"Untitled" by Maleah Schmitke

The day was hot and it was not yet true summer. Elektra made her way down the cobble streets of the town of Silver Bay wondering how the others could stand to be so bundled up on a day like this. In return those who did not ignore her outright cast disapproving glances her way. More than one of the young men close to her age jeered. Whore, she heard that ugly word leave many lips. Ingrate, selfish…these too were the words of choice used by many of the townsfolk to describe her. She paused only to buy what she needed from the venders in the market, even some of these people, many not from Silver Bay, gave her disapproving glances. She ignored them. They did not deny her that which she needed, no, whoever their customers were, whatever they looked like, however they dressed, if they offered money to spend then the venders would not refuse a customer.

She made her way toward the docks; she would often go there to sit and watch the ships come in. Now and then one would sail in from the far shore, which belonged to a great finger of land that jutted out into the sea. It was known that the people that dwelled on this strip of land were only the most skilled and powerful of healers and that their school was located there where those with a strong enough gift would be trained. Most of them didn’t leave the safety of those walls any longer and Elektra couldn’t help but wonder how they could help anyone when they chose to stay cloistered like that. There was, however, the odd ship come from there carrying a young healer who thought he or she could somehow, someway make the world a better place, simply by being in it. Elektra felt sorry for those naïve souls. She doubted they lasted very long in the real world where pain and suffering reigned and where only the rich and the lucky found any respite. She herself had learned long ago that the gods didn’t listen, no matter how much one prayed, or how long or how heart felt their prayers were, the calls fell on deaf ears. The gods didn’t care…at least not about her.

She reached the docks and perched on one of the pilings as she gazed out across the water. She folded her glossy wings around her like a feathered cloak and let her long leonine tail trail down to dip lazily in the water. What lay across those waters? There were many different ideas that floated around. Some said that beyond the distant islands that could just barely be made out from the shore, was the edge of the world where the water flowed away into the depths of the abyss. Others said that there was an even vaster expanse of water that, if travelled, would lead on to the other side of the land to the east…but serpents and sea dragons barred the way. Some even said there were others lands yet to be explored. They all seemed somehow unlikely to Elektra. How could the world just end? And yet, how was it possible to sail from one shore and end finding oneself at the opposite side? Was it possible the world held the same shape as her orb of crystal? And even if it were true, why would serpents and sea dragons bar the way?…and why would anyone want to take a sea rout when they could just as easily travel by land? And then there was the idea of other lands. Very well, it could be so, but why would anyone want to explore those lands when there were yet places to explore here? Perhaps she was as stupid as her guardians claimed. Then again, why would she believe anything they said was true? She wouldn’t allow herself to believe that her parents had simply abandoned her, nor would she allow herself to believe that they were feral, uncivilized beasts that were no better than animals. Elektra frowned and flicked water off her tail as she watched a ship on the horizon. It would miss the port it looked like, many did. The expanse of water between the shores of the land belonging to the Healers and the main land was given to storms and now and then ships would be blown off course. It would have to moor where it was and send one of its boats to shore. It was too late now to change course. She pursed her lips. It had been a long while since a healer had come. With the excitement that the healer would bring she would be able to slip away unnoticed. Her guardians wouldn’t realize she was well and truly missing until it was far too late. She smiled smugly as she watched the small boat being rowed toward the shore.

***

Y’Nara hadn’t imagined that Silver Bay would be so large. She was used to the small complex in which the healers dwelled. There was the building the Senior Healers quartered in and then the building for the apprentices, one wing for lasses and another of lads. There had been the building for classes and another for patients…if there were any, and then there was the building where the meals were served and where activities not relating to lessons and apprenticeships were held. That for the most part had been the extent of her world for most of her life. She could only barely recall her home and her family, but even then the town had been very small. Silver Bay appeared to be a city on quite a large scale, and she was on her own. She’d have to find information, a place to stay, transportation. She stepped daintily from the prow of the rowboat and onto the gravely beach. She stood gazing at the slate roofs a mild frown pulling at her lips. She hadn’t really wished to leave, but the world outside was in need of care and she had agreed to go before she had paused to think about what it meant to go out into the world. It wasn’t until she was packing her things that the full force of what it all meant had come flooding over her. Even so, knowing that she was needed offered her some comfort. Perhaps she could set up her own school somewhere. The cape had been chosen for protection, but had come to be a place of seclusion. She felt safe there…but the Outside needed Healers. Perhaps one day she would be the one to provide them, but first, information. She let out a deep sigh and started down the beach toward the port; she’d start her search there.

