Completed 6-20-04

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Chapter Eight: The Day After
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Dawn was breaking once more around the town of Ryven, but instead of the peaceful sunrise that had greeted Kain the day before, the dim light illuminated a much graver setting. Though the bandit attack began soon after dusk, much of the night had passed before they were driven away and peace returned. Now, however, the grim task of caring for the wounded and counting the dead remained.

Quietly standing beside his father on the stone steps before Ryven's meeting hall, Erik solemnly watched the greater portion of the town's inhabitants assemble in the Town Square. With the danger gone, his father had called a meeting to comfort those left behind. The large, solitary bronze bell in the meeting hall's tower tolled both the call to Assembly and a lament for the dead, its somber peals muted in the early morning fog.

It was almost fitting, Erik thought, that the fog hung unusually low and think today. Though only a visible mist at head-height, by the time it reached where the awnings protruded from the shops around the square it had condensed into a mostly opaque cloud which hid the rising sun. It was still dark enough that his father had ordered all the unbroken lamps on the corners made from streets emptying into the square relit, and lanterns on makeshift pole stands were scattered here and there on the flat cobblestones of the Square.

As the townspeople assembled, Erik searched anxiously for familiar faces. Anyone capable of travel was supposed to come, but it would be impossible to tell if the absentees were merely wounded, or if they were dead. Those capable and willing had begun a systematic search of the town, looking for the missing. The purpose of the meeting here was not to take a census of the living, but to give them hope.

Small knots of people gathered in the square. They seemed lost and alone in the unusually large amount of empty space between them; usually when a summoning occurred the square was packed from side to side.

In one part of the square Erik recognized the blacksmith, who often trained the boys in sword fighting when Kyr was guarding, but only his wife stood by his side. Their hulking mountain of a son was conspicuously absent, though whether the friendly, gentle young guardsman was searching, wounded or dead remained a mystery.

A small group of young guards stood together, talking in hushed voices; most sported wounds, and another just joining them walked with a limp. Were he not so thankful that all of his family was alive, Erik would have felt ashamed that his brother Saidi had been injured in a training fight and not during active duty. And since Pax, at 18, had not been accepted into the guards yet, none of his family had taken an active part in the town's defense. Erik shivered involuntarily, remembering that Saidi had been scheduled for guard duty last night, and could very well have been killed were he not recovering at home. Pushing the morbid train of though out of his mind, he turned to look up at his father instead.

Drion Serden's face was a jumble of emotions as he surveyed his people while they slowly, tiredly arrived at the meeting hall and sat or stood on the cold stone ground. Erik knew his father was torn between anger and sadness by the way he stood stiffly upright and yet had expression of anguished sympathy on his face. Anger, that despite all of their careful planning and hard work, the bandits had still done so much damage to the town; grief, that such a tragedy had befallen his fellow townsmen, because they were not only his responsibility but also his good friends.

Finally, it became evident that there would be no more coming and the gathering hushed expectantly, their weary, dirty and often still-bloody faces watching the mayor. Drion was the town's pillar of strength, their unchanging foundation - only through his simple eloquence could they be convinced that a better future would come someday. Eventually, the danger of the raids would be overcome and peace would be unthreatened. They would be able to raise their children and live without fear of night or losing loved ones unexpectedly.

Erik watched his father remind the townspeople of these promises, encouraging them with his words. Drion had always been a good speaker, and could manage to give hope even when it seemed as though there was none.

"In a week we will bury our beloved ones and comrades in arms," said Erik's father as his speech came to a close. "They will be missed and forever remembered, but now we must turn our gazes to the future. I will be working with the Council to coordinate the rebuilding. If you were lucky enough to escape the night without much damage, please help the searchers as they clear the town of debris and seek for those unaccounted for, or work with the Curaen at the Healing House. To those of you with children, Liessa and I open our home now to watch and care for them as we rebuild, though any assistance you could provide in supervising them would be willingly accepted."

Murmurs of agreement and gratitude spread through the small crowd. As the gathering ended one of the townspeople, a middle-aged man, approached Erik's father. Erik recognized him as the temporary leader of the guards and organizer of the search parties.

