Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world, it belongs to Trudi Canavan.

FIVE YEARS LATER

Fallea

Sonea looked up from the book she was reading to watch her son as he trotted round following the instructions of his father who was teaching him to ride. Justen was tall for his age and very much like Akkarin, with the same long-fingered hands and pale oval face, but, instead of his father's thick silky locks, he had inherited her unruly curly hair, much to her annoyance. He loved riding, especially now he had a pony of his own, chosen for him at the last horse fair. It was a sturdy beast, with a light brown coat and a star shaped mark on its head, well used to rough mountain trails and Justen was turning out to be a capable rider, despite being so young.

Looking at him guiding the pony, a frown of concentration on his face, and seeing the way that his eyes constantly went to his father, seeking his approval, you would never have known that he was a less than perfect child.

In the happy atmosphere, which followed Justen's birth, they hadn't noticed that he was not as other babies. At first, Sonea had merely thought he was an exceptionally happy and contented child, for he never cried. They weren't disturbed during the night either as Justen slept in his cradle or lay patiently awake until one of his parents came to feed him or change him. However, it soon became obvious that Justen never cried, or laughed or made the baby noises that might be expected. He made no noise at all.

The knowledge that her son was mute devastated Sonea. She couldn't help but remember Mikido's strike and the reaction she had had to it, deep inside. It is my fault! That thought was constantly running round and round her head, as she lay awake night after night. My actions caused my son to be mute. Her distress was made worse because she had never confessed exactly what had happened to Akkarin. As the months and years passed, it became harder and harder to speak of it, until she realised that now she could never speak of it. As a result, it festered within her, an open wound that she could never heal.

Once they realised what was wrong, both Sonea and Akkarin tried to find an answer through magic. They used whatever Healing skills they possessed to try to find a cure, but nothing they could do changed things in the slightest. Justen grew up unable to make any sound at all, not even a grunt.

But being mute was not his only problem; he was unable to hear either. This further blow was not discovered for some time. It was only when Sonea realised that the baby's head only turned towards her if her shadow fell over the cradle or if she touched him, that she understood the entirety of Justen's impairment. She had rushed to Akkarin with this latest news and he held her tightly as she sobbed against his chest.

"We will find a cure," he had promised softly, "If it takes years, we will find a way to help our son."

She raised her tear-stained face and whispered, "How?"

"We'll get books, Healing books, we'll use magic, there are many things we can do," he'd replied.

But nothing they tried worked and she was not at all sure they would ever find an answer. She had convinced herself that Justen's problem was her punishment for the things she had done. As time passed the terrible burden of her guilt grew so that every time she looked at her son, it was like a knife twisting in an old wound. She knew she would spend the rest of her life, learning to live with this burden. The fact that she couldn't share it with Akkarin made things so much worse.

Apart from not being able to hear or make a sound, Justen was a happy and contented child. Akkarin had tested him for magic soon after his first birthday and declared that his ability was strong and one day he would make a powerful magician. This knowledge heartened Sonea because she believed that Justen might find his own cure. The boy was also quick and eager to learn. He would spend a lot of time watching his parents and Takan speaking to each other and soon began to recognise the shapes their lips made. As he grew older, he taught himself to understand the words they were saying, until he could follow conversations easily, as long as he could see people's mouths.

Apart from worries about her son, Sonea's life in the Steelbelt Ranges had not been particularly difficult. Once the winter weather disappeared, it was easy to plan regular visits to Galia and its market. Supplies were frequent and Akkarin had even managed to find a source for old books and texts, which he could buy cheaply. With the arrival of spring in their first year, they had created several areas where they could grow food and grain for the horses. Takan turned out to have a talent for growing vegetables as well as cooking, so they ate well and were even able to preserve some produce for the winter.

However, after almost six years living in their remote home, Sonea was finding things rather dull. If truth were told, she missed the excitement of tracking down and destroying the Ichani. She missed the hustle and bustle of Imardin and sometimes, she even missed the Guild. Unlike Akkarin, who had established a small, but healthy smuggling operation between Kyralia and Sachaka, she rarely left their farm, so her world was limited to the valley where they lived and a few trails round about. When Justen was very young, she had stayed at home with him, while the other two went down to the village. Later, when he was older, leaving him in the capable hands of Takan, she was able to visit Galia more regularly. Now he was learning to ride, she had hopes that all of them could travel down to the village together.

