I can feel you watching us so intently you'll burn holes through us,
Meghianna
said, startling him. Her silent laughter echoed in his head, a duet with his own muffled chuckle.
Megs can't wait to see you. We have to arrange a private place. I'm afraid she's going to
burst into tears and hug you until you can't breathe.
That doesn't sound like her at all.
I know. She's changed, softened in many ways. It's part of being a mother. Her boys
adore her. Ah, heads up. That is our dear Captain Ector approaching. You've been staring at us
too long. He likely suspects you of villainous intentions.
"Good day, young sir," Mrillis said, turning as the soldier's shadow crossed in front of
him. He smiled genially, ignoring the momentary dumfounded look on Ector's face. An
experienced, hardened soldier, he likely hadn't been addressed as 'young sir' in years. "You don't
happen to have a healer among your wagons, do you?" Mrillis continued, before Ector could do
more than nod and greet him in return. "Sleeping on the ground and spending the entire day
a'horseback isn't as easy as it used to be."
"Yes, we do have a healer, as a matter of fact. Once we're settled, I'll ask her if she can
see you."
"Splendid. Splendid. I'm grateful." Nodding, muffling mischievous laughter, Mrillis
shuffled across the courtyard to the well. The boys had been put to work helping the serving men
settle the two sets of cart horses and the guards' mounts. Mrillis approved of having boys keep
busy and get their hands dirty--especially the hands that would one day wield Braenlicach.
He made himself useful, bringing up buckets of water from the stable well, which gave
him an opportunity to watch Thrarin and Lycen at work. They got along well with the inn's
stable boys, and that was no surprise, considering they had been inn boys just a few short days
ago. He smiled to see that both boys still showed some caution over dirtying their new, grand
clothes. They were gifts from Megassa, but Meghianna had confessed to him that she thoroughly
enjoyed dressing her boys as befitted their true station in life. Megassa's sons, by contrast, had no
consciousness of the grandeur and expense of their clothes, and paid no attention to what they
stepped in or what they slopped on themselves or what they rubbed up against as they helped
tend to the horses. He approved of their easy familiarity with manual work.
Thrarin and Lycen had no idea of their true station in life, Warhawk's heir and
high-ranking Valor's son, but Mrillis saw how they would be as men, commanders of warriors and
soldiers. They would be respected and admired and loved by their men--and that last was more
important than the first two. Love would prompt a warrior to heights of bravery and sacrifice and
daring that respect or even fear for a commander could never do.
I do believe our world is in good hands,
he told Meghianna.
"Sir?" Thrarin put down his bucket on the edge of the well, where Mrillis sat now that
no more water was needed. "Did you just do magic?"
"Why do you ask, lad?" Mrillis slipped his hand inside his coat, to touch the belt pouch
of star-metal chains and rings and pins that he carried, to test those who might have
imbrose
. He felt the shimmering vibrations through the padded leather and cloth. The
star-metal reacted to Thrarin's presence--but how had the boy sensed it?
"You...glowed. Just for a moment. It's easier to see in the shadows. I thought I saw blue
around your face earlier, but..." He gave a crooked grin and shrugged.
"How long have you been able to see magic at work?"
"I don't know, really." He glanced around as Lycen came over to join them. "Sometimes
there's a glow around our mother, when she's healing people. We decided that was magic."
"Ah, your mother is the healer who just came in? Good. Then perhaps you have healing
magic, too." He nodded to Lycen. "Commendable. Will you study at a Rey'kil school?"
"We're going to be Valors," Lycen said. "I thought you were doing magic, before. What
were you doing?"
"Trying to see the future in you two," Mrillis said after just a heartbeat of hesitation.
"Sometimes there is a glow of destiny around young men, such as yourselves. Am I wrong, or
have you come through large changes in your lives?"
"Large changes, yes." Lycen grinned and nodded and smoothed his hand down the front
of his tunic. "Mother says it's time we learn to use our
imbrose
."
