Disclaimers: see part 1, chapter 1

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Lorimal's Chalice

Part Two - The Sorcerer

By Jane Fletcher

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Chapter 4: New Eyes

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While the short winter's day drew to a close, the two women sat chatting in the parlour. Tevi needed only her ears to tell that the clear skies of the morning were gone. Clouds had blown over from the east and a stiff wind sprung up, sending bursts of sleet and rain splattering against the windows, a reminder that winter was not over.

She lazed comfortably in her chair by the fireside, with two squirrels asleep on her lap. Jemeryl was an attentive audience and Tevi willingly recounted the tale of her travels. Master Sarryle proved to be a fertile topic of conversation. A simple description of him ordering a meal at an inn could be guarantied to entertain anyone.

"I sat there and watched him. Then he called the waiter over and said, Young man, do you consider thirty-six peas to constitute an adequate portion?" Tevi managed a fair impression of the old man's voice.

"You mean he counted them?" Jemeryl was incredulous.

"Yes. Every time. Thankfully he was never given rice."

"What happened?"

"It didn't help when the waiter offered to get him a ruler so he could measure the length of the sausages." Tevi said dryly.

"It wound him up further?"

"No, irony was lost on the man - he said yes. In the end, there was the innkeeper, the chef and half the staff around the table. They cooked him a fresh meal, with double potions of everything. Sarryle then said he wasn't hungry anymore and went to bed. I thought they were going to lynch him. I almost offered to go and get them a rope."

"It's easy to see why his daughter left Lyremouth." Jemeryl said, laughing.

"Her mistake was stopping so soon. In her place I'd still be running."

"No. Her big mistake was in telling him where she'd moved to."

Tevi grinned and continued with the tale of her travels. With each passing hour, she was finding it harder to reconcile the woman she was getting to know with the villagers' tales. She didn't see how anyone could spend five minutes in Jemeryl's company without liking her - but she had noticed that the mainland people held a peculiar attitude to sorcerers. Many spoke of them as if they were not human, and no more comprehensible than a thunderstorm. Tevi had already learnt that Jemeryl had a lively sense of humour. Perhaps the villagers had taken her too literally, not ready to credit a sorcerer with being ordinary enough to make jokes. For her part, Tevi found Jemeryl very good company.

Jemeryl's voice was light and clear, with a rich nasal burr of an accent. Tevi was not familiar enough with the people of the Protectorate to place it, but it sounded easy on her ear. She found herself wishing Jemeryl would say more, so she could listen. It would be interesting, when the bandage was removed, to see her and match a face to the voice.

Jemeryl also made no play of superiority. She spoke to Tevi as an equal, easy and unaffected. In fact, she was so quick to be friendly that Tevi wondered if Jemeryl might have been even lonelier than she was herself. After all, Jemeryl was just an ordinary woman - give or take a few enchanted bears.

No doubt the villagers were already working on stories, about the young mercenary who went into the castle and was never seen again. Tevi suspected some would be quite disappointed when she returned, whole and healthy. Really, she should send word that she was safe, but it was far too tempting to wait until she could give the message in person and see the reaction.

* * * * * *

Tevi's story ended with her arrival in the valley. Harrick's team of misfits provoked their share of disparaging witticisms; there was also brief a mention of the villagers. Jemeryl suspected Tevi was being tactfully vague about their gossip.

Jemeryl stretched back in her chair and looked about the room. She was surprised to see how dark it had become. Beyond the firelight, the rest of the room was concealed in shadow. Even the squirrels were sleeping. At the snap of her fingers the window-shutters closed. The faint sound of wind whistling over the battlements stopped abruptly.

"What's happened?" Tevi asked, in curiosity rather than alarm.

"I've just fastened the shutters. It's night." Jemeryl said.

"Already?"

"I lost track of time as well. It's been an unusual day." Jemeryl took a deep breath, surprised by her own unexpected anxiety, but there was no point in delaying things. "I think we're ready to take off the bandage and examine your eyes."

Tevi's hands tensed on the arms of her chair. She also was clearly torn between hope and apprehension. "All right."

Jemeryl leaned over and squeezed Tevi's shoulder for encouragement. "Don't worry. I did a good job on your eyes."

