Darkwind suddenly saw a way to get some of his own pride back, especially if the Adept planned on training the two of them together.
Firesong wasn't the only one who could be innovative.
Gwena joined them a moment later, and Darkwind swallowed down some of the things he wanted to ask Elspeth. Is she attracted to him? -Just how attracted is she? Is she thinking of asking him to continue her teaching?
And if he's teaching her magic, does that mean she goes to k'treva after the Stone is dealt with?
He shouldn't care, and he couldn't help himself. He had no holds on her. She shared his bed sometimes. He shared hers. She was not truly of the Vales; she was an Outlander. All the arguments against Skif and Nyara's success together held true for the two of them, too.
Tayledras simply didn't leave their Vales. How could he continue the work he had sworn to do, if he left the Vale? He was a Hawkbrother; a Pelagirs healer of ruined lands. He could never leave the Vale, the Pelagirs-it was impossible. She was the Heir to a throne, vital to the safety and govermnent of her land. She couldn't stay here. that was impossible.
She would go, and he would stay, no matter what happened here. He began building himself a kind of emotional bulwark to save what was left of his pride and heart. He would have to watch his tongue, and not drive her away-she would be leaving soon enough. He would deal with that when it came. He would fight back the tears that he knew, somehow, would come when his Wingsib Elspeth left.
There was little enough in his life now. No need to act like his namesakeDarkwind, an approaching storm- cloud. It made no sense to ruin what there was, least of all by voicing his own foolishness.
'Elspeth,' he said, with cheerfulness that didn't sound too forced,
'Once we recover from being run like rabbits, did you have any plans for this afternoon?'
Starblade eased himself down onto the couch beside the huge blockperch Hyllarr had taken for his own, and scratched beneath the hawk eagle's breast-feathers. Hyllarr all but purred, pulling one foot up in complete contentment.
In this alone, Hyllarr was like Karry, but in no other way. Starblade was grateful for that. There were no poses, no lifts of the head, nothing to haunt him. Hyllarr was Hyllarr, and unique. Uniquely intelligent, uniquely calm, uniquely charming. He had succeeded in charming Kethra, who had been immune to the blandishments even of Darkwind's flirt-of-a-bird, Vree. Hyllarr had her securely enchanted.
Kethra settled beside him, with an amused glance at the bird. 'I have no idea how you're going to carry him around once he's well, ashke,' she said. 'He'd be a burden even for someone like Wintermoon. I can't even begin to think how you're going to have him with you.'
'I shall worry about that when the time comes,' he told her serenely.
He already had some notions on the subject. Perhaps a staff across the shoulders Is your kinsman coming?'
'He should be here at any moment,' she began, when footsteps on the staircase heralded their visitor. And, as Starblade had expected, it was Tre'valen who appeared at the doorway-a Tre'valen who, to Starblade's pained but keen eyes, was a young man in serious emotional turmoil.
Starblade had been seeing the signs of trouble in Tre'valen's face for some time now, but it had never been as obvious as it was now. So, he had been right to ask the shaman here. There was something going on, and the Clan needed to know what it was.
'Sit, please, shaman,' he said mildly.
Tre'valen obeyed, but with a glance at Starblade that told the Hawkbrother that this shaman was quite well aware Starblade had not asked him here to exchange pleasantries.
Good. In these times, it was no longer possible to hide behind a veil of politeness. Some of the others of the Clan had relaxed, thinking that now that the Adept was here, all their troubles would be over. They had not stopped to consider the fact that Firesong was here to solve only one of the Clan's problems. When he had dealt with the Stone, he would be gone. Then there would remain the rest of the puzzle-box. How to safely reunite the Clan. What to do about Dawnfire. What to do about this Territory. How to deal with Falconsbane's daughter, who was a dangerand in danger-as long as there was any chance her father was still alive.
How to discover Falconsbane's fate. What to do about him if he still lived...'There was a time,' he began,' when I could afford to hint, to be indirect. I no longer have the strength for such diplomacy. Tre'valen, your Wingsibs of the Clan know why Kethra is here, why Kra'heera asked us to allow her to stay. She was already a Wingsister, and there
was obviously a great need for her help.' Kethra's left hand found his right, and she squeezed it, but said nothing.
Starblade smiled at her, and took strength and heart from her support.
'Kra'heera asked us to grant the same status to you, and the same hospitality, but with no explanations. I had not pressed you for such an explanation, but I think the time has come for one.' Tre'valen looked very uncomfortable and glanced at Kethra.
'You need not look to me for aid, Clanbrother,' she replied to his unspoken question. 'I am in agreement with Starblade.' Tre'valen sighed. 'It is because of Dawnfire,' he said, awkwardly.
Starblade nodded. 'I had already surmised that,' he said dryly. 'I should like to hear what the reasons are.' Tre'valen was clearly uncomfortable, more so than Starblade thought the situation warranted. 'Kra'heera wished me to seek her out-if I could find a way to bring her to me-and speak with her as much as I might. It seemed to him quite clear that she has become some kind of avatar of the Star-Eyed, but it is not an avatar we recognize. But it also does not seem to be anything your people had seen before, either. He wanted me to discover what the meaning of this was, if I could. This is a new thing, an entirely new thing. We have had no direction upon it.
Kra'heera does not know what to think.' He paused, and rubbed the side of his nose, averting his eyes from Starblade's unflinching gaze.
New things simply do not occur often in the Plains, ashke,' Kethra Put in. 'The Star-Eyed has been a Lady more inclined to foster the way things are rather than bring on changes.' But Starblade was watching Tre'valen very
