| As Jenya stood in an attempt to be civil, Mal'aran and Dharin followed suit. "Don't bother," Felanya smirked as Jenya extended his hand. "They will not touch you." Her pessimistic eyes twinkled. "Why not?" The blonde Tracker struggled not to snap at the arrogant Mage. "Because it would kill you," she laughed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The Jihann in their palms leech energy from anything they touch. They could very well be a new kind of Mage." Mal'aran looked at her feet for an instant, before realizing that the three new arrivals were causing her to shift nervously. "Tell us their names, Felanya. You are being rude." "That's nothing new, brave leader." She motioned as she said each name. "Dalnek," she pointed casually. The Mage that answered was tall. His short hair was carnelian coloured. He bowed slightly, grinning a crooked, sarcastic grin. His brown eyes twinkled with a cryptic amusement. "Lyahr," A Mage of slightly larger build stepped forward. His hair was a matted shock of sapphire blue. He made no gesture of acknowledgement towards Mal'aran and only stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled slightly, but the expression did not reach his eyes. "And Varesh." The lanky Mage with amethyst hair and a humorless smile nodded at Mal'aran. His eyes were a peculiar mix of green and yellow. They seemed odd and sunken, coupled with prominent cheekbones. "A new breed of Magi?" Jenya laughed. "Why?" "Why not," Dalnek shrugged. "The Taer'shal are learning to leech energy from us. For as much as they claim to detest all that is involved with the Acharya, they wield his power readily enough." Dharin looked to Mal'aran. She stood with her eyes closed. Something in Dalnek's voice...resonated, stirring knowledge in Mal'aran's mind. His grin, Lyahr's posture, Varesh's eyes all brought frightening images before her eyes. Images of places she had never been, paved streets and powerful lights, multitudes of screaming people and beneath it all, a smug fear. "You are not welcome here," Mal'aran kept her eyes open, struggling to ignore the visions clouding her mind. Dalnek stepped closer, bending down slightly and grinning that crooked grin. "The most powerful Mage, aside from the Acharya." He began to laugh, but stopped himself quickly, trying to remain stoic. A grin still played on his features. "You were something unexpected." Felanya patted Dalnek on the shoulder and spoke in a harsh language, which Mal'aran did not understand. Dalnek straightened, tilting his ear toward Felanya's lips. "She is right," Lyahr uttered gruffly. "This is not the right time. We still have other orders." Varesh chuckled. "This is going to be interesting." He shook out his amethyst hair and turned his back to the coran'hai. He began walking away from the group, whistling a tune nobody recognized. "What are your orders?" Mal'aran had not formally announced her departure. As far as the majority of the convoy knew, or cared, she would serve the Acharya until the day she died. Only Jenya, Dharin and Kelnai knew of her upcoming resignation. Mal'aran had never seen Kelnai smile so broadly, but the smile lasted only until Mal'aran pointed out that her absence would leave Corridan or Felanya in charge. Yet for the moment, she remained in power. Her status required that any questions she asked be answered, and quickly. Dalnek grinned, cocking his head to the side. "Our orders are to find a Mage that has been alone far too long. We march to Shivralliah. It seems we should join your convoy. Strength in numbers," he winked. Felanya began whispering in Kaer'melthek. Her raspy words made chills race down Dharin's spine. "I cannot think of a reason to send you away," Mal'aran conceded. She looked to Jenya, who had fallen silent and was watching Varesh in the distance, laughing at the stars. "Maybe you are not thinking hard enough," Dharin muttered. His face was set and his eyes were locked with Felanya's. Dharin's lips pulled back in a slight snarl at the forced dreams Felanya was feeding him. Images of Mal'aran bound, eviscerated and Felanya laughing while Dalnek grinned crookedly over Mal'aran's torn throat. Lyahr nudged Felanya. "This is not the time," he shook his head. "There are other things we should be doing. Plans we should be studying. Sylve will be difficult to reclaim." Grudgingly, Felanya nodded. "It seems that we are one, big happy family now." There was cruelty in her smirk. She turned her back on the others and strode towards Varesh. Upon reaching him, still laughing at the stars, she slapped him on the back of the head, shouting more of that harsh language. Lyahr and Dalnek followed. Corridan began to speak, but was pulled away by Lyahr. "Family?" Jenya shivered. "Why on earth did you let them stay? Now instead of one amazingly creepy Mage, we have four. Plus Felanya, and it is obvious she is several stones short of a fence." "To watch them. They are up to no good." She furrowed her brow, recalling and studying the images that had freed themselves from her subconscious. "In any event, tomorrow we cross the dead fields of Serfahlen," she shuddered and avoided Dharin's eyes. "Beasts lurk there which I would rather not face alone. They may very well be insane, but they are powerful and could be useful." "You make no sense, Mage." Jenya laughed. The new arrivals made him uneasy for reasons he could not place, but he could not genuinely bring himself to feel threatened by them. He gathered his dishes and wandered over to joke with the servants. "Do you insist on being called a terrible being?" Dharin asked her, placing a hand on her back. "I cannot think of anything else," she admitted. "Though I have the feeling that, with time, it will make no difference what I call myself. I will be dust, and it will not matter." Dharin sighed in frustration and left Mal'aran to gather the coran'hai and study the stars. He still did not understand the symbolism. |