"Sir, we've managed to find more bandit corpses and Blacksmith Dan'l's son, among others," the man reported, running a hand through his short brown hair. "He's gravely wounded. Some of my men are taking him to the healers, but..."

"Thank you, Derek," Drion interrupted, sighing resignedly. "Has anyone seen Kyr yet? I last saw him before this all began, and it's not like him to disappear."

"I'm afraid not, sir. Though I don't believe we've had the chance to search all the guard towers, and I couldn't say if we've reached his house yet. So many were wounded this time that there are too few to efficiently follow the grid..."

Erik didn't stay to hear the rest. Without a word he turned and sprinted in the direction of the Merin house.

Worry flooded Erik's mind as he ran through the streets toward his best friends' house. It was situated on the east side of town, and he knew that the searchers by habit searched the east quadrant last. As far back as Erik could remember Kyr had been with his family to defend them when a raid occurred, and since the east side faced a landscape of open fields it survived with the least damage. The other parts of town always ended up worse off, so Kyr would leave the east side for after the others. But if Kyr hadn't reported to his father immediately after the raid, it would only be if he were too hurt to move. And if that were so, there was no telling the state of his family, who were most likely still not accounted for...

Erik skidded to a halt in front of the house. The small garden of grass and flowers on either side of the steps leading to the front porch were somewhat trampled — it was strange how the most ridiculous thoughts passed through your mead when you were worried, but Renée was going to be furious when she learned that her precious plants had been harmed. Thankfully, however, the house was free of fire damage, unlike one of the houses across the street. A quarry to the south had provided an ample stone supply for most of Ryven's buildings to be made predominantly of brick and stone rather than wood. With the combination of fireproof material and large gaps between buildings, the town was constructed to be resilient to fire. Still, occasionally a torch flame would find fuel enough to do severe damage to a domicile.

Though the house was still in one piece, the low fog and still dim light conspired to give it a grim, foreboding appearance. Erik tried to open the front door, and to his immense relief found it barred. No bandits would have entered that way, and the windows were both small and set near the ceiling to deter entry in that manner as well. Rounding the house, Erik mounted the stone steps to the back porch and tested the door.

His heart sank as it swung open.

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Dyani stifled a yawn behind her hand as she perched on a tall stool, holding a half-full wooden goblet between her legs. Even being surrounded by several dozen wounded men and women failed to have any effect on her desire to fall asleep. Her small size and young age had disqualified her from helping the Curaen, healers, in the rear wings, so she had spend the aftermath of the attacks as the gopher for Curae Suna, the healer tending to the non-fatally wounded. It had been a long night.

"Dyani."

She straightened, forcing herself awake to focus on the woman addressing her.

"Yes, Curae?"

Suna continued to concentrate on the arrow wound she was cleaning, deftly manipulating the skin with a few instruments from the collection resting on a cloth in her lap. Dyani couldn't help but admire the quiet competence the healer possessed. She looked no more than a score of years older than Dyani, but she carried an air of timeless wisdom about her.

"Take the herbs and make the base for the sopora tonic. You remember how, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Off you go, then."

Dyani hopped off the stool and placed the goblet on the floor next to the healer's herb belt, a long strip of cloth with numerous tiny pouches attached to it. Picking the belt up, she hurried to the preparation room that she had been in and out of the entire night. She ignored the cabinets, counters, and water basins, focusing instead on the small, enclosed fire in the corner of the room, away from everything else. Although it burned bright and hot and the kettle she placed above it quickly came to a boil, in her impatience it seemed to take an age.

Pouring the hot water into another large goblet, Dyani opened the drawstrings of three pouches on the Curae's herb belt and sprinkled a pinch of their contents into the cup. She returned to the bedside as quickly as she dared without risking spilling the nearly full cup as she went. Upon her arrival Suna took both tonic and herbs from her and as Dyani watched the healer finished preparing the drink, a process Suna had said was too complicated for Dyani to manage. Something about concentrations and lengths of time, but Dyani was too tired to remember properly.

