Hirn had returned to his quarters in the Legion’s camp an hour after he had left to find Sil.
He’d told her of the healing. She’d been pleased about it, moreso than she’d shown he thought, and hoped.
She had then told him about their son’s death.
They had sat together for some time remembering a three year old boy with curly blond hair and laughing blue eyes.
He‘d never see now what sort of a man he‘d grown up to be.
Never.
He’d taken his leave of her to go and be alone for a while with his thoughts.
His job with Gant had taken on a new meaning for him now.
The Order of the Elite, the Order that he’d so slavishly served for decades, had killed his son.
He meant to make sure, if he could, that other people’s sons and daughters survived. On both sides if he could.
He was still trying to get used to knowing that he would not die as soon as he thought, at least not from the sword wound.
That was completely and miraculously healed.
The freedom to do as he wished without Danid scripting even his private life was a joyous thing for him.
He still wanted Sil, more than anything, but he hadn’t asked her to take him back. He wanted to wait.
To let her decide whether she could love him as he truly was.
He realised that he was a little arrogant and pompous, a little insecure and vulnerable to flattery.
He would try to win her again as himself despite his faults, and hope she could accept them.
He was still up at two o’clock in the morning and was surprised to hear a whispering at his tent as someone addressed
the guard and then Gant’s head appear through the flap.
“Can I come in?”
“Yes of course, what is it? “ Hirn asked.
Gant produced a bottle of fine Artezian spirit and plonked it on the groundsheet.
He’d got it from Sol earlier, wanting to find something that Hirn would probably enjoy from his home world.
“We can postpone the morning for a few hours” he said taking two goblets from his pocket and pouring both of the
men a large measure.
He started telling Hirn about the time Mat and he had been arrested for trading in this very commodity that
they were drinking, on Zarth, where it was illegal.
The tale was funny, dramatic and had a happy ending.
Hirn was able to see that his son had been clever, brave and full of ingenuity from it.
They sat there, Gant remembering stories about Mat because he wanted to, and Hirn listening because he needed to.
Gant rose to leave at about half past four. The dawn would soon be breaking.
“I’ve taken you off the guard’s rota, so don‘t make me look a donkey and kill yourself now, please.” he said.
“I’m presuming that you’ve joined us am I right?” Gant searched Hirn’s eyes.
“Yes” there was no hesitation in his response.
“Good, welcome to our world. “ he said, his eyes sparkling through the glaze of alcohol that had started to make
his speech slur slightly.
Hirn fastened the tent flap after Gant had gone and tried to get some sleep.
It had been a while since he had slept properly.
When he woke again it would be as an ally to Terin, Duke of Strant.
Everything felt as it should be. He had done the right thing at last.
************************************************
At midday Riani made her way to the barracks to see Elen. Avin was nowhere to be seen.
He and Sil had taken the group off on some sort of field exercise and weren’t due back until that evening.
She was disappointed.
All she wanted now was for things to be as they used to be between them, and now that would have to wait.
Elen hadn’t gone with them but Sol had. She was sitting in their quarters writing into a small book.
She looked up and smiled. “Feeling better?” she asked.
“Yes, and thank you for last night Elen. I really needed a friend.”
“You needed your mother, I stood in for her, that’s all” she said kindly.
“I dreamt about them again last night” Riani said animatedly, and described the second dream to her.
Elen’s face was bright and excited too as she confided to Riani that she often dreamt a similar dream.
“Do you know the world of Rintar?” Elen asked
“Yes, well I know of it, it’s the place we send a lot of explosions to. Avin says they make no difference there.
They also got Sevaren and Ren dumped there I think, or what was left of them.
Sil says it’s volcanic with no life at all.”
“Mostly” agreed Elen “But there is a place on the sunside that is different.
Its about twenty feet in diameter, no more.
In the centre is the fountain that you dream of, where the lights live.
Around the edge are trees. Its like a tiny meadow.”
“How do you get there?” Riani asked
“It depends.” Elen wondered how much to say, and then decided to say everything.
There’s a portal about thirty miles away. When I’ve felt I had to go there I’ve used that.
It’s water from the fountain that is keeping Teransir alive.
The draining of his energy by the Order of the Elite should have claimed his life a long time ago.
If he starts to look too ill, I go and get fresh supply. “
“How did you find it?” asked Riani.
“I had a book, it was a book of children’s stories. One story was about such a place on a barren world.
I gave it to Avinar I think. When I was trying to get us away from Danid’s people I dragged Teransir into a portal,
praying that they were far enough away for us to escape.
I got in too. One of them tried to stop us with a huge energy blast.
I thought we were dead, but pressed the button anyway.
All I could think of was this picture in the book of the fountain in a meadow. I don’t know why.
