Original: To Fire It Shall Return

Chapter 11

Renah jogged unhurriedly back to Garothan, a mountainous pile of laundry clutched in her bare, tanned arms. Though she had only been alive a mere nine years, she looked no younger than eighteen, and her mind reflected that of a twenty-year-old. She was tall and thin, but not willowy. She was a whipcord, an accomplished runner, and in excellent shape - and stronger than many of the men in Garothan. As a result, she was often the one selected to take the community's laundry down to a stream just outside of the City and wash it. The Badlanders had a communal society, with no concept of money, or even barter. Everyone utilized their own talents for the good of the community, and children were taught from birth that that was the only efficient way to run a society. That education had included Renah.

She dropped the laundry disdainfully in a basket near the central firepit so that the people could pick out their individual articles of clothing at their leisure and went inside the building that she normally slept in. Norath and Ferris were already there. Renah could tell that her surrogate parents had been talking to the Chief - even without using her telepathic abilities. Ferris was wringing his hands nervously, and Norath was looking even more aloof and stubborn than usual. It was bad news.

"What did she say?" Norath and Ferris didn't bother to ask her how she'd known. Renah knew that they envied her inborn magic abilities and didn't fully understand them. They generally didn't question anything she did, assuming that there was some magical reason for it. This suited Renah rather well; she was very independent and the more she could keep her parents guessing, the easier it would be to do the things she wanted to do when it really did matter to her.

Ferris sighed, trying desperately to stop the incessant movement of his hands. "She said that the teleporters have almost stopped working completely." He took a deep breath to continue, but Norath interrupted, her emotion overriding her usual caution when speaking to others.

"And she said that we should come back later today, that she may have a job for us and that it would be very important."

Renah grinned easily. "That's great. It's about time." Norath's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"Just that the Chief has been very slow in dealing with this problem. We can't put up with the uncertainty of teleportation any longer, and it's good that she's finally thought of something to do about it, Mother." As always, the hard expression on Norath's face dissolved with the use of the affectionate term. She really was in love with her daughter, even though she was uncomfortable with showing it. Badlanders were often born barren, especially women, and Norath felt blessed to have such a beautiful, healthy, normal child, despite the fact that she couldn't have any herself. Renah walked over to her, putting her strong, tanned arms around her and letting her blond hair fall in waves over Norath's face as she kissed the lumpy, tumourous cheek. "Don't worry," she said softly. "Whatever it is that the Chief wants us to do, I'm sure we can handle it." Norath pulled away from Renah sharply.

"Who said anything about you?" Renah released her mother and stepped back, folding her arms rebelliously.

"I'm helping. I don't know what the Chief wants us to do, or where she wants us to go, but wherever it is, I'm going." Ferris cleared his throat, interrupting the confrontation before it turned into the usual shouting match between mother and daughter.

"Uh, shouldn't we be going back now? The Chief must be waiting."

"You're right, Ferris. Let's go," said Norath as she swept past Renah, walking toward the door. Renah fell into step behind her, ignoring the stay here glance that her mother had given her. When they entered the Chief's building, however, Renah did relent somewhat and agree to stand outside the curtain as a signal that the Chief was busy. After all, one could only push Norath so far before it became tiresome. Renah took up her position outside the tent with a smile. It didn't matter if she was actually in there with them, the Chief would insist that she help her parents. After all, who could pass up the chance to exploit the combined powers of both a white and a black sorceress?

Beyond the curtain, the cloud of smoke that permeated the area was as thick as ever. It was displacing the air until there was barely enough oxygen to breathe. Ferris and Norath sat on one of the cushions on the floor and waited for the Chief to speak.

"Good," she said, "I was waiting for you. I have come to a decision-" Here she was cut off by a massive coughing fit that shook her colossal body and doubled her over as far as the rolling folds of flesh could allow. She took a long drag at her burning tube of paper and continued. "I have decided that we must leave. And you must find us a place to go."

"Leave?" echoed Norath, "But where would we go? The Badlands are settled, and how would moving Garothan solve our problems anyway?"

