by Lexy Wolfe
Terrence looked at the small creature in surprise. "Are you supposed to be here, little one?" The small thing shook her head quickly, smiling with childlike mischief as she folded her wings tight against her back. He looked amused. "I see. Do you have a name?"
"Petal." Ducking down, she crawled inside one of his sleeves to hide. "Don't tell anyone Petal here." The sprite peeked out with childlike mischief. "Petal come with Terrence. Petal will be good, promise."
"Well, I am very glad you will be good. I would not expect you to be anything other than good. But why are you coming with me?" Terrence asked, keeping his voice low. He was keenly grateful for the obscurity his lack of status provided; the others barely paid any attention to him. "Is there something wrong I should be worried about?"
"Nono! Nothing wrong! Terrence no worrying!"
"Then," the journeyman asked slowly, "why are you here?"
"Petal not supposed to say why." The bright colored sprite ducked back into his sleeve. "Is not yet time. But Petal not want wait to find you. You leave Forenta once already. It much harder finding you when not in Forenta, so Petal find you now when Petal know you are here."
Looking a little bewildered, Terrence reached into his sleeve and plucked the small creature out. Shielding her from view with his other hand, he quickly put the wiggling little creature back in his hood. "It is better if you are closer to my ear so I can hear you better," he murmured, quelling her protesting squirming as he adjusted his hood casually.
"Oooh. Okay!" The man restrained the desire to shudder outwardly as Petal settled herself against his neck. "All Mother likes you. She say you having much old knowledge in head like she does."
Terrence felt his cheeks warm and reached up to tug his hood forward more to hide his face. "Well, yes. But the old knowledge in my head is not mine, though. The memories belong to a Totani named Dzee."
"You not only having Totani old knowledge. You having much old knowledge, just not remembering it yet." Petal grabbed a small handful of hair, tugging gently as if to scold the journeyman mage. "All knowledge you have belong to you. Totani trust you and share. Knowledge yours. You only needing help remembering."
"I do, do I?" Terrence asked in tolerant amusement. He winced slightly at the tugging but could not help but smile a little. "How do you know what Dzee thought?"
"Petal know how finding out." Whispering conspiratorially, Petal said, "Petal teach how remember old knowledge like Illaini Magus." The tiny creature giggled feeling Terrence react to her words. "It will be much fun! Petal take good care of you."
"Uh. Thanks. I think." Terrence grimaced, cheeks bright red as Petal nestled against the back of his neck for warmth, cooing happily and petting his neck affectionately. He glanced around to see if anyone noticed, whispering a word of thanks to his goddess they were otherwise too occupied.
The young mage's smile faded as he looked towards the front of the group, worried sympathy replacing amusement. The Illaini Magus sat astride his horse, back as stiff as his words were terse. Long familiar with Ash's temperament, Terrence knew the hostility was an attempt to conceal softer emotions. The journeyman knew his master's worry was for the one person alive who could equal him in stubborn willfulness.
Terrence looked over his shoulder at the two Swordanzen riding just behind him. Despite the group having taken a sevenday of rest after the attack on the Knowing One, the Desanti were still weakened from the forest sprites poisons. Though he worried for them both, he was particularly concerned about Storm, as he knew Ash was. Since the Raging One's return to Desantiva, the Swordanzen woman was even more withdrawn than typical for her, still with the deeply wounded look in her eyes when her adoptive divine father had left and forbidden her from returning to Desantiva until she had brought understanding of His warriors to Forenta. The two Swordanzen's shared worry about their future in exile just barely reached his ears.
Wanting to say something to reassure them, Terrence balked when he realized they were speaking Swordanzen and he was able to understand it still. Storm's words echoed in his mind: "The ancient, holy tongue of the Desanti people is born of a Githalin's spiritual tie to a Totani and passed on only to the holy people such as Swordanzen. It is forbidden for others not Named by the Totani as true servants of the Heart of Desantiva or those who strive to become one from even learning it."
"So, once we leave the Rumblelands and your Father's aura that bridges understanding of the heart and makes all languages equal, I will no longer understand you and Skyfire when you speak?" Terrence asked with some regret to the impending loss.
