"You don't sound bitter about that," Chatta murmured with a puzzled smile.
"Why should I be?" I shrugged one shoulder. "It's just the truth."
"Most siblings would be," she observed.
"Not in my family," I disagreed. "We've always been close, even when I was so frustrated that I wanted to just pound my brothers into the ground, or strangle Kaydan to shut her up. I knew that I could always count on them. We're all different, with different strengths, and that's how it should be. It'd be boring if we were equal in everything."
Chatta was truly smiling now. "I like that attitude. My sister and I can never agree on anything—I wish we'd been raised like you." She paused, biting her bottom lip nervously before venturing, "Do they know why you left?"
"Yes." The word was a bare whisper. "It was my mother who figured it out. I can almost see the fear on her face even now. Both of my parents sat me down late one night and voiced their suspicions. I couldn't disagree. It was decided then that I had to leave, for my sake as well as for the family. I was gone the next morning."
Her hand on my arm tightened briefly in a comforting squeeze. "They'll be happy to hear that you made it here safely, and are doing all right."
"Yes." But I still missed them.
Chapter Twelve: Mages
Mornings really weren't the best time of the day for me. If it weren't for Kartal shaking me awake, I could have continued sleeping peacefully for another few hours.
I stifled a yawn as I stepped out of the inn and into the sparkling light of a new day. Night had come out here earlier, to keep an eye on a very sick Didi. As prophesied, he'd been sick most of the night because of ingesting so much sugar. At least he'd gotten all of the taffy off of himself.
I looked around for my Nreesce, just to verify that he still had an eye on Didi. He was near the water trough in the stables, with Didi draped like some dead rat over the edge of the trough. It was the old woman standing near Night that gave me pause.
Never had I seen anyone dressed like this woman. She wore tight leather pants on her legs, and an over-tunic of deep green that dropped almost to the ground. It was split in back and front all the way up to her upper thighs. Her nearly white hair was pulled in a tight braid that wound around her head, with little strands of leather and beads hanging down to her shoulders.
This is going to sound strange, but when I looked at her I felt…power. Not like mine—not like any Witch or Wizard's that I've ever met, but there was power there.
Perhaps she felt my gaze on her, because she looked up, straight into my face. One hand pointed to the seal that was Braided into Night's mane. "Is this your seal?"
I think she already knew that it was. My nod only confirmed her suspicions.
"Then you are his Rider."
The way she emphasized the word made it clear that she knew Night was a Nreesce. Just who was this woman? "I am."
Slowly she walked to me, each step speaking of effort. I was walking to meet her before clearly thinking about it—I didn't want her to move more than necessary, since it was obviously difficult for her.
Placing both hands over her heart she inclined her head to me. "I am Roha of Del, DauZmor to the Tonkawacon."
Only half of her words made sense. The Tonkawacon are a largely nomadic tribe who lived far to the north, past the Beor Mountains. They have several different tribes; the Del being the most visible, as they are hunters and tradesmen. Usually if you saw a Tonkawacon in a city, he was of the Del Tribe. Someone in my Jaunten past had met a DauZmor before, and knew that they were important in the tribe. How are they important? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I knew enough to treat this woman with absolute respect and deference, however. I bowed to her politely. "I am Rhebengarthen. Thank you for the gift of name."
"You are an Earth Mage."
"One in training," I admitted without a qualm.
She nodded as if she hadn't expected anything else. "I have something that I must give you."
Ah…okay? She gestured for me to follow her. I hesitated in doing it, but, well…I was just too curious. I shortened my stride to match hers and followed without a word. She led me toward the very back of the inn. There were several horses there and other men who had the same styled clothing as the DauZmor. These could only be her tribesmen. As they saw my approach, everyone slowly stopped whatever they were doing and turned to face me. That kind of response was a little nerve-wracking, and I was beginning to wonder if blindly following was such a good idea.
The DauZmor abruptly stopped. "Trev'nor."
