Storm Warning

Despite the latter's promises to Firesong, An'desha had been giving demonstrations of mage-craft to the engineers, and he was tired and ready to go back to the Palace. When Natoli declared her intention to defect as well, the whole group broke up, yawning.

'I'll walk back to the Palace with you,' she said, as Karal handed An'desha back his cloak. 'I've got a room in the wing where they put some Blues who don't have patrons or aren't highborn, and who also don't live in town. We share it with the Healer—and Bardic-trainees.'

'I'd wondered,' Karal admitted, slinging his cloak around his shoulders, as Natoli found hers in the pile of student Blues. 'You kept popping up in the Palace and you acted as if you belong there.'

'In a sense, it's the only home I have,' Natoli admitted. 'Father was Chosen after my mother died of complications of childbirth. No, it wasn't me,' she added hastily. 'It was a still-birth, and I was about four. He brought me with him to the Collegium since he hadn't any place else to take me, and I've spent all of my life here. When he went out on circuit, one or another of the Heralds would take care of me until he got back.'

Well, it wasn't the worst sort of childhood, though it was nothing like the warm family situation Karal had enjoyed.

'It sounds lonely,' An'desha said ingenuously as Karal opened the door and held it for the two of them.

Natoli only shrugged as she stepped out into the dark street. 'Mostly, it was odd. When Father was here, he made sure I knew he wanted me there, and that he cared about me. For lack of anything else to do, once I got old enough, I took most courses in all the Collegia except the ones in Bardic that had to do with performing and composing, and the ones in Healer's that had to do with really Healing someone. Then one day I realized what I wanted to do, I went to Master Tam and asked to be taken on, and she asked me why I had taken so long to figure out what I was good at.'

'She would,' Karal said dryly. 'I have the impression that Master Tam would never take an indirect route when there was a direct one available.' Other students drifted along behind them, talking quietly to one another, voices murmuring across the otherwise silent street.

'She does tend to bludgeon things,' Natoli replied, but smiled. 'Father was just pleased that I'd found my avocation; he granted his leave, and I've been studying with Master Tam ever since.'

'At least you had some choice in the matter,' Karal replied, with some envy. 'I was quite literally kidnapped by the Priests.' He went on to describe his own childhood, while An'desha and Natoli both listened with interest.

'Odd that of the three of us, I am the one who had the most normal childhood,' An'desha mused. 'How very strange.'

'Well, you made up for it.' Karal slapped him lightly on the back. 'Never mind; I've figured out that anyone who is more intelligent than the people around him has troubles as a child. The important thing is not to dwell on those troubles and make them into all you are. You should do what you can with what parts of your life you have personal control over!'

'That makes good sense,' Natoli applauded, and changed the subject. 'I wonder what late night food we can gain personal control over?'

Several days passed, with Karal serving double duty: to the mages and with the engineers. As the days went by, the engineers collected more and more information and added it all to their charts, tables, and maps. Florian passed on a great deal more of what Master Tarn referred to as 'data' from other Companions out in the field with their Heralds—all of it was pertinent, and most of it was much more accurate than the information coming from humans. After the third day of this, Karal paused in the midst of his copying, struck by the fear that all this might not be the sort of thing Vkandis would approve of his acolyte doing. After all, he hadn't seen Altra in days. Was the Sunlord annoyed with him?

At that very moment, Altra wandered through the room, tail waving like a banner in a light breeze.

Karal froze, and not just because Altra had appeared the moment Karal thought of him, but because it was here, in the middle of a crowd of—well—unbelievers. What were they going to think? Altra wasn't exactly inconspicuous!

But the others did nothing unusual. The other students and teachers saw him— they avoided trampling him when he was in their path—but they didn't seem to see anything odd about him. He jumped up onto one or two tables and surveyed the figuring and charting going on with aloof interest, and none of them stared at him. He might very well have been a perfectly ordinary tavern cat.

Considering that he was four or five times larger than any domestic housecat that Karal had ever seen, that was certainly strange!

But Altra eventually made his way to the back of the room where Karal sat staring at him, and gave Karal an approving wink.

:They see only what they are expecting to see,: the Firecat said cryptically.