The Chief gave a rasping laugh. "Not just leave Garothan. All of our people will leave the Badlands. We will travel across the Great Ocean and leave the Normals and their prejudices behind. We can settle far to the east where the land is fertile, and live closer together so we wouldn't need teleporters anymore." Ferris looked on the edge of shock, but he managed to gasp out.

"You mean you want us to travel across the Great Ocean to find a better place to live?"

"That's right." Silence hung in the smoke-filled air for a moment while Norath and Ferris struggled with this unexpected news. Finally Norath found the strength to speak.

"How will we get there?"

"The teleporter in Garothan will work long enough to get you to Saintanel if you hurry. You will be able to travel across the Ocean from there. And you will have Renah to help you." The parents felt their throats close. They knew that their daughter was listening through the curtain and that there was no way they could stop her from coming, now that the Chief had shown her support.

"Renah?" Norath gasped. "But she's only nine years old," she said, grasping for an excuse to leave her beloved daughter out of danger. The Chief wasn't listening, however.

"You three will go across the Ocean. You will find a place for us, and then return. Is that good?"

Norath and Ferris felt drained. "Yes," they said in unison. The Chief smiled, her earlier sobriety forgotten.

"Good, you will leave tomorrow." Norath and Ferris left the room, their eyes tearing from the smoke. They pretended not to see the victorious look in Renah's eyes and the smile on her gorgeous face.

When their senses cleared, Alainna, Kelden, and Lelahn found themselves in a back alley of a mortal town. It struck Alainna suddenly that she hadn't asked Illyanna which town they were going to. She made a mental note to ask someone when they were in a more populated area. She understood the need for Illyanna to have chosen such a deserted place for their arrival, but such back alleys were known for being havens for thieves and cutthroats, even rapists. Lelahn was peering around herself in curiosity, her brow furrowed in concentration as if she was trying to remember something. The three travelers emerged from the alley into the bright, busy town square. Vendors at stands called out their wares to the passing people, most of whom hurried past, clutching bundles or dragging complaining children, or simply bound somewhere for some indeterminable purpose.

The threesome was afforded more than a few second glances, but no one stopped to investigate further. Alainna felt her heart sink at that, even as she welcomed the lack of attention, which would hide them from the Black Wizard's Vision. It had been too long since she had last appeared in a mortal city, and the people had begun to lose their faith. She bit back the instinct to proclaim her identity. There would be time for that later, after this mission was finished.

Most of the time, to use a vision pool, one had to know where you were looking first, but a random, panoramic search was also possible. Neither of these were likely to help Koldar to find them, luckily. Unfortunately, the vision pool could also orient upon emotions, and the emotional turmoil that would be created in Alainna's wake were her journey to become common knowledge, the easier it would be to find them.

They walked through the square and down the broad thoroughfare, searching for a place to buy horses. Alainna was reflecting on Koldar, weighing the risk of attracting attention by asking directions, when she was suddenly jolted out of her reverie, as Lelahn gasped and about-faced, ducking into a nearby sidestreet. When they caught up to her, a few metres down, Lelahn was pressed up against the side of a building, breathing heavily, as if she had just run from something terrible.

"What is it Lelahn?" Alainna asked, reaching out to use The Touch to calm the girl. She batted the hand away, stepping away from the wall and composing herself. She looked into Alainna's face then, and the Sorceress could see the shock and horror reflected in the pale green eyes.

"I know where we are. We're in Lorenton. I just saw Lauren; he and I were… friends before I was kidnapped," she said matter-of-factly. Alainna smiled broadly.

"Well, that's wonderful! Won't your parents be happy to know that you're still alive?" A look of utter panic crossed Lelahn's face and she shook her head violently.

"No!" she cried. Then she took a deep breath and tried again. "I can't let them know I'm alive."

"Why not?" asked Alainna perplexedly.

"Because," she swallowed. "If they knew I was alive, they would be happy. But, if they knew what I've been through, it would be worse than if I was dead." A look of pain flickered in her eyes. "It would kill me to put them through that." She stopped speaking, but her face betrayed the fact that she hadn't told the whole truth. Don't ask anymore, please, Lelahn's face begged. Alainna swallowed the questions unspoken.

