A Raire Gift

Chapter 9

I blinked down at Tena. His expression was grim. He met my eyes for the first time since the start of the fight. I could feel the sharp focus of my mind ebbing. Fading. I suddenly felt exhausted. Unlike I had during my fight with Flette. It felt more like the aftermath of the fight with the elemental.
I felt like everyone was staring at me. When I looked at the sky, the sun had hardly moved. Guessing my thoughts, Lina said, "Fourteen minutes. All that happened in fourteen minutes. I don't care how fast you are, that wasn't normal." Her voice trembled slightly. "You moved in the correct response before he moved an inch. How the hell did that happen?"
I tried to laugh, but it sounded more like choking. That couldn't be right. I was shaking my head, it had to have been longer. And I know he moved first, I saw it... I saw.... What? I saw his muscles tense, his wrist shift? Now that I was out of the effects of whatever had happened, I knew that was odd. I knew I saw it too clearly.
I dropped my sword, I was trembling from head to toe now. I sat down hard on the ground. My vision wavered, I didn't pass out though. I felt someone haul me up, and I swayed against them.
I looked to my side, expecting Lina, or maybe Marc. But it was Herl. At some point in the short fight, he had returned. He was still wearing the dirt of the road and looked almost as tired as I was. But his half-grin was all too familiar, and I grinned back, if still in a dazed manner. I couldn't quite think, but I was so glad to see him. I felt my heart swell and knew my expression softened.
He half-carried me, with Lina following, to our room. When the door swung open, Nanya's eyes widened and she stepped out of the way. By that time I felt I could stand on my own, but when Herl released my arm I practically tumbled from the door to my bed. I sprawled there for a moment, my head pounding.
Nanya was staring at me, eyes still wide. When I looked at her she took a small step towards the door, "I'll- uh, make more tea." And off she went. For the first time, I was glad for her abrupt leave. And at least, in this case, tea very well might help my still foggy thoughts.
Herl flopped down beside me, "So, I only showed up at the end but I gather that was something spectacular?" He was looking at me, his face maybe a little too close.
I turned away, my throat suddenly dry. "I'm not sure. It seemed straightforward enough during the actual fight, but afterward... it was like I fell out of a trance and back to reality. During the fight, I felt light, made of air. Now though, it's like all the weight I didn't feel during the fight crashed into me at once."
It was the only way I could think to explain the heaviness I felt. It wasn't the normal weight of exhaustion, it was like gravity was tugging me down sharply. Like boulders hung from my shoulders.
Herl continued to stare at me, thoughtfully. "Maybe that's what actually happened."
I would have laughed, but he seemed serious. "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.
He propped his head on his elbow, so that his face, still close to mine, was in the center of my vision. "Your Telae, I've been thinking about it. I read up on a lot of different Telae when I first came here." He looked at me. "I know when someone's around, and who they are, you know. And the topic interests me. Anyway, what I saw now was interesting.
"Again I came late in the fight, but you responded before there was anything to respond to. Maybe, just maybe that's it. Maybe you can feel the movements of a fight before they happen, and maybe that really does give you a new lightness. The drawback may be just what you explained."
I thought about it. I thought he may be onto something, but I also didn't think that was quite it. "During the fight, my focus was amplified. It was like a part of my mind was paying attention to the smallest tensing of a muscle. And everything involved in the fight was sharp like my focus was spread over the entirety of his body. Not just where my gaze was focused.
"The rest of my mind was reacting to what I saw. There was no thought, just reaction. I- well I don't know what it is. But I think it's happened before. When I was in the archery range with Marc, I barely knew what was happening I just shot. And it was the same with the elemental. Or even when you and I were fighting in the clearing, although not as strong. I just felt, and reacted."
He was still looking at me, and my throat still felt dry. And then Lina plopped down on my other side, squishing us all together. I cleared my throat and felt slightly relieved that his eyes were directed elsewhere now. Although I found a new issue in the fact I was firmly pressed to his side.
I suddenly realized Lina had been talking, while my thoughts raced with my physical closeness to my teammate. "-scary. Her eyes were like quicksilver and her face was slack. There was no expression, only a clear intent. She moved so quickly her blade was a blur, not like her sword was a streak of metal, but like there was no sword left.
