(A note from the author: Yes, there is a LARGE time gap of several years between The Messenger and this section, but it is an attempt to make sure that the recounting contained herein is not lost while my co-writer and I are tracking down the parts that come before, and write the parts that come after. This segment deals with her revisiting her homeland with her beloved, and recounting to him the death of her entire race. All text contained on this page is copyright 1995, 1996 by Christy Russell and the writer behind the persona of Nicholas du Monde. Reprinting is not permitted without express permission. Send email for more information.)
They'd finished chatting with Saja and rescued all the gear from the jeep, loading it into the Magico Bags that Tam had brought with her. Yet another slog through the snow brought them to the barn, which was far enough from the house to not have interference from the shields on the house when she set off the Gate spell.
Fortunately, she was linking to a pre-existing permanent gate on the other end, which was attuned to her particular energies. It made life *much* easier, and guaranteed that she didn't drain herself to the dregs with the spell that she cast upon the barn door.
They stepped through into another world ... and markedly different weather. They arrived in a small copse of trees, standing between two trees that had branches that twined together to form a leafy arch. A warm breeze brushed across their faces as Tam simply stood there in her winter clothes and inhaled the scents and sounds of her homeland once again. Sun-warmed tall grass, the "rik-tikkaw" of a krantha bird, the angry chitter of a startled squirrel. Home.
Her eyes opened slowly as she shook herself out of her reverie. "Well, I guess we can shed our coats. It was supposed to be fall here, but it looks like summer decided to linger a bit longer than usual this season."
Nick loosened his coat and stripped off his gloves; a fine sheen of sweat dotted his brow. He glanced at Tam quietly. He seemed to know something was going through her mind, but didn't press and followed her willingly. Ten minutes later, they emerged from the copse of trees, winter gear safely tucked away for the return trip.
In the far distance to the east were some old, rolling mountains, that looked like they may have been lofy peaks ... centuries upon centuries ago. Now they lurked like benevolent old grandfathers, watching over a mostly empty land.
Between those far mountains and the spot they stood was a plain ... and a crater. The crater was only sunken down about 3 feet compared to the rest of the land, but it was large. Subdued, Tam led Nick to the edge of it, placing her hand on a lone tree that stood like a sentinel above it.
"This is the westernmost edge of the crater. It is about a mile wide, and has a single tree planted at each of the cardinal compas points. BlazeCat, Diana, Mooncrow and myself tried to fill in the crater fully several years ago, but while we managed to heal the land a lot, we were unable to convince the crater to smooth itself out all the way. At least it has things growing in it again, which is a start. After it gets dark tonight, I'll tell you the tale of how that crater came about. A tale about the death of my people." She ran a hand through her bangs, composing herself once again. "In the meantime, I know of a house outside the blast zone that should still have a roof and four walls that we can set up camp in, and then we have several hours for herb foraging and the like."
Nick reached over and slipped an arm around her shoulder; companionably, and squeezed her to his side lightly. He seemed infected by her solemnity for the place that had once been her home. "Foraging and the like?" he smiled lightly as they began walking. "That's good, because I have something else planned." She seemed to draw back more from her reverie at his light words and gave him a curious look. "Work first," he advised with a soft kiss to her forehead. "And we'll see about later, okay?"
The house was located in the woods to the north down a trail so faint as to be almost invisible. Her feet led them down it by memory. "There's a few herbs here in the woods I'll want to hunt for as well, but first I want to see what state my mother's herb garden is in after over a decade of neglect. I might be able to find some of what I am looking for there, depending on how much of the garden survived the weeds and the wildlife."
She turned left at two ancient oak-like trees, placing a hand on the rightmost one for a moment. Nick could feel a slightly "fuzzy" sensation behind his eyes, and a house that hadn't seemed to be there a moment before, revealed itself in a clearing. "Well, it's interesting to see that the warding spells I put up 5 years ago were still in effect." An odd half-smile was on her lips as she turned to look at Nick, ushering him between the trees and up an old cobblestone path that had also not been visible moments before. "Welcome to my parent's home."
The single-story stone-faced house had one boarded up window, another one with cracks in it, and a small tree trying to grow from the drain on the roof. "Well, I can shield it from wandering strangers, but nature is more determined than I." She gestured expressively to the tree. "It's probably time for me to take all the wardings down anyway, and finally let go of all of this." Thankfully, that thought no longer caused her sorrow, as it had when she was here last. Now, it was more a pang of ... wistfulness.
She led the way into the house, going down a dusty hallway past kitchen, living room, study and 3 bedrooms, and into what must have been the master bedroom. The carven hardwood bedframe was still in good condition, albiet a bit dusty. "We pulled the mattress out of here last time. It wasn't fit to sleep on anymore, but at least this gives us somewhere to lay out our sleeping bags and blankets where it's sheltered." She traced the vinework carvings with a finger a moment, then grinned at him. "Feel free to explore the house. I'm just going to dust a moment so that I can unpack some of our gear." A dusty finger was waggled in his direction. "And maybe I'll open up a window to air the place out a bit, too."
Nick took her up on her invitation and explored each room carefully. He headed outside at one point and circled it, studying the overall condition of the building as well. By the time he made it back to the bedroom, Tam was unloading the magico bags and he helped set up the bed. "If we can find some rushes and line the underside of the blankets, we might make a fine nest and cushion for the bed." At the faint arch of her eyebrow, he shrugged and favored her with an open grin. "Tam, I'm in good condition, but I still prefer a comfortable bed."
