AN: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for being so patient with me... I'll be writing longer chapters soon... and more quickly... As the title says, this is the peace before the storm... a very long storm... ;D
So thank you, Shang Leopard, SarahE7191, Alliekat1996, Dragonfly257, and my beta, KyrieofAccender- reviews are very encouraging...
Chapter Seven
Peace Before the Storm
When Deryne emerged from below, at eventide, Cyne was already standing out on the deck, gazing out at the fiery colors cast across the undulating water; the squire did not disturb her- she sensed that the other girl needed some quiet, as did she. Crossing to the starboard side, she leaned out against the ship's railing, fiddling absent-mindedly with the chain around her neck until her fingers curled around the pendant: a birth-control charm. She chuckled to herself as she remembered how her mother, the Lady Yuki, had given to her secretly before Deryne had left Corus.
"Not that I approve your using it," she had warned with a frown, eyeing Deryne's father, who had been busy speaking with Master Numair. "But I give it to you with two pieces of advice- one, keep it on for my peace of mind…." The corners of her eyes crinkled, giving her amusement away to her daughter. "-and two, don't let your father see it." Even now, Deryne snickered, shaking her head at the absurdity of the whole situation; she could only imagine how her father, Sir Nealan of Queenscove, would react if he saw it. Still, if such a silly little thing eased her mother's unnecessary worries, she was more than glad to wear it.
Duskwing swept out of the masts of the ship, soaring over Deryne's head as she gazed out at the coast to fly on the wind. She smiled, shading her eyes from the setting sun as she watched the kestrel swooping and gliding.
You are more at peace than you've been… in some time, the Chamber told her. Deryne shrugged.
"You probably have Merle and Brand to thank for that," she muttered, trying not to draw attention to herself. It was true; their light-hearted banter brought back the pleasant memories of Pirate's Swoop, and the days that she had spent there… in the sun and the sand, the ocean and the wind. Now, as she stared out at the scarlets and pinks of the sky, she could even dwell upon those last, fleeting days of friendship with Rikash without feeling her guts twist. They had been somewhat estranged, even then… but nothing had been wrecked beyond repair until they had tried that spell… and then the fight began and never ended.
You feel more like yourself. It sounded almost pleased. You haven't had the heart for that sort of mischief in many a month. The Chamber was referring to the wave she had talked Cyne into soaking her two friends. You haven't laughed so hard since Duskwing attacked your conservative friend. Deryne snorted.
"You've been keeping track?" she queried. "And you do mean that you attacked Laun."
Mortals. The Chamber was disgusted with her. Again. She ducked her head to hide a smile. You can't hide your emotions from me, chit. And no, I meant Duskwing- Frejonak sent him to guard you, and he has. Your god only convinced me to protect you after he came in with dramatic airs to warn you himself. Deryne stiffened, craning her neck to stare up at the bird; perhaps the Chamber had hinted about its duties as a guardian before, but she could not recall it ever stating this so plainly. Yes, Frejonak came to me, because he knew I was the only one left who could help you. Deryne raised her eyebrows.
"Only one left of what?" she asked. "Or who?" There was no answer; she rolled her eyes. "Cheater; it isn't fair that you can leap out of the conversation the moment things get too hot for you."
I am here to ensure, as you say, that things don't get too hot for you, it retorted disdainfully. Especially now, that a storm's on the horizon. At least you have some peace before it comes.
"Careful- before you know it, you'll turn nursemaid." She shook her head, a wry smile playing across her lips as she chuckled to herself. "Listening to all my hopes and fears and baking sweets to make me happy."
Some dreams are destined to disappoint, the Chamber said tartly, and Deryne laughed, ignoring the odd look one of the hands on deck gave her.
"I can always hope," she drawled, turning north to view their course ahead. Her chuckles stopped as her eyes caught sight of darkness creeping across the sky, too swift to be merely the play of shadows across the sea and the air above it. She inhaled deeply, sending gudruna soaring forth over the waves and looping backwards to her to confirm her suspicions. She cocked an eyebrow up at her kestrel, who came diving down to land on the ship railing by her elbow. "And here I thought you meant a metaphorical storm." She smiled, shaking her head as an ominous, harsh wind sent her hair streaming back behind her. She ran her fingers through Duskwing's soft feathers. "But I doubt I'll be getting much peace before this one hits," she added, turning away to find Cyne as her gudruna sped once more towards the black clouds.