We’d ended up on Rintar, though that wasn’t where I’d set the co-ordinates for, but I was still afraid that they would follow us.
The next minute we were both sitting at the foot of the fountain.
I got Teransir a drink of water, he was close to death, and after he drank it he recovered to the state of health he‘s in now.
I think that whatever those little lights are, they transported us there.
Sometimes when I’m going somewhere else using a portal, I end up there for no reason that I can think of.
Not at the Rintar portal, but at the fountain itself.
I have started to wonder if when I dream I am there…”
“that perhaps you are really there….” Riani carried on. “It feels real to me too.”
They sat quietly thinking about it. Riani remembered Jan’s song and told Elen about the words, some phrases being
exactly what she had heard in her dream. Elen had no idea why that might be, unless Jan had also been there and
just hadn’t said. Jan was taking Riani’s place today at the mage school with Alena, but they decided to take a keen
interest in any more words that he might write.
“Elen!” Riani said excitedly “Teransir was kept alive by the fountain water! My dream is telling me to
“heal their weave.” She looked seriously at Elen.
“I should attempt a healing with Sol, I mean Teransir. It’s possible that it’s him they are talking about too.”
Elen nodded. What she had said made as much sense as anything else.
“In maybe two days we have them to face. Sol at full strength would give us more of a chance.
When they get back I’ll attempt it.”
Elen smiled “Thank you Riani, it would be wonderful if you could, for him and me and for our trials here.”
“First I’ll tell Avin, then he can check his diary and make sure he has time to look after me” she laughed, but a
little self-consciously and a little nervously.
“If he hasn’t, will you make sure I get taken to Gerard at the castle?”
Elen laughed too. “I think he’ll help you. Its obvious now that something is happening to you for a reason.
Avin isn’t a fool. He knows you’ll have to master this new talent, and now he knows how little time there is for
you to do it. Time is slipping away from us”
************************************************
After Gant had finished the training sessions that day he went to see Gerard.
It was about five in the evening and Kirt apologised that Steward Gerard and Lord Terin had already set off for the
Cow and Puddle, not five minutes earlier. Gant ran to catch them up and did so at the brook along the track
where they were leaning over the wall throwing sticks into the water.
“Now I know how you choose your strategy plans” Gant said
“How do you do it? If Terin’s wins you pick plan A and if yours does plan B?”
The men greeted him. “The scouts got back this afternoon.”
Gant began his report without waiting to be invited to do so.
”Arrin’s legion will get to Kanar by tomorrow night on a forced march.
They’ll need to rest up for a while, and then they’ll head for us.
I think it’d be a bad move for us to be besieged here, so I want to meet them about five miles from here at Dortch.
I’ll have the population evacuated into the castle if you agree. They can’t come any other way.
There’s just the one road and they’ve got wagons and horse soldiers.
Once they get to Dortch they could use one of three roads. That’s why I want to face them there.”
“Sounds good” Gerard agreed. “When do you want to set up?”
“It’ll take them at least a day from Kanar, so the day after tomorrow at dawn.”
Gant saw no point in having his people waiting in Dortch longer than was necessary.
“We’re meeting Avin in the Cow” Terin said, “coming with us?”
“No time” Gant said regretfully “There’s a lot to prepare for the move. I want everything ready.
Have fun, I believe the boss is in need of a kick up the arse?
Some shouting and the like last night between him and Riani?”
Gossip travelled fast where they were concerned.
Terin laughed “Avin? I think all he needs to have a friendly drink, and relax up a little.
You’d think he was going out there on his own he‘s so serious.”
“If one of them looks like hurting your sister, he bloody well would!” said Gant
“I’ll have words with him alright, but not at the Inn. He’ll toe the line like everybody else.
There are a lot of people to think about. I’ll not have him putting people in danger.
Riani is a fine warrior in her own right. I’ve seen her in action, and under pressure. She doesn’t need any
mollycoddling, at least not on a battle field.”
************************************************
Elen and Riani waited for Avin at the barracks until about half past nine.
Sol had explained that he had gone to meet Gerard and Terin so she guessed where.
It couldn’t be helped. He would probably be angry again, but she had to try, and time was short.
Jan was standing by with his detector on the table, gently strumming at his lute.
Sil had gone to the Legion camp to see Hirn.
“We might as well start,” Riani said, resigned to being doubly guilty in Avin’s eyes now.
She covered Sol in a glamour of his current appearance, trying to build into it the glow of a health and the
sparkle of magic in his eyes. She took his hands and said
“Teransir, I have no idea of how my talent works, but please let it help you.”
“Somebody catch her” said Jan seeing her energy reading rising and falling erratically, and anticipating that Riani
would collapse very soon. A guard was standing by to do just that, but Riani didn’t faint this time.