She chuckled. "Well, that sounds like a perfect excuse to go down to the river later and collect rushes. It's also a great spot for a picnic lunch, come to think of it."
By late morning, the house was resembling an order that Tam felt happy enough with. Nature may have added to the dilapedated state; but field mice and other rodents hadn't. When Tamara commented on the lack of bothersome pests, he'd earned himself a thwap for suggesting that with her in the house, any rodent problem could be solved fairly quickly.
She'd also given him that oh-so-innocent blue-eyed look and said sweetly. "But of course, Nick, if that's what you want for dinner, I can see if I can scare up a rodent or two for you"
Nick finished loading his backpack for the picnic and shouldered it up onto his back. "I prefer something a bit less close to ground grubbing for dinner, Tamara." His hazel eyes were all that betrayed his amusement. "But if you wish to revert to form; don't let me stop you." He appreciated the light hearted teasing; that was more like the Tamara he was familiar with. From the moment they'd stepped through the gate, a wash of pensiveness seemed to threaten at every moment.
Her answering smile was almost catlike in it's complacency. "But I thought you liked my form just the way it is, so why revert?" With that, she tickled his chin with the end of her braid and wandered toward the trees, a purring chuckle rumbling from her throat
It wasn't long before their mile and a half walk to the river transformed Tamara from pensive woman to eccentric foraging herbalist. Time and again, he was left alone on the path she'd directed him towards while she vanished through the trees. He came across her at one point; her jeans with grass stains on the knees, a stray twig in her hair, braid coming undone, smudge of dirt on her chin, digging away gleefully at some root he couldn't pronounce or recognize. "I'll just go ahead and get the rushes together and you catchup when you're done."
Nick found the sleepy, sluggish river with relative ease. There was a hum and buzz of summer bugs about. The air was touched with a hint of humidity and Nick eased the backpack off and set it down on the large, white flat rock that would be perfect for picnicking. There was a knife in his boot for general cutting on the rushes and despite Tamara's assurances that the area was safe; he'd kept his glock in the small holster attached to his belt.
"Nick, I'll be right there," Tamara called from somewhere behind him. He turned to see just the tail end of her braid vanishing back into the green foiliage. The picnic would keep while she enjoyed her foraging; in the meanwhile, Nick busied himself with harvesting rushes and binding them together. Within an hour, he had a decent sized pile that would make a suitable mattress and Tamara was still not ready to eat.
She'd been too awash with grief during her last visit home to think of foraging for herbs. It had been five more years, though, and the grief was less. She soon lost herself in re-discovering herbs that she hadn't seen in over a decade. Herbs for healing, smelling and cooking, in almost every size, hue and color known to man or beast. Her mother had chosen the location of their home well, and had even "seeded" parts of the woods with some of the rarer herbs, to encourage a wider spread of them. In back of her mind, a little voice kept reminding her that she had three days on this trip to gather what she needed, and she could gate back again once she'd had a chance to recharge and sort out what she'd already gathered.
However, the little voice was ignored until a much larger voice spoke up ... her stomach. >>KERUMBLEGRWLLLLL<<
"Gentle goddess!" Her muffled exclamation could be heard clearly by the riverside. Rustling sounds and the volume of her voice told Nicholas that she was en-route. "I'm sorry, Nicholas. I *totally* lost track of time. I'm getting as bad as my mother used to be!"
She appeared out of the woods, looking more than a little sheepish, smudged, and hungry. "Forgive me?"
Nick sat on the edge of the flat rock, his pipe clenched firmly in his teeth, and a waft of sweet smelling tobacco drifting around him. The rushes were bound tightly and piled onto a portion of the rock. Drying comfortably in the warm sun. "Of course, Tamara," he smiled around the pipe as she crossed the clearing towards him. "If I knew what to look for, I'd be happy to help."
He unfolded himself from the rock, reaching out to take the bags she was carrying and brushing his thumb over the large smudge on her cheek. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Yes, I've been enjoying myself immensely. However, I really need to remember that I need to eat, and that I'm not out here alone!" Her face turned wistful. "Did you save me any food?"
"I might have," Nick teased light as he guided her over to the blanket that was spread out on one portion of the rock. He propped open the top of the basket and gave her a very feigned look of surprise. "Well, would you look at this Tamara? There seems to be a great deal of food in here. I must have forgotten to eat myself."
She kissed the tip of his nose as she settled down on the blanket, drawing him down with her. "Then we'll have to fix that, now, won't we? Can't have us wasting away to nothing." This comment was punctuated by yet another rumblegrowl from her stomach, and an owl-eyed look that made her look like a blue-eyed ragamuffin caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
He stretched out and settled his pipe on a depression in the rock for now. "Indeed?" He inquired politely and eyed her stomach. A smile creased his face at her expression and he fished out a pair of thick roast beef sandwiches and proffered it over to her; just barely holding it out of her reach. "Do I get a reward for quelling the raging beast of your appetite?"
"But of course you can." Her voice was a low purr as she leaned over and kissed him, deftly snagging the sandwich at the same time. "But proper rewards can wait until after dessert, methinks."
He laughed even as he enjoyed the kiss; more relaxed than he'd been in days. "Oh, all right," he affected a pouty look that just didn't look right. "I suppose I can wait. By then the rushes should be dry and we'll have some nice cushioning for our bed."
"Sounds purrrrfect to me, Nicholas. Fresh air and exercise always make me hungry." With that, she set into enjoying the food, the setting ... and the company.