After letting the tonic set for a moment, apparently to increase its effectiveness, the healer offered the tonic to the wounded guardsman. "The first drink numbed your senses; now let this one bear you to sleep."

The guard took it warily, but at least did not outright refuse it from fear of poison in the strange herb drink as he had for the numbing drink. Suna was the Healing House's expert in herb-lore, the only healer capable of creating the strange but useful tonics like the numbing and sleeping potions Dyani had watched her use all night. However, most of the town regarded her art with unease and tacitly avoided her because of it. She didn't seem to mind though, Dyani had realized from watching her patient persistence with her charges. Suna lived in a world of her own, filled with herbs and books — Dyani had seen her room when the healer took her along to retrieve a pouch to add to her belt — a gracious, dignified lady with no time to dwell on what other people thought of her.

Dyani's train of thought was interrupted abruptly by a commotion in the arrival hall of the House. Shouts, cries and general bustle shattered the silence, not muffled in the lease by the preparation rooms and short hallway separating the arrival hall from the recovery room.

Suna quickly reclaimed her cup from the guardsman, who had luckily swallowed before the outburst of noise began and escaped choking on the tonic in surprise. Glancing at Dyani, the Curae gave her a permissive nod in response to the girl's unspoken request.

"Go on. I'll be there in a moment."

Dyani raced to the hall, curiosity and a hint of fear speeding her steps. A commotion in the Healing House was never a good thing. The healers were quick, competent, and largely intolerant to noise as they worked. Unfortunately for her, she was too short to see over the small crowd at the entrance and didn't dare get in anyone's way. Instead she hopped from one foot to the other impatiently, waiting for something to happen.

A few moment of eternity later, the healers parted to give way to a stretcher borne by four guardsmen, with the highest authority healers available already at work to stem the profuse bleeding of the injured man. As the bearers turned to take the litter into the back part of the House, a space opened and Dyani could see him plainly -

And felt a part of her world come tumbling down.

As she stood there, stunned, she barely felt Suna kneel and wrap her arms around her, pulling her onto the healer's lap in a comforting embrace.

"He'll be ok, won't he, Suna? The Curaen can make him better, can't they?" Her voice was full of quiet desperation, her still young mind unable to accept what she had seen.

"Dyani..."

"He has to be!" Dyani cried, her green eyes blurring from tears. She stared at the closed door the healers had disappeared behind, seeing again and again the dirty, sweat-stained face of Kyr go by.

"He has to be..."

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An oppressive silence greeted Erik as he stepped through the back door into the hallway. He halted just inside, leaning against the closed door in an attempt to remain upright. The scene in front of him was enough to make him feel ill.

Jaeden huddled in the left side of the hallway intersection, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth slightly. A low whimper, barely audible even in the house's quiet stillness, escaped his lips as Erik stared at him. His blue eyes, usually sparkling with humor, gazed blankly in Erik's direction, unfocused and expressionless.

Kneeling on the floor to the right of Jaeden, Kain also failed to acknowledge Erik's entrance. However, rather than staring at a point beyond Erik, Kain's eyes were fixed on the two bodies lying on the floor — very still, and very dead. One, a bandit, rested face down on top of the other. Erik's stomach knotted as he recognized the other still form as Renée. The majority of her clothes, long blonde hair, and the surrounding wood floor was stained an unmistakable dark red. Her eyes, still open, gazed at Erik with the same lifeless blue stare Jaeden presently possessed.

Carefully avoiding the bodies, Erik approached his friends. Jaeden remained trapped in a state of shock, but when Erik crouched in the tiny space between the boys and the two bodies, Kain raised his eyes to meet Erik's concerned gaze. To his dismay, Erik found himself staring into two ray-green orbs of frozen calm.

"I killed him," Kain said in a voice far too emotionless for Erik's comfort. "He killed her, and now he's dead."

Erik was silent. Nowhere in his memory could he recall a raid with so many dead and wounded, or one where someone close to him had died. Unable to think of anything to say or do, he simply continued to sit and watch his friend. A part of his mind that felt very far away told him that he was suffering from shock as well.