"I'm sure you did. It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't know what will happen to me if my sight isn't restored. The mercenaries could even refuse me a pension, as I got the injury in an unauthorised venture."

"You're not going to need the pension - not for a long time." Jemeryl stated confidently.

Tevi nodded but said nothing.

Jemeryl stood and took her hand. "Come on. It will be better if we go to your room, where there's no firelight."

"How long am I going to have to stay in darkness?"

"Just while I do a few tests, then we can come back in here."

The absence of light in the bedroom was no problem to Jemeryl with her extended sorcerer's senses. Under her guidance, Tevi sat on the edge of the bed. Jemeryl removed the bandage and lightly touched Tevi's eyelids with her fingertips. She could feel the faint electric currents of nerves pulsing at the back of the retina, the warmth of living flesh and the elasticity of muscle. A pleased smile crossed Jemeryl's face; everything seemed very satisfactory. She then sat beside Tevi on the bed, and twisted sideways so she faced her patient.

"I'm going to make three small balls of light, a red, a blue and a green. They should all appear the same size and have sharply defined edges. Tell me if you see them." Jemeryl reached out and gently rippled the currents in the sixth dimension, to create the effect she had described.

Tevi's voice rung out immediately. "Yes. I can see them. Just like you said." The joy in her voice was unmistakable.

"Right. I'm now going to merge the three coloured balls to make a white one. I'll move it to where it won't shine directly into your eyes, then we'll check out the rest of your vision."

The lights merged. Slowly, Jemeryl started to raise the level of illumination in the room. Tevi's outline became visible, then the bed and the floor, but, just at the point when the light was beginning to touch the far wall Tevi's gave a gasp and closed her eyes tightly, a look of panic on her face.

Jemeryl doused the light at once. "What's wrong Tevi?"

"There's too much." Tevi's voice was raw and tight.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, but it looks all wrong."

Jemeryl matched Tevi in despair - she had been so sure the reconstruction had gone well. She needed more information; hopefully the problem would be rectifiable. "What did you see?"

"There was too much. Things were where they shouldn't be, all over the place."

Jemeryl thought furiously. "That sounds as if a nerve has been misconnected. Wait a few minutes and we'll try again. If you can give me a better idea of what you're seeing I should be able to correct the fault. Let me know when you're ready to continue."

Tevi's hand clasped Jemeryl's arm. "I'm okay. It wasn't painful, but it threw me. It just didn't look right."

Once again, Jemeryl gradually increased the light and said, "Now. Tell me what you can see that's strange."

Tevi let go of Jemeryl and gripped the edge of the mattress with her hands, keeping her head very still. She spoke deliberately, between gulps of air. "I'm looking straight ahead at the wall, but I can see my knees, and your shoulder, and part of the ceiling, and there's too much wall." Again, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Inspiration hit Jemeryl with a thump. She leaned back and studied her patient in astonishment. The unexpected snags she had encountered while reconstructing Tevi's eyes at last made sense. Abrak's potion had not been the cause of the problem, although the truth was just as surprising.

"Can you fix it? Do you know what's wrong?" There was an edge of panic to Tevi's voice.

"I know what was wrong."

"Was? But they still aren't right."

Jemeryl spoke gently. "No. Your eyes are fine now. The problem with them was in the past, and I'm not referring to the crystallisation."

"What... when?"

"It's known as tunnel vision. In rebuilding your eyes I've inadvertently cured it."

"Cured?"

"Even before you fought the basilisk, you had defective vision. You only saw out of the centre of your eyes. The nerve connections to the outer segments were damaged. I guess you were born like it and never realised you weren't seeing properly."

"My eyes were fine."

"I don't think they were. While I was rebuilding your eyes, I came across some irregularities. I put them down to a side effect of the crystallisation, but they would tie in with tunnel vision. More to the point, what you described seeing just now would be considered perfectly normal by anyone with healthy eyesight."

Tevi sat in silence while Jemeryl's words sunk in. "You mean that everyone sees the world like this all the time? It's awful. How do they cope?"

Jemeryl laughed softly, mainly with relief. "It comes down to what you're used to. Once you get the hang of it, a wide peripheral vision is a useful thing to have, especially, I would have thought, for someone in your profession."

