A/N Sorry about the delay in updating. Much as I love spending time with Kyminn and Anya, I have other responsibilities that have claimed my attention of late. Life.
Chapter 19
Several hours later, Kyminn found himself wakened to drink another mug of the infusion. The issue of whether the roaring in his ears came from within his mind or from the rain outside seemed vaguely important and he vainly tried to remember why it mattered. He was still trying to puzzle it out when he slipped back into sleep.
The second time he awoke, it was much quieter, both inside and out. He blinked in the gloom, unable to tell if it was late in the day or still overcast. An injudicious movement awoke the pain in his head and his arm, drawing a muffled grunt of discomfort.
The curtain to the alcove-bunk twitched aside to reveal Jannen's worried face.
"Kyminn? How are you?" Strong arms reached in to help him sit up.
"What…?" Kyminn was muzzy and inarticulate.
Jannen correctly interpreted the mumble as a request for information. "It's early evening, a couple hours before dark. Randen is still in with Derris and they seem to be doing alright. Niko says that Derris's shoulder is sore, but we're not sure if he injured it or just overused it."
Kyminn nodded, the fog slowly clearing as he finished waking up. He raised a hand to his forehead, gingerly fingering the stitches and lump there. He winced.
Jannen silently handed him the polished piece of metal they used for shaving. "Want to check my work?"
The healer carefully inspected the line of stitches running across his brow. "Not bad, all things considered." He carefully unwrapped his arm and explored the wound on his forearm. He tried to flex his arm and grimaced at the taut flesh. "It's going to be a little while before I do any heavy lifting." He slowly swung his feet off the bunk.
"Are you sure you should be getting up?" Jannen was hesitant. "You've slept nearly a full day."
A rueful smile. "I think this is where I ask for a little help. I'll be moving a bit slowly, but you'll be happy to know that I'm well enough to use the jakes without assistance."
Together, they got Kyminn to his feet and out to the latrine. True to his word, he was able to accomplish the task without any further assistance from the Herald.
"How's your head? Do you need more of the infusion?"
Kyminn shook his head, which proved injudicious when he wobbled a bit. Jannen grabbed him and held him until he was steady again.
"Right now my gift is…numb…I guess is the best way to put it." Kyminn's face took on an abstracted look as he felt around inside his own head. "Any time that I even think about using it I get a headache. Another one, I mean." He gently rubbed the lump on his head again.
"Pretty normal for a reaction headache, especially given how severely you overused your Gift." Jannen helped Kyminn take a seat on the wagon steps.
"I…really don't know much about this kind of injury," the healer confessed. "It isn't anything that Grandmother really encountered."
Jannen looked thoughtful, dredging up lessons from his long-ago training. "A Gift is like a lake of power in the mind. Streams – channels – lead from that lake of power. Each channel is a different Gift. Sometimes the streams are powerful – channels wide open, other times they are smaller, like your grandmother's." He looked at Kyminn to make sure the youngster was following. At Kyminn's careful nod, the Herald continued.
"Sometimes, a person tries to force too much power through the channel. When that happens, the channel becomes damaged, causing a real, if unseen, injury. And to answer your question, yes, such an injury can permanently damage a person's ability to use their gift, or it can kill them."
Kyminn was chalk white. "Am I…?" he couldn't finish.
The Herald latched on to Kyminn's shoulders and forced the healer to meet his gaze. "You. Have. Not. Destroyed. Your. Gift." Each word was chopped, final.
"How do you know?" came the anguished whisper.
"Because I've seen lots of reaction headaches. Granted, yours is one of the worst I've seen, but you are recovering normally. Do you hear that? Normally. You can feel your Gift still, yes?"
The briefest of nods.
"If you had destroyed your channels, you wouldn't be able to do that. In fact, you wouldn't be able to stand upright!" Jannen's took on the familiar, unfocused 'speaking to a Companion' expression for a moment. His attention dragged back to Kyminn. "Niko agrees. He is very clear that you still have your Gifts. If you don't believe me, then at least believe him!"
A ghost of a smile. "I suspect I don't have much choice in the matter. I've tried arguing with Companions. It didn't turn out well."
Jannen gave his shoulders a squeeze and released him. "Give it time. It's going to be three or four days at least before you can risk using your Gifts again. It's important that you not overdo it, or you risk permanent damage. Understand?"
"Sounds like something I've told more than a few of my patients," Kyminn remarked drily as he climbed to his feet.
Jannen watched Kyminn in carefully, pleased to note that the healer was already much steadier. The Herald raised an eyebrow in inquiry as a white form ghosted around the side of the wagon, pausing in front of Kyminn. From the shifting of Jareth's feet, it was clear that he was unsure of his welcome.
:Kyminn..: The Companion's tone was unwontedly subdued and uncertain.
"Jareth." Kyminn's response was wary, neutral.
More shifting. :You're welcome to lean on me if you need to, if you're going to check on the others.: The offer was almost tentative.
It was tempting to point out that he was quite capable of walking the few yards over to the shelter without Jareth's assistance. For a long moment, Kyminn debated doing just that.
"Thank you Jareth, I'd appreciate that." Truce offered and accepted.
