Chapter 6

"If I'm such a legend, then why am I so lonely? Let me tell you, legends are all very well if you've got somebody around who loves you."—Judy Garland

It had been only two days since she'd been released from the hospital wing and Karigan had three times been called in front of the King and Estora (who was now Queen, she had to remind herself). Each time, they went over the details of what happened in Blackveil. They asked about the strange animals. They wanted to clarify what happened with the sundial and Laurelyn. They questioned her about the sleepers and Mornhaven's attack. They wanted to know how the Eletians responded to it all. They asked who survived, and once again, she had to tell them that she'd no idea if there were ANY other survivors. It was indeed late summer and she was the first to return, if any of her friends had survived, then they'd been delayed just as she had. They also wanted to know how she'd gotten back. She told them what she could, but even she didn't fully understand why her broach was working so much better.

She didn't tell them about the darkness that surrounded her. It was too personal and didn't seem to be having any ill effects, other than increasing the range of her special ability. Though she still had her suspicions that it was connected to Mornhaven, she didn't want to tell them until she was certain.

After the third such meeting, Karigan needed to get away from the castle. Seeing Zachary and Estora as a married couple was just too uncomfortable and she was too unsure of her own feelings.

She wished she could go see Condor, besides Estral, he was her best friend and she missed the companionship he'd always offered. Captain Mapstone had sent a messenger to retrieve Condor from the wall, but it would be days before he arrived. Unable to spend time with her horse, she found herself wandering the windy streets of Sacor City. When the skies darkened and it started to rain, she stopped for shelter in a tavern. It had a fire blazing in the corner and was classier than the Cock & Hen, so she decided to stay and have a drink. The foul weather continued and one drink turned into two. Before she knew it, she was feeling a pleasant buzz. She wasn't the type to drink away her worries, but at the moment it felt so good.

It was probably because she was tired and already in a bad mood, but this last meeting with the King and Queen had left her with a sour taste in her mouth. Each time she had to tell of her experiences, Karigan noticed the awe on Zachary's face and the contrasting glint of jealousy that would sometimes peak out of Estora. As she drank, she couldn't help but laugh at how ingenuous (or perhaps inconsequential was a better term) their behavior seemed. Estora's look of jealousy was almost unbelievable to Karigan, who felt more traumatized than lucky. The Queen had everything that she could want and at the moment Karigan couldn't imagine how the other woman could envy such a rough and dangerous life.

Thinking about the situation made Karigan feel a bit spiteful. She seemed to be in constant danger from a millennia-old-mad-man and his followers. These same people would probably take her life sometime in the near future and when she died, she would die an unloved maid! Karigan didn't really care if she died without the experience of making love. What did bother her was the idea that she would die, without the chance to love someone and have them freely and openly love her back.

When she'd gotten to this revelation, she decided she was drunk enough and should make her way to the castle before she was too gone to find her own bed. The thought of accidentally stumbling into someone else's room, such as Yates', when she was in such a state made her giggle. Her laughter was allowed to continue until she walked out into the cold street and remembered she was never going to see Yates again. The realization that she was back in Sacor City and would never see her friend again was very sobering. After that, she managed to walk up the King's Way without stumbling overmuch.

At one point, near Master Gruntler's Sweet Shop, she thought she saw Yates. The sight of his green hued face made her come up short. Her stomach dropped when she realized it might be his ghost. He tried to talk, but no sound came out. She imagined him saying, "It will all be over soon, don't worry." Then he disappeared as if he had never been there at all.

She stood there starring at the spot he had just occupied. Was that real? It very well might be, considering her history with talkative ghosts. But then again, she was feeling so guilty at the moment for having killed him that her mind might have conjured him up. And she was pretty drunk.

When it started raining again, she decided to stop deliberating and just go home. Her mind was so fuzzy at the moment she wasn't fit for anything more than sleeping. By the time she reached her room, she had just enough energy to pull off her wet clothes and crawl into her bed.

o*o*o*o*o

She awoke to the smell of eggs and fruit potage. Peaking open an eye, she was able to see two girls sitting next to her bed, chatting amiably over their breakfasts.

The sight of a third platter of steaming food gave her the motivation to sit up and welcome her guests.

"I would ask why you're in my room, but I'm hungry."

At this, Mara and Tegan laughed. "Oh we heard you didn't get back until late and figured you might need some strength to deal with the headache." Tegan answered.

Eyes teasing, Mara added, "Can't handle strong ale can you?" All the riders knew how Mara preferred to spend time at the Cock & Hen, a notoriously scummy tavern that only served strong, dark bitters.

She didn't want to think about last night and turned the conversation to a different subject, "What happened when I was gone?"

They kept her occupied with the Castle's gossip until mid-morning. Promising to talk in the next few days, her friends left. Before closing the door, Mara seemed to remember something and popped her head back in.

"These are the letters you received while away. Captain Mapstone says to relax this morning and to meet her in the Officer's Building at the lunch hour." She placed the stack of envelopes on the dresser. "Oh and Karigan?"

She smiled, "Ya?"