* * * * * *

It was some time before Tevi was able to open her eyes without being overwhelmed by nausea. She needed Jemeryl's assistance to get back to her chair in the parlour, walking with her eyes closed. Jemeryl dimmed the light from the fire to a dull red glow that illuminated the immediate surroundings without casting any harsh, bright light.

Tevi sat uneasily in her chair, taking quick peeks at her surroundings while trying to keep as still as possible. Every time she moved, the room whirled. It took a very slow and cautious effort to turn her head and examine the sorcerer. The subdued firelight showed a young, triangular face, surrounded by unruly auburn curls. Dark amber shadows were cast in the hollows of Jemeryl's eyes and cheeks. A lopsided grin completed the impish effect.

"I'd wondered what you looked like." Tevi said.

"Well don't say whether I'm better or worse than you imagined. It gives grounds for offence either way."

"Can I say you look a lot better than the villagers implied?"

"You mean I haven't got a hooked nose, fangs and bloodshot eyes?"

Heedless of the dignity of her status as a Coven sorcerer, Jemeryl sat in a nonchalant pose. One leg stretched out to the fire while the other was hooked over the armrest. Her right arm was draped across the back of her chair, with a slender, long-fingered hand dangling loosely at the end. She was wearing a shapeless white shirt, several sizes too big for her, with sleeves rolled back to the elbows. Tevi thought that Jemeryl's looks, if not exactly what she had imagined, accorded very well with her easygoing manner.

"You're younger than I expected. I could tell by your voice you weren't old, but I still had a picture in my mind." Tevi studied the sorcerer thoughtfully. "Do you genuinely look like that or have you altered your appearance?"

Jemeryl laughed. "I'm really, truly only twenty-two. Using magic to change the way you look is seen as very immature. I'll admit to combing my hair from time to time - not that it does much good."

"If she was going to muck about with magic, wouldn't you expect better results than this?" Klara said, from her habitual perch on Jemeryl's chair.

"Oh, I would say she..." Tevi's mouth went dry; her stomach flipped over.

Jemeryl's face was not one of refined classical beauty. Such a face would not have suited her irreverent manner, nor could it have taken the mischievous grin that lit her features. Yet, as Tevi felt her heart pounding against her ribs, she knew that Jemeryl's appearance was altogether much too much to her liking. Almost against her will she found herself picking out the details: the belt that pulled the shirt in to reveal a slim waist, Jemeryl's finely formed hands, long straight legs, and the small dark hollow at the base of her throat.

"What?" Jemeryl asked.

"Pardon?"

"What would you say? You didn't finish your sentence."

"Oh... nothing." Tevi mumbled.

"It's okay. You're allowed to have an opinion about me. After all, I've been watching you for the last couple of days and I've formed some opinions of my own. If you like I'll come over and sit beside you and tell you what they are."

In her agitated confusion, Tevi did not register Jemeryl's words. The only coherent thought in her head was a desperate hope that mind reading wasn't one of the sorcerer's skills. She had no desire to discover Jemeryl's response to the uncontrolled emotions churning inside her.

She could feel Jemeryl's eyes, as if they were deliberately trying to catch hers. Rather than risk that happening Tevi sharply twisted back to the fire, and was swamped by a burst of nausea as the room leapt cartwheels around her. Her lips pulled back in a grimace and she scrunched her eyes shut.

After all her plans to avoid personal contact, she had allowed herself to become far too keen on Jemeryl, and hadn't realised it until the moment she set eyes on her. Just because you were blind to the world didn't mean you had to be blind to what was going on inside you. Tevi cursed herself as a fool. She was in trouble. She was a heartbeat away from being in love - with someone it was far too dangerous to offend.

* * * * * *

At the other side of the room, Jemeryl was waiting for Tevi's response to her overture. Part of her was confident that Tevi would welcome the offer to sit beside her, and from there things would progress in a predictable, and very enjoyable direction. Part of her was gnawed by agonised apprehension; butterflies in the stomach didn't begin to describe the feeling. Jemeryl found herself desperately praying for a smile and a nod of agreement, instead she saw Tevi's expression switch to one of pain.

"Are you all right ,Tevi?"

"I moved too fast. It upsets my stomach, and my head. Are you sure everyone sees like this?" Tevi said quickly.

