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Chapter 1: Escapes

Faylinn Seath Adair's footsteps echoed softly in the stone passage as she walked carefully towards the Center Hall. She pulled her deep blue cloak forward over her Nashrethi clothes and covered her face with its hood. She was thankful for the warm Ahkajin boots her dark green pants were tucked into. Her native footwear consisted of sandals with the occasional cloth wrapping to protect from cold and many Nashrethi didn't wear shoes at all.

Occasional torches dimly lit the hall, and brighter light flooded out from the open doorways of rooms she passed. She should have remained with her classmates in the room their teacher had left them in, the second to last on the right side of the hall. She should have, but even Faylinn Seath, known to avoid breaking any rules, could not resist the chance to see an ambassador from across the Ocean of Winds. Her instructor was to take part in the greeting ceremony, so Faylinn Seath was to sit in the cold room with her classmates and do nothing. A false fit of coughing had convinced them she needed a trip to the kitchens for water well enough that Faylinn Seath shouldn't be missed, even if her instructor returned unexpectedly. At the end of the hall, Faylinn Seath slipped through the large doors.

The Center Hall was massive. The domed ceiling rose far higher above Faylinn Seath's head than anything but a need to impress everyone who entered the Hall could account for. Merchant booths always lined the walls and filled much of the floor; most of them were Edrylan, but most merchants anywhere were Edrylan. Edrylag, the center country on the continent, controlled most trade routes, and many skilled merchants populated her. Faylinn Seath browsed the merchants' booths, all the time watching the enormous doors the ambassador was to enter through.

Her instructor had explained that an Ahkajin ship met one of the ambassador's peoples' ships while adrift in the Ocean of Winds. No Nashrethi Master of the ship would have allowed such a thing to happen, but the Ahkajin captain's incompetence on the ship was the only reason anyone knew of these Dylunzians. A number of the more reliable rumors claimed the Dylunzian ambassador was also their prince-a prince! Only Ramnothwa and Majim still had princes, and only in Ramnothwa did one have a chance of ruling one day. But apparently this ambassador was the crown prince! Faylinn Seath understood a king as something similar to a Master of the Seas, only he would rule based on his birth rather than skill. The Master, or Mistress, of the Seas ruled in Nashreth only after coming out first in a tournament of strength, skill, and intellect. Most died in the attempt. Even here in Ahkaj an elected council of two nobles (chosen by the common people) and a commoner (chosen by the nobles) ruled. Anyway, she hoped he was attractive whoever he was. It would make no difference if he was uglier than a toad, but still, every girl she had spoken to hoped he was a handsome young prince. It fit better with the stories that way, picturesque and romantic.

Faylinn Seath came to a booth displaying every type of jewelry she could imagine. A bowl made of one small center bowl and six surrounding bowls attached to it held numerous glittering rings. Each bowl in the outer six held rings native to one of each of the Six Nations: Nashreth, Ahkaj, Denulb, Edrylan, Majim, and Ramnothwa. Many of the rings bore the simplified symbols of each country, often beneath a translucent gem. The center bowl seemed to hold a few random rings that lacked definite markers of their origins. Faylinn Seath rather liked rings-she wore a small one with a blue stone on the middle finger of her right hand-so she looked through those from Nashreth. Most of them were nearly identical to too many rings she had seen before, so with a slight sigh Faylinn Seath moved onto the center bowl. Most of the rings were small and simple, but one was a massive thing, definitely meant to be worn on a large male hand. It was gold and cut into the shape of an excessively detailed dragon holding a sheathed sword. The blood red stone in the ring looked like garnet, and behind it she saw a symbol similar to those of the countries, but completely unfamiliar. It looked something like a rounded "U," but on the right side it stopped short of the top and struck out in a small diagonal line going down and to the right.

"Do you like it?" The merchant's words broke through Faylinn Seath's musings. "I'll give you a deal: half off."

Faylinn Seath started. The ring was far too large for her and lacked the elegant simplicity she looked for in jewelry, but the woman was Edrylan. Edrylans never sold anything for less than they absolutely had to. "Why?" She looked up at the merchant, a brown-skinned woman in her middle years. A bright, if simple, purple scarf held back her near-black hair. She wore large golden hoop earrings and a simple gold chain around her neck. Her almost too simple dress matched the scarf. She may have been pretty when she was younger, but her face was worn with travel and her eyes held a deep sense of worry.

The merchant shook her head, "Fine a piece as it is, no one will buy it. I don't know why, but I've had it too long." Faylinn Seath didn't like the ring itself, but it would look fine on the table in her room. She had always like dragons, and whoever made it obviously spent a great deal of time on it. Faylinn Seath paid for the ring and slipped it into one of the discrete pockets sewn into the inside of her wide belt and moved to stand near the doors she had entered the Hall from. They stood near enough the main entrance she would see the ambassador, prince or no, fairly clearly. Almost as soon as she leaned against the wall to wait, the needlessly massive doors burst open, obviously by magic. A man walked in. He stood tall with his back straight, and his strange clothes marked him as what must be a Dylunzian. Faylinn Seath stood straight up and watched the door; the ambassador would not be the first to enter a strange place. She saw a young man walk in-he couldn't have been any older than she was-but the way he held himself and the first man's bow told Faylinn Seath plainly that he was the ambassador. A prince then, she could think of no other reason to send someone any younger than twenty. Curly blonde hair brushed his unusually pointed ears, and violet eyes stared out at everyone in the hall. His belt was as thick as Faylinn Seath's, but higher up and in separate parts connected by leather chord. Everything about him was bright and flamboyant. He raised his bejeweled left hand to point into the throng of merchants and shoppers Faylinn Seath had just exited. The first man bowed deeply and immediately turned to walk where his prince pointed.

Only when other Dylunzians poured into the Center Hall, wielding magic and striking everyone in their paths did anyone realize what was happening. Faylinn Seath nearly screamed and fumbled the doors open to run. She bolted the door once she was through, but a tall man with impossibly blue hair had already noticed her. She ran down the hall as lighting pierced and shattered the door. The man chased her down the hall, shooting bolts of blue lightning at her. She barely managed to dodge them, and tried a few times to send back small but fast balls of flame, which he brushed aside effortlessly, like flies. She skidded into the room with her classmates, and only avoided falling to the floor because one of them-she thought it was Adymn Thomlin-managed to catch her. "Attacker. Lightning. Behind me." she yelled, panting, as she let Adymn help her to her feet. "Link under Kori!" Everyone immediately linked, joining their magic and their thoughts, which all flowed into the Lohpuh Ah Thu'oht, Pool of Thought. Each of them immediately gave control of the entire link to Kori, who prepared a counterspell for the lightning they all knew was coming. More than just one person could have controlled the link, but it would have slowed everything because all decisions made in a link had to be unanimous among its leaders. They learned that lesson in sparring matches with other students. Linking was rare except when learning it, but they still learned it well.

The man ran in almost before she was ready, but Kori's speed and the strength of nearly twenty students easily overcame him. She smiled, her dark eyes shining brightly, when the man fell to the ground unconscious. Faylinn Seath and the rest of the class chose her to lead because of her greatest skill in magic: countering lightning. Kori released the link, the only way any of them could have released their own magics. "So," she said, looking at Faylinn Seath suspiciously, "Not the kitchens I take it?"

Faylinn Seath smiled apologetically at her friend and shook her head. "No Kori," It always felt strange calling anyone by only one name. Nashrethi all had two given names they went by except when a surname was necessary, so she felt like half of Kori's name was missing. "But at least I know there are more of them. A lot more. And they're all strong."

Kori nodded. "We need to leave then, in smaller links. We-"

"We need to fight them off, not run like cowards with our tails between our legs!" Adymn cut it. A few people nodded in agreement.

