If I Were a Herald

Chapter 27

Hawk Brother

The Tayledras make an appearance! And so does Mortimer.

This is now both my longest story (chapters and words) and the one with the most reviews. Over a hundred reviews! Yay! And the hundredth review was given by Jerry Unipeg.

Nawyn: I like your idea. In fact, I'm going to use it. Actually, it makes things work out better later. Except there aren't going to be any blood-and-gore fights. For once in his life, Jacoby decides to try his hand at diplomacy.

Tempeste-Silere: Thanks for your review. Good luck on your exams as well! I've just got Calculus left—that's the one I'm most worried about, because it's all gone right over my head. Multivariable and first years don't mix.

Jerry Unipeg: Thanks for all your reviews, but maybe you could be a bit more specific about what you liked?

Kissing Jacoby had been a mistake. A big one. It confirmed to him that yes, I did find him attractive, and it gave him hope that maybe I could be brought around. He began courting me in earnest. He didn't even have to worry about his reputation, or blowing my cover. His preferences were already well-established. Male or female, if it had a pulse, he'd chase it.

:That's not very kind: Lyrna chided. :Nor is it true. He does have taste. Good taste. After all, he's set his sights on you.:

My lips curved into a smile. :Thanks for the complement, love.:

Lyrna sighed. :I miss you. Is there any chance you can get away for a few hours today:

:Of course I can. I should have made time before this.:

I tried to tell Jacoby that I wasn't interested in casual sex. I even sang a damn song about it. Two songs. Both Shania Twain. First, "If You're Not in It for Love." Then "Any Man of Mine." "Any man of mine better walk the line, better show me a teasing squeezing pleasing kind of time…."

Instead of being discouraged, he changed tactics. He courted me slowly, seeking out my company during the day and talking with me about various things. When he wasn't trying to corner me, I found him to be good company. He had refreshing views on various things, and a good grasp of physics comparable to the artificers. Interestingly, when he discussed intellectual topics, he lost most of his accent.

"You were educated somewhere," I said. "Where?"

He shrugged. "Took a couple years off piratin' when we hit a streak o' good luck. Tha' was afore I got me own ship. I was, oh, twen'y a' the time. Paid a private tutor to teach me 'ow to survive in high society. Had a wild dream to go to Haven an' pass meself off as a noble come upon hard times. Start anew. Give Jimmy a chance at a better life. Nothin' ever came of it. For one thing, I never was any good at mathematics. Numbers make me head hurt. An' yerself? Where'd ye learn to think like that?"

"America. It's a land far away. We've got some pretty strange ideas there. Like—did you know that the stars are actually suns, just far, far away?"

That had sparked yet another discussion. Jacoby surprised me with a couple jokes about strange Pelagir-creatures that lived on other planets. "And maybe there's a little cat-shaped creature with wings sitting on a planet somewhere discussing with its friend the possibility that there is intelligent life on other planets. But of course it couldn't possibly walk on two legs, right?"

So yes, I enjoyed our discussions. But Jacoby never could keep our burgeoning friendship strictly platonic. I wanted to tell him to find someone else—except I didn't want him to find someone else. At the same time as I was afraid I'd give in to him, I didn't want him to turn his attentions elsewhere.

There were rumors that Mortimer was present in the next town on the road, but if he was, he was keeping a low profile. Nothing more than the occasional rumor reached my ears.

That was the situation when I went outside the walls of Belt to spend an afternoon with my Companion.

"You look lovely, Lyrna."

:So do you.:

I grinned. "I look like a man. And I do believe I still smell like alcohol from that ill-advised drinking contest a few days ago."

:True. Jacoby thinks it makes you more attractive.:

"Yeah, well, Jacoby's in love with his bottle. How about a run?" I suggested. "I'll just bet you haven't been getting enough exercise."

:Have too.:

"Then a run should be no problem. Come on, dearheart. Even if you've been getting enough exercise, I haven't. Walking is nice, but it can't compare to a good hard ride. Besides, I need to get to Trevon on down the road and check out the rumors of Mortimer's presence." Mortimer had been moving very slowly—but then, in every town he visited, he stopped to implement his control.

:Alright, you win.: She took off at a gallop, eating up the miles as only a Companion could. Halfway to Trevon, what looked like a jester stepped into the road. Lyrna stopped abruptly, almost throwing me off. On second glance, it wasn't a jester, but the person—man, from his face-shape, although his hair was very long, and silver—was dressed quite flamboyantly. Tayledras, had to be. He had beads braided into his silver hair, a tricorn hat with feathers on his head, and—I guess the rest was supposed to be a pirate costume. Under a vest of bright red silk, he wore a royal blue shirt with long, flowing sleeves that were gathered at the wrists. The waist was cinched in by a black sash. The dagger at his side was nothing short of fantastical: nasty-looking teeth all down one side, curved, and with the hilt carved in the shape of a hawk. Below loosely-fitting breeches were a pair of scarlet fold-top boots. From the shape of his face—not quite finished—I estimated him to be about twenty. Fancy seeing someone younger than me with hair gone completely to white. It made me feel positively ancient.