By late afternoon, Nicholas found her up to her elbows in digging in the thick earth and crept up on her utterly silently. The sun was turning a fiery blood red as it descended on the horizon as he slid his arms around her waist and dragged her back against him. "Excuse me, Miss Wyldekat, but this area of herb gathering has been closed for the day. We ask that you gather your finds and take them back to the house and thank you for your patronage."
She never reacted well to people sneaking up on her, and this time was no exception. Nicholas found himself with an armful of fur for a split-second, before he was being glared at by Tam in Lynx-form. Her fur was on end, her eyes were glowing, and even the silver-white lock on her forehead was glowing. Worse, he couldn't move, as bands of mage energy immobilized him.
Realization dawned a moment later, and the bonds dropped, even as Tam flopped to the ground. <*Gentle goddess, Nick, don't DO that!*>
Nicholas was no fool and he didn't even attempt to fight the mage bands binding him. If he was startled, he hid it well; when she released him, he dropped to one knee next to her and scratched her behind the ears. "I'm sorry Tamara, but I called you twice and you didn't hear me. Although," the respect and pride in his eyes was unmistakable. "I have to admit, your reaction time is impressive."
She was shaking with fear as she hit the ground. Not for herself, but for how close she had come to lashing out. <*Good to see I still have my reflexes in my old age, even if my hearing is apparently going ... or at least my attention span!*>
He watched her carefully as his hands felt her trembling. Gently, he lifted the lynx over to his lap as he sat down admidst the tall grass she'd been foraging in. "You were caught up in whatever it was you found and I really shouldn't walk up so quietly. It's a bad habit I have that I've never shaken. It unnerves a lot of people. Are you all right?"
She shifted into human form, snuggling im his arms a moment. "I'll be fine. Just got my adrenalin going a bit much. Next time throw a leaf at me or something a bit more expendable."
He chuckled and kissed her forehead gently. "Yes ma'am. Now, if you are ready to wrap this up; I have dinner cooking back at the house as well as a surprise or two."
"I'm so glad you can cook, Nicholas. I'm atrocious at it." She unfolded from his lap regretfully, then peered at him curiously. "What sort of surprise?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." He waited till she was on her feet before rising and gathering up her herb bags that had dropped when she shifted and lifted their straps over his shoulder easily. He gave her an amused look, "You mean there is something I am better at than you are?"
She laughed ruefully. "Very much so, I'm afraid. It's one of those things I just never got the hang of." She extended her hand to him. "Well, kind sirrah, lead on. I promise not to have another attack of the vapors on the way to dinner." Her blue eyes twinkled impishly as she said this last bit.
He clasped her hand warmly and interlaced his fingers with hers. "No vapors? Damn. And here I thought I could seduce you in your swoon." He squeezed her hand gently as they set off across the grass towards the house. The rich scent of the roasting meat drifted out to meet them on their way.
"Well, if you put it that way, Nick, I can see if I can manage a swoon or three later for you." She inhaled deeply and gave him a sidelong grin. "And you can lure me astray with food any day!"
"I'll add that to my dossier for you Tamara, now close your eyes," he instructed as they reached the front door. She was grinning impishly up at him and he dropped a kiss over each eyelid. "You get no food till you close your eyes."
"Oh all right." She mock-grumbled, closing her laughing blue eyes. A quick thought ran through her mind ... could it be? No, how could it? She'd never told him ...
He took her arm gently and opened the door. She could hear him hanging up the bags on something and then let him guide her across the room to a chair. "Sit down right here, Tamara." He settled her hand on the back of the chair so she could feel the wood. "Don't open your eyes yet though." The air inside the
house was filled with the scent of the roasting meat and something that smelled suspiciously like vegetables and there was candlewax burning close by.
She settled down quietly, afire with curiousity as she used her other senses to try to figure out what he was doing.
He moved around quietly, although a chair opposite hers scraped against the floor as he pulled it out. He must have left and come back as the scent of the food intensified and plates were being settled on the table. "All right, Tamara. I think I'm ready for you to open your eyes." When she did, there was a table covered by a red cloth with three candles burning cheerily in the middle. A large roasted duck sat near the center with roasted potatoes, green vegetables and steaming bread in other bowls. The place settings were definitely not her mother's nor was the bottle of wine or the silverware. So he obviously planned this. In the center of her plate was a pair of small, wrapped packages. Nicholas himself stood just opposite with his arms folded across his chest, watching her. "Happy birthday, Tamara."
She blinked slowly, taking it all in, and had to fight back quick tears. The eyes she turned on him were quite large, and very stunned-looking. "But... but ... how... ?" She stuttered a moment, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I haven't celebrated a birthday in _years_!"
"Then it's past time you did," he reached for the bottle of wine and began to uncork it; a pleased smile on his face for her reaction. "And how, is easily enough. You filled it in on your insurance forms at the school. Would you like to go ahead and open your presents?"
She nodded, reaching automatically for the first gift. Her attention wasn't really on what she was doing as she smiled over at him. Her voice was soft. "Thank you, Nick. You didn't have to go to all this effort, but this is amazing. ... Thank you."
He smiled as he poured her wine glass half full with the white wine that went well with the duck. "I really enjoyed doing it, Tamara. Now you know what was in all the boxes in the back of the jeep." He sat down slowly after pouring his own glass and setting the wine bottle aside. The box she'd selected contained a tiny wind-up lynx that ran with a medical bag in its mouth.
