*lt-is well*, came the surprising answer. *And what price your obedience?*
"I put no price on obedience, I will serve You faithfully, Lady, as I always have. Only let Kethry live, and let her thrive and perhaps find love -- and most of all, be free. That's worth anything You could ask of me."
The Warrior regarded her thoughtfully for an eternity, measuring, weighing.
Then -- She laughed --
And as Tarma stared in benumbed shock. She held out Her hands, palm outward, one palm facing Tarma, one Kethry. Bolts of bunding white light, like Kethry's daggers of power, leaped from Her hands to Tarma, and to the mage still cradled in Jadrek's arms.
Or, possibly, to the ensorcelled blade still clasped in the mage's hands.
Tarma did not have much chance to see which, for the dagger of light hit her full in the chest, and suddenly she couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't breathe. She felt as if a giant hand had picked her up, and was squeezing the life out other. She was blind, deaf, dumb, and made of nothing but excruciating pain --
Only let Keth live -- only let her live -- and it's worth any price, any pain --
Then she was on her hands and knees, panting with an agony that had left her in the blink of an eye -- half-sprawled in the cold dust of the valley.
While beside her, a white-faced Jadrek cradled a dazed, shocked -- and completely Healed -- Kethry. Only the tattered wreckage of her traveling leathers and the blood pooled beneath her showed that it had not all been some kind of nightmare.
As Tarma stared, still too numb to move, she could hear the jubilant voice of the Warrior singing in her mind.
*lt is well that you have opened your heart to the world again, My Sword. My Kal'enedral were meant to be without desire, not without feeling. Remember this always: to have something, sometimes you must be willing to lose it. Love must live free, jel'enedra. Love must ever live free.*
Ten
Jadrek blinked, trying to force what he had just witnessed into some semblance of sense. He was mortally confused.
One moment, Kethry is dying; there is no chance anyone other than a god could survive her injuries. Then Tarma stands up and shrieks something in Shin'a'in -- and --
Kethry stirred groggily in his arms; he flushed, released her, and helped her to sit up, trying not to stare at the flesh showing through the rents in her leather riding clothing -- flesh that had been lacerated a moment ago.
"What ... happened?" she asked weakly, eyes dazed.
"I don't really know," he confessed. And thinking: Tarma was here, and now she's over there and I didn't see her move, I know I didn't'. Am I going mad?
Tarma got slowly to her feet, wavering like a drunk, and staggered over to them; she looked drained to exhaustion, her face was lined with pain and there were purplish circles beneath her eyes. It looked to Jadrek as if she was about to collapse at any moment.
For that matter, Keth looks the same, if not worse -- what am I thinking? Anything is better than being a heartbeat away from death.
Tarma fell heavily to her knees beside them, scrubbing away the tears still marking her cheeks with the back of a dirty hand, and leaving dirt smudges behind. She reached out gently with the same hand, and patted Kethry's cheek. The hand she used was shaking, and with the other arm she was bracing herself upright. "It's all right," she sighed, her voice sounding raw and worn to a thread. "It's all right. I did something -- and it worked. Don't ask what. Bright Star, I am tired to death!"
She collapsed into something vaguely like a sitting position right there in the dust beside them, head hanging; she leaned on both arms, breathing as heavily as if she had just run an endurance race.
Kethry tried to move, to get to her feet, and fell right back into Jadrek's willing embrace again. She held out her hand, and watched with an expression of confused fascination as it shook so hard she wouldn't have been able to hold a cup of water without losing half the contents.
"I feel awful -- but -- " she said, looking down at the shreds of her tunic with astonishment and utter bewilderment. "How did you -- "
"I said don't ask," Tarma replied, interrupting her. "I can't talk about it. Later, maybe -- not now. It -- put me through more than I expected. Jadrek, my friend -- "
"Yes?"
"I'm about as much use as a week-old kitten, and Keth's worse off than I am. I'm afraid that for once you're going to get to play man of muscle."
She looked aside at him, and managed to muster up a half grin. There wasn't much of it, and it was so tired it touched his heart with pity, but it was real, and that comforted him.
Whatever has happened, she knows exactly what she's doing, and it will be all right.
"Tell me what you want me to do," he said, trying to sound just as confident.
:There's still myself,: Warrl's dry voice echoed in their thoughts. :I have no hands, but I can be of some help.:
"Right you are, Furface. Oh gods," Tarma groaned as she got back up to her knees, and took Kethry's chin in her hand, tilting it up into the light. Jadrek could see that Kethry's pupils were dilated, and that she wasn't truly seeing anything. "What I thought -- Keth, you're shocky. Fight it, love. Jadrek and Warrl are going to find some place for us to hole up for a while." Tarma transferred her hold to Kethry's shoulder and shook her gently. "Answer me, Keth."
"Gods -- " Kethry replied, distantly. "And sleep?"
"As soon as we can. Fight, she'enedra."
"I'll...try."
"Warrl, get the horses over here, would you? Jadrek, you're going to have to help Keth mount. She's got no more bones right now than a sponge." He started to protest, but she cut him off with a weary wave of her hand. "Not to worry, our ladies are battlemares and they know the drill. I'll get them to lie down, you watch what I do, then give Keth a hand, and steady her as they get up. No lifting, just balancing. Hai?"
"As long as I'm not going to have to fling her into the saddle," he replied, relieved, "I don't see any problem."
"Good man," she approved. "Next thing -- Warrl will go looking for shelter; I want something more substantial than the tent around us tonight. You'll have to stay with us, keep Keth in her seat. I'll be all right, I've ridden semiconscious for miles when I've had to. When Warrl finds us a hole, you'll have to help us off, and do all the usual camp duties."
"No problem there, either; I'm a lot more trail wise than I was before this trip started." Aye, and. sounder in wind and limb, too.
Warrl appeared, the reins of Jadrek's palfrey in his mouth, the two battlemares following without needing to be led. Jadrek watched as Tarma gave her Ironheart a command in Shin'a'in, and was astounded to see the mare carefully fold her long legs beneath her and sink to the dusty ground, positioning herself so that she was lying within an arm's length of the exhausted Swordswornan. Tarma managed to clamber into the saddle, winding up kneeling with her legs straddling the mare's back. She gave another command, and the mare slowly lurched to her feet, unbalanced by the weight of the rider, but managing to compensate for it. Tarma glanced over at Jadrek, "Think you can deal with that?"