Everything had fallen into place so very neatly; she could almost tally up the events on her fingers. First, Kero showed up, with a magic sword. Then, Elspeth, having seen real magic at work, firsthand, just happened to get the idea that Valdemar needed mages.
Then, Kero just happened to back that up, having had to deal with mages herself in her career.
All that could have been mere coincidence. But not the rest. Why was it that within a month, she was attacked by an assassin who may have been infiltrated into Haven magically, there was a magic attack on a major Border post-manned by Kero's people, so an accurate report got back, and the Council, for some totally unknown reason, seemed to be forced into letting her go look for mages?
And lo, as if in a book, Kero just happened to have kept up contact with her old mage, who happened to have kept up contact with his old teacher, who happened to be Kero's uncle and doubly likely to cooperate.
No one had stopped them on this trek, no one had even recognized them as far as Elspeth knew. Everyone was so helpful and friendly it was sickening. Even the mercs seemed to take her stories at face value. There was no sign of Ancar or his meddling. Everything was ticking along quietly, just like it was supposed to occur.
They were barely a candlemark away from the turnoff for Lythecare.
And the Companions were so smug about something she could taste it.
Gwena was humming again.
And suddenly she decided that she had had enough. that is it.
She yanked so hard on her reins that Gwena tripped, went to her knees, and scrambled back up again with a mental yelp-and Cymry very nearly ran into her from behind.
She turned to look at him; he stared stupidly back at her, as if wondering if she had gone mad.
'That's it,' she said. 'That is it. I am not playing this game anymore. ) 'What?' Now Skif looked at her as if certain she had gone mad.
'I am being herded to something, and I don't like it,' she snapped, as much for Gwena's ears as his. 'I did want to do this, and Valdemar certainly needs mages, but I am not going to be guided by an invisible hand, as if I were a character in a badly-written book! This is not a foreordained Quest, I am not in a Prophecy, and I am not Playing this game anymore.' With that, she dismounted and stalked off the side of the road to a clearing. Like seemingly all wayside clearings in this part of jkaroughtha, it was a bit of grass, surrounded by fenced fields of grain, with a couple of dusty, tall bushes, and a very small well. She sat down beside the well defiantly and crossed her arms.
Skif dismounted, his expression not the puzzled one she had expected but something she couldn't read. He walked slowly over to her, the Companions following with her reins trailing on the ground.
'Well?' she said, staring up at him.
He shrugged, but the conflicting emotions on his face convinced her that he knew something she didn't.
'I am not moving,' she said, firmly, suppressing the urge to cough as road dust went down her throat. 'I am not moving, until you tell me what you know about what's going on.' He looked helplessly from side to side; then his Companion whickered, and looked him in the eyes, nodding, as if to say, 'You might as well tell her.' I thought so. She glared at Gwena, who flattened her ears. 'You should have told me in the first place.'
'It-was the Companions,' Skif said, faintly. 'They, well, they sort of-ganged up on their Heralds, when you first wanted to go looking for mages. The Heralds that didn't want to let you go, like your mother-well, they kind of got bullied.'
'They what?' she exclaimed, and turned to Gwena, surprise warring with other emotions she couldn't even name.
'It had to be done,' Gwena replied firmly. 'You had to go. It was important.'
That's not all,' Skif said, looking particularly hangdog. 'For one thing, they absolutely forbid you to be told what they were doing. For another, they're the ones that suggested Quenten in the first place. They said he was the only way to an important mage that they could trust.'
'I knew it!' she said, fiercely. 'I knew it, I knew it! I knew they were hock-deep in whatever was going on! I knew I was being herded like some stupid sheep!'
She turned to Skif, ignoring the Companions. 'Did they say anything about the Shin'a'in?' she demanded. 'If I'm going to do this, I am by damn going to do it MY way.,,
'Well,' he said, slowly, 'No. Not that I know of.'