She finally looked down at the item in her hand, and narrowly avoided having her jaw drop to the tabletop. "Oh myyyyy. How adorable! I love it!" Quickly, she wound it up and set it on the floor. Anything else she was going to say was interrupted by giggles that quickly degenerated into peals of laughter as she watched the little toy run around on the floor.
Nicholas' deeper laughter joined with hers. "I couldn't resist; I collect wind up toys and when I asked one of the craftsmen for a special order, he came up with this."
"It's absolutely *precious* Nick!" Her eyes laughed over at him, totally tickled with the gift. Her eyes fell on the other package and she winked at him as she reached for it. "It's going to have to be something pretty
special to out-do the lynx."
He hid his smile behind the glass of wine as he lifted it and watched her. "We'll see." He watched enigmatically as she pulled the paper off the jeweler's black box. Nestled inside the black velvet of the box was a single string of emeralds and gold; perfectly sized for an anklet with a diamond
clasp.
The sound of the windup lynx was the only thing that broke the stillness for several long moments as she stared down at the anklet. Finally, one finger reached out to caress the gems as they glittered in the candlelight. Her voice was hushed as she looked at him from across the table. "Absolutely beautiful, love." The endearment slipped out unconsciously. Almost, she chided him for spending so much on her, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. "Will you do the honors of putting it on me?" She was well-aware that her jeans and sneakers were not the proper outfit for such a lovely piece of jewelry, but the look in his eyes made her sense something more about the gift, and she wanted to be sure he knew she liked it.
Nick set aside the glass of wine and slid over to kneel next to her. The anklet seemed to delicate in his large hands as he took it up. He tugged off her sneaker slowly and set aside; the anklet glittered with refracting light as he rolled up her jean cuff enough to wrap it around her bare ankle. "There was a story that went with this," his voice was soft as he worked the diamond clasp carefully. "It's said when you put this on someone you care about deeply on a special day; that you're no longer just two people." He paused in
snapping the clasp closed to meet her eyes, "but two people who share the same soul."
Her eyes grew wide for a moment as his words sank in. She reached her hand down to him in silent invitation, clasp and anklet forgotten.
He held the jewelry to her ankle with one hand wrapped around it; his other hand came up to take hers gently and he lifted it to his lips to kiss softly before leaning up fully towards her.
No words were needed nor were any heard as they let their lips and souls speak for them.
The fire in the fireplace danced and crackled merrily as they sat on the floor on a blanket. Her unbound hair fell in a molten curtain, highlighted by the rippling flames. She had eaten a wonderful dinner, courtesy of Nicholas ... and now it was time to sing for her supper.
Her voice was low, but strong enough for him to hear without straining. "I promised you the story of my people. Somehow, it seems more fitting to tell it here, in the land where it all began. And where it all ended."
"We were a race of long-lived shapeshifters, with a tendency towards magic and scholarly pursuits. We were lovers of peace, believing that all people's could and should live in harmony. We were not a fertile race, so, even though we had longer lifespans, children were few, and life was held as precious
beyond belief."
"Odd to think it now, but, among a race of shapeshifters, I was actually considered a bit of a misfit, because I was only able to take two forms other than human. However, I also had a double-dose of both mage-gift and healing, which more than made up for any other perceived deficiencies." A wry smile danced fleetingly across her face. "My mother was a noted herbalist and healer, my father a mage and a council Elder. My siblings were all mages, of one sort or another."
"This was a peaceful land, and a peaceful people. Our prolonged lifespans allowed us to spend centuries in theoretical and applied research, mainly magical, although some mundane arts as well. Looking back, it seems almost idyllic, as if something was fated to go wrong."
She stared at the fire for long moments before continuing. "Go wrong it did, in the worst possible way. I wish I could say that all of us had a strong reverence for the sanctity of life. Unfortunately, as with any sentient race, the mores of the many are not the mores of all."
"About 25 years ago small group decided to work in energy magics of the darker sorts. Such had happened before, but had always been squelched before it was a danger. This time, however, they learned from the mistakes of their forebears and went deep into hiding in a remote area of the land. They started by draining the life energies of small animals, and progressed to larger and larger creatures. They used these energies to fuel their magics, and seemed to believe it made the castings more potent."
"By the time they were discovered, they had begun taking the life energies of sentient beings. Mostly people from my own race, but also stray travelers from other lands. Alarmingly, they began gathering a large following amongst the disillusioned and the power-hungry. After all, life was plentiful, and the power it gave them was heady."
"Several attempts were made to stop them. Those attempts ended with more lives lost, which, in turn, gave the dark mages more power. Entire sections of land were laid to waste, drained of their energies; withered shells of corpses lying where they fell, to crumble to dust and get scattered by the winds."
"They had to be stopped. It was bad enough that they were ruining our land, and destroying our people, but then they turned their eyes on neighboring lands. We couldn't, wouldn't, allow other races to be destroyed due to our negligence."
"It turned into a war of monumental proportions. Unfortunately we held onto our principles until the end, while they did not. So, while we were larger in numbers, it soon became apparent that they would truimph. We'd waited too long to try to stop them."
The >pop< of moisture escaping from a burning log was loud in the room as she paused a long moment. Shadows of remembered pain and sorrow flitted across her face as the flames were reflected in her eyes.
"We couldn't stop them without using their own dark magics against them, and it was feared that once we touched that power, we would slowly be corrupted by it as they were. The more one uses a certain path to magic, the more it becomes ingrained, the easier it is to be lured by it's siren call again and again.
