Chapter 35
As the winter progressed, so it seemed did the pace of Kyminn's work. A few days after the deaths of Jannen and Niko, he was joined in his equitation sessions by Captain Ashkevron. Although the bone healers had completed the repair of her smashed legs, she was still working to regain the strength she had lost. In public, she made a point of moving slowly, relying on the aid of her two canes. In the privacy of the indoor riding salle, the canes returned to being mere stage props.
Kyminn was working Max, the large grey gelding when the Captain first appeared. At Keren's wave, Kyminn spun Max and trotted over. He didn't hear what the Captain said to Keren, but they both burst into peals of laughter. Kyminn merely raised an eyebrow, politely waiting for them to explain the joke.
The cavalry officer was shaking her head, eyeing the gelding with a twisted smile. "Dear gods. It's the Shin'a'in stud all over again! Please tell me that he's at least go a decent temperament!" She looked to Kyminn for permission and, at his nod, walked slowly around the gelding, examining him minutely.
"Ah…Shin'a'in stud?" Kyminn sounded as baffled as he felt.
"It's an old story. Some of the Heralds have heard it, since it partly has to do with Herald Vanyel Ashkevron." Keren's grin was wicked.
Nikki Ashkevron snorted, but yielded to Kyminn's curiosity. "Back in Vanyel's time, one of his brothers spent a tremendous amount of money buying a stallion, allegedly of pure or nearly pure Shin'a'in breeding." At Kyminn's expression, she gave a nod of agreement. "Exactly. The odds of a pure-blood Shin'a'in stallion being found for sale anywhere is…about as likely as there ever being a piebald Companion."
Dantris' emphatic snort of derision underscored her point. Both of them.
"As far as most of the family was concerned, he had been gulled, and in the most embarrassing way possible – falling for such an obviously faked pedigree. To make matters worse, the beast was ugly, stupid and almost unmanageably vicious. The whole episode caused a tremendous uproar in the family – even Vanyel got drawn in."
"What happened?" Kyminn leaned forward, keen on hearing the outcome.
Nikki sighed. "Well, it turned out that it was actually a very wise purchase. The stud was savage and stupid, but he was strong and aggressive – just the right traits for a warhorse. They started breeding him to the draft horse mares and then back through the hunter line. He ended up being the foundation stallion for what is now the Ashkevron war horse line. This fellow here," she nodded her chin at the gelding, "Is an almost perfect image of the original 'Shin'a'in' stud."
Kyminn looked at his horse, surprise and a newfound respect in his eyes. "I knew he was of Ashkevron breeding, but I hadn't realized his pedigree was quite so illustrious."
The Captain shrugged. "We sell quite a few horses to the crown each year. We keep back enough blood stock of course, but we don't short the crown. That would be just a bit shortsighted, in any number of ways, don't you think?"
"Well Captain, I for one am certainly glad your family takes such care with the beasts they provide. I couldn't ask for a better mount than Max here. And as for temperament, you'll be happy to know that Max does not match his breeding in that regard." He grinned and gave Max a proprietary pat on the neck.
"Good enough," Keren broke in. "Now that we're all agreed Max is a fine horse, let's see if you both know how to work, shall we?"
SCENE BREAK
Equitation. Weapons training. Tactics training. Drills. Shifts at Healer's. The work piled higher as the days dwindled. Not even their evenings were sacrosanct, usually being spent with Talamir, Dethor or both in polishing their roles as agents. If Kyminn had had any energy left to spend on reflection, he would probably have been surprised to find himself in such unusual company. Had anyone told him a year ago he would be drilled to exhaustion in maps, ciphers and other esoteric skills by two of the highest ranked Heralds in the kingdom, he would probably have tucked them in to sleep it off.
"No Allek, remember that we are trying to keep your fictional personas as close to the real ones as possible. Not only do we not have the time to build anything deeper, we don't have the time to teach you all you'd need to know. In your case, your story is exactly true, up until the point Jareth Chose you. Your stories about training, snow-clearing – even the barracks room jokes are all authentic, so use them. They will ring true because they ARE true. Use that to your advantage. Kyminn…"
Kyminn straightened with a start. He'd let his mind wander there for a bit and he wondered if he'd missed something.
"We've been thinking, and discussing the matter with Evin, your gift teacher. We're still not quite sure what to do about your Foresight."
"Um. Yes." Kyminn sighed. "We've tried to shield against it, and it turns out that if we pile enough shields on me we can actually block it. Unfortunately, it takes all of my energy and the help of at least one other person to keep enough shields up. I wouldn't be able to do much else, I'm afraid."
"And frankly," Talamir was sober, "we're not yet sure if trying to shield it is a good idea. It's my understanding that, under normal conditions, you only get fairly serious events now?"