Storm patted his shoulder. "Now that Dzee is no longer within you, thanks to Ash restoring my Father's light to her physical body, no, you will not be able to understand us. I wish it could be otherwise; your heart is without deceit. I know you would not betray us, but the laws are absolute."
Except that Terrence still understood Storm and Skyfire as they spoke in Swordanzen. Briefly meeting Skyfire's bright golden brown eyes, Terrence quickly looked away from the black-haired Desanti. Murmuring under his breath, he shifted the air to carry their voices forward to his ears, continuing to eavesdrop in the hopes he could somehow help the pair.
His expression not betraying his thoughts, Skyfire grunted with quiet petulance as he tugged his cloak around himself tighter as the damp wind gusted again. "How long will this incessant shaking last?! This is driving me mad." Holding his hand up to regard his trembling again, he swore colorfully. "I want to be in control of myself again!"
"The shaking will probably last another sevenday or two. The weakness several cycles of the greater moon longer," Storm replied dully, eyes fixed on her hand holding the edge of her saddle, letting the drizar pick his path. "Poisons cannot kill us themselves, you know. They just make us..." She sighed, closing her eyes. "...weak."
"Two cycles of the greater moon? That long?" Skyfire asked with dismay. "Are you sure?"
"The last time I had to endure poison, it took me nearly two sevendays to fully recover. And it was not nearly as much as what those tiny monsters used on us, or the black water from the kraken that nearly killed Ash and I at sea." Storm's voice was low, her withdrawn tone reflected in her posture. "If it had not been for the drizar watching over me, scavengers would have picked my bones clean." She went suddenly quiet, gritting her teeth.
Skyfire frowned, starting to question Storm when both drizzen came to a sharp stop as the horses ahead of them came to a halt. Mureln had stopped playing his flute, the bard's and other's attentions suddenly on the Illaini Magus. Hunched in pain, Ash had his hand over his chest, irritably waving the others away. "What the hell is going—? Storm?!" Skyfire looked sharply at the Desanti woman when she suddenly hunched over in her saddle, pressing her clenched fist against her chest, much as Ash had, except she had a distinctly grey cast to her complexion.
Skyfire narrowed his gaze on Storm, forgetting his own discomfort or the trouble at the head of their group. "Something more than just the poison is affecting you. And it is affecting the forest mage. I can tell that much. You should ask Taylin to—"
Uncharacteristically disheveled, Storm looked up with bright, green-gold eyes, her brown hair streaked with vivid red and bright blonde streaks fallen across her face. "No! No more healers! If I cannot recover from this on my own..." She paused, grimacing in growing pain. "I do not... deserve to live." A stronger spasm of pain seized her, cutting off her words. The drizar minced his feet in agitation.
The Swordanzen man felt a cold knot of fear settle in the pit of his stomach. "Storm, there is tradition, and there is stupidity," Skyfire said in a low voice, moving close to put his hand on her arm firmly to keep her astride the drizar. "Something is killing you from within. I can see that much!"
"No. Healers," Storm repeated stubbornly.
"You know very well the Heart of Desantiva never forbade the use of healers by our people. Do not let yourself die this way. It would not be a good death for anyone, much less the greatest Githalin ever born."
Skyfire implored, "Th'yala. Please. I am here for you. Don't leave me. I cannot stay here alone."
Growling under her breath, Storm hissed, "Fine. Only because I know you'll ignore anything I say anyway."
"Taylin!" Skyfire bellowed the moment Storm agreed, ignoring her grumbling. The Swordanzen man's voice drew everyone's attention away from Ash and back to them in alarm. Ash's mysterious phantom pain was forgotten not simply because of Skyfire's strident tones, but because neither Desanti ever called for the healer unless the need was dire.
The Sevmanan healer did not bother riding all the way up to the pair, dropping off her horse and running to Storm's side. She grabbed Storm's arm with one hand in a fiercely tight grip. Trying to sidle away, the drizar attempted to bite the Sevmanan woman and received a sharp smack to the nose. Impatient, Taylin snapped, "Stand still!" The healer's turquoise eyes flashed with ill-repressed fury and absolute determination. The drizar flinched and obeyed, lowering his head subserviently.