A little boy of about four years appeared from behind one of the horses and scampered to her. I knew by looking at him that he could not be a Tonkawacon by birth. Every Tonkawacon in front of me had dark coloring—this boy was more like me, pale blond hair and dark blue eyes. He stopped in front of us, staring up at me in unabashed curiosity.
I glanced at the DauZmor, looking for some sort of hint of her intentions. She steadily looked back at me, face blank. Well, that didn't help much. I turned my eyes back to the little boy. She'd obviously called him for a reason. I just had to figure out why.
Dropping to one knee I smiled at him. "I am Rhebengarthen."
"Trev'nor," the boy responded promptly. "You have a long name."
"I know." My lips twitched slightly. Children are so blunt it's almost funny. "Most people call me Garth."
"You have hair like mine." He reached up one hand to touch my hair—
—and I knew. I felt his power touch my very core, and I recognized it for what it was.
He was an Earth Mage.
Undeveloped, untrained, and far from mature, but the power of a Mage was there nonetheless. I sucked in a sharp breath, eyes flaring wide at the realization.
I nearly fell over, I spun around so fast, searching the DauZmor's face for confirmation that I didn't need. She nodded once, firmly. My eyes helplessly gravitated back to the little boy. I had thought I was the only one, but it wasn't true. Here in front of me was another Mage.
"You must take him with you," the DauZmor told me softly.
One of the men stepped forward, anger etched into the lines of his face. "DauZmor, this is not wise. The boy has great power. We should not put it into the hands of a stranger."
"His power is beyond our understanding, Braken. The Tonkawacon have no way to train him. This man is an Earth Mage; he has the ability to help the boy."
"He is still a stranger," the man named Braken argued. "We should not give the boy up lightly."
Roha of Del drew herself up to her full height. For a moment I was forcefully reminded of my mother. The DauZmor had the exact same expression of determination and authority that Mom sometimes wore. "I have spoken, Braken."
And that was the end of it, never mind that it was one lone woman against fifteen men twice her size. She had spoken, and that was just the way it would be.
Confident that she had them cowed, she turned back to me and repeated, "You must take him with you."
I thought of those months when my power started to awaken, and how scared I had been of myself. If I didn't take Trev'nor with me now, the same thing would happen to him. Roha of Del knew it, and it was what she was trying to avoid. "Yes, I must," I agreed quietly.
The little boy in front of me was confused, but he knew that something serious was being decided. He looked at the DauZmor for an answer, but she wasn't giving him one, so he looked at me.
I took a breath and tried to break it down to his level so that he could understand. "Trev'nor, do you know what a Mage is?"
He nodded immediately. "It’s a person with lots of magic."
That'll work. "I am one of those people."
"You can do magic?"
"Yes, I can."
"Can I see?"
I should have expected that next question. Little boys always wanted to see for themselves. I thought for a moment, then reached for the bon'a'lon hanging from my waist. I stood up and retreated a step so that I would have enough
room, then I triggered the spell in the wood. The rod shot in both directions, blades springing free from each end.
People all around me jumped, muttering amongst themselves in low tones. Trev'nor's eyes grew as round as saucers, with his mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ of surprise.
I let it stay like that for a moment, then hit the spell again, folding everything back into the five inch rod. "Neat, huh?"
He nodded vigorously in agreement.
I knelt back down to his level, wanting him to truly understand. "Trev'nor, you can do this too."
At that he frowned, looking doubtful. "I can?"
"Not quite yet," I admitted. "But you will be able to. You have the power of a Mage in you, my young friend. It will need time to grow and develop, but eventually you'll be able to work magic like I do."
That pleased him enormously, and he smiled. "Can I do it tomorrow?"
"Probably not." I guess when you're only four, tomorrow is a long ways away. "You're going to have to grow up some more before your magic awakens. But it will happen, of that I have no doubt."