There was a great deal to see in the port of Silver Bay. Many buildings and roads leaving in various directions, and there was more than one ship docked there too. She looked around her searching for a place to find information. Her eyes finally lighted on a small building with a large sign sporting an oyster with a gigantic pearl resting within it and wide swinging doors from which people were coming and going. The Black Pearl it was called. Well it seemed busy enough; surely the people there could offer her some help. She took a moment to take in the people and though they looked less than savoury she told herself she’d be quick. She’d get her information and get out quickly. She didn’t think it looked like a very safe place to linger. She pulled her hood further down over her dark hair to hide her face a bit and then headed toward the tavern.

She entered the building and was immediately bombarded by an array of smells that made her immediately wrinkle her nose in distaste. Alcohol and sweat were only two of the less foul of the smells that engulfed her. Most of the patrons were men though she glimpsed a few figures that looked like women under their cloaks, though not the type of women she was used to seeing that was for certain. A few of the patrons glanced up, but most of them ignored her, used to the comings and goings of other customers. Even so, there were a few men who recognised her as a women and leered though kept their tongues inside their heads at least. She tested out the atmosphere carefully with her Healers’ gift, which allowed her to sense the emotions of others, making certain that there was no danger toward her. When she was certain it was safe for the time she approached the bar and took a seat. When the bar tender approached her she ordered a drink of plain water and then struck up a conversation with one of the patrons next to her about the town of Silver Bay and began to ask her questions about the place so that she might know more about it and get the information she so needed.

***

Elektra watched the small-cloaked figure from her perch on the dock. Female she guessed by the gait, probably younger than she herself was…certainly not older. She frowned mildly as the girl reached the portside and paused to take in her surroundings. She was going to get herself into trouble, most assuredly. The tip of Elektra’s tail twitched and a muscle in one of her wings ticked as she tensed. The little idiot was headed for the Black Pearl. Despite its lovely name, the tavern was renowned for being one of the very worst in town, if not in all of the provinces of Horizon. She growled, immediately feeling obliged to help, but feeling disdain at the same time. Of course she’d find herself helping a human on the very day she was trying to escape them. She pulled her trailing foot from the water and shook it daintily before tying her sandal back on. She flicked a few remaining beads of dew from her tail tuft and then made her way toward the Black Pearl. She figured she might as well point this girl in the direction of a much safer and more savoury establishment before she made her escape.

As soon as she entered the tavern, its unsavoury stench hit her and had she not been prepared it very likely would have knocked her over. Elektra could tell that the humans didn’t really notice the smell that permeated the entire establishment, their noses were not as keen as hers, and since most of them came close to living their lives in this place undoubtedly they noticed it not at all. She hovered in the doorway a few moments as she scanned the room for the girl. Finally she spotted the girl’s red cloak and began to make her way over. When the men took note of her the jeers and catcalls began almost immediately. She ignored them as she always did. Why give them the satisfaction of taking any notice? To her they were nothing, lower than animals because they knew better. It wasn’t until a man slapped her rear as she passed his table that she responded. Instantly she rounded on him and wound her fingers through his greasy red hair forcing his head back. He was a huge beefy man with a face that reminded her of an over stuffed pig with those little beady eyes almost lost in folds of flesh. His face turned crimson and his neck was quick to follow. His rheumy eyes glittered with suppressed fury.

“Look, don’t touch,” she snarled at him, bearing her teeth so that her sharp little canine teeth were clearly visible to him. She then tossed him back into his chair with such force that he nearly toppled. She wasn’t really that strong, but he had a lot of weight to him and with a hand full of his hair he could only follow her hand or suffer the pain of having a great clump of it pulled out. Without delay the tavern erupted into shouts and cries from the other patrons, some outraged, some egging on both parties hoping for a brawl. The tavern owner appeared when he heard the commotion, wondering what was going on. It was known that the town guard had been keeping a close eye on the Black Pearl for a while now, ever since that man had been found dead in the alley behind and any more brawls would bring the guard running. The owner of the tavern wanted to keep the place quiet until things settled down again. He didn’t need to lose any more customers or worse, the inn itself.

“What the ‘ell is goin’ on ou’ here!?” he demanded.

“The cat attacked one of your regulars, Karl,” announced one of the men near the bar.