"Indeed. And it is part of my duties to help young folk learn to find and explore their
imbrose
." Mrillis grinned at the thought of Meghianna's exasperation with him, and
reached into the pouch to pull out some star-metal trinkets. "Ah, yes, these will do nicely." He
picked through the tangle of simple chains and rings lying in his palm. From the widening of
their eyes, both boys could indeed see the shimmer of magic across the small handful of
star-metal.
"But sir," Lycen began to protest, when Mrillis held out simple rings to both boys.
"You ask your mother, but she'll let you take them. I guarantee it. Carrying
imbrose
in your blood is a responsibility and stewardship given by the Estall. Not a toy
to play with. Not a weapon or free license to harm others." He nodded, pleased, when the boys
took the rings but didn't put them on their fingers. "Go to your mother, first. She needs to test
you when you first put the rings on. Then tell her the man who gave you those rings would like a
word with her. My old bones need a healer's touch," he added with a grin.
"Why does it glow like that?" Garyn stepped up to Mrillis so close his nose almost
touched the edge of the man's palm, and went up on his tiptoes to try to see.
"What colors do you see?" Mrillis asked, and obligingly lowered his hand so the little
boy could see better.
"Blue. And green. Mama has a ring that glows when she puts it on, but it's yellow and
green." He reached to take a chain, then stopped himself and gave an apologetic little grin.
"If it calls to you, take it. I was explaining to your brothers that my duty is to give
star-metal to those who show some hint of
imbrose
, so the Estall may awaken their
gifts."
"They aren't our brothers," Lok said, coming up to join the group, now forming a loose
semi-circle around the well. He grinned at Thrarin and Lycen, who grinned back. "But they're
good friends now. Our father has some star-metal, but he saves it for his soldiers, when they go
into dangerous territory outside our fortress. I didn't think there was much star-metal in the
whole world, but you have as much here as Father does."
"Where did you get it?" Garyn asked.
"From the Queen of Snows."
"You knew her?" Lycen's eyes widened and his voice hushed a little.
"I know her very well." Mrillis forbore mentioning that the jewelry he carried had been
made by Ceera. He looked at these boys now, and thought she would approve heartily that they
would possess her handiwork.
"People say she's dead, that she faded away in the winter storms off the sea," Thrarin
said, his voice even softer than Lycen's, a frown settling around his mouth and eyes.
"Just because you can't see someone doesn't mean she isn't there anymore. And anyone
who comes to the Lake of Ice will hear her voice. She will answer your questions."
"Why doesn't she let anyone into the Stronghold anymore?" Lok asked.
"Grief. She was terribly hurt by those she loved most, and it sent her into mourning,"
Megassa said, appearing from behind Mrillis with a swoosh of robes and a delicate cloud of
sweet perfume. "I never told you, the Queen of Snows is my half-sister." She met Mrillis' gaze
with a glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes. "I hurt her terribly, long ago."
"Is she mad at you? Is that why she doesn't come out?" Garyn said. "Like when Nurse is
mad at us and won't tell us stories?"
Megassa laughed, the carefree, delightful ripple of sound that had always warmed
Mrillis' heart. She wiped the corners of her eyes, shook her head, and rested a hand on the
shoulders of her two sons. Behind her, the other two boys wandered over to join them.
"No, my dears. She isn't angry with me, and she won't be angry with you. I daresay she
loves you, just because you're mine."
"I'm sure I can guarantee that, knowing her as well as I do," Mrillis said. He raised his
handful of trinkets. "Do I have your permission, Lady, to gift your sons, as I have gifted the
healer's sons?"
"Please do." She bowed her head a moment. "I am honored."
Megs, can you hear me? Dearheart, it truly is good to see you.
Megassa stiffened and caught her breath. Then she nodded and more tears gleamed in
her eyes.
I can hear you. It has been so silent inside my head, until now. Lord Mrillis, please
believe me, I only want what's best for my brother.
I do believe you.
He bowed to her and stood up, formally offering the handful
to the boys.
Mrillis went with Thrarin and Lycen to find Meghianna, while Megassa took her four
boys to their suite of rooms to help them adjust to their awakened
imbrose.
Mrillis
thought the four boys were more delighted to have a piece of star-metal of their very own than
the proof that they had some
imbrose
.