"Everyone with normal vision."

"I guess I'll have to learn to get used to it."

And I guess I'll have to learn to improve my timing, Jemeryl commented wryly to herself. Try waiting until she's not feeling sick next time. Aloud she said, "I could block off your peripheral vision again, but I'd be loath to do that. I think you should give it a good try before you make any decisions."

"It's strange to think that all my life I just assumed everyone saw things the same way as me." Tevi's voice was strained, as if she were deliberately pushing herself to follow the new topic of conversation.

Slightly mystified, Jemeryl went along with it. "Didn't you ever notice other people could see more of what was happening around them?"

"Not really, although some things now make sense. My weapons teachers were always telling me to watch my opponent's feet out of the corner of my eye. I never knew what they meant."

"It must have been quite a handicap for you."

Tevi's attempt at a rueful grin looked more as if she was about to throw up. "It would be nice to think it's the reason I'm so incompetent at fighting."

"Incompetent is not a word normally applied to any warrior who kills a basilisk."

"I am by the standards of my village. I was the joke of the island because I was so hopeless. Do you think I'll be better now?"

"It's hard to say. You may be able to make full use of your vision, or habits may be so ingrained you'll be unable to change. But your family can't have thought that badly of you if they entrusted you with the quest."

"I wasn't given the quest as a mark of honour." Tevi looked as if salt had been poured on a raw wound.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Jemeryl was now very concerned.

"I'm just a bit queasy with my eyes. Maybe some smoke from the fire..." The half-hearted words trailed off, clearly a weak attempt at an excuse.

Jemeryl left her chair and moved to a stool by Tevi's side, but restrained the urge to reach out and touch the other woman. Adding everything together, things were starting to make more sense. She volunteered to find the chalice as an act of bravado to silence her critics, Jemeryl thought.

Tevi sat staring forlornly at the ground.

This could be the chance to introduce the subject of accompanying Tevi on the quest. Jemeryl said softly, "I can't promise, but now that your eyes are fixed you might be better. If you find the chalice and go back..."

Tevi interrupted, "There's not much chance of that."

"Yes there is, with my help."

"Do you know where the chalice is?"

"No, but I know how to go about finding it."

"I suppose, if you point me in the right direction..." Tevi began, half-heartedly

"Better than that, I'll come with you."

"You can't do that." Tevi's response was immediate, horrified.

"Why not? The villagers will be relieved to see me go and I can help you enormously. Wouldn't you like my company?" Cautiously Jemeryl reached out and took hold of Tevi's hand.

The effect on Tevi was instantaneous. She snatched her hand away and lurched to her feet, swaying. "I don't know if I'll even bother to get the chalice. But you can't come with me. I don't want..."

Jemeryl was dismayed and astonished by the response. "Tevi?"

"I'm sorry. I'm don't mean to sound rude. Thank you for the offer. It's kind of you, but it's out of the question. I... I'm... I think I need to go to bed." Tevi fled to her room.

Left alone in the parlour Jemeryl sat bewildered. How had things gone so wrong, so quickly? She looked at Klara. "Why was she so upset? What did I say?"

"I think it's more what you did. She doesn't want to hold your hand. Mumbling sweet nothings in her ear and long walks in the moonlight are probably out as well. And you can forget the rest."

Jemeryl stood up and looked around the room. Her eyes fixed on the door to Tevi's room. She took a half step, then stopped, turned around and threw herself back down in her chair. She glared at the embers of the fire, her confusion giving way to hurt. Somehow, she had taken it for granted that Tevi would return her affection, but it was impossible to miss the rebuff in Tevi's behaviour, and it did not take any sorcerer's arts to know the rejection had been largely personal.

"I thought she liked me." Jemeryl said.

"Ah, but that was before she saw you. Maybe you look an awful lot worse than she was expecting." Klara fluttered down to land on the arm of the chair. She tilted her head to one side and studied the sorcerer thoughtfully. "And to be brutally honest, her expectations needn't have been that high."

With a forced attempt at a smile, Jemeryl pushed the magpie off her perch.

