What is love,
But a flame of passion.
But what man,
Has ever felt it's warmth.
It strikes like lightning,
Your eyes meet.
The world disappears,
She is an angel.
Salina my angel,
Where are you.
Why did you leave so quickly?
My only love,
Come back soon.
He lifts his head, his eyes shimmer with unshed tears. He glances quickly around, but there is no one in sight.
"That's funny," He murmurs to himself, "I thought I felt someone watching." He is tall with dark hair and dark blue eyes, he wears a tunic of dark forest green and dark green pants. A single ring gleams on his right hand, a silver eagle clutches a gem. He sighs and pushes himself off the wall, "I guess I had better be on my way." He smiles sadly,"Salina, my angel. I miss you. I promise we will be together someday. But I have to leave. I will always be with you. Have faith." He straps his instrument across his back and walks into the city streets.
He makes his way out of the city, it takes him an hour to get to the outer gates. He walks through the gate on the north, and into the forest. He walks on for about an hour, humming softly under his breath. When the sun reaches it's highest point in the sky, he turns west off the main road and makes his way into the forest. The forest is made up of mainly leaf trees like oak and willow, with a dense underbrush of ferns and younger trees. There are not many fruit or berry trees, so there are very few birds and animals.
He pushes his way gently through the foliage, careful not to break or damage the plants. He moves deeper and deeper into the forest, soon the leafy trees give way to evergreens. Tall pine and ferrow trees tower above the minstrel. The ferrow trees have grown to tremendous heights, they have long thin needles evenly spaced on long slender branches. The ferrow tree resembles a water willow with needles instead of leaves. But the most important thing about the ferrow tree is the sap that you get when the bark is pierced. The sap can be used on wounds to prevent infection, and deaden pain, if swallowed it will induce sleep in a patient allowing a healer to set bones and stich wounds without the patient coming to any more pain. The whole tree can be used for medicinal purposes, the bark when ground can be sprinkled into a cut to prevent blood loss, and when swallowed can reduce fever. The needles when burned drive away insects that are attracted by blood, and produce a pleasant smell that helps the patient to feel better.
The minstrel goes up to one of the trees and feels the bark, there is a small knot in the wood showing where it was recently tapped. He smiles and looks around.
"Takane!!" He shouts, "Hey Takane!! Where are you?"
"Right behind you." A gravely voice speaks from behind the minstrel. He lets out a shout and whirls around, clutching his chest.
"Don't do that! You want me to have a heart-attack?" He glares at Takane for a minute, then lets out a laugh. "How are you doing, you old sneak." Takane laughs as the minstrel drapes his arm across his shoulders.
"Old? I'm two minutes older then you. That hardly makes me old. So what have you been up to wastrel? Have you chosen a name yet?" The minstrel shrugs and walks over to a log and sits down.
"I haven't been doing much, I wasn't able to get into the palace library. But I did meet a girl." He sighs. Takane had just settled himself against a tree, when the minstrel mentioned the girl he jerked up.
"Who, what does she look like? any magic? where is she from?"
"Why are you so interested?"
"Because I've been having these dreams."
"If you've been dreaming that's good enough reason for me. She is tall and slender with hair as black as a ravens wing, and green eyes that remind you of a forest in shadow, skin the color of honey in sunlight and as smooth as silk. Lips perfictly shaped and the the color of a blood rose, the sight of her woud make any man."
"Brother!!! Enough about her looks, I'm shure you are entranced by her beauty. But what about her?" Takane glares at his brother, the minstral just grins and continues.
"She didn't tell me but from the way she moves she is assassin trained. Likes daggers, and knives. She has a powerful aura, but is untrained. I think she's an empath of some sort, and probably foresight as well. Her name is Salina Rezick."
"Empathy in an assassin? That's a bit unusual. Oh I see, she uses it to see if they are guilty or not. Her problem is that she has to be in contact with them, not physical. But if she can hear their voice she can tell what they are feeling, and.... oh my."
"What??"
"She is a sorcerer. As is her two brothers and another sister. Her father, mother and aunt as well. How can they live with their power, and not tell they are not mere mages!"
"How can you tell, they could all just be powerful mages."
"Do you remember the rules of power?"
"Yes, mages can use only their internal power or the power in nature, sorcerers can use the ley lines, and adepts can use the nodes where the ley lines connect."
"All of them have the ability to use the lines, they never have because they don't know they exist. We are the only two who know how to use the lines, we have to find them. Where is Salina now?"
"I don't know, she disappeared."
"Could she have figured out that you were a magic user and gotten frightened?"
"Frightened? Her?? Not on your life. She is not one that is easily scared. If she had figured out what I was, she would have confronted me. And if she thought that I was a danger, I would be dead, or restrained. Her aunt has taught her some interesting capture spells, I'm not sure I would want to go up against Salina."
"It would be more difficult for you, because you are lovers." The minstrel glares at Takane. He laughs, "Oh come on, the way you have been talking about her, it's obvious that you were more then friends with her." he grins, "About time I say. You're always writing comic songs about your friends when they fall in love. Now it's your turn to be the one smitten."
Back to Tanith Zar
About the Author
Birth of the Twins - excert from the book