They were nearing the next town; Han and Damek were trying to convince their stubborn companion that sleeping in an inn would be the best course of action, Scanran spies or not. Rikash protested vehemently.
"The snow's melted away a bit from the roads, but there's still ice and mud," Han pointed out, gesturing to the path they rode upon. "And a warm bed inside is better than camping out in this."
"You know quite well how formidable Malvyn can be," Rikash told Han tartly. "Especially when he catches you sleeping." Then he turned on Damek. "And you wouldn't stand a fledgling's chance against him."
"But he's probably not here, anyway," Damek pointed out, ignoring the jab. "He'd have to send lackeys out for us."
"Malvyn knows no damned band of goons could stop us," Rikash said darkly. "He knows me and Han quite well." He spat out the last two words acidly. Han tuned out Rikash's grumbling, turning his ears to the sounds of the forest around them. The two of them would have a little chat, as soon was possible; Damek did not deserve the kind of abuse Rikash seemed determined to deal out hourly.
"It'll be cold," the Kyprian argued. Han closed his eyes; there was a dusk wind, one that blew floury snow from its resting place and almost masked the soft crunch of snow underfoot from the wood around them…. "I don't want-" Then the earth seized Han, wresting the attention left to Rikash and Damek away as the frozen dirt pulsed, sending the echoes of footsteps thundering through the youth's mind.
"Ri!" he shouted, sending his hands down towards the ground; around them, the shadowy figures of men burst from the trees. Several sent mage fire towards them, but Han was already a step ahead of them; the ground on the road surrounding the three youths shot upwards, forming a barrier between them and their attackers, which gave them each enough time to calm their panicking mounts.
"Let me deal with this," Rikash muttered. Han locked gazes with his friend; both of them knew exactly what would happen if the fire-mage handled this.
"Or we could wait for them to grow tired to waiting," Han suggested, already knowing his friend's response. "They won't get through this-" He reached a hand out to stroke the earthen wall around them. "Anytime soon." Rikash snorted, pointing skyward.
"How long before they get a mage strong enough to fly up there and attack us from above?" he demanded.
"Not many mages can do that," Han replied mildly, gazing up at the darkening patch of sky. Damek shuddered.
"I feel like I'm standing in my grave," he muttered. Rikash shot him a murderous glare. "But I'd rather that than actually have need for a grave if Han lets the earth go back where it belongs." Rikash rolled his eyes disdainfully.
"Mages or no, there won't be anything left of them to fight me," he retorted, turning back to Han. "But the longer we wait, the more time for them to send word to Malvyn; that is the only danger we're in right now." When Han remained silent, he pressed on. "They aren't going away, Han- they might as well have captured us, holed up-" He glanced around him again. "-as we are." Han's lips twitched.
"Is this that sense of humor Deryne was once telling me about?" he asked dryly. "I didn't think it was really there, up 'til now." Rikash's smile was strained.
"Gallows humor, they call it," he answered. "Deryne's even worse." Dropping his reins, he clenched his fists tightly. Damek started when flames roared to life, enveloping his hands. A grin slid across Rikash's face; in the firelight, his eyes gleamed maniacally. "Now, Han."
Damek was surprised how quickly Han gave in; the youth sighed and lowered his head. Then the earth crashed back into place, shaking the ground they stood on and alarming the few mages that had been closely examining the wall.
But that sudden display of Han's power was quickly outdone by his fellow adept. The mages had recovered quickly- one shot a spell at Damek, who began to voice a shield spell.
But he hadn't needed to bother; even as the red Gift streamed towards him, fire exploded from Rikash, gripping the spell in a death hold as it followed the current of magic back to its initiator. One moment, the man was there, eyes widening in horror; the next, he was only a spark in the wall of flames that consumed their attackers.