* * * * * *

Jemeryl left the shutters in place the next morning, since she knew Tevi's eyes would be hypersensitive to light. Consequently, the room was still in a dim half-light when Tevi made her appearance in the parlour, even though it was long after dawn. Jemeryl watched her entrance with concern. It was apparent that the night's sleep had done nothing to improve Tevi's mood. Problems with her newly restored vision had to be a contributing factor, but Jemeryl was gloomily certain there was more to it.

"Good morning Tevi. How are you?" she asked, with little hope of learning much from the reply.

"Not too good." Tevi mumbled.

"Is it just your eyes?"

"More or less. I feel a little nauseous as well."

"Breakfast might help. There's bread, honey and milk on the table. I've already eaten, but I'll help you if you want."

"I'll manage on my own."

Tevi stumbled across the room and sat down with a partially repressed groan.

Jemeryl joined her at the table, though she kept a discrete distance. For a while Tevi picked at her food in silence, her whole manner subdued. The easy friendship of the previous day was gone, replaced by a strained reserve. This was not the time to pursue the issue of joining Tevi on the quest, but it would be several days before Tevi was able to travel, hopefully things between them would improve by then.

Tevi ate slowly, her eyes glued to the tabletop, as if not daring to move her head. "I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be able to cope with this." she said at last.

"It will get easier. Give it time." Jemeryl tried to put some reassurance in her voice.

"I... I'm sorry if I'm not seeming too grateful at the moment."

Tevi's voice had lost some of its sullen tone, which gave Jemeryl the confidence to quip, "That's okay. I can wait until tomorrow for you to tell me how wonderful I've been."

"I suppose, to be fair, I could concede that now." Tevi sunk back in her chair and closed her eyes in a grimace. "But the light's very bright."

"Oh, Tevi. You should have said sooner." Now that Jemeryl looked closely she could see Tevi's eyes were watering. At a gesture, rolls of shadow flowed down over the windows, reducing the parlour to a thick dusk. "There. Is that better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"I should have guessed it would still be too bright for you, even with the shutters closed." Jemeryl said, remorsefully.

"How long before my eyes will be better?"

"You should notice some improvement by tomorrow. In eight or nine days you'll be able to cope with full daylight."

"I guess that's not too bad." Tevi conceded, although her tone was far from happy.

"It might be a bit boring for you. There's not much I can offer in the way of entertainment in the dark." Jemeryl said, adding mentally. At least nothing you've given me grounds to think you might be interested in.

"I've had quite enough excitement in the past few days. But I don't want to stop you, if there's anything you need to do. I don't mind being left alone." Tevi's tone implied that solitude would even be preferred.

Jemeryl bit her lip, and tried to prevent disappointment from showing on her face - an unnecessary precaution, given that Tevi had not once glanced in her direction. There seemed little hope of charming her way back into Tevi's favour. Investigating other options seemed the best hope. She was sure at least part of Tevi's reticence was due to a belief that the quest for the chalice was impossible. Proving otherwise might not remove all objections, but it would be a start. There were few resources at hand in the castle, yet they were almost certainly sufficient to deduce Abrak's true identity. From there other leads might come.

A little diplomacy was called for. Jemeryl tried not to sound to eager as she said, "There's nothing I have to do. However, your story of Abrak caught my interest as a sorcerer. I thought, while you're still around to answer questions, I might try and find out more about her."

"What would you like to know?"

"I've got books upstairs in my study, which will probably mention her, but I'd need to know her real name."

"Her real name? What's wrong with Abrak?" Tevi said, surprised.

"It's like a miller called Dusty, or a carpenter called Chips. Abrak is a joke name for a sorcerer, short for Abracadabra. It's a piece of meaningless gibberish that for some reason is linked with magic in the minds of storytellers."

"Oh."

"Do you know of any other name for her?"

Tevi shook her head and clearly regretted it instantly. She clasped her hands to her temples and shut her eyes tightly. "Idiot." she hissed between clenched teeth. Her arms dropped and she met Jemeryl's gaze with a faint smile, for the first time that morning. "I meant me, not you. The room whirled when I did that."

"I realised." Jemeryl smiled back at her, happy that the air of tension had eased slightly. "Since you don't know her name, it might help if I had some dates to work with. Do you know how long ago it was that Abrak arrived on your islands?"

