KIRINS: THE SPELL OF NO'AN (Book One)

Chapter 9

"I found you!" heard Hut and Gilin, a large raven alighting near them. Off leapt golden-haired Talli, green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "At last!" she cried.

Toe ring in hand, she ran breathlessly to the lads as they scrambled to their feet. Reaching out eagerly, she embraced Gilin.

"I'm so glad you're safe," she said. "I was afraid I'd never see you again." Glancing at Hut, she recognized him as Gilin's cousin. Touching Hut's foot with hers, she wondered why he was here.

"In escaping the gronom," said Gilin, "I'm afraid I involved Hut. He gave me his sister's ilon and came with me. But Talli, what happened after we parted, and how could you possibly have found us?"

She told of her experiences of the past day and night, her long run home, calling her raven, their flight to the stream, her loneliness overnight, and her discoveries about the ring. "Just before dawn, I saw you and another kirin—it was you, Hut—and even heard you talk. The moon must have activated the ring, but the picture didn't last long. When the sky became brighter, your images blurred, the mist reappeared, then went away, and the space in the ring became as clear as it is now."

She held out the ring. They could see right through it.

"You looked fine," she said, "and I was very happy. I had no idea where you were, but desperately wanted to find you, and told the ring that. I believe it kept operating, even after the moon faded, because it understood what I wanted. It began tugging at my hands and moving away. I had to hold it tightly to keep from losing it.

"It kept pulling, always in one direction, as though trying to draw me. I wondered whether a gronom might be luring me into ambush. But this was Olamin's ring, and I doubted it would take me to anyplace harmful. It must know where Gilin is, I thought, and it's guiding me there.

"I mounted my ilon and we lifted off, the ring pulling as we flew. I kept Faralan moving in the direction the ring was leading, westward, toward home. When above where we now stand, the ring seemed to increase in weight as if within a shaft of enhanced gravity. It had such a downward drag that I could barely hold onto it. I told Faralan to descend quickly and we landed. And look!" She held the ring out with one hand. "Now there's no pull."

Taking the ring, Gilin turned it in his hands. "Olamin's pieces have powers beyond our comprehension," he said.

"I think," said Talli, "it was communicating with your calamar."

"Instead of finding me," said Gilin, handing the ring back, "it found its old comrade. That's it. My attention was drawn to the calamar as I was waking Hut, and for the first time it was warm. That was just when you were seeing us."

"Olamin told us," said Talli, replacing the ring on her toe, "the two objects could communicate with each other."

Gilin touched the calamar in his belt satchel. It was cool again. He brought out Talli's birth piece and handed it to her. "Where did this come from?"

She gazed at the picture. "My great-grandfather was an explorer who roamed the land, then settled nearby. My great-grandmother fell in love with him, but knew traveling was in his blood. She engraved the disc with words and an image of herself, and gave it to him on their wedding day. The message tells of her devotion to him, and asks him to carry the disc and remember her. When he did travel, he carried the piece and missed her enough that his wanderings came to an end. It has been passed down from mother to daughter. We rub it for good luck, and you can see that the women in our family have definitely thought they needed it." She handed it back to Gilin.

"Your great-grandmother," he said, "was a wise woman."

"I told Gilin I'd help," said Hut, "in any way I can. He told me about gronoms. Can you tell me anything more . . . wait, I don't want to know."

Talli turned quickly to Gilin. "How much does he know?"

"Our situation, but very superficially," said Gilin. "He doesn't attract the enemy. His only danger is in being with us."

Staring at each other, Gilin and Talli knew they could use any help they could get, perhaps first from Hut. But they also knew they couldn't tell him much.

"It seems," said Talli, "we'll be doing what my great-grandfather loved to do—traveling."

"Where?" asked Hut. "How far?"

The two hesitated. Then Gilin spoke. "Eastward, many thousands of clan dominions on land, perhaps farther over water."

Hut's mouth gaped. "Thousands of clan dominions over . . . ? How could you two . . . or the three of us . . . go on that kind of journey?"

"We don't ask you to," said Gilin. "We don't mean to involve you."

"But you did," said Hut, "last night when you walked into my room, in a plot so far-fetched no one would believe it. I wouldn't, if I hadn't felt the shaking in my room and seen the horrible creature."

Hut had been brought into the affair and was now part of it, and Talli and Gilin knew it.

"This is the last thing I'll tell you," said Gilin. "We must go to the hanging stones, where kirin magic has been corrupted and controls beings like gronoms. We're to release an old magic. Knowing any more than this would place you in jeopardy."

Hut stared in awe. Then he spoke. "Well, we can't just stand here. I'm thinking about going home. I won't attract danger—at least I hope not." He thought of something. "Going on that expedition we'd need birds. Animals would never do for that distance—or traveling over water. I've no training on a bird. You both have them. Perhaps my joining you is not such a great idea."

Talli and Gilin had no answers. The quest had been outlined by Olamin as he was dying. He had little time, and details were left to them.

Finally Gilin spoke. "If Talli agrees, we'll come home with you, but not all the way. We'll stay a safe distance from your tree so as not to endanger your clan. We might be safer there for now. Gronoms could be closing in on us here. We might ask the clans for help."

Talli nodded.

Gilin glanced at her. "Aassa had a difficult time carrying me last night."

She took his hand. "Ride with me."

They climbed aboard Faralan, and Hut mounted Stala.

"You say I'm not a target for gronoms," said Hut. "But now that I'm involved, I'm not eager to be traveling on the ground in a forest teeming with creatures. The squirrels haven't recovered from their trek last night. But I'm going to give it a try in the trees."

The raven lifted off and moved gracefully upward through shafts of morning sunshine. Above the treetops the bird leveled off and circled, waiting for Hut and the squirrels.

Hut gave commands and the animals moved stiffly to the trunk of the nearest maple. With gentle urging, they climbed to the top and out along a thin overhanging branch. Measuring their next move carefully, first Stala, then Aassa, jumped and landed heavily in the next tree's boughs, Hut holding on for dear life.

The animals are in no condition for this, he thought. He instructed them to descend to the ground and proceed there.

Realizing the squirrels weren't in the treetops as expected, Talli and Gilin, nervous about losing Hut, descended through the branches and flew low to search the ground. There were Hut and his squirrels moving along the turf, the raven drifting in and hovering above them.

"Too exhausting for them," called Hut, pointing to the trees. "I should've known."

Talli nodded. "Follow us. We'll watch for danger."

Faralan climbed again to a level above the trees, Talli telling him to tarry in flight so Hut could maintain visual contact. At least for now, progressing through the forest, the three youngsters would not be separated.