Mama told him never to go too far from the wagon when they were resting. Never let Magda out of your sight, she said. Make sure you can hear us. He was very careful, ever since the day he'd found the snake and been bitten. Mama had healed him, but she'd been very scared, and it had hurt very much, so now he never went far.
This time he heard the bird before he saw it. It was making a funny noise - one he hadn't heard before, so he wasn't sure it even was a bird until he moved the grass aside to find it.
Something had bitten it, he thought. There was a lot of blood. The bird was still alive, though. It fixed him with one black eye, breath heaving in and out of its little body as it tried to chirp. He could feel how much it must hurt, and his eyes filled with tears. Maybe Mama could fix it?
He scooped the bird up in his hands, not caring that they were now covered in blood. When he touched the bird, he felt something tingling in his hands and pressing behind his eyes, but he thought it was just because he was excited. He ran back towards Magda and the cart. Mama and Papa were sitting around the fire, cooking something that smelled lovely. He was hungry, but the bird was hurt, and Mama might be able to fix it.
Mama looked up when she heard him coming and smiled. "What is it, Anders?" she said. He held out the bird mutely and her eyes widened. She was holding Maeve in her arms, but she passed the baby to Papa when she saw what Anders was holding.
"Can you fix it, Mama?"
"Fix it, darling?"
"Make it better. Like you made me better when the snake bit me."
She looked at Papa, and seemed sad. "I don't know," she said. "He looks pretty hurt, darling."
Anders blinked up at her, tears welling behind his eyes. "But will it die?"
She touched his face with a long fingered hand. "Everything dies eventually, sweet one."
"No!"
She gently took the bird from his fingers. "Let me see," she said. The bird chirped again, a little more strongly this time, and Anders held his breath, holding both his hands in front of him tightly. "Well, Anders," she said, smiling at him. "I can heal him."
"Joscelyn..." Papa said.
"It's all right Felix," she said. "We're miles from anywhere, no one will notice."
Mama concentrated for a moment, and Anders saw the blue light he wasn't allowed to talk about spill from her hands and surround the bird. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then the bird hopped up and flew away, chirping loudly. Anders clapped his hands and laughed with glee as he watched the bird disappear over the trees. "Can I learn how to do that, Mama?" he said.
"Maybe," she said. Papa was frowning, though, and Mama held out her hands and motioned for him to come to her, so he did. She tutted over the blood on his hands and reached for a cloth and some water to wash them with. "You know, though, Anders, that you can't tell anyone about me fixing things?"
He nodded. "Yes, Mama," he said. She had told him that the first time he saw the blue light, although he couldn't remember exactly when that was. A long, long time ago. More than a week, at least.
"And you know, that if you ever make the blue light you have to come and tell me? Straight away?"
"Yes, Mama."
"You didn't make the blue light when you saw the bird, did you?"
He shook his head.
She hugged him and stroked his short blond hair. "You're a good boy, Anders," she said softly. He shut his eyes and snuggled closer to her, smelling Mama smell and smiling. It was nice to be cuddled by Mama. Since Maeve was born it didn't happen as much, and he missed it. Papa said he was a big boy now, nearly five, and Maeve was only little, so she needed more cuddles than he did. But Maeve would get bigger and then there might be another little baby who needed cuddles. So he didn't mind that Maeve got cuddles now. It was just nice to get some of his own sometimes.
When he fell asleep in their tent that night he thought about finding the bird and the feeling he'd had in his head when he touched it. He thought... maybe.. that he could make the blue light if he tried really hard. But Mama said not to. So he wouldn't.
Ser Malcolm rode guard duty with Lady Cousland whenever she traveled. In this case she was visiting relatives in Gwaren. A long journey, especially away from her two children, but she assured Malcolm that Bryce enjoyed being sole carer for them while she was away.
"He spoils them rotten," she said. "It's good for all three of them. And Nan's there to step in if things get too unruly. I deserve a break every now and then!"
Malcolm knew that Lady Cousland was an attentive mother - she was an excellent Teryna as well, and he had no complaints about being under her service. They were on the North Road, about two weeks into their journey, when they came across the merchants. A Rivaini man and a Ferelden woman with two children - one blond and sunny, the other small and dark. She was pregnant again, he noticed, although her swelling belly didn't seem to stop her from handling the old cart horse with skill. The man jiggled the girl on his lap while the little boy - he must have been seven or eight, seemed intent on climbing on and off the wagon, running into the bushes by the side of the road to pick leaves and show them to his parents. They waved and smiled as the Cousland carriage approached - far more smooth and rapid than their own heavily ladened wagon. Lady Cousland stuck her head out of the carriage and asked that they stop, she knew the merchants and wanted to see what they had to trade.
