Of Bonds Forged Ch. 01

To exact revenge for that perceived wrong and to find out where she had been relocated to so that he could retrieve the 'property' that was his wife, he hired Sylanna to use her skills in magic, potions, and alchemy to attack the people in the poorest parts of the city of Erette, in the hopes of using the distraction and two soldiers that she and her compatriots helped corrupt, to kidnap the daughter of Mistress Lia's mate and force her to return his wife and, eventually, probably, kneel to his whim, using her power to serve him.

Mistress and her mates tracked, captured, changed, and enslaved them all to find their way to their master, Strannix. The mages were driven to serve. Nax was with her guild, adding to his skills as he prepared to go out into the greater world. Arik chose to head to the mountains north of the Erette's northernmost city, Idros. There, he intended to teach the magics forbidden by the wider world to the next generation, just as he had been taught in those small settlements and caves.

Strannix? For all Vale knew, he was still rotting while staked to a beach as a warning to anyone that might try to harm innocents or a child that Mistress Lia loved. Sylanna, though, was here.

With Vale.

It left Vale the one feeling imprisoned, especially right this minute. But Mistress had insisted and, if there was anything she wouldn't do for her guild mistress, she hadn't found it yet. Her tone was flat, taking care not to escalate the situation, as the child's mother was already sobbing with her head on Ara's chest begging forgiveness of the Goddess and of her. "Can you clear it?"

She looked away from the scene and back at Vale. "Not quickly enough with what I have. Time is of the essence. Her body is weak. I have to clear the poison from her blood and tissue, heal the damage to her body, assuming it can be healed at this point, but it appears so at first glance. If so, then clearing the infection is a simple matter."

She thought aloud, "I may be able to boost the efficacy of the anti-toxin I have on hand." Turning to him and speaking as if to command, "Rian, are there Esken trees here that you know of? Oval leaves with four points on top and three on bottom?"

He thought of it, "Yes. Not far north of here, a couple of fields up, but it's winter, they've lost their leaves."

'Yes. I understand how winter works, thank you," she began as she bundled herself more tightly to make herself ready to go out, "but the leaves will be rotting under those trees, protected by snow, and the sap is hearty. I'll be back."

Rian called to her as she headed out the door, "But it's almost black outside. How will you...?

The door was already closed.

Vale's sigh seemed to go on forever, "She has gifts." Feeling the need to state the obvious, she added, "Speaking to other humans is not among them, but she has gifts."

* * *

Bunching leaves within her cloak where she could and pinning the folds of fabric to create makeshift pouches, she returned with many and set the trio to grind them into a fine paste with bowls and any implements that might serve together as a mortar and pestle while she gathered more. After several trips she joined them in the grinding. Rian worked with determination, now having something physical and tangible that he could do to help his daughter. Tiana wiped her tears frequently, not wanting to contaminate the mix while the two mages worked diligently on the tasks at hand.

Save Sylanna stopping occasionally to orbit and tell them all how to do things to her satisfaction, no one spoke, and after an hour of painstaking grinding, Sylanna took the vial of liquid that she already had with it and removed the stopper, placing it in her pocket. Retrieving one of the pins she'd used as well, she went to each bowl and meticulously began to examine the contents, finding small bits of clear fluid, she dipped them into the vial, not even managing a drop at a time, which is how she seemed to expect it to go.

Vale watched her move patiently, taking some smears of the contents of the bowls and ignoring others based on a criteria Vale couldn't quite glean. As she watched the other work, Vale found a grudging respect for her patience, which was something she struggled with, more so early on, but it persisted today. Vale believed Sylanna when she said time was of the essence and, if that were her, that would create an itch that she couldn't ignore when there was a life at stake. But all that seemed to matter to Sylanna was the task at hand and it would take as long as it would take, no matter what the concerns were. Sylanna dismissed everything, the universe distilling to finding and collecting tiny bits of usable sap.

