2 To Light A Candle.13 (4 page)

Though Kellen was the one she asked—for the sake of politeness—the question included both of them, and it was Jermayan who answered first.

"I have no doubt of what you will find, Wildmage," Jermayan said austerely.

"Well, I, uh… yeah," Kellen said. He knew Idalia wouldn't lie, and he knew Vestakia wasn't Demon-tainted. So how could she be a danger to Sentarshadeen?

"Go with her, child," Jermayan said softly to Vestakia. "She will do you no harm."

THIS was not the grand reunion she had envisioned between herself and Jermayan, Idalia thought with a flash of irritation, as she settled her hat more firmly upon her head and led Vestakia out of the pavilion and into the rain once more.

Trust Kellen to manage to work a few surprises into a simple homecoming— and to come home a Knight-Mage, as well!

He was thinner than he'd been when he'd left. There were shadows and hollows in his face that hadn't been there even a scant few sennights before. And he'd found his way into his magic—his own magic. What he had become was unmistakable in the sight of any Wildmage.

A Knight-Mage. The rarest kind of Wildmage, only appearing in a time of direst need. If they'd needed any more proof that they were all in deep trouble, Kellen's manifestation of Knight-Mage powers should provide it. But despite that, she found it in her heart to be happy for him, because for the first time since her little brother had been dropped back on her doorstep through the auspices of an Outlaw Hunt, she sensed that Kellen had a real sense of his place in the world, of who he was and what his purpose was.

It was just too bad it was so very dangerous…

She and Vestakia reached the edge of the Flower Forest, and Idalia led Ves-takia beneath its leafy canopy. The force of the rain was muted almost at once, to a gentle patterning on the dense canopy of leaves.

Though it was late autumn, the Flower Forest was in full leaf. Since the destruction of the great Elven forests in the Great War, many of the trees that grew in the Elven Flower Forests no longer grew anywhere else in the world, and the Flower Forests—as had the great Elven forests of which they were the only survivals—paid little heed to the turning of the seasons.

Thick moss cushioned the ground beneath their feet, and the air was appreciably warmer within the forest than it had been outside. The air was filled with the spicy scent of the trees and the rich fragrance of their flowers.

"It's so beautiful," Vestakia breathed in wonder, staring about herself in awe. "I never… I was raised in the Wild Hills, you see. I saw forests when we rode south, and Kellen said that there were even larger forests further south, but…"

"Well, nothing could really prepare you for the Flower Forest," Idalia said kindly. "There isn't really anything anywhere like a Flower Forest… except maybe another Flower Forest."

Vestakia giggled nervously. "Are there many of those?"

"Well, there are nine Elven cities, and every Elven city has a Flower Forest, so there are probably at least nine," Idalia said gravely. "I've only seen two of the Elven cities—counting this one—so I can't say for sure."

"It must be wonderful to be able to travel and see things," Vestakia said, sounding very young. Idalia wondered just how old she was. It was hard to tell, given the girl's rather exotic appearance, but she didn't seem to be much older than Kellen was.

They stopped in a little clearing, where the rain had made a small pool. Tiny white and purple flowers starred the deep green moss about its verge. The forest canopy stretched overhead, protecting them from the rain.

"We didn't actually have to come all the way in here," Idalia said, "but I thought you'd like a little privacy. Elves can be rather daunting when you meet a lot of them for the first time. Although you and Jermayan seem to get on well enough."

"Oh." Abruptly recalled to the reason they'd come to the forest, Vestakia regarded Idalia nervously with wide golden eyes.

Idalia reached into her bag and pulled out a small flask, offering it to the girl.

"Here. Have a drink. It's just brandy and hard cider. My name's Idalia, by the way, if you didn't catch it back there in the tent. I'm Kellen's sister."

"Yes," Vestakia said, unstoppering the flask and drinking gratefully before returning it to Idalia. "He told me about you—a little. You're a Wildmage. My mother was a Wildmage, too."

Idalia's eyes widened a little at that, but she said nothing. So Vestakia's mother was a Wildmage, was she? Even more reason for Kellen and Jermayan to trust her.

"And how did you come to find my brother?" Idalia asked. She drank in turn, and as she slipped the flask back into her bag, she closed her fingers about a charged keystone.

