After breathless minutes of scrying, he nodded, and his stern face almost seemed to relax a bit.
"Not bad. Goading the King into chasing down imaginary rebels, and thus
incurring the wrath of the local militiae. Not nearly as subtle as I'd
have liked, especially
your handling of the Justicars. You probably won't get them on our
side next time if you're that clumsy again. Still, it was highly
effective. I daresay you've almost
made up for letting the Healer slip your snare."
The apprentice looked genuinely surprised at his mentor's assessment.
"But...he got away..."
The wizard's face turned to a tiger's grin. "Again, you lack subtlety.
You would have him dead now, and be done with it. But see...." He pointed
a long-nailed finger
to the sanguine scrying-bowl. "He hides now in the Elven Court. He
despairs for the lives he sacrificed to a futile battle. He regrets not
listening to those who would
have kept him from fighting. He fears the charges of cowardice that
will surely be leveled against him, and the loss of the populace's confidence
in him as a ruler. And
his Warrior nature despises him for fleeing. You would liberate a soul
so quickly, and deprive yourself the pleasure of watching it destroy itself
instead? That is the
mark of the amateur." He stirred the wine with his finger and raised
it to his lips. "Yes, there is pain in death. Great amounts of it. But
it pales next to the pain one can
suffer in life, for at least death has the promise of rest at the end.
And the torments of the body are nothing compared to the torments of the
mind, for there is no
Healer alive that can mend a broken spirit."
The apprentice was silent, frozen like a rat hearing the hunting owl's
scream. The wizard stepped back from the scrying bowl and turned away,
retreating to his
quarters.
"That is your lesson for today. Think on it. And then set some water
to boil. I will want tea later."
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It is evening in the Daharahn compound of King Ewen McFadden. The mood
is very indifferent overall, with overtones of depression. The compound
guard has been
intensified as best it can considering the beating the soldiers that
are pulling the duty took in the battle earlier today.
The King has retired to his quarters to ponder the events of the day.
As he went into his rooms he sent for K'tai and the visiting healer Korlys.
The officers of the
guard; after making sure their men were taken care of, retired to their
respective quarters. The captain of the guard being to wired to retire
for the evening is manning
a duty station as well.
*************************************************************************
"Who were they!? They desimated most of my squad and left us to live.
I don't understand. Others are doing well to have survived. We seem to
have been let off the
hook. ... Ow! carefull with that."
Peeling back a bloodsoaked shirtsleeve Tanara winces. "It's not as bad
as it looks. You'll heal Sean. And if you're as stong as you appear to
be , you might not even
scar."
"SCAR?, Have you not paid attention to a word I've said? We were very
nearly laid to rest today yet at the moment of truth they turned their
backs and walked off!
I can't understand your calm at this moment."
"For one, what we went through today pales in comparson to what I have
been through just getting to the Emerald Hills. Second, my calm is from
training AND its all
exterior. And third we were never in any real danger..."
"We were never in ANY REAL WHAT ?!! I am sporting a gash in my forearm
that has left my left hand numb, a slash across my back from a pike blade
that just
didn't sink in far enough to kill me, a stab wound in my chest that
is only deep enough to MAYBE need stitches, and a slash across my face
that will probably leave a
scar. How can you say I was never in any real danger?"
" The people out there were not really trying to kill the king, they just wanted to get his attention; at least the masterminds of the attack, anyway."
"WHAT!? GET HIS ATTENTION?!! I'd say they got it, a whole battalions
worth of it. Some of those men were with us before McFadden even touched
the
crown. What could their deaths have bought that makes this" ; Sean
reaches over and touches a wound on Tanara's shoulder that has only recently
been cleansed,"
worth it?"
"NOTHING is worth the death of family and friends," Tanara says in a
very soothing voice as she watches Sean examine the new wounds and trace
the scars he did
not know she had. "But think about it. We were out numbered and out
magiced. They could have obliderated us ALL very quickly including McFadden.
But they
didn't. I don't know why were spared."