Faylinn Seath shook her head, swaying her long brown braid and the somewhat shorter bangs that hung loose from it. "All of us in the Hall panicked. Any chance of countering them will be later, not when we're all running around too scared to do any good. Besides, everyone I saw but the ambassador was Ehjem." Her classmates expressions became worried. Ehjem were those who could wield magic. Some called them mages, and some others witches, but Ehjem was what they called themselves, and what they wanted others to call them.

"Why did they attack? What good would it do them?" Kori seemed to be talking to herself, but she looked at Faylinn Seath.

"How would I know?" She turned towards the rest of the class, raising her hand. "All in favor of leaving to regroup." Most of the class's hands, including Kori's, joined hers. She raised her other hand. "All against." Only six, and Adymn hadn't voted at all.

They linked in groups of three to five and agreed to meet in the forested hills just outside the city within a day. The groups all went to the end of the hall opposite the Center Hall and set off in different directions. They all hoped to escape and knew it was more likely at least a few of them would if they moved in smaller groups. Faylinn sneaked with Kori and Adymn. She wished she had her daggers, but most teachers were known to randomly search the students who commonly carried concealed weapons, and no one could catch a glimpse of a prince when confined to her rooms. Adymn kept a watch in front, while Kori watched behind, leaving Faylinn Seath to walk in the middle and look both left and right as best she could. The others helped her with that though because she held the link. Her main job was to decide who was most suited to whatever they needed magic for at any particular time-a skill she wasn't sure how she possessed-and to pass it immediately to whomever that was. They made it to the nearest gate without incident, but Adymn stopped before they stepped out of the cover of the trees. He motioned to the ground a few paces left of the gate, and Kori gasped a little too loudly for comfort. Faylinn Seath gritted her teeth. She could see little more than four mounds on the ground, but one of them wore her classmate Lirit's favorite cloak, brighter than the eye could stand and covered with impossibly colored dragonflies. No one else could ever stand to wear that cloak. No one. They looked around the area, even bravely sneaking through the small copse, but they found no Dylunzians. Faylinn Seath passed the link to Kori because she was the fastest of the group. Cautiously, the three of them moved out towards the gate from the part of the trees where they would have the shortest distance to walk.

Faylinn Seath tried to look in all directions at once, but she only noticed Kori and Adymn trying to do the same. They opened the gate slowly, looking for enemies on both sides. Once Adymn said all was clear they ran through the gate and straight into the nearest part of the woodlands outside the city. Faylinn Seath breathed deeply, thankful that they had been so close to the city's edge, though she knew some of her classmates would have to move through parts of the city to get out. Not everyone could take the quickest route. She smiled, glad to have made it out so easily.

Her smile transformed into a small shriek as the ground beneath her began to writhe like snakes and latched onto her ankles. Kori immediately tried to slash at the bonds with air, but she had almost no skill with it and only understood how to draw on others' powers, not their skills. She passed the link to her restrained friend as soon as she saw that her attempts were useless. Faylinn Seath used Kori's skill with water to turn her restraints to mud so Adymn could pull her out.

"There!" He pointed foreward and to the left, where Faylinn Seath noticed a slight unusual motion in the leaves. She immediately incased the bottom half of the large bush and whoever was behind it in air, courtesy of Adymn's skills, to keep whoever it was from moving. Before she had finished that, though, she used all four physical elements-fire, air, earth, and water-to similarly bind the Ehjem's ability to wield magic. It was a crude restraint, but the best anyone without use of a higher element-light, dark, or mind-could manage. Before moving to whoever waited behind the bush, Faylinn Seath used water and air to wash and dry her pale grey boots. Adymn shot her a strange look, but she didn't want her boots too beat up, worn out, or dirt encrusted since she wasn't sure when she'd get another decent pair. She shrugged and walked over with Kori and Adymn.

A woman with darker skin than even a Majian crouched motionlessly behind the bush. She glared them, completely encased in a spell of solid air up to just below her nose. "Why are your people attacking us?" Kori demanded immediately, pointing at the woman. "Well?"

"She can't speak." Faylinn Seath told Kori, and her friend blushed.

Adymn turned to the woman, his face serious. "Blink twice 'yes' and three times 'no.' Understand?" The woman blinked twice. "Good. Will you stay quiet and answer our questions in a reasonable voice if we let you speak?" Again, she blinked twice.

"She could be lying." Faylinn Seath didn't much trust anyone who tried to kill her. "Were you lying?" The Dylunzian blinked three times.

Kori glared at their attacker, but spoke to Faylinn Seath. "Let her mouth go, but be ready to gag her again. That should be enough." Faylinn Seath nodded reluctantly and moved back a little; she didn't want the woman deciding it would be useful to spit on her. She released the woman's head from the encasement of air. "Now, why did you attack?" Kori demanded again.

"The high country of Dylunz is destined to wear the crown of the world. We take our lands now!" She spit on Kori, who's face grew red with anger. Faylinn was glad she had anticipated that. "Release me and hand over the ring, and you may be permitted to live." Her accent was strange and lilting so it almost sounded like singing, but her voice boiled with rage.

"You'll be defeated!" Adymn's voice held as much heat as hers. "The Six Nations will defeat you together." The entire continent consisted of only six nations, all allied by an ancient treaty. Only they remained of what had once been over thirty countries.

The woman laughed. "No one can defeat the great armies of Dylunz!"

Adymn reached for the sword on her back, left free to be drawn because the spell ended below the bottom of the scabbard. Kori cried "Stop!" as Faylinn Seath shouted "Wait!" but Adymn drew the sword and stabbed it through the Dylunzian's neck before they could stop him. Before he pulled back from the blow, three arrows embedded themselves in his torso. Faylinn Seath and Kori screamed and ran away from where the arrows had come. More arrows followed them as they ran, but neither girl could find whoever shot them. Kori caught her foot on a tree root, and an arrow caught her in her right leg as she fell. Faylinn Seath grabbed her and they stumbled onward. A man appeared from the trees in front of them, smirking.

"Not so fast with an arrow in your-" He cut off with a strangled gurgle when Faylinn Seath slashed his throat with air. Without Adymn she lacked the strength in it to bind him. Before he hit the ground though, three more came out behind them. Immediately one of them swung his sword at her, which she just barely blocked with more air. Another had attacked Kori at the same time, but Faylinn Seath only noticed when she felt Kori's magic and thoughts ripped from the link. She was alone. She wanted to scream. She tried to scream, but her voice caught in her throat. Faylinn Seath turned to Kori. Blood gushed from a huge gash running from just below Kori's left shoulder to her right hip. Her body convulsed, and her mouth gaped open, moving as she tried to breath or speak. Faylinn Seath wanted to vomit. The man came at her again, but she dropped to the ground and spun with her leg out to trip the man in front of her. He fell to the group with a loud curse, and Faylinn Seath turned towards the man who had killed Kori. He was aiming his arrows at her, but she jumped up and kicked the bow from his hands. The third man grabbed her before she could land and swung her into the trunk of a tree. All the air shot out of Faylinn Seath's lungs, and she fell to the ground. She looked up and saw a sword's blade protruding from the man's stomach. The blade slid out from the man, who fell forward, just barely missing Faylinn Seath. Behind him she saw a boy a few years older than she. His brown skin and lack of Denulbian gaudiness marked him an Edrylan. Blackness covered Faylinn Seath's vision as she passed out, still trying to catch her breath.

She woke, shaken gently by his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Or… okay enough to walk anyway." She nodded, letting him help her stand, and saw all four men lying on the ground dead. He took notice of her clothes. "You're Nashrethi. An Ehjem then?" She nodded again, too shaken to speak. "Where are you going?" This time, she shook her head. "Don't know? Then, I suppose Nashreth would be the safest place for you. It's also the closest outside of Ahkaj from here. That sound good to you?" She nodded. "Then let's go." He helped her walk away from the corpses, into the mountains.

