Chapter Thirty

As I merged with my body, the first thing I noticed was that the tickling sensation had returned and I giggled to myself. I sat up and opened my eyes, looking around the room for Kallaheart and Nyvern. Not seeing them, I sat cross-legged and looked at the book that was clutched tightly in my left hand. I looked at the front cover and saw that it was unmarked.

I opened to the first page and found a Contents page, which showed the different chapters of the book. Each chapter appeared to be a name, and a subtitle under those names said which God or Goddess they were. The last few chapters were dedicated to rules, history, and procedures.

I smiled to myself. Mother sure knew how to give information when there wasn't enough time for it. I glanced over at Sylvicma to see her in deep concentration, her forehead creased with thought.

I rested a hand on her forehead and she opened her eyes, glancing over at me in confusion.

"You're thinking about it too much; just relax. Let yourself flow into the orb and sort your mind inside of it instead of trying to draw the energy out of the orb." I told her. She nodded and slowly began to let herself go into the orb, and as she did she began to relax. I smiled and glanced over at the doorway just as Kallaheart and Nyvern stepped into the opening, looking around the large room for me. Kallaheart spotted me first and started coming my way.

I stood as they came near, smiling at the two of them. Nyvern gave me another hug, obviously overly fond of them. Kally gave me a hug too, and as he did he picked me up and swung me around. I laughed and hugged him tightly before he put me down. Sylvicma glanced up from her mind-clearing and smiled at the two boys.

"Nyvern, Kally, this is Sylvicma, a young priestess and my friend. Sylvie, these are my brothers Kallaheart and Nyvern." I introduced them all. They smiled and nodded to each other, but didn't shake hands. I shrugged to myself and turned to the boys.

"Kally and I need to head back to Garrow's farm. They noticed we were missing, and are assuming we're out riding the new horses. That can only last for so long though, so we better head back." I told them. Kally and Nyvern nodded to me, following me outside as I waved farewell to Sylvie.

Nyvern boosted me into my saddle and handed me the reigns, patting my hand as he stepped away from my flaming charger. Kally was on his felsteed beside mine. With a smile at Nyvern, I kicked my horse in the sides so that he reared dramatically. Kally's mount did the same before they both went charging down the bridge that spanned over the side of the lake's water and onto the main road towards the outer gates of the City.

Kally and I quickly mad our way back home, changing our mounts back to normal as we neared the farm. We came riding out of the trees and into the barn faster than most other horses could ever dream of running. Laughing, I pulled my horse to a halt and hopped off of his back, tying him in his stall as I took the rest of his tack off.

Just as I'd finished unsaddling Miquien, Roran came walking into the barn. When he saw us there, he grinned.

"I had wondered where you two had gone off to. Take a ride on the new horses?" he asked, glancing at our ordinary-looking mounts with some amusement.

I smiled and nodded to him, patting my horses side affectionately. "He flies like a dream Roran, you should have seen him go!" I told him. Roran laughed and said no more, getting back to his chores.

Kally and I glanced at each other and giggled quietly, walking back up to the house so that I could begin to prepare lunch for the boys and I. Once it was ready, I prepared a decent dinner and put it in the oven to keep it good and warm all day.

Once the meals were prepared for the day, I sat on the couch and studied from the 'Domia abr Wyrda'. Noon rolled around swiftly, and soon Garrow and Roran were trudging in to wash their hands and eat a hasty lunch, saying they wanted to get most of the corn stored in the root cellar by the end of the day.

Once they had gone into the fields again, I donned my weapons and led Kallaheart back out to the barn. We saddled our horses and hopped onto their backs, ready to head for Brom's house. Miquien saw the weapons on my back and around my waist and had been excited by the prospect of battle, rearing as he waited for us to take off. I calmed him down and charged onto the main road with Kallaheart as we made our way to Brom's house.

We decided not to risk changing our mounts into their extended forms, deciding to play it safe in case we met anyone else on the road. Even in our mounts' normal state of being, we made good time and were soon riding through Carvahall's streets. Kallaheart looked around with curiosity and wonder lighting up his eyes; he'd never actually been to Carvahall.

I led the way to Brom's house at a soft trot, going around the side and stopping at his back gate. I opened the gate door and rode through on Miquien with Kallaheart and Lealic following closely behind us. The gate closed with a soft click behind us.

I hopped down off of Miquien's back and began to unsaddle him. Kallaheart swiftly followed my lead, stowing his gear next to mine. Once my gear was safely stored under the apple tree in the back, I approached Miquien and whispered softly to him "Be careful back here; it appears safe but I want you on your guard. Don't let anyone come in through that gate except Kally, Brom, or me. If they do get in, make sure they don't get any of our stuff and chase them out. Wait for me; it'll be a while. Stay safe Miquien." I murmured quietly, kissing my horse's nose.

Miquien preened slightly and then took up a guard stance at my side, watching the gate with an untrustworthy eye. I laughed and patted his side, saying "You silly fool. Call for me if something happens." I told him. My horse looked at me with those overly intelligent eyes of his and nodded slowly, then glanced back at the gate. I patted his side softly and led Kallaheart into Brom's home.

Brom was seated in his large chair in front of the fire, blowing smoke rings with his pipe. Laid out in front of him on the small table was a book that was open to a page with a very detailed drawing of a group of plants. I sat in my chair and Kallaheart sat on the stool that Brom had fished up from somewhere, staring at the book in curiosity. For the next few hours, Brom taught me the uses and effects from different weeds, flowers, and plants.

Once the lesson was over, my muscles were cramped from sitting so long and my head was brimming with stored knowledge. I mentally committed it all to my permanent memory, easily answering all of Brom's questions correctly when he quizzed me on it afterwards. Once I had answered his questions, he put down his pipe and stood from his chair.

"Well Ayla, since you seem to be such an expert in the plants I've shown you, why don't we give you a real test?" he suggested. I nodded to him with a smile.

Brom led Kallaheart and I outside, where he had many different plants in a small garden on the side of his house. I identified each plant in the garden and also told Brom of their uses. I was surprised to see that a few of the plants Brom grew in his seemingly-peaceful garden were among the more deadly poisons in the world. Brom was pleased with my results, though he didn't show it. He gave me a small smile and grunted in acknowledgement before going back inside for his swords.