Which brought him back to the question the flame-haired young woman had asked of him.
¨I'll stay wherever I'm more useful, I guess. First off, I'll probably want to go back to the settlement and hug a few old friends, but after that it's anyone's guess. Want a hand with that?¨
The young woman shook her head, and hurried on to the next patch of, to him, unrecognisable green stuff. She probably carried the basket with less trouble than he could manage anyway, and certainly with more grace, he thought looking at her kneeling figure appreciatively. Fine-looking woman, that. Reminded him of Ren's mother a bit. Lynn had been tall like that. Not a red-head, though she certainly had a legendary temper, he thought fondly.
¨And you? What are your plans?¨ She straightened up, re-arranging the shawl which had fallen from around her shoulders in a knot around her waist, and seemed to give his question serious consideration before she answered.
¨Yes, well, I'm in a quandary, a bit like you. Before coming here I would have said my place was by my teacher until I had finished my training. Now,¨ she shrugged, breaking eye-contact with the older man. ¨so much has changed none of that seems to matter anymore.¨
Her blue-green gaze turned back toward the village, and the fields where people could be seen busily at work. She picked up the basket. ¨I've got all I need, Garand. Shall we head back?¨
Nodding his head he followed her as she made her way out of the tree cover, silently pondering whether he should be thinking of making himself a good sturdy walking staff as an anticipated Christmas present. There were few trees around the old settlement, and if he did have to go back....it was a depressing thought, changing his machete for a crutch, and he shook off the cloud of pessimism threatening to overcome him just in time to see Benton's girl crossing the field in a straight line to intercept them.
Lorenna muttered something under her breath which sounded suspiciously like a swear-word to him, but he had no time to question her before Serbell stepped in front of them. Though she nodded and smiled at him it was obvious her objective was the woman now standing stiffly at his side.
¨Lorenna, good to see you. I've been looking for you for a couple of days now. Can we talk for a minute?¨
If ever there were two women sizing each other up, those two were it. He had no idea what this was about, but it didn't take a genius to figure out the two girls weren't friends. Prudently, Garand took Serbell's words for what they evidently were, a dismissal and, after waiting for the red-head's hesitant nod, Garand retired a few feet away to kick his heels and wait them out.
Close enough to intervene if necessary, but far enough to avoid being hit by any fallout, he thought grimly.
It was exciting, A bit scary, maybe, but thrilling nonetheless.
A far cry from what Leni had assumed her near future would be, when she had allowed herself to speculate, anyway. She even caught herself looking at the future with optimism for the first time, without needing Resnan's sunny outlook constantly driving her.
So much had changed since the night of the storm.
Leni was aware that in the past her capacity for reading animals' minds and emotions would have been considered wonderful. Not anymore. Now new abilities were coming to light every day even though, thank goodness, there had been no new ¨jump-starts¨.
Their impromptu lessons, guided by the ever-present Leiren in the village green right across from Dinain's workshop, were a constant source of wonder for everyone. Leni asked herself if eventually everybody on the planet would be gifted, and it would be considered normal.
The mood in the community had changed drastically since the night they had confronted the Healer, too. It was positively up-beat, she thought, draping her woollen shawl a little tighter around her. It was a bright day, but it was unmistakably an autumn sun shining down on them, lacking the warmth it had had a couple of weeks ago. Everybody had been obliged to start digging for warmer clothing, but again, there was something almost festive in the rummaging through old items and the sharing out that then ensued. Leni felt like the whole village had a sense of purpose now.
Not everything was easy sailing, of course. The adults still looked at them sometimes with a touch of wariness, especially those who hadn't developed any talent, but the looks were also tinged with hope, even more so since Sri and Leiren had declared attendance to the lessons open to all.
It had been a smart move, defusing the many tensions brought about by fear and ignorance. In the end, what had happened with Michael had turned out to be positive, bringing the community closer together.
There was a lot of work to be done. A lot of things had to be tweaked if they wanted to shape the world into any kind of resemblance to their joint vision.
Thinking back she realised how much her gift had enriched her existence. For the first time since she was a child, she felt happy, at ease. Surrounded by friends, with exciting new prospects and dreams, she felt free to let go of the heavy load of pain, shame and bitterness she had been carrying for most of her young life.
Leni had finally made peace with her past.
She was grateful that in her case her talent hadn't been as difficult to handle as fire or say, wind, like poor little Sandra, who had yet to control it and was permanently apologising to people after knocking them down with strong gusts. With that sunny disposition which reminded Leni somewhat of Terrell, the short stocky girl brought out the best in everyone and everybody seemed to find the situation amusing. Leni herself would have died of embarrassment.
Thankfully her most complicated job now, she thought wryly, was to convince everybody to become vegetarians. She had never brought the subject up before out of respect for her fellow villagers, but it had been a thorn in her flesh now for the longest, and she had finally convinced herself that today was as good a day as any.
She shivered restlessly, her nerves finally catching up with her.