Just a thin silver mist left in its wake. Just a shimmering in the air. And then it was over." Her voice was quiet, but I could hear a slight tremor to her voice still.
I squeezed her shoulder, " I didn't realize I was that-" I paused, searching for the right word. "strange, in the moment. Again I just reacted."
Lina squeezed my shoulder back, and for a moment we all just lay there. Our sides pressed tightly against each other. But soon enough, Nanya returned. And the tea did help. My head was almost completely settled by the time the rest of our team entered our room, Tena following a little behind. He glanced at my eyes first, before relaxing and entering the room at last.
Lina sat on her own bed with Marc and Flette, Tena sat at the small table, again pouring a waterfall of sugar into his tea, while Herl sat close to my side, despite there being enough room to avoid that. I knew Lina noticed, she noticed everything. And when we were squished in place, she had to also have felt my heart pounding.
She made no mention of it, and I didn't move away. I felt a hand on my lower back, and I felt happy. Although I knew that happiness wasn't available for me, not with him.
Tena seemed hesitant to approach me, everyone but Herl seemed wary. But by the end of the first pot of tea, Flette was offering to mend small bruises I hadn't noticed I had. At the very least I hadn't been as untouched as it seemed.
Herl shared his theory about what had happened, and everyone agreed it was something to think about, and to look into. No one had heard of such a Telae, but then, Tena said no one had heard of his either.
I was puzzled by this. I knew he was responsive to emotions but that was all. "What is your Telae anyway?" I asked.
Tena smiled, a little sadly. "I see everything in someone's soul. Most would call it an aura. I can tell what someone might feel. I don't always know how to untangle what they feel, but I know it's there. And I see..." he glanced at me. "Things that are hidden. Or locked away."
The light faded from the sky slowly, and I was aware of Herl's increasing exhaustion. I frowned at him, but he ignored the look. "Well, I for one am tired. And I need a bath." I stretched. "I've been rolling around in the dirt, and Herl's been on the road for who knows how long. We're both covering my bed in grime and I can see Nanya glaring."
It wasn't true, Nanya never glared. But when she saw Herl's exhausted state she obligingly narrowed her eyes at the two of us, trying to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching.
I smiled at her gratefully for her efforts. The whole room could tell what was going on, but no one was going to mention it. Not even Herl, which told me just how exhausted he really was.
Herl and I walked for a while, before splitting up between the women's bathhouse, and the men's, lesser-used bath. I could swear his hand brushed against my hip, but I ignored it.
I spent some time soaking. I really was exhausted, even with the extensive tea that had been given to me.
I washed thoroughly and dragged on the thin nightgown I had carried with me, and tugged on the warm robe and walking slippers I had brought for the trip back.
I was about to leave the building, when something fell out of my pocket, the pocket of my dirt coated tunic. It was a small crystal bottle, I recognized it from somewhere but I couldn't think where. I tucked it into my robe pocket, thinking it must belong to either Lina or Nanya, whatever it was.
Finally, I retired to our room, where I found Lina combing her wet hair. She still only used the stone bath in the smaller of our two rooms. It was inconvenient to fill, but she never came to the baths with me.
I yawned, and almost tumbled into bed, but before I could sleep I felt the sharp jab of the vile. I pulled it from my robe and realized I could make out the small words in the better-lit room.
It was honey and vanilla-scented oil. I knew Lina never wore any kind of scent, and Nanya only ever wore lavender. I turned it over, looking for any other identifying mark, but there was nothing.
Finally, I sat up and reached for my dirty tunic, sure enough, there was a small note. Like a paper tag. It was on a thin ribbon I was sure must have tied it to the vile.
To my surprise, the tag was a simple "From; To;" note. The name after "From;" was Herl. And the name after "To;" was my own. I sat there for a moment, thinking.
I could send a very clear response to this if I wanted. I knew this wasn't just a friendly gift. I could shut down any false hope he might have of anything more than friendship from me... I put the vile back in my pocket and tried to ignore it. I hung my robe and tucked my slippers under the edge of my bed.
