And using magic would only have attracted more unwelcome attentions.
He had seen all too often how blatant use of magics brought a wave of attackers from the Outside. The one mage who had been willing to work with the scouts had fallen victim, he suspected, to just that.
He was certainly overwhelmed before we could reach him. And I know there were not that many Misborn there before.
He suspected that the Adept watched for magic-use, and turned his creatures loose when he saw it. So long as k'sheyna confined themselves and their magic to their Vale, he seemed content to pursue his own plans, only pressing them occasionally, rather than sending an army against them.
There may be more than one Adept out there, but somehow I don't think so. Dark Adepts don't share power willingly.
So far, they had been able to beat all attempts to penetrate the new boundaries. So far, they had not lost more than a handful of scouts, and a mage or two.
And right now, we seem to be operating under an uneasy truce, as if he had decided we were too weak to threaten him, but too strong to be worth moving against. At least nothing major has come out of there for about a year.
And there haven't been any attacks from Outlanders that I can prove originated from there.
Nothing had made any attempt at the creatures k'sheyna protected, either. So far the hertasi enclaves remained untouched, the dyheli herds had not been preyed upon. The firebirds had fled the area though-and that bothered him.
And there were no human villages within k'sheyna territory anymore.
Crops had failed, wells dried up, traders ceased to come; only a handful of hunters and a religious hermit or two stayed behind.
No overt attacks for a year. But who knows what that means, he thought pesimistically. We have a weak and unstable Clan facing a nebulous enemy, and our options grow fewer with every passing day.
Starblade's answer to their troubles was simple: more magic. More mages. Everyone who had a spark of Mage-Gift should train it, and use it in their defense, while the handful of real mages worked to find an answer to their unstable Heartstone. Magic was the answer to every problem.
But how many times have I seen that using magic attracts problems? Hundreds.
And what happens when we attract something we can't handle?
No, more magic was not the answer. Not to Darkwind's way of thinking.
What we should do is appeal for help to one of the other Clans; we need Adepts who can drain the old Heartstone or stabilize it and take over this Vale for us. Then we can build a Gate and rejoin the rest. So what if they can't Gate in to us? That doesn't matter; and while we wait for the Heartstone to be made safe, we can defend ourselves with stealth, with cleverness.
He had to force his shoulder muscles to relax again, and sank a little deeper into the hot water. In fact, that's what we should be doing about this Adept. We should find some way of luring him out into the open, maybe by "playing dead." then we should neutralize him-but the one thing he wouldn't be expecting is a physical assault.
He nodded to himself, the pieces finally falling together for him. that Adept wants something-the power in the Heartstone, probably. He has to be watching constantly for magic power in use, and sending things against us only when he sees it. He really hasn't made an all-out assault against us because he's clever. He knows it would cost him less to take us by attrition than by full force.
And right now, he's hoping to lull us into forgetting that he's out there.
He tightened his jaw, thinking about how Starblade kept dismissing the importance of the scouts, and the threats on the borders. Right. He just might, too.
That brought up another thought. I wonder if he sent those intruders to test us. It could be. And not using magic told him-what? that we don't have mages to spare, probably. He should have a pretty good idea of how weak we really are at this point.
But what if I can use that against him? what if I can lure him out into the open, and find out who and what he is?
What if I could destroy him-or at least convince him that we're too strong, still, to be worth the trial?
He shook his head at his own ambitions. Certainly. And what if I could grow wings and fly out of here for help? the one is as likely as the other.
Best to stick to what he knew he could accomplish.
He looked up through the leafy canopy above him; not long until sunset, and that meant he had better get back to his own ekele. The dayscouts would be waiting to report, the night-scouts to be briefed. And Vree would be waiting for his dinner, for that bit of rabbit earlier was hardly enough to satisfy him.
Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of the spring, dried himself with his shirt, and pulled on the rest of his clothing.
If I can see what needs taking care of, then it's my job to take care of it.
My duties won't wait-whether or not Father approves.
*Chapter Five ELSPETH
Elspeth stood on guard, trembling with exhaustion, with the last of the dulled practice swords in her hands. The Captain went off-guard and nodded. "Right," Kerowyn said, just a hint of satisfaction in her voice.
"Let's go through it again." Did I hear satisfaction? Approval? Gods, maybe all the bruises are worth it after all.
Elspeth shook sweat out of her eyes, picked up the scattered practice blades with hands that still tingled from Kero's disarms, and distributed them randomly around the perimeter of the circle. It was kind of funny, really. This was the one and only time she had ever been ordered to just drop weapons carelessly, leaving them exactly where they fell.
This had been another one of Kero's little exercises in "attitude." Today had been entirely defensive; she had not been permitted to strike a single blow.
And she'd had one of the most strenuous workouts she'd ever had in her life.
The exercise was simple; Kero disarmed her, and she would try to get to another weapon-by whatever means possible-before Kero could corner her. Hence the rough circle of weaponry scattered around the Salle.
Her setup-such as it was-completed, she stood in the middle of the circle, sword in hand, and waited for Kero to disarm her.
Kero went into "ready" stance, and Elspeth matched her.
Here it comes- Her heart beat a little faster, and her mouth dried. No matter that it was "just" a practice. With Kerowyn or Alberich, nothing was ever "just" a practice. When they delivered killing blows, they left bruises, as a reminder of what could have happened.
The Captain came in slowly this time; Kero feinted and fenced with her for a few moments, forcing her to move away from her original position. Then, when Elspeth was not expecting it, the Captain bound her blade and sent it flying out of her hand.
She didn't waste a moment; the instant she lost the blade, she dove to one side, rolled, and came up with another in her hand; a shortsword, this time. Without thinking, she shifted her grip until the balance was right.
This time Kero rushed her before she had a chance to settle herself, catching her off-guard while she was still finding the balance for the blade.