Aftermath

by Meiling Colorado

  The other, level-headed Serbell, who prided herself on her strength and independence, was already searching for a good enough excuse to run in the opposite direction, and this time she won.

  “I'm sorry,” she improvised quickly. “I have to finish the layout for the cotton field.” She wasn't lying, truth be told… this was a project she had been working on with Sally for a couple of weeks now. Next year they would have “made-in-the-settlement cotton fabric”, they joked. But, jokes apart, it was imperative to find alternatives for the settlers' ever more threadbare clothes! She just wasn't going to do it right now, she thought guiltily.

  “Pity,” he said, with what seemed like genuine regret. “I guess we'll be on our own, Ren.” And then, hesitantly, “Well, if you need help with that field, tell me. I might be able to come up with some ideas.”

  “Of course,” she said automatically, waving goodbye as she forced herself to walk away. She knew damn well she wasn't going to seek him out. She hoped not, anyway, she thought despondently, already half regretting her decision. This irritated her, further quickening her step, so she almost missed tow-headed Liam calling her name and beckoning her over to the other side of the Square. Serbell sighed. There was that matter of sheep-herding that Liam was so keen on, and he was her right-hand man, after all. Karma was a bitch, she told herself wryly. She was going to have to work on something this evening after all.

  Maybe she could sit Sally and him together and found a combined textile project- wool and cotton…she laughed mirthlessly to herself and headed his way.

  Benton watched her go, puzzled by her demeanor. Touchy as he knew she could be, he didn't think he had been in any way offensive. In fact, he thought, as he watched her slim figure hurrying across the square, he rather thought he'd gone out of his way to be charming, goodness knew why. The woman had a special knack for getting on his last nerve, and maybe he'd been trying to make up for their last shouting match.

  And look what it had got him. There she went…if she'd had a tail she'd be lashing it.

  He gave up trying to understand Serbell's behavior and turned his attention to the boy standing, silently fuming, by his side.

  Yes, this was trouble of another kind.

  Ren was upset, which was understandable, but there was no way he could let him storm off to Dinain's house, as he had wanted to do after the Council meeting. The problem was that his nephew was no longer a child at sixteen, even by old-world standards, and it was proving very difficult to reason with this strangely adult version of Ren, who had suddenly become a stranger to him.

  He made a quick decision. Since it was doubtful he could stop Ren without a fight if he took it into his head to go anyway, the best course would be to go to Dinain's together. That way at least he would have some small measure of control over the situation.

  Well and truly punked by a sixteen-year-old, he thought with a self-deprecating smile. At least he did have a good enough reason for calling on that family.

  He was responsible for the settlement's security, after all.

  CHAPTER 3

  NATURE'S SONG

  She was blessed. Blessed a thousand times, no, a million times over.

  How could she have believed she had lost it all? She hadn't allowed herself to leave the room Resnan lay in and yet she was aware of Nature's voice, much more keenly than she remembered ever having sensed it before.

  Which was why she was not really concerned about his failure to regain consciousness…she had never been aware of this force in human beings or, in fact, anything other than the plant world but now…she could sense that energy that was him, her son, flowing through him like music. And it was growing stronger.

  She felt like someone who, having been deprived of sight for an eternity could suddenly see again, except the colors were more vivid, brighter, than she had remembered. The spectrum for her gift, her talent, had definitely broadened.

  Yeshra couldn't help but smile. It felt strange, like she was exercising muscles that had not been used in a long, long time.

  She was lost in the wonder of the last few hours. He had changed, of course he had, and her mother's eyes noted how he had grown, the slim fifteen-year-old who had left her side two years ago, had become this strong, muscular man, whose tanned face looked older than his seventeen years. She chuckled fondly, shaking her head. And that beard! But he was back. He was alive.

  She was whole again….

  She heard the door behind her open and smiled as Lillith came in with a tray, laden with food. The days were growing longer, but the shadows had begun to lengthen, and she was suddenly aware of how hungry she was. Dinain walked in after her daughter carrying a loaf of bread.

