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Fanfic
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Lady Shang Keladry
Sorrel Rowan
Chapter Nineteen: Spirit Warning
For a moment everyone was simply staring at each other. A whisper broke the silence.
�Sachantsia.�
Cauller turned to look at Laila, shock on his features. �And Ekino.� Both of their faces had turned grey.
�What?� Gary asked, puzzled.
Laila was shaking. �They�re our fiefs - we use them as huge refugee camps.�
Caul nodded. �They have some pretty good security, but we had to keep some troops posted on the border. Then, with the search for Blayce��
�Basically,� Jodai broke in, �They don�t have enough to protect them from those machines. And they have a lot of people in them - if he wants to collect more people, then he would attack those two.� SHe looked at Laila, who nodded. �If you will excuse us, we have to tell Maggur about this - and suggest he gets as many troops as possible to those camps.�
Everyone looked to the head of the delegation, Gareth of Naxen. He nodded. The Scanrans ran to the fire that had been set up only hours before. It flared into a bright white colour, and the three began to talk into it with two figures. The blond man - the tall, very handsome one - had to be the King, or at least that was what Kel hoped from the way he looked at Jodai. The man with coal black hair she didn�t recognize. When they returned, no one spoke.
�Why don�t we all sit down? There isn�t anything we can do right now, and if we put our heads together then we might be able to figure out what�s happening,� Neal said, returning from the healers tent.
Most people nodded, settling down again. Jodai let out a breath. �Are you sure none of your mages have been kidnapped, or - don�t take offence - turned traitor?�
The Tortallans looked at Myles. �None,� the old knight said. �When we got your warning, we set protections everywhere. Anyone with a Gift was protected. The City of the Gods is under siege from its own troops, just in case. No mages have been touched and we know none have defected. Yours?�
The head of the Scanran mage school shook her head emphatically. �None of ours, either. One of the first things we did was take a census of all the Gifted in Scanra, then gave them protection and shelter.� Laila looked around at them. �We know we didn�t get absolutely everyone with a Gift, but we got almost them all - and we definitely got everyone with an extreme Gift. It isn�t the sort of thing you can hide from anyone who has the same level, like Jodai.�
Dom looked confused. �Why can�t you find Blayce the same way then?�
�The nature of his Gift,� Numair answered. He looked at Jodai, who nodded. �They�ll be running into the same problem we did. Our Gift�s are life, they are connected to living things and the realm of the living - like healing or killing magic.�
When everyone still looked confused, Jodai explained. �Whether magic takes or gives life, it is still centred on life itself. Necromancy is only about-�
�Death. Which means none of you mortals can sense it. It is the absence of life, but still retains the essence of magic.�
The woman who stood in the centre of the semi circle was old, her skin lined and cracked. A rat sat on her shoulder like a queen, her tail draped over one paw like a train. She had on a bizarre little hat that looked like a piece of lettuce. She raised her other paw and waved regally to Daine, then whispered something to the Graveyard Hag.
The Hag turned and looked at Daine very slowly. Numair edged to her side and took her hand - he had never met the patron Goddess of Carthak before. Daine suddenly laughed, adding to the tension.
�I�m glad to hear it. How did you manage to get the rats to stockpile the food and not eat it all?�
The regal rat sniffed the air with an affected little glance at Daine. -They listen to me, I am their goddess. -
�Nice to see you again deary,� the Hag said to Daine. �But this task isn�t yours this time, you�ve done your heroic turn.� She turned to Alanna. �The same goes for you, Lady Knight.�
�Excuse me, what are you doing here?� Jodai asked her politely.
She made a face. �I�m running messages for my brothers, what else do you think I�m doing in this frost and flea bitten chunk of ice?�
�Hey!� Jodai exclaimed, slightly offended. �That�s my kingdom your talking about.�
�Yes,� the goddess said, never looking away from Jodai. �It is. And we all have a stake in what�s happening now, so I kind of have to help.�
�And you!� she turned suddenly to Kel, who jumped about a mile. �I pity you - my brother always asks the near impossible of his chosen. That includes both of you,� she indicated Jodai and Kel. �He asked me to give you this, and not very politely I might add. Honestly, if only they would come visit me in Carthak, I could show them a thing or two.�
Holding out a staff to Jodai, she threw it to her. Jodai caught it and gasped. It was black wood with a frost white crystal, and Jodai was obviously very impressed.
�I gather you like it?� she grinned, showing far too many teeth. �I�m so happy, he would have been positively crushed otherwise.�
She clicked her aged fingers and held out her hand. It had been empty, but was now holding a glaive. She beckoned to Kel. Not just any glaive - this was made of a wood so dark only the red tints, glowing in the sunset showed it was not metal. It was plain, with only a small picture of a bird on the centre of the staff. It seemed to glow.
The blade itself was black, an obsidian shade that didn�t reflect the light of day. It still had the same blue ripples that showed a master smith had made it. Kel took the glaive and felt it change subtly in her hand until it fitted the exact weight and balance she looked for. She looked up at the Goddess, pleasantly surprised.
�It�s a pretty thing, I�ll grant. And you�ll probably use it well - at least, I hope so after the effort the �lord of doom� put into it. I swear, like a baby with a toy - I thought he�d never finish it,� she said dryly, with a wicked cackle. �He even got some Yamani smith god to work the blade for you - I think he likes you.�
Kel looked at the weapon in her hands with a lot of respect, then had to wonder if being favoured by the God of Death was a good thing or not.
The goddess looked upwards distantly, then cackled again with a smirk that could only be described as smug. �You were meant to. Would I have said it otherwise, brother dear?� Then she turned serious. �All right then - and you owe me for this - as in, really owe me. I�ll give them your instructions�oh, go damn yourself!�
She turned back to Kel, Jodai and the others. �Listen wisely, you two. What I say is for your ears, though they may listen. Gods have a small gift of prophecy, and you-� she glared at Kel, �didn�t follow the path you were meant to.�
She looked at Jodai. �What I told you before Mastery rings true here, and it was also for her. You are way beyond what you should be facing, thanks to a cosmic hiccup, but we�ll do the best we can. Something is interfering in life and death, and we cannot let that happen.�
�You have all the tools you need. You have the essence of magic within you, the opposite to what Blayce and his master have. And you are the instrument that will see her to that end - but you must complete your way first, you need to have a fire within you that you don�t have right now.�
�It would mean the end of all the realms - life, death, chaos and divine if you fail.�
�You two have to stop it. Not to sound overly dramatic, dearies, but everything depends on you.�
�And I warn you; it may take everything you have and more.�
Then she vanished in haze of dust, with one final, mournful look at Kel and Jodai.
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