Chapter 8

Kavenlow!

I stand still at the dock my heart acing of the lone thought of soon seeing him but not being able to show my feelings because of the necessary formalities. My memory walk me back to the time I stood here and said my farewell such long time ago. I reach out with my mind to try and feel him, not even thinking of what I am doing. I feel a glimpse of him when I remember who he is and quickly draw back before he can feel me or do something even worse.

As his beautiful ship in Misdev colour painfully slow, close the last distance to shore I occupy myself with trying to think of how often I use my gift as a part of my life. Same as I use my hearing or smell. Uneasy that I don't know how dependent I have become of my magic I instead push the thought away. Gazing out into the windy grey sea.

Now the boat is only a short jump away and I stare as I se a blurry figure jump ashore and carefully make its way around the people who is waiting. I become alert, and make myself unimportant as I draw upon my magic to follow the spy. For the moment Kavenlow is forgotten.

I run around a warehouse to not lose the blurry shape completely. It must be punta-magic that helps the spie stay hard to spot. It is different than both what I do, and how Jeck hides himself, but it is not natural at least. If I could just get a better look on it, I can probably understand the principle. That priests techniques is strange.

As I step into a shady part of the port I run directly into something alive I can't completely se. The spy puts its arms around me, trying to get hold of me. I get afraid and gives the attacker a dose of the only weapon I has time to use. I burn it with a nonlethal dose from my hands to make it loose its grip of me.

It lets out a scream with Kavenlows voice. At that moment the pieces fall in place for me. And I stops hurting him instantly.

"Kavenlow!" The word escapes my lips. Of course it must be him! And just as I feared, now I see him clearly, he looks at me with proud and pained eyes. He looks exactly the same as he always has! It is as time itself has stopped and bowed to him.

"I knew you would spot me! You are even more beautiful and clever than the last time." He says. I throw myself in his arms with a scream,

"Sorry! I believed you were a spy or an assassin! I am so sorry! I have missed you, why are you avoiding the meet up? Oh, how nice to se you!" I blurred it all out in one breath, and give him another big hug as he tries to answer me.

"I could not stand the thought to go thru the many, long formal procedures before we can talk together. And I wanted to test you, to se how you do. But I am surprised Jeck lets me has this much free leach… Where is he?" Kavenlow asks curiously.

"He promised to give me the rest of the story on my arrival" he looks around and rub on the sore spots where I had hurt him.

"Ah, it is a long story can we take it later?" I say as I put my healing hands on his arms, over the places I hurt before. He let out a sight of relief and smiles big.

"You are dazzling Tess! Like a fire burning brightly" Here he stops as two sailors are turning the corner in the far end of the building. Kavenlow concentrate to not be seen but it seem hard for him. I have already made myself unimportant, but to help I send away a small zephyr rushing along the small alley picking up dust and rubbish on its way. The two sailors hide their eyes, and after a moment when the wind do not go away they turn around a corner to escape it.

Kavenlow relax again and look at me with one eye raised and a familiar smile on his lips. He sees right thru my magic helping hand I suspect. I just smile back and shudder. He can think what he will of the convince wind.

"Should we move to a little more comfortable and private spot?" I ask. My former teacher let out a small lafter and offers me his arm. As he says:

"Yes, we can just as well give them something really strange to wonder about, when I am not just late, but completely missing from my own ship…" Here he trails of and seems to be thinking on a funny memory. I am tempted at asking but decide to restrain myself for this once.

"Don't worry, I send out messages to some of my contacts in the port to give the noisy one a good explanation." I say instead.

And as we move out on a more crowded street our faces down but not shielded. I see one of my city-living messages, a young sailor. I sign him forward; take two steps away from Kavenlow, and give the boy a couple of short orders together with a coin. Soon Kavenlow and I are in a carrier heeding toward the castle. And rumours have started that the ambassador was actually on another weasel to lessen the risks of attacks.

"You have grown so much in this time." He says again, proudly, Making a hand movement to include my couriers and network. I lover my eyes and say.

"I have to. Either I learned fast or let Jeck take all the control of our playing field." I talk low, but it still feels wrong. If it's because I discuss such matter with another player when I has hardly told Jeck these tings; or the fact that it is broad daylight, and we are not shielded by anything other than the crowds own noise around us, as we move uppward. I don't know.

Kavenlow look at me in a way I can not quite read.

"Our?" he repeat and then turn his head so his face is shadowed. I am suddenly extremely nervous. And start thinking of all those crazy rumours that fly around everywhere of Jeck and me. Kavenlow will not miss them even if he had wanted to. I try to calm myself before I accidently dose myself up, again.

I close my eyes for a moment; Take a deep breath like I will dive into the ocean. And start explaining mine and Jecks relationship, the outward image as well as the real parts. In the beginning the story is choppy and messy but after a while flows more easily. I keep the politic and games out of the story as much as I can. To try and explain my complicated feelings is extremely hard but as I talk they actually get clearer even for myself.

Kavenlow is a good listener and don't interrupt me. That is a good thing, because I am not sure if I could continue to speak if I had to stop. At last I come to the part at him leaving and there I have to give him a little hint of the reason behind it, together with our plan and the rumours.

Kavenlow sits still for what feels like an eternity after I have finished, looking at his own hands. We have arrived at the castle but nobody interrupt us, not yet.

I open my mouth to say something when the silence becomes too much, at the same time he looks me strait in the eyes. The heavy emotions I can read there get me to forget what I was trying to say.

"Come Tess" He says, and get out of the carrier.

"When we are alone tonight I will tell you a story of my own, one I think you need to hear if the hints you gave me is even a little bit correct. It is a dangerous enemy…" And with those words we walked out from our private bubble into the reality of a castle day. We transform back from allying players, to a princess and her ambassador home to give his report. I squeeze his hand once before we has to separate.