Heirot

Tenele entered their bedroom as quietly as possible so not to wake Tenara and went immediately to the fireplace that they never used. It was always too warm in the palace for them, and at night she was nestled between Atul and Vlad and that often provided enough heat. She had no wood for the fireplace so she picked up a chair that Vlad used for reading and carried it outside.

There were several muffled crashes, before Tenele returned with the chair in pieces. She stacked the wood and took one of the candles, dousing it with lamp oil before giving it a light.

There was a great woosh, and the fire flooded the dim room with light.

"There you go Kie," Tenele sighed softly, ushering the girl to the fire. She took a blanket from their couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Please tell me what happened."

Khi crawled forward in the blanket until she was practically in the fire, and began to breathe more calmly. Knight kept his distance, watching carefully in case the blanket caught flame.

The girl looked at Tenele faithfully. "My kin and I were at the warm place. Others came - ones we don't know - and attacked us with hot arrows." She pulled back the blanket and the fabric of her shawl to show Tenele a graze wound on her arm. The flesh was black and puckered, like a third degree burn. Knight stiffened as he recognized the wound. "They said we don't belong there. We fought. It is our warm place. Talon gave it to us!" she insisted, as if defending against a court conviction.

"It is your warm place. Talon gave it to you, and the King signed it into law," Tenele agreed, kneeling down next to the girl. "I can make this stop hurting for you." The Maiden took her hands and touched the girl on the arm, but not so close as it would hurt her. "Talon will be here shortly. In the mean time, will you describe these people who hurt your kin? Have you seen them before? Do you know where they came from?" As Tenele used the questions to distract the girl, her healing magic spread over the wound and began to ease the burn and knit the flesh. It was more taxing to heal non-humans.

"They had purple robes. They said we were ab...bom...abdomenations," she struggled with the Ighten term. "The hot arrows only hurt the abdomenations." She stared down at her wound. "It stopped hurting. I'm not one any more?"

"Oh sweet girl, you were never one," Tenele whispered, brushing her hand over the young one's head. Tenele turned her eyes up to the opening door.

Talon entered, closing the door behind him. "Khi," he muttered, blinking as if he didn't really think he saw the girl there. He went to where she sat on the floor and crouched next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Knight and I were out and found her in the sands," Tenele whispered. "She says that her people were attacked by men in robes that called them abominations. She said that her kin fell. Sho..." Tenele choked on her words, watching Talon stiffen and his red eyes harden. "Sho was among the ones that have fallen."

Talon fell back on his rear, staring into the fire like someone had dropped thousands of sandbags around his neck. He was very quiet. "Are you hurt Khi?" the young vampire asked. Tenele knew he was channelling his pain into concern for the girl, but she could see a storm of fury floating in his glowing eyes.

"I am cold," she said, staring at Talon like he was a superhero. "Sho was linked with me. I tried to be her warm place. We came to find you, and she gave me the water horn," she explained, her eyes welling up miserably. I ran out of heat for her. I lost her. I don't know where she is, now," she huffed away tears. "I was supposed to get here faster." She threw an accusatory glance at her healed arm, and spilled tears into the blanket.

Talon scooted forward and wrapped his arms around the bundled girl, drawing her forward against his chest. He surely wasn't warm blooded, but the fire would eventually warm her cold blood again. "Shh," he whispered. "It will be okay. I will make this right. I am sorry."

Tenele stood up slowly. She went to her wardrobe, grabbed a few things from it, and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Talon, please stay with Khi and watch over Tenara," Tenele told her brother once she emerged from the bathroom dressed in travelling clothes. She turned her gaze on Knight. "I need to see the village and to save anyone that I can. These are my people, though not officially yet. I might not make it back before morning and before it is time to send you back. I'll give you the choice to go with me or I can send you back now..." Tenele frowned, not wanting him to leave yet. "I'm sorry we're always meeting under these circumstances."

Knight hesitated. He wanted to help. But wouldn't two searchers be better than one? If he used up Vlad and Atul's strength, how useful would they be when he dispersed?

But he wanted to protect her himself, from whoever these people were.

"I think Vlad and Atul would serve you best under the circumstances," he said with a calm voice. "If you find you do need me, I am at your call," he bowed his head with a flourish. "Tell Vlad I will write to him, next time."

