No True Way (10 page)

Could Kade be right? Could it be that she had Mage skill?

:I don't know what to do with it,:
she said.

It felt awkward to admit it.

:That's why I'm staying with you. I wanna see what it is you got.:

:Staying with me?:

:If you'll have me. We can find someone who can teach you about what you've got. I can help you.:

It took Nwah a moment to understand that Kade wanted to travel with her, to leave his mum and pa and stay with her. And it took Nwah a moment to understand that “if you'll have me” meant he was subjecting himself to her desire, giving her a choice. Those words meant she had value to him.

:You're still a pup.:

:Old enough to be out here now.:

:What of your mum and pa?:

:She's not my real mum. And Pa will make do for now.:

Kade smiled and Nwah leaned against the pressure of his hand as he rubbed her bruised spine. Only the fact that she was afraid to wake the robbers kept her from moaning out loud. She could feel him, too, feel him with a connection that was different from how she had felt
Rayn. This new connection was distant but there, like the smell of a buck out in the woods. Kade would never own her the way Rayn had, and Nwah would never own Kade the way she had Rayn. But she felt him, and the friction of their connection made her heart soar as it hadn't since before the attack.

Nwah jerked as Kade touched her jaw.

:We need to get you out a here before daybreak, or we'll both be in heaps a trouble. Hold tight. Don't make a clatter.:

Kade turned the bar slowly, then slid it out of the guide. The gate eased open and Nwah limped out. Her legs shook with the effort, and her muscles ached from her beating, but she could bear it. Indeed, in some ways she felt stronger for the pain, stronger for having withstood it, for having come through.

And she was free.

Nwah smelled the aroma of the dew-covered nighttime, and she heard the sounds of a forest that was forever alive. But mostly, she smelled the man who had killed Rayn, and as she stood there in the darkness, her anger rose, and her lips peeled back.

The man's chest rose in his sleep.

She instinctively lowered herself and stepped toward him, her mouth slavering with a sudden, feral hunger at the idea of sinking her teeth into his throat. Her eyes drew down, and she could see him even better in the shadows. She flicked her tail and slunk forward.

:Stop,:
Kade said.

He stepped between her and the men.

:Pa says ya shouldn't do nothin' ya might regret.:

:I wouldn't regret it.:

:Ain't right to go killing men while they're asleep no
matter what they done. Besides, everyone will name you rabid, and they'll hunt you till you're dead.:

Nwah looked at the men as they slept. She understood Kade's advice, but her need for vengeance still burned against her.

:I can't leave them be.:

:Pa says there's ways to deal with this kind a trouble.:

:And those are?:

Kade shrugged.
:Turn Hawkbrothers onto them, maybe. Or the Shin'a'in. I hear they got their own sense a justice. Or maybe you'll find something to do with that magic of yours. I don't know. We can find someone to teach you, you know? Let's leave while we still can, though, and get enough distance between us that no one can chase us down.:

He moved back, then, giving her access to the men if she so chose that direction.

She looked at Kade, this boy who was ten years old but who seemed so wise, and she sensed that he was pleading with her now. Hoping, suggesting, but not forcing. He was a healer—she knew that even if he didn't know it yet himself. And she was, apparently, a Mage even if she didn't fully believe it yet. They were going to be quite a pair. Not a pair like her and Rayn. Nothing could be like her and Rayn ever again. But they would be a team.

Yes.

They would be quite a team.

Nwah rose up then, and took a breath of nighttime air thick with clover and peat.

:All right,:
she said.
:We'll do it your way.:

And they turned together, Kade walking as silently as she did, waiting for her as she limped along, slipping
together into the forest, fading deeper and deeper into the night.

And as they slipped through the woods together, Nwah thought about what a remarkable night it was to be alive.

Kristin Schwengel

A cacophony of birdcalls emptied the
ekeles
as the whole of k'Veyas crowded toward the northern entrance to the Vale. Stardance's own
ekele
was close by, so she was near the front of the throng, pushed forward next to the Clan Elders.