Deciding she'd had enough, she traded the pin in her pocket for the stopper. Holding the vial tightly in her hand she shook it vigorously, thinning the sap and mixing it even as she harnessed her magic within and around it, seeing and directing the bonding of the new to the old to make the old something different enough to do as she needed. Vale saw the magic work even as no one else did. It had the dual gift of finesse and power. When she witnessed magic being used well, it was a delicate, intricate melding of mind and energy. It was beautiful.

When it faded, Sylanna looked to Vale. "You know the basics of healing, yes? You can manage soft tissue irritation, see larger veins enough to stop bleeding and the like?"

"Well, yes."

"Come and do what I tell you. The better you can handle the smaller things, the more I can focus on the things that matter."

It was Vale's turn to close her eyes and count in an attempt to harness her emotions. Fortunately for all, she was more successful.

* * *

It was a long night for them all. Sylanna banished the parents to the outer room and they spent their night trying to manage sleep and actually succeeding to some extent, falling into brief but deep fits of it before waking with a start at a sound or simply with some part of their brain realized they'd fallen asleep and forced them to wake. There were healers and they were at work. There was nothing to be done but wait while they worked.

And they worked. The potion worked quickly, and, over the next hours, the task of mending damaged organs dragged on. Sylanna snapped directions at first with Vale ignoring the tone simply because the child mattered more than her annoyance. After a time the directions stopped and Vale assumed that meant she was doing an adequate job of calming inflamed tissue and repairing surface damage while Sylanna layered power delicately, the tendrils of flowing color repairing flesh while sparking it to remember how to work. Sylanna's skill would fan outward, working its way toward Vale's efforts.

"You can go."

Vale snapped herself from the use of her power at the harshness of the tone, going back to the events of that first hour or so in her mind. "What am I doing wrong now?"

"Nothing," she said without emotion. "What I needed you for is done. All that remains is to clear the initial infection. Once that's done, my task is done as well. Go. Rest. Then make your sale."

"I'll tell them first, then rest."

"I have to kill the infection, then I want her to sleep. That means sleep; not be awoken and disturbed by them fawning over her. Tell them that, too. When this door opens, they can see her, not before."

After not bothering to comment on her bedside manner just then, that's what she did. After gently blocking Tiana from the room with only some success until her husband added his voice to Vale's. With their mutual gentle urging, Tiana decided that it was enough to accept that Ara was well and not go out of her way to incur more of Sylanna's wrath again. "You're sure she's fine?"

"She is," Vale said with a warm smile. "Sleep for a while and, in the morning, I'm sure you'll get to see her. It won't do for her to wake up and see her parents looking worse than she ever did."

Rian managed a weary, nervous laugh as a release of tension, thrilled beyond words that his daughter would be well, and he laughed because he was certain that it was true. He was tired down to the bone. He pulled her with them and off they went. "You should sleep too, she said, "both of you."

"We will, don't worry."

Tiana was so weary that despite herself, her mind was already looking to sleep after days without. All that was needed was her body to stop moving long enough for it to surrender. "Blankets. There are extra blankets and pillows in Ara's room and..."

"Thank you for your hospitality, but, please, you needn't worry. Go rest."

After they had shuffled off, Vale felt a touch of her own fatigue. Placing herself at one of the seats around the table, she closed her eyes and used her skill to place her mind and body into a resting spell. It was a unique state that allowed the user to maintain some awareness of their surroundings but renew the mind and body far more quickly than sleeping the night or day away.

Sometimes it was nice to completely shut down and sleep as others did, but she often preferred this, as it offered its own unique pleasures. Vale could be aware quickly and ready for whatever might come, but this way she was in her own secluded place within where she could think on all that she chose to, and, if she wished, she could dream any dream; live within it, control it, and make and remake it as she pleased. It was a lovely way to refresh one's self.

Vale let the time pass.

* * *

Ara's parents were awake a few hours past dawn, and, as soon as the door opened, they rushed in to find Ara awake, but tired. Her voice was strong and her eyes were focused. Tiana showered her with kisses and caresses while he father held her hand and looked upon her with the same limitless adoration he did the moment he first held her. Sylanna extricated herself quickly from the display to stand with Vale just outside the room.