"To let them continue as they were was to turn our back on our belief of the sanctity of life, and the right of every being to live their lives in peace. To fight them on their own terms would also destroy everything we believed in. In order to destroy them, we would have to destroy ourselves."
"So we did." The words rang out hollowly, as her voice grew more distant.
"A widely proclaimed thought at the time was that if we had to use dark magics to stop them, then we, as a race, did not deserve to exist. The heart of the matter was, however, that we could not let them destroy innocents ... or destroy what we believed in."
"Can you picture a race so devoted to peace that every single man, woman and child who had not been destroyed by the dark mages would *voluntarily* agree to something that would mean the destruction of the entire race?" Her voice was a pained whisper, and the eyes she turned on him were large and haunted.
"Fifteen years ago, a terrible spell was devised. One that targeted the life energies of only people of our race, with all it's genetic peculiarities. The fuel for the spell would be the combined life-energies of every
able-minded person amongst us. It was to destroy us, but it was to be of such scope and power as to destroy *all* of us, including the dark mages. The most powerful mage among us was shielded by every shielding spell we knew, so that someone could launch and guide the spell while the others ... suicided ... granting their energies to the spell. Only the caster was to live long enough to see the spell to it's completion, and then would be able to rejoin her people in their godess's gentle arms in the afterlife."
"The spell went off, rippling outward from the epicenter. At the center of the casting zone, it caused a physical blast from the amassed energies that created the crater you saw when we arrived. Every single member of my race died, and I, sitting tightly shielded in the eye of the storm, directed the spell that caused their deaths. I could *feel* them all die, hear their final mental cries, shouts and prayers. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I *should* have died. I *wanted* to die."
"A wandering tribe of human gypsies found my battered body in the middle of the crater 2 days after the spell was released. I was the only member of my race alive, and they knew not what had caused the destruction. I am told that in the month to follow, as their healers rebuilt my body, I begged often for death. When I finally gained coherent consciousness, I went from begging for death, to demanding it, to, finally, trying to take my own life."
"They refused to let me die, I refused to live. If I had been at full power, I would have killed myself a dozen times over. But my mage channels were so badly damaged I couldn't even light a candle, and my healing channels were so damaged that even healing a small cut was enough to make me fall over. My physical condition was not good, either, as you can imagine."
"In desperation, they finally called in mindhealers, who buried my memories deep within me, placing over them the memories of a wandering gypsy healer. They could not bear to let my race die out, or to lose one so skilled in the healing arts."
"I was ... happy ... as a simple healer amongst them, and slowly I regained more of my healing abilities, though nothing near my current strength. Their hope was that, in time, the veil across my memories could be removed, and I could be whole again. But the mindhealer capable of performing that task died suddenly, and they dared not risk it on their own."
"Three years later I married a man who became a mercenary. It ... well, it didn't work out, considering how much of a pacifist I was. He promised to leave his unit after his current contract was up, and I promised to wait for him."
"After seven years of marriage, and one delay after another, I settled in RhyDin, living off revenues from the minor healings I performed, as well as off the sales of my gemstone carvings."
"In the space of a few months, I lost my husband, regained my memories and my mage abilities, and almost got killed by demons over a case of mistaken identity. But that story, I think, will wait until tomorrow." She sighed tiredly and leaned back against Nick, letting their breathing, and the crackling of the flames, be the only sounds in the room for several long moments.
Nicholas wrapped an arm around her middle as she leaned back against him; cradling her to his chest. He'd been silent throughout her story, even when her throat caught and tripped over some of it. The emerald anklet caught the light of the flames where her feet were propped on the hearth. It deepened the green stones to red. There was a rawness to her tale; a rawness born of having never told it, he imagined.
There was nothing he could say that wouldn't sound trite or an empty platitude. To be responsible, in a twisted way for the mass suicide of her people was a difficult thing to live with. Correction, difficult didn't begin to describe it. He watched the way the firelight played over her face; the deepening of color at her eyes as she lost herself to the tale. Father, mother, friends, lovers and siblings; all gone while she survived as the instrument that directed their deaths.
"I don't know what to say, Tamara," he injected into the long silence, finally. "Saying I'm sorry just doesn't seem to be enough and saying I understand....sounds empty. I can't understand something I didn't go through as you did; but it doesn't change anything except for my respect for you."
When she tilted her face up to look at him, he brought a hand up to trace the curve of her jaw. "I respect you and your people for the strength of your convictions." Nicholas sighed internally, it sounded so weak, not the way he meant it, but how it came out. The crackling of the flames licking up the wood within the hearth filled the silence again. Nicholas leaned back against the chair and drew Tam closer as he rested his chin against her hair. "Perhaps I should just be quiet and let your story speak for itself; hmm?"
A quiet sadness hung in the air; the dusty tome of the destruction of her people a poignant reminder to cherish the present all that much more; as if he really needed the reminder. They lingered by the fire for hours, their voices soft as they ruminated together. Tamara drifted off to sleep with her head against his shoulder, but his eyes stayed open until long past the time when the flames became embers and even that light extinguished.
It was mid-afternoon the next day when she found the signs she'd been looking for: a small pile of carefully placed pebbles, some live grass woven just so, and some odd scratches on a half-buried rock.
She smiled as she put her most recent herbal find in a small bag and turned to her companion. "Nick, how would you like to have company for dinner?"