They moved slowly at first, but once Faylinn Seath regained her strength, they moved at a faster pace and continued on halfway through the night. "My name is Kadin." The boy said when they stopped, sitting down on the ground.

Faylinn Seath joined him, making sure her cloak was under her when she sat. "Faylinn Seath." He pulled some dry crusty bread from somewhere in the grey cloak he wore wrapped around himself and offered her half. "Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you."

She took the bread. "I know. Otherwise you would have let them do it."

He nodded, taking a large bite. "What ring do they want?" He spoke around the bread in his mouth. When Faylinn Seath looked confused he explained, "One of them said something about a ring just before I killed him. I assumed you had it."

"I'm not sure." She replied softly. She remembered the way the prince had pointed towards the merchants, and that she had acquired a new ring from one of them that day. "Maybe…" She reached into her belt and pulled out the large ring. "They could have meant this?" The ring looked dull in the night.

Kadin reached out and plucked the ring from her fingers. He studied it closely before speaking. "My parents had this. They traded it for… a necklace or something." He glared at the ring like he meant to destroy it. "They were murdered not long afterwards." He looked at Faylinn Seath. "You should be rid of it."

She took it back, shaking her head. "They already know I have it. They would just… they would kill me too." She tucked the ring safely into her belt.

* * *

Daemyn Amir Falkland raced away from Ehstine, the capitol of Ahkaj, on horseback. He didn't know to whom the dark bay gelding belonged, but someone else had already stolen his own stallion. The Dylunzians were far behind him by now, but he couldn't bring himself to stop or even slow. Just in case. There had been no time to grab much, but he had enough coin in his pouch to buy food and a new cloak before the winter months. Even if he hadn't, Daemyn could have simply sold his pink-trimmed blue silk doublet, so dark it seemed almost black. He could easily buy a cheaper doublet, a cloak, and some decent food with that. He would probably even have money to spare. His father had told him plenty of times that the best part of being a noble, even a lesser noble, was that you usually had enough money to get by, even if you had to sell everything you had to obtain it. At least you had something to sell. Good Ahkajin garments never went for as much as Nashrethi or Majian, but Daemyn knew that was simply because the others were more exotic. He knew he had enough money to make his way to a noble family who would welcome their fellow nobility, however foreign, and then he could convince them to take back Ahkaj.

He had no doubt the Dylunzians had taken Ahkaj. Almost everyone he saw chose to flee, not fight. Few Ahkajins were soldiers. They left that to the Denulbians. Almost everyone he saw fighting back was either Denulbian or Nashrethi, and the Nashrethi had changed their minds once they realized how few were helping them.

Suddenly the gelding beneath him lurched, throwing Daemyn from its back. He raised himself up on his hands and knees with a curse, unharmed except for a few bumps and bruises, but a passing squad of Dylunzians had noticed him. The crossbow bolt protruding from his stolen mount proved it as much as his seeing them riding towards him on what looked like giant dogs. Daemyn must have hit his head harder than he thought. He left the horse-it was dying already-and ran on towards the mountains under the cover of the woods. The Dylunzians had been collecting up any Ehjem they found and offering them two choices: join them or die. Daemyn found neither particularly appealing, so he ran as hard and fast as his legs could carry him.

Ahead he saw the dark opening of a cave. He rushed in, hoping it opened on the other side, and shook lose the stone above the opening with air and earth so that it tumbled down in large pieces and barricaded the opening. He leaned against the wall, panting, and listening for the men outside. He leaped forward with a yelp and created a small ball of light when he felt something touch his leg. A young black haired man stared up at him from the ground with wide green eyes.

"You scared me." Daemyn sighed in relief. "Who're you?" The man didn't answer. He just held up what looked like rabbit meat, offering it to Daemyn. He hadn't realized how hungry he was during his desperate escape, but now Daemyn's stomach rumbled loudly. "Thank you." He took the meat and bit into it eagerly. The man smiled at him and continued eating his share. Once Daemyn finished eating, he continued trying to talk to the man. "I am Daemyn Amir Falkland. What's your name? . . . Do you have a name? . . . Do you understand me? . . . Can you even speak?" Eventually Daemyn leaned his head back against the wall in frustration. He performed the meditation exercises he had learned in school to calm himself, and immediately sensed that the stranger could use magic. "You're an Ehjem too! Maybe we can help each other then." He smiled at the man. "Those Dylunzians are searching everywhere for Ehjem, but we can make it through these caves and get away from them. How does that sound, Friend?" The man looked at him and smiled back, but he didn't seem to understand a word Daemyn had said. He realized that no, his new friend did not understand him, and based on the way he kept grabbing his sleeve to get his attention instead of saying something, he couldn't speak either.

Daemyn stood up and offered a hand to help the other man up. "Well, Friend, I guess we have to find a way out whether you understand me or not." The mute looked at him expressionlessly, but accepted his hand. They walked deeper into the cave, guided by Daemyn's light.


Chapter 2: Search

Kadin Samara avoided gripping the hilt of his sword, but his hand hovered nearby, ready. The trees offered cover for Faylinn-he didn't understand why she kept insisting he call her by two names-and him, but it offered just as much cover to anyone waiting to ambush them. They had managed to locate a path through the mountains: a rocky, uneven path, nearly impossible to maneuver even in broad daylight. So of course they traveled decently long into every night and started out again only moments after the sun rose.

His companion was a nice enough girl. Faylinn obviously prided herself on her Nashrethi heritage, but she had the sense to wear boots, even if they were a pale grey. And her cloak was decently warm, even if she wore silk beneath it. He never understood how so many Nashrethi could afford so much silk! Everywhere else it was a rarity. The near completely transparent grey silk coat over her two shirts though, was no more than frivolity. Her brown hair was too long at a few inches past her waist, but she kept it tied back in a braid that would have caused no problems except that she had to redo the damned thing every morning! Kadin's dark brown hair only brushed his shoulders, and he spent only moments with a comb to make sure it was not tangled beyond repair. Grooming was for when you had a decent bed and a wash stand. City dwellers, no matter where from, never seemed to understand that. Her hair was soft though, and a lighter brown than could often be found in Kadin's native Edrylag. And he had only seen hazel eyes twice before. Brown eyes were more common, and he had even seen his share of blue and green and grey eyes. But her eyes seemed to change color six times every day, however much she insisted they were usually "green with brown near the pupil."

Kadin grew up in a small border village near the largest mountain pass to Denulb. Only the threat of mountain lions kept the village small; Denulbian soldiers passed through or stopped to rest almost constantly. His father worked as a blacksmith, making weapons, and his mother worked as a merchant, selling those weapons. He and his younger sister Aliya trained in the woods with the other children and whoever would teach them. It was simple enough to convince passing mercenaries or patrol men to teach them. Kadin's parents each taught him their work skills, so all he needed to do was make a trinket or knife at the forge and trade it for lessons. Usually he kept Aliya at home and taught her what he had learned later. Mercenaries were much too dangerous for her.

He still remembered the day he lost them. His parents. Aliya too, but that was later. He just found them, slaughtered in the sitting room of their home. Blood plastered the walls. The stench of death assaulted him. They lay still and lifeless, like rag dolls covered in dark red paint. Flies already swarmed them. He thanked the heavens when Aliya stirred, but their parents were already dead. He tried to look after her in the following days, though she refused his aid. Then she left. Kadin's neighbor claimed she left with a blonde man with violet eyes and unusual clothes. Later when he learned of the foreigners, Kadin realized the man who took his sister was Dylunzian.

He hoped this Faylinn girl would lead him to Aliya. The Dylunzians would follow her until they got their hands on that cursed ring, and he would follow her until he found his sister again. They hadn't seen any Dylunzians yet, so they traveled on towards Nashreth.