"Ri!" Han bellowed, and Damek turned back to their fiery companion; although his horse reared, eyes rolling, Rikash sat astride the beast, eyes blazing as the fire raced up his arms, across his body-
Then Han was at his side, hand wrapped in a cloth as he grabbed his friend by the arm and yanked him off his mount before retreating warily; he dropped the burnt rag on the ground and stepped on it, grinding the flames to dust. Damek could only stare; everything had happened so fast. He hadn't even seen Han leave his horse.
The fires were out the moment Rikash hit the ground. He sat, observing their charred surroundings grimly.
"My greetings to Malvyn," he muttered, spitting on the ground. Then he took the hand Han offered to pull him back up onto his feet. Damek took a hesitant sniff of the air around them; there was no burning smell, no horrible stench of blackened remains; there were no remains. Rikash had blasted them into oblivion, so swiftly that there was not even a smell to betray the terror their enemies suffered before passing on into the Black God's realm. The Kyprian made the Sign against his chest.
"Sorry about the spill at the end," Han said brusquely, clapping the fire-mage on the back. "I couldn't snap you out of it, and you were about to torch poor Nimbus." Rikash looked over at his horse, who eyed him distrustfully from a distance, and sighed.
"I might not be able to ride him until Ma talks to him again," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He grimaced as he turned back to Han. "Can-"
"I'll ride Nimbus; you take Dia," Han replied instantly, saving his friend the ordeal of asking, and Rikash nodded gratefully. "I suppose you decided to magic your clothes, after last time?" Rikash shrugged, looking down at his unscorched shirt.
"It saves time, money, and humiliation," he replied shortly. Then he frowned. "Who told you about last time?" Han smiled slightly.
"Deryne. Who else?" He chuckled when Rikash rolled his eyes.
"Is there anything she hasn't told you?" he asked dryly. Han raised a eyebrow.
"I dunno- you tell me." Rikash grinned, stretching his arms out.
"Then I'd give away all my secrets- even the few she hasn't dared to reveal," he laughed, shaking his head. His hand flexed, and the flames ran across his fingers like water before they disappeared again. He glanced down, an almost fond look in his eyes as the firelight danced in them. "We'd best take a night in town; they won't be looking for us for another few days," he added, smugness sneaking into his words. Damek's eyes widened.
"You just killed all those men," he snapped. Rikash and Han started; had they forgotten him? "In the Isles, we don't take that lightly." Fists clenching, Rikash glared back at the Kyprian.
"They would have killed us, or worse," he retorted. "Be grateful I've burnt them out of the world, and Malvyn won't find them." He cast a look across the path, a bitter smile twisting his lips. "Because there's nothing left," he said coldly. Han looked back and forth between his two comrades, frowning; he could tell, by the tense set of his shoulders, that Rikash was feeling more guilty- more horrified- than he would ever admit.
Numair's three students had slain leagues of Shadows, but these had been men… men who had attacked for a reason, whatever it was, and not only because the Queen of Chaos had decreed it. Han felt sick and Damek clearly was feeling ill, too.
"We should keep going," Rikash said briskly, shaking his head. "Get distance between here and us."
"I don't care what you do," Damek snapped. "But I'm sleeping in the gods-damned inn and if Malvyn catches me, it'll be safer than staying with you!" Rikash's eyes flashed, but Han gripped his shoulder, keeping him quiet as Damek wheeled his horse around towards town, and headed off at a gallop.
"Coward!" Rikash snapped as the pounding of hooves receded. He tossed Han's hand away and strode towards Dia. "Does he think that was damned well easy?" As he approached the horse, he changed his mind and strode back towards Han. "Does he?" Han made himself look into Rikash's wild eyes.
"He's feeling a little overwhelmed," he said tiredly, resisting the urge to put his face in his hands. "Damn, Ri, I'm feeling it, too." He waved a hand around at the ashes, then flexed a hand; the ground sucked the black grit into the soil, hiding the last bits of evidence as it welcomed the vitality in its chilly, winter embrace. Rikash let out a slow breath. "I'll talk with him in the morning." He had thought he would have a break from mediation when they left Deryne, but Rikash had an uncanny talent for keeping his friend's hands full. "But you have to stop treating him so that he's tempted to run off or choke you with his bare hands." Rikash snorted.
