A/N – My apologies for the delay. I thought I had written myself into a bit of a corner and was working on a way to figure a way out. Turns out I worried for nothing.

On the plus side, I got my original storyline back.

Chapter 30

With Jareth recovered and Allek's pneumonia on the mend, Kyminn's days settled back into a routine. It was a typical busy morning in the Healer's clinic – the usual late winter round of coughs, stomach upsets, and falls meant he didn't lack for things to do. He entered the waiting area, a bit relieved to see that only two patients remained. Make that one patient and a friend. The one Herald pointed sheepishly to his friend's distorted ankle, propped up on the bench.

"Let me guess. Ice on the path?" Kyminn helped the lame Herald to her feet. Foot.

"I'm afraid so." It was a pained affirmation. "I suspect I've probably gone and broken it."

"Judging from the fact that ankles aren't supposed to bend in quite that direction, I'd have to say you're right." The two men eased the injured woman onto a treatment bed. "Was your Companion involved? Is he or she alright?"

Both Heralds looked at him with the same peculiar expression. They exchanged a glance and the male Herald answered for them. "Do you know, you're the first Healer I've met who thought to add that question? Most Healers wait for us to bring it up. He's fine, thank you."

Kyminn was measuring and mixing herbs, steeping them in a small kettle kept ready for just such events. "Maybe I've met too many Companions." It was dry. "You know how they are 'I'm fine! Fix my Herald!' That's all very well and good, but I've met one or two you'd have to drag in by the headstall if you wanted to help them."

The Herald laughed. "I know what you mean. And don't worry, I'm not going to get all up in arms at the idea you might find Companions a bit too stubborn for their own good. I'm Jadus, by the way." The Herald reached out his hand to Kyminn.

Kyminn shook it automatically, his hand locking on the Herald's as his Foresight awoke, pushing him to…what?

Axe flashing. Companion screaming. Death.

Summertime. Action.

Kyminn blinked as his vision cleared. If Jadus had noticed, he said nothing, attention focused again on his injured colleague.

The healer lowered himself, careful to avoid jarring the bed. "I'm sorry Herald, but I never got your name?"

"Liana." Her voice had thinned with pain.

"Herald Liana. Your ankle is most definitely broken. I hope you aren't attached to that boot, because I'm afraid we are going to have to cut it off. I should let you know that I do not have the right kind of Healing gift to help you – my care will involve other means. To that end, I will be bringing in a Healer with the correct Gift for your needs. In the meantime, I'm going to give you something for the pain." He pressed a mug into her hands, steadying her grip until she had drained it all.

Herald Liana's face smoothed as the draught took hold, relaxing into a drugged slumber. Kyminn watched carefully, wary for adverse reactions.

"Herald Jadus, you may not want to be here for the next part. I'm going to cut her boot off and I'm afraid her ankle is a bit of a mess."

The Herald shook his head. "I'll stay. I can hold the leg still if that helps. We'll do what we can and let your colleagues save their energy for the Healing." He looked curiously at Kyminn. "If you don't mind my asking, what did you mean when you said you had the wrong sort of gift?"

Kyminn gestured for Jadus to firmly brace Liana's calf while he carefully, delicately, sliced the leather of the boot. "My Gifts don't work on humans. Interestingly enough…" he paused to carefully reposition Liana's ankle, "…we have learned that I can do quite a bit with Heralds, if their Companions consent.

"You see, if I use my Animal Healing and Animal Empathy to link with a Companion, and the Companion has the right sort of link with his Herald, then I can – well, feel seems to be the best word – the Herald's injury. I still can't Heal them, but if we were in the field and I were able to link with Liana's Companion, I would be able to set the ankle and feel that it was correct. Otherwise, it would just be a very educated guess. This is something we only discovered recently and we're still exploring the idea. Since it requires a) an injured Herald and b) a consenting Companion, well, happily there hasn't been much opportunity to practice."

"Why didn't you try it this time?" At Kyminn's gesture, Jadus gently turned Liana's calf once again.

