As Dauhieh left the butcher's shop, she passed by Mano, who was in the middle of a rather small game of hauishh. It involved simply himself and a small, grey-furred queen across the street from him, as far as Dauhieh could tell.
"Hey, Mano," she said as she passed. "Would you mind explaining what you and Relleh are doing?"
"Yeah, of course," he said, abandoning his position and turning his back to the queen. "She's new to the Game, so I'm teaching her."
"Teaching…?"
"Yes. She's amazing! A real natural. She seems to be able to see the arena from every angle at just a glance!"
"Really?"
"Yes!" Mano said, apparently missing Dauhieh's sarcasm. "Earlier today, I was teaching her about how sometimes an angle where you can't see anyone is an advantage, because you can't be seen. I was using that dumpster as an example, but then she pointed out that you can see the reflection of almost everyone on the street from that window over there!"
"It sounds like she's the one teaching you."
"Hey, I'm open to learning."
"Right," Dauhieh said. "Oh, by the way, I need you to do something for me."
"Sure, just name it."
"Well, I'haach is having some issues of some sort. I was just wondering if, you know, you see him doing anything unusual, you could tell me about it."
"Of course," Mano said. "Where are you going to be?"
"I have to get to the Metro soon, to—"
"Work on the gates?" Mano asked innocently.
"Yes, to work on the gates. Find me if he does anything."
"I will," Mano promised, turning back to the game.
Dauhieh began wandering along to the gate, taking the long way. She had far too much to think about. There was no way that I'haach meant anything that he said. That just wasn't him. Nothing could cause him to act like that seriously. It was just… inconceivable. No, it was not even imaginable. But why else would he do it?
He has always had a tendency to not want anyone else to take the fall, or even to feel the pain. But he wouldn't be that protective and even irresponsible, if it were important. So it mustn't be important. But if it isn't important, why would he put up this act?
Dauhieh shook her head. The entire situation just didn't make sense. But then again, she was a wizard. Things weren't supposed to make sense.
"'Luck, Dauhieh," Zach said.
Dauhieh turned to see the black cat standing there looking like he always did; aware, friendly, and somehow… antagonistic. That was Zach.
"Hunt's luck, Zach," Dauhieh responded. "Have we heard anything about Sihm?"
"Yes, I was just heading to the gates to go pick her up from Jakub's place."
The two of them were silent as they made their way towards the gate. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Zach asked, "If you don't mind, what was up with you and I'haach this afternoon?"
"What do you mean?" Dauhieh asked, doing her best to keep the anger from her voice.
"You know what I mean. You were both totally quiet, and every time you looked at each other I was afraid one of you was about to bite the other in the throat. Not to mention I could feel the anger in each of your minds."
"Were you snooping, then?" Dauhieh demanded, offended by the idea. She didn't mind speaking with her team mates through their thoughts, and even letting them completely into her mind occasionally. However, she wanted to at least have them ask permission first.
"When you and I'haach are mad, you are loud about it."
She sighed, and then shrugged her tail. "We had a disagreement. There's nothing more to it."
"Whatever you say," Zach responded. "Just don't let it get too bad."
"Don't worry, I won't. Here, let me get the gate for you." They had reached their gates, so Dauhieh plunged her claws into the matrices of strings and knots, and began weaving them back and forth, configuring them into the arrangements necessary for the gates in Kiev. They were very familiar to her, as she was used to visiting the advisory wizard at least once a week. This was truly the main reason that she loved her job as a wizard. The exotic locations, the power, the camaraderie, those were all fine, but the simple feeling of working with such magnificent structures and having them recognize her, it was indescribable.
She closed her eyes as she worked, relying simply on their physical presence and the energy radiating from the strings to guide her. Zach backed off a bit, letting Dauhieh worked. He and Dauhieh had worked together for years, so they understood each other very well. One thing that somebody who worked with Dauhieh soon learned was that you didn't want to intrude on her while she was working with her gates. He simply began washing and humming to himself.
All of a sudden, Dauhieh gasped, and her eyes opened wide. Zach looked over, and saw that she was frozen stiff, a shocked expression on her face. He ran over to her, and gazed into those large eyes.
"Dauhieh?" he asked, concerned. "Dauhieh!"
He tried bumping her head with his own, but it did nothing. Finally, as a last resort, he let one of his claws out, and sank it into one of her ears. She didn't move.
"Dauhieh, come on, snap out of it!" he yelled.