Malcolm didn't recognise the pair, but Highever was well stocked and he rarely did any of the shopping for his small family, so that wasn't surprising. Traveling merchants tended to cater for the smaller villages and most didn't even travel the main roads. He guessed these were on their way into the Bannorn and using the North Road to make their trip a little easier, even if it was out of their way. With two young children and another on the way, traveling at all was risky and he wondered that they had no guards.
Lady Eleanor spent perhaps half an hour talking to the merchants before they were on their way again. She purchased several things from them, which intrigued Malcolm, considering the wide variety of merchants they had in Highever.
When she next rode (the lady preferred to ride horseback rather than in the carriage, and only did so to keep her lady in waiting company) she moved Gwydion, her black stallion, up next to his horse.
"I'm surprised the merchants had anything to offer you that you could not purchase in Highever, my lady," he said conversationally as they rode.
"Oh, Joscelyn's poultices and balms are far better than the ones you can get in Highever, Malcolm," she said. "I always make sure I buy from her when she's in town. I've been trying to convince her to start a shop with us, but she seems to prefer the road. Goodness knows why - with those children scampering around all the time."
"It does seem an odd life to choose, for a young mother."
Lady Cousland shrugged. "Perhaps she prefers the freedom of it," she said. "There was a time when I couldn't imagine settling in one place for long."
"But you were fighting in the rebellion," he said. "You couldn't settle down anywhere."
"True," she said. "And I would never have met Bryce, had I stayed with my mother in Gwaren like the dutiful daughter.." her face clouded briefly, and he remembered that her mother had not survived the rebellion. Likely as not, if Eleanor had stayed with her she would have met the same fate.
They rode in silence for a few miles.
When the attack came, Malcolm was taken totally by surprise - or at least by as much surprise as a warrior of his experience could be taken. The first rain of arrows landed amongst the horses and he shouted for the teryna to take to the safety of the carriage - with its shutters closed it was their best defense against archers. He reined in Harker and called his men to form a shield wall around the teyrna's carriage, waiting for the onslaught that would no doubt follow once the archers realised they were not going to get lucky with a stray hit.
Twelve men, they were traveling with. A large enough force to beat back all but the most determined and well equipped of bandits.
Unfortunately these were both.
Anders could see there was something wrong, even from a long way away. He had run ahead from the wagon - it went so slowly that he often ran ahead, always careful to stay on the road, of course. The carriage was on its side, and there were people lying on the ground. He stood for a moment, shocked, before one of the people looked up and pointed at him.
Suddenly afraid (Mama told him never to talk to strangers unless she or Papa was with him) he raced back around the bend to their wagon, shouting excitedly.
"What is it, Anders?" Papa said from the back of the wagon, where he was playing blocks with Maeve.
"Papa the carriage we saw before, it's fallen over!"
Mama was driving the wagon and she held out her hand to help him up beside her. Papa jumped down with three year old Maeve in his arms and moved next to them. "Did you see anything else, Anders?" he said, suddenly serious.
"There were some people lying on the ground. One of them saw me and pointed."
"Did you see anyone fighting? Were there any men with swords or bows?"
"The men on the ground had swords and bows. But they weren't using them."
Papa nodded. "They must have been attacked," he said to Mama. Mama nodded, a troubled expression on her face.
"Bandits on the main road," she said. "That's serious."
"If they attacked the Teryna's soldiers I'll assume they're all dead by now."
She nodded. "Still, it seems odd they'd try for such a well defended target."
The wagon was rounding the bend so that Mama and Papa could see the carriage for themselves. "See Mama! There!"
"Yes darling," she said. "Can you drive the wagon for me, Anders? Just up to where the carriage is."
Anders beamed and took the reins from her as she climbed down, hurrying ahead to the carriage. Papa and Maeve walked next to him, more slowly. This was special - he was only allowed to drive the wagon sometimes, and usually only if Mama or Papa sat next to him with their hands on the reins. This time he was allowed to take the reins himself and he felt very important. He was careful not to make Magda go too fast, though, and made her stop just where Mama had told him, before Magda got too close to the people lying on the ground.
When they were close, however, Anders felt the familiar feeling in his tummy that meant some of the people were hurt. And badly. He swallowed. It was never nice being near people who were hurt. He hoped Mama could fix them.
The lady who had talked to them before was kneeling on the ground next to one of the men. She was very upset, Anders could tell. He jumped down from the wagon and helped Papa tether Magda so she wouldn't wander. Papa wanted him to look after Maeve while Mama talked to the lady, and Anders pouted - he wanted to see how badly the men were hurt. But Papa was very firm that he stay in the wagon with Maeve.
Luckily the wagon was close enough that he could hear what people were saying, even if he couldn't see them.
"He's been run through," the lady was saying. Her voice had that funny sound you got from trying not to cry - all tight and wound up. "There were just too many of them."
"You managed to run them off though?" Mama said.
"We killed all but four," the lady said - her voice getting firmer. "Those fled."