"Well, it's mostly something we'd prefer to leave as a last resort. Broken ankles can be tricky things. There are a lot of small bones in the foot and ligaments often tear when an ankle breaks. I'd much rather see it set properly by someone with the right sort of gift than maybe make a mistake setting it manually. Permanently laming someone because I want to practice my nifty new trick is nothing I'm interested in risking." Kyminn slipped the boot off of Liana's foot. He'd been so careful in his cutting and extraction that the ankle remained undisturbed.

"Well, that's very broken indeed. Herald Jadus, I'm going to fetch another Healer. You're more than welcome to stay, but she's going to be unconscious for the next several hours at least. Possibly a full day if the ankle is as bad as I fear. If you wish, I can have a message sent when she wakes."

"Thank you, trainee…" Jadus looked abashed. "I forgot to ask your name."

"Kyminn. Trainee Kyminn."

"Thank you Kyminn."

For just a moment, it felt like Randen's voice.

SCENE BREAK

As it turned out, Herald Liana had broken her ankle rather badly indeed. Her case was transferred out of Kyminn's care into the hands of a more experienced Healer. Kyminn remained on her care team though, as hers was deemed to be a good teaching case for the senior students. The serious nature of the fracture meant the healers resorted to a brace and pin contraption similar to the one used on Randen's shoulder.

Kyminn was reviewing that day's case notes, double checking that he hadn't missed anything, when a soft knock jerked him out of his concentration.

"Herald Jadus! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. If you've come to see Herald Liana, I'm afraid she's asleep. We've just finished a rather intense Healing session." Kyminn stacked the notes and tucked them into their file.

"Actually, I've come to see you. It's my understanding you are finished here for the day?" Jadus seemed oddly formal.

"I am." Kyminn was politely cautious.

"First, let me assure you that you are not in any kind of trouble and your status here is in no way in jeopardy." Jadus paused to make sure that Kyminn had taken in this rather alarming preface. At Kyminn's nod, the Herald continued. "Your skills, and some recent Foresights, have brought you to our attention. There are some members of the Circle, as well as your Dean, who need to speak to you."

SCENE BREAK

Jadus escorted the increasingly apprehensive Kyminn to a part of the College he had never seen before. In fact, Kyminn was fairly certain they had left the College and were in the palace proper. This knowledge did absolutely nothing to relieve his anxiety.

Their destination proved to be a large office, currently occupied by an alarming number of senior-looking Heralds. Jadus politely ushered Kyminn inside and then closed the door behind them. Kyminn wondered if the sound of a lock clicking was only in his imagination.

"Please, Trainee Kyminn, have a seat." The Herald behind the desk was wearing an elaborate set of Whites, although the Healer in Kyminn noted the many small signs of overwork and strain in his face and demeanor.

Kyminn carefully slid into the indicated chair, his hands folded tensely on his lap.

"My name is Talamir," the Herald began, an eyebrow quirking at Kyminn's startled expression. "This is Herald Joyeaus, the Lord Marshall's Herald," a nod at the Herald seated on his left. "Weaponsmaster Dethor," this to an older, lean, hard Herald, his hands calloused and strong. "And I believe you know Dean Tannel of Healers." Kyminn nodded to each of the men in turn with a slightly deeper nod for his own Dean.

Dean Tannel took over. "We have been reviewing the reports you have submitted regarding your Foreseeings. Is there anything that you can add? An impression that you were too uncertain to record, or perhaps a feeling that didn't lend itself to the written record?" The Dean's level tone was encouraging, not censuring.

"I haven't had anything new, not since the flash when I met Herald Jadus a few days ago." A nod to Jadus. "They are all much the same. Horses and Companions, lots of both. Everything feels very…chaotic, like I'm seeing dozens of images. A bay flank here, a bit of white foreleg…" he shrugged in frustration. "It's like someone dropped a wooden puzzle and all I can see are the jumbled pieces."

Tannel sighed. "Unfortunately, that's all too often the case with Foreseeing. You said you had a sense of time?"

Another frustrated shrug. "Yes and no. For the longest time, it was just a general sense that I needed to think about doing something. Now though, it feels like I should do something. Usually, I only get a few moments, or a mark or so, of warning. This has been going on for moons now and it feels like…like it still has a very long time to run. Some flashes feel more immediate, others more distant." His tone was manifestly unhappy. "I'm worried that what I'm seeing is something that is going to go on for a very long time. Or be very…significant."