"I'm afraid we islanders don't go in for arithmetic. We didn't even use the words for numbers over twelve - there wasn't any need. If you saw an enemy war-band with more warriors than that, you didn't hang about to count the rest. Sheep were added up on tally-sticks. I've mainly learned about numbers since I've been on the mainland. Marith gave me lessons. She said I'd need them to keep track of money and things like that."

"Well, perhaps you can give some indirect dates. You said the leader in the rebellion was your..." Jemeryl's forehead creased. "Great-great-great-grandmother. Do you have any idea how old your ancestors were when they gave birth?"

"My mother was quite old when she had me. She'd had three boys and five miscarriages before I was born. She was my grandmother's first child, but after that, it gets a bit vague. My grandmother had two elder sisters who survived to adulthood. I think there was also a brother, plus a couple of others who died in infancy. My grandmother was still a child when her both older sisters were killed in battle. Which was how she became queen."

Tevi paused, halted by a gesture from Jemeryl.

"Males don't become Kings?"

"Never."

"And your grandmother was queen?"

"Yes, didn't I say?"

"You're the eldest daughter of her eldest daughter." Jemeryl frowned. "I admit I'm not over familiar with the workings of hereditary monarchies, but doesn't that mean you'll be queen yourself one day?"

Tevi's expression became even less happy. "Probably not. I promised not to go back without the chalice, and I doubt I'll ever find it. But I've got a younger sister, and I'm sure she'll do a good job."

Tevi spoke diffidently, but she was clearly fighting to keep her lower lip steady. Jemeryl was confused. From what she had put together so far, Tevi had not been held in high regard by her family and had volunteered to find the chalice to prove her worth. That Tevi had been willing to risk her place in the succession must have been a desperate gamble on her part. People from hereditary cultures attached immense importance to following their parents, or so Jemeryl had heard. Yet, although Tevi was clearly distressed, she showed no sign of being driven to complete the quest and reclaim her inheritance. Tevi's character did not appear to lack determination, and the basilisk proved she was no coward. Why was she so ready to abandon all hope of returning to her home? Something else had to be involved, and it might well be relevant to the quest, however Jemeryl was sure it would not be wise to probe the subject until some level of trust could be re-established.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Jemeryl stopped herself on the point of saying upset, "er... interrupt you. We were talking about dates. Do you know how old you are?"

"Twenty."

"You were your mother's ninth pregnancy. So when you were born she must have been... mid-thirties?" Jemeryl guessed.

"Yes, about that." Tevi's voice was steadier.

"Right, then your grandmother..." Jemeryl grabbed a pen and began making notes.

A short while later, Tevi had passed on all the relevant information she possessed. Jemeryl added up the figures and chewed the end of the quill thoughtfully.

"I estimate Abrak arrived on your islands in the region of 140 to 175 years ago. It's something to work with."

"I'm sorry I can't be more help."

"That's all right. There can't have been too many sorcerers who disappeared without trace in the vicinity of Walderim during that time."

"Is there anything else you want?" Tevi asked.

Jemeryl sighed. She would have liked to bring her books down and sit in the parlour, but Tevi would clearly be happier left on her own. "No. I'm going see if I can find anything out. If you have any problems call me."

"I'll be fine. The bears can stay and keep me company - if you don't need them."

"Might as well, they'd only get in my way."

Jemeryl slumped despondently up the stairs to her study. She had hoped Tevi's abrupt departure the night before had been due to a misunderstanding, but Tevi had been blatantly building barriers between them just now. Even after you made allowances for problems with her sight, she had pointedly not looked in Jemeryl's direction. And it was too late for Jemeryl to wish she had kept a tighter rein on her own emotions - just one more problem she would have to resolve.

The more immediate task was tracking down Abrak. A long row of books on herbalism lined one shelf in the study. Jemeryl groaned at the sight of them. None was quite what she needed. A directory of sorcerers would have been best, but all she had were the medical books she had brought with her, anticipating the needs of the villagers. Iralin's words of censure echoed in her ears - most had not been off the shelf since she arrived in the valley. Jemeryl was not even sure what some of them contained. Hopefully there would be biographical details of the creators of various potions, with cross-references for people interested in further details of their work.

Jemeryl called a book over to her - it was going to be a long tedious search.