It took me a long time to get to sleep. And when I finally did I was met with the dream of the shifting figure again. Although something was different. It wasn't one figure changing form now. It was five individual beings.
I stood there, staring. They sat at a high, dark oak table in front of me. The walls were stacked stone, and the floor shining, cold marble against my bare feet. My hands were bound, and I could smell smoke.
The figure at the center seat, male in appearance, stood and spoke. "Andreya Raire, you are at a crossroad. You are fated to end the life of the oldest lie. You will have allies, but the way those allies view you is your choice. You can strive for loyalty or love."
The feminine figure to his left stood now. "Love will bring you joy and pain." Her voice was beautiful, achingly so. "You will be bound through love, but you and the one you love will carry scars. Ugly gashes, sharp lashes. Your skin will not remain unmarred. However, you will find joy in love when the scars are mere scars. That love will heal you if you survive long enough to let it."
The being to the right of the center stood. It gave off the feeling of having scars, although I could see nothing through the shadows. "Loyalty will bring you strength, and health. However, that loyalty will cost you friendship, and what love you might seek." This voice was a rumble. Like thunder, or the clattering of warhorses. "You will survive as the strongest in a battle. You will carry not even a bruise. But your heart will be trampled."
The two remaining figures stood, they spoke at once, it was eerie. "You have a choice to make. There is no easy answer. And if you choose to walk the line between these paths. To carry both love and loyalty. You will have to carry both the scars of the body and the scars of the heart."
At last, the strange being sat once more. I knew what they were. By the words they spoke and the way they felt. They were the gods of the divided road.
I felt something thick, and viscous slosh against my ankles. I looked down to find that I was standing in a rising puddle of coppery red. I could no longer smell smoke, but the metallic tang of what I was sure was blood.
I woke up gagging, I could still smell the cloying iron. I threw off my covers and rushed to the privy, as quickly as I could move by faint candlelight. I vomited, the sting of acid sharp in my throat.
After a moment I felt someone pull the hair from my sweat-slicked face and neck. I dry heaved for a while yet, and then I just coughed, still gagging now and then. I was trembling, but a glass of water was pressed to my mouth and I gulped down the contents quickly. It was lukewarm, but slightly sweet, washing away the sharp tang of bile.
I stood up straight and turned, Nanya watched me calmly. "I'll heat water for a bath. Your skin is clammy, and your feet are dripping."
Startled, I looked down, I still couldn't see clearly enough to be sure, it looked like mud in the dark, but I knew, even before Nanya lit a lamp, that my feet would be soaked from sole to ankle in red sludge.
She didn't bat an eye at the trail of bloody footprints. She simply walked into the main room and lit the hearth fire. I could hear Lina groan in protest, but she only turned over and didn't make another sound.
Nanya filled the large cauldron with water from the indoor well, at the end of the hall beside the kitchen. I was still dazed, and before I knew it the bath was half full.
She helped me, still shaking, out of my nightgown, and into the warm stone tub. I sank into the water, already turned slightly pink.
She scrubbed the floor until there were no traces of the sticky mess my feet had made. Miraculously, my sheets escaped damage.
After my tremors stopped, and the floor shone, she sat beside the tub. "What god were you visiting?"
I startled. Her voice was eerily calm. I couldn't match this to the girl who had run off to make tea with me dead on my feet. "The gods of the divided road," I answered, my voice scratchy, and thick.
She nodded. "To have such a physical effect, this choice you've made must be a serious one. They rarely interfere beyond vague signs." She stood up and left me to soak.
I scrubbed at my feet until they were pink as new skin. But no matter what I did, I couldn't completely scrub the blood from beneath my nails.
Nanya returned with a steaming mug. It was tea. But this wasn't the sweet tea with cream she usually made, it was a strong, bitter tea. But it helped. I felt my mind clear and felt steadier.
She drained the bath, and I quickly dried off, the gray drying cloth stained slightly pink. It seemed too much blood, but then, there shouldn't have even been a drop of blood on uninjured feet.
The sky was lightening at this point. There was no point in trying to sleep any longer than I had. I put on a clean tunic and breeches, and after a moment of hesitation, removed the vile of scented oil from my dirty tunic's pocket.