"I wasn't sure if I could do it, before tonight," Kain went on in his faraway voice, looking around Erik at the bandit corpse. He seemed to have taken Erik's silence as an appeal to continue. "I didn't think I could kill someone. Then he murdered mother. And I knew I could."

Erik shivered at the cold manner Kain had adopted. Kain had always been the easy-going older brother for the other three of their group. To see him like this...

The back door opened again and Erik turned to see who had entered, gratified that Kain also showed interest. At least, until Erik noticed the expression on the new arrival'sface. Theyoung boy'seyes darted between Kain, Erik, Jaeden and the two bodies in a slightly panicked manner. Erik recognized him after a moment as a runner for the Healing House.

"What do you want?" Kain inquired frostily, his eyes narrowing at the intruder.

"I, er, was sent from, um, the Healing House," the freckled youth began, shifting uncomfortably under Kain's unwelcome attention. He seemed unsure as to wether he should relay his message, thentook a deep breath andplunged onward. "They send word of Master Kyr. He is - he has left us."

Jaeden froze instantly, his arms tightening visibly around his knees, but gave no other reaction. Erik felt a sudden urge to throttle the boy, but couldn't bring himself to move. The boy probably didn't realize the consequences of what he had done, anyway. And it was too late to stop the news. Kain stiffened, then spoke.

"Thank you," he responded hollowly, lowering his eyes. "You don't need to stay."

The messenger disappeared out the door, leaving the three boys alone again. Avoiding Kain's face, Erik realized that most of the blood smeared on Kain's arm wasn't the bandit's, but oozed from a gash there.

"You're hurt!"

Kain barely glanced at it. "He was quick, even taken by surprise. It doesn't hurt. Don't worry about it."

"Will you be all right?" Erik asked apprehensively.

Kain looked at Erik again, and the younger boy winced involuntarily in reaction to the pain he saw in Kain's eyes. After a few moments it seemed to recede, until Erik realized that instead of fading it was merely becoming hidden again behind a wall of grey ice.

"No, I won't be," Kain said candidly. Erik knew him well enough to hear in his friend's statement the answer to the other meaning in his question. "But that won't stop me. Jaeden still needs looking after, and mom — mom and dad will kill me if I didn't take care of him."

Slowly, Kain got to his feet. Turning to Jaeden, he pulled him upright as well. Jaeden clung to Kain's arm, but Erik noticed that the blonde boy responded favorably to his older brother's touch, finally focusing on the real world once more.

"What's going to happen now?" Jaeden whispered. Erik watched Kain straighten, pushing away his own feelings to be the support Jaeden so desperately needed at the moment. Just don't make a habit of doing that, Kain. Please?

"We're going to see Erik's fath - Mayor Drion, Jae."

Erik took Jaeden's free hand, sincerely hoping that his best friends would manage to return to at least close to normal again soon. "Seeing him is a good idea. He'll be glad to know that you're both all right." And hopefully getting away from the house and the bodies will help all of us. He still felt nauseated.

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Dyani huddled in Suna's lap as they sat in one of the large chairs in the Serden's front room. After taking Dyani home, Suna had decided to stay with the still crying girl until someone else was available to keep her company. Dyani had talked a great deal at first, babbling somewhat in an attempt to keep her mind off what she had seen, but now she sniffed a little, burrowing further into Suna's embrace. The long night and sight of Kyr had taken its toll on her, and she slowly succumbed to a troubled slumber. Suna watched her with tender, motherly expression, but her thoughts as she watched Dyani sleep were her own.

Some time later the front door opened and Erik, Kain and Jaeden entered. Since Drion was with the town elders in the meeting hall and Liessa was off attempting to keep track of a mob of children, Suna was the only person present to see the boys arrive. Not noticing her, Erik took a deep breath, but Suna spoke first.

"Master Drion isn't here, Erik," she said mildly. "Do not wake your sister calling for him."

Erik gawked at the dark-haired healer. He had heard people gossiping that one of the Curaen tended to anticipate peoples action or intention, but had never experienced it himself. It was enough to had a few extra moments until he processed the second half of her statement.