"I wondered when you would show your face," Meghianna remarked, when Lycen
opened the door and led Mrillis and Thrarin into the room the three would share.
"Sorry, Mother, we were--"
"Not you." She laughed softly and squeezed her son's shoulder. "The old meddler here."
Her eyes sparkled when both boys' mouths dropped open. "Yes, we've known each other for
years. In fact, all my life."
"But you never came to our inn," Thrarin said.
"We have conversed in our minds many times over the years," she said, and gestured at
the small table with four chairs by the window. "I told you there was much you two needed to
learn on this journey. He is part of it. Are you going to sit down?" she added, turning to
Mrillis.
"I'm trying to decide if you're angry with me for stealing the march on you with the
boys' rings." Mrillis pulled out the chair and dropped into it, sharing a grin with her over the
boys' dumfounded expressions.
"There are some things that are out of our hands. If Thrarin saw the working of magic
when you were talking to me--"
"I thought you said you were looking at our futures, not talking to our mother," Thrarin
blurted.
"But I
was
trying to see your futures." Mrillis spread his hands. "Give it time.
All your questions will be answered, and you will understand, but be patient."
"Lycen, you put your ring on first," Meghianna said, forestalling another question from
her brother.
The older boy grinned, swallowed hard, and held his hand out flat as he slowly slid the
ring onto his thumb. The rippling blue and green haze over the surface of the ring expanded,
adding yellow, purple, and red to the band of colors, and flowed over his hand, to his fingers, and
nearly up to his elbow before it contracted again to inhabit just the ring.
Mrillis and Meghianna both burst out in laughter at the boy's disappointed look.
"Your
imbrose
was adjusting to the star-metal," Meghianna explained. "Like
you would test a new jacket when you put it on, to see how well it fits. And it gave us a good
indication of your potential and strength."
"So many colors means something, doesn't it?" Lycen said, clenching and unclenching
his hand, turning it so the ring caught the light coming through the window.
"You are strong, yes, and many possibilities are open to you." She nodded and turned to
Thrarin. "Now you."
The younger boy nodded, his face solemn. Mrillis wondered if he worried about not
putting on as grand a display as his brother. He didn't prolong the moment, but slid the ring onto
his thumb and clenched his fist, as if he feared someone would try to slip the ring free.
The air around Thrarin rippled, not with color, but a shimmer like heat. Mrillis braced
himself against the table, waiting for some profound reaction, maybe even a tearing of the net of
spells that kept the boy's training dreams separate from his waking mind. Whispers and chimes
accompanied a cascade of silver light over the boy from head to foot.
Appropriate,
Meghianna thought, nodding and meeting Mrillis' gaze.
Braenlicach sings when the men of our family take it in their hands.
"You talked to him, didn't you?" Lycen said.
"I heard your voice, but not words," Thrarin added. His eyes narrowed and he stared at
his hand. "Why wasn't there color, like with Lycen?"
"Everyone bonds to star-metal in different ways. For some, it is music, for others it is
light, for others it is a feeling like wind rushing over their bodies. Others feel the metal get hot."
Mrillis shrugged. "Who can predict? Star-metal hasn't been tamed that long. How can we know
all the things it can and can't, should or shouldn't do?"
"What's important is learning what you can do through your bond with your new rings."
Meghianna tucked a few loose strands of hair back under her loose kerchief. "Now, I want you
two to sit quietly over there, concentrate on your rings, and listen to how the star-metal changes
the way you perceive the world. That will be your first lesson. Our friend and I need to
talk."
"In your minds?" Lycen asked with a grin. He stood up to go sit on the far bed, where
Meghianna had indicated.
"Most likely, to keep from distracting you from your first lesson," Mrillis said.
"How long do we have to study and practice before we can hear you?"
"Very long. Your mother and I have grown careless, speaking too loudly through the
Threads. Neither of you should know we were talking at all." He glared teasingly as he spoke,
and both boys grinned in response.
He watched the boys sit cross-legged on the bed, facing each other, holding out their
hands with the rings. Little ripples of color erupted from time to time, giving a good indication of
the inconsistency of the boys' concentration.