The good thing about these sessions was that Leiren made a point of exploring what each person felt, the advantages, the drawbacks, and how they used their gifts. The Healer had found it was the quickest way for everybody to not just understand their own ability better through vocalisation, but also empathise with the others. Leni had heard Resnan muttering darkly about how she was copying Sri's methods but, if it was so, the young girl failed to see the problem. Many a dilemma had been solved in this manner, and it drew them all closer. She sighed. Resnan could be such a hard-headed idiot at times.
Today one by one her friends talked about whatever was bothering them, their issues, or simply their doubts. Knowing she planned to share her thoughts, Terrell winked at her encouragingly and flashed her one of his brilliant smiles. She smiled back at him hesitantly, trying to draw strength from his unwavering support, but unfortunately she was already feeling butterflies knotting up her stomach. She wondered if she was going to throw up and make a fool of herself.
In the end, it wasn't so bad. Though characteristically shy, Leni was pretty blunt when it was her turn to speak.
¨The biggest drawback to my talent, in my view, is being able to witness the animals' death agony, especially when we are the cause.¨ She paused, battling against her discomfort at being the centre of attention. This was worth the effort, she told herself, this could make a difference.
¨I haven't been able to eat meat since I was first conscious of their minds,¨ she said, her eyes drooping at the memory.
Ren, wrapped around Lillith as usual lately, looked a bit put out.
She knew he loved his meat, but she went on regardless, avoiding his belligerent stare. ¨I mean, their last thought seems to be Why?, and in all honesty I couldn't come up with anything that satisfied my conscience, so I stopped eating it.¨ She looked down at her feet, and shuffled in an awkward, self-conscious manner. ¨It really wasn't that hard.¨
She crossed a shy glance with the plump long-haired blond sitting on the ground across from her, who nodded understandingly. Tina got it. She was an empath, after all, although not as powerful as p
oor Michael, and she could only feel other human emotions, not read animals like Leni herself.
Noticing the interaction between the two girls Resnan wondered if that was why Sri seemed so caring. If you could feel people's emotions, or read their minds, you wouldn't want to be the cause of their suffering. Leni had always been a caring, sweet girl anyway, but look what that shit had done to Michael. It must suck, actually. He wouldn't want to be in people's heads...smelling them was more than enough.
He could understand where his friend was coming from actually, even if, like Ren, he wasn't too happy about where this was headed. He really enjoyed using his enhanced olfactory senses to track when out hunting. It gave him a sense of mission. Though if he wanted to be brutally honest last time he had been out tracking with Terence and Sam he'd been so put off by the stench of fear and adrenaline coming off the animal that he hadn't even eaten once they had killed it, brought it back and cooked it. So, maybe the girl had a point, he admitted, albeit grudgingly.
Looking up he caught Sri regarding him with a decidedly sardonic expression. That mind-reader up to his tricks again.
Damn, this whole new world thing was going to be more complicated than he had expected...
He grinned almost wolfishly in anticipation. He couldn't wait to start.
Resnan loved a challenge.
¨You need me to do what?¨
Serbell sighed impatiently.
She had questioned the wisdom of being the one to ask the statuesque red-head, her ex-rival for Benton's affections, for help. As far as she was concerned Yeshra could have done a much better job and saved them both a world of embarrassment, but of course Sri had insisted. Something about healing wounds and bridging gaps...very Sri, all of it. But it had her squirming with embarrassment in front of this woman who had always made her feel inferior.
She would love to get her hands on some of that muck Resnan and Garand were passing off as home-made liquor right about now, she thought. At least it was strong, it might get her through this.
Not that Lorenna seemed to be faring much better. The woman seemed to be trying to detect the trap hidden in Serbell's request. It was obvious she hadn't believed her when she had told her bygones were bygones, and Serbell couldn't blame her. As happy and secure as she felt in her relationship with Benton, those weeks of pain and uncertainty still smarted. As did the understanding that if Lorenna were to see the slightest chance to snare her man, she would pounce.
No, neither woman was fool enough to believe this was a truce.
¨Yeshra needs help, we both do. Sri was hoping Lee could do it, that he could train her with time, but the dratted girl won't go anywhere near Michael after what she saw. Well,¨ she paused and shook her head, taking a deep breath, ¨it was pretty awful. The thing is, Sri reckons you would be perfect. And I have to say,¨ she couldn't believe she was saying this, Serbell thought, ¨I agree.¨
The aggravating woman looked at her with apparent disbelief in those cold blue-green eyes. The disdainful curl of that perfect upper lip almost made Serbell turn on her heel and forget the whole thing. Let that idiot doctor come himself. But, the truth was she had grown fond of Michael, and had vowed to keep his best interests in mind. Well, wasn't this a lesson in humility? Swallowing the bitterness down, Serbell steeled herself and trudged on doggedly.