* * * * * *

By late afternoon Jemeryl had gone through five books and learnt nothing. She closed the cover of the one she was reading and sent it back to the shelf. The hours were taking a toll and her concentration was starting to suffer. It was probably best to stop for the day and start again in the morning.

It was getting dark outside; the window displayed only her reflection. Apart from a brief meeting at lunch, she had not spoken to Tevi. Maybe by now the mercenary would be ready for company.

Everything was much as she had left it when Jemeryl entered the parlour. The two bears were sleeping in front of the fire. Several squirrels had dragged a cloak onto a chair to make a nest. However there was no sign of Tevi. The absence was a little surprising; on her way from the study, Jemeryl had seen that Tevi was not in the hall. Even with the fading light, being outside would put a strain on Tevi's eyes, although it was possible that she was attending to her pony. Before going to check the sables, Jemeryl first tried knocking on the door to Tevi's room.

"Tevi?" she called. There was no answer. Jemeryl pushed the door open and peered in.

Tevi was curled in tight ball on the bed, her face knotted in agony.

"Tevi, what's wrong?" Jemeryl rushed to her side.

"My head hurts." Tevi hissed through clenched teeth.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I'll be okay."

"No you won't. When did this start?"

"I was practising walking up and down. Things were starting to spin. I thought I could manage but..." Tevi ground to a stop.

"But you pushed it too far." Jemeryl finished the sentence for her. "You should have called me when you started to feel ill."

"I'm sorry."

Jemeryl's initial alarm was giving way to anger. There was no need for Tevi to start acting like one of the stupid villagers. Why hadn't the warrior called when she started feeling unwell? Why hide in her room? It was unlikely that any serious damage had been done, although Tevi was clearly in pain; her face was bloodless pale, her aura distorted.

As she took in the details Jemeryl's mood softened to exasperation. Maybe it's my fault, Jemeryl told herself, There's something about me that makes the ungifted act like frightened idiots when I'm around. She just wished she knew what it was. In the meantime, Tevi needed her help.

"Roll over and lie face down." Jemeryl ordered. Once Tevi had obeyed, she sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

The muscles of Tevi's neck and shoulders were snarled like twisted rope. Deftly Jemeryl began to massage away the tension. At the same time, she worked on Tevi's aura. Her abilities as a sorcerer allowed Jemeryl to see the series of tiny vortexes littering Tevi's astral projection. They disrupted the flow of life energies. In time, they would fade of their own accord, but reversing the spin would speed up the process. Relaxing the cramped muscles and raising the flow of blood would prevent their return.

Within minutes, she could tell the pain in Tevi's head was starting to abate. The hard cords in Tevi's neck softened, although the tightness in her shoulders was proving more stubborn. It would be easier if Tevi removed her thick jerkin. Jemeryl was about to ask but stopped, uncertain. Suddenly her hands were very aware of the touch of Tevi's skin - the texture and the warmth.

Jemeryl's gaze travelled the length of the body lying motionless on the bed. She finished staring at the back of Tevi's head. There was an overwhelming temptation to run her hands though Tevi's short dark hair, to take hold of her shoulder, turn her over, and look into her eyes. It was so easy for Jemeryl to fantasise the act of then kissing Tevi, slowly and very thoroughly, and imagine the feel of Tevi's arms tightening around her. Jemeryl's hands started to move before she had a chance to think, but then she mastered her errant emotions.

From Tevi's reaction the night before it was easy to guess the outcome of attempting such an manoeuvre. Jemeryl barely suppressed her groan of despair. Iralin had given her a job to do, one she had to succeed at. She dare not risk alienating the woman she was obliged to accompany. After only a second's pause, Jemeryl continued to massage Tevi's shoulders, but she had moved her hands to the outside of the jerkin, breaking the direct contact with Tevi's skin.

"How do you feel?" Jemeryl asked, once the last of the vortexes had disappeared.

"I'm okay, the pain has gone." Tevi's voice was muffled by the blanket.

"Will you come and sit in parlour?"

"I think I'd rather lie here a while."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Jemeryl offered.

"No."

The answer was so faint Jemeryl had to strain to catch it, but unmistakable. Jemeryl got off the bed and walked to the door. "All right. But in future call me when you don't feel well."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you."