For a while they said nothing, Vale only breaking the silence when the act of standing just beyond the display began to seem uncomfortable. "You did very well," Vale admitted.

"She's alive, no thanks to her parents," Sylanna proclaimed.

"Can you...?"

Sylanna turned after the bitten tongue, her dark eyes questioning. "Can I what?"

Vale reined herself in. "Look, I know you love plants and chemicals and toxins, and all that, but can you not poison a moment?"

Sylanna turned and looked ahead, choosing to remain silent.

"I'm really hungry," Ara told her mother, still cradling her cheeks in her hands.

"I'll get you something," she promised.

Sylanna was quick to limit the menu. "Her body has to get used to functioning normally again, so only broth and soft foods for the next few days."

Tiana hurried to the now joyous task, smiling as she went while Rian gave Ara's hand another gentle squeeze before going to the healers, seemingly on the verge of tears as he groped for words that could touch on the breadth of his gratitude and he failed miserably. "I...we...owe you everything. What can we do to repay you? We don't have much money, but all of its yours. If there's anything here you want, just...just take it."

"There is something we might talk about," Vale said amiably with a small smile. "Maybe we could step outside for a moment?"

"Sure. Of course," Rian said quickly, eager to be of help. They stepped to the small porch as Rian closed the door behind them. The air was still so the morning lacked bite. Vale believed it would be warmer than usual for the foreseeable future, though she wasn't willing to bet on an early thaw.

He stood before her, still looking eager, "What can I do?"

Vale had made such agreements before. Indeed, she was one of those most skilled to make them. Even so, there was delicacy needed. Mages versed in skills beyond the healing arts were banned under penalty of death. Knowingly consorting with one was punishable by years in prison, if not the noose next to the mage, so creating connections in the world to move information and small parcels about unseen by others came with its share of difficulties. "While I don't wish to impugn your beliefs in the Goddess, it's not a complete happenstance that we knocked on your door last night."

Her delivery was smooth and practiced, "I work as part of a group of unaffiliated healers. We travel the world seeking to expand our knowledge of it and those sorts of magics within it. We are spread thinly and there are times when messages and items need to travel from one to another. We use networks comprised of people not unlike yourself to move those about."

"We are looking to extend that network and provide alternate routes. You are ideally placed for such a route and we have been canvassing the area hoping to find people willing to serve in that capacity. Your neighbor told us, simply by way of conversation, that you were in need, so we thought to come and see if we could help."

Rian was grateful, of course. There was no way he couldn't be, but it all just seemed more somehow. "So you want to use us as a place those things can come and other people can get them or to get them and move them on. Am I understanding?

She smiled warmly. "Exactly."

Concern crossed his features. "Is it all lawful?"

Vale paused thoughtfully, the smile fading slightly. She could not tell the entire truth. Even so, those doing the work had a right to know that they were stepping into something more. "It is true that some of the magics we find and use may not be looked upon as...righteous magics, and that could draw unwanted attention if it were known. That's why we seek out somewhat isolated people like yourselves. That minimizes risk to yourself as much as others. We know who all the parts of our network are but they are isolated from one another."

She went back to the more casual tone she started with. "Rest assured that it is not a career. Your lives will not become all about this. We just need a safe place to occasionally store items and messages until they can make their way where they need to be. You will be paid each time someone leaves something with you and then again when it is picked up. You will be paid and you will always have access to a healer and our other resources should you have needs beyond that. We understand the risks those in our networks undertake on our behalf and we do what we can to make it worth their while to help us."

Rian's child was just saved, his family just now restored because of them, but he knew she was offering deeper involvement and choosing to swim into deeper water without knowing what was there meant greater risks. Being not a stupid man meant he knew that much. Still. Money meant a better life and maybe a little better a future for Ara. The benefits of always having a healer to call on didn't need to be explained. He didn't know what 'other resources' they had, but he imagined they mattered a great deal. And all he had to do for all of it was agree to help move some items they cared about.

"What if I say no?"