Kadin heard the leaves rustle to his left and behind him and immediately turned, ready. He exhaled heavily in relief when a large rabbit bolted from beneath a bush, running from Faylinn's clumsily loud steps. She claimed she could stand at ease on a ship when the waves tossed him to his feet, but that didn't make her steps any softer. He turned and began walking again, careful to keep his cloak out of the way of his sword. It was one his father had made, as a birthday gift to Kadin, and he treasured it. An emerald on the guard and an intricate pommel were its only decorations, but the blade itself was beautiful and perfect. His father had been a skilled blacksmith.

Lost in his thoughts, Kadin didn't realize what happened. He suddenly felt a tug at his side, and when he turned, he saw his belt dagger plunge into a Dylunzian man's heart. He drew his sword, but the man had only one companion, a dark skinned woman who Faylinn had cleanly knocked out. "Why didn't you tell me…?" He stammered. Sometimes he forgot that few Nashrethi, however small and innocent looking, were harmless. Far from it in most cases.

Faylinn looked at him confused. "I thought you knew." She began searching the dead man, for what Kadin could only guess.

"Then why the hell would I be walking as though nothing was wrong?" He let anger reach his voice. Some people were fools!

She shook her head and moved on to search the woman. "I thought you were pretending, to lure them in or something. I guess I just assumed you would notice anything before I did." She smiled victoriously and pulled a number of concealed daggers off of the woman and began hiding them about her person. Once she had finished, she walked back to the man and pulled the dagger out of his heart. She looked at him oddly, like she didn't believe he existed, but wiped the blade on the man's shirt and casually tossed it to Kadin.

He caught the blade easily and sheathed it. "We better move on. I doubt they're the only ones out here." She nodded her head and followed him quickly. "I didn't know you could throw knives." "You… didn't ask?" She made it sound like a rehearsed line she wasn't quite sure of. "I can also sprout wings and perform ancient iguana initiation rites to the society of failing at life." Kadin laughed. "So harsh, Faylinn. I-"

"Seath. Faylinn Seath. It's the same as if I called you Kad."

"As I was saying: I was just making conversation."

"Conversation is interesting. Jokes are more so. I think I win." She smiled, looking a little too smug for Kadin's taste, but he couldn't think of a good comeback.

"Fine, fine. All hail Faylinn Seath, victorious over Kadin in every way, shape, form, and possibility, so he can't even dream of avenging himself, his defeat was so complete."

Faylinn laughed at that. "I am victorious!" The smugness was gone, replaced by pure amusement. She didn't look so small and annoying when she laughed.

"This time." He waggled his finger at her, smirking. He hadn't let himself have any fun since Aliya went missing, since his parents died really. He felt guilty, but his mirth only made him more determined to find Aliya so he could be truly happy again.

* * *

After exiting the mountains, Faylinn Seath and Kadin managed to ride along with merchants, or anyone with space in his wagon. It only took about a week and a half to reach the small village only three days walk from Evarsia, the capitol city of Nashreth. The village itself was called Swivrel.

"Be polite!" Faylinn Seath gave Kadin what she hoped was a stern look. "We will stay with my mother for a little while, and I don't want you embarrassing me."

Kadin just shot her a look she could only describe as… sulky. "I told you I'd be a good boy." He waved his hand in the crisp air, brushing the matter aside. "I would never think of embarrassing a great Tamer of the Winds!"

Faylinn Seath almost saw the sarcasm dripping down his chin. Tamer of the Winds was the Nashrethi name for Ehjem; she had tried to explain some of Nashrethi culture to keep Kadin from making a fool of himself, but he seemed to take it as an insult. He actually accused her of thinking him ignorant! She wasn't angry-Faylinn Seath was usually slow to anger-but she was plenty annoyed, which most people mistook for anger in her. "Stop being such a bastard!" She kicked him in his left shin as hard as she could and smiled inside when he yelped and grabbed it.

"Calm down, would you." He hopped around, clutching his hurt shin. "I just think you're a little too insistent about it is all." He massaged lightly where she had kicked him.

"It's important to me." Were all the words she graced him with before storming the four feet to the spot of ground where she would sleep that night. Tomorrow they would have real beds and warm food, but tonight she was stuck outside in the cold with Kadin. She lay down on the ground, wrapped in her cloak with a gap at the eyes so she could watch him.

He sighed in what she thought might be a somewhat apologetic manner. Or maybe he thought she was the one acting like a child. "Look, I'm sorry. We just haven't had any time away from each other, and it's not like we're good friends; we just met." He sat down, pulling in his dark grey cloak around him. "Just go to sleep, I'll take first watch."

Faylinn Seath rolled over and closed her eyes, seeking a position where there wasn't a rock digging into her side. "It's okay. I know."

Faylinn Seath slept half the night, then took her turn sitting miserably awake just in case something more dangerous than a bird happened to find them. She stared into the shadows, wishing Kori, and Adymn, and the rest of her friends, were with her. Kadin had killed Kori's murderer, so Faylinn Seath guessed she was avenged. It didn't make her feel any better. She tried to hide it from Kadin, but too often his jests seemed to be attempts to cheer her up. The rest of the time he just tried to be as obnoxious as humanly possible.

She hadn't even realized it until later, but the man whose throat she slit was the very first person she had ever killed. Nashrethi were raised with the knowledge that sometimes people had to die, to protect yourself and your loved ones if nothing else, but they were also raised knowing it would probably never happen. She had killed another man when they traveled through the mountains. Something told Faylinn Seath she should feel…distraught over having taken their lives. Something else told her they deserved it. She wasn't sure what to think, but Kori's death bothered her more than the deaths of those two men or even Adymn. She didn't have some fool belief that she should have protected Kori and had failed. There was nothing Faylinn Seath could do. She just wished Kori still lived.

Kadin woke with the sun, and the two of them prepared and ate a grouse Faylinn Seath caught with a simple spell. They walked quickly, eager to reach Swivrel, where they would have good food and warm beds. They reached the village just before supper time. The houses were all built of wood and had two or even three floors. Most of those with three were shops; the owner would work on the bottom floor and live in the two above. Many of the houses had painted doors, though the shops reserved the pain for their signs. Faylinn Seath and Kadin passed by ships riding perilously through raging currents, sunrises over the horizon, elves flitting through the forest, and her childhood favorite: A Tamer of the Winds with her arm raised above her head, protecting the ship she stood on from the storms of the sea. Faylinn Seath led Kadin to her mother's house, a two story building with a painting of a hand holding an elaborate fan on the door. It had faded since she helped the traveling artist paint it; she could still see the large, heavy strokes she had made with his brush. She knocked on the door and waited impatiently. When her mother came out, she immediately smothered Faylinn Seath with a crushing hug.

"Faylinn Seath! I was so worried; we heard all about the invasion in Ahkaj." She had curly brown hair pulled back into a thick tail at the back and the same hazel eyes as her daughter. However much Faylinn Seath struggled, her mother refused to let go until she noticed Kadin. "Who is this? Boyfriend?" She winked at her daughter at the last.

"No!" Faylinn Seath summoned the most indignant expression she could. "Mom, this is Kadin." As she spoke, a girl who looked somewhat like Faylinn Seath, but with a more angular face and a few more inches in height, stepped out of the house. "Kadin, this is my mother Aislin Cael Adair, and my younger sister Meara Shae."

Kadin bowed slightly to each of them. "Nice to meet you." He was perfectly polite. Until… he smirked at Faylinn Seath. "Younger sister?"

He had to point out that Meara Shae was taller. Faylinn Seath did not pout, she would never pout, she just looked rather unhappy. Aislin Cael and Meara Shae both laughed.