“Who would be crazy enough to venture out into
this
?” Dayspring's muttered question, asked of no one in particular, echoed her thoughts. Several of the other Elders nodded agreement as he spoke. The icy rain inside the Vale was unpleasant enough, but it was better than the late-season blizzard raging beyond. Six years after the last of the Mage Storms, the k'Veyas Heartstone hadn't
quite
gained enough power to keep the weather fully tempered.

Before anyone else could speak, a snow-covered k'Veyas scout crossed the Veil into the clearing, followed by three exhausted
dyheli
bearing three equally spent riders.
Hertasi
immediately swarmed around, helping the riders dismount and wrapping them with warm blankets. A k'Veyas
dyheli
led the staggering mounts away to join the rest of the herd, which had taken refuge from the storm inside the Vale.

“Miel found their birds. They'd missed the markers in
the drifts and were far off the forest paths.” The scout shook melting snow from his head and shoulders, and Stardance blinked. He'd been so covered with white, she hadn't even recognized Nightblade's narrow features and black hair. “They're from k'Lissa.” His glance flickered over to Stardance as though he had known where she stood, and she caught a glimpse of something she couldn't name in his dark eyes. Worry, or perhaps anxiety, tinged with something she didn't recognize.

The aging Winternight, the most senior k'Veyas Elder, stepped forward, the rest of the white-haired Elders behind him. “Welcome, friends. Whatever brought you to us through this blizzard can surely wait while you restore yourselves. When you are ready, let the
hertasi
know, and they will gather the Council.” The
hertasi
took over, guiding the visitors to the nearest of the guest-
ekeles
.

Stardance slipped away to her own
ekele
, her thoughts racing. She could only guess that their coming had something to do with her, since her father had been from k'Lissa. From Nightblade's odd expression, she assumed he thought the same, even if the strangers hadn't mentioned her. Her thoughts drifted to the bedraggled visitors, trying to remember their features. One was nearly her own age, but had one of the older two shared her unusual gray-green eyes? It was years since she had last seen her father, shortly after her mother's passing, when she had already begun living among the
hertasi
with Triska, her adoptive mother. It had been so long that now she couldn't even guess if he was one of the three who had come to k'Veyas.

*   *   *

It was only a few candlemarks later that one of the
hertasi
tapped gently at the entrance to her
ekele
. This was
one of Triska's adult children, who had assigned herself to care for Stardance after the young girl's adoptive
hertasi
mother had died in the Mage Storms.

“The Council is gathering with the visitors, and Winternight has asked for you to join them,” Kikara said, then vanished back into the undergrowth.

Stardance pulled out her rain cloak once more and hurried to the Council chambers. The summons didn't surprise her, even though she was not part of the Council. The visitors must have asked for her. They were from k'Lissa, and had traveled for days through this unseasonable weather. She could think of few reasons to do so that didn't somehow involve her.

Fortunately, she was not the last to arrive at the Council. A few minutes later, two others pushed aside the inner draperies at the chamber entrance. Silverheart, the Healing Adept and Stardance's tutor, entered and sat on one side of her. The Mage Windwhisperer sat on her other side, placing his hand on her shoulder with an encouraging squeeze. She gave him a grateful glance. Since the Mage Storms and Triska's death, Windwhisperer had seen to it that she had remained a part of the Clan rather than retreating in grief. His quiet support had often guided her, and his son, Nightblade, had occasionally taken on the role of an elder brother or guardian of a sort.

Winternight stepped forward, his pale features catching the light so that he seemed to glow against the darker wall behind him, commanding the attention of all without a single syllable. “So,” he began, “the Council is assembled. Guests from k'Lissa, you may begin.”

The oldest of the three stood and looked around the assembled k'Veyas, his eyes lingering on Stardance.
Although all three had been garbed in practical travel gear, he now wore the much more flamboyant robes of a Mage, a dark red embroidered with golden flames that seemed to flicker with his movement.