Nick's expression was bemused as he knelt down to loosen the knife from his boot and refasten it more securely. "Other than your charming self?" His eyes moved past her to the pile she was looking at.
"The tribe is somewhere nearby. These are all fresh."
A flash of white parted the stubble which seemed to dust his cheeks and chin. "Well, a family re-union of sorts is always fun. Just promise not to sell me off to some randy young gypsy lass who'll only want me for my body." There was just the right amount of humor in his tone to bely the serious light in his eyes.
Her laughter danced across the field as she winked at him. "I'm far too greedy to share."
Then she flexed her fingers, and raised her arms up. Small blue magebolts raced skywards in quick pulses, breaking apart into sparkling showers of blue once they were a certain height above the horizon.
"Good," he nodded with a twinkle and straightened. "So am I." Nick tilted his head up to look at the fireworks and a soft chuckle escaped him. His arms folded across his chest and he leaned back to study the conformations. Her work never failed to amaze him.
She smiled serenely. "We'll have at least one visitor show up in a few minutes to lead us to the rest. Might as well grab these last few herbs while I can." Privately, she thought she'd rather kiss that chuckle off his face, but knew that the gypsy sense of timing would be likely to embarrass her to no end.
Nick wrinkled his nose and looked almost plaintive. "Just promise me we don't have to climb through anymore of that stinkweed to find these herbs." It was rather a humiliating experience to find out that he was actually allergic to one form of the native grass here and when his eyes had nearly swelled shut and his nose reddened like a tomato; Tam had been forced to cut that part of her foraging short.
"I promise Nick. I'm just glad I'm a healer. That could have been a lot worse." She thought quietly of her own allergies, and how she'd carefully steered them clear of anything remotely related to catmint, as well.
He nodded once. "Agreed. I certainly wasn't expecting it." Nick's smile eased his mouth again and another chuckle issued forth. "However, I think you liked having me blinded and sneezing all over the place."
A soft, almost teasing smile curved her lips. "Well, it is nice to know you're not perfect, you know." Her blue eyes glinted impishly as she smiled up at him.
"I've never claimed to be perfect," he deadpanned perfectly. "Just nearly so."
His head was cocked, prescient and aware of any change in the sounds around them and alternately scanning the area for movement. It was all so second nature to him, that the actions were done without his awareness.
And so it was with laughter in their eyes and smiles on their faces, that the first gypsy found them. "Well, lass, I see your homecoming is a much happier one than your leavetaking was reported to be. Welcome back, Tamara"
The man standing in front of them was tall, dark and decidely middle-aged. While his build and stance suggested he was no less a stranger to physical danger than Nick was, his dancing black eyes and flashing smile left no doubt to his welcome for the prodigal wanderer and her guest.
Nick studied the man directly and smiled at his greeting of Tamara, but maintained his own neutral distance for the time being. Some habits were harder than others to break, but at least he refrained from any male posturing outside of his own definite prescence.
Tam's smile was glowing as she opened her arms for a hug. "Stefan, you old scoundrel. How are Elana and the children?"
"Erinn's got a bit of the sniffles, but otherwise all are well and happy." Stefan grinned slyly at her. "So, when are you going to have children for me to spoil?"
Nick folded his arms, a flicker of amusement curling up one side of his mouth as he watched the old friends. He rather liked what he saw and enjoyed the sense of closeness they exhibited.
Her own laughter bubbled forth. "It has been many years, at least in the realm I have been in, Stefan. I have been married and widowed twice. My daughter, Crystal will be five soon." She raised her hands immediately to forestall scolding. "I'll bring her with me on my next visit, I promise!"
Remembering her manners, she linked her arm through Nick's in what was *almost* a possessive maneuver, and left no doubt in Stefan's mind where Nick stood in Tam's eyes. "Stefan, brother of my heart, meet Nicholas duMonde. Nick, Stefan."
"Stefan." Nick's tone warmed fractionally as he extended a hand to the man. "It's an honor to meet Tamara's brother. I can see already why she's so fond of you."
Stefan's face creased into a grin as he extended a strong, work-roughened hand. His voice dropped into a mock-whisper, "Aye. It helps that she knows she can trounce me if I step out of line. Or unadopt me if she so desires."
Nick clasped his hand in a friendly gesture and agreed readily. "Of course the fiery temper and sharp tongue are not inhibitive at all." He was fully prepared to catch any potential thwap he might receive for such a comment, but teasing Tamara was an enjoyable pasttime.
"Temper? Me?" Tam arched a red brow, looking for all the world as if she wanted to stamp her foot in vexation. Instead, she settled for tickling the side of Nick's neck with the end of her long red braid.
Stefan simply chuckled and noded sagely to Nick. "I see we understand each other."
Slipping an arm around Tamara's waist, Nick smiled and returned the sage nod with one of his own. "Indeed."
With those words, Tam relaxed muscles she hadn't even realized she had tensed up. Nick had more than passed inspection with her adopted family.
"So, Stefan, when you two are done assassinating my sweet character, do you have room for two more at the dinner table?" Tam's grin was half impish, half hopeful. If she hadn't misread the signs ...
"We can do more than that, Tamara. We are having a Gather tonight, to celebrate the birth of a new child into the tribe. It will be our joy and honor to celebrate your return to us, brief as it might be." His black eyes twinkled. "There is a price, however."
Nick snorted softly at her words and stated with categorical innocence. "We were not assassinating your sweet character, m'lady, merely stating our observations in the manner of men." He paused at the mention of a celebration and glanced from one to the other.
