When they reached the top of the winding stair, they could see that Diamond�s Guide awaited them there on the Hall�s front terrace. She had her back to them, leaning slightly on a tall, ornately carved staff as she faced out over the terrace�s rail towards the crashing waters of the Diamond Falls. Small streams fell from the Hall�s arching entryway and trickled along carved paths on the terrace before slipping out from the terrace�s railing to crash along the rocks and rejoin the river. She seemed to simply be watching as shadow crept out from the falls through the city-filled valley like a slowly encroaching flood as the sun swooped ever lower in the sky.
They started to approach, but she raised a slender hand, stopping the boys midway across the flagstones. She sighed long and deeply, seeming to steady herself. After a long pause, she turned to face them, the long spray of her soft brown hair swaying with her light robes.
Her half-open eyes were not the brown that would be expected of one of Highland blood, as any pure Highlander had eyes to match their hair. Instead, the Guide�s eyes were a milky, unseeing white, a pupilless pair of orbs that unnerved any who were not expecting such a gaze.
In spite of this, however, there was a fervor to her stare that neither ranger was prepared for. They both took an instinctive step back, Timber hiding slightly behind Makzin and Calla behind her father.
�What were you thinking?� she asked coolly, steadily, her eyes more on the boys than their maow companions. �You�d might as well�ve thrown sticks and stones at it, it�s a miracle you�re still alive!�
The boys looked at each other uncomfortably, Zane mutely stammering while Makzin turned a shade that quite nicely matched Timber�s undercoat.
�Lady Karen?� Zane asked in confusion.
The Diamond Guide clenched her teeth, closing her white eyes with a quick sigh. She strode forward, her eyes closed but her steps clearly unhindered, and Gideon took an uncertain step forward as well, watching the Diamond Guide as if trying to solve a puzzle. Coming to them, she embraced both of the boys at once, her silken robes fluttering about her in the cool breeze. �Foolish�� she said more softly, �Foolish boys� don�t EVER be so reckless again!�
Zane bit his lip, now turning red as well under his goggles. Makzin looked at him, wide-eyed, over the older woman�s brown head and mouthed �What did we do?�
She answered the unspoken question immeadiately, some of her maternal fire returning. �You know very well what you did, Makzin Taylor,� she replied, raising her head to face him. Her blank eyes bore into him. �We have Guide Halls for a reason� we have FRIENDS for a reason! What did you two think you were doing, taking it alone? Oh you reckless, foolish boys�� and she hugged them again, an arm around each. �You two are going to be the death of me� don�t EVER wander alone into something like that again, you understand?�
�M�Lady�� Zane started, but she turned her white eyes sharply on him.
�Mr. Cather, I�d be hard put to replace you,� she said, �and I don�t think your father would be very happy with me if you went and got yourself mauled to death by a wild maow. You�re not invincible.�
Makzin shook his head, �We weren�t trying to take it alone�� and behind him, Timber was cringing guiltily.
�But it happened, and it could have been the death of you,� she responded. �It�s hurt too many people for you boys to run out and play hero by yourselves�� and she held them both to her, sighing deeply. �I don�t like the idea of loosing any of my rangers��
A silence fell as she held them as a mother holds her grown children, and then she stepped back, her hands still on their leather-armored shoulders, her staff held loosely along Zane�s side. Zane inclined his head in a slight bow, his cheeks still pink with embarrassment. �I�m sorry that we scared you, Lady Karen��
Makzin watched his older friend uncomfortably. He didn�t much enjoy being yelled at for something he hadn�t intended to have happen, particularly when it had ended well anyway. He bit his tongue, though, to keep from speaking, as he knew argueing with the protective psychic was pointless.
She was watching him, and she lifted her hand to his face, affectionately cupping her hand to his cheek. She seemed to have relaxed quite noticeably with Zane�s apology and, more than likely, reading Makzin�s thoughts as well. �Makzin, dear, I know you had to split up to track it down..." and she glanced down apologetically to Gideon and Timber. "It just gives me heart failure to think that it was able to catch you like that, it could've killed you before your help arrived...�
Makzin nodded in understanding now, exhaling in a sigh.
Zane, however, put a comforting hand on the silken robes of the woman's outstretched arm. "We know the danger we were in, Lady Karen. No one was hurt, though, and now it's out of the forests... it was unfortunate that we had to go about capturing it in the way that we did, but when it found us, there was no escaping it... even if we'd tried to run, the thought of leaving it to hurt or kill someone else in the time it took us to launch a safer assualt was unbearable."
"Zane," she said with a soft smile, "sometimes I forget you're not as young as you used to be." She turned away to face out over the city-filled valley again, her staff tapping lightly on the flagstones. "I mother too much, I know..."
"Your wisdom is always welcome, my Lady," Zane replied with a respectful bow.
Makzin was smirking, looking out across the valley as well. "You mother more than my Mom ever bothers to. I came home from that and all she cared about was me not tracking mud into the house."
Karen turned to face him thoughtfully, a gentle smile on her lips. "She cares more than you know, young Makzin... she just trusts in you, as I should trust you. She is a ranger, too, though, while I am a knight..." and she turned to look skywards, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, "...two very different worlds... she knows better what you face than I do. I hope that one day soon she will return to the service of your Hall, though I understand that the past many years she has been busy with raising her children."
Makzin was just watching her with a dubiously raised brow. Karen smiled to herself.
"Back to the matter at hand," Zane said, looking towards the hall itself, "We bring word from your Knight Champion, Lady Cara."
Karen's face grew serious, "Very well... if you'd like to head up to the feast hall with me, dinner is still available, and we can talk there..."
At the mention of dinner, Timber and Calla both perked up.
* * * * *
I already have a sketch done of the hall... old sketch, but pretty anyway ^_^ it will go in this nice big space!
