There was enough water on the white tile floor to take care of that. Soap was being flung in all directions by the foursome and in the past half-hour Kero had been forced to kiss three bruises, much to her embarrassment, and in public no less.

            "What you need to do is put these girls to bed and go snuggle with your man under a pile of nice warm blankets. In one day, you've inherited a rather large and rambunctious family, moved to new quarters and had your hair burned off. I would call that a rough day, even for you, Herald-Captain. Everything will look better tomorrow. I promise."

            Kero smiled glumly, not used to being comforted but willing to accept it anyway. The headache pounding through her head and her aching body all agreed with Talia's prescription for having a better tomorrow, and snuggling with Eldan under warm blankets could make any day better. All she had to do was get the girls to go to sleep.

            "Kero." Eldan's voice interrupted her thoughts. He stood in the doorway to the bathing area, eyes covered with one hand in respect for the other bathers, dressed in traveling leathers and saddle bags on the floor by his feet. Kero felt her heart drop. "I need to talk to you."

            "Can you-- ?"

            "Sure."

            Kero rose from her kneeling position on the floor and Talia took over, efficiently scrubbing the squirming toddler down with far more ease than Kero would ever exhibit. Definitely must be a Gift, Kero muttered to herself, then drew Eldan out into the hallway with her. She leaned back against the cool stone of the wall and Eldan closed the space between them, sliding his hands down her sides to hips, molding her sodden tunic to her even more that it already was. He bent his head forward and rested it on her shoulder, his breath warming the crook of her neck and making her squirm as it tickled.

            "Where are you going?"

            "North. Evendam. This blizzard is hitting them bad up there. The longhouses are buried under mounds of snow. Every available Herald is needed up there."

            "Why wasn't I called up? I can dig the Bolts out of the garrison and take them up to assist."

            "Shallan is already moving them."

            "Under whose orders?!"

            "Selenay."

            "The Bolts aren't Shallan's company! They're mine! What business does Selenay have sending them up there under Shallan?" Kero's fury rose. "Since when does every Herald of physical ability get called up but I get left behind?"

            "Since you acquired five little girls." Eldan's words took the wind from her sails and she felt the tears begin to creep up again, but forced them back.

            "I didn't ask for them."

            "No, but you got them."

            "I should be there with the Bolts."

            "They'll be fine. You trust Shallan. They won't be fighting, just digging out some snow. Getting some exercise. You leave Shallan in charge of that every day." She agreed with Eldan's logic, but it did not help to ease the strange sense of loss and loneliness she was experiencing. The pressure of building tears redoubled, making them almost impossible to fight back.

            "I should be there with you."

            "Oh, baby." Eldan pulled her close, wiping away the few tears that managed to escape and cradling her head against his shoulder.

            "We haven't been separated since we found each other again during the war against Ancar. How do I know you won't get yourself kidnapped by Karsite sunpriestesses again or something? There aren't too many mercs running around Karse, I'll have you know, and if you somehow do get kidnapped and rescued by a merc, I swear I'll kill you if you take up with her."

            Eldan half-grinned. " 'Take up'?"

            "You know what I mean." Kero's tears were back under control and she drew her head off his shoulder. Eldan raised his right hand in solemn vow.

            "I, Eldan, swear to avoid all sunpriestesses I encounter in or around Evendam, to refuse to go back to Karse and to not 'take up' with any beautiful mercenaries who happen to rescue me, present company excluded, of course."

            Kero felt a slight smile crease her face. "Of course."

            Eldan grinned and moved back in, angling for a kiss. "Good. In that case, we can discuss my rewar-"

            "KERO!" Talia's shriek and wave of fear sent both Kero and Eldan scurrying back into the bathroom. The scene that greeted them was astounding to even Kero's jaded eyes. Talia was pinned to the ceiling by stone vines that had grown out of marble. More vines were growing all around them, from the floor, walls and even the bathing tubs. The leaves were perfectly formed and some were even sprouting flowers with large, flamboyant petals in colors Kero had never seen on a real vine, much less one made of marble. One vine began creeping up Kero's left leg, but she felt the cold touch of the stone and smashed her heel on it, grateful for her riding boots and the amount of destruction they could produce. Her eyes immediately searched out Ianthe and saw her huddled in the far corner with the other girls, yet determinedly blasting any vines that came near them with firebolts that would have made her great-grandmother proud.

            "Ianthe, are these yours?"

            "I didn't make them!" Her voice was a bit strained as she blasted another vine that came near them. Gray edged around her face as exhaustion began to creep in. Kero glanced up at Talia and decided she was safe for the moment, so she headed for the girls, stomping vines the entire way. Damini hopped onto Kero's back like a monkey when she crouched down. Then she gathered a growling Acacia under one arm and Ianthe under the other. Eldan grabbed Caia and tucked her under an arm like a sack of flour as he shattered vines around him with a broomstick he had found before entering the bathing room.