Taylin took little note of the normally vicious animal's unequivocal obedience, her attention completely on Storm. The two women were silent and unmoving for several minutes, the soft white of normal healing shifting to bright blue the more she drew on Guardian gifts. Minutes passed, then almost an hour. The tension among the others grew the longer the healing took.
Finally, the two women sagged as the connection between them ended, both looking equally exhausted. Taylin glared up at Storm, her frustration apparent. "I do not care what traditions you grew up with in that desert of yours, Storm il'Thandar! If you ever do anything like that again, I will smack the stubborn out of you." Sullen, shoulders hunched in shame, Storm did not even look up as Taylin stalked back to her horse.
Paler than usual, the Illaini Magus moved nearer to the two Desanti. "What is going on?" Ash demanded to know, looking at Storm who only pulled her cloak around tighter against the cold, the cowl obscuring her features. When neither Desanti was forthcoming with an answer to his question, he turned to Taylin. "What happened?"
Taylin looked at Ash, then back at Storm. While she was still perturbed, she shook her head sharply, refusing to add to Storm's shame. "Nothing you need worry about now. It will not be happening again." She yawned hugely as she mounted her horse, shaking her head. "Oh, how I very much wish I were a bear and could hibernate for the winter. I hope we reach this place soon." She stifled another yawn, spurring her animal forward to rejoin Almek.
Mureln reached over to Taylin, making sure she was all right. "The mage said it will be another few hours at the pace I have kept the horses at. Are you sure you can ride alone?" The healer returned a warm smile to him, covering his hand with shy affection and quiet reassurance. Both looked back towards the Illaini Magus and Githalin Swordanzen with concern.
The mage narrowed his eyes on the two Desanti, grimacing as Skyfire dismounted his drizzen and mounted behind Storm, putting his arms around her and speaking quietly in her ear. The intimate familiarity between the two Desanti roused an unreasoning sense of jealousy in the Illaini Magus. Pulling his horse around roughly, Ash returned to the front of the group without a look back. Ash made a sharp gesture to Mureln, who sighed before raising his flute to his lips again. The animals returned to the distance-eating pace they could only achieve with the bard and his haunting music.
"What was wrong?" Skyfire whispered into Storm's ear as he pulled her against him to allow her to sleep while they rode. "I have never seen Taylin so commanding. Even the drizar obeyed her." Sighing, the woman leaned back into Skyfire's greater warmth, shivering with cold now instead of pain. "And do not lie. You know you cannot hide the truth from me."
Reluctantly, Storm whispered, "Something inside tore near my heart when I mounted the drizar." Feeling him stiffen, she explained, "It was a very old injury that had healed imperfectly and would often reopen when I fought if I were not careful. The drizar's motion only made it worsen until..."
"And Taylin could not see it before now? You were near death only days ago."
"I have been near death many times. When you learn how to conceal things from Totani, it is a matter of habit." Storm sighed softly, closing her eyes as Skyfire pulled his cloak around her to keep her warm.
"But you had not fought the monster of many shadows that attacked the Knowing One," Skyfire pointed out. "How could something as simple as mounting the drizar...?"
"The poison weakened the flawed mending, so the more the drizar moved, the more I moved, the more it would tear." Hesitating a moment, Storm added in weak reassurance, "I had hoped it had not gotten so bad, but I was wrong."
Skyfire's expression hardened and he tightened his arm around her sharply in rebuke. "Do not lie to me, Storm il'Thandar. I see the truth behind your words. You were hoping it would kill you, so you could escape having to remain here." Loosening his hold slightly, he held her firmly when he felt her tense. "Th'yala, you know I am here for you, no matter what. I will help you in the task your father left you, but please. Don't leave it to me alone. You are many years more a Githalin than I am. And I would be lost without you."
"I know." Storm sought his hand beneath the cloak, clasping it tightly for solace. "But I am not sure if anyone would be ready for this task." She whispered, "I do not know if I am ready."