  It was then Yeshra realized how long it had been since she had looked, really looked, at her husband. Cocooned within her inner world she had been aware of Lillith, albeit it in a superficial, perfunctory manner, she was now ashamed to admit. But Dinain, she hadn't wanted to see. Now, as he followed the slim teenager into the room, she noted he had grown older, had more gray than black in his short straight hair, although he still held his short spare frame strong and straight as ever.

  For the first time in nearly two years, she purposefully met his eyes.

  The anguished expression in their brown depths made her flinch. He stepped closer, his hand held out in an unconsciously beseeching gesture and then, as she cut her eyes away from him, he stopped, hand dropping to his side.

  Yeshra looked down, saddened. She simply couldn't…she wasn't ready for this yet.

  Lillith set the tray down on the table beside the bed and, noting the tension in the air said, ¨I brought enough for the three of us. We should eat something. Council must be nearly over, and people are sure to come by later.¨ Her father nodded, and Yeshra sighed, brushing her pale blond hair away from her face.

  That, indeed, could not be avoided. Some would be more welcome than others, of course, but come they would. Dinain felt tired just thinking about it.

  The situation was complicated….to say the least. He rubbed his temple, feeling the start of a strain headache coming on.

  He was at a loss, and really didn't know what to do, whether to stay and eat with them hoping Yeshra would thaw toward him… or leave, as she clearly didn't care for his presence. But then… that young man lying so still on the bed was also his son, and he had grieved for his loss, too. His mourning had been tinged with guilt, true, but that had not made it less sincere.

  In the end it was Yeshra herself who decided for him, by handing him a bowl of stew and a spoon, and taking the bread from his hands. She gave Lillith another bowl and started breaking up the soft brown bread into her plate, avoiding eye-contact with her husband. Dinain sighed.

  Baby steps.

  ¨He looks…peaceful,¨ commented Lillith, ¨Better than when he was brought in, I think. ¨

  ¨He will wake soon,¨ said Yeshra, absently spooning the thick soup into her mouth. ¨He will still be weak, perhaps, but I can feel his life force coming back fast.¨

  Dinain and Lillith stared at her, and then shared a covert glance, confused.

  ¨And how is that, I wonder? ¨ a voice said sharply from behind, making all three of them jump. Startled, they turned, staring wide eyed at a stern-faced Leiren. She must have just come into the room in time to hear Yeshra's last remark. Lorenna trailed after her. The fact nobody bothered to lock their front doors in the settlement did have some drawbacks, thought Dinain with a weary sigh. It was obvious the Healer hadn't thought twice about what to other people was common courtesy, that is, knocking.

  Yeshra had stiffened, her normally pale face even paler, and was apparently extremely interested in the contents of her bowl, so it was left to Dinain to greet the Healer. Standing up he left his untouched bowl on the table, and walked up to Leiren.

  ¨Well, good evening to you too, Leiren,¨ he said, sarcastically. ¨Council has done wonders for your temper, I see.¨

  She snorted, but looked at him with a grudging hint of app
roval in her gray eyes. ¨These things take too long for my taste,¨ she admitted, smiling at him briefly. She had no quarrel with him. In fact, she believed he had got a pretty rough deal, and dealt with it in a fairly dignified manner.

  His wife, however, was another matter.

  Thin black braids swinging, she turned towards the infuriating woman who was still dipping her bread in the soup bowl as if her life depended on it.

  ¨Well? Last time we talked, you could sense nothing, let alone somebody's energy force. ¨

  This was all news to Lillith, who wasn't even aware her mother and her teacher talked to each other, outside of the regular community interaction. And her mother was looking odd, too. Not lost and empty, like she had before Resnan returned, but guilty, as if she were a child caught out by an adult. She was even avoiding their eyes. Strange. Even level-headed Lorenna looked baffled.

  Yeshra busied herself emptying the earthenware soup bowl and then, realizing Leiren was going nowhere, she put it down on the table, sighing. Pushing a stray lock of ash blond hair behind her ear with shaky fingers, she looked up at the woman impatiently waiting for an answer. The healer looked inexorable, arms crossed over her chest, a trick of the oil-light making her face appear darker than her usual mahogany cast. She could see no sympathy in those gray, sharp eyes.

