Brightly Burning

this strange form of communication, perhaps because it was with her. Already it was easier than talking aloud; instinctive and comfortable.

:Silly boy,: she replied affectionately. :I'm neither more nor less wonderful than any other Herald or Companion.:

He didn't argue with her; he didn't exactly have a basis for comparison. :All I know is that you are the most marvelous person I've ever known.:

She whickered a chuckle and rubbed her muzzle against his cheek. :And I feel the same about you.: She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes twinkled merrily. :Convenient, isn't it?:

He had to laugh at that, and she shook her head, tossing her mane. :Well, what are they going to do to me today?: he asked her, certain that she would know.

:Pol and Satiran will be coming for you in a little. You should be ready for them,: she suggested. Loath though he was to take his arms from around her neck, he acknowledged the wisdom of her suggestion, and pulled reluctantly away.

This time he dressed himself, though his hands shook and his knees trembled with weakness. When one of the young Healer-Trainees, a pretty little chestnut-haired girl with a lithe graceful figure, entered with his breakfast, she looked blankly at first at the empty bed, then when he moved a little, her heart-shaped face betrayed her surprise to see him sitting at the open window.

'You don't need any help, then?' she said, her surprise turning into a smile. 'Good for you!' She brought the tray to him and set the tray down on the window seat beside him, and he saw that she had eyes of mingled green and brown. 'You'll be seeing my father in a bit, after he talks with your Healer. You're going to be a bit more complicated to settle in than most Trainees.'

'Your father?' Lan asked, and then managed to put two and two together. 'You mean that Herald that was here last night is your father?'

She dimpled charmingly. 'Oh, I'm afraid so; Herald Pol is my father. It does get rather trying, sometimes, having a father who can keep track of you no matter where you go. I'm Healer-Trainee Elenor, temporarily at your service.' She bobbed an impudent curtsy. 'My mother is Healer Ilea, but she's in service on the Southeast Border right now. At least I don't have both parents hovering over me all the time!'

Lan smiled tentatively at her; he wasn't exactly used to having pretty girls dimple at him, but it was a pleasant experience. She looked to be just about his age, which probably meant she was a great deal farther along in her studies than he. 'When did you start here? How long are you going to be a Trainee?' he asked.

'Oh, I've been a Trainee for more than five years, but I won't be one for much longer. Maybe a year,' she told him with great confidence, looking around, then seating herself on the edge of the bed. 'I don't know how long you'll be one; I suppose it will depend how much you already know. A lot of the Heraldic Trainees arrive here barely able to read and write, so the classes are all planned around that eventuality. Most of them aren't Chosen until they're twelve or thirteen, and they generally get their Whites by eighteen no matter how little they knew before they got here.'

'Well, I do know a little more than that,' he said, warming to her cheerful manner. 'Am I really going to be a Heraldic Trainee?' It was hard to believe; he could picture himself in the Guard, he could easily picture himself as a Caravan Master, but a Herald? He'd never seriously entertained the idea of himself in Whites.

Elenor gestured at Kalira, who was watching both of them with sparkling blue eyes the color of deep water. 'You've been Chosen, that makes you a Heraldic Trainee. I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice!' She laughed. 'It's not a job you can volunteer for or decline, it seems!'

For a brief moment, he felt uncertainty; did he really want the rest of his life decided for him? Hadn't he been trying to escape his own parents' plans for his life? But then he looked into Kalira's eyes and knew that she was worth any sacrifice.

'At least you know what Heralds do,' Elenor continued. 'Some Trainees don't even know that. Poor things. They are terribly confused; they've got no idea why they're here or what they're supposed to do, and when their Gifts start emerging—'

She stopped abruptly, and blushed, as if aware that his Gift was the source of a great deal of trouble, anguish—and tragedy.

'Gifts,' he said bitterly. 'That's what they're called, isn't it? But it's hardly a Gift if you don't want it and can't control it. It's not a Gift if all it does is bring harm.'

She gazed at him solemnly for a little, as if she was thinking. 'I suppose it seems that way, but I can think of a lot of ways that your Gift could be used for good. If there was a war—' She shook her head. 'I'd rather not think about a war, but if there was a forest fire, a bad one, you could use it to start backfires in places it would be too dangerous to send firefighters to.'

He had to nod reluctant agreement to that. He had lived in the country, and he knew how devastating a forest or grass fire could be. Sometimes the only way to stop a fire was to set another fire in its path, but that was a very dangerous thing to do, for there was always the chance that the ones setting the fire would find themselves trapped between two fire lines. People had died that way.

'You could herd wild beasts away with a line of fire, too. I'm sure there are other things your Gift would be useful for.' She continued hopefully, 'We'd just have to work at thinking of them. I mean, the only reason nobody has thought of useful things for Firestarting before is because it's so rare.'

Kalira nuzzled him, silently reminding him of her presence and help. :Pol and Satiran are coming,: she told him. :We will have a great deal to discuss.:

'Kalira says that your father and his Companion are coming,' he told the young Healer. She nodded, and gave him a hand to steady himself with as he got to his feet.

'You'll want to talk with them outside,' she said immediately. 'Like you did last night. That way, Satiran and Kalira can be right there with you.'

Yes, and if I lose control again, I won't burn down the building, he added sadly to himself.

:You won't lose control. I am with you, and I will not let that happen.: Kalira