The DauZmor stepped in closer, calling the boy's attention to her. "Trev'nor, you must go with this man. He will be able to teach you about your power."
"You can't do it?" His face scrunched up in a frown.
"No, I cannot."
I could see the panic begin to build on his face. He liked the idea of working magic, but he didn't like that he would have to leave the only home that he had ever known.
"Trev'nor." The DauZmor's voice was stern. "You will go with this Mage."
He didn't like it, but the boy nodded. Apparently, even he knew better than to argue with her. I could sympathize with the kid—I'd lost my home too because of my abilities. I stood, hefting him into my arms as I rose. He buried his face into my shoulder, both hands knotting into my shirt.
Someone brought a saddlebag forward, presumably with Trev'nor's things in it. I slung it over my empty shoulder with a nod of thanks.
The DauZmor had a look of longing on her face, but she was right to give the boy to me, and we both knew it.
"I will take care of him like he is my own," I promised her quietly.
"The Guardians watch you and bless you," she returned just as softly.
With a last nod to her, I turned and headed back to Night. As I walked, I tried to work out in my mind just how I was going to explain all of this to Night, Chatta and Kartal.
Not to mention the Trasdee Evondit Orra when I got back to Del'Hain.
When did my life get so complicated, anyway?
~*~
Chatta looked at the child in my arms and said blankly, "That's a little boy."
"Thank you, Miss Obvious," Kartal drawled sarcastically. He had been fastening his saddlebags, but at my entrance had straightened up to look at us. "Rhebengarthen, where did you get the boy?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but couldn't figure out how to formulate it right. After a moment of thought, I finally offered, "He was given to me."
"Given to you," Chatta parroted dubiously.
With a sigh I related what had just happened out in the yard. While I talked I noticed that everyone's bags were down and packed. All we had to do was saddle up and we'd be ready to go. Well, I had to settle Trev'nor in somewhere so he could travel with us too, but that should be easy enough to do. He should be able to ride with me.
When I was done, they were both staring at the little boy in my arms with blatant astonishment scrawled on their faces.
"Another Earth Mage," Chatta breathed incredulously. "And he's so young too!"
"His power isn't active," I explained patiently. "But the potential for it is definitely there. When he touched me earlier, it was like…" I frowned, trying to put that strong sensation into words. "Almost like touching your own reflection. His power is the same as mine, just immature."
"The Trasdee Evondit Orra is going to have a minor fit when they find out about this," Kartal observed. "It's been nearly two hundred years since we had a Mage. Then we get two of them in the space of three months. They're going to be beside themselves!"
That was probably an understatement. I ducked my head a little, trying to see Trev'nor's face. "Trev'nor?"
He glanced up at me, still unhappy and a little lost.
I tried to keep my voice gentle and encouraging as I talked to him. "I want you to meet some people. This is L-Chattamoinita. She's a Witch, and a very good friend."
Trev'nor glanced at her shyly and muttered, "She has a long name too."
"Yeah, she does," I agreed and winked at Chatta. "I call her Chatta. I bet she'd let you call her that too."
"I certainly will," Chatta declared. She came around to my shoulder so that she could see his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Trev'nor."
He didn't answer, but he did smile and sit up a little so that he could see her better.
"And this is Roarke Kartal, a Wizard."
Kartal nodded to him cordially enough. "Hello."
Night came up behind me and nudged me right in the middle of my back with his nose. With a sigh I turned so that Trev'nor could see him. "And this is Night."
"He's a special horse," Trev'nor said knowingly.
I blinked at that and looked down at him. "Yes, he is. How did you know?"
"He talked to me."
Inter-es-ting. I quirked an eyebrow at Night. "Did he really?"
"He wanted to re-Braid me," Night explained. "He said he could make it better so that it could never be taken out. I told him not to touch it."
"Ah. Did he listen?"
"It glows green," Trev'nor explained. "Horsey said that was 'cause it was magic and it won't fall out."