Tam tilted her head, playing out what appeared to be an age-old formula. "A price? You would demand a price from a weary visitor who only wishes to share your fire for an evening?"
Having debriefed on some customs of primitive tribes and cultures, Nick knew better than to interfere or take the wrong implication.
Stefan nodded and splayed his hands. "Ah, but we do not get many visitors, so we must make the most of the ones we do get. So, I decree your guest-price will be ... a tale! Yes, that's it, a tale!" He winked at Nick with a conspiratorial grin. "Our tales get stale after too many retellings, and it will be nice to have a fresh one. And let us not forget the dancing comes before and after the tale. If we are lucky, we shall have this flame-haired one dance as well." Stefan threw a grin at Tam, who made a face back at him. Then she regained her composure, conveniently ignoring the dance quip for the moment.
Nick smiled slowly and glanced down at Tam with the barest glint of intrigue and promise in his eyes. "I think I shall enjoy seeing that."
A slow blush crept across her face, but she continued on doggedly. "Then a tale you shall get." She flashed a sidelong look at Nick. "I promised Nick a certain tale anyway. I might was well share it with all of you at the same time."
His fingers squeezed her side lightly, remembering which tale she promised.
Tam winked at Stefan. "It will be a long, and thirsty tale, so you'd best have plenty of drink as well as the food."
With that, they gathered the last of their accumulated herbs and followed Stefan in the direction of the gypsy camp.
She sat in front of the firepit as the last of the sunset painted muted hues in the Western sky. Glancing at the gypsies, and then at Nicholas, she smiled before speaking in a pure, carrying voice.
"Many of you know me, or at least know of my past, the past of my people. Hear now the story of what happened after. How I faced demons and earned this skunk streak in my hair." Tam gestured expressively to the silver-white lock of hair in her bangs. "Hear of how my memories were returned to me."
"I left this land on the arm of my new husband, Kyle, believing that I was a simple healer who had been with this tribe since I was a babe. There were many gaps in my memories, which had been explained away by a long and grueling fever. I was ... content."
"Six years later Kyle went on what he promised was his last campaign with his mercenary company, but I had an unexplained aversion to being that close to warfare. So, I settled in a small town called Arden, and waited for my husband to come home to me. I was occupied with research on healing herbs, and while lonely, I managed well enough."
"I found a boarding house, filled with love and laughter, and settled there, counting the days until Kyle would return. He never came. Instead, a messenger from the Wolflings company arrived, with the news that Kyle had been killed on the day he was packing to return to me. Some drunken member of his company had seen some booty of Kyle's, and coveted it. It ended in a fight, and death." Muted gasps and mutters followed her simple statements. Few of the gypsies could conceive of greed that petty.
"It was a hard time for me, and I threw myself into helping at the boarding house, and doing many emergency healings in the nearby inn, as well as housecalls. It was during one of my trips to the inn that the great confusion began that caused me to tangle with demons."
"It seems there was a redheaded gypsy lass, Flame, who looked much like myself. Someone mistook me for her, and gave me a message to deliver to Flame's husband. The message was cryptic, and disturbing, and the messenger was gone before I could correct his mistake."
"I hunted down Talon and Flame, and gave them the message. I also volunteered my meager skills, for it seemed that they were in some very serious trouble. The entire problem dealt with two halves of a powerful amulet, and an ancient evil that had set the amulet-bearers against each other, in hopes of destroying them and laying claim to the amulet. With it, he would have been almost invincible."
"Anyway, the full tale of Flame and Talon's struggle with the evil one, and with Lynliss, the other amulet-bearer, is not mine to tell. Suffice it to say that Talon had been temporarily controlled, and that Lynliss was running in fear for her life. He knew he could not get close to her, to help make amends, and hoped I would be able to help the poor woman."
"As always, I thought of other's safety before my own, and went running off towards where they thought she was hiding, heedless of any danger. Lynliss was not there, but there was evidence to indicate that she had been killed there. Also, lying on the ground in a pool of blood was a strange elf, unconscious."
"Unbeknownst to me, Lynliss had staged her own death, and the dark lord had sent demons to try to catch anyone who went chasing after Lynliss. He had hoped to catch Talon, but instead caught one elf, Septyn by name, who was also a friend of Lynliss's."
"Remember, now, that at this point, my memories, and my mage-channels were still blocked. I believed myself to be a simple healer, sworn to preserve life where possible. I found myself surrounded by 20 demons, a man dying at my feet. I panicked, and decided the stranger needed to be saved, even at the cost of my own life. Using all my will, I called down a multiple lightning strike, channeling it through my own body and into the demons. It was meant to be a final strike. It seared my mage-channels wide-open."
"I fell unconscious, in lynx-form, as I often shift when I overextend myself. The surge in mage-energies in the area was enough to bring rescue, and we were brought back to the boarding house. My mage-channels were seared, my false memories had been jumbled by the trauma, and my real memories were still blocked. Worse, I was in lynx-form, and mind-wounded enough not to be able to mindspeak. That's also when I got singed, and this one lock of hair turned silver." She batted at the lock in question, catlike, for a moment, before continuing.
"I was frantic. All I could remember was that there was someone in trouble to the north, and that I needed to help. Septyn had recovered and had moved to the inn - still without having met his rescuer. Nobody bothered to tell him that I was ... rather feline at the time." She smiled wryly, and chuckled. "I don't blame the poor man for being confused when a half-wild lynx hunted him down in the common room of the inn, and started tugging on his coat."