  What was she to say?

  ¨Leiren, I have felt nothing since Resnan disappeared. I…simply knew he was home today…I guess I sensed it, I myself don't understand. It was like nature itself was...singing to me, I'd never felt anything as strong…but it was the first time in these past two years, I swear.¨

  ¨You mean that you have let yourself feel nothing since the day you were told he had disappeared, Yeshra.¨ the healer corrected her, caustically.

  Dinain looked sharply from one woman to the other. He didn't care for Leiren's tone, but he didn't really know what was going on here, so he decided to hold his peace…for the moment.

  Lillith, however, was unable to contain herself. ¨You cut yourself off, mother?¨ she gasped.

  Was that even possible?

  She had assumed, as had everyone, that Yeshra's gift, that wonderful ability she had of sensing things around her through nature, was somehow directly connected to her son, and so had died with him.

  ¨I don't think she did it consciously, Lillith,¨ her teacher interrupted before she could say anything further. ¨But in this community anything other than total commitment can be regarded as an act of selfishness.¨

  Yeshra looked mortified. The wise woman's words were harsh, and she hated being treated like a child, but she guessed there was some truth to Leiren's words. She had been so immersed mourning her son that everything else, the community, even the rest of her family had taken second place. But had she blocked herself from that other sense? Could that be done?

  ¨Leiren, I swear…¨ she started.

  ¨That's enough.¨ interrupted Dinain, stepping between them. ¨I don't know where all this animosity on your part stems from, Leiren, and although I'm well aware we are all indebted to you, right now you're in our house. Our son, who we believed dead, is lying here unconscious, so either you intend to put your talent as a healer to use or,¨ he took a deep breath, steeling himself for his next words, ¨I’m afraid you're not welcome here.¨

  The silence that followed was deafening, and Dinain prepared himself to stand his ground in the face of Leiren's inevitable onslaught.

  The wise woman's brow did indeed darken for a moment, but then she nodded briskly. ¨My apologies,¨ she said, and then, turning toward the blond woman, she added, ¨I hope you're aware how lucky you are to have a man like this by your side,¨ she told a stunned–faced Yeshra, ¨who is willing to defend you in spite of your selfish wallowing in self-pity for the past two years, when you could have done so much to help. Especially,¨ a pained look crossed the Healer's face, ¨last winter. Don't think, however, that I'll forget there appears to be more to this gift of yours than you yourself thought. Singing nature, indeed.¨

  Pausing, the Healer gave her a long, searching look. ¨For the good of our community we have to get to the bottom of this. But for now….¨

  She made her way to the bed muttering under her breath and, beckoning Lorenna to her side, started unloading the contents of her satchel on the table, which Lillith proceeded to clear of their unfinished meal hurriedly, and as quietly as possible. The young girl didn't want to draw her teacher's attention to herself in her present mood.

  As for her mother, still awed, as she herself was, over her father's timely and unexpected intervention in the face of Leiren's wrath, she quickly found something to busy herself with in the adjoining room, after glancing gratefully in Dinain's direction. Yeshra knew the wise woman wasn't finished with her, far from it, but she intended to take full advantage of this momentary respite.

  Dinain repressed a relieved sigh when he heard voices at the door and, shooting Lillith an apologetic look, he made good his escape. He needn't feel he was leaving his daughter in the lion's den, he told himself as he hurried to make the first visitors of the night welcome, after all, she was Leiren's apprentice.

  Due to the situation, he was, of course, unexpectedly pleased to have visitors, and even happier when he saw it was Benton and his nephew. Woefully outnumbered as he was, he was grateful for their solid male presence. He had felt like an endangered species for a minute back there, he reflected ruefully. He mentally patted himself on the back, though – not many people, male or female, had the guts to stand up to Leiren.

  Once the initial pleasantries were over and Yeshra, glad of a legitimate excuse for not being in the Healer's presence, had offered her guests something to drink, Benton got down to business.