"I'm happy to have my friend back." With that she slipped out of the door.

The letters were as welcoming as Mara's comment. Not only had she received several letters from her family, but she had received a whole stack from Estral and Alton. At first she wasn't sure how to feel, but after the first letter, she felt her insides warming. She had missed her friends. She had been foolish for not saying goodbye. She could have died, or they could have died. She silently vowed never to let her pride get in the way of such friendship again.

Immediately she wrote a letter to her father, telling him that she had just returned from a long message errand (no need to tell him where it was). Then she wrote two more to Alton and Estral (there had been something really concerning in the last letter she read from them, something about Estral losing her voice, it gave Karigan a bad feeling and she wanted to make sure they were alright).

She had just finished when she heard the church bell tolling noon. It was time to dress and meet Captain Mapstone. Quickly, she looked through her closet. Seeing all her clothing hanging there seemed reminiscent of an old lifetime. It was all so ordinary, as if it belonged to a normal green rider. She loved it.

She had to rush so she wouldn't be late and was slightly breathless when she knocked on Captain Mapstone's office door.

"Take a seat." When Karigan obliged, the Captain continued, "I've decided that Daro should keep doing the rider accounts for now."

What a relief! "Great."

"I thought you'd like that." The captain replied. "How are you adjusting with being back?"

Karigan looked at her Captain. She suspected the older woman knew how rough the last few days had been. Answering truthfully, she admitted, "It's all a bit of a shock to be honest, but it has been wonderful seeing the other riders."

The Captain was about to say something, when someone knocked on the door.

o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o

Sevelon stood outside the door and made sure to have a dazed look on his face. Within the past week, he had seen several new riders and knew how to act.

That fireball of a Captain opened the door and welcomed him in. The Karigan woman was sitting in the chair. Perfect!

"Can I help you?"

He turned to her and dropped his voice to sound drowsy. "I keep hearing hoof beats." He had to make an effort not to laugh at how ridiculous he sounded, but that is what the other new riders had said, so he went along with it. It still didn't sound all that convincing to his own ears. He'd have to work harder at this.

"What's your name?"

He decided on just giving a shortened version of his real name. "Sev," he replied and looked around the office, as if only just realizing where he was.

"Surname?" She asked inquiringly.

"Don't have one." He knew her ability was to read falsehoods, but this was completely honest, in the time that he had been born, the land was not so crawling with people that they needed to assign second names. He had been called various things that referred to his skill with the blade, but those were hard to translate and would probably just make him stick out.

The Captain just nodded and went to search for something in her cabinet; she didn't seem to notice anything afoot. However, the younger woman was staring at him openly, no doubt she recognized him from that day in the hospital wing.

When the captain held out a box of those brass magic tricks, he hesitated. He had to make this look convincing, while also convincing the broaches to let him touch them. They were not complicated pieces of work, but like all objects of power, they did have their own mind about who they allowed to handle them. So he held his hand over the chest so they could get a sense of who he was, and then he asked if he could borrow one of them.

They were hesitant at first, but eventually decided they liked the way his power felt. It was very obvious that he wasn't a user of the darker arcane arts, so they allowed him to pick one of the broaches from the top. Once in his hand, the little thing introduced itself and told Sevelon what its gift was: levitation of objects. He supposed it could come in handy. If he let loose some power and needed to explain, he would just blame it on the broach and say it was part of his gift. As long as he didn't do anything too flashy, none of the riders would ever question him.

He turned his attention to the woman sitting in the chair. Now that she was healed, he noticed some differences between the sarcophagus carving and how she looked in real life. She still had strong features, but there was a softness about her that the craftsman had failed to portray. There was a faint scar on her forehead, but it was barely noticeable, and the white streak of hair made her look remarkable. He doubted many would forget her once they'd seen her. There was clearly strength to her, which was apparent just by feeling her energy signature. She had more power than any other person he had seen in this city, albeit, not the true power of immortals, but she had definitely channeled some very strong work.

He was able to register all of this merely by being in her proximity and looking into her eyes for a few seconds. When he turned back to Captain Mapstone, it was obvious the older woman had not missed the intensity of the silent interaction. There was a certain light in her eyes and Sevelon knew the middle-aged woman had just misinterpreted the situation. Nonetheless, he'd let her think what she would. It might prove to his advantage, or in the least give him a noteworthy reason to follow this Karigan woman around.

"Karigan, you have practice with Drent this afternoon at the fourth hour, in the meantime, why don't you show our new rider around?"

Clearly being dismissed, the rider just nodded and beckoned for him to follow as she walked out the door.

o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o

Her brain really must be conjuring up ghosts. She had seen this man in the hospital wing. Captain Mapstone hadn't recognized him, so either he hadn't really been there at her sick bed or he was very good at making himself invisible. But then why would he have been invisible to the others and not to her? Was it her special ability that allowed her to see him? These days, she seemed to have more questions than answers.

Whatever the reason, Karigan suspected this was not the average new rider. First of all, he was the oldest new rider Karigan had ever seen. It was hard to give him a certain age, but by the way he observed things and reacted (mainly calm and detached), she would bet he was older than most of the riders, except Connly and the Captain.