But she couldn't hear.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Hello? Dauhieh asked. She was in a large, empty dark space. Then, a voice came to her.
I'm sorry that I couldn't warn you more about this. I'm kind of new with this whole thought riding thing.
What do you mean? she asked, very confused now. It sounded like Arhu's voice, but a bit more harsh and rackety.
I'm going to show you a little trick that a friend of mine named Odin taught me.
Dauhieh had the impression that she was being bitten in the back of the neck by some sort of massive beak, a larger beak than she'd ever seen on a crow or any other bird, and claws grasping her sides firmly. Then she was in the air, flapping her… wings?
Calm down, Arhu ordered. Your adrenaline is throwing me off-kilter. I'm going to show you a few images, and you're going to need to be calm for them.
But how?
I picked up a few tricks back in London, and I've been wanting to test them out. This is what I'haach was experiencing every time one of the bugs hit him in my Seeing.
Then they were gone, flying through the air.
Dauhieh saw I'haach, along with four other cats, standing in a magic circle. He looked strangely young. Not that he wasn't young now, but there was something in his eyes that was inexperienced and uncertain.
This is I'haach, during his first life, Arhu informed her from somewhere inside their shared body. One of his most painful memories.
"Hold the shield!" a greying tabby cat was yelling. Three of the five cats were working on their barrier, two running the actual spell, and I'haach powering it with apparently everything he had. "We're almost through!"
They were going through a strange dark field filled with noxious fumes, and there were ehif dying all around them, coughing horribly.
Welcome to the battle of Ypres. It took me a while to figure it out, but in the end I just asked Urruah.
Urruah?
Yeah, apparently he's got a flair for history.
But what are they doing here?
There was one Canadian wizard who was working as a soldier. He said he found something important, so important he would only trust it to a wizard he could see face to face, and that he couldn't leave. Right now, or right then, I'haach and the Quebec City team, lead by Gref, are trying to reach him through chlorine gas and shells, with only a shield held by a young and newly added team member protecting them.
"How long do we have, Gref?" the marmalade cat who wasn't involved in the casting asked.
"At this rate, we'll be lucky if the ehif's still alive."
"We need to move faster!"
"We can't go any faster without weakening the shield!" cried a day-and-night cat beside I'haach in between syllables of the Speech.
All of a sudden, a shell soared down at them from above. It smashed directly into the shield. I'haach and the two wizards working the shield cried out at the added strain, but it held.
However, the land about them was sundered and destroyed, ripped to pieces and formed into large holes.
"We can't get through now!" Gref yelled. "This isn't going to work."
"Well one of us has to get whatever it is. If it's too important to be messaged, then we need it."
There was silence for a moment as the team thought it over. Finally, Gref said quietly, "Hey I'haach, do you think you could climb up the side unprotected, raise a personal shield, and get yourself through this to the ehif?"
"What? But the four of you can't power it without me here!"
"That doesn't matter. Can you do it?"
A long pause. "Yes, I could do it."
"Then do it."
I'haach dropped his shield and quickly scampered over the top of the crater caused by the shell. Then he had his shield up again, noticeably paler without the aid of the other two cats, and he was running helter-skelter through the poisoned air and rocking explosions.
Dauhieh watched, tense, as the small kitten who would grow into her friend ran to the trenches of the Canadian Armed Forces. A few shells nearly hit him, and one actually knocked him over with its force once, but otherwise he was fine.
He crawled along through the trenches, with Dauhieh and Arhu flapping close behind him. He went on a short while before stopping next to one soldier who was laying flat at the bottom of the dirty ground. He was a boy really, no older than eighteen.
"John Carlson?" I'haach asked softly.
"Who's that?"
"I am on errantry, and I greet you." There was already that slightly familiar confidence in his voice, nowhere near its current level.
The ehif wizard coughed a few times before responding. "You are well met on the errand. I must say it will be nice to not die alone."
Dauhieh could see that I'haach wanted to say something to the contrary, but seeing the blood he'd coughed into his hands, the young kitten could find nothing to say.
"Well, I won't depress you too much," the ehif said. "Here's what I found. It took a lot of doing, too, so you'd better find some use for it."
He leaned in close to I'haach's ear, and began whispering something. Arhu and Dauhieh could hear it as well. A long string of words in the Speech, which as soon as they entered their hearing, seemed permanently burned into their minds.