"Come on in, Faylinn Seath, Kadin. You look tired. And hungry." She smiled, and Faylinn Seath knew she was about to taste another of her mother's cooking experiments. Most of them actually tasted delicious; she just liked knowing what to expect from her meal.

"Mom, where's Galvin Artan?" Faylinn Seath asked when she didn't see her younger brother waiting for them inside.

Aislin Cael's face suddenly looked worried. "I was hoping to tell you after you had a good night's sleep. He went off to try and fight the invaders. The poor boy is convinced they killed you. I told him to have hope, but…" She looked at the floor. "I was going to ask you to go after him. Tomorrow."

"Please Fay!" Meara Shae spoke up for the first time, using the nickname she had given Faylinn Seath when they were younger. "She won't let me go, and no one else's parents will let them either. But you're a Wind Tamer now!"

Faylinn Seath patted her sister on the head affectionately. "Don't worry, Meara Shae, I'll bring him back. Though I still think of older Ehjem as Wind Tamers and myself as only a student." She smiled.

The meal was a strange concoction of chicken and Majian spices. It was quite good, but still strange. After dinner, Meara Shae climbed up the ladder to go to her room on the second floor of the house. Nashrethi used ladders, not stairs. Faylinn Seath had Kadin help her carry water to make a bath and heated the bath with a spell of fire. She climbed into the bath after chasing him off to the sitting room, and let out a contented sigh. She hated to go without a bath. After washing, she changed into linen shirt and pants her mother had found somewhere. She walked to the sitting room to tell Kadin he could bathe now. A thick rug covered the floor, and cotton scarves lined the wooden walls. Occasional silk scarves rested atop the cotton ones.

Kadin looked bored, or maybe just really tired. "I thought it was Tamer of the Winds. Why is it Wind Tamer now?" He yawned.

Faylinn Seath realized she had forgotten to explain it. "Both are right. It's just more formal to say Tamer of the Winds. You can do the same with other titles as well, like House Mistress, Ship Master, and Sea Master. Or whichever gender. Though any time you actually talk to the Sea Master you must use his formal title. For the others either works, depending on the situation. Come on, and we'll get you a bath too."

They made up another bath and Faylinn Seath took both of their dirty clothes to wash, with her mother's help. Once they finished, she set up a cot for him in the sitting room, padding it with the comfortable cushions usually meant to offer comfort while sitting on the floor. She climbed up the ladder yawning, and went to the room that had been hers before she moved to Ahkaj.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toasted bread the next morning, Faylinn Seath and Kadin headed out to find Galvin Artan. Everyone claimed he had gone to Evarsia to join the navy. Kadin carried the pack of supplies and clothes Aislin Cael gave them when they set out. She tried to give them more, but they convinced her it would be too hard to carry. One of the villagers, Cathal Laird, was headed to Evarsia in a wagon, so he agreed to let Faylinn Seath and Kadin ride along.

Evarsia was significantly larger than Swivrel, and filled with so many winding streets Faylinn Seath wondered how Kadin avoided getting lost. Most of the buildings looked little different from those in her home town, but the largest buildings were all stone. The smell of the ocean walked the capital of Nashreth, and Faylinn Seath could easily have followed it to the harbor. The two immediately began searching for Galvin Artan. Faylinn Seath made Kadin memorize the description of her brother-a boy of fifteen just over half a foot taller than Faylinn Seath, with brown hair darker than hers, and blue eyes-but they searched together anyway. They only rented out a room at an inn when they realized there was no chance of them finding him that night. The Green Circle was a small inn. The common room held only four tables, and only nine cramped rooms fit on the upper floor. The food was decent, and Kadin claimed the ale was too. Faylinn Seath hated alcohol, so she took his word for it. They took a room with two small beds that filled the room so a washstand barely fit into the corner opposite the door. Faylinn Seath took off her boots, and cloak-she had left her silk coat in Swivrel-before plopping into bed and immediately drifting into sleep. Kadin slept fully clothed, boots and all.

The next morning, Faylinn Seath woke groggily and rubbed at her eyes. She washed her hands and face, warming the water with fire, before waking Kadin. He stumbled to the washstand and splashed his face quickly with the water. He looked surprised for a moment at its temperature, but he shrugged it off, probably realizing his roommate must have warmed it. They made their way down to the common room and ordered a breakfast, which Faylinn Seath ate quickly without even really looking at it. Wordlessly, they left the inn to resume their search for Galvin Artan.

Few people in the city recognized him by their description. When they questioned a blade merchant, Faylinn Seath bought a number of concealable daggers to replace those she took from the Dylunzian woman (she didn't like those much), and sold the old ones. They finally found a seamstress who though she saw him talking to one of the navy officers, but when they found the officer, he had no clues to Galvin Artan's location. A jeweler claimed he saw him at an inn, but the boy they found there only looked like him in being the same height and having brown hair. Finally, they found a group of bored children only a few years younger than Faylinn Seath who claimed they saw Galvin Artan leave Evarsia heading south. A silversmith, a carpenter, and three sailors said the same.

The two realized they needed to leave the city and follow Galvin Artan's trail south. Kadin suggested buying horses to make the trip faster.

"Horses?" Faylinn Seath's eyes widened slightly. "Why… why would we want to use horses? Riding in wagons works just fine, and… and very few Nashrethi sell horses anyway." Her tounge darted across her lips, and she hoped Kadin hadn't noticed.

He laughed. "You afraid of horses?"

"No!"

He stopped laughing, but a smirk remained plastered to his face. "They're harmless, really. Besides, I saw a stable with a few for sale. I'll be sure to get you a nice mild mare. Don't worry."

Faylinn Seath bristled. "Why don't we take a riverboat south?"

"The river doesn't go all the way. A pony maybe?"

"No!" She kicked Kadin. "A boat is faster than a horse."

Kadin sighed, but didn't look even the slightest bit defeated. "I guess we'll just have to flip a coin then. Heads: horses, tails: a boat." Faylinn Seath nodded her consent and he flipped the coin. Kadin caught it and slapped it onto his arm. Heads. Faylinn felt sick.

Kadin inspected the horses thoroughly before buying them, though Faylinn Seath had no idea what he was doing. He walked around and poked and prodded the horses and refused to buy ones that looked perfectly fine to her. He finally decided on a grey for Faylinn Seath and a chestnut for himself, both mares. Kadin led the mares out of Evarsia, and told Faylinn Seath to mount once they were out of the city. She put her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself gracefully onto the horse.

"I didn't think you'd be able to get on." Kadin smiled at her. "I've heard Nashrethi are terrible riders."

Faylinn Seath glared at him. "Mounting a horse is simple. It's making it go where I want instead of where it wants that's difficult." She looked at the horse, afraid it might bolt at any moment.

Kadin laughed. "You should be fine, just follow me." He started at a walk, and after Faylinn followed him for a while-jerking constantly at the reins, terrified that the mare would bolt or turn aside-he sped up a little. He called the new pace a trot. Faylinn Seath balanced easily enough, but it didn't take long for her legs and bottom to feel sore.

"Why would your brother go north to Evarsia just to turn back south and travel past Swivrel?" Kadin asked as they… trotted.

Faylinn Seath wished he wouldn't speak. It was distracting, and the horse kept trying to move towards the river. "My mom said he wanted to fight the Dylunzians, so he probably hoped to join the navy. But you have to be eighteen, and he's short three years." She paused to wiggle the reins and make sure the mare went where it was supposed to. "He probably decided to go to Denulb because he's old enough for the army there."

Kadin moved closer to her and twitched at the reins, or something. The horse moved back on course and he patted her neck. "It might help if you name her." He looked amused. Amused!

"What?" Faylinn Seath ground her teeth. She wanted him to be quiet and stop making fun of her!

