Skylar awoke with tears on her cheeks. Touching her face slowly she
wondered bemusedly why she had been crying. But as quickly as the thought
crossed her mind, she forgot it. Moving in a daze she stumbled out the
door without even bothering to grab a cloak to keep off the freezing winter
wind.
... ... ...
Talia jerked out of sleep, pushing off tangled, moonlight bathed blankets. She listened, silence. She sighed as she ran her hand through her sweat-ridden hair. Déjà vu, it was exactly the same as the night Skylar arrived, scarcely two weeks previous. She rose her eyes to the window.
"Here we go again. Maybe this time our new arrival won't turn everything upside down."
... ... ...
Skif opened his eyes and swore into the quiet darkness, all in the same movement. Without pausing to wonder what was happening this time he ran down the stairs, knowing that his destination was the grove in Companions Field.
... ... ...
Skylar knew that something was wrong. She knew that she should have more control over her movement. She knew it, but she couldn't seem to care. She laughed at how ridiculous it was to be tramping through frozen snow in the middle of the night, without any real motive. But the laugh sounded strange and fake in the still air. Maybe it's not real she thought, slightly giddy. Maybe I'm still sound asleep in bed. Maybe I'm dreaming it. She laughed again, tried to stop it, and an alien gurgle rose from her throat. That stopped her cold. Skylar stood there in the middle of the grove, swaying slightly, waiting for something she couldn't put a name to. Soft hoof beats shook her halfway out of her trance. She turned automatically to see a gorgeous but unfamiliar stallion standing in the grass behind her. A smile started to form on her lips but suddenly froze. She knew what was happening and her face contorted into a mask of anguished betrayal.
... ... ...
Neither Skif nor Talia seemed very surprised to meet the other one outside the Collegium. Skif looked at his friend grimly. She nodded and they started moving slowly toward the grove. Suddenly a barely human wail tore through the night. Skif and Talia's careful walk transformed into a sprint toward the grove, and toward Skylar.
... ... ...
"You promised me! God, dammit you promised me! You said I could chose! You said so! You promised me!"
Skif stopped next to Talia with no clue how to react to the hoarsely yelled words. Skylar was kneeling on the ground, heedless of the snow soaking through the knees of her breaches. Her hands were convulsively clenching in her hair and she was rocking back and forth. A companion was anxiously pawing at the ground near Skylar, dancing belligerently toward Skif and Talia every time they even looked like they were considering stepping closer.
The wails stopped. Both of the heralds and the companion turned to look at the still, whimpering form on the ground.
"He knows. He knows I can't leave now. Why? After He promised me!" Her hands tightened into fists and she looked up at them with bloodshot eyes. "Do you understand? He promised I could chose." Her voice rose again. "Well, guess what? So much for my choice! I can't leave now. I can't ever leave now. And I didn't even get to chose." Talia struggled to clamp her shields down harder as Skylar's anguish tore through the cracks. With an almost crazed look in her eyes Skylar spun and collapsed onto the companion's silken side. Whickering gently, he nuzzled her hair comfortingly, trying vainly to convince her that it wouldn't be so bad.
... ... ...
Talia jerked out of sleep, pushing off tangled, moonlight bathed blankets. She listened, silence. She sighed as she ran her hand through her sweat-ridden hair. Déjà vu, it was exactly the same as the night Skylar arrived, scarcely two weeks previous. She rose her eyes to the window.
"Here we go again. Maybe this time our new arrival won't turn everything upside down."
... ... ...
Skif opened his eyes and swore into the quiet darkness, all in the same movement. Without pausing to wonder what was happening this time he ran down the stairs, knowing that his destination was the grove in Companions Field.
... ... ...
Skylar knew that something was wrong. She knew that she should have more control over her movement. She knew it, but she couldn't seem to care. She laughed at how ridiculous it was to be tramping through frozen snow in the middle of the night, without any real motive. But the laugh sounded strange and fake in the still air. Maybe it's not real she thought, slightly giddy. Maybe I'm still sound asleep in bed. Maybe I'm dreaming it. She laughed again, tried to stop it, and an alien gurgle rose from her throat. That stopped her cold. Skylar stood there in the middle of the grove, swaying slightly, waiting for something she couldn't put a name to. Soft hoof beats shook her halfway out of her trance. She turned automatically to see a gorgeous but unfamiliar stallion standing in the grass behind her. A smile started to form on her lips but suddenly froze. She knew what was happening and her face contorted into a mask of anguished betrayal.
... ... ...
Neither Skif nor Talia seemed very surprised to meet the other one outside the Collegium. Skif looked at his friend grimly. She nodded and they started moving slowly toward the grove. Suddenly a barely human wail tore through the night. Skif and Talia's careful walk transformed into a sprint toward the grove, and toward Skylar.
... ... ...
"You promised me! God, dammit you promised me! You said I could chose! You said so! You promised me!"
Skif stopped next to Talia with no clue how to react to the hoarsely yelled words. Skylar was kneeling on the ground, heedless of the snow soaking through the knees of her breaches. Her hands were convulsively clenching in her hair and she was rocking back and forth. A companion was anxiously pawing at the ground near Skylar, dancing belligerently toward Skif and Talia every time they even looked like they were considering stepping closer.
The wails stopped. Both of the heralds and the companion turned to look at the still, whimpering form on the ground.
"He knows. He knows I can't leave now. Why? After He promised me!" Her hands tightened into fists and she looked up at them with bloodshot eyes. "Do you understand? He promised I could chose." Her voice rose again. "Well, guess what? So much for my choice! I can't leave now. I can't ever leave now. And I didn't even get to chose." Talia struggled to clamp her shields down harder as Skylar's anguish tore through the cracks. With an almost crazed look in her eyes Skylar spun and collapsed onto the companion's silken side. Whickering gently, he nuzzled her hair comfortingly, trying vainly to convince her that it wouldn't be so bad.