Khi looked perturbed by all this planning. "Talon should go, too. The purple robes will not succeed against him." She couldn't believe they weren't bringing the person her clan saw as the strongest hero they'd ever met.

Tenele frowned. "If Talon goes there will be no one here to protect you or my daughter," she explained softly, but seriously considered it being a good idea to bring Talon.

Tenele turned her attention back to Knight. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. "I'm sorry about tonight," she sighed softly. "I will see you again very soon. Hopefully under better circumstances. Good bye my love. Sagra no ero."

Knight's expression stiffened and he staggered a step back, straining. Damn, he'd wanted to handle it better this time. But it was too much. He turned his face away as the magic took him over, and then he was gone.

In his place, Atul and Vlad took form right where they'd left off, standing in the middle of the room. Vlad staggered in a way that perfectly mirrored Knight's movements a moment ago. Then he caught his weight and stood carefully, feeling out how much strength he'd used.

Khi yelped, a strange sound for a reptilian, and stared at the two people who had just appeared in the room. "One of your portals?" her amber eyes searched Talon's.

"Not mine," Talon replied, smiling softly. "They have their own magic."

Tenele went to them with concern written in her features. She hated to do that to Knight, and she regretted it. Like ripping off a bandage she thought that if she said it fast enough, without the usual drawing out she tried to do, it might end quicker and less sever. However, no matter how she said it, it always brought him pain.

"We have a problem," she began, wincing. "I'm sorry, this is going to seem sudden. Knight and I were out near the ocean and we came across this reptilian child part of the clan that Talon rescued from Maxwell's mansion. She says their village has fallen. They were attacked by men in purple robes who shot arrows at them, the arrows burned. She was injured, it looked like a holy wound. I managed to heal it enough that it wouldn't pain her anymore. She ran off with Sho... Sho didn't make it. I was going to go off to investigate with Knight, but was concerned I'd be gone too long and I wouldn't make it back before having to part from him."

"The village isn't far from here. It is a little over half a days ride by horse," Talon pipped in. "I'm coming Tenele. I understand you want me to stay here to protect them, but this palace is full of guards and we have Stalker..."

Vlad frowned, confusion taking over his features. "Who would attack a bunch of children in the desert with holy arrows?"

"They were very mad... They hated us," Khi muttered. "Sho talked, Khi talked, they did not listen."

"We should leave quickly," Tenele urged. "If there are any who are left alive, they could be injured. I need to get to them."

Atul frowned. "We can't all go. Someone has to stay here. If we all go and something happens, someone has to be here to insure the kingdom carries on and that our daughter is protected."

Tenele glanced to Talon, who shook his head firmly. "Those are my people," he whispered. "I adopted them. I led them to this land where persecution found them. I will redeem them from this as well."

"If I stay there will be no one to heal them," Tenele argued.

Atul scowled. "Vlad or I will stay behind, as much as I don't like the idea." He turned his eyes to the vampire. "Your choice."

Vlad paused, looking protectively at his protege. He'd never experienced holy metal before, and frankly the vampire didn't want Talon or Atul anywhere near those arrows.

But he also remembered the last time he and Tenele had both left Tenara alone. He'd made a quiet promise with her, that they wouldn't both leave again unless there was no other choice. There was a choice now. "I will...babysit," he muttered.

Tenele's eyes lit with surprise. That was not the answer she expected from her husband, after all, it was his wife and Blood leaving to face off against crazed crusading holy men.

Atul had a similar reaction, and after he shook off the surprise he gave a quick nod. "Okay, well, over half a days ride is a long time so we best be on our way. We'll need water and supplies, so let's stop off by the kitchen. I need to go to my room."

The King disappeared off down the hall between rooms while Talon gave Khi one last hug and rose to his feet. "I will save your people, Khi," he told her, placing a hand on her head. "Stay with this man, my maker, and he will keep you safe and warm."

Talon stepped up to Vlad. "Please keep feeding the fire or she'll get very weak." He knew he didn't have to tell Vlad that, but he thought it might bring Khi comfort to hear him explain it out loud so she knew that Vlad understood. Then, he turned his gaze on Tenele. "I'll pop down to the kitchen and get the cooks started with preparations."