Kyminn nodded with a grimace. "Generally, yes. If I'm in the city I have to be a lot more careful, but I can manage. I can't block some things…like the fire," he faltered for a moment, "but less intense things, like small acts of cruelty I can block out."
"It comes down to two choices really," Talamir sighed. "Either Evin and Crathach block your gift – not permanently, but enough that it would take a Mind-Healer to restore it – or we leave it. That means accommodating it within your persona."
"You mean," Randen interjected, with a sideways look at Kyminn, "That Kyminn becomes 'that fella that has fits and talks to himself sometimes'? "
Talamir nodded. "Exactly. As a Healer, Kyminn, you know that not all fits involve falling down and thrashing about. Some mind storms are much milder and involve simply being 'not present', or even saying odd things out of turn."
"I'd really rather not have my gift blocked," Kyminn said slowly. "I admit it can be awkward, but I can't deny it's been damn useful too. I'd really like to have…access…to any warnings if we can." His expression grew thoughtful. "You know; we might be able to turn this to our advantage. If I act a bit…slow…and maybe talk to myself a bit, people might not heed what they say around me so much."
"Well, I always knew you were a bit daft, cousin," Allek broke in with a cheeky grin. "And it's only natural that I'd take care of my cousin now isn't it? Helping you find a job with the horse brokers and all. I mean, he may be a bit addled from time to time, but my cousin, well, he's a first rate horse leech. Got a natural knack for it and all. So he talks to himself a bit, he's sure a good worker and we're lucky to have him with us."
Talamir and Dethor were both nodding in pleased agreement. "Excellent," said Dethor. "Now then, let's work that into your back stories, shall we…?"
SCENE BREAK
Winter had grudgingly given way to spring and spring was finally yielding up conditions suitable for their trip. Even engrossed as they were in last minute preparations for their trip, the foursome heard the news that raced through the Collegia like wildfire.
"A Karsite Herald?" Nikki's voice was thick with disbelief. "A Companion Chose someone from Karse? What could he have been thinking?"
"That he'd make a good Herald, I expect." Randen's tone was tart.
"I know you Heralds trust your Companions, and gods know I've seen enough to know they can be trusted, but…still…you have to admit that it's odd, even for a Companion."
Randen nodded, "I'll grant you that it's…unexpected. I'd even go so far as to say 'wildly unlikely'. And I know you've worked the southern border and have no great reason to like the Karsites, but Kantor Chose this Alberich person, and we trust Kantor."
"I've seen the Sunsguard and their priests do…things…that make me vomit." Nikki's voice was bleak. "And much as my head tells me that just as our Guard is made up of individuals that theirs must be also…my gut is telling me this person can only be an enemy." Captain Ashkevron, currently simply 'Nikki Forster' was profoundly uneasy. "Still…a Companion. I really can't see that I'll never warm to the person, this Alberich, but I'll accept the judgement of a Companion." A small, unhappy shrug. "That's all I can promise for now."
Randen sighed. "I suspect you're not alone in that. I think there's more than a few people doing some soul searching right now where their feelings about Karsites is concerned."
"We're leaving tomorrow anyway," Kyminn interjected. "By the time we get back in late fall, this person will be yesterday's news and the Collegium will probably just treat him like he's another trainee. We may never encounter him except in passing, and by then he'll be just another Herald."
SCENE BREAK
Their departure was without fanfare as they slipped away shortly after dawn. They had decided to eat on the road in order to avoid the morning press. In their favor was that more people tended to enter the city in the morning rather than leave, but there was still a significant amount of crowding as people took advantage of the spring roads.
Randen and Allek were both riding this morning, it having been decided there was no point in trying to pretend Derris and Jareth weren't Companions when people could see them leaving the palace grounds. Once outside the city, they would either be "tied" to the back of the wagon, ridden as "horses" or, once away from the settled areas, moving unseen through the woods. Kyminn was driving the wagon at present, his Gifts giving him by far the best control over the team in the chaos of the city streets. Max and Vik trailed the wagon, tethered by both rope and Kyminn's Animal Mindspeech.
Beside Max and Vik trotted a grey mare. In colour she was Max's twin, but where he was blocky and solid, she was contained power and an impatient temper. Raina was Nikki's remount, biding her time until it was her turn under the saddle. The Captain was currently riding her favorite horse, an animal of her own breeding. Only her ranks; military and court, along with her control over Hugo, let her retain the right to maintain an unaltered stallion as her personal warhorse.