  ¨I really didn't want to bother you tonight, but I promised Ren I would try to get some answers as soon as possible.¨

  ¨That's understandable,¨ said Dinain, as he poured some of the juice Yeshra had set on the table into the earthenware mugs. He noticed the kid looked rather tense, which was normal under the circumstances, he supposed. Still…he was reminded of a coil about to spring- an aura of repressed energy seemed to surround the boy, which reminded him forcibly of Benton himself during his troubled teen-age years. ¨You won't be the only ones, I'm sure. I'm afraid he hasn't regained consciousness yet, though we believe it won't be long now.¨

  ¨See?¨ exclaimed Benton, looking at his nephew wearily, ¨I told you so.¨

  ¨I would still like to stick around for a while anyway,¨ the boy mumbled, ¨If he does wake soon….¨

  ¨He will need to rest,¨ finished his uncle, tensely. ¨Drink your juice and let's leave this family in peace.¨

  They crossed a heated look, and Benton could see Ren was not about to back down. He could sense Dinain eyeing them warily, aware of the awkwardness of the moment. Damn, he thought, this is what I need to finish the evening…a confrontation with the kid.

  A sound behind them interrupted the tenseness of the situation, and their heads swiveled toward the bedroom door as Lillith and Lorenna came out. Both of them smiled upon seeing the men, Dinain noticed, although what they had to be happy about, having just been taking orders from Leiren, was beyond him. Maybe that was the cause; they were on their way out, and out of reach of her temper.

  Looking upon the interactions of the young people before him Dinain felt a surprising flash of fatherly protectiveness; it seemed to him his daughter seemed remarkably relaxed and friendly with Benton's nephew. They had been childhood friends, after all, he reminded himself…difficult as it was to believe when looking at the boy's girth and stature.

  Still saw each other, probably.

  He really had no idea who his daughter was close to in the settlement, he realized suddenly. He had been so focused on his wife and their loss that he had somehow forgotten it was Lillith's loss, too. He had a lot to make up for. She was, what? Fifteen, now? Ren wasn't much older either, but...the kid towered over slim Lillith. In fact, thought Dinain suddenly, he was nearly as tall as his uncle,
and that was saying something.

  He was not the only one analyzing the scene before them. The Healer, coming up behind them, was just in time to catch the smug look on Lorenna's face.

  What's up with the girl? she thought, she looks like the cat that got the cream. Then, amused, she caught sight of Benton.

  The beautiful green eyed red-head had been pretty hard put to conceal her irritation when Leiren had called her to her side after Council, not that her teacher had time for such nonsense, and obviously downright furious when she had seen who Benton had been talking to once she left. Lorenna was used to getting her way with men.

  Leiren had found all this mildly entertaining, and decided to keep an eye on those three. She was tickled by the situation.

  Serbell had earned her respect, difficult as that was, for she managed the community's agricultural needs with great efficiency and a keen intuition. She was undeniably beautiful, with a dark, exotic appeal she seemed largely unaware of. Leiren wondered if her statuesque apprentice might have met her match in the dark-haired, petite spit-fire.

  Right now, of course, the poor man was fair game, and she could see he found the feeling of being prey, almost palpable in the air, uncomfortable. It must be disconcerting for a warrior, chuckled Leiren to herself, not to be the predator for once. Yes, definitely an interesting situation…perhaps more than merely mildly entertaining.

  She was also aware of Yeshra's hasty retreat, but the Healer set that particular can of worms to the side, for the moment. If the woman wanted to play hard to get, so be it…she had bigger fish to fry right now.

  And then there was Ren's uneasy expression when he caught sight of her. That boy had something to hide, and she wouldn't rest easy until she had ferreted it out. Time for that later, too.

  ¨I've made him as comfortable as possible,¨ Pausing, she made a noticeable effort to soften her tone, seeing Lillith's worried expression, but she had never been known for her bedside manner. ¨He's not strictly speaking unconscious anymore. He's asleep. He will probably do this for a while, so his mind and body can regenerate.” She sighed softly as she saw Ren's questioning expression. This was tasking her patience sorely, she hated repeating herself. ¨As I already explained at Council, it's really anyone's guess how long that will take. It's about time we all went home,¨ she said pointedly, heading towards the door, ¨I'll make sure nobody else comes knocking on your door tonight.¨