I blinked at him in astonishment. He could see the magic? Usually I could only feel it—but at this young age, he could see it? "You can see it glowing green?"
Trev'nor just nodded his head.
Curiosity stole over me and I just had to ask. "Do I glow to you too?"
"You're green and brown," Trev'nor answered promptly. Then he pointed at Chatta. "She's white," the little finger shifted to Kartal, "and he's white."
"Chatta," my voice was a little shaky, and I took a breath to steady it. "Is it normal for magical children to see magic at this age?"
"I didn't until I was ten," she answered with just as much shock on her face as I'm sure there was on mine.
"I was turning nine when I could see it," Kartal confirmed uneasily. "You?"
"There was no magic around me," I reminded him. "I'm not sure what I would have experienced if I'd been born in Hain instead." I had thought it would take several years for Trev'nor's powers to start awakening; not until he was a teenager at least, but now I wasn't so sure. This was not on my "normal scale'' and I wasn't sure what to do at this point.
"I think we need to get back to Del'Hain quickly," Chatta said firmly.
The unspoken words hovered in the air between us; get the boy to experts who have some idea of what is going on.
"A wise idea," Kartal approved quietly. His dark eyes were trained on Trev'nor, and whatever he was thinking wasn't entirely pleasing.
Without another word we picked up our saddlebags and went outside to saddle up the horses. Time was once again of the essence, and we didn't know how much of it we had.
Chapter Thirteen: Culture Clashes
Trev'nor could indeed ride with me, and with great ease. I should have expected this—after all, the Tonkawacon people were famous for their beautiful horses. I sat him in front of me in the saddle, waiting to see how he did. The boy had a better sense of a horse's rhythm than I did. Just for fun I gave him the reins and watched as he guided my mare Sunny with complete confidence.
It's sad that a four year old is a better rider than I.
Having Trev'nor along was actually something of a blessing. At the very beginning of the trip, he dug out my peanut butter and fed some of it to Night. After that, he and Night got along famously, forming an immediate friendship. The true mira
cle was with Didi, however. Apparently part of the Tonkawacon culture included knowing how to braid and tie very secure knots. When Chatta explained that Didi liked all sorts of string, and undoing knots and locks, Trev'nor borrowed three of Chatta's ribbons and braided them in such a complex fashion that I literally couldn't figure out the pattern.
Didi was beside himself trying to undo it. He only unraveled a part of it before it was an unholy mess. We were all amused watching the Meuritta whimper in frustration, with his hands caught up in the ribbons.
Trev'nor took pity on him and untangled everything, then took the braid out completely. How, I have no idea. I still couldn't figure out the pattern. He called the Meuritta over, settled him in his lap, and then started to patiently teach Didi how to do the exact same braid.
You'd think Didi had been handed the key to life's greatest mystery. I've never seen him so still, so quiet. He was literally absorbed in learning how to braid, to the point that the outside world didn't exist anymore.
We were all so grateful that the Meuritta was being well behaved that we didn't question the means.
That was something of a mistake, in retrospect.
Have you ever woken up and just known that something wasn't quite right? One day into the trip back to Del'Hain and already something felt a little off. I glanced quickly around the campsite, but everyone was peacefully sleeping. Trev'nor was sleeping an arm's length away from me with Didi curled around his head, tail twitching slightly. Night was curled up at my back, radiating warmth that I appreciated in the slight chill of the morning.
Chatta was on the opposite side of the fire, still curled up in her bedroll. I couldn't see much of Kartal from this angle except his boots, but he apparently was still asleep as well.
No, everyone was fine. Even the protective wards we had put up around our campsite were undisturbed. So what felt off?
I lifted my head up and that's when I felt it—something thick shifting against my cheek. I gingerly felt my way along my hair until I found it. My hair was too short to really see much, but from what I could make out, there were two ribbons braided tightly into my hair, one brown and the other green. I recognized the braid instantly as the one that Trev'nor had been teaching Didi yesterday.
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