“I am Firewind k'Lissa,” he said, and gestured to the two scouts. “These are Sunsong and Icewing.” He paused, his pale green eyes once again shifting over to Stardance, who struggled to maintain her neutral expression. This was her father, although she would not have recognized him. She had been barely six summers old when she had last seen him, and then only briefly before he returned to k'Lissa and his duties there. She didn't remember much of his visit, only that she had not wanted to leave Triska and that the k'Veyas Council had supported her.

“We have come with a plea for aid from Deermoon, our Healer-Mage, who is known to Silverheart.” Silverheart gave a brief nod, concern edging her soft features as the assembled k'Veyas turned to look at her.

“He is ill, with a strange sort of fatiguing illness. It has not responded to the Healers' efforts, although they do not think it is fatal. But he is too weak to do the work of the Tayledras, and none of his apprentices are yet strong enough or sufficiently trained to do so. Our other Mages do what they can, but it goes very slowly. It is our hope that one among your Healing-Mages would be able to return with us to assist Deermoon.” He sat, glancing again at Stardance as he did.

Winternight was the first to speak. “Is Deermoon expected to recover from this ailment? Will the k'Veyas visitor need to become a part of k'Lissa if he does not?”

“That would be the choice of the one who comes,” Firewind replied, choosing his words carefully. “We
would, of course, welcome a new member of the Clan, but we would be happy to have a visitor either until Deermoon recovers or until his apprentices are ready to take on the work. He has continued to teach, but he has not the strength of focus to both train his students and rebuild the network of magic. As for his recovery,” Firewind gave a tiny shrug, “the Healers are vague. They cannot find or name the source of his weakness, and so they have no answer for it.”

Winternight nodded. “We have heard your request and will consider how and if we might be able to honor it. Until the Council has decided, take your ease and recover from your journey.”

Firewind smiled ruefully. “The weather was not nearly so foul as this when we left k'Lissa, or we would have waited. We were caught by it nearly exactly halfway between the two Vales, and too late to change direction to k'Onsoya. We decided that it was better to press on and get an answer than to struggle back home with nothing.” He stood, as did the two scouts. “We will await your return summons.” The three departed the Council chamber, a
hertasi
ready to lead them to the nearest hot spring soaking pools.

Winternight turned to Silverheart. “It should be obvious why k'Lissa came to us instead of k'Onsoya, whose Vale is a little closer to theirs. Stardance's father must be wanting her to return with them.”

Silverheart, in turn, looked at Stardance, whose outward calm concealed a writhing mass of uncertainty. She gave her student an encouraging smile. “Deermoon and I studied together with a k'Treva Healer-Mage before we achieved Mastery. He is familiar with my style, which blended well with his, and would expect that any of my
students would be equally compatible. Firewind would hope for one particular student.”

“Stardance is by far the oldest and most advanced among your apprentices, and you have said she is nearly ready for her Mastery Trial,” Dayspring said. “Can she be spared? Should she wait until she takes the Trial? Would any of your other students be capable of assisting k'Lissa?”

Stardance let the conversation among the Elders and the Mages carry on around her, her ears catching occasional fragments of debate over the skills of the apprentices. Her own thoughts drifted back to the stranger who was her father. What would he expect of her, if she were to go? Surely he would want her to stay in k'Lissa, among closer blood kin than she had in k'Veyas. Her mother had had no siblings, and her own parents had died of the same illness that had taken her. If Stardance recalled correctly, her father had children with a partner in k'Lissa, so she would have half-siblings. If she went, would she herself prefer to stay among them? The thought caused a knot to form in the pit of her stomach, as though her own body protested the idea. She glanced over at the statue-like form of Windwhisperer, who was listening to the other Elders, and brought her attention back to the discussion at hand.

The Council seemed to be divided, for several of the Elders resisted the idea of being without one of Silverheart's students, even for a few moons. The arguments went back and forth with no progress being made until Windwhisperer stood.

“It is clear that, among Silverheart's students, Stardance would be the best qualified to aid k'Lissa, even before she achieves Mastery. Perhaps we should ask
what she prefers?” He sat, and the full attention of the Council focused on Stardance.