"Dyani!" Dragging Jaeden and Kain behind him, Erik hurried to the girls' chair. "Is something wrong? I thought mother sent her help in the Healing House."

"She'll be fine," Suna assured him. "She merely needs sleep." The healer eyed the three boys. "And from the looks of it, you could all use it as well." Suna rose, carrying the sleeping form of Dyani. "Come. Liessa is busy with everyone else's children, so I may as well care for hers."

Erik began protesting that they needed to tell his father about Renée and Kain and Jaeden, but she silenced him with a finger on his lips. "Your friends are exhausted and hurting, Erik. They will be better after resting." Transferring her gaze to Kain, she continued. "Your arm must be cleaned before it becomes infected. I know that you desire to depend on only yourself, now, but try to accept the help that others offer you," she added quietly.

Erik couldn't see Suna's eyes as she and Kain gazed at each other, but after a few moments they seemed to reach a silent understanding and Kain nodded. Suna led the boys to Erik's room; Erik idly wondered if she had been to the house before, given how well she knew her way around. Laying Dyani on Erik's bed, Suna instructed the boys to change out of their grimy, day-old clothes. Erik then stretched out next to Dyani and the healer shooed Jaeden to the other bed — Pax had joined the searches and thankfully hadn't returned yet, leaving his bed empty.

Sitting Kain down on the free half of Pax's bed, Suna disappeared out the door for a moment before returning with a cloth, a basin of water, a needle, and thread. Kain watched stoically as she examined and cleaned his arm, not even flinching when her fingers ran over the broken skin or when she sewed it together with a line of tiny stitches.

"You're lucky," she announced when finished. "It isn't infected, which would have brought a whole host of problems down on you, even though it may end up scarring."

"Lucky," Kain spat bitterly, staring at his arm.

"Yes, lucky," Suna stated firmly, placing a hand beneath his chin and forcing him to look at her. "You and your brother are still alive, because you protected him, and neither of you were badly hurt. I came here from the Healing House. If you feel that you aren't lucky, visit me there and you'll think again." She paused, then gave him a bittersweet smile. "Get some rest," she ordered gently. "I'll speak to Mayor Drion for you."

With a mumbled thank you, Kain lay down on the bed beside his brother and closed his eyes. The adrenaline rush and tension that had sustained him overnight faded quickly, and sleep claimed him.

Suna watched the four children for a few moments, then shook her head. With a sigh of regret, she closed the door to the room behind her and left the house. The sun had risen fully now, chasing away the mist and shining warmly from it's place in the sky. The town was extremely quiet, with the townspeople going about their business in a subdued manner. Most were working under the direction of the town council, systematically clearing rubble and searching for people in the areas that had been raided.

Suna sighed again. So much had been lost that could never be regained... and so much was yet to come.

Arriving at the meeting hall, Suna entered just in time to hear the school headmaster, one of the members of the town Council, say: "Kyr was the best man we ever had; who will head the guards in his place, Drion?"

Drion massaged his temples wearily. "I am inclined to change Derek's position from temporary to permanent leader. He posses both the skills and willingness to perform the duties it requires. Have any of you objections?"

After a chorus of approving responses, Drion adjourned the council to oversee separate aspects of the town's reconstruction. Seizing the opportunity to speak with the mayor, Suna approached him and cleared her throat. Transferring his attention from the papers on the table in front of him to her, the mayor's haggard face lit up in surprised pleasure as he recognized her face.

"Suna, my dear. Have you any wisdom to offer a childhood friend in this time of trial, or do you come on some other errand?"

"I just came from your house, Drion, where I left your two youngest and the sons of Kyr asleep."

Drion exhaled sharply in relief. "They are well, then?"

"They were mostly untouched, physically, but Kyr's sons especially suffer from shock. Apparently, without Kyr's protection his wife did not survive the raid."

Covering his eyes with his hand, Drion bowed his head. "Both of them, in one night?"

"Yes."