Skyfire kissed her hair lightly. "If anyone is ready, it is you. But we will stand together to face this challenge." He paused a moment. "Is the injury mended fully now?" Storm nodded, yawning. Satisfied, he relaxed as much as he could. "Rest, my friend. I'll keep watch over you." As the two settled into the rhythm of riding tandem, the man whispered in her ear, "Lord Ash is upset and confused. And deeply worried about you, th'yala." Looking somewhat perplexed, he added, "And... jealous of me."
Storm's voice held an infinite sadness and resignation. "I know. I do not need your tribe's gift to know what he is feeling. But I do not have the energy for him right now, Skyfire, or his insane Northerner beliefs. He just makes things far more complicated then they need to be." Yawning again, she settled against the Desanti man, closing her eyes. "All Forenten do."
Skyfire glanced sidelong at Terrence as the young journeyman dropped back to ride with the two Desanti after Storm had fallen asleep. "You still understand us." His words to the young man, spoken in the Swordanzen tongue, were not a question.
The young man flushed beneath the pink caused by the cold wind on his face. "I have understood Swordanzen ever since Dzee chose me to help her. Even after we left the Rumblelands." He glanced sideways at the dark brown Desanti. "I did not say anything because I thought... you and Storm would be angry with me." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I am certain Master Ash will be angry if he learns about it. Please, forgive me, Skyfire."
Making a dismissive gesture before running his hand over ink black hair, Skyfire gave Terrence a small but reassuring smile. "Dzee chose you. It is not my place to judge the choices of the Totani." Skyfire smiled faintly. "There are only two ways any Desanti learn Swordanzen. Being taught by another holy person or through the Githalin bond to a Totani."
"I am not Swordanzen or even Desanti," Terrence protested.
"Nevertheless. The bond is there." Skyfire looked at Terrence fixedly.
"So that is how you knew Dzee was really Totani? When she... I spoke on Dzee's behalf in Swordanzen in the desert?" Skyfire nodded. Terrence sighed sadly. "If the Swordanzen had only tried talking to Dzee first, the Vi'disa tribe and the nine other Swordanzen might—"
Skyfire shook his head, expression grim. "It would have changed nothing, Terrence. Desanti souls lack what Forenten possess in excess, what Dzee needed. The Vi'disa were gone before the Swordanzen got to the encampment, and their corrupted shells immediately sought to take from the Swordanzen what had been stolen from them." Gentling his tones, the Desanti man stated, "I suspected Dzee might not be completely gone from you. But I was not going to draw attention to you for that. Lord Ash and Storm already have other concerns distracting them; otherwise I am certain they would have recognized you have b
een Totani-touched."
Going pale under the wind-born flush on his cheeks, Terrence managed to keep his voice steady. "How... did you know? It is nearly impossible to hide anything from Master Ash, but so far I have managed. But you...?"
Skyfire closed his eyes a moment. "It is a 'gift' of my tribe to be able to see the soul's truth. When Lord Ash restored Dzee to her body, there was a lingering echo of her presence still. Until now, I was not absolutely certain of what I saw, so I mentioned nothing to Storm." Skyfire looked at the younger man. "Will you be telling your master what you know of Storm's... affliction?"
Terrence shook his head decisively, turning his eyes forward. "What is between Master Ash and Mistress Storm is not for me to interfere in. But it is no less painful to witness. Master Ash very much loves her. As much as she obviously loves him." The young man glanced over. "I can see you and Storm love each other, too. But it is... different somehow. You do not compete to keep her for yourself."
"Desanti ways are not Forentan," Skyfire murmured, switching back to trade common. He tightened his arm around Storm protectively. "And we are Swordanzen. We are th'yala. I do not know how to explain it in trade common, and it is... simply understood among my people."
The young journeyman half smiled, shaking his head. "There is no direct translation in trade common and no concept within my people's or even Sevmanan culture." He touched his temple, closing his eyes as he carefully touched Dzee's lingering memories without allowing them to overwhelm him. "Desanti tribal interpersonal ties are much more intense than they tend to be anywhere else. Often transient. And much less... ah, formal."