“Is tha’ so, and who the ‘ell do ye think you are, little miss?” Karl now demanded of Elektra.

“If I feel I’m being harassed I will retaliate. Is it my fault your patrons can’t keep their filthy, sleazy hands to themselves?”

“I bet you were askin’ for it, ye little slut,” snarled Karl.

“Asking for it? Now I can’t even go anywhere without fear of being assaulted? You people sit in here all day drinking yourselves blind. You have no respectability at all and you presume to act as though you know a single thing about me? It’s bad enough I’m the town scapegoat. You’d blame me for the storms and the stills if you thought you could. What’s next? Theft? Murder? Perhaps famine and plague? I didn’t come here so that crooks and drunkards could use me as a toy.” She turned to go and then paused, her hand on the door. “I might add, that I may be an outcast, but I am not a whore. Do you honestly think that I’d spend my time with the sort of men who go around talking about me the way they do?” She laughed coldly, “Either way it makes little difference. I’m leaving; I’m going to go find my people, people like me. The hell with your kind.”

“And wha’ makes ye think tha’ your people would wan’ a little whore like you. They abandoned you once already, or have you forgotten?” She paused again, the door standing open so that she could breath the refreshing clean scent of the ocean.

“They’re my people, and no one knows what happened to them. Either way I’ll find them.”

“It’s already known tha’ yer the last of yer kind -” Karl called after her, but his voice was cut off when the door swung shut again. She snarled to herself and headed back toward the outskirts of town where her guardians had their farm, the girl completely forgotten.

***

Y’Nara didn’t plan to stay in the Black Pearl long. Even without her gifts that allowed her to sense the emotions and intentions of others, there was no mistaking the place where all the lowlifes of the city congregated. She spoke in low tones with a few of the patrons at the bar. They told her little, but then she hadn’t expected much honesty. She had learned however through sensing out the men’s lies, that the western area of the town was the least favourable place to buy goods. She was about to call over the barkeep and the tavern owner to see what they knew, but was distracted by a commotion off toward the door. She turned to look and saw a sight she’d never seen before. Another woman stood there, lithe and graceful, her teeth slightly bared and her dark eyes snapping with fury. Though the woman’s amazing beauty struck her, what caught her attention the most was what seemed to be a cloak of shimmering iridescent features. When it twitched she then realized that this was no cloak at all but a pair of shining wings. She took in the rest of this strange winged woman when she finally pulled her eyes away from those wings. Her eyes were a sparkling forest green, her slightly pointed ears tufted with fur. A long graceful tail not unlike a lion’s coiled and uncoiled in response to her anger. Y’Nara was surprised by how little in comparison to the rest of the city people this curious cat-like woman wore. Her skirt that fell to just above knee length seemed to fit to the shape of her graceful legs and over that she wore, tied at her waist, a wrap that was so finely woven it was almost transparent. The wrap was a little longer than her skirt coming to about her knees. She wore on her top cloth that was cleverly designed so that it tied at the back of her neck and at her back under her wings covering her front but leaving her back bare. She wore only sandals on her feet. Y’Nara had seen the odd non-human on the Healers’ cape, but never a creature like this. She could feel the tension in the air as the tavern owner and the cat-lady hashed it out. Finally the woman left, making it all too clear what she thought of these people and perhaps humans in general. Had she said she was leaving this place? Hmm, perhaps she could help her - Her thoughts were cut off when the tension surged. Yes, a brawl was now inevitable. Y’Nara forced herself to relax and then willed that feeling to engulf the room. The jasper at her throat glowed softly as she called on her healer’s gifts to calm the rage before someone found themselves in need of her care. When she felt the calmness settle again she wrapped her red cloak about her shoulders again and covered her brunette curls with the hood. She would seek out the strange woman. Perhaps an ally was to be found in her.

“Excuse me, hello?” For a moment Y’Nara didn’t think the other had heard her, but those tufted ears seemed to twitch like a cat’s and the cat-lady paused and glanced over her shoulder.

“Is there something you wanted?” The cat-lady’s voice was tinged with frost and her dark green eyes were even icier. They seemed to momentarily pin Y’Nara as though they saw through to her soul. She had seen eyes so intense in only a few.