"The horse, give her a name. You can bond with her then, and you might not feel so uncomfortable." He patted his own mare's neck. "I think I'll call her Priya."

Faylinn Seath liked naming things, but she didn't like horses. "Fine. I'll name her Ehsroh. It means 'horse' in Yjnohlu'oh."

"What is that?" Kadin looked confused.

"Yjnohlu'oh?" She continued when he nodded. "It's the language of magic. There is at least one word in Yjnohlu'oh for every spell, just most spells don't require you say it aloud."

"Oh." His words fell flat, trampled by distaste. She couldn't figure out why, but he always spoke flatly when she mentioned or used magic.

Kadin claimed they made good time on the horses, however much Faylinn Seath insisted that sailing was faster. They traveled into the more forested lands of southern Nashreth and slowed their pace somewhat to avoid injuring the horses, or something. When Faylinn Seath asked why they didn't just gallop all the time so they could actually move quickly instead of ambling along, Kadin claimed it was bad for the horses. Another reason ships were better, you didn't have to slow down for no good reason.

* * *

Daemyn clapped his mute companion on the shoulder. "It's good to see daylight again!" He grinned at the green-eyed young man, who simply stared up at him expressionlessly. "Well, what should we do now, Friend." He stared at the clouds, glad to be out of the caves. After a moment of thought he continued, "I guess Nashreth would make the most sense. They have the strongest navy, and we're less likely to be attacked by brigands there than we are in Denulb. I guess that's somewhere to the north or west of here." He looked north but only saw mountains; he wanted to avoid getting lost again.

The mute tugged at his sleeve. "Hm?" He gestured towards Daemyn and mouthed something that might have been the noble's name. Then he pointed at himself and bent down to move his finger through the dirt. Daemyn looked down at the ground and saw the mute had written something in crude, box-like letters. "Bob?" He checked again to make sure he got it right. "Your name is Bob?" The mute just watched him expectantly. Daemyn moved his hand to his chest, "Daemyn." Then he pointed to the mute, "Bob." Bob smiled and nodded.

"I guess we should head west and north, so we can get around these mountains… Bob." Daemyn pointed northwest as he spoke. Bob nodded, expressionless again, and ran down the side of the hill they were on. "Hey!" Daemyn yelled, chasing after the mute. He caught up easily and they continued at a walk. For supper, Daemyn cooked a couple of rabbits Bob had managed to catch-he thought the mute must be a hunter since he always managed to catch live game. Daemyn prided himself on his cooking, and the rabbits turned out so good even Bob looked surprised and gave him an appreciative smile. The man would eat anything! He hadn't balked in the slightest at eating rats and snakes in the caves, even though Daemyn lacked the wood to cook them properly. Real wood and flames cooked far better meals than a spell ever could.

The two of them settled down to sleep. Daemyn stared up at the stars and realized he had half expected them to look different after his time with Bob. He had never been away from home except to go on hunting trips with his father. Even then he had never slept on the ground; they owned a small but comfortable cabin, and the servants always kept a fire lit in the hearth. He listened to Bob's steady breathing and stared at the shimmering stars until he fell asleep.

He woke with a start at the sound of a thud and harsh cursing. Opening his eyes to tiny slits, Daemyn saw the dark silhouettes of men; one was pulling himself up off the ground. He created a small spell of air to tickle Bob awake. The mute's eyes opened, and widened when he saw the other men. As he tried to create a plan to avoid getting killed, Daemyn suddenly felt as though someone slammed a wall just in front of his eyes. Not a real wall, one to keep him from using any spells.

"He at least," Daemyn heard a low, lilting voice from behind him, "is awake." One of the men drew his sword, and it glistened in the moonlight as he lunged at Daemyn.


Chapter 3: Greetings

Every day they rode towards Faylinn's brother, Kadin became more thankful he had found a mare trained to follow another. Sometimes he suspected that was the only reason Faylinn kept with him. She stayed on the horse effortlessly, but the way she jerked at the reins he suspected it was usually her fault when Ehsroh went off course. She also tended to walk awkwardly once she dismounted; Kadin suspected she had never ridden before and her bottom was probably quite sore. At least he had something to laugh at, when she wasn't looking of course. Only at one point had she given him the slightest look of triumph or "I told you so," but she had been at least as annoyed as he when they couldn't find a suitable spot to cross the river.

Three days past, Kadin found what had been a campsite for close to twenty men just beyond the Denulbian border. He examined it closely, to see how much he would have to worry about them, and found a pair of those sandals Nashrethi liked to wear shoved beneath a bush. He showed the to Faylinn, who immediately got all worried about if her brother was okay, and what if they hurt him, and they had to save him. Kadin though she needed to calm down. He thought it more likely the boy had traded his sandals for boots, since they found nothing else of his. The group moved recklessly and left as plain a trail to follow as Kadin had ever seen. They also seemed to be moving at a walking pace, so he and Faylinn gained on them as they followed.

As the two rode after the group with Faylinn's brother, Kadin caught sight of a faint pillar of smoke not far off. He raised his hand to stop her-which she almost managed without glaring at Ehsroh-and then motioned for her to be silent. When she nodded, he motioned to the smoke. By the look on her face, she realized immediately it must be the men with her brother. The morons had been smart enough to keep to the open hills of Denulb rather than traveling through or near the forest, so Kadin and Faylinn had no way to approach them without being seen.

Slowly, and looking as innocently as possible, they rode towards the camp they couldn't yet see. A lookout spotted them quickly and motioned behind him. Three more men joined him, one laughed and said something to someone behind him, and another joined them. The last was still only a boy. The Nashrethi garments below his mismatched armor marked him as the Galvin Artan Kadin had somehow got himself searching for. Kadin glanced back at his companion, and the smile on her face confirmed the boy's identity. Galvin grinned and said something to the men, and the one with his crossbow aimed at Kadin and Faylinn let it fall. The boy waved to them, and his sister waved back, grinning as broadly as he. Kadin rode cautiously into the camp with Faylinn beside him.

It looked like the men all slept on the ground, and many of them hadn't gotten up yet. Fewer than half of them had horses, and those who did seemed to use them as pack mules. Whatever they were cooking in a large black pot over the fire smelled worse than anything he or Faylinn could have managed if they tried. And every one of them needed a bath. Overall, the men definitely had the look of bandits.

"I though you were dead!" Faylinn's brother shouted, definitely louder than necessary. He pulled his sister down from Ehsroh's back to hug her.

She hugged him back warmly, grinning like she was the happiest girl in the world. "Mom sent me to bring you home." Then she motion vaguely towards her companion. "Kadin too." It sounded like an afterthought.

Kadin and Galvin shook hands and exchanged brief and meaningless greetings, and Galvin turned back to his sister. "I can't go back now. We're headed to Ahkaj to take it back from the invaders." He motioned to his bandit comrades as he spoke. "You should come with us." He had the excited sound of a boy who doesn't know what battle is and dreams of glory in his voice, and the same look lived in his eyes.

"I promised to bring you home safe, not get you killed by a Dylunzian." She shook her head firmly. Galvin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is that what they're called?"

Faylinn nodded and tried again to convince her brother to go home. As she spoke, one of the bandits looked up and said in a deep, gravely voice, "Hey girlie, he said he don't wanneh go home." He had dark Majian skin and an ugly scar running down the left side of his face. "Leave 'im be."

Kadin moved to stand between the bandit and Faylinn, resting his hand on his sword hilt. He looked at Galvin while still keeping an eye on the dark man. "What makes you think you can beat them? The Dylunzians had very little trouble taking Ahkaj in the first place."

Throwing his shoulders back, Galvin spoke as though trying to impress Kadin and Faylinn, "There are a lot of groups going. We'll all fight the… Dylunzians… together!"

"You'll still lose." Kadin looked towards the clouds, feigning disinterest. "That means you'll die." He made that sentence as hard and as harsh as he could.