Stardance swallowed, then slowly stood, brushing her white-streaked russet hair back from her face so the Elders could read her eyes. “The longer that Deermoon is ill, the longer the magic around k'Lissa remains wild, which none of the Tayledras want. I am not . . . unwilling to assist them. If Silverheart believes me capable, and believes that k'Veyas will do well without me for a time,” she took a deep breath, quelling the knot within her, “I will go.” Nearly dizzy with anxiety, she took her seat once more.

Silverheart gave her a smile of approbation. “We will be well. Unlike Deermoon, I am at full strength, and the other apprentices are trained enough to work with me until your return.”

*   *   *

After the Council had informed the visitors from k'Lissa of Stardance's decision, she kept herself apart from everyone, retreating to her
ekele
, or even to one of the unoccupied
hertasi
caves. She wanted neither a forced friendliness with Firewind nor a flurry of overwrought emotion from some of k'Veyas, as though she were leaving forever.

One of her
hertasi
, Triska's daughter, Kikara, helped her keep her secret solitude, understanding her continuing struggle with the decision she had made. The peace of the caves helped her think, allowing her to consider the balance of her duties to her Clan with her duties as a Tayledras. For Stardance, the latter now outweighed the former, the command from the Star-Eyed to Heal the broken magic of the world.

As soon as the unseasonable snows ended, Firewind
and the k'Lissa scouts began planning their return journey.

*   *   *

On the day they had chosen to depart, many of k'Veyas came to see Stardance off. Even Nightblade came up to her, giving her an awkward hug before pressing a small, cloth-wrapped object into her hands. “For your eighteenth summer,” he muttered, his voice oddly hoarse. “Open it in k'Lissa.”

She barely managed to keep from staring at him, mouth agape, as he turned and vanished down one of the paths, his dark gray goshawk soaring overhead. Staring after him, she finally shrugged, unable to find any explanation for his unusually curt manner.

Standing next to Stardance, Windwhisperer watched his son disappear, then gave her a quizzical glance before folding her into his arms for a warm farewell. “
Zhai helleva
, Stardance,” he whispered.

“
Zhai helleva
,” Stardance replied, tears springing to her eyes. It would be Windwhisperer and Silverheart that she would miss most, and she almost couldn't bear to pull herself out of his supporting hold. A shriek from a bondbird and a call of readiness from the others drew her away, although she didn't dare to meet Windwhisperer's brown eyes for fear of losing her fragile control.

Tucking Nightblade's strange gift into the pack on the back of her
dyheli
, Stardance mounted and joined the three k'Lissa, her father and the two scouts. Kir, her falcon bondbird, swooped down to her shoulder, and the four of them crossed the Veil, hunching against the colder air beyond the border.

The days of travel through the Pelagiris developed their own peculiar rhythm: cursory meals of travel rations
supplemented by bondbird kills, sleeping in two small tents when they could not find caves near the marked paths for shelter. Her father tried to engage her in conversation, but Stardance was still aloof with him. Sunsong, the blond younger scout, was the only one with whom she found herself able to talk comfortably. Something about him reminded her of Nightblade, although he was open and cheerful where Nightblade was brooding, and that unnamed familiarity made things a little easier for her. Firewind appeared concerned, green eyes watching her with an uncertainty that seemed to sit ill with him, but she remained separate. She would not force herself into the shape of whatever daughter he might want her to be.

*   *   *

The cold had lessened, the last of the snow melting away as the small group made their final day's approach to k'Lissa Vale. Although she should have been made more comfortable by the improved weather, the increased birdsong, and the pale green spring growth coming up around them, Stardance felt ill at ease. She sensed there was something vaguely
wrong
around her. Even Kir was irritable, snapping and launching herself to the air when Stardance tried to stroke her banded breast-feathers, and the k'Veyas
dyheli
Stardance rode became skittish and unwilling to share Mindspeech. She would have asked to stop so she could sink her awareness deep into the earth to learn more, but her companions were moving ever faster, anxious to get back to their home.