"About losing neutral territory-there's not much we can do," Darkwind sighed. "We could make it uncomfortable for the things moving in, I suppose; uncomfortable enough that they might move back without our having to force a confrontation we haven't the manpower to meet."
"Like some really nasty practical jokes?" For the first time in the meeting, Stormcloud's eyes lit up." Krawn and I could take care of that.
Now that it's summer, there are a lot of things we can do to make them miserable, as long as we have your permission." He grinned evilly. "I know where there are some lovely fire-wasp nests. And Krawn can bring in absolute swarms of other corbies. They aren't going to be able to leave anything outside without having it stolen or fouled."
"Do it," Darkwind told him. "And don't stretch yourself too thin, but if you can extend your reach into Dawnfire's and Winterlight's areas, do so."
"I can," Stormcloud replied, with barely concealed glee. "The thing about tricks is that they're more effective if they're sporadic and unpredictable.
Krawn is going to love this."
"What about the power-theft?" asked Winterlight anxiously. "We can't do anything about that-as well try to bail water with a basket-but surely someone should."
"I'll tell the mages," Darkwind said, "But I can't promise anything.
They might seal off the leaks, they might not. There's no predicting them these days."
"And my missing creatures?" Dawnfire was giving him that look of pleading he found so hard to resist, but there wasn't anything he could do that would satisfy her.
"They'll have to stay missing," he said, and held up his hand to forestall a protest. "I know, I know, it's not right, but we haven't enough guardians to spare to send even one into the neutral territory to find out what happened to them and protect the rest."
"If your gryphon friends were the ones missing," she said, her eyes sparking with momentary anger, "would you still be saying that?" yes, I would," he replied. "If they had nested outside our boundaries, And even then, well, anything Treyvan and Hydona couldn't take care of themselves, I rather doubt we could handle. But I promise this much; if you and Kyrr can catch our predator in the act, we'll see what can be done to save whoever he's after. And if we can catch him in the act, we may have a chance at figuring out a defense for the rest of your friends." Dawnfire obviously didn't like the answer, but she knew as well as he did that it was the only one he could give her.
"Anything else?" he asked, stifling a yawn, and casting a look at the windows. The sky beyond the branches was a glorious scarlet; they had spoken until sunset, and if the others were to get back to their ekele before dark, they'd have to leave soon. "I'm going to have to get out On patrol before dawn to make up for stealing a couple of hours of Amberwing's time so I could go to the blamed meeting. So I've got a short night ahead of me."
"I think we've covered everything," Winterlight said, after a moment of silence. "I'll catch up with the others, and let them know what we've decided." He got up from the couch, and started down the stairs. Stormcloud followed him, then paused at the top of the stairs just long enough for a slow wink.
Dawnfire glanced at the windows, at the heavy branches standing out blackly against the fire of the sunset. "Are you really that tired?" she asked. She didn't get up from the couch.
"Not if you're going to stay a while," he replied, with a slow smile.
"You haven't taken back your feather," she said, somehow gliding into his arms before he was aware she had moved. "And I certainly don't want mine back. Of course I'll stay a while."
The scent of her, overlaid with the musky trace of her bird, was as intoxicating as tran-dust, and the soft lips she offered to him made his blood heat to near-boiling. He lost himself in her, their two minds meeting and melding, adding to the sensuality of the embrace. Her hands caressed the small of his back and slid down over his hips; his right was buried in her hair at the nape of her neck, his left crushed her to him.
He had just enough wit to remember he still had to pull up his ladder.
So did she, fortunately. "Go secure the door. The sunset, if I recall correctly, is incredible from upstairs." She pushed him away; he moved down the stairs in a dream. The trapdoor was still unlatched; he brought the ladder up, rung by rung, and rehung it, latched down the trapdoor, and keyed the mage-light to a dim blue.
Then he ran up the two flights of stairs to the sleeping room.
She was waiting, clothed only in her loosened hair, curled like a white vixen on the dark furs of his bedspread, her hair flowing free and trailing behind her like a frozen waterfall.
She turned a little at his footfall, and smiled at him, holding out her hand-and they didn't see a great deal of the sunset.
"Brother comes, fast," said Vree. Then, with an overtone of surprise,
"Very fast." Vree's alert interrupted what had been an otherwise completely dull and uneventful patrol along the dry streambed that formed part of the k'sheyna border. It hadn't always been dry-in fact, a week ago, there had been a stream here. Evidently not only ley-lines were being diverted.
Darkwind had not been overly worried when he discovered the condition of the stream; the diversion could easily have had perfectly natural causes. It could have gone dry for a dozen reasons, including the "helpful" work of beavers. But it was one more thing to investigate... That was when Vree's call alerted him. Before Darkwind had a chance to wonder just what that "fast" meant, he heard the pounding of hooves from up-trail. A moment later, a dyheli stag plunged over the embankment above him, coming to a halt in a clatter of cleft hooves, and a shower of sand and gravel. The graceful, antelope-like creature was panting, his flanks covered with sweat, his mane sodden with it. As Dawnfire slid from his back, he tossed his golden head with its three spiraling horns and Mindspoke Darkwind directly.
"Cannot run more-help my brothers-" Then he plunged back into the brush, staggering a little from exhaustion, as Darkwind turned toward his rider.
"What-"
"There's a dyheli bachelor herd just outside the boundaries," she said, her words tumbling over each other with her urgency. "They're trapped in a pocket valley, one they can't climb out of. I don't know what chased them in there, or even if they just went in there last night figuring it was a good place to defend in the dark-but they've been trapped, and they're going mad with fear-"
"Whoa." He stopped the torrent of speech by placing his hand over her lips for a moment. "Take it slowly. What's holding them there?"
"It's-it's like a fog bank, and it fills the outer end of the valley," she replied, her voice strained, "Only it's bluish, and all that goes into it doesn't come out alive. Darkwind, we have to get them out of there!"
"You say they're outside the borders?" he persisted.
She nodded, her enormous, pale-silver eyes fixed on his.
I-" he hesitated, presented with the pleading in her expression. I shouldn't. It's outside, it could be a diversion to get several of us out there-it could be an attempt to ambush us-But her eyes persuaded him against his better judgment. "I-all right, ashke. I'll come look at the situation. But I can't promise anything."