“Yes, I caught sight of you in the port tavern,” she might as well be polite about what went on between those in the Black Pearl and the woman before her, “I am a traveller, new to this place. I thought perhaps you might be willing to aid me. I know little about this place, and thought perhaps you might be willing to give me some direction?” The lion-lady turned now to face Y’Nara and tilted up her chin just slightly so that she was looking down at Y’Nara just a little. So, her contempt was not just for those men, but all humans. Y’Nara’s brows furrowed for a moment as she tried to read this one; it wasn’t easy, she had up walls that she’d been building most likely since she was a small child. Y’Nara could easily guess that this one had not been treated well. Perhaps if she showed her friendly intent...

“I forgot to tell you my name. It is Y’Nara. I am a daughter of the Healer’s Cape on the other side of the water. What is your name?”

“I am called Elektra. I am the adopted daughter of the hunters.” Elektra crossed her arms under her breasts and scrutinized Y’Nara in silence a few minutes. Y’Nara didn’t allow herself to flinch, but she wanted to just a little. Elektra’s eyes were cold and hard and there was some contempt even for her in those eyes.

“You are looking for information? Very well, unless you seek trouble keep to the eastern part of town. There are still a few inns and hostels there that will house Healers at a reduced fee. Stay away from the north-western corner and shop only in the main market place. All you need you can find there.” She fell silent a few moments, her head canted slightly. Y’Nara was beginning to think she had finished, but then Elektra spoke again.

“Another word of advice. If you plan to travel, I’d suggest you seek out a guide who is trust worthy. Bandits and marauders plague the land and there are places, towns and cities that should be given wide birth. I can see you are new to the mainland so know this. The world is rarely like your sheltered cape; people can be harsh, even cruel. There are many who care not if you are a Healer, they will attack, even ravage you if they wish. There are not many who still fear the Healers’ Order. The world is a harsh place. Know that before you go out into it.” That said Elektra turned her back with no more than a flick of her tail. She walked a fair way, but then pause again long enough to glance back over her shoulder.

“I have things to do back at my home. I doubt very much we’ll meet again, but remember my words for it is likely you’ll not hear the same from any other.” Elektra then left in earnest. Y’Nara chewed thoughtfully on a thumbnail as she watched Elektra. She then smiled to herself and began to follow at a discrete distance. Perhaps she’d let the cat-lady be her guide.

She followed Elektra until she saw the other disappear into what she could only assume was the house she dwelled in. She took note of where it was and locked in her mind any helpful landmarks so that she might find her way back and then headed back into town. She’d take care of things and buy what she needed and then return. Had Elektra said she was leaving this very day? She couldn’t be certain, but she had sensed that it was Elektra’s intent. She didn’t think there was much here for herself anyway so she would convince the cat-lady to take her with her, even if she had to move Heaven and Hell to do it.

Y’Nara browsed the market place for the things she might need or her journey. A length of rope here, a few herbs possessing known healing properties there. She passed by the venders selling finery with only a few curious glances. She had little need of pretties on her journey. Perhaps she should by some more clothing as well. Things had a way of wearing on the road so she’d been told. She took her time studying lengths of fine wool and linen cloth died in all colours. Silks and velvets and other materials she’d never heard of. All were died in the bright colours of summer in all Her glory. She came to the part of the market where the venders’ stalls gave way to shops and paused when she found a dress shop. Surely she had enough coin for a dress and some warmer clothing too. She let herself in and at the ringing of the bell over the door a middle aged woman, plump and merry, appeared from behind a curtain separating shop from…Y’Nara couldn’t be sure if it was a back room or part of the living space. Most people who owned shops lived there as well.

“Good day, young Healer. My, it has been long since we have seen one of your Order. Might I help you?” Y’Nara let her gaze stray over the many colourful dresses.

“I’m not sure. I thought perhaps you might have something for me. A friend suggested that should I find myself tending in perhaps a royal court then that I will need clothing that is appropriate.” She let a soft frown touch her lips.

“I see, I see…hmm…” The woman went about hunting through what she had, “now, we usually have our customers come in so that we may take their measurements and the like. It is rare we find someone come in who is not commissioning something specific. Most of what we have here are strictly to entice our customers and to display our various styles and colours…” Y’Nara smiled as the store lady carried on with her chatter. It was kind of her to explain some of the workings of the business. Y’Nara listened as she again took in her surroundings. An old cat with patchwork fur in silver and black was curled up in one of the front windows watching the people who passed by. There were various types of ribbons and thread and beads to be seen locked away behind glass in both the counter and in a case on the wall beside. Far to the back was the fitting area where the dressmaker took measurements and checked the fit of the dress.