"Well, in that case, do you know where we could buy horses, and can you get us there? Take a route that will be least likely to intersect the path of someone you know," she said quietly. Lelahn nodded and began walking, continuing down the sidestreet. She hardly looked up as they navigated a warren of dark alleys and narrow streets, clearly lost in thought. At one point, Alainna thought she saw a tear drip down, but it must have been the light fooling her, because when she glanced up to check a street sign, there was no trace of tears. Why don't you cry, Lelahn? she thought sadly.

When they arrived at the stable, a dingy, wooden affair on the edge of town, Lelahn waited outside while Alainna and Kelden went into the building to purchase the horses. As they went inside, Alainna saw her melt into the trees that surrounded the building, disappearing despite the bright white of her gown.

The stable itself had an adjoining room with a desk and several chairs. The office was no less dirty than the rest of the place, and the proprietor was strangely absent. There was a button on the desk that seemed to connect to a buzzer system that would probably send a signal to the owner of the stable. Kelden pressed the buzzer and then sat down in one of the chairs. Alainna preferred the desktop to the chairs, it was relatively dust free, so she settled down to wait for the owner of the stable.

After fifteen silent, fidgety minutes had passed, the proprietor had still failed to materialize. Kelden stood up, clearly frustrated. "I'm going into the stable to look for this man, are you coming?"

Alainna rose. "Gladly." There was a door behind the desk that led into the stable proper and Kelden lead the way, not pausing for a moment. The stable was filled with row after row of stalls, each with a single horse inside. The floor was packed dirt, but one could barely tell under the layers of straw, sawdust, and droppings that seemed to coat every surface. Alainna allowed herself to look suitably unimpressed by the surroundings as she lifted up her skirt and picked her way toward the back of the stable. They found the owner of the stable at the very back, leaning into a large bin as he filled a small container with grain. He looked up as they approached, took in their white clothing and weapons with one glance, and dropped the container from numb fingers. He was a hulkingly large man, unshaven, and only subtly less dirty than the rest of his stable. He began to bow and stutter, completing the picture.

"I - my lordships, I didn't realize it was you-" Alainna interrupted his groveling with a clumsy wave of her left hand. Her right was busy holding her skirt out of the muck.

"I am Alainna, the White Sorceress, and this is my friend, Kelden. And your name is…?" She left the question unfinished, allowing him to stumble through it.

"My name is Baldrick," he managed. There was a short pause before he realized what his guests were waiting for him to say. "Can - can I help you?" Alainna smiled.

"Perhaps. Could we step into your office?" His face reddened and he bustled past them, waving for them to follow.

"Yes, yes, of course." When they were comfortably seated in his office, Baldrick seemed to relax slightly. Very slightly. "What can I do for you, uh," he skidded to a halt, unsure of the proper address. Kelden leaned forward slightly in his chair.

"Her name is Alainna," he reminded the man, a twinkle in his eye. Baldrick nodded like someone who had just gained a valuable - and probably illegal - piece of information. Perhaps that is a common occurrence, Alainna thought, keeping her face strictly frozen in an expression of kindly superiority.

"What can I do for you, Alainna?" he finished proudly. He seemed compelled to keep speaking, however. "I'm sorry I was so surprised when you showed up." He leaned forward and spoke as if imparting a great secret. "We don't get very many sorceresses in these parts."

"I'm sure," replied Alainna neutrally. "We were wondering if we could buy some horses." A flicker of surprise crossed Baldrick's face.

"Oh," he said, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "Well, for two horses, that would be…" he trailed off, figuring in his head. "One-hundred-and-fifty," he paused as he registered the look of surprise that crossed Kelden's face, and continued hastily, "For you, that is." Alainna frowned,

"How much, for other people?"

"That's three-hundred each," he said reluctantly. The number was exorbitant, and Kelden smiled, he had expected that. He glanced briefly at Alainna, wordlessly asking permission to speak. She nodded, once; she didn't have his experience.

"We will give you two-hundred each. That is standard, market price. And we will be back later, so your horses had better be good quality." Baldrick's mouth dropped open, he hadn't expected that they wouldn't take his offer. Finally, he managed an answer.

"That's four-hundred crowns then," he said, but Kelden shook his head.

