See Prologue for Disclaimers

Chapter Three

Atylanta supposed she really shouldn't have expected anything less.  Barely more than a day had passed before the spell she had set on the scrying waters to alert her of any magickal interference around the BeastMaster was activated.  The Witch looked up from the potion she was preparing and frowned at the image that appeared, hovering in the air before her.

It was the BeastMaster and his friend all right.  Her mother stood slightly to one side as the two men faced some sort of . . .

"Oh, for the Powers' sakes," Atylanta sighed.

She carefully froze time around the potion, hoping the very magick of the act wouldn't spoil it, then removed the heavy apron and threw it down in disgust.  She didn't bother changing her wardrobe as she sent herself to an area not too far from the Downs.  Her mother would just have to deal with the embarrassment of the dirt under her fingernails this time.

~*~*~*~

The BeastMaster swung his carved staff defensively, forcing the chimera-like creature that advanced to take a step back.  It wasn't much, and the advantage didn't last very long.  The Sorceress cocked her head and smiled.  "I take it, then," she said lightly, "that this beast you cannot speak with?"

Dar didn't take his eyes off the monster that advanced on them, but Tao glared at the beautiful woman.  "He's already told you he can't give you his power!  Why do you keep doing this?"

The Sorceress frowned at him, irritated by the interruption.  "Because --"

"Mother!"

The voice seemed to come out of the air itself.  Dar and Tao blinked, startled, as another woman appeared in the glen.  She seemed roughly the same age and height as the Sorceress, but her appearance was vastly different: in place of blonde curls was dark hair caught in a bun, and a worn-looking tunic, old belt, and snug but equally worn pants were favored over the elegant gown.

Distracted by this new arrival, Dar missed the warning movement of the chimera.  A bout of flame far too close knocked him backwards.  He hit the ground and lay stunned; Tao rushed to his side, urgently checking the other man for damage.  He didn't find any, but he glared at the two women anyway.  The chimera continued to advance, its fiery lungs taking in another breath in preparation to blast them both.  Tao resolutely put his body between Dar and the attack, curving his body to better protect his fallen friend.

The new woman made a single motion and the chimera froze.  Literally.  Tao, realizing that the expected blast of heat had not come, peeked under one arm to look at the creature.  A solid wall of ice enclosed the creature, then shattered it into thousands of tiny pieces.  He blinked, then slowly straightened again and stared in shock.  

The newcomer was making the age-old motion of dusting off her hands.  "I think that's just about enough of that," she said, looking at the Sorceress.  The Sorceress looked furious, but in no rush to blast the newcomer for her daring.  That, in and of itself, would have been enough to make Tao stare.  The woman placed her hands on her hips.  "Mother," she admonished.  "You promised."

Dar was still half-unconscious, coming out of it slowly, but Tao's utter shock overrode his concern for the BeastMaster.   Mother!?!

The Sorceress glared at the dark-haired woman.  "I promised I would do nothing rash.  That implies no planning.  I planned this quite carefully."

The woman let out what sounded suspiciously like an exasperated sigh.  "Mother!"

The Sorceress glared at her more.  "What?!"

Tao spoke without realizing.  "Mother?!?"

The Sorceress looked at him and frowned, then made a sharp motion with her hand.  Tao felt a dozen small stones suddenly appear inside his mouth, effectively stopping speech.  "This is not your concern."

The dark-haired woman turned to look at him.  Tao noted the vague similarity in her features over the indignation and fury that were boiling up in him.  "You just tried to quite literally toast him and his friend, Mother.  I'd say it  is his concern."  She made a similar motion as that of the Sorceress and the stones vanished.

Tao expelled a grateful breath and took another in preparation for verbal thanks.  The Sorceress made the same motion as before and once again the stones filled his mouth.  He looked daggers at the Sorceress.  The dark-haired woman echoed his look, if lighter, and made her own motion.  The stones vanished.  Another motion by the Sorceress and they returned.

Gone.

Back.

Gone.

Back.

Tao managed a sound of complete fury that might have been "HEY!".  The Sorceress was looking intently at the newcomer, who glanced at Tao in concern each time and then finally stopped with her hands planted firmly on her hips.  She glared at the Sorceress and said, "Mother, I remember this game as well as you do, and I can keep this up all day."

Tao stared at her in dismay.   All DAY?!? His jaw was  already rather sore.

Something that almost sounding like the words in his thoughts got through his sealed lips; the dark-haired woman looked at him, a mixture of apology and amusement in her eyes at the expression on his face.  She looked back at the Sorceress, who scowled as the dark-haired woman asked, "Why don't we continue this back at the grove?  I have a potion I need to get back to before it's ruined."

"Fine!" the blonde beauty snapped, and stepped backwards into nothingness.

As she vanished, the stranger sighed and started to fade out as well.  Tao made another desperate sound.  The dark-haired woman stepped halfway out of the shimmering rift and winced.  "Sorry," she said, and made one last motion.