“Ah ha!” Y’Nara glanced up from studying a string of particularly fine beads as the shop lady held up a beautiful dress done in red fabric. The sleeves and the bodice were embroidered with gold in patters depicting…she wasn’t quite sure, vines of some sort perhaps? The skirt, though, was just plain flowing fabric untouched save for the seams where it was held together. It was all in a rich scarlet colour. Y’Nara couldn’t help but gasp. She’d never set eyes on anything so fine.

“This should be suited to a king’s court, my dear, and you will still be able to keep your Healers’ red.” Y’Nara smiled and opened her mouth to thank the woman, but the woman didn’t give her a chance. “Also, I came across this. It is not very fancy, but it should be nice for you to have as an extra set of clothing. You can never pack to heavily when journeying. Come, let’s see how they fit.” Y’Nara smiled in thanks. The second dress, indeed, was nearly as simple as what she wore now, but even so, the red was fresh and rich, far finer indeed than the red used to die cloth on the isle, which tended to fade after too many washings.

Y’Nara and the shop lady were surprised when both dresses fit Y’Nara nearly perfectly, almost as if they had been made especially for her. Y’Nara took her time admiring the gown in a glass mirror before she finally had to take it off and change back into her own clothing.

“I’ll just hem these for you; it shouldn’t take much time. Come back in an hour or so and I should be done.

“Thank you,” Y’Nara opened her coin purse to pay, but the lady noticed.

“On now, none of that. This family yet respects the Healers’ Order. There is no need for you to pay for these goods.” Y’Nara’s brows rose, nearly losing themselves in her hairline.

“That’s very kind of you, but surely the gown must be worth a small fortune. No, I must insist…” She began to count her coin. Ten gold, fifteen silver, eighteen bronze…

“Oh, nonsense. Put away your money for something your in great need of down the road.” Y’Nara sighed and returned her coin to the pouch.

“Surely, there must be something I can do to repay you your kindness. I cannot in good conscious take something for nothing.” The store lady frowned thoughtfully.

“Well, my husband has been feeling rather under the weather as of late and a week or so ago my son developed a bit of a cough. His eyes have been bothering him as well with an itch and they’ve been weeping a great deal. Also, he sneezes often. He does not seem ill, no fever or the like, but it’s been bothering him a great deal.

“Hmm…it sounds familiar. Let me see what I can do for him.”

Y’Nara found that the boy was simply suffering from a common condition that came on when the air was dry and dusty. It was often seen in the months of late summer and early autumn, though could also occur as early as mid-spring. The husband was merely over exerted and in need of a good rest; small things really. She left the lady with some of each of her herbs and again offered coin feeling it yet unfair she take the dresses for doing so little, but the lady only smiled and shook her head. Y’Nara let herself out. She’d return to collect the dresses on her way back to the house of the lion-lady.

After an hour or so had passed Y’Nara was on her way back toward the outskirts of the town where Elektra’s house was located. She had her dresses stowed safely in a new pack she’d bartered for some herbs and three silver pieces. She’d also traded her healing skills for a couple of changes of winter cloths in case she found herself in a cold place. She carefully went over in her mind all her purchases and finally decided that indeed she had all she needed for the time being. She’d have to walk to the next town, but it didn’t bother her too much. Surely she would be able to buy a horse in the next town if it was needful.

When she reached the cottage, Y’Nara seated herself on the front step to wait for Elektra. She could sense the presence of the other still within and so knew the she had not yet left. She rested her elbows on her knees while placing her chin in her cupped hands. How would the lion-lady react? She could tell that the other harboured great disdain, if not contempt for her. She was quite aware that Elektra was not fond of human kind. She had sensed great misery and was certain Elektra’s guardians had been less than kind to her. As she considered this her brow furrowed. How was it that people could treat each other so? There was nothing like that among the Healers. They always showed each other great kindness and respect. She had shown the same respect to the lion-lady, but it had seemed to her that in return Elektra had been more than sceptical of her motives. It was going to take much work to convince Elektra that her motives were noble.

