My spell check seems to like replacing "Ancar" with "Ankara". I think I've caught most of them, but I might have missed some. Sorry!
Chapter 2
The next few weeks showed a side of Alberich few ever saw. Morna became Alberich's constant companion, even though the child could not walk. The first two weeks were spent in Healer custody, Healing the worst of her burns and easing her nightmares. She still panicked whenever Alberich was not where she could see or hear him, but her nightmares began to gradually ease to the point Alberich could sleep in a separate bed a few feet away from hers. She still could not walk after two weeks because the burns on her feet were still healing, but the Healers released her into Alberich's custody anyway. Their limited resources were needed for her year mates.
Ten Companions left to Choose around the same time Morna's Ceridwyn had left and the Heralds began preparations for the new class, anticipating a large group. They spent the weeks building new huts to house the new Heralds and scrounging food and clothing for the new Trainees. Only three Companions returned. All three Chosen were currently in Healer custody and the outlook was grim. In the face of so much work, the Healers had released Morna into Alberich's custody, trusting him to continue caring for her.
Alberich also began taking on the duties he had left to his assistants while dealing with Morna. When the Heralds had fled for the Sorrows, they had taken large groups of villagers with them that could not get out of Valdemar. Among them were many pregnant women and women with young children. After Alberich had mustered up the courage to ask them how they carried their non-mobile children, they had, amid much teasing, taught him to wrap Morna in blankets and us another one to strap her to his back or use a blanket to prop her on his hip.
They had also fussed over Morna, which she took to shyly, often blushing and hiding her face in Alberich's shoulder, pulling the blanket up over her head and hiding the stubby hair and still pink burns. Eventually one of the women had coaxed Morna to show her face. Instead of gasping and drawing away at the sight of her burns, the woman had merely praised has as a beautiful child while tying a colorful scarf over the little girl's hair.
"There now," she had said after she finished knotting the scarf. "We can see your pretty little face now and you don't have to worry about getting leaves in your hair."
After that, Morna was no longer afraid of showing her face in public. She also became the pet of the hut. All the Trainees took turns helping Alberich to strap her to his back with the blanket and they usually entertained her in the evenings when he had to meet with the other teachers. A week passed and Morna's year mates continued to hold onto life, even though many speculated that their Companions were responsible for them being alive. The outlook improved, for many believed if they made it a week, then surely they would survive. Exactly three weeks after Morna had arrived in the camp, the first of her year mates died.
Alberich had not even begun to train the lad that died, did not even know him because the lad had never regained consciousness, yet all the same, he felt the familiar pain tear through him. It was evening and all the Trainees were gone from the hut, gathered in the central hut that was illuminated by many covered lanterns for academic pursuits under Myste. Alberich was taking the time for some well-deserved rest, a covered lantern of his own illuminating a well-worn copy of a book about famous war-heroes, which he kept hidden with a few other prized possessions. Morna was tucked into the bed next to him, having fallen asleep there during their evening story from a book of fairy tales one of the Trainees had brought with her from home. Her bandages were gone now, having been dispensed with that evening. She was now cleared to begin light exercises to reteach her how to walk and to restore her former limberness. They would begin those exercises tomorrow while the rest of the Trainees worked through their drills. For now, she was sprawled limply on her stomach, half on him, mouth open and drooling all over his soft, worn shirt. Her warm weight was more comforting to him than he would ever admit, so he did not move her, merely tucked a fold of the blankets under her face so his shirt would not be as wet. He would move her when the other Trainees returned and they all readied for bed.
Abruptly, she stiffened and her eyes flew open. Her pupils were wide, unfocused, and all the color had fled from her face. Alberich felt a prickling on the back of his neck as she sat up, as if she were pulled up by string, then began trembling like a leaf in the wind. He put his book aside and sat up, touching her back with one gentle, calloused hand. His touch seemed to ease whatever was bothering her because she slumped back as abruptly as she had risen, all her weight leaning against his hand on her back. Her eyes drooped closed and she relaxed back into the exhausted limpness only children could manage on a regular basis. The prickling on the back of his neck eased and he felt himself relax with it.
:Just a nightmare: he Sent to Kantor when queried. Then he felt the familiar soul-pain that could only be the death of a fellow Herald. With it came the knowledge. It was not "just" another Herald, it was one of the Trainees, the worst of Morna's year mates. Her class was down to two Trainees, the smallest class ever. He lowered Morna back to the bed, then leaned forward, resting his head in his hands as despair settled over him. Their numbers were dwindling. If they were ever going to overthrow Ancar, they needed a huge number of Heralds, yet it appeared as if Ancar was going to win and destroy Valdemar forever.
A tiny hand on his back jerked him from his despair, and he glanced behind him into the large, dark sleepy eyes of a delicate little girl who had yet to speak or walk. He felt her mind, a tiny thing that was nebulous with possibilities, as yet unformed in its adult capacity, reach out and touch his. It gave Alberich a sense of awe every time he touched her mind or the mind of any other young child. Heraldic parents often instinctively reached out to their children with their minds, many times even before the children were born. The result was a child that was much more stable and the child knew without a doubt how much his parents loved him. Alberich had little opportunity to touch the minds of children, as he usually did not see them until they were Chosen. By then, their minds were usually fully formed. However, with the decreasing age of the average Trainee, Alberich was becoming more and more familiar with the minds of children, and they still never ceased to surprise him with their simplicity yet inherent complexities.