"Kyr, Kyr!" The mayor exclaimed quietly. "What a time to leave me, friend, when you are needed most. For such a thing to happen to ones so young... but I will watch over them, Kyr, just as I promised." He looked up. "Do you have nothing else to tell me before I go home to an exhausted wife, an injured son, and four traumatized children of varying degrees? No encouragement, or perhaps a kernel of insight?"

"Only that the world will become brighter during your lifetime, Master Drion." She paused, thinking. "And that to deny your daughter the ability to defend herself in the future may do more harm than good." He eyed her dubiously, but Drion had learned to trust Suna's predictions over the years. He couldn't remember the last time she had been wrong. "Regardless of the repercussions on the farther future, however, it would help her be less affected by the last night, at least. She desires to learn, friend. Consider it."

Drion nodded thoughtfully, contemplating. "Perhaps... if I can spare anyone to train those of Dyani's age, it would be a good distraction for her and those like her."

"I have said my part, then. Should you desire company sometime, however, you know where to find me." She gave him a small smile, then left for the Healing House. There were probably more wounded waiting to be attended to by now.

Drion remained in the town hall for a little while longer, pondering, then went home in search of Liessa. He had a bit of spare time, enough to speak with her about what Suna had said and possibly to look in on the children.

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By the time Dyani woke again, it was dusk. Sleepily opening her eyes, she found herself staring up at the dirty and tired, but triumphant face of Pax.

"Hey there, little sister," he said with a grin.

"Pax!" She exclaimed, jumping up and hugging his lanky frame. Even standing on the raised bed, she was barely tall enough to throw her arms around his neck. "When did you get back?"

"Just now, when my shift ended. I've been busy all night, getting work done with the men, and what should I find upon my return but two occupied beds!"

Dyani smiled at him and his lighthearted teasing, then followed his gaze to the other bed. At the sight of Kain and Jaeden asleep there she remembered the night before with sickening clarity. Immediately losing all of her good mood, she sank back down on the bed.

"Pax, Kain and Jaeden.... did you hear what happened to Kyr?" When he shook his head, she blurted out what happened at the Healing House in as short a description as she could. As he listened, Pax's face became gravely serious..

"Di… A bandit killed Renée last night. One of the search teams found her at the Merin's."

Dyani simply stared at her brother. After a moment he swept her off the bed into his arms, and she buried her face in his shoulder as he quietly carried her out of the room. Kyr and Jaeden slept on, unaware of the conscious world in their exhaustion.

Entering the front room, Dyani and Pax found Liessa sitting in one of the chairs with Erik on the wood floor by her feet, talking with Drion. Normally Erik would have chosen a place on the couch beside Drion, but the sight of Renée had made him more attached to his mother for the time being.

"Mama, Papa!" Wriggling out of Pax's arms, Dyani rushed to hug her mother and then her father, settling in his lap with a relieved sigh. There was something comfortingly solid about Drion, and she wanted to feel that. Pax waved a greeting to all three family members and then returned up the stairs, announcing his intention to sleep for a week even if he had to steal Erik's bed for the duration.

"Bah!" Erik called after his brother, too tired to come up with a better response.

After Pax left, there was a short silence before Drion took a deep breath. "Dyani, your mother and I have been talking, and in light of recent events... we've have decided to give you our permission to learn staff fighting."

"But only providing you spend as much time with me," Liessa continued, "learning to be a proper lady as well."

"Really?" Dyani's eyes shone with excitement. "I promise!" To not only have mama's permission to fight, but to be taught by someone who really knew how... that was worth anything. And working in the kitched yesterday hadn't been to bad, either...

"Good," Drion said in satisfaction, "With that settled, we have the guards reorganized, the wounded found and being tended to, the homeless situated, and the matter of younger children training dealt with. Most of the rubble is currently being shifted to prepare for rebuilding, which should begin in the next few days." He sighed. "I think I might dare to sleep now, before something else happens to require my attention."

He spoke too soon, however, because a moment later Kain trudged down the stairs, hesitating slightly when he reached the bottom.

"Come sit down, Kain," Liessa offered. He did so, settling cross-legged on the floor next to Erik and staring down resolutely at the grain of the wooden slats.