***

Elektra didn’t stop or even cast a glance over her shoulder but she knew the Healer girl was following her. Wonderful, just what she needed, a human tagging along when all she wanted was to escape them. She ignored the girl certain she could lose her eventually, even if it wasn’t until after they were out in the woods. She entered the house of her guardians and closed the door securely. She stood in the entryway considering. Perhaps the girl meant well…no no no, if she had learned anything from living among humans it was that they were selfish. The girl wanted something, information, a guide, more…it didn’t matter to Elektra, she didn’t trust that girl any more than the rest of the people in Silver Bay. She snorted and turned toward her own little room. There she pulled her bag from under her bed and began stuffing what items she wanted or thought she might need inside. Extra changes of clothing along with warm cloths in case she found herself in a colder place. It was usually quite warm here, even during the winter months, but it was not so in other places. She packed away her boots; she’d wear her sandals for now. She had a few trinkets, not truly necessary, but things she wished to hold on to, gifts she’d received from the odd traveller if they couldn’t afford to pay her anything after they had accepted her help in caring for their animals, or to show him or her the town. She couldn’t recall if any were actually human or not, nor did she particularly care at this moment in time. She decided to wear her armbands. These had not been gifts from travellers. These she couldn’t recall not having. They were made of a stone that was like black rock crystal, but had the texture of glass. They were expertly carved and inset with silver and amber. She also had wristbands made of silver and inset with amber to match, but these she wouldn’t wear. These would stand out no matter where she went, and she did not wish to be mistaken for some rich lady, though she doubted anyone would look at her and assume she was a high lady. More likely they’d assume she was a thief. She did, however, wear her ankle band, which she never took off. It too was made of silver, though it was much thinner than her armbands and it was made to look as though it was braided. It rather resembled the braided torques she’d seen the occasional human traveller wearing. As with the armbands, she had always had this, and this she never took off. She packed also her dried herbs. If nothing else she could sell them. She touched up the paint she wore also, black kohl lined her eyes, which she found useful during very hot bright days and she had painted her lids with silver dust that she had made from special rock she’d found in the woods. She found it off set off the warm, almost bronze, colour of her skin which had a way of seeming to shimmer when the light hit it just right, but this was only due to the fact that her skin, barely noticeable though it was, was covered with a fine downy layer of fur that had a sheen to it when the light caught it at just the right angle. She also painted her lips a gold-brown. These colours were the only ones she wore, mixed herself from special minerals and herbs, though she really knew not where she had this knowledge. She decided to take her paint and the ingredients with her as well. At the very least she could sell them along with her other herbs. Surely some fine lady would find a use for it. She had seen the odd high born woman pass through here, though it was rare, and it had seemed that they had all painted their faces to make themselves seem even more beautiful and pleasurable to the men around them. This was not why she painted her face, though; she had simply always done it since she had been old enough to traverse the woods alone. When she was satisfied that she had all she needed she took up her cloak and bag and headed for her door.

“You again…why am I not surprised,” she said gruffly and then pushed her way past the Healer as she headed toward the stables. She would have to appropriate one of her guardians’ horses, not to ride necessarily, but to carry her bags. She ignored Y’Nara trailing behind her and began to hum in her rich warm voice as she went about readying her favourite horse, an old chestnut. Once one of her ‘father’s’ favourites, he had been put out to pasture a few years back and had generally been left to his own devices. Now the only contact he had with people was the contact he had with her. The man who was her adopted father paid little to no attention to him now. Because of this, the old beast had grown very attached and loyal to Elektra and would gladly go with her the short way to the next town of Brightwater. She’d have to trade him in there, but this did not bother the chestnut. She hummed as she led the horse out to the fields to put on his tack. As she did, a gentle breeze, surprisingly cool for the time of year, rose around her and stirred her dark hair as if it were alive and playing about her on this hot summer day. She could feel Y’Nara, ever present, even without looking at her. The Healer was determined to follow her no matter what and it bothered her. She had wanted to travel alone and in peace and now she’d have this stupid girl following her around? She had to force herself to relax so that she wouldn’t strain something, which sometimes happened when she grew too tense. The problem with Healers was that they insisted on healing all and sunder whenever and wherever they could. She wanted to move swiftly and certainly that would not happen with this girl following her all over. Undoubtedly the twit would insist they linger in every town they came to so as to be certain all there who were ailing would be made well. She shook her head at the thought. ‘Ridiculous, what nonsense indeed.’