The scarred man stood, drawing the short, cheap-looking sword at his hip. "I sayed leave 'im be!" He raised the blade and Kadin quickly drew his own.

Suddenly a ring of flames shot out of the ground to surround Kadin, Faylinn, and Galvin. Judging by her expression, Faylinn had made the flames. He hated when she used magic. Aliya had definitely left for magic, for more magic, more powerful magic. Why else would a man have violet eyes but that he used too much of it, or created them with one of those spells? Faylinn had told him once that her greatest skill was in fire, so the flames would never spread, die out, or make unwanted smoke unless she made them, but he still felt more comfortable with a sword.

"Let me out, Faylinn Seath," Galvin looked angry as he spoke, "I'm not going home." The other bandits drew their weapons and the three with crossbows began loading them. Kadin suspected they would need Faylinn's magic to make it out alive whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Daemyn rolled frantically to the right to avoid the man's blade, but then felt himself pulled off the ground to hover in mid-air. He saw that eight men had come to attack them, including the elegant, though strangely dressed, Ehjem who had blocked Daemyn and now held him up. The man who had attacked Daemyn recovered from his first clumsy attack and now advanced towards the young noble. Bob stood and launched himself at the Ehjem, breaking the Dylunzian man's concentration. Daemyn plummeted to the ground and had to roll out of the way again to avoid his attacker. He wished he'd had time to bring along a weapon. He knew how to use both a bow and an axe. He wanted his axe… he sorely wanted his axe.

Then Daemyn felt the wall between him and his magic lifted. Re'ah! He immediately formed an airless pocket around his attackers head and set the spell; once a spell was set it would remain until its caster died, or another Ehjem broke it. Daemyn had heard whispers of a way to make a spell last even after death, but no one seemed to know how it was done. The air spell would suffocate the man before Daemyn was likely to die anyway, but he wanted to be sure.

He spared a glace to where the Ehjem had stood before Bob attacked him. A bloated black corpse lay in the grass, wearing the man's clothes. The mute apparently use far messier spells than the noble. Daemyn began forming airless pockets around the heads of the other men as well. He saw Bob move near one of the men and breathe out a black smoke. When it touched the man he screamed. His body began to bloat and blacken even before he fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain. It sickened Daemyn to watch, so he turned away to pick up his pink-trimmed black cloak.

Daemyn settled his cloak on his shoulders, and Bob retrieved the thin stick with a cloth tied on the end to hold his belongings. He carried very little in it, and sometimes Daemyn suspected the mute carried it for some strange kind of fun. Daemyn pulled his small flask of water out from inside his doublet and took a small drink. It was nearly empty, and so was the water skin Bob carried. Daemyn closed his eyes and thought Rehtwah. He used the spell to feel through the land around him, searching for water. He found a stream where he and Bob could refill their supply as few hours south of where they stood. Afterwards they would have to turn back and travel northwest towards the river a few days away.

He clapped his hands loudly to get Bob's attention. The young man could hear perfectly, he had just somehow failed to learn any language. When Bob looked up, Daemyn pointed to his flask and then to the south. "Come on, let's go refill these." Bob pointes questioningly to his water skin, and capered off to the south when his noble companion nodded. Daemyn laughed and followed more slowly. When he reached the stream, Daemyn couldn't see Bob, but he didn't worry. He had pointed the mute in the right direction, and he knew for sure now that Bob could take care of himself if he ran into trouble. The blond Ehjem bent down to refill his water flask.

Something jumped on his back and pulled him towards the bank. Daemyn thrashed at it, but when he looked to his right arm, all he saw was Bob gnawing lightly on his wrist. Sometimes he wondered about the man's sanity. He knew Bob never intended to eat him, but chewing on people was an… odd… habit whatever his intent. He shook off his strange companion and finished filling his flask. Bob bent down to fill his water skin as well.

They moved west at first, following the small stream, so they could avoid the area where they had fought the Dylunzians. It made their trip longer, but Daemyn though it was worth it, and he though Bob did too since he never motioned any hard-to-understand complaint.

On their way to the river, Daemyn and Bob had to hide from no fewer than three passing bands of bandits, all headed east towards Ahkaj. Daemyn didn't understand what could make bandits all move in the same direction, but all it really meant to either of them was that they had to move carefully. They finally reached the river after four days. Both Daemyn and Bob refilled their water and washed their hands and faces. They traveled north, following the river towards Nashreth. The two walked quickly, and Daemyn hoped for a boat to come and give them a ride to Evarsia, Nashreth's capitol. If he and Bob walked the whole way, it would take them at least half-way through winter. It had taken them over two months already, and he saw no way they could walk faster than they already were.

Daemyn thanked the gods when he saw what he thought was a merchant's boat traveling up the river towards Nashreth. He waved his arms above his head and made Bob do the same. The boat approached them slowly and stopped nearby.

A darkly tanned Nashrethi woman leaned over the side to look at the two men on the riverbank. "Let me guess." She spoke in the smooth accents of Nashreth, and rings glittered on her fingers as she moved her hand sinuously through the air. "You want passage on my ship."

Daemyn bowed slightly. He knew a little of Nashrethi custom, and most of what he knew was to be as polite as possible. "Yes, Mistress of the Ship, if you allow us." He hoped he guessed right on her title, though he couldn't imagine anyone but the ship's captain wearing that much jewelry and speaking with so much authority.

She nodded her head curtly. "I am Caitir Airell Argyle, Mistress of the ship Ocean Ray. You may come aboard to negotiate price." She smiled. "Don't worry, I even have beds you can use."

Daemyn returned her smile. "I am Daemyn Amir Falkland, heir to the Falkland House of Ahkaj. Thank you." Beds meant a higher price, but he would be thankful for them just the same.

Sailors in light linen helped both travelers onto Ocean Ray. Daemyn thought he would never understand why ships always seemed to have such strange names. Inns too. Could people just not think of anything that made sense? Maybe all the decent names were all taken. Anyway, Caitir invited them into her cabin and gave them leave to call her Caitir Airell. Daemyn then had to tell her she could call him just by his first name, and introduced Bob. Daemyn haggled as hard as he knew how to bring the price down, but it still lightened his pouch considerably. He and Bob would share a room with only one bed in it-the price of separate rooms had been significantly more than the price of sharing. It was small without being cramped, and the bed was less comfortable than he would have liked. Bob, as it turned out, preferred to sleep on the floor anyway, so Daemyn got the bed to himself and was glad he hadn't spent more.

* * *

Faylinn Seath determined they were in trouble. She grabbed Ehsroh's reins and pulled the horse towards her. "Get on." She told Galvin Artan firmly, but he shook his head. "We're going home, now get on!" When Galvin Artan still refused, Kadin struck him with the hilt of his sword so quickly Faylinn Seath couldn't stop him. "Kadin! Why-"

"We have to go." He pulled Galvin Artan into Priya's saddle and mounted behind him. "Now make us a way out." He faced northeast, leaning low in his saddle, ready to gallop.

Faylinn Seath nodded. Ayrihf! All three crossbows caught on fire just before the men could shoot. Her next spell would be more complicated. Ayrihf, she though again, but followed this time with Ejahk, Yjnohlu'oh for cage. Flames surrounded the bandits, leaving a gap for Faylinn Seath and her companions to escape. The words Faylinn Seath used didn't matter so much as what she meant by them. She set the spell to wear off in a few hours, and released the one encircling her. They galloped out, hoping the bandits wouldn't catch up once they were free.

Once they were sure the bandits couldn't catch up, Faylinn Seath and Kadin slowed the horses down. They continued on at a walk to rest Priya and Ehsroh. "Did you have to hit him?" Faylinn Seath asked her friend.

