shadow dappled Kestric's pure white coat as they passed under the forest's canopy. The trail, for all that it surely wasn't used regularly by anyone anymore, was in remarkably good shape, easy to discern and unbroken.
:There isn't a lot to say about Starhaven,: he said. :Even without Mage-Gift, it's disturbing to visit a place if you know over a hundred people all died at once there. One night, no signs of struggle or violence. And I would imagine that's why the adults told us not to go there.:
:And exactly why you did.:
:Of course.: He smiled. :Boys will be boys. And something was waiting for us there, in fact.:
:'Something'?:
:As a child I thought it was a ghost, but my adult reason says it was probably just a wandering mage.: He shrugged. :He seemed amused-though I didn't realize it till months later, when I wasn't so terrified of the memory. All white robes, bleached hair with what I think were crow feathers in it-looked as much like a bird as a person.:
:Hunh.:
Kestric nodded, leaning forward in the saddle. :I think it might have been an outKingdom mage- some of them wear some strange costumes.:
:What's so strange about all white?:
Vess laughed aloud. :Aside from making me a walking target-nothing, really. Ah...the marker stone-: He looked down to where a crumbling stone lay to one side of the road, imprinted with the letters for STARHAVEN. :Here it is.:
The road emptied out into a clearing the size of Solmark. Green hulks that had once been houses shared space with saplings and tender bushes. The place was disarmingly cheery-birds sang in the trees, and there was ample sunlight.
Kestric stopped three steps 'in' and turned his head about as he surveyed the scene. Vess considered dismounting, but decided against it. He didn't think they'd be staying long.
:I don't know why I picked coming here,: he said after a while. :It always struck me-the mystery and the sadness-so many people gone, without any reason, overnight.:
:You're infinitely silly, you know that?:
Vess blinked in surprise at the lighthearted tone in Kestric's mind-voice.
:I am?: he said.
:Sure you are. Vess, you're a Herald! Of course you want to know what happened here! Not that I think you'll ever know-these are the Pelagirs. Strange things happen all the time.: He nodded. :They do, indeed. Like girls who people think are goddesses...:
:Speaking of which, we ought to go find her.: Kestric tossed his head toward the road. :Neh?: Vess was about to give his nonverbal agreement when something pale caught the edge of his vision.
He turned his head, and there, off to one side amongst the trees that bordered the clearing, stood a pale figure in white.
For a moment Vess forgot to breathe as the vertigo-sensation of having seen this person before swept him. It was the figure from his childhood-the strange, pale man with feathers in his hair.
In the next moment, his training took over, and he unconsciously reinforced his shields while simultaneously slipping open his inner eye to look at the man with Mage-sight-Nothing.
Not the power pulses that signaled an illusion, nor the seamless invisibility that someone with very strong and specific shields would have just wisps of gray must sprinkled with pinpricks of light.
:What the hells is that?: he yelled in panic, throwing down the mental image of the man's seeming.
Kestric swung around and backed up. In the instant he brought his head about, the figure raised a hand and waved-And vanished.
The birds had not stopped singing, and the sun had not gone behind a cloud, but Vess could feel the bumps rise on his arms and a chill rise up his spine. He felt much less safe than he had a few moments ago.
:Gone?: he heard Kestric say.
:Damn,: Vess said. :Maybe Starhaven is haunted after all.: He took a deep breath. :And I have exactly enough Mage-Gift to be completely useless toward doing any good, if a Herald of any sort can even help-might be better to find a competent priest.:
:Might be better to get back to Solmark.:
:Good idea.: Vess looked around, reassuring himself that-to his eyes-they were still alone. :The sooner, the better.:
* * *
'Heyla-Herald-'
The voice came from off to the left of Vess as he walked around from the stable toward the Waystation. Looking over, Vess saw an elderly man crossing over to him, a girl in tow-The same girl we passed this morning, he thought. What irony, if she turns out to be the one who was the whole reason for my leaving off vacation to come out here.
'Greetings, sir,' Vess said, bowing slightly. 'How can I help you?'
'I heard you were looking for my granddaughter,' the man said, coming to a stop with his hands on his hips and a grin on his face. 'I'm Sevastan, and this is my famous Juni. You need Healing?'
Well, at least he's congenial, Vess thought.
'No, actually, I don't.' He smiled. 'I heard about your granddaughter while I was visiting my mother and-to be honest, I admit to being a bit concerned.'
'Heh! Came all the way out to this backwater town out of concern? Now that's something, isn't it, Juni?' Sevastan looked down at his granddaughter, who was smiling slightly.
'Sir, if you'd like to talk in private with me?' Vess asked.
'Well,' Sevastan said, 'If you prefer. Juni?'
'It's all right,' she said. 'I have work to do.' She stood up on her toes and kissed her grandfather on the cheek, then bowed to Vess before strolling off and disappearing behind a house.
Vess turned back toward Sevastan to find that the man's outward congeniality had vanished, replaced by a firmly set mouth and cold eyes.
This is a switch, Vess thought. 'Would you like to adjourn to the Waystation?' he asked.
'No, actually, I want to make something clear,' Sevastan said, all remnants of cheerfulness erased from his tone. 'My wife is dead. My daughter died when Juni was only a few months old and my son-in-law died when she was five. I don't have any family-most of them got killed in Starhaven. Now, I know about you Heralds. You like to take children away from their homes and families. Juni isn't going with you. She isn't anything you'd want, and she doesn't want to leave anyway.'
The faint smile on Vess's face felt forced, but he maintained it anyway. He could point out that it was the Companions, not the Heralds, who took away children-and he could point out that Healers weren't Heralds-but neither point would matter or help. Sevastan didn't want his granddaughter leaving him, and that was the real issue.
'You are assuming,' Vess said, 'that I have a choice in this matter.'
'You could choose to leave.'
'Only if I was assured she wasn't a danger to herself or those around her. Forgive me for not asking,' Vess said sharply, 'but am I perhaps mistaken? Has your daughter been trained by a Healer?'
'I taught her what I know about herbs,' Sevastan said. 'Setting bones, splints, wrapping wounds-'
'I'm sorry,' Vess said. 'That's not what I mean when I say Healer. What I have heard of your daughter's skills sounds like she is Healing with a Gift. It's not the same as