"A boy who can't look at his lady love without flinching couldn't be able to kill me if he wanted to." He shook his head, eyes narrowed in disgust as he pursued that trail of thought. "He's a fool- why bother trying if he can't love her without cringing?"
"You aren't one to talk," Han replied patiently. Rikash cocked an eyebrow, daring him to elaborate. "Not when you two are so alike." Rikash snorted.
"In what way?" he asked dubiously, eyes looking skyward. Han shrugged.
"Cyne's magic frightens Damek. He lets it get in the way of everything else; he can't help it, when it's such a big part o' her."
"Coward," Rikash concluded again.
"What could he do?" Han wanted to know, a curious gleam in his eye. "Knowing the power she wields and fearing it… but loving her, all the same?"
"He could ignore it. I would." Han raised his eyebrows. Did he really have to point out the obvious? Didn't Damek's problems ring a bell in Rikash's mind? Han had seen the connection almost instantly and he was going to make his friend see it; Damek deserved respect, even more so than the youth who refused to give it to him.
"So he acts like a pup with its tail between its legs," the earth-mage allowed. "He can't help who he loves, even if she's scary. We're all scary, Ri- but even though he's not one of us, he's here." Han shot Rikash a meaningful look. "He can't burn a man to a cinder or summon tidal waves or cause a quake, but he gets along with Cyne well enough." He met Rikash's amber gaze steadily, ready to end his lecture. "So you shouldn't be looking down your nose at him when you act like a skittish yearling around Deryne." Rikash's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"I do n-" He choked. For several moments, he half-coughed, half-gagged, tripping on whatever stuttering words first came to his lips. Han waited until his friend was finished sputtering to hear what he had to say.
"I'm not a horse!" the fire mage finally squawked. Han raised an eyebrow; surely Rikash knew that wasn't the point. "And Deryne-" He swallowed, eyes wide with alarm; Han didn't need Deryne there to tell him that Rikash's mind was spinning from one implication to another. "She's nothing like Cyne! And Cyne and Damek-" He blanched. "I- we don't- she-me and Deryne…." He trailed off feebly, shaking his head vigorously. "We aren't like that," he finished, voice stronger. But that wasn't Han's point, either. Not really.
"But you two are still… well, fire and wind," Han pointed out. "The wind either chokes or enrages the flame. You want to be friends with her, but you treat her like a fire-breathing hurrok. Gods, you might prefer the beast to her." He let his words sink in for a moment, noticing that Rikash was struggling to remain calm; his jaw was clenched, his pursed lips almost white. "And you two are on an equal footing, unlike Damek and Cyne, but she still frightens you more than Cyne does Damek; he might need to wrap his head around Cyne's powers, but he's doing a better job of it than you are." He stared his friend down, challenging him to dispute with his reasoning. And Rikash, being the hot-headed young man he was, rose to the occasion.
"I'm not frightened," Rikash protested, loud with indignation as he crossed his arms. "And we get on well enough, thank you." Still, as he walked away, his stricken face- mouth partly open, eyes stunned- made Han feel that he couldn't have shocked his friend more if he had hit him with a market cart. The earth-shaker allowed himself a small smile as both young men swung up into the saddle.
Rikash wouldn't trouble Damek again. The older youth was certain of that.
As the two Chosen moved on, a figure in the trees snapped his fingers; the crystal in his hands shone, casting a pearly glow against his white skin. His teeth flashed in a fierce grin as he spoke, his dark eyes bottomless pits that absorbed all traces of light around him.
"They are powerful," he declared softly. "Merciless... and far stronger than the last ones we found. In fact, Great One, I would say they are the ones we've been searching for...." He raised the crystal to study its shimmering facets. "After all this time," he mused as a hint of life- of wild excitement- emerged from his empty gaze. "We will raise our armies... and victory shall finally be ours."
AN: *snicker* Oh Han.... poor guy- he's Rikash's comrade, conscience, and anger-management counselor all rolled into one. At least he doesn't mind... heck, he even has fun sometimes.... :P Comments, anyone? I do love reviews.