lot want is intelligence, right?' She looked around at the others. 'Not only what dear Ancar has been up to, but all the things that have happened since Elspeth left.'
Firesong nodded for all of them. 'And let me get the last two of our group,' he said. 'Skif and his lady, the current bearer of your mage-sword. I think you will be surprised at what has become of the blade. It has changed, warrior, greatly changed. We wish this kept reasonably secret - but not from you. You, I think, need to know what kind of an ally Need has become.'
He turned before anyone could stop him and went off at a brisk walk, robes flowing behind him. He returned quickly with Skif and Nyara. Skif also wore the hertasi-designed Whites - Whites with a number of surprises built into them - and Nyara wore a hertasi-made surcoat and light armor - though it would have been very difficult for anyone who was not aware that it was armor to recognize it as such. As always, Nyara carried Need sheathed at her side, but before anyone could say anything to either of them, the sword spoke up, and Need's mind-voice was sharp with shock.
Kero jumped this time, she was so startled. She stared at the blade, and then swore, fervently and creatively, using several languages that Elspeth didn't even recognize and describing several acts that Elspeth thought were anatomically impossible.
' - bloody hell!' she finished with a wail, throwing up her hands in despair, as if in petition to the unseen gods. 'Isn't it bad enough that I get a lover who takes over my dreams, a talking horse, and a uniform like a target? Isn't it enough that I go from being an honest mercenary to some kind of do-gooder? Does everything in my life have to come back to haunt me and talk in my head?'
It took all morning to fill Kero in on everything that had happened to Elspeth, Need, and Skif since they left, but the Herald-Captain refused to impart so much as a rumor before she heard Elspeth's story. Occasionally, Kero fixed the sheathed blade with a sharp glance, and Elspeth suspected that Need was gifting her former bearer with choice comments of her own. They were, in many ways, two of a kind. Evidently Kero began to figure that out for herself, for after a while those pointed glances took on a hint of amusement.
Elspeth was just grateful that she wasn't 'blessed' with the sword's presence anymore. And she had the feeling that Kero felt the same.
Finally, after a break for a noontime meal, Kero made good on her bargain.
Elspeth had pillows brought in so that they could, all sit comfortably, while the gryphons lounged with their fore-quarters draped over the side of their nest. They sat in a ragged circle, with Kero at one end and the gryphons anchoring the other.
'First of all,' she said, playing with the end of her braid as she looked at Elspeth, 'I want you all to know that not only do I approve of the way Elspeth handled herself yesterday, but the entire Council still approves of the abdication. It's going to confuse Ancar so much he won't know what to make of it. He'll have to wait to see what his spies have to say about it all before he even begins to plan. He's going to be certain that the abdication was a rase, until he gets reports that Elspeth really did give up all of her power. He's going to be hearing all kinds of rumors, and it's going to drive him crazy. He couldn't imagine anyone ever giving up a high position.'
'I thought as much,' Elspeth said with satisfaction.
'Now I've got a little advice for you and your handsome friend,' Kero continued, looking directly and only at Elspeth. 'I know you're not the Heir anymore, and who you couple with makes no difference. But there are people who are watching you. Don't make any announcements about pairing up for at least a couple of months; that way no one will think to accuse you of being a softheaded female who lets her heart overrule her head, all right?'
Elspeth raised one eyebrow. 'Does it matter if people think I'm a softheaded female? As you just said, who I pair with has no real meaning anymore.'
Kero gave her the look, a scornful expression that had withered sterner hearts than Elspeth's. 'It might not to you, but you're an example for others, whether or not you realize it. It might seem very romantic to give up throne and duty for the one you love. I'm sure the younger Bards would be thrilled with such a rich topic for balladeering. No one is going to pay any attention to the fact that you're taking on more responsibility as the first Herald-Mage in an age. You fell in love, and told your duty to take a long walk, that's how starry-eyed young fluffheads are going to think of it. And while you're at it, think about the hundreds of young people out there who will use that as an excuse to abandon responsibilities of their own because they think they are lifebonded! Some chow-derheaded young fool who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'duty' is encouraging them to run off to a life of endless love, that's how it would look. Right now, that's the last thing we need.'
Elspeth gnawed her lip for a moment, then nodded, slowly. 'I can see your point. I'm still someone that people my age look to for an example, and that's not going to change any time soon, if at all. Well, I'm not going to avoid Darkwind, but we can keep from being blatant about things....'
After all, no one knows what the feather and ring mean but the two of us and the folk that came with us. We can make it public knowledge some time later.
'That's all I ask. Think before you do something. Always. You may not be the Heir, but you're going to be just as much in the public eye and mind as before, if not more so. You thought being the Heir was bad, I don't think you've thought about how people are going to react to the first Herald-Mage since Vanyel.' Kero smirked with satisfaction. 'Well, now to the business of catching up. We have agents in Hardorn, Ancar has agents here, but I'm pretty sure I know who most of his are, and I'm equally sure he hasn't caught most of ours, so we're able to feed him inaccurate and incomplete information without getting caught in the same trap. His pattern hasn't changed; whenever he thinks he's found a weak spot in our defenses, he generally pokes at it for a while before he actually