"Six-hundred. We want three." Baldrick's brow furrowed and his eyes flicked around the room, as if searching for a third person that he just hadn't noticed before. Finally he nodded.

"All right." He was half out of his seat when Alainna's voice stopped him.

"And we'll pay the other three-hundred when we return, if your animals serve us well." Baldrick managed to nod, though he was clearly overwhelmed.

"That's, very generous of you, ma'am."

Alainna smiled. "Call it a gratitude payment. For helping the White Sorceress," she said graciously.

They paid the man and led the three horses out of the stable and into the forest where they had seen Lelahn disappear. They found her rather quickly, only a few metres into the trees.

Despite the squalid conditions in which they had lived, the horses seemed in good condition. Two of them were brown, with only a single white mark on their foreheads to distinguish them, while the third was almost calico, with white, grey, and black spots. Lelahn took that one, climbing into the saddle that Baldrick had provided. He had insisted on giving them bridles and saddles.

"Free of charge, no need to thank me," he'd insisted. Clearly he would have been crushed if they had refused.

Rather star-struck, that one, remarked Sharra with a chuckle. You've done it again. Alainna didn't have to ask what she'd done. It was an occupational hazard of hers to lower any mortal - particularly males - to that level. She had learned to accept it, and how to use it to her advantage. They rode quickly out of Lorenton, facing resolutely east, but following a well-traveled road. Alainna had little knowledge of the geography of this region of Anata, and hoped that they would reach the next city before nightfall forced them to stop. She hadn't really minded leaving Lorenton. Lelahn would have been driven to distraction with guilt and pain if they had stayed overnight. But the thought of sleeping outside in her own country, was… distasteful. She hid her discomfort as carefully as she could though, Lelahn was very perceptive and Alainna really didn't want to hurt her. Her emotions were so volatile, especially now, after being forced to remember her past. She had suffered so much, surely Alainna could suffer a bit on her behalf.

Illyanna waited until the imprint from the flash from teleporting Alainna, Kelden, and Lelahn, had faded from her vision before performing one last time. She raised her hands and visualized Dorrana's house, a small, remote cottage in one of the southernmost regions of Anata. She concentrated for the brief act of will and yet another bright flash seared into her retina. When it faded, Dorrana was standing in front of her. She was dark-skinned - that exotic, chocolate colour that exactly complimented her black hair and large, dark eyes. She was slender, almost willowy, and wore loose, comfortable clothing, that, instead of masking her figure, seemed to accentuate it, as if it needed none of the enhancement that came with tight-fitting clothing - which it didn't. She smiled, somewhat distractedly when she saw Illyanna and swung the small bag of personal items she had brought with her off her shoulder, dropping it onto the floor of Alainna's bedroom with the ease of someone who had done this many times before.

"How did you know where to find me?" asked Dorrana curiously. "I know you brought me to the Guildhall, but how did you know then as well? I'm assuming you have to visualize your destination when you use your power." Her eyes flashed intelligently, alight with interest. Illyanna smiled.

"Isak used the vision pool at the Guildhall to show me all of the places I would have to know. I memorized them, and used that to bring you to the Guildhall - and here of course."

"Ah," was the only response. Dorrana shook her head, mentally switching gears to the business at hand. When she met Illyanna's eyes again, they were cold, distant, as if she had other things on her mind than the girl and she was simply getting in the way. "Do you have anything more you have to do here? Because if you don't, I'd like a bit of time to myself to get things in order here, find out what Alainna's left me to do. Who knows how long she's going to be gone." Illyanna shook her head.

"No, I should be getting back to the Guildhall anyway, I have things I should be doing as well," she said, almost apologetically. Dorrana nodded, and Illyanna raised her hands again to trigger the teleportation that would take her back to the Guildhall. Before she could trigger it mentally, Dorrana interrupted her.

"Oh, Illyanna," she said. Illyanna looked at her expectantly. Dorrana's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Tell Isak I miss him." Illyanna nodded confusedly and teleported back to the Guildhall.