First, she took him to the Quarter Master to get him loaded up with Uniforms and then she led him to the Rider's Wing. The corridor was still dark and slightly musty, but it was so much more alive now the riders inhabited the space. She led him to one of the rooms she knew to be empty and told him to drop his stuff off. Her stomach had been growling since they picked up the uniforms and she decided she might as well show him where the kitchens were located.

He was so quiet, that she had almost forgotten he was following her. Once she got food, she sat down at a table full of weapons, not even thinking how uncomfortable this would make the new rider. He however, sat down and started eating as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A couple looks were thrown his way, but the weapons apparently accepted that he was with her.

Fastion eventually elbowed her. "I don't recognize your shadow."

This stunned Karigan. If the weapons hadn't noticed Sev, then maybe he really could be invisible. Or maybe she had just imagined him.

For another thing, it was interesting that Fastion called him a "shadow". This man's subdued and slightly lethal persona certainly made him look much more like a weapon than a green rider. To answer the weapon's question, she volunteered, "His name's Sev, he's our newest rider."

"You move like a fighter." One of the weapons said and the table went still to watch how the new guy would respond. They had all noticed the same thing.

Sev sat back, unfazed by the attention, or maybe unaware of just who he was talking to. "I learned to use the sword at a young age."

Fastion was studying this new man. The image reminded Karigan of a protective older brother, "You should come practice with us sometime."

Now Karigan was alert and starring at Fastion. Had he just challenged her new rider? Certainly he didn't feel threatened; Fastion wasn't the type to get in cock fights. No, it was more likely he just wanted to see what this new person could do. His job was to protect the King; it made sense for him to scan anyone who they'd deemed a "fighter".

o*o*o*o*o

A few hours later, Karigan made her way out to the practice fields.

Captain Mapstone must have told Drent to take it easy on her, because when Karigan arrived at the field, she saw him waiting with a shoulder pack full of weights. He probably thought he was being nice by giving her a day off from sword practice, but he'd find no reason to let her get out of shape.

Afterwards, she leaned against the fence at the edge of the practice field and tried to massage her calves. She was very trim from all the walking she had been doing, but never before had she run for so long, and with all that weight!

She remembered his exact words being, "Better get used to the distances, because it is apparent you need the conditioning. Your recent journey has shown that you riders are too dependent on your horses." She inwardly groaned, knowing that future practice sessions were going to be equally as tiring. This was bad and she hadn't even picked up a sword. The idea of running with big weights and then being beaten by Drent's sword was not appealing. She looked skeptically at Drent, who was now working with the King.

When her focus shifted to Zachary, she sighed. The memory of their past encounters seemed very distant, which was maybe for the best. After all, Karigan had to remind herself, he was now a married man. In all reality, Karigan had started to give up on him the moment he'd signed that marriage contract to Estora.

These past few years had been painful, because sometimes she felt very lonely. It probably didn't help that it was her duty to serve the man she used to love, but she always felt so much more at ease when she was away from the Castle. There were only so many things for people to gossip about, and the Estora/Zachary situation was still a favorite topic. Maybe she should beg the Captain for another long message errand, that way she wouldn't have to sit around here awkwardly. Sometimes, she just wished she could leave it all behind.

Her eyes left the king, she didn't want to think about how grey his hair was or how tired he looked. It was getting late. Since most of the soldiers had left, the practice fields were relatively quiet. A rich laugh broke up the distant, rhythmic pattern of swords and she looked towards the sound to find a uniformed man sparring with a weapon. Bold, that one. Yet the way he moved belayed his mastery of the sword.

When the fighters broke apart and circled around each other, she was shocked to recognize Sev. So he did come. He was fighting one of the tomb guards. Very interested in how this would play out, Karigan wandered over to join the small audience of other weapons.

He moved with lightning quickness, and almost faster than she could follow, he had his sword pressed against the tomb guard's neck. "Kill," He said simply and without a hint of mockery. Then he lowered his sword and raised his hand, "It was a pleasure to spare with someone of such skill."

All seriousness and respect, the tomb guard accepted Sev's outstretched hand.

She saw Fastion walking towards her. When the others started to disperse, he warned, "Be wary of that one, he is much more dangerous than he looks."

By the time Karigan turned back to the practice ring, another group of weapons were fighting and Sev was already walking up the hill.

She had to trot, but she caught up with him just behind the stables.

She called, "Sev."

He didn't stop, so she reached out and tugged his hand. Suddenly, he'd spun around as if ready for an attack. Her hand was suddenly twisted in a vice-like grip. She had to step back, free hand raised in a peaceful motion. In a calming voice she reassured him, "Whoa, I just wanted to ask where you learned to fight like that."

Seeing it was her, he let go of the hand he had been clenching, ready to break. "My apologies, I was lost in thought and you startled me."

She flexed her soar hand. Karigan remembered some of the time's she'd had to sleep with her saber, clutched and ready. "I understand. You're probably still on edge because you just finished sparring."

He nodded and allowed her to walk back to the castle with him.