"Jaeden's still asleep. He probably won't wake up until tomorrow."

Dyani slipped off her father's lap and knelt beside Kain, hugging him sideways. Drion leaned forward, pressing his fingertips together as he tended to do when he was ill at ease.

"Kain," he began slowly, "Although Liessa and I don't wish to force anything on you, as your godparents we would like for you and Jaeden to stay with us until you have finished your schooling and are old enough to take care of both yourself and him."

"I thank you for you concern, sir," Kain responded in a subdued voice, "but —"

Dyani tugged at his shirt, breaking off his train of thought. Fixing her big green eyes on him, she begged entreatingly: "Won't you stay? I don't want you to be there all by yourself... and you're a nicer big brother than Erik."

She momentarily stuck her tongue out at her brother, then turned back to Kain, using all the influence her pleading face put at her disposal as the Excessively Cute Youngest Child of the Family™. For a short while she seemed to be failing, but then Kain said, "Heh. I guess... I guess we could do it for a while. But sir," he added, addressing Drion, "I insist that no one else be allowed to live in our house. Let it wait until you believe me ready to live on m own."

"Of course," Dyani's father answered readily, sounding relieved at Kain's acquiescence. "Kyr often told me his intention to leave everything to his sons when he passed on. I intend to honor my good friend's wishes."

"Thank you, sir."

Liessa rose to her feet. "Well, you can tell your brother all of this later. As for you, young man, it's high time you had something to eat. Dyani, Erik, you come too." She began to herd the children off toward the kitchen, talking as they went. "After some supper you should all try to sleep again. Everyone will have something to do tomorrow as we truly begin rebuilding, so you'll need your rest. Tonight, Erik can sleep on Dyani's floor and Kain on Erik and Pax's floor, since Jaeden ought to just stay where he is. Erik, don't forget to get blankets from the hall closet for the two of you after supper..."

Her voice faded as they entered the kitchen. Drion glanced around guardedly for a few minutes, but when nothing else jumped out at him demanding attention, he relaxed. Stretching out across the couch, he placed his hands behind his head and began to doze.

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AN: Not much to say, except that I hope to have chapters be this length or longer in the future. Be patient with me as The Fae slowly evolves and comes into it's own. Chapter 9 is already being written and will be out as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed chapter 8, and aren't bitter about how events played out… ::hides again::.

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Reviewer Thanks:

Fire Lady: I'm afraid I took rather longer than you hoped, but you'll forgive me, right? :) As for the Senshi and Shitennou meetings... half of why I'm writing this is to develop characters who can exist independent of their significant others. So to the romance starved... it's a long time coming.

moonrabbit: Many thanks, and hopefully this offering has satiated you for a while.

Niamh is useless: Ah, yes... epic. Probably the most accurate single word to describe any of my stories. I'll keep in mind the interspersal of more staccato writing, however. Thanks for the suggestion, and also the comment about the bugs. Given the place and climate, bugs seems most appropriate, but it's helpful to remember that some places don't have them.

Secrets: I'm glad you like the names; I work hard to keep my names unique. (I'm actually obsessed with names in general, but that's another story...) Name conversions have been added to the first chapter now, to help people keep everyone straight.

Yui4: If you're looking for plot, at the moment it's nothing but foreshadowing and hints for the most part. This is a character driven story, not a plot driven one, so major earth-shaking events won't be coming for a while. I hope you enjoy the tapestry of subplots occurring at the moment, though.

Thallein: Meeting between the couples will occur rather later in the story, because as I mentioned above I want the characters to be able to live without their "one true love" being the center of their existence. It will come eventually though. And in case you couldn't tell from the past two chapters, I have a tendency to torture my poor characters. Pity them. ::grin::

Katpetal: Apologies for such a long cliffie, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

Amnicity: Erik never has been, is, or will be Neph. ::shudders::. Neph has yet to make an appearance. I love Mina's character too... she's got quite a life coming to her. And yes, it will all eventually come together. Eventually.

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Props to you all for putting up with me! See you next update.

Ocianne

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