Tao spat out the stones in relief as she vanished.  Dar sat up groggily beside him.  The BeastMaster looked from the small white stones on the ground to the shattered remains of the chimera that lay steaming on the ground.  "What --???"

Tao looked at him and shook his head.  "You won't believe me when I tell you."

~*~*~*~

Elorene waited until her daughter materialized in the living-room/kitchen of the deceptively small house before letting fly with her temper.

"How dare you!" she demanded, furious.  "You had  no right  to interfere---!"

Atylanta passed her and went to the time-frozen potion.  "I had every right to interfere, Mother," she answered, carefully calm.  "I was  asked to interfere, if you recall.  If I hadn't, Curupira, if not Pelagia, would have had my head."  She unfroze the potion, checked it, and sighed.  "Ruined."

Automatically, Elorene said, "Never time-freeze waral's root.  And that still didn't give you the right to destroy  my creation."

Atylanta destroyed the ruined potion with a small motion and turned to glare at her mother.  "I know not to time-freeze waral's root, Mother, but you were about to fry a BeastMaster so I didn't have much choice.  And if you hadn't sent the damned thing after them, I wouldn't have  had to destroy it."  She placed her hands on her hips, truly irritated now despite her best efforts.  "Honestly, Mother, sometimes it is like dealing with a five-year-old getting you to make any sense!  How would destroying them possibly have gotten you the BeastMaster's powers?!"

Elorene crossed her arms.  "I wasn't trying to destroy him, only give him incentive.  And I don't have to explain myself to you.  Daughter."

"This time, you do.  Mother."  Atylanta took a few steps forward until she was only a couple of feet away from the recalcitrant blonde.  "Now, would you please tell me  what it is you want from this boy?  And don't tell me it's just his powers, because if it were that -- something accomplishable through sorcery -- you would not be this obsessed with trying to give him heat-rash."

Elorene glared at her and turned away.  After a long moment, while Atylanta waited somewhat patiently, she turned back and said, "The girl, Kyra. . ."

"The one the Ancient One took from you."

"Yes.  She was -- is -- the BeastMaster's betrothed."

Atylanta frowned, uncomprehending.  "And?"

Elorene shook her head.  "The BeastMaster is willing to go through the worst tortures to be with her.  He braved Zad's soldiers, great dangers . . . all to be reunited with her.  And when she was taken from him it caused him pain.  Yet it also seems to give him strength.  I wish to understand this thing they share."

Atylanta still didn't see what her mother was getting at.  "What thing??"

Elorene gave her an exasperated look.  "Love!" she exclaimed.  "That was why I took Kyra in the first place!  I wanted to observe her, share her memories and thoughts.  To teach me about love."

Atylanta's face went very still.  Elorene, if she noticed, did not understand that that stillness was deeply-buried pain.  The dark-haired witch was silent for a long moment, then said quietly, "Yes.  I suppose you would have to learn about love from a stranger."

There was the slightest bit of emphasis on "you," the tiniest hint of bitterness in her controlled tones; Elorene was oblivious to it all.  She nodded instead.  "The Ancient One wishes me to leave the BeastMaster alone because he does not approve.  But I do not care.  I wish to know!"  She paused, beginning to pace slightly, then turned back to her daughter.  "Have you known love?"

Atylanta looked at her for a long moment, and Elorene almost began to see the stillness in her eyes this time.  Still quietly, her voice almost resigned, she answered, "No."  She paused almost imperceptibly, then added with a forced smile, "Not the way you mean.  And if you keep sending creatures after them, neither will you."

Elorene sighed.  "All right, fine.  Then what do you suggest?"

Atylanta shook her head, laughing.  "Ohhh no!  I don't suggest  anything!  I told you, Mother, I was asked to stop you from harassing the BeastMaster, not give you ideas on how to do it more effectively."

The Sorceress waved a hand in exasperation.  "As you will," she told her.  "I will think of something."

"No more monsters!"

Elorene smiled despite herself.  "No more monsters," she assured her.  She started to send herself back to the Aerie, then paused and said, "And if you're going to keep showing up and interfering -- and claiming your kinship to me -- for the Powers' sakes, clean up first.  You're a sorceress, not a hedge-witch!"

Atylanta raised an eyebrow, biting back a sharp reply, and said instead, "Some might argue that.  The gods know the Ancient One has."

Elorene frowned.  "The Ancient One needs to learn to mind his manners."

Atylanta chuckled.  "And Zad needs to learn to bathe, and the BeastMaster needs to learn to avoid your attention.  But I will try to appear more . . . dignified . . . the next time I see the latter."

Elorene smiled and nodded.  "Good," she said, and vanished.

Atylanta let out a long sigh as her mother's energy faded from the grove.  "Yes," she murmured, ignoring her heart's aching with the ease of long practice.  "Just . . . perfect."

Next Part

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