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  Indeed, not two candlemarks later, Talia was knocking gently on the door to the set of rooms Elspeth and Darkwind shared.

  “Come in,” came the reply.

  She slipped into the first of the rooms.  Elspeth was sitting in one of the chairs around the fireplace, and Darkwind was sprawled on the couch opposite her, neither doing anything.

  “Darkwind, I need your advice.” She began, wondering how to phrase it.  “Tarin has returned, with his Chosen, but there is one slight problem.  She doesn’t speak Valdemaren.”

  Darkwind opened his eyes, sitting up slightly.  “Why come to me?” he asked, faintly interested.

  “I do not understand your language, but hers and the Tayledras language seems similar to me.  And her name is Windance.  The only problem is that she denies being a Hawkbrother, and I am clueless as to what to do.” Talia spread her hands helplessly.

  Suddenly she his full attention.  “Are you sure about the language?” he asked curiously.

  “How can I be?  I don’t know it.  But I can guess, and if you can’t help, I don’t what I will do.  I’m grasping at straws, Darkwind.  And she is strong, too strong to be un-trained, but by no means completely trained.  She got by both mine and Teren’s shields when she arrived.”

  “Really?”  Now she received his complete, undivided attention, as well as Elspeth’s.  “Both of your shields?” he exclaimed.  “I don’t know of anyone who could do that, except for an Adept particularly strong in the Mind-Gifts.  And she definitely isn’t an Adept if she isn’t trained.  Where is she now?” he asked.

  “In her room.  I do not think she will be asleep, however tired she appeared to be.  Do you wish to speak with her?” Talia asked.

  “Yes.  Maybe a runaway, however unlikely that may be?” he questioned.  It was true that there was very little chance that Windance was a runaway.  Who would ever want to leave the Vales? he wondered.

  “I do not think so, but anything’s possible.  I’ll go with you.” Talia gestured to him to follow her.

 

  Windance shook off her self-induced trance sheepishly.  She had not expected anyone to want to talk to her, but she still should have felt whoever it was coming.

  :Come in,: she called to the three behind the door.  :It’s unlocked.:

  She gaped at the two who came in with Herald Talia.  The male was as silver haired as she was, and the female had darkly streaked silver hair.  She was awed by the sense of power the two newcomers gave off, and almost couldn’t breathe beneath the onslaught of power.  She looked physically sick, and managed a weak request.

  :Can you please tone it down?!: she asked faintly.

  The male looked startled, but pulled in the power he gathered around him unconsciously.  “Are you alright now, Windance?” he asked, in his native Tayledras tongue.

  Windance smiled with relief.  At last someone who spoke a language that did not grate on her ears!  “Yes, I’m fine.  Thank-you very much.  At least you speak an understandable language,” she said with relief.

  “It is the Tayledras language, Windance.  Are you from a Vale?” he asked curiously.

  “No!” she said emphatically.  “I am of the forest-kin.  Not a Tayledras.” She kept her emotions tightly under control.  After earlier with the Dean and Talia, she couldn’t afford to forget the Eldest’s lessons in emotional control.

  “Where?” he questioned gently.  “If you tongue so closely matches my own, there must be some connection.  And if you have the silver hair of an Adept, other Hawkbrothers will wonder as well.”

  “Hawkbrother?” she asked curiously.  The term meant nothing to her.

  “The name given by outsiders to the Tayledras.”

  “No.  We all have silver hair.  Any who do not fit the kin are sent to the villagers.  We have silver hair, as the Eldest says, to remind us of who we once were.  Why we are no longer what we once were he will tell no one, not even me, his favored.  And I am favored because one day, a long time from now, I will become Eldest.  And I will become Eldest when my eyes go as light as his!” she exclaimed, rapidly.  She was eager to prove she was who she said she was.  She shook her hair at the Adept, as she now knew, as proof of her being favored.

  “You will have light eyes soon enough, Windance.  Any one who has as much potential as you do should, in fact, already have pure white eyes, from the power you are giving off.” His quiet statement stopped her eagerness.

  “Me? Power?  Are you one of them?  One of those that practice such things?  Someone I can train from?” she asked eagerly.  He was not guarding his thoughts, and she picked some odd notion of runaways.

  “I am a Tayledras Adept.  I do not know if I will be able to teach you, but you belong among the Hawkbrothers, with the potential you have.” His words confirmed the hints he had thrown out earlier in the conversation.

  “Oh.  Then I can trust you.  The one and only thing the Eldest ever told me for sure was that if I could trust none other, that I could trust the Tayledras.” She bowed awkwardly before him.  She would follow the will of her Eldest, no matter how far she was.

  Darkwind looked imploringly at his mate, but received no help form her or Talia.  Talia had not understood most of what was being said, and could not help him, and Elspeth was just as lost as he.  “I will see what I can do for you, however little it may be.  Perhaps I will be able to find out what happened to your kin, or a teacher that will be able to teach you.  I will leave you now, you must be tired from your long journey.” He bowed slightly to her, shocking her at the respect he gave her.  He nodded to Talia and Elspeth, and together the three of them left.

  Windance sent a tired call as the door closed behind them.  Zhai’helleva, Darkwind.  Zhai’helleva from Windance favored of k’Ren’fa, the first since the Breaking.”  Not sure if they had heard, Windance shrugged the strange trance-like feeling those words had awoken within her, and settled in for sleep.

  What have I gotten myself into? Darkwind asked himself as he pondered it later that night.  Windance had the potential to eventually become stronger then even the strongest of the Adepts currently alive, and the thought of that much un-trained power scared him.  It is worse then when Elspeth came to me.  At least she had no idea what she was capable of.  Windance already knows some of what she will be able to do, and that is a lot. If only she was not Chosen!  Then I would be able to send her off to a Vale!

 And what about k’Ren’fa?  The name meant something like bright eyes, but it seemed as if she had used it a different implication.  Not as a description or compliment, something important…  like one’s Vale…