She arrived in the landing hall and began walking purposefully toward her own living quarters. She could have teleported directly there, of course, but she preferred to stick to standard convention. The landing hall was for arrivals, therefore she was obliged to arrive there. Besides, the Guildhall was an important place and who knows what spells she would encounter if she tried to teleport to another part. She preferred to play it safe. In addition to the meetinghall, there was a seemingly endless network of caves and tunnels that literally made up the Guildhall. The rooms held living quarters, stables, libraries; an endless mishmash of rooms and tunnels that had been painstakingly carved out of solid rock as each new need was identified. It had not been planned, but evolved like a living entity until it was the confusing, illogical, place that it was. After a few minutes, Illyanna reached her living quarters, a small, two-room suite, coincidentally next-door to Isak's place. One of the rooms sported a pair of comfortable couches, and not much else, while the other was completely bare except for the bed. She had only been living there for two weeks and that hadn't given her enough time to redecorate.

She collapsed on one of the couches and closed her eyes, trying to will the pounding headache to quiet. The last two days had been a strain on her powers and she knew she would need a few good night's sleep to recover. She had barely slept at all the previous night. The singing in her nerves from finally having met another 'grey sorceress' had kept her awake far into the night, and what little sleep she'd had, had been shattered by vivid dreams of home. She could feel her homesickness like a lump in her heart and she knew she would not be able to resist the temptation to return there for long. She had been away at school for four years - and had nearly finished her tenure - when she had been found out and brought here. She didn't really mind; Isak and Chenam had been very kind to her and the honour of living in the Guildhall had filled a void in her soul that she hadn't even known was there. For the first time in her life, she was important, even unique. She wasn't some girl in an ordinary town who had a special talent, but who had to hide it or face the scorn of her peers - and the wrath of her father.

Her father. He was a broad, hefty man, who hated and feared the white sorceresses and wizards (and probably the black ones too, though Illyanna couldn't be sure, as the subject had never come up) with an intensity that had often frightened young Illyanna.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. She gasped, startled, and her eyes flew open. Driven by a code of behavior that had ruled her utterly for the first fifteen years of her life, she sat up, smoothing her dress and folding her hands perfectly in her lap. Only when she was fully composed did she allow herself to call out to the person standing outside the door.

"Come in." The door swung open and Isak walked in. She was sitting with her back to the door, so she couldn't see him, but she recognized the heavy step, with that hint of a swagger. She stood and turned to face him, not allowing the amused smile she felt touch her face. She wondered if he thought he was fooling her. By the time she turned around, she knew, the arrogance would be gone, replaced by kind tenderness. He betrayed himself, however, by the mannerisms he couldn't quite repress, burned into the muscles of his face and limbs by centuries of habit. She put on an appropriately demure, welcoming smile. "Hello, Presider. Can I help you with anything?" He crossed the room to her, closing the door behind him. He gently cupped her face in his hands, tipping it up toward him and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Oh, so gently, as if he was afraid she would shatter under his too-rough hands. Despite herself, a thrill ran through her and she felt herself responding.

"I missed you last night," he murmured against her slender neck. She broke from his grasp, moving back a step so she could look into his dark eyes.

"I will have to go away again," she said. Confusion and hurt flickered in his eyes, momentarily drowning out the arrogant glint. For a moment, he looked human, like he truly cared.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I want to bring all of the others like me to the Guildhall, and find any others that we may not know about." She paused for a moment, wondering how much of her soul she was willing to bare for this man who she had only known a few short weeks. She had little trouble baring her body, but her feelings, which he could so easily exploit… She pushed her misgivings aside. Honesty was essential; she owed him that much at least. "We are all connected somehow, I can feel it, and I think I can use that to help me find them, at least. This is very important to me, Presider."

"Please, call me Isak. That's important to me." He paused, his next words obviously coming with difficulty. "You have my blessing. Your happiness is my happiness, and if I must endure your absence in order for you to gain that, then I will do so. Remember," his voice dropped, "I love you, Illyanna."

"I love you, Isak," she lied, then was suddenly not sure if it truly was a lie. Now was not the time for soul-searching, however. She allowed herself to be enveloped in his tender, passionate embrace, banishing all thoughts except those of love, lest his Telepathy magic reveal the direction of her true feelings.

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