"A mindhealer finally realized, after Septyn had left with much sword-waving, that there was some method to my frenzy. He was a very brave man to sit upon the floor, go eye to eye with a lynx, and dip into her mind. I shall be eternally grateful to Nash, especially since he healed much more than he had planned."
"When he was done, not only had he healed the damage to my mage-channels and fully reopened them to their own power, but he had also opened the doorway to my memories. My real ones."
"The grief and pain, buried for almost 7 years, was reawakened. Only the knowledge that there were people in trouble who needed my help kept me functioning during the shock of those first few days."
"Lynliss killed herself after realizing that she had been a pawn for the dark lord. I was too late to save her. However, for one reason or another, her spirit chose me as the new guardian of her half of the amulet."
"The demons knew I had the amulet. I couldn't afford to return to the boarding house with it in my possession, since there were still several companies of demons combing the area for the amulet. I would not put others in danger. My plan was ... sketchy, and built of desperation."
"Over the next several days, I hid, and plotted, and planned. With my newly reawakened mage powers, I shielded the real amulet so it could not be detected, and sent it with a safe messenger to Talon. I magicked a second amulet to have the same overlying aura as the original one. I also worked long and hard on a couple other spells that were placed on the decoy. It was only at the end that I realized that I was probably going to die before it was all over, because I wouldnot have the energy to defend myself after I launched the spells that would defeat most of the demons."
"I was desperate, but I was not suicidal. Here I was, sitting on top of a large boulder, acting as a very juicy target for a couple hundred demons. I sent a mental call for help, hoping that at least some of my newfound friends could help once I whittled down the numbers on the demons. One warrior arrived about 5 minutes before the first of the demons."
The fire in the pit snapped and popped behind her as she stopped to take a sip of some water. The crowd of gypsies was muted, waiting to hear how the adoptive member of their tribe managed to survive with those odds.
Her voice cointinued on, almost dreamlike, as her words painted the picture for them ...
~~~
... She stood atop the boulder and surveyed the gathering horde, a redheaded valkyrie, with ice-hard blue eyes. "I've had more than enough of scum like you hounding myself and those I call friends. You will regret the day your evil master sent you on this fool's mission."
Flinging out her hands, fingers splayed widely, she uttered several short, guttural syllables. About two dozen small blue sparks of light flew out of her fingertips and struck a like number of demons in the front ranks of the horde. Nothing else happened. Some of the demons blinked once or twice, and then began laughing, howling and jeering.
She recoiled in apparent fear and dismay, cowering against the larger form of Barra's, the warrior. Shielding the motion with her body, she gave his meaty arm a squeeze that seemed meant to reassure him. Turning emotion-filled eyes on the demons, she wailed, "Take it, then! I can't stop you! Just take the dratted thing and leave me alone!" Reaching around her neck, she quickly tore off the chain that was there, throwing it, and the item attached to it at one of the larger of the demons she had just struck with her spell. Howling in triumph, his taloned hand reached out and caught it. As his claws closed about it, he, and about 30 demons that seemed to be under his command, winked out of sight, including five others that had been touched by her supposedly fizzled spell.
As the small company of demons disappeared from sight, other demons howled in consternation. Suddenly, the remaining demons that had been spell-touched began gibbering and whimpering. Shaking and jittering uncontrollably, those 18 demons began flailing about in a frenzy. Every time they bumped into another demon during this period of flailing, a small blue spark leapt from them to the demon so touched. By ones and twos, they began exploding, as the energies within them became so hyper-excited that their forms could no longer contain them.
While confusion was breaking out, GypsyLynx and Barra repelled a few of the more persistent demons that had managed to break a small hole in her warding wall. Fortunately, the demon's mini-rush was soon over, due to the fact that the demons leading it had been infected by the virus-like spell when they'd been bumped into by those first "infected". Those demons, in turn, began jittering and flailing about, as did many others in the front ranks of the horde. Most exploded. Here and there a more lucky demon simply fell to the ground, panting and twitching.
As those in the middle and back ranks began to realize that the spell was passed by touch, and that it took less than 3 minutes from the time of "infection" to the time of explosion, looks of panic began to be seen on some of their grotesque faces.
Looking at the apparent leader, standing there snarling at her, she said with a feral grin: "And don't think you can simply escape to your plane of existence to avoid this. That's where I sent that sub-commander and his company. Six of them were infected, and if I can believe what I've been told about demons, the moment the gate opened, lots of other demons were hovering nearby, hoping for a chance to escape through the opening. By now, there should be contagious mayhem all over the place there, as well!"
Watching the demons' ranks get whittled down even more, and seeing small outbreaks of loss of discipline as demons tried to run away in terror, only to be cut down by others, she grinned in satisfaction. As one infected demon began flailing about, only to explode mere feet from the leader, she burst out into a short peal of vengeful laughter.
The leader, one NztNaPht, shook his scaly fist, vowing to have Tamara's hide on his living room wall. He fled northward, chased by a few weak magebolts. Tam collapsed, just as several more people ran into the clearing in answer to her call for help.
~~~
Tam broke out of her reverie, letting the spell she had woven with words fade from her audience. "We never saw the demons again. It took me weeks to recover from the spell I used on the demons." Her eyes were bleak as she caught Nick's eye. "The spell I used was a variation on the one that destroyed my people, and it targeted only that specific race. I pray I will never have to use it again."
This page last modified on December 17, 1996 by GypsyLynx.