Show me truth, she commanded.

"Oh, I didn't find Kellen," Vestakia said simply. "He found me. He rescued me from a bandit who was stealing my goats—and then I went with him and Jer-mayan to the Barrier, just as they said. They never would have found it without me," she added proudly.

All at once her shoulders seemed to droop with more than weariness.

"Jermayan told me his people would accept me here. But… I do not think they will. No one will, when I look the way I do!"

The keystone spell had told Idalia nothing, which was in itself an answer. The truth was already here for her to see.

"They're afraid," Idalia said neutrally. "But tell me the rest—if you've known my brother for any length of time at all, you'll know he's miserably bad at telling a story, and if I wait to hear the rest of your tale from him I might very well wait forever!"

It took very little prodding to get the rest of Vestakia's story out of her, of how her mother, a Wildmage, had been seduced unawares by the Prince of Shadow Mountain; how discovering that she was pregnant with a half-Demon child, she called upon the Wild Magic to help her… and been offered a choice.

The unborn child could be completely hers in spirit, and its Demon-father's in body; or its father's in spirit, yet human in body. Vestakia's mother had made the harder choice; Vestakia had a human spirit, but a Demon's body. To keep her unborn child from being slain at birth, Vestakia's mother had fled with her sister deep into the Lost Lands, where Vestakia had been born. There Vestakia had lived alone after both women had died, until Kellen had found and rescued her.

Her Demon-father, of course, continued to hunt for her, but Vestakia had one great gift that kept her safe, though it came at a price. She could sense the presence of Demons, because they made her ill. The closer they were, the greater her distress, and she learned quickly to hide whenever she felt a hint of their presence.

"And then I found—when Kellen asked me to try—that my gift worked just the same way with the Demon magic, if the spell is strong enough. So we found the Barrier," Vestakia said, her voice a mixture of triumph and remembered horror. "Jermayan saved my life there. And Kellen… Kellen saved all of us," she said softly.

THERE was a moment of awkward silence after Idalia and Vestakia left, and Kellen wasn't quite sure what to do next. At least he was sure that everything was going to turn out all right. Of course Idalia would find that there was nothing wrong with Vestakia, and they could all stay. Of course. Idalia could do anything she set her mind to.

And if he had to—well, wait until Jermayan told them the whole story of destroying the Barrier. Elven custom would force them into such overwhelming obligation to him that they would probably do anything he asked of them. For once, the intricate dance of Elven custom would work in his favor, for by the time Vestakia got enough accustomed to the Elves that she would be able to tell when welcome was forced and when it was not, it would be too late, for they would have discovered for themselves just how worthy of their trust she was, and the welcome would be real.

Jermayan settled the matter, removing his cloak and handing it to another Elf who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Another arrived to take his sword and shield, then Jermayan removed his helmet and gauntlets, handing them off in turn before moving to Kellen's side.

It was a little embarrassing—okay, a lot embarrassing—to have to just stand there while Jermayan removed his cloak, helmet, shield, and sword for him, but Kellen couldn't really do any of those things for himself with his hands in the goatskin mitts. And he knew that only nervous tension was keeping him on his feet now.

"Come and sit," Jermayan said softly, taking him by the elbow.

When they stepped forward, the waiting Elves settled gracefully into their places, just as if they'd rehearsed every motion for years. There was a long table draped in heavy damask set along the right side of the pavilion—the left side apparently being reserved for the comfort of the animals—with simple wooden chairs clustered around it.

"You must be weary after your long journey," Ashaniel said when they had seated themselves.

Looking across the pavilion, Kellen could see that servants—if there were servants among the Elves, something he still wasn't completely sure of—were unsaddling Valdien and removing Lily's packsaddle, and even helping Shalkan off with his armor and saddle. That wouldn't make it easy for them to leave in a hurry, if they had to, but Elves did not hurry. Even if they were angry, Kellen supposed.

"It was a journey I did not think we would live to complete," Jermayan answered somberly. "But Leaf and Star favored us, and brought us safely home again."

"And you, Kellen Knight-Mage. I trust that you also fare well," Ashaniel said, pouring cups of wine with her own hands and setting one in front of each of them.