***

Y’Nara watched, not speaking to the lion-lady as she readied a lovely chestnut gelding for travel. She wondered that Elektra didn’t bridal the beast. She simply put on saddle and then tied on the bags and a lead to the horse’s halter. However, she had also tied reins, or what looked like reins to the halter as well. Curious, she’d never seen anyone do something like that before. She listened to Elektra’s sweet rich voice as she hummed a strange melody she’d never heard before and wondered where this sudden cooling breeze had come from. She could sense the lion-lady’s dislike for her and her wish to leave her behind. Finally she could no longer hold her peace. She trotted around to the other side of the horse so that she could face Elektra and leaned her arms against the horses back.

“I know you don’t want me, but I could help you on your travels. I’m one of the best Healers of the cape and people trust Healers…they know we are sworn to harm no one. I could be useful to you because of that. Maybe…I might be able to get information from people who otherwise would not divulge it…” She watched as Elektra rolled her eyes and let out an almost pained sound, but Y’Nara kept her peace, allowing Elektra to speak.

“Maybe so, but I’m not travelling from town to town selling herbs and offering up remedies to the ill. I will have to travel on swift feet so that I might stay one step ahead of my guardians.”

“I know that and I can help you…” Elektra made a sound that resembled a cross between disgust and resignation. The lion-lady was silent a moment as she let her eyes sweep over Y’Nara, carefully scrutinizing her.

“Very well,” she finally said, “come if you so wish since I know you’ll simply follow me anyway, but first let me lay down some ground rules. First,” Elektra began to tick off the points on her fingers, “I do not plan to indulge your wishes to heal every man, woman and child who seems to have a mild snuffle. I am out in search of others like myself and that is all. When I say I’m leaving I am leaving and I will not be waiting for you to finish with your work.

“Next, the road will not be an easy one, I do not want to hear any whining or complaining of soreness or weariness while on the road, if you cannot take the hardship and the pace I set then you will be left behind. Third, when I make a decision it is final and I want no arguments. You are free to offer your opinion, but that does not mean I will accept it. When I have made my decision that is it, and I want no argument…” Y’Nara nodded at these terms, but Elektra was not finished. “Finally, we will be travelling often through wooded areas. I know how to move in the woods and how and where to hide from possible danger. When I tell you to do something then you do it, no arguments, no whining. Also, these rules may change during our travels and they may change on a whim and without warning. I don’t want to hear complaining about that either. That should be it for now. Now, I’m leaving this very moment; if you have not all you need then you may get it and catch me up if you are able, but I will not be waiting.” With these final words Elektra turned away from Y’Nara and took up the lead of the horse. She was headed toward the woods and Y’Nara followed at not too close a distance. She was pleased that Elektra had yielded. She was not sure if the other would be immune to her gifts of empathy or not and she wasn’t entirely sure if she wished to know what would happen if Elektra was immune and caught her in the act. She doubted that the lion-woman would harm in her anyway, but that wasn’t how she wished to find out. No, it was better to take things one-step at a time. The terms Elektra had laid down were not so difficult to follow and Y’Nara felt confident that she would gain the other’s trust sooner or later. Elektra had learned to mistrust humans and Y’Nara hoped, as both Healer and just a kind hearted girl, that she would be the one from whom Elektra would learn to again trust humans.

Elektra headed across the field and then into the shade of the woods. She knew how to move in relative silence and to pick her way through in such a way that tracks would be difficult to find. Finally she would head to the river and follow it downstream a short way. She was sure that anyone searching for her would assume she’d gone up stream simply because they were so far downstream already that to most people’s thinking, it would be pointless to head toward the sea. That was something else she’d learned from living among humans, they tended to be predictable in most regards and often suffered from the effects of false logic making it easy to outsmart them. She was aware of Y’Nara following, but took note that, surprisingly enough, she was moving easily through the undergrowth with a minimal amount of sound. Well, Elektra had to give her that much, she didn’t crash her way through the brush unmindful of the horrible racket, like some did.

The late afternoon was as hot as the morning had been though as the shadows changed and began to grow longer again with the switch from the morning to afternoon tide Elektra could sense it was beginning to cool off a little. Just the same, the cool water of the river lapping around her ankles was somewhat of a relief. She barely realized that she had once again begun to hum softly to herself, once more one of those strange melodies that she unexplainably knew. As she did, a silent wispy mist began to rise up from the edges of the river cooling the air just that little bit more. Elektra didn’t take notice as she traipsed on.