"It was the fastest way to make sure he came. Would you rather we waited there until the bandits decided to kill us?"

"No." Faylinn Seath pouted. "I just wish you hadn't hit him."

"LET ME GO!" Galvin Artan began squirming in Priya's saddle and beating Kadin with his fists.

"You think I should hit him again?" Kadin asked; the only reason Faylinn Seath didn't hit him was that his smile labeled it a jest. Probably.

"Galvin Artan, we're taking you home. Be quiet!" She doubted he would just do as she told him.

"I wanted to avenge you, Faylinn Seath. But since you're alive we can both fight together!"

"No."

"Come on. Don't you want to send those Dylunzians home?"

"Of course, but you need to stay home and protect mom and Meara Shae."

Galvin Artan mumbled something, and Kadin hit him on the back. "Watch you're tongue. I'd say you're about four years too young for that." Faylinn Seath guessed he must have cursed, and she noted than Kadin made his own age the point when cursing became permissible.

Faylinn Seath only managed to convince her brother to return home by claiming he could protect their family. Their father left Aislin Cael long ago to sail, so Galvin Artan was the only male around to protect them.

Four days of riding brought them to a large river they recognized as the Ginzreth River, which would take them most of the way to Evarsia. They followed it for only a few hours before a ship came into view from the south. Faylinn Seath recognized it as Nashrethi and determined it must be one of few merchant ships that traveled south for trade. She created a small, shooting blue flame in the air high enough that the ship could see it: a Wind Tamer's request for passage.

When the ship reached them, Faylinn Seath saw a faded rising sun over the ocean waves behind the name Ocean Ray. A woman leaned over the starboard side and called to them, "Wind Tamer, I am Caitir Airell Argyle, Ship Mistress to Ocean Ray. You are welcome aboard her."

The deck hands helped the three of them and their horses onto the ship. Introductions were brief and Caitir Airell gave them one room for Kadin and Galvin Artan to share, and Faylinn Seath would bunk with the ship mistress herself, to avoid sharing with a man or a deck hand. Ocean Ray already held two other passengers, and the rest of the space was devoted to cargo or sailors.

The other passengers shared a room. The first appeared to be a lesser Ahkajin noble about Kadin's age. He had short blond hair and pink trim of all things, though he was taller than both Kadin and Galvin Artan. His companion was a dark haired mute somewhere between Faylinn Seath and Kadin's ages. He wore red leather and grey cotton, obviously less expensive than the noble's silk and linen. She wondered why they would travel together, but she and Kadin weren't the most likely traveling companions either. The blond-he introduced himself as Daemyn-was very friendly, and so was the mute, Bob, once Faylinn Seath got used to him. Apparently they had both escaped from the Dylunzians and got lost in the mountain caves until recently.

"We're headed to Evarsia. I was hoping to find someone high enough up in Nashreth to do something who was willing to listen to me." Daemyn laughed, nearly closing his nearly brown, hazel eyes.

"Our nobility doesn't work the same as yours." Faylinn Seath cautioned him, "Those of higher rank earn more respect, but only the Master or the Sea has the power to force anyone into anything without their consent."

"Yeah," He stared out at the forests as the slid by. "I kinda doubt I can get that high up though."

"Oh!" Faylinn Seath pointed out and to her left, "Look. A deer!" She smiled at Daemyn. "It's so cute."

"I saw a deer up close once…" Daemyn began, obviously intending for Faylinn Seath to ask for more.

"And? What happened?"

"It nearly kicked me in the face!" He grimaced slightly at the memory. "So I hopped on it's back and tied it up to a tree."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wouldn't lie."

Faylinn Seath stared at him for a moment. "I don't believe you." She laughed, and Daemyn joined in.

"Hey you two!" Faylinn Seath heard Galvin Artan's voice from behind her and turned. "Daemyn promised to make supper, not flirt with my sister."

"We weren't flirting." Faylinn Seath glared at her brother to make her point.

"Sure." He rolled his eyes and followed Daemyn.

Daemyn was easily the best cook on Ocean Ray, so he had been enlisted to cook for Caitir Airell and her passengers. Faylinn Seath suspected she had refunded the blond some what he paid for passage, but it would be rude to ask. Each passenger negotiated his own price for passage, so comparing them would undoubtedly lead to someone getting upset. It was simpler to just leave it alone.

Once they were all eating the fish Daemyn prepared, he asked Faylinn Seath "Do you happen to know the way to the capitol?"

She looked at him confused for a moment. "You mean you don't?" When he shook his head, she continued. "Yeah, you can come along with us if you would like. I'm going to stop by at Swivrel, but it will only take an extra day or two for you to reach Evarsia."

He smiled around his fish. "Thanks!" Faylinn Seath grimaced and told him to shut his mouth. They all left Ocean Ray together five days later to travel over land to Swivrel. Caitir Airell was headed for one of the Nashrethi islands, so they couldn't have stayed with her for much longer without having to find another ship to get back to the mainland. They took turns riding Priya and Ehsroh, but only to rest their feet since they all traveled at a normal walk.

Kadin and Daemyn got along as well as Faylinn Seath and Daemyn did, and Galvin Artan seemed to have made both of the older boys his heroes. Something about Bob seemed familiar to Faylinn Seath, but she honestly couldn't believe she would get to know him and forget. He had the strangest habits; like stealing thins only to give them back the next day and gnawing on people. That one was really weird. And she had never met a mute before, much less someone who literally didn't understand a word she said. Galvin Artan seemed to think it was cute, like a puppy.

When they reached Swivrel, Faylinn Seath had to assure Aislin Cael that, no, neither of the two new boys were her boyfriend either. Yes, she was sure. No, she was just showing them to the capitol; could they spend the night. Meara Shae giggled through the whole ordeal. Everyone except Faylinn Seath seemed to find it amusing! Even Bob, though she suspected he only grinned and snickered because everyone else did.

Aislin Cael had something normal for dinner, for once, but Faylinn Seath only considered it normal because it was one of those successful experiments her mother had continued making. After eating, she happily found out Daemyn had enough skill with water to move enough for a bath into a tub with lugging heavy buckets back and forth. Once she was clean and changed, Faylinn Seath climbed up for a peaceful nights sleep in her old room. The boys slept in the sitting room, though only Kadin had a proper cot, Daemyn had to use pillows, and Bob seemed content to curl up on the floor.

"You can stay a few more days, all of you." Aislin Cael told them, smiling, as her daughter and her new companions set out for the capitol the next morning. "I haven't seen you in so long!" She embraced her daughter in another crushing hug, and only released her to wipe tears from her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll come right back to see you." Faylinn Seath gave her mother a more reasonable hug and waved goodbye to her siblings.

They left Ehsroh and Priya in Swivrel since there were too many of them to ride the two mares, so the four of the walked to Evarsia. Daemyn's cooking was a vast improvement to what Faylinn Seath remembered eating the last time she made that trip. Kadin's food was perfectly edible, so was hers, but not… good.

When they entered the capitol, Daemyn immediately covered his nose. Most people weren't accustomed to the smell of the sea, and the harbor could be… pungent at times. The only reason Faylinn Seath didn't shield her own nose was that it would be rude, and unseemly for a Nashrethi to do so. Foreigners were allowed to dislike the smell, natives were not. The young noble's added coin would buy them better rooms than those in the Green Circle.

They walked through the winding streets slowly, hoping to find an inn with two decent rooms-Faylinn Seath was getting sick of sharing with boys, so one was for her and the other for them. The sky began to darken, and Faylinn Seth saw storm clouds rolling in from the sea, riding a fast wind. Then she realized there was no wind. Before she could tell the others the sky went completely black with clouds and people began pouring out of the shadows. Faylinn Seath screamed. Standing not twenty paces from her was the ambassador prince, and he seemed to have recognized her.