¨Lorenna, we both know you are second-best only to Leiren. You have a level head on your shoulders and, as much as I may hate to admit it after our past history, you're a strong woman, not a bitty girl who will throw the towel down at the first sign of trouble. There will be trouble, probably. And,¨ Serbell eyed the other woman doubtfully, not really knowing how she was going to take her next words, ¨you're normal.¨
She continued quickly as she saw Lorenna's eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. ¨It's bad enough with Sri and Yeshra in the mix...Michael is too busy trying to sort out all the static occurring naturally around him to have to deal with all that extra load as well. Regular emotions are more than enough. He is still too sensitive, not ready for that.¨
¨Are any of us?¨ Lorenna rubbed her eyes wearily and then gave the slim brunette before her a tentative smile. It totally transformed her expression and for one fleeting moment Serbell regretted things couldn't be different between them. ¨Okay...what would this entail? I still have a shit-load of work to do for Leiren, you know.¨
¨We can talk the details over some tea, if that's okay with you but…Sri mentioned that...It seems he believes Leiren might be open to letting you off the hook at certain times in exchange for Yeshra's help on some matter.¨ She didn't mention how hard it had been to get the blond-haired woman to agree to this, but she did catch Lorenna's amused chuckle. It seemed the apprentice was in on whatever had Yeshra so agitated and Leiren looking so satisfied. She would just have to dig a bit to rattle the information out of someone.
As they started walking back toward the village both women pointedly ignored the relieved look Garand cast at both of them as they passed him by chatting amicably. He couldn't be happier his instincts had proved him wrong. For a moment there he could have sworn he was going to have a cat-fight on his hands and man, he was not up for the challenge.
EPILOGUE
The Healer and the doctor looked each other in the eyes, grey to blue, and smiled, fully recognising their affinity.
It had been a long, confusing journey simply to reach this moment in time. Here they both stood after all they had both gone through.
They could now admit it freely, this was simply a transition point.
For the wise-woman it had been hard, so hard to let go, but now she was bound to go forward, hand in hand with this handsome blond boy who knew how to crash all her walls and barriers, and help these kids create a new reality. The real work started now, she thought, and it would have to be undertaken unfettered by ego, power-struggles and fear.
A challenge for her, indeed. And one he seemed convinced she would overcome.
They stood there under the cloudless sky, looking at each other openly and frankly admiring what they saw.
Leiren barely reached his chest but her strong presence overrode that. Sri saw strength, wisdom and the mysterious quality which had always attracted him to this charismatic woman. He didn't need to delve in her mind in order to know her, now. He respected her, her dauntless independent spirit and crystal-clear judgement. What was more important, he liked her, a lot.
As for the wise-woman, with her usual searing soul-searching she had already ruefully admitted to herself she was probably more than a little in love with him.
The tall blue-eyed man with his long blond dreadlocks had claimed a part of her heart when she saw how adamantly he clung to his values and belief in Humanity's ability to evolve positively, even in the face of her blatant manipulation.
She wasn't ashamed of what had transpired that stormy evening. She had acted true to character, believing it was in their best interest. Truth to tell, she was still a little stunned that those kids had been able to withstand her, and couldn't help but wonder...what if?
But Sri...To have the ability to read minds and not make personal use of it marked him as a true leader, caring, strong and fair. The first person in all her life whose lead she wouldn't mind following. And that was saying something.
Not that he expected that of her, or anybody else for that matter.
Everything had to be done by consensus, however painstaking and time-consuming it might get. At times she had to admit she found it sorely trying, but the light in his eyes every time agreement on something was reached almost made it worth it for Leiren.
Almost.
She still had to curb her impatient nature more often than not. She couldn't bear with wafflers, and there were a fair share here, as in any community. Leiren shuddered to think what the meetings would be like back at their own settlement.
They had planned to return before winter set in and the roads became impossible. She sighed, wondering what the Council Elders would make of the
man before her, and then shook her head dismissively when he quirked a questioning eyebrow at her. He knew her too well.
She herself had had to use the full force of her personality and extensive manipulation to steer those pesky Council members in the desired direction, but Sri was showing her there were other ways. She was learning that though people might not always do what was expected of them, especially stubborn ones like the elders, she thought grimly, in the end a path was being crafted, by all and for all.
He trusted this new beginning, had faith in these children, and didn't want to shape the new reality with the old one's mould.
In spite of her unavoidable need to control, inherent in her character, she had come to believe he might be right.
As he had made her understand, the new powers could only be controlled by those who wielded them. All she could do was to help them reach a consensus, walk a common path and hope everyone had evolved enough to want to achieve a common goal.
He believed they had.
She wanted to believe he was right.
“Moonspells - Dragonride”
Rooted deep into the depths, moved so deeply by the tides,
Tapping secretly into the magick that the white Witch rides...
Brother, Sister...can you hear the call?
The sacred flame is slowly heating up your Soul...
Reach out past the Horizon; brush the Moon with outstretched fingers...
In spite of pain and grief, the essence of your stardust memory still lingers.
This Earth that you were born in, although wounded to the core,
Only needs the strength of all your dreams, to take true flight and soar.
Sister, Brother...what are you waiting for?
Aftermath Page 19