“Well?” Riani asked anxiously looking at Jan.
She was afraid it hadn’t worked because she didn‘t even feel dizzy.
“He’s showing his own magical energy pattern again, he had none before, just an alive line.
You’ve lost about a quarter of yours, but you were off the scale anyway so you’re still pretty powerful.
I think we’ve cracked it Riani. You are conveying healing via a glamour spelling.
When it’s a Leech, you take their excess and clean it up and retain it.
When it’s a victim, some of that excess transfers to them without damage to them or you.
Hey! You’re like the sewage system I read about on Scrapyard!”
He ducked as she threw a piece of bread that was to hand on the table at him.
She had seen that too, in a book in the Keep .
She laughed, because it really did seem that she was “cleaning up” the energy that had been stolen and
able to distribute it safely.
“That’s was a compliment!”
“Find a better analogy, and ensure that one doesn‘t end up in a text book next to my name” she said smiling and
turned to Sol. “How are you?” she asked.
“I feel fine.” he was obviously surprised and overjoyed.
He experimented, and a garland of flowers appeared around Riani’s neck, and then one around Elen’s.
His old eyes welled with tears of gratitude.
“Finally… I can be of some use” he said, almost whispering. “Thank you.”
When Avin finally did get back at nearly midnight He found Riani, Derel and Jan sitting around one of the tables.
Jan was playing his song. He’d finished writing it now, and they all were singing it.
He stood unnoticed at the door, listening to the words as if hypnotised, and wishing that he hadn’t drunk
quite so much ale.
A lover is a sadness when love has left their side
Bitter tears, heart broken years
Dark of mind, all turned unkind
When love does no longer abide.
Like breath to life, out of time, the joy that lives in song
Be my love, heal our love, we are not here for long
No healer can find potion nor sage a magic word
Sadness reigns, all is pain
In the heart a hardness starts
To ward the soul that burned
Like breath to life, out of time, the joy that lives in song
Be my love, heal our love, we are not here for long
The day will come when never shall summer shine again
All visits spent where love once went
All dreaming done, no mornings come
No moments to share in love’s flame
Like breath to life, out of time, the joy that lives in song
Be my love, heal our love, we are not here for long
So come and take my minstrel’s hand and sing with me a while
No promise made, no rings to trade
Here for a day, linger or stay
Free your heart, let heaven see a flower in life’s garden smile
Like breath to life, out of time, the joy that lives in song
Be my love, heal our love, we are not here for long
When they’d finished he walked as steadily as he could to the table and said
“That was beautiful…just beautiful….I love you Riani”
“You’re drunk Avin!” she was surprised, then she gave way to shock “you don’t drink! “
“That’s why …I’m so drunk” he said laughing at his own wit. “That’s why……”
“I’ll get Gant for this” she muttered to herself.
“Gant?…no Gant. My friends, my very, very… very good friends Gerry and Terry. We’ve been out drinking ale!”
“No kidding?” said Jan without interest and handed him a large tankard of water.
“Drink it or suffer later” he said, as if he’d been in this situation a thousand times before.
He had of course, but with Gant generally.
Avin drank it. Jan refilled it. When he’d drunk that Jan put his arm around his shoulder, Riani took the other
side and they guided him off to bed.
“Pee in this pot” said Jan with the expertise of a nurse in an infirmary. Avin did.
He lay in his artificial haze as they removed his boots and clothes and settled him down.
“I love you” he said “love you too boss” Jan replied.
“Not you…Riani…love Riani” and then he was asleep.
“Thank you Jan” Riani said gratefully. “I’d no idea he was upset enough to get himself in to this state.”
“No problem” Jan said going off to empty the pot, then stopping at the door to say
“Only…I think he’s just enjoyed himself, that‘s all. I wouldn’t think too much of it.
Of course, he’s never done it before… but we’ve never faced an army before.
Being drunk is only temporary, well it is unless you‘re Gant on holiday.
He’ll be back tomorrow, all serious and brooding, and hung over.
Don’t worry about him. ”
But she was worried about him. He lay sleeping in an artificially imposed state and he wasn’t used to it.
She sat watching him for a while, worried that he might stop breathing, and then realising she was doing no good,
undressed and prepared for bed herself. She knew she wouldn’t disturb him, he was virtually unconscious.
Then she realised that if she could worry this much over him drinking a few tankards of ale too many, how must
he have felt when she had lain sleeping for days with no idea of why she was unconscious or when or even
whether she might wake?
She didn’t mind that he smelled of the alehouse. She just minded that he might not be alright.
She kissed his forehead. “I love you Avin, you know I do.”
She curled up next to him and waited for sleep,
listening for the sound of his breathing and attuning her senses to be alert if it stopped.