Before leaving the room, Jemeryl stopped for one last look at her patient. Tevi still had not moved. Her face was buried in the pillow, preventing any eye contact. Jemeryl pulled the door shut and went to her seat by the fire. The faint noise she made woke Ruff briefly. The bear snorted and rolled over before falling back asleep.

The room was very quiet. With only the animals' slumbering presence for company Jemeryl sat for a long time, staring bleakly into the flames. Her heart was pounding. Her hands ached from the memory of touching Tevi. In despair she thought, Oh gods, I've really fallen for her. Her emotions were totally out of control, and all her skills as a sorcerer could not help her.

And Tevi wasn't interested - she was making it very obvious, taking every chance to put literal as well as metaphorical distance between them. Jemeryl could guess why.

Many of the ungifted were uncomfortable around sorcerers. Few would be willing even to have one as a friend, let alone as a lover. Tevi had shown no sign of being bothered by Jemeryl's status - Until she saw me, Jemeryl though. Or rather, until she saw how I was looking at her. Tevi's tolerance of sorcerers apparently did not extend that far. It was not merely that Tevi did not return the feelings - she was running scared. Does she think sorcerers can't take 'No' as an answer?

Of course, there was one definite area where Jemeryl could not accept a 'No'. Whether Tevi agreed or not, she had to go with her on the quest for the chalice. Tevi's consent would make it less unpleasant, but either way it was going to be miserable. Jemeryl's jaw clenched at the thought - to spend months in Tevi's company, with her close at hand but out of reach. Did Iralin known what she was condemning me to when she gave her orders? Jemeryl wondered. Then her lips twisted into a bitter grimace, Probably not. It's just one of those things.

* * * * * *

When she heard the door shut, Tevi rolled onto her back and flung an arm over her face. With her eyes closed, she could almost see the hay barn at Storenseg, and hear the contemptuous voices. What would her mother say to see her now? Would Red be able to overcome her disgust long enough to laugh at the bad joke?

Tevi clenched her jaw. She should have called her grandmother's bluff back on Storenseg. Even if she had lost the gamble, it would have been honest. She could have been true to herself, but, like a coward, she had accepted the option to run. She had been running ever since. She had fled from Cayell and now she wanted to escape again. However, Tevi knew in her heart it was the most pointless form of flight - she was trying to run away from herself.

"What else can I do?" Tevi whispered under her breath.

She was not handling things well. Her behaviour had been nothing short of rude in rebuffing Jemeryl's overtures of friendship. She had snubbed the offer to go on the quest, from fear of causing worse offence. Yet even if the search for the chalice had been in earnest, she could not have risked Jemeryl's company. She liked the sorcerer, far more than was safe, far more than could be hidden. It could not be long before she did or said something to give herself away. She knew she had annoyed Jemeryl - the knowledge hurt; she did not want Jemeryl to think badly of her.

The honourable course would be to face things squarely. To go to Jemeryl, tell her the whole sordid truth and except what ever might come of it. But what would Jemeryl say or do? As the Coven representative in the area Jemeryl was responsible for maintaining law and order. Would she, in her official role, feel obliged to report to the mercenary guild-masters? How would it feel to have Jemeryl look at her with loathing?

I can't do it. It was an admission of cowardice. Tevi hated herself.

Tevi got to her feet and walked to the window of her room. The shutters had been in place all day. She gave a shove to open them, venting her anger by using far more force than necessary. Night had fallen. The moon was rising in the eastern sky, floating above the mountains. To Tevi's newly rebuilt eyes its gentle light burned like the blast of a furnace. Fumbling blindly, Tevi refastened the shutters and collapsed back on the bed.

The only option she had was to get away as soon as possible, and keep moving, but there was no chance of doing it immediately. She must wait until her eyes were strong again. Until then, she would have to keep herself under tight control, guard her words and actions. When she could withstand daylight she would go - but she didn't want to. The thought of staying with Jemeryl was appallingly tempting. Tevi could hardly believe how much she craved it. The memory of Jemeryl's hands touching her neck washed over her with painful intensity. Tevi's self-control deserted her. Hot tears escaped from under her eyelids as she sobbed.

Continued in chapter 5.

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