In the kitchen, where Kay had once again fallen asleep after reading the latest issue of the D.I., Mairead's small black ears perked up. She KNEW one of these voices. Uncle-Brother was back ! Meowing happily, she jumped up on the table, and tapped Kay's cheek with a small paw.
"Oh no ... did I forget to feed you?", Kay murmurred sleepily, peeling open an eye. Happy that she'd accomplished her task, Mairead jumped back onto the counter. Since Oberon had gone out to greet Uncle-Brother and his guests, that meant that SHE should stay here and play watch-cat.
Now that she was somewhat awake, Kay noticed that there were voices coming from the other side of the door. "Yeah ... Yeah ... I'm coming ... don't mind the mess ...", she replied automatically, recognizing them as familiar.
But when she went to push herself up, a sharp ache shot through one side of her ribs again. "REISH !!" she exclaimed loudly, awakening Amadaine who awoke with a start and tried to push her way out of the nest of fabric where she'd been sleeping.
Grumbling softly under her breath, Kay gathered up the small hawk in her arms and cuddled her against the left side of her chest. She cooed softly as if she were a mother hawk comforting her chick. Even without actively using her Gift, there was still enough of a connection between them that the bird quieted quickly. "Poor wee bairn", she admitted softly, "I've nae done sae well fer ye sae far, have I ?".
Louis turned to the direction the voice had come from. "That's Kay!" He ran through the doorway to where she was. When he entered the kitchen, Mairead looked him over before deciding to let him pass. If Mommy-human wanted this human here, then she wouldn't dispute it.
Kay gave Louis a shy smile. "Louis! 'Tis always a delight to see you". Then she blushed a bright crimson red. "But ye may be in danger by a-coming here ... an' I dinna ken how tae explain most of this mess ... the smell o' sorcery ... 'tis likely to attract the attention of THEM what I been tryin' tae avoid ... ", Kay tried to explain. "I'm sorry ... tried to make things BETTER ... for us ... now I'm sae much MORE of a freak than ever ... how am I goin' tae hide it NOW ? Even worse, if they ken that I be Terranan, they may wonder how many MORE there are like --".
*Watch it*, Kay cautioned herself, abruptly pausing and biting her lip. She'd been about to say 'us', but had fortunately caught it in time. Instead she continued "like ... me ... at the Base ...". Her voice trailed off sadly, as she continued to gently stroke the bird's feathers. She was far too embarassed to look up and see his reaction.
Louis looked at her questioningly, trying to figure out what she was saying. "Kay...are you all right?" He launched forward, but then remembered he couldn't touch her, and stopped. Oh, this was agony!
Anwyn gave him a very puzzled look, but he chose not to explain. If Kay had already told her about what happenned the other night, then the girl would surely figure it out for herself soon enough. And, if not, then perhaps he didn't have the right to share a story that wasn't his alone to tell.
Ceroill could not help but be worried at all these developments. "Kay, lass, what are you doing down here, you need your rest. And what is this about 'them', and danger?" Then he became alarmed. " 'Them'? Does that mean what I fear it does? Oh, my." He backed off a little, to think. Comyn coming here? With her, and them, and ....his project. Where to hide the book and the translations? HOW to hide them if a Comyn sees into his mind? This was going to get Very Messy.
"I'm sorry, Kiyu", Kay replied, a tear running down her cheek as she looked up at Ceroill, "I never meant to bring the attention of demons upon you ... perhaps this freak-talent is indeed what my Ma once named it; Zandru's Curse".
Kiyu? Ceroill was a rather surprised by the intimate term, though not offended.
Kay sighed, indicated the small black kitten watching them all from the counter-top, then continued "I came downstairs ... to feed Mairead ... and there was a strange lass in yer kitchen ... she said that she had come seeking you ... and she kept looking at me oddly. Though she did speak of it, it seemed to me as if she could somehow see some sign of ... of what happenned last night".
Reaching into the neckline of her tunic, Kay pulled out a copper pendant in the shape of a Brigid's Cross. On one side, the center held an upwards-pointing pentacle. And on the other, a trinity knot occupied the center. "She claimed to be a sister-initiate of my faith. And it is likely that she spoke true on THAT matter. I would doubt that there are more than a very small few on this world who would recognize this symbol for what it is, let alone recognize it so quickly. Yet she had a name that was obviously Comyn; Danette Lanart-Aldaran".
Ceroill finally recognizes the face Oberon saw. He closes his eyes a moment. It could have been a lot worse.
Kay sighed again. "If this Danette person is true to her word, then my breda should have received a sealed note by now. I phrased it in such a way that nobody else should be able to make any sense of it. Once she knows that I need her, Melissa will come. She will likely be angry with me for placing her in such a difficult position, and for having used my Gift with so few safety precautions. But I trust Melissa not only to preserve my life, but also my sanity and my honour".
Silently, Ceroill prayed that Kay's trust in this Melissa person would not be proved mistaken. She would have to be fully worthy of that trust when entangled in this.
Anwyn decided that this was getting far too weird for words. It reminded her of some of her dad's previous assignments (which she wasn't supposed to know about); only weirder 'cause her dad had never had to fight sorcery. There were too many things she couldn't explain. First there was that owl that seemed almost-human in the way it acted around Mestru Merrick. And now this hawk cuddling up to Kay like an infant with its mother. Not knowing what to say, she'd waited to see if someone would explain what was going on. But she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"Demons, Kay?", Anwyn asked, launching into a flood of questions. "Last night? Does this have something to do with those totally-gross clothes you're wearing, and why you look so worn-out ? Where'd you get the hawk and the kitten, and how come they act like THAT ? And what's up with Mestru Merrick and that eerie owl of his?". Finally she paused for breath.