            "Get them out of here!" he shouted. "I'll get Talia!"

            "I have her!" Dirk had come running when he felt Talia's fear, followed by Jeri and Alberich who were stomping on any vines within the reach of their boots, not wanting to ruin their swords on something the swords could not even damage. The thicker vines holding Talia to the ceiling were resisting everything they threw at them. Dirk was Fetching anything he could think of to break the vines that would not hurt Talia. By now Elspeth had also arrived and began exerting her own Gift, battering at the vines, when she suddenly stopped.

            "We're going about this the wrong way." Her mumble was caught only by Dirk, who stopped in his futile beating of the vines and followed Elspeth's gaze to the vinelike engravings on the walls near the ceiling, then to Damini, who was standing in the doorway giggling and clapping like a loon. She crossed the room, approaching Damini slowly, then crouched down until she was eye to eye with the little girl. "Do you like the flowers, little one?"

            "Fwowers! Pwetty!"

            "She can talk?" Kero's jaw dropped in a seldom seen expression of surprise. "I though she couldn't talk! She never said anything before this!"

            Damini let out an impressive string of Karsite curses and giggled again as more flowers erupted.

            "I thought you were joking about the whole swearing in Karsite thing."

            "So did I."

            Elspeth grinned. "You most certainly can talk, can't you, munchkin? You were just luring them into complacency weren't you?"

            "'Pacencey?"

            "Never mind. Why don't you put the flowers back where they belong?"

            "Fwowers pwetty! Stay!"

            "Elspeth! Anytime now!" Talia was now almost completely covered in stone vines and her voice was muffled.

            "Dami." Kero crouched and turned the toddler to face her. "Remember what I told Ianthe? No magic inside or without an adult to tell you what to do."

            Damini's lower lip began to stick out and tears began to leak from her crystalline blue eyes to trail down cheeks that Kero imagined would be chubby once they got enough food into the girl. "Snow ou'side. Fwowers inside. Pwetty inside."

            "Yes, they're very pretty, but they're hurting Talia. Can you please put her down and tell the flowers to go away?"

            Damini turned around and looked up at Talia, as if realizing for the first time that Talia was about to be completely covered in the stone vines and flowers. Then her little face scrunched up and she fisted her little hands. Her face turned red as she concentrated on the flowers, trying to make them go away. Some of them did, but the ones around Talia remained stubbornly in place.

            "Won' go 'way." Damini's voice sounded panicked as more tears fell. "Don' wanna hurt Talia!"

            Elspeth frowned and gathered her own gift around her and began probing the magic, looking for a weakness. Abruptly then vines around Talia disintegrated and she plummeted toward the ground only to be caught by Dirk and Alberich, who barely staggered under her slight weight.

            "There you go, Dami, it's all right. See? Talia's fine." Kero barely recognized her own voice as she sought to comfort the toddler who had turned back to Kero and burrowed against her. Her arms came up and pulled the unresisting Dimini closer and one hand began stroking her hair. Damini tucked a thumb into her mouth and let her legs go limp, forcing Kero to pick her up. Within seconds, Damini was sound asleep, her head lolling against Kero's shoulder.

            Elspeth, meanwhile, was examining the few vine fragments left with a frown on her face. Eldan's voice caused her to look up distractedly.

            "What's wrong?"

            "Hmm? Nothing. Must have been my imagination." She stood and briskly wiped her palms on her breeches. "Well, one thing is for sure. Kero's family sure has a strong inherited Gift."

            Eldan grinned wryly. "That's for sure."

      "Do you really have to go?"

      Kero's voice was muffled against Eldan's shoulder as they stood just inside the doors of the Heralds' Wing. The girls were snoozing away in exhausted slumbers, watched over by Alberich, who sat in a chair by the fire back in their rooms.

      "Yes."

      "Please don't leave me with them. I might kill them or something out of pure ineptitude."

      "Nonsense. You'll be fine. Just remember what Talia told you. You've already lived through three major crises today. You'll make it for the few weeks I'll be gone, and you'll have Sayvil to help."

      "Three? I only counted the butterflies and the vines."

      "I was counting their arrival this morning."

      "Ah."

      The sounds of Companions outside the doors drew their attention, and Kero sighed.

      "I guess it's time for you to go."

      "I think so, too. I'll be back before you know it. You'll see."

      Kero drew a deep breath and pulled back from Eldan, then forced a smile. "You're right. Everything will be fine."

      "There's my mercenary."

      Eldan leaned down and gleaned a slow kiss from her.

      "Be safe."

      It was Eldan's turn to smile. "That's my line."

      "It's mine today."

      "I'll be safe. I promise."

      "Good. Go kill some snow drifts."

            Eldan gave her one last quick kiss, gathered up his bags, and strode out the door.