"Well enough, Lady Ashaniel," Kellen said, though "well" was nothing like what he felt. Elven custom, Elven courtesy; he was surrounded by them, and pulled along as if by a strong current he could not hope to swim against. He pulled the goatskin mitts off and carefully set them in his lap before reaching for the cup with both hands. It was awkward, but he managed. His hands were still numb, but now that he wasn't soaked to the bone, the pain was getting worse, and he was beginning to long for something to take the edge off, at least. "I do wish things weren't quite so… damp… though," he said ruefully. He took a sip of the wine. It would probably help.

"Idalia says that soon the rain will turn to snow," Ashaniel said, smiling, "which will not be quite as—damp. And by the spring the weather will perhaps have returned to its accustomed ways. It gladdens my heart that you have returned to see our city as it should be seen—and soon you will be healed of the hurts you have taken in our service."

Kellen glanced down at his hands. Only the very tips of his fingers were visible in the thick cocoon of bandage, and Vestakia and Jermayan had made sure he never got a good look at them on the infrequent occasions they changed the bandages. He wondered just how badly his hands had been burned, back there at the obelisk. Very badly, if the pain he felt whenever the salve started to wear off was any indication. So badly his mind itself flinched away from thinking about it.

"I'm certain that is so," he said politely. It was hard, very hard, to sit here making polite conversation when what he wanted was to down another of those pain-killing potions, soak in a hot bath, then sleep for, oh, a year or so…

Shalkan came wandering over, and stuck his head over Kellen's shoulder. "Those little iced cakes look delicious," he said pointedly. Shalkan had a notorious sweet-tooth, one that the unicorn indulged at every opportunity. This time, however, he was going to have to wait. Kellen couldn't manage anything as small as a cake with his bandaged hands, and everyone else was too busy making polite noises at each other while they listened for Idalia's return to favor him with a treat.

"If the snow is to be heavy this year, then the Winter Running Dance should be exceptionally fine," Jermayan observed.

All this politeness was enough to make Kellen want to scream. Except that he hadn't enough energy to do more than sit there, look solemn, and nod. Even his nervous energy was beginning to flag.

"Indeed it should," Ainalundore said, from her position behind the Queen. From her tone, the Counselor greeted the introduction of such an innocuous subject with great relief.

To Kellen's faint disbelief, the Elves, Jermayan included, embarked upon a lively discussion of forthcoming entertainments to be held in Sentarshadeen— just as if the threat of Shadow Mountain wasn't still hanging over all of their heads, just as if they weren't all dying for Idalia and Vestakia to come back. Just as if they were totally oblivious to the fact that Kellen himself was about to fall over from exhaustion.

"Cake," said Shalkan, "is very nice. One could spear a cake with a fork, if one was so inclined, and place it on a saucer, and I could eat it."

Shameless. But it made him smile, and he did exactly what Shalkan wanted, now that he knew how he could manage to maneuver things. And out of politeness, he ate a cake himself, and discovered that the sugary thing gave him a little more energy. He sat and listened, carefully feeding Shalkan most of the plate of little iced cakes—and taking one or two for himself—as he finished his cup of wine. The wine did help; he would have liked more, but he was afraid in his current state he could slip from pleasantly numb to clearly intoxicated with very little warning, and that would probably horrify the Elves. Sandalon was still safe in Lairamo's clutches, somewhere out of sight at the back of the pavilion.

What was taking Idalia so long? Surely she just had to look at Vestakia to know that she was Good?

But there was no point in starting an argument here and now, particularly one Kellen was pretty sure he'd already won. Andoreniel and Ashaniel had promised to abide by whatever Idalia said, and their word was Law here.

"They're coming." Shalkan's breath tickled Kellen's ear.

Kellen glanced up. A few moments later, Idalia and Vestakia appeared in the doorway of the pavilion.

All conversation stopped.

Idalia approached the table with Vestakia, her arm around the girl's shoulders. Kellen had the feeling that without that support, Vestakia might have run.

"I have searched thoroughly with the Wild Magic," Idalia said without preamble. "Vestakia is not one of the Endarkened, nor does she bear Demon-taint."