The Heralds and Dean Tannel exchanged grimaces. Clearly this possibility had occurred to them as well.

"Kyminn, do you know the purpose of the Monarch's Own?" Talamir's question diverted Kyminn from the grim direction his thoughts had taken.

"Sort of, sir," Kyminn offered. "The Monarch's Own is a special Herald that directly helps the king."

Talamir nodded. "True, if a little simplistic. My job is to serve and protect the monarch. That means not just standing beside him at public events to protect him, but also defending from other threats from inside or outside the kingdom. That includes finding people or nations that want to hurt Valdemar, or identifying political concerns within the kingdom."

Kyminn nodded his understanding.

"As it turns out, Herald Liana has a very powerful – and unusually clear – gift of Foresight. She had some very interesting things to say about you. Apparently, trainee Kyminn, you are very definitely a piece of that puzzle you mentioned."

Kyminn blinked. "Sir?"

Talamir glanced at the Dean. At Tannel's nod, Talamir continued. "Kyminn, as a Healer, you are required to keep your patients' confidences, true?"

"Yes sir."

"The discussion we've had so far has been very general. A number of people are aware of your Foreseeings, and I think it's obvious that your Foreseeings generally ask for action on your part. Thus far, what we've discussed falls into the 'Confidential because nobody else really needs to know' kind of 'no need to discuss any of this'." A questioning look.

A bit baffled, Kyminn nonetheless nodded again.

"Kyminn…we believe that there will be – or could be – a significant benefit to the kingdom if you were to become more…involved…in trying to manage whatever it is that may be coming." Talamir chose his next words carefully.

"You do not have to do this. If you choose not to do so, please know that there will be no mark on your record, no effect on your future as a Healer. You are, by all accounts, a very able young man and have a bright future ahead of you. You are free to decline.

"However," and Talamir's eyes grew dark. "Your safety is not guaranteed. Furthermore, this is a matter that is not only confidential, it must be considered to be secret. The fact of your involvement will be known only to a few and you may well find yourself having to misdirect your friends and classmates. It will not be a comfortable situation."

"I can't say I like the idea that I could end up lying to people," it was frank. "And goodness knows I'd rather not get hurt. But…" he looked at each of the other men in turn, finally fixing his gaze on Talamir. "One of the reasons I was reluctant to come to Healer's was because I'm not a traditional sort of Healer. I didn't want to constantly disappoint my patients and to spend my time mending lap dogs." He paused, realizing how petty that sounded.

"Please don't think that I don't see a value in curing someone's hunting hound, or their milch cow. I know that sometimes a small application of my Gifts, in the right place, can make a big difference in someone's life. I think that what I'm trying to say is what I want – what I've always wanted – was to use my skills and Gifts in a way that matters, to do as much good as I can with them. If whatever you are proposing does that, then yes sirs, I'll do it."

"Would you be willing to swear an oath of secrecy while under a Truth Spell?" Talamir was sober.

Kyminn hesitated. Not in doubt, but in thoughtful consideration of the implications of the request. "I will, Herald Talamir."

At a nod from Talamir, Jadus did…something. Talamir asked Kyminn to repeat his willingness to assist, his understanding of the need for secrecy and a brief oath. Kyminn did so, a trifle disappointed that there had been no discernible effect.

"Thank you Kyminn," Talamir looked oddly relieved. "While we didn't doubt your probity – you may be gratified to know that several Companions spoke on your behalf – we did want to make sure you fully understood what we are asking and that you had no hidden reservations." He took a deep breath. "Kyminn, you were correct when you suggested that something significant is coming. It is our belief," a meaningful glance at the Lord Marshall's Herald, "that open conflict with Karse is coming. Soon. We expect that this summer will see significant clashes, if not outright war."

Kyminn wanted to cringe, but couldn't. War. It had been there, unsaid, behind every word spoken this evening. Every time he'd recorded a Foreseeing, he had been unable to come up with any other explanation for visions that involved so many horses, so many Companions, so much death.