"Uh, zhai'helleva?" I greeted him. It was the standard Shin'a'in greeting; hopefully Shin'a'in was close enough to Tayledras for my purposes.

He replied with a long string of something that I couldn't translate. It sounded like Shin'a'in, but it wasn't near enough that I could tell what he was saying. So much for that idea.

"Sorry, I only speak Shin'a'in, and not fluently."

"Valdemaran?" he asked, startled. He shouldn't have been; the normal folk around Lake Evendim spoke Valdemaran as well. "Oh, of course; I should have recognized your Companion. It's just that there hasn't been a Herald in these parts since—since Herald Vanyel and Wingsister Savil."

:I like him: Lyrna said.

:Of course you do. He didn't call you a horse.: "Then it's about time one made an appearance. Forgive me for asking, but—what's with the costume?"

"I'm trying to pass as a pirate," he said. "I'm hunting a mage named Mortimer, and—"

Unable to control myself, I burst into fits of laughter. "Sorry," I gasped, "but—that—pirate? My friend, no pirate would be able to afford that kind of material. Wait a minute, did you say Mortimer?" As quickly as that, I was somber again.

"Why, yes, in fact, I did."

:Look out:

I ducked just as the Tayledras pirate dove out of the way of a levinbolt. Surrounded—we were surrounded. An ambush! And there was only one mage in the area who could have set this up.

Mortimer.

He must have known the Tayledras were looking for him. Tracked them down, and set up an ambush to take them out. It was just my luck that I got caught in the crossfire.

A second levinbolt struck my hastily-reinforced shields. It couldn't get through, but the force of it knocked me off Lyrna's back. There was an opening—Lyrna could escape.

"Go, Lyrna, go! Get Jacoby!"

She hesitated for an instant, not wanting to leave me behind. The opening began to close.

"Go! Get your fucking horse's ass in gear and get out of here, you brainless equine!"

Then she was moving, running for the break in the ambush. :I'll have you know that I am not a mindless equine, and you can consider yourself kicked:

A relieved grin flashed over my face. Just as quickly, it was gone. We were trapped, and there was no telling how much Jacoby would be able to help. The Hawkbrother drew energy from a nearby node and flung magic back at our attackers. They responded by flinging some sort of powder at us. Instinctively, I pushed the powder away with my Fetching Gift, but I didn't manage to keep all of it off me. It touched my hand—

And everything turned upside down. I stumbled, trying to keep my feet. People were talking—the Hawkbrother was saying something—but I was half-seeing, half-hearing the words. Any attempts to concentrate just made it worse.

So, don't concentrate. Let instinct take over.

The men who had attacked us approached, wary, but not really expecting resistance.

:Lyrna:

Nothing; I was on my own. The spell, whatever it was, must have been blocking my Mindspeech.

:Who: The reply came a bit late, and it wasn't Lyrna. Whoever was speaking was just as fogged as I was.

:Herald Kali: I replied, cautiously. :You:

:Tayledras Adept Stormwind K'Treva.:

That must be the Hawkbrother who was in this predicament with me.

:What's happening:

His Mindvoice sounded very self-accusatory. :We've been caught by spell-powder. It's tied into all the Gifts, and confuses the senses as well. Probably the only reason we can Mindspeak each other is that we were both caught in it together.:

:Wonderful: I said with resignation. :It seems not to affect me as much if I don't concentrate on it.:

:Then we should both do our best to keep it from affecting us. But don't let on that you're fighting it. Wait until we have the element of surprise.:

:Actually, I think I'm going to take a nap. Wake me if anything interesting happens.:

I missed most of what happened next. When I did wake, my senses were restored, and I was sitting atop Lyrna with Jacoby behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist to hold me on. He seemed not to notice that Lyrna was a pure-white Companion, or if he did, he didn't say anything about it.

:I'm disguising myself: Lyrna informed me. :It's not time yet for him to learn that you're a Herald.:

:Thanks, love. And what do you mean, yet: But Lyrna refused to answer.

"I agreed to take Mortimer across Lake Evendim in exchange for lettin' ye go," Jacoby said. "Yer lucky 'e never saw ye or 'e'd not 'ave agreed so readily."

"And Stormwind?" I asked. "What of him?"

"Ye mean tha' fancy-dressed lad 'oo looked like 'e was tryin' to imitate a pirate? 'E rather mysteriously escaped."

:I broke through the spell on him while Jacoby cut through his bonds: Lyrna reported. :We couldn't do that for you because Mortimer's guards arrived at that point. It took some very fast talking on Jacoby's part to convince them to take him to the boss.:

:Thanks. Although this agreement to take Mortimer across Lake Evendim has me worried.:

:So you're just going to have to find a way to get Jacoby to agree to take you, as well. Shouldn't be too hard.:

:Get your mind out of the stinking gutter:

Somehow these chapters all seem to end with Lyrna suggesting that I seduce Jacoby. Ah well. It's an ending, I suppose. So… what did you think of Stormwind? I may just have to do a story on him later.