As a warhorse, Hugo was eye-catching. Standing a full 18 hands high, he was as tall as many draft horses. In conformation though, he had the build of a rangy hunter. It was easy to mistake him for any normal saddle beast, until one got close enough to realize he was simply built on a scale all his own. Four perfectly matched white socks marched up his legs, stark against the glossy black of his coat. Even his blaze was perfect, as though drawn by an artisan from nostril to forehead. Only a swipe of white, a smudge of the artist's thumb from the blaze and arching over one eye, ruined the perfect effect. Personally, Kyminn thought the streak of white made Hugo look perpetually surprised, but he thought it best not to say anything.
As they finally passed the gates and moved onto the southern road, Derris brought Randen alongside the wagon. "Taver has just spoken to Derris. There's an estate just south of here that Talamir would like us to stop at. He says there's something we're to pick up there that may help. Taver has given Derris the directions."
The other three exchanged glances, but all shrugged in acknowledgement. Clearly Talamir hadn't wanted the material to be obtained from the palace, where it was open to discussion by anyone who chanced by.
When they reached the estate a few candlemarks later, Talamir's reason became clear. Lord Balvel was equal parts polite and firm.
"Herald Talamir didn't say as to why you'd be needing a pair of trained guard mastiffs and a herding dog, nor did I ask. He simply asked me if I might have some available and that you'd have someone who could manage them." He very carefully avoided meeting anyone's eye as he said this. "Herald Talamir and I have an understanding, of sorts. From time to time he asks me things and I most carefully do not ask him questions in return. Therefore, take these beasts with my blessing, along with two casks of dried horsemeat for food." He gave a decisive nod, this time locking his gaze on Randen.
"Will that be all Herald?"
Randen gave a faint smile and silent nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you Lord Balvel, but no. I'm very glad to be able to help Herald Talamir with his errand – whatever it might be. I've no doubt Herald Talamir will let you know if he has any more…requests."
Normally, the process of getting a trained guard dog to accept a new handler would have been a time consuming process – time they didn't have. Between Lord Balvel's trainer and Kyminn's gifts, the process took less than a mark, although Kyminn admitted he was going to have to spend a good deal of time with the dogs to fully establish the bond.
In astonishingly short order, they were on their way again. All mounts had been watered and had a chance to graze, in spite of the fact they'd only just begun. It went without saying that any chance to rest and make sure the horses and Companions were in tip top shape was not to be squandered. The dogs were on the bench seat with Kyminn, the physical contact strengthening the trace of contact he was maintaining on their minds. A servant had delivered a large basket of pocket pies, cheese, fruit and other suitable road food. The sun was still two marks off of noon when they turned south yet again.
"How much do you really think he knew?" Kyminn asked Nikki. Hugo's height made it that from his seat on the wagon, he still had to look up at the captain.
She shrugged. "At a guess? I'd say everything. I know for a fact there are agents all over Valdemar, both ours and our enemies. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that he's one of them. Similarly, it may be exactly as he says – he chooses not to know. That way, he can say under Truth Spell, that he doesn't know what Talamir's up to."
Kyminn chewed on that for a bit. The blue and grey herding dog curled up under the bench, warm breath blowing on Kyminn's feet. "He's probably better off knowing. He doesn't need protection from Heralds after all. If he were to be Truth Spelled, as soon as the Herald realized that Lord Balvel was acting on Talamir's instructions, that would be the end of the matter, Lord Balvel is protected. If it was someone else, well, they probably wouldn't believe him if he said he didn't know. And without the Truth Spell, they might use pretty nasty things against the Lord or his family to find out. If Lord Balvel does know, then he knows what the risk could be, and can take steps to protect himself."
Nikki's grin was sardonic. "Like I said, I'm quite sure he knows. And, I'm equally sure that he doesn't want that fact known publicly." She looked sideways down at Kyminn. "Second thoughts?"
"No." It was instant. "It's just a whole new way of thinking, of trying to look at all sides of things. These aren't the kinds of risks I'm used to assessing and I need to learn before I do something stupid."
"I think we will all benefit from no one doing anything stupid." She glanced around at the pastures to either side of the road. "Risk assessment. Are we being observed right now?"
Kyminn closed his eyes and reached, searching for nearby animal minds, testing what they were seeing, what they were feeling. He opened his eyes again. "There's a shepherd just around the bend, about a mile up the road. The sheep can see him. I can't tell if there are human minds nearby, but no animal or bird is currently alarmed about a human in their territory. Neither the dogs nor horses smell anything." He sighed. "But. That doesn't mean that there isn't a person settled down somewhere, so quiet the animals have settled, and downwind of us. If I took more time and had a bird search, I might know more. But I can't know for sure."
She nodded. "And that's a start. Knowing what you don't know. I spent some time as a cavalry scout, so let me teach you a few tricks…"