He was almost hyperaware of how every little thing he said or did affected those forming minds and found himself wishing more than ever that Talia were still alive. She would have been fascinated with watching and feeling those little minds form, and she would have been invaluable in making sure the children grew up with as much security as possible in such uncertain times. As Morna pulled herself around front of him and made herself comfortable in his arms, he realized that even though they were lacking in the number of friends in the outside world and experienced losses greater than any other child, these Trainees were blessed in another way. They were all loving individuals, as exhibited by the way they attached themselves to their Heraldic teachers and each other. There was a bond there that few people ever experience, and while their lives once they left the village on a mission would be hair-raising and contain an unprecedented degree of danger, their life in the village more than made up for it. Just as the warm little body snuggling in his arms and the tiny little mind settling against his made up for all the worry and pain he had experienced in the last few years. As he settled back in his furs after blowing out his lantern, tucking the furs around Morna's body, he realized that he had gone and done it. He had become wrapped around the finger of a little girl with stubble for hair and liquid brown eyes. And, as he felt her wriggle around on his chest, looking for her favorite spot and finding it, he realized she knew it.
The next day was a drizzly affair, making training a sloppy mess, but they had to train, no matter what the weather. Alberich had decided to put off Morna's first day of training until the evening, when the hut would be empty and there would be plenty of room for her to move around while learning to walk and stretching her muscles. For now, she was plopped onto the saddle in front of him, wrapped back up in blankets and tucked inside his cloak so she would stay warm and dry. However, he had determined that Morna would not spend the day merely observing the Trainees as she had been. Wondering if the reason she did not talk was merely physical, instead of mental, he had begun teaching her a form of sign language used in the Karsite armies, and, too his amazement, she was picking it up fairly quick. He made a mental note to have the Healers check her out as he taught her the sign for "horse", then adjusted her seat on Kantor and straightened her back so she was sitting straight once again. Just because she could not walk did not mean she could not ride, and Alberich intended to teach her the basics of traveling a-Companion-back today, as soon as the drizzle died down. Ceridwyn was with them, as usual, but today she was saddled and bridled. Morna had noticed the change and realized what it meant. She was fairly bouncing in Kantor's saddle in excitement. Then she froze, cocking her head.
Alberich had learned a while back that Morna had superior senses. She heard, smelled and saw everything before any else did, and he was beginning to wonder if those were not the only senses she was superior in. He kept his "thickest" shields up at all times because Morna tended to pick up on the slightest thought and react to it. That lesson had been learned when he thought about using his knife to cut off the few remaining long locks of hair on her head to make it even with the rest. It had taken him three marks to convince her to pull her head out from under the covers. Now he concentrated with his own senses, hoping to figure out what was disturbing her. She looked up at him with humorless eyes and signaled the first sign he had taught her, "enemy."
He did not question her. Instead he blew a shrill whistle and the Trainees scattered, heading back for the village. Kantor wheeled and galloped into the trees, followed by Ceridwyn. As Kantor ran, adroitly avoiding trees, Alberich caught a glimpse of the enemy. They were Ancar's soldiers and were not even trying to hide it. Morna had heard the scouts as they moved past the Trainees, hoping to lead the main group around them in a pincer maneuver and cut them off from the village so they could not send back word. He did know how far back the main army was, but he hoped the Trainees managed to avoid it and the scouts on their way back to the village.
Morna was strangely silent in front of him, holding on to the saddle and moving with Kantor as he had taught her earlier. She seemed to be concentrating on something, but he could not tell what, and when he touched her mind he was surprised to encounter shields. He felt Kantor's mind follow his and equal surprise when his mind bumped against the shield.
:She learns frighteningly quick.: Kantor's mind had an edge of uneasiness to it Alberich had never heard before.
:There is much strangeness to this child. She is a key to Ancar's downfall.:
:We will need to talk about this later. Let us concentrate on the problem at hand.:
Whatever Morna was concentrating on was not doing anything to harm anyone at the moment, so he left her to it and concentrated on getting her back to the village. When they arrived, Alberich was relieved to see all of the Trainees had made it back safely. The village was arming up, pulling all ropes and ladders leading to the huts off the ground and Heralds were swarming over the ground, setting strategically placed traps before hurrying off to predetermined hiding places from which they would ambush the soldiers. As all the ropes and ladders had been pulled up, Alberich was forced to keep Morna with him. However, rather than risk her getting hurt on the ground, he quickly gathered her up and climbed a broad tree with wide-spreading branches. When he reached as high as the branches would support him, he tucked Morna into the bend of a branch, between it and the trunk, then used her blanket to tie her to the tree. She screwed up her face in an expression that had become extremely familiar to him over the past weeks, and he silenced her with a finger to her lips before she could begin crying.