"The other men - they'll be fine with bandages and poultices... but I'm afraid your knight here..."
"You can't help him? I must confess I was hoping you could do something for him... Nan told me... "
He heard Mama take a sharp breath. Maeve was banging two blocks together loudly and it was difficult to hear what was said next. "Nan spoke to you?" he thought Mama said.
The lady said something in response that Anders couldn't hear.
"She would never have betrayed your confidence, my dear..." the lady was saying. What came next was lost as Maeve gave a loud wail for Papa.
"Shh, Maeve," Anders said. His little sister poked her tongue out at him. He poked his out back at her. This was an activity that made very little noise, and had the added advantage of stopping her from talking over what Mama and the lady was saying. Maeve giggled much more quietly than she talked.
"I can, my lady," Mama was saying.
"Joscelyn!" Papa said. "There are Templars on this road. Always. You cannot risk it."
"Sod the Templars," Mama said. Anders gasped. Mama never swore. "This man will die if I don't help him."
Mama was going to fix the man. Anders continued to make funny faces at Maeve, who was now giggling uncontrollably. He felt the familiar tingle that meant Mama was using the blue light and strained his senses to feel exactly what she was doing - he was certain now that he could make the light if he needed to, but Mama's warnings always rang in his head every time he was tempted to try. This time she needed to use a lot of the blue light. Much more than he'd ever felt before. The man must have been very, very sick.
Maeve was getting bored with the tongue poking game so he started to build blocks with her, still listening to see if Mama and the lady said anything else. But it was Papa who spoke first.
"We'll need to go," he said. "I'm sorry, my lady Cousland, but you must understand.. we cannot risk waiting..."
"My good man," the lady said. "I am Teryna of Highever. I can protect you from a few Templars. You don't need to worry."
"No, my lady," Mama said. "The Templars have complete authority in such matters. You would not be able to stop them."
"Do they have any way of telling who has performed certain spells?"
"I'm afraid they do, my lady," Mama said. "They would know I was behind this, should we remain with you."
"I am sorry," the lady said. "We shall make our way back to Highever then. Know that you'll always be welcome there. And please, take this..."
"My lady, we do not need for coin..."
"Then a gift, instead. Wear it and anyone associated with the Cousland name will know you carry my and my family's favour. You saved my men, and we owe you a great debt."
"Thank you my lady."
"Should you encounter any Templars.." Papa said.
"We will direct them away from you, good man," the lady said.
By the time Papa and Mama got back to the wagon Maeve was getting restless again. Papa calmed her by picking her up and playing the eyes game, which set her off giggling again. Mama looked tired and she reached into one of the crates of potions they carried and pulled out one of the blue potions that Anders was never, ever, ever allowed to touch and drank it. Anders could feel it did something to her that made her less tired and he realised the man must have been hurt really, really badly. Mama hadn't been that tired since just after Maeve was born.
"The turn off to the Bannorn is only a few hours away," Papa was saying. "Hopefully we'll be off the main road before we run into anyone else."
Mama nodded, then settled in the back of the wagon amidst the cushions and blankets that were their living room when they were on the move. Papa settled Maeve next to her - she was sleepy and content now - and hopped up to the driving seat.
Once the wagon was on its way again Anders crept up and sat next Mama on the other side.
"Mama, what are Templars?" he asked.
She looked down at him with one eyebrow raised. "My little boy has sharp ears," she said. "Were you listening to Mama talking to the lady?"
He nodded. "Are they monsters?"
She laughed. "No, darling. They're men. But they don't like it when people use the blue light."
"Why not?"
"Because they think people who use the blue light are dangerous and might hurt people."
"But you would never hurt anyone Mama! You fix people!"
"I know darling."
"Templars are stupid," he said forcefully. Mama laughed.
"No they're not, Anders. They just have a job to do. If you ever meet one, make sure you don't talk to him, though."
"And I should never use the blue light when they're near?"
Maeve had fallen asleep curled in Mama's lap and Mama looked hard at Anders. "Anders, have you made the blue light?"
He felt guilty, even though he hadn't. "No Mama," he said. She raised her eyebrow at him and he realised he needed to tell her more. "But I can feel it when you use it. And I can tell when people are sick."
"Ah," she said, nodding her head. "Well I'm proud of you for not using the blue light, sweetheart. But it's important that you tell me when you can feel it."
"Mama can you teach me to use it?"
She reached out and pulled him close to her. "You know it's dangerous, darling."
"Yes."
She squeezed him tight. "I'll teach you," she said.
He settled against her. If he could use the blue light, he could help Mama if she got sick. Or Papa. Or even... Maeve - if she asked really nicely. It would be good to be able to do that.
Templars must be very, very stupid if they thought the blue light was dangerous. Maybe one day he could find a Templar who was sick and fix him and maybe then he wouldn't think like that.