'Nay, cousin, we of k'treva are not so well-versed in Outlander doings as you think. It is simply that Brightstar knew of his half-sister and her young suitor, and that the Ashkevron blood calls to blood; we know each other, though she does not know how.' Now Firesong raised one winglike eyebrow. 'That may be the source of the Outlander's fascination with my humble sell ' Darkwind snorted. 'As if you could ever be humble,' he said sardonically.
' It has happened a time or two, but not recently.' Firesong shrugged, and transferred his firebird to his shoulder. 'I thought a word to you was appropriate. I have much more training than you, more thorough, and more consistent. I have never abandoned my magic. Considering all you have-experienced-you do far better than I had expected. Take that for what it is worth. There is more I would say when the time is appropriate.'
He hung his head for a moment, then raised it again and brushed the moon-white hair from his forehead. Then he stood, an inscrutable expression on his face, and left by the trail Elspeth had taken, white-feathered firebird on his shoulder.
I should at least apologize to her, if he is not with her, Darkwind thought, finally. Or even if he is with her... though I doubt I could.
So eventually he, too, followed the pathway out of the clearing to the end of the Vale where Elspeth's ekele stood. He waited for a moment, listening at the entrance to the hot spring near her tree. There were splashing sounds; someone was definitely in there. There was no 'in use' marker at the entrance...He hesitated a moment longer, then went in.
For a moment he thought he had made a terrible mistake, for Elspeth was lying beside the pool, wrapped in a lounging robe, head was pressed against another, crowned with flowing white: Oh~ for Haven's sake, don't be more of a young fool than you are already,' Gwena snapped. He recognized, just before he backed out of the clearing, that it wasn't Firesong she was lying against, it was her Companion.
'Do you-mind if I use the pool?' he said awkwardly. She propped herself up on one elbow and gave him a long, penetrating look.
'I mind only if you plan on being as hateful as you were this morning,' she said, levelly.
'I didn't exactly plan on being hateful,' he replied weakly. 'It just happened.'
'Hmm,' was all she said, and she laid herself back down again on the cushions.
'If you don't mind, I'm going to leave you two alone,' Gwena said, getting gracefully to her feet. 'I suggest whatever in the nine hells is bothering the two of you, that you get it dealt with before it shows up in the magic.
That youngster and I agree on one thing, at least-that you'd better not bring your emotional upheavals into the reach of the Stone.' And with that, she melted into the undergrowth.
Darkwind stripped hastily, and slipped into the water. Elspeth stayed where she was, neither moving nor talking. He finally decided to break the silence before he got a headache from it.
'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nasty.'
'I'm sure you didn't,' Elspeth replied. Then she turned on her side and met his eyes.' Something occurred to Gwena, and she pointed it out to me. You're getting a dose of what your brother gets all the time, did you realize that?'
'What?' he said cleverly. 'Wintermoon?'
'Certainly.' Elspeth turned over onto her stomach, and pillowed her head on her arms. 'Think about it. You were always the Adept, the one with all the power. The one who had anything he wanted, from Starblade's approval to his pick of lovers in the Clan. He was a lowly scout, no magic, and in a position of risk, so that even if someone had considered getting close to him, they were afraid to because he was as likely to die as return every patrol. Even when you gave up the magic and no longer were the darling of your father's eye, you still had high rank, a place in the Council, the friendship of the gryphons, and Dawnfire. Now you've taken the magic up again, and you have it all back. And there stands good old reliable Wintermoon, upstaged again.'
'I never thought of it that way,' he said, slowly. 'It never occurred to me.'
'I didn't think so. Ever wondered why he spends so much time outside the Vale-why he volunteered to go wandering about the countryside with Skif in tow?' She rubbed her forehead on her sleeve. 'I did.
Gwena says she thinks he does it so that he won't get jealous of you. He really loves you, just as truly as any brother-but hellfires, Darkwind, it must be awful to stand around and watch you, and see everything you want just fall into your hand like a ripe fruit!'
'oh,' he replied, feeling very-odd. Very taken aback.
'So, now you're confronted with Firesong, and you're feeling the same way Wintermoon has since you started showing Mage-Gift.' Her bright brown eyes regarded him soberly from beneath a lock of hair.
C'Doesn't feel very good, I'd imagine.'
'No, it doesn't,' he admitted. 'But-you-'
'oh, I'm used to not being the best.' Elspeth shook her hair back.
'Talia was better than me at classes, jeri was better than me at swordsmanship, Mother is much prettier than me, Kero's better at strategy, Step-father at diplomacy, Skif at being sneaky-the only thing I was really good at was pottery, and I didn't deceive myself into thinking I was the best in the Kingdom.' She spoke airily, but Darkwind sensed that old hurt under her words.
'Elspeth, I think the thing that bothers me the most is that Firesong has your admiration,' he said, unhappily. 'I am jealous of him. He is so much more my master at magic-I feel like a bare apprentice. But it is the fact that you admire him so that angers me, and I cannot help myself.' It truly cost him in pride to admit that, and she stared at him a moment longer. 'You know, Kero told me something, once. She said' you'd think being able to speak mind- tomiind would put an end to all the misunderstandings between people, but it doesn't.' She was right, too.' He shook his head ruefully. 'I have often found that when there were misunderstandings, both parties found reasons not to share their thoughts.'
'Exactly.' She widened her eyes, and he felt the delicate touch of her mind on his. 'Firesong has Power. Firesong is too beautiful to be human.
