'Exactly,' Hydona replied. 'He could ussse herrr to carrrry powerrr from hisss sacrificesss; he could generrrate powerrr frrrom herrr by hurrrting herrr.'
'And best of all,' Darkwind concluded grimly, 'he could exhaust her power without touching his own. That made it possible for him to work spells that don't disturb the energy-flows around here at all, because it's all internal power. that is how he's been doing things without my sensing them!'
'Sssensing them?' Treyvan opened one eye. 'I thought you had given up yourrr mage-ssskillsss.'
'I have,' he replied firmly. 'But I can still sense the power flows and the disturbances when someone tampers with them. As long as I'm not inside the Vale, that is.'
'That Heartssstone isss a problem, Darrrkwind,' Treyvan said, unexpectedly.' It isss distorting everrrything in the area of the Vale, asss if it were a thick, warped pane of glasss. And when thingsss come into thiss area, like the ssserpent, it isss attracting them. I am ssssurprisssed that no one in therre hasss noticed the problemsss.'
Darkwind shook his head, compressing his lips tightly. 'If I say what I'd like to-well, that's Vale business, and the Elders' business, and you-'
'Are Outssssidersss,' Treyvan replied, rolling his eye in exasperation.' And if your father dissscovered you had been ssspeaking of Vale busssinesss to Outsssiderssss, what then? Would he cast you out? It might be worth it, Darrkwind. Thisss isss involving more than jussst k'sssheyna. The broken Heartssstone beginsss to affect the area outssside the Vale.'
'No.' He shook his head emphatically. 'I have a duty to my Clan, and to what the Tayledras are supposed to be. I guess-' he thought for a moment, 'I suppose I'm just waiting for the moment that they all bury themselves, and I can find out where k'vala or k'treyva are now, and I can go get some help.'
'May that be ssssoon,' Hydona sighed.
'Too true.' He eyed the sun and stood up. then hesitated a moment.
'You know my personal reasons for giving up magic-and-well, I wouldn't admit it to anyone but you, but-I'm beginning to think that may have been, well, a little short-sighted.' Treyvan tilted his head. 'I will not ssay that I told you the ssame.
'I know you did. But now,' he frowned, 'if the Heartstone is attracting uncanny things. it is probably a good idea not to rescind that vow. Look what happened to the one mage who tried casting spells outside the Vale.' A good point,' Treyvan acknowledged. 'But you ssstill show Adept-potential, do you not? Would that not attract creaturesss asss well ass sspellcasssting?' He tilted his head the other way. 'A dissstinct liability to a ssscout, I would sssay.' He flushed. 'Treyvan, I'm not stupid. I thought of that. I swore I wouldn't spellcast. I never swore I wouldn't keep my shields.' Treyvan laughed aloud. 'Good. You are asss canny as I could wish, flightlesss ssson.
He had to laugh, himself. 'Well, Nera has things well in hand for now, you have youngsters to get back to, and I-I guess I'd better finish out my patrol, tell Dawnfire the good news if she doesn't know already, and figure out how best to phrase Nyara's request to the Elders.' Treyvan chuckled. 'Ssshe won't be moving far or fasst for a few dayss, if I'm any judge of human ssshapesss. You'll have ssome time to think.' Darkwind sighed. 'I hope so,' he replied. 'It isn't going to be easy.
Starblade is not going to like this.'
*Chapter Eleven ELSPETH
Skif peered through the foggy gloom of near-dawn, wishing he had eyes like a cat. He watched for possible trouble, as Elspeth stood-literally on her saddle, trying to read the signpost in the middle of the crossroads.
Gwena stood like a stone statue; a distinct improvement over a horse in a similar situation.
Before they had left Bolthaven, Elspeth had taken Quenten's advice quite literally-and very much to heart. For one thing, she'd consulted with him about disguises, in lieu of being able to ask Kerowyn. Now they wore something more in the line of what a pair of prosperous mercenaries would wear. 'Mercs would be best,' Quenten had decided, after a long discussion, and taking into consideration the fact that no amount of dye would stain the Companion's coats. 'Tell people who ask you've been bodyguards for a rich merchant's daughter, and that's where you got the matched horses. If you say you're mercs, no one will bother you, and you can wear your armor and weapons openly. just put a coat of paint on those shields, or get a cover for them.' They'd given him carte blanche, and a heavy pouch of coin. He'd grinned when Skif lifted an eyebrow over the selection of silks and fine leathers Quenten's agent brought back from the Bolthaven market, clothing that was loose and comfortable, and so did not need to be tailored to them to look elegant.
'We want you two to look prosperous,' he'd said. 'First of all, only a prosperous merc would be able to afford horses like yours, even if you did get them in the line of duty. And secondly, a prosperous merc is a good fighter. No bandit is ever going to want to bother a mercenary who looks as well-off as you will. The last place a merc puts his money is in his wardrobe. If you can afford this, you're not worrying about needing cash for other things.' ' ' But the jewelry,' Skif had protested. 'You've turned most of our ready cash into jewelry!'