She was resolute as she leaned against the slightly weathered, white porch railing. "Then it was a pleasure to meet you and a greater pleasure to be able to help Ara. I am glad to know that she'll be well. We'll be gone and none of my kind will trouble you again. If, at any point you choose to no longer help us, I promise the same. It doesn't benefit us to spread fear of us all over the world."

Again, being not a stupid man, he wondered the obvious aloud, "You could have asked me for this before helping Ara. We would have done it." His eyes misted, remembering her almost too weak to cough anymore. "We would have done anything."

Vale shrugged. "Yes. But that doesn't exactly build trust, does it? I will walk away and let you watch your daughter die unless you agree to do what I wish. Then you are left to wonder what will happen if you choose to stop. If they could walk away and let my daughter die, why wouldn't they actually hurt her so I had to keep doing what they say? Rian, it truly does not benefit us to spread fear of us in that way."

Vale approached him, not intimidated by his greater height compared to her smaller frame. "Help us in this way for as long as you feel it benefits you to do so. We will work in all the ways we can so that you continue to feel it benefits you because you would be providing a valuable service to us. Whenever we decide to part company, that's well and truly the end of it. I and those I work with will wish you well."

He looked down into those green eyes and, try as he might, he could find no malice. There was warmth there, a certainty of purpose, and nothing to suggest that she wouldn't do as she promised and simply walk away. What tipped the scales was the truth that they already could have and didn't. "What of your friend? Do all of your kind feel about this as you do?"

Vale pondered her answer. "My friend," she began, somewhat pleased with herself that she could deliver that word without pregnant pause, "has difficulty relating to others, that's all. We are all bound to the same rules of conduct when it comes to dealing with people like yourself. I speak for all of them and there are none of them have their own agendas in this."

"If they did?"

"Then those that had them would have reason to fear. You never will."

He searched her eyes again, seeking that trust and hint of those agendas. He found the former and no hint of the latter. What mattered was Ara was going to be all right when she would have otherwise died in the back of the wagon on the way to help. And she would never be in that position again. "Then tell me more about how this all works."

Tiana was easily convinced of the value of the proposal, if for no other reason than she'd never have to live through this nightmare again. Details were settled quickly and, in short order, Ara's parents waited on the porch to see them off as Sylanna and Vale were on their mounts ready to move on, Vale surveying the wet, snow-dappled road ahead, pleased that she'd been able to make a connection for her guild and for herself.

And more pleased that a young girl now would go on to live her life. Was it the Goddess that brought them there at the right moment? Vale doubted that, but she knew that magic was bound to life and everything in it. Mages tapped those currents to do all they could do, and those currents moved on, changed, as they, in turn, changed others. The young mage believed that, if nothing else, sometimes those currents took pieces of that life to the places where they were needed to be.

She was taken from that satisfying thought by Sylanna who realized that she'd forgotten something vital. "Wait here."

She dismounted smoothly, moving past the couple and back into the house as though she owned it. Moments later, the three watched her emerge, bottle in hand, pouring its contents to the ground and then dropping the bottle as though it were filthy. She ignored them both, mounting her white steed again in one smooth motion while Tiana shrank back a little at the reminder and at Sylanna too. For her part, Sylanna looked to the road ahead. "I'm quite ready now."

Vale closed her eyes. And sometimes currents beat you against the rocks, seemingly just to make you suffer.

* * *

Kel trudged his way up the hill, his too worn boots not giving him quite the purchase he wanted in the wet and the snow and, had he not made such a fuss about keeping his pack balanced he would have probably fallen more than once. Every once in a while one foot would threaten to slide out from under him due to the incline and the worn boots, causing him to give them thought. They weren't quite falling apart yet, so he'd not worry about spending the money to get a new pair until spring. What he made selling and trading wasn't enough to where he ever felt comfortable spending unless it was absolutely necessary. Even so, it was a decent living that kept him answerable to no one but himself, and that alone was worth money being a little tight. He knew well it'd be a lot tighter with a nagging woman and children that needed.