Justen's lesson was over for today and he rushed towards her, grabbing her hand and staring up at her, a questioning look on his face.

"Yes, I saw how well you did," she smiled down at him, "You will soon be able to ride on the more difficult trails. Now, go and see Takan. He'll have a drink for you and some of those little cakes you like."

Justen hurried off as Akkarin came over to join her. "The boy has a natural gift for riding," he said with satisfaction, "Good balance, calm hands and clear signals, so unlike his mother!"

Sonea grinned up at him; it was an old joke. Despite plenty of practice and instruction from Akkarin, she had never really taken to riding. She still felt awkward and was always concerned that the horse would take it into its head to do something unexpected. Some of the trails were dangerous, with worn edges next to deep chasms in places and she never really felt comfortable or in control when perched on her horse. Riding, with an anxious eye on the horse all the time, was not the best way to achieve a natural riding style.

Akkarin went on, "After a bit more practice, he should be able to ride down to the village, as long as I lead his pony. We can make that trip you've been planning, perhaps even stay overnight at an inn somewhere."

"Yes, I'd like that," Sonea replied.

She had her own reasons for wanting to go to Galia. There was a wise woman who lived in the village who dealt in potions and dispensed advice, especially to the female population and Sonea was anxious to consult her. She longed for another child, but despite not using the spell to prevent conception, Sonea had not become pregnant again. A few weeks after Justen's birth, Akkarin had shown her the page in one of his books which gave the contraception spell. She had looked at it, but had no intention yet of using it. Justen deserved a brother or sister, she'd thought. But the spell turned out to be unnecessary as no child was forthcoming, no matter how hard she tried. Akkarin she assumed, for he never discussed the matter with her, thought she was using it and she didn't tell him otherwise.

Like so many things, as time went by, it became almost impossible to raise the subject. If she said she wanted another child, he would simply expect her to stop using the spell. If she then confessed that she hadn't been using it, he would want to know why she hadn't spoken of it earlier. So it became yet another thing to be kept from her lover.

There are so many things… Most of the time she was able to simply not think about her many secrets by just concentrating on other things, but there were times, mostly when Akkarin was away and she was alone in their bed, when sleep deserted her and she would lie in the dark while her anxious thoughts whirled around her head until she felt like screaming.

It was a few days later when Akkarin declared himself satisfied that Justen would be able to ride the trails with them. They made plans to stay at one of the inns in Galia for a couple of days. Takan would come with them and use the time to collect his supplies. Akkarin had already arranged to meet one of his smuggler acquaintances, which meant Sonea would have time on her own to see the wise woman.

Approaching the little house where the wise woman lived, Sonea found her throat suddenly dry. She had never consulted anyone other than a Healer over her health and she wondered exactly what sort of skills a village wise woman had. She didn't know much about this one, just her name, Fallea, and where she lived, but she'd heard talk in the market of how good she was and the miracle cures she had performed.

Sonea walked up to the door and knocked. A moment or two later, the door was opened by a small girl who stood staring up at her, unspeaking.

"Is Fallea at home?" Sonea asked.

The child held out her hand and Sonea dropped a silver into her palm. The child examined it suspiciously for a moment, then beckoned her visitor in. She pointed at a chair in the corner, then left the room, presumably to call the wise woman. Sonea didn't sit down, but took the opportunity to look around. There were few things in the way of ornaments or decorations, but there were jugs filled with flowers on every ledge, giving the room a faint, but sweet scent. Over the fireplace, on a long wooden shelf, there were a number of what appeared to be dolls. Sonea picked one up. It was dressed in a brightly coloured skirt and shirt. It was made of some sort of stuffed fabric and bright yellow wool had been stitched in place to represent hair. More stitches represented a pair of eyes, a nose and a smiling mouth.

"It's a wish child," a quiet musical voice behind her said suddenly, and Sonea almost dropped the doll in surprise.

She turned and found herself facing a young woman, with a sweet smile and laughing eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have….." she stammered as the woman took the doll from her and replaced it on the shelf.