Jareth didn't set off immediately. A white head swung around to regard Kyminn. :We didn't know.:
"Know what?" Kyminn was taking full advantage of Jareth's offer, one hand wrapped in the Companion's mane for support.
:About Derris.:
"What do you mean? What about Derris? About why he went crazy? Or that what happened to Randen affected Derris somehow?" Kyminn was exasperated.
:Yes. Both.:
Kyminn pinched the bridge of his nose and took calming breaths. A third headache, white and horse-shaped, seemed to be manifesting itself behind his eyes.
"Jareth. Could you, perhaps, be a little clearer? Do you, or do you not, know what happened with Derris last night?"
:Yes and no.:
Kyminn dug in his heels and hauled on Jareth's mane with all of his weight. It was impossible for him to overpower the Companion, but that didn't mean he was incapable of getting his point across, and the point was that he was profoundly pissed off.
"That's it!" Kyminn released Jareth's mane and grabbed his forelock instead. Jareth pulled his head back in surprise, briefly pulling Kyminn off his feet. The healer hung on grimly until Jareth conceded and dropped his head again.
"I've had it! I am tired to death of these oblique references, of coy conversations where I have to try and figure out what the 'mysterious Companions' actually mean! Why the seven hells can't you just come out and tell me what I need to know?!" The last was bellowed directly into Jareth's face.
:I…" Jareth floundered.
"Are clearly incapable of giving a straight answer to any question." Bitten.
:I…we aren't used to…discussing some things.:
"Really? I hadn't noticed. And here I thought you'd been the very picture of clarity and transparency." Kyminn, Jannen mused, had an expected talent for sarcasm.
The Companion was clearly uncomfortable. Bryann and Niko slunk up behind him, guilt writ large in their stance.
Jareth was silent for several moments. Whether he was consulting the others or simply collecting his thoughts was impossible to know. Kyminn refused to yield.
:It's complicated.: Jareth began, tentatively.
"It can't possibly be any less clear or more complicated. Try me. Use small words if necessary."
A gusty sigh. :It is impossible for a Companion to be evil, to intentionally serve evil. Did you know this?:
"To be honest, I hadn't really thought of it. I know that Companions and Heralds are considered "the good guys", at least within Valdemar and to our allies. But you made a point of saying 'intentionally'. Does this mean that Companions can UNintentionally be evil?"
:NO!: Four voices this time, deafeningly. From the poleaxed expression on Jannen's face, the bellow hadn't been directed solely at Kyminn.
:No Companion can BE evil, intentionally or otherwise. It's…because of what we are. It's like saying that water can sometimes be dry, or the sun can accidentally put out darkness. But…: More evasive shifting. :It is possible for us to unknowingly do…the wrong thing. We can be misled, or deluded. We can even be forced.:
There was most definitely a third headache making itself home in Kyminn's skull. "So," he said carefully, "Derris was unintentionally evil last night?"
:NO!: Four indignant bellows.
"Jareth, if this is your idea of less confusing, it's not working. I mean that it's really, REALLY not working for you." Kyminn rubbed his aching temples.
:My point – and I do have one – is that sometimes we are subject to events and circumstances around us, just as our Chosen are. Sometimes that means that the results are…less than ideal.:
The magnitude of this understatement handed a hammer to the headache and started merrily pounding away.
:It is impossible for an outside agency to completely block the Herald – Companion bond. Did you know this?:
The change of conversational direction left Kyminn momentarily breathless. "Jareth…" warningly.
:There are…means…: Jareth's tone made it clear he was not going to elaborate on that point, :of keeping a pair-bond for communicating, or even knowing where the other one is. But even if that were happening, the bond would still survive. Understand?:
"Your words yes, your point – no."
:At some level, blocked or not, injured or not, a Companion and their chosen are together, separate reflections in the same mirror. Both Randen and Derris suffered emotional injuries in the accident. I think you suspected this might be the case, yes?:
A slow nod. "I had wondered. I know that it happens, that it's a real injury for all that it's in one's mind and heart. I wasn't sure if Heralds were taught how to overcome those kinds of hurts as part of their training, or maybe it was a healing that the Companions did."
A shake of the white head. :Heralds do learn some things that can help in those times, and we are always there to love and support our Chosen, but neither we – nor our Chosen – are immune to those sorts of injuries.:
"Is Derris…?"
Another gusty sigh, and there was no evasion in the response. :He was. Is. He is healing, and we are helping him. In time, he will recover. Randen needs more help than we or Derris can offer. Last night, Randen got lost in his pain and fear. Derris tried to help him and was caught in his own right. Each needing to help the other and unable to help himself…Derris didn't mean to hurt you Kyminn. He was trying to protect his Chosen. He…wasn't himself.: Jareth's tone was apologetic. :We didn't know it was going to happen. We didn't even know it was possible for them to spiral like that. That aspect…will be handled separately.:
Obscurely, Kyminn understood what Jareth was saying. After all, most of his patients responded to pain and fear by lashing out. It was far from the first time something like this had happened. The only difference lay in the mind within the patient's skin. After that, the answer was obvious.
"Is he still angry with me?"
:Actually, he's just hoping you'll eventually forgive him.:
Kyminn gently rubbed the bandages on his forearm. "Well…" a wry smile, "It will be a scar to impress all the girls with. How many people can say they were attacked by a Companion and survived?"