As he finished saying the words, the boy died, coughing violently. I'haach waited until it was over, before running back out of the trench. He brought his shield up again, and headed quickly over to where his compatriots were waiting. As he reached the crater, he looked down into it.
"Quickly, I'haach, get in here!" the marmalade ordered. He sounded frightened.
"What's wrong?"
"Gref, the chlorine, it got into his lungs before we could stop it. We need to get him out of here!"
"I'll be right down!" I'haach yelled, and started making his way down to where they sat. However, an instant later, a whistling sound filled their ears. I'haach spun around, saw the shell aiming for them. He gazed down at the others, measuring the area. Not small enough to get everyone into the shield. He threw it up, aiming it around the other four, and leaving himself totally exposed.
The whistling reached a climax, and smashed into the ground directly next to I'haach. For a moment he was flying, and then the vision went black.
Silence. Then Dauhieh was a cat again, in the darkness, alone with Arhu beside her.
That was his first life's end.
What happened to Gref?
He died. I'haach learned that during his fifth life.
Oh.
The two were silent for a time. Finally, Dauhieh said, Was there any other reason that you needed me?
Yes. He got slashed a total of seven times. Each time…
You Saw his deaths?
Yes, but the thing is, there's always a few things similar.
Like?
Someone always dies. Normally someone very close to him. For example, I'haach was amongst Gref and his mate's litter.
Anything else?
Yes. He always dies retrieving a few words in the Speech.
Are they related?
I was looking at all of them, and I found that they seemed to link together into a spell structure.
Would you mind if I took a look?
Yes, just a second. Dauhieh waited while Arhu raised up the diagram in his mind. There were still several parts missing. All throughout it, it went along normally, with the power requirements and energy output. However, there were some strange parts to it.
Here, look at this, Dauhieh said, gesturing with her paw towards a small portion of the cost clause. It was strange. Does it say that the cost is…
Yes. Sixteen lives.
That's a strange cost…
Definitely. However, I think I might have the answer to that. From what I've seen, eight of his closest partners died in the past lives. During the fifth life, his entire team of three was wiped out.
Meaning that only one more is needed, if you count his seven lives?
Exactly.
But that means… he'll sacrifice himself for it?
He might. You never know. But one thing's for sure, I doubt he'll let any of you be the one to fuel it. But now, back to the spell, Arhu reminded her. Look a bit closer. The shape is octagonal, and most of it is done but for a small amount of each side, suggesting a part is missing.
Meaning he has to find the last part.
That's what I'm assuming. Also, with the spell in its current condition it would make an extremely powerful, if extremely costly, shield. In fact, it should cost most of a Person's life.
Dauhieh sighed. Things just kept becoming more complicated. Is that all?
No. One last thing, and it's the most important, in my eyes.
What?
Each time, the piece of the spell that either he or another wizard found gave off a significant magic ripple.
Dauhieh found she couldn't breathe. Powerful enough to show up on a gate?
Precisely.
But that means…!
Yes. He's going to try to get back through that passage, as soon as he can. No matter what the cost to himself.
I need to go, now.
I'm going to get Urruah and Rhiow. We'll meet you there.
Dahieh left the darkness.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Dauhieh!"
Dauhieh opened her eyes, finding Zach leaning over her.
"Oh, thank Iau!"
"There's no time for that."
"What do you mean?" Zach asked, confused.
"We need to get back to the butcher shop," Dauhieh ordered, and quickly began writing the spell diagram that would take them to the small bedroom where she'd left I'haach.
"What's wrong, Dauhieh?"
"I'haach's about to go kamikaze unless we can stop him," she said simply. "Here, I need you to power this."
Without hesitation, Zach plunged his claws into the diagram. "Let's go."
They spoke the words, and disappeared in Zach's surge of energy.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
With a bang, they appeared in the bedroom. Luckily, Chraih wasn't in it, but they managed to seriously scare Mano.
"Do you guys mind announcing yourselves before you do that?"
"No time, Mano. Where's I'haach?"
"I don't know. I came up here to see if he was alright, but he was gone."
Dauhieh and Zach traded a frightened look.
"That hihhhh sswiass!" Zach cursed. "Let's go, Dauhieh."
"Right, to Kiev first, and then to the Old Downside!"
"What's going on?" Mano asked.
"We've got some heavy magic to do."
"Hunt's luck, I guess."
"We always are."
Zach and Dauhieh finished their spell, and then they were gone with a pop.