Taking a warm wet cloth and lightly wiping the caked blood from Sean's
cheek, Tanara looks into his eyes for a moment and with a voice softer
than Sean had heard
from her in thier acquaintance...
" Oh preacious little one, You don't understand. I don't entirely either
but, I have reason to believe this little thing with your king and his
little rebellion is nothing
compared with what is yet to come." She continues to cleanse the wound
with an ever slowing and tender touch. "Remember when we first came to
you, My master
and I? Well what he tells me scares me. The world as we..." She begins
to open Seans shirt to get to the wound just under his collarbone on the
left side "...You and
I know it will change forever." Avoiding Sean's gaze,
"Of all I have been through and all I have seen I have never dreaded
the dawning of a new day like I do now. A darkness is coming that I can't
make it through alone
without getting lost. We need each other. You need me to guide you
through the changes you are experiencing. And I need you..."
Her voice trails off as she lightly and gently circles the wound she just cleaned and traces the scars on Sean's chest.
Sean gently raises Tanara's chin so her eyes meet his gaze. Tanara's
left hand lightly rested on Sean's neck as she strokes the hair on the
base of his neck. The space
between them closed. Their lips meet in a kiss that made no other words
necessary.
Wrapped in each others arms, they retire as does the sun on the horizon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ktai, finally get some sleep after a day of healing guards and talking with the king only to be disturbed by a light wind.
"What?" She awakens in a forest lit by Twilight.
"I must be dreaming." Ktai thinks. The winds seems to answer her. Also
on the wind, the sound of children playing, and the sound of a familiar
voice.
"DZ will you let go of my leg."
"Changeling?" Ktai follow the sound to the base of a ruined tower.
"Evening Ktai. Could you get this," I point to the cute little urchin attached to my leg. "off of me."
"Changeling, so is this your world."
"Yes this is the Dreaming." I pry DZ off of me. "Go play."
"So who was that?"
"I'll show in a moment. So how are you? I saw that battle."
"You did? Where were you? We could have used your help."
"1. On the side lines 2. The king didn't pay me enough."
"Oh."
"Anyway I was busy with this. KIDS FRONT AND CENTER!"
A small earthquake is felt as twelve kids show up. 11 boys 1 girl.
"What in the world."
"I'm thinking of starting a kingdom nursery. You know the Stormdancer
twins, Corwin and Ian."
"Hi." they both say.
"These three are Kenta's kids, Cody, Jordie and Trey Redhawk. Say hello."
"Hello." they say.
"This one." I bend over to pick up the girl, "Who likes me just way
to much, is DZ."
She sticks her tongue out at Ktai.
"DZ be good."
"Those three are Thoron's godsons K3, Shawn and Seth Underhill and
the last three are Miracles kids."
I point at the little blonde one, "Don't stand between Patrick and
anything he wants."
"Why?"
"He knocks things over, furniture, bookshelfs, barbarians, walls."
"Ok."
"Anyway from what I saw of the battle the kings forces where out thought. You had enough power and not enough organization."
"We were organized, just not informed. The king forgot to send out scouts."
"Yes, that's what Folly and the wood elves where complaining about."
"Wood elves?"
"Yes, a whole lot of forest creatures and fae made bets on the battle. I won over 300 gold pieces."
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence."
"We tried to warn you. You didn't hear a voice on the wind saying 'Healer, look out.'"
"No."
"See. Anyway, you are doing better?"
"Yes. Thank you for asking."
"Good."
"I got a question to ask you."
Questions. There's always questions. I put down DZ "Ok what's the question?"
"Are you doing this nursery for the kingdom or are you trying to raise an army?"
"Hey, these are not my kids. I'm not raising them, I'm just babysitting."
We both hear the sound of stone braking and a kid crying.
"Oh great they're at it again. I would see you out Lady Ktai but if don't get over there they'll destroy something again. Just go back the way you came."
"Ok Change, I'll see you later." Ktai turns and leaves but not before she hears.
"Twins! Put down the polearm! It's not gonna work on Jordie. Where's
Clu when you need him?"