"Morna, hush. Quiet, you must be, if the soldiers are not to find you. Stay here, you must. Here!" He pointed his finger down at the branch she sitting on for emphasis. "No crying. Quiet." Then he drew his cloak off his shoulders and covered her, as much for protection from the soldiers as protection from the drizzle. The cloak was dyed and layered to blend in with the forest and would keep her safe. Then he hurried back down to the ground to wait.
The first warning they had of the soldiers' coming was their curses. Sorrows was fighting the soldiers as much as the Heralds would soon be fighting. Vines snarled legs and thorns worked their way through armor. Animals ran amok amid the soldiers, bucks goring some, smaller animals chewing through laces on armor. Sorrows was also paying for the fight against Ancar's soldiers. Animals were slaughtered by the dozens and the surrounding forest would have been torched if it had not been for the constant drizzle. Eventually, they made it through the village perimeter and stumbled into the traps. They were as dangerous as the animals. Some were pits with sharpened spikes in the bottom, other traps triggered rains of large rocks and logs. The traps took out many, but not enough. The group still numbered close to 200, and only 53 Heralds were alive to fight them.
Alberich forced himself to concentrate on the soldiers and ignore Morna above him. She, the other Trainees and the villagers would be safe. The trees were too big to chop down and the soldiers had no way of climbing up. Morna was not mobile enough to get herself out of the tree and would remain there until help came, if it ever did. As the soldiers charged into the village proper, the Heralds attacked. The fighting was fast and furious, all slashing swords and hooves. The Heralds were fighting for everything they held dear, and nothing would stand in their way, but however fierce they fought, they were still vastly outnumbered. Alberich was working with two long daggers now, finding in these tight confines the disadvantages virtually disappeared. He and Kantor used the trees as shields and a well-placed hoof or dagger exacted the same amount of damage as a sword and did not get tangled up with trees and other vegetation. His daggers were a blur as he fought, blocking sword thrusts and taking out as many soldiers as he could. The Heralds' dull brown leathers were now all a uniform red and blood mixed with drizzle and mud to drip down Alberich's face. He had long ago lost the strip of leather holding his dark gray hair into a neat queue and it stuck to his face and flew around him as he whirled, taking out a soldier trying to hamstring Kantor. The soldiers were closing in on him and he began to realize that the Heralds would not last much longer when he felt a familiar tingling on the back of his neck.
:What…:
Then soldiers began to fall all around him for no apparent reason. They just collapsed with no serious wound on them. The ground around Alberich began to clear of soldiers and he received his first real glimpse of the center of the village. There stood Morna, clad in her little leathers that had been made for her and new fur-lined boots. She had lost her scarf and the stubble that had begun to curl was soaking wet in the drizzle. Her skin was deathly pale and mud and blood dripped down her tiny, scarred face as soldiers began falling around her. The ring around her expanded, merging with rings of collapsing soldiers around the other Heralds. An odd breeze issued from each collapsing soldier and blew towards Morna, where still more breezes whirled around her, then entered her delicate body. She swayed a bit every time a breeze hit her and she was trembling with such a force Alberich was surprised she did collapse with the soldiers.
He began to instinctively move toward her, wanting to protect her, but was stopped by rough hands grabbing his shoulders and hauling him back.
"Don't touch her!" Devan yelled in his ear. "She'll kill you if you touch her!"
"Collapsing, she will be, if I do not go to her!" Alberich began struggling and other hands began hauling him back. "Release me!" He fought like a madman until someone tackled him to the ground and Devan knelt by him, having to yell over the increasing shriek of the wind.
"Listen to me, Herald Alberich! She will kill you if you touch her! She has a Gift unlike any I've seen before and it will kill you if you get too close to her. She could never live with that!"
"Too small, she is!" Alberich shouted back. "Killing her, it is!"
Devan shook his head emphatically. "She is made to do this, Alberich. This is her Gift. She might suffer for the next few days, but she will not die."
"What Gift, this is? Life, to take? Gift, it not is. Curse, it is!"
The winds died and Alberich looked up from his argument with Devan in time to see Morna collapse to the ground with the little whimper. He surged upward against the hands restraining him and they let go on Devan's signal. Alberich paid them no heed, jumping over bodies and running to the tiny figure collapsed in the middle of a pile of bodies. He could hear her whimpering, trying to get away from the bodies and not being able to move. She looked up from the bodies when he arrived at her side and her tears almost broke his heart. He gathered her up as her whimpers erupted into full-fledged sobs, shaking her small body so hard it felt like she was going to break. Alberich knelt there, amid the bodies, and rocked the little girl sobbing in his arms, held her head when she began retching, then continued rocking her until she fell asleep, murmuring nonsense in Karsite the entire time. He was unaware of the Heralds that had gathered around, giving them plenty of space and staring at the little girl that had killed so many. When her sobs quieted and she went limp, her face creased in pain, he rose to his feet, and began looking around for a clean cloak, belatedly realizing that he was covering her in more blood. Then he realized he was being watched and he stood straight, meeting the eyes of every Herald there, and, seeing the blatant distrust of Morna, growled harshly.
"But a frightened child, she is. No threat to you, she is. Saved your life, her Gift did. Do not With that he turned and carried her away.take then scorn. The right way, it is not. The Heraldic way, it is not."