"Sit down," Fallea said, "Tell me what your problem is."

Sonea looked at her curiously. She had expected an older woman. She'd had a picture in her mind of a very old woman with masses of wild white hair and dark beady eyes. Instead she was facing a cheerful looking woman, not that many years older than herself, with neat brown hair and charming dimples in her cheeks.

"I'm Syma," she started, "I live up in the mountains with my man, Verrin. We have a son who is five years old now. We want to have more children, but I haven't been able to conceive another. I've heard you can help me."

Fallea said nothing, but continued to look steadily at her visitor. Sonea found herself becoming more nervous under Fallea's scrutiny. After a few moments, the wise woman took hold of Sonea's hand and turning it over, stared at the palm, her fingers tracing some of the lines. Then she placed her other hand against Sonea's temple and stood very still, as she closed her eyes.

Sonea almost didn't dare to breathe. She was conscious of something which crawled across her skin, rather like a feather might feel and she struggled to prevent herself from jerking from under Fallea's touch.

Fallea opened her eyes, "You are touched by magic," she said. "Who has done this to you?"

"Are you a magician?" Sonea asked, her voice louder than she wished.

The wise woman gave a sweet tinkling laugh, "No. I have some skill but I am not a robed one." Her expression grew serious, "But I can recognise magic when I see it and you have been touched by very strong wild magic. Who did this to you?"

Sonea didn't know what to say. Her own magic was tightly shielded so Fallea shouldn't be able to sense it, therefore it must be the Ichani magic which she could detect. How could she explain that?

"I don't understand," she said, allowing puzzlement to creep across her face, "My man and me, we have nothing to do with magic. We live alone with our servant and our boy. How could this happen? We see no one except when we come down to the market." She allowed alarm to show in her expression, "Is it here, the magic? Has someone in the village used magic?"

"There is no one here with magic," Fallea said firmly. "Let us consider other things. Does your man want another child?"

"Yes."

"And do you try often?"

Under Fallea's cool scrutiny, Sonea felt her face flush with colour. "Yes, we try often," she said faintly.

A smile crossed Fallea's face, "You love your man and he loves you?"

A memory of last night's passionate lovemaking flashed across her inner eye as she looked over to the wise woman and replied, "Yes, very much. We love each other very much."

Fallea nodded, "Good, good. That is very important. Give me your hand again."

Again, Sonea felt the feather-like tingling sensation creep across her skin. Fallea certainly had some sort of skill, almost like magic, but she could tell it wasn't. She remembered one of her lessons which talked about 'hedge magic' in the most disparaging of terms. As far as she could remember, it was some sort of ability gained from using certain herbs. Perhaps this is what Fallea had.

Fallea stood up and went through a door at the back of the room. She returned a few minutes later holding a small bottle, filled with dark liquid. She handed it to Sonea, "Here, try this. Take three drops in some water just before you go to bed with your man. Come back and see me when the bottle is empty."

"This will make me conceive?" Sonea couldn't believe it would be that simple.

"I won't lie to you," Fallea replied, "The wild magic I sense around you may be too strong and my potion may not succeed. But we must start with this. If you fail to become pregnant, then there are other things, more difficult things, which I can try. They are costly though."

Sonea thanked Fallea and left, hiding the bottle at the bottom of her pouch. As she walked back to the market, she mulled over what the wise woman had said. She knew that most magicians dismissed such people as crooks and charlatans and she herself had some misgivings about someone who wasn't a trained Healer, yet Fallea had sensed the Ichani magic. There was no reason for her to talk about magic; if she were simply inventing details to persuade her customers she could cure them, there were many other things she could have said. But, a small persistent voice in her mind said quietly, Magic is something country people know little about. What better thing to invent as a reason for someone's illness?

Sonea shrugged. She would try the potion; there was nothing to lose. She doubted it would harm her; any way her Healing skill could take care of that, and it may work, especially if Fallea's reputation for successful cures was fully deserved. She smiled; she was hungry and was looking forward to a mid-day meal at the inn and later, a long night with Akkarin in the inn's most comfortable and largest bed. Who knows, she thought, I may become pregnant tonight!