***

Elektra didn’t seem to notice the gentle rising mist, but Y’Nara certainly did and she watched it curiously. It seemed nearly alive with a mind of its own as it glided forth from the water like many spirits banded together. She was glad for it; it cooled the air off so that it was better than just bearable, but she couldn’t explain why it rose up as it did. Now and then she thought she saw a small face peering forth from within the low translucent curtain. At other times she thought she saw shadowed, misty forms. ‘Spirits indeed,’ she thought to herself. Surely they were at least partly responsible for this strangeness. As they continued on Y’Nara began to wonder when they would finally come to the next town. Surely they had been walking for hours. Her feet were tiring, but she didn’t wish to say anything to Elektra and have her frown in disdain, as the Healer knew she most certainly would. She listened to the woods around them. The breezes whispered softly and the birds were still calling back and forth to one another. The faint mist still hung gently on the air, but the heat was beginning to dissipate it and the coolness was fast fading. Finally she sat down on the bank of the river with a sigh and soaked her feet in the water. Elektra seeming to sense the Healer’s resignation paused and turned around to look at Y’Nara. She narrowed her eyes at her.

“You’re tired already?” Y’Nara shrugged and offered a bit of a sheepish smile

“We’ve walked a long while. Surely we’ve gone a good distance. Why not rest…just for a little while.” Elektra’s dark green eyes narrowed almost menacingly at the young Healer.

“My guardians have likely realized by now that I am gone and they may already be looking for me. You may be able to afford a rest but I certainly cannot. Now, you are welcome to rest here if you like but I am not stopping.” That said she turned her back on the girl and continued to walk. Y’Nara caught a glint in the horse’s eye and thought that it seemed apologetic. Y’Nara sighed softly but decided not to move just yet. She’d be able to ‘follow’ Elektra with her emotions for a fair distance and so could catch up with her if need be. Ah well, she wasn’t doing as well as she’d planned, but it didn’t spoil her plan just yet.

***

Elektra continued forward barely giving Y’Nara a second thought as she continued in the direction of Brightwater. The sun was starting its slow decent toward the far horizon and she didn’t want to have to spend the night in the woods if she could avoid it. The horse snorted and then nickered. Elektra paused to look over her shoulder at him. She had momentarily forgotten his needs in her haste to get away, far away from her former guardians. She should have taken Y’Nara’s advise and at least allowed him a drink.

“Apologies, old friend,” she murmured, “What’s say we head back toward the river so that you may quench your thirst before we continue on?” He snorted an affirmation and so they to turned back in the general direction of the water so that he might rest and replenish himself.

Birdcalls filled the trees as Elektra and the chestnut made their way toward the river. The foliage was dense here, but the shadows were less, more light broke through, so Elektra new the river was not too far now. They broke into a clearing and there on the far side was the glint of sun on the mirrored surface of the river water, flowing so gently here that it was barely detectable. Elektra suddenly became aware of her own thirst when she saw the water and let out a soft sigh. Even she could not go without rest. She started across the glade toward the sweet water but froze upon hearing a rustling in the brush off to her right and slightly ahead of where she now stood. The horse tossed his head and snorted, but didn’t seem afraid though his nostrils flared.

“What do you smell, old friend?” Elektra asked him. He only shook his head. She swept the foliage with her gaze trying to make out anything that seemed amiss. Her tufted ears twitched only slightly as she listened. The horse shifted his weight and swished his tail, his big patient brown eyes still dark. Perhaps it had been only a woods creature after all. She patted the horse’s neck and once more started toward the water, though she kept her eyes open now for possible danger. A rustling came again from the undergrowth, this time on her left. Again she paused just as a figure burst from the shadows into the sunlight. It froze as if had just spotted her and in the seconds that followed it registered to Elektra that this tiny figure was a child, half wild, in appeared, from living in the forest. The little girl’s honey coloured hair was wild and tangled and full of bits of twigs and leaves, she was filthy as if she’d been dropped in a mud pit and her cloths, or what was left of them, were badly torn to the point that she was barely covered. The child gaped at Elektra with wide wild crystal blue eyes and then with what could almost be called a wary cry, the tiny human hefted the short spear she clutched tightly in her hand and charged at Elektra. With a snarl, Elektra caught the spear shaft in her hands as soon as the child was in reach and wrenched the spear from the child’s grip spinning it in her hand and planting in in the ground point down. The child herself ended up sprawled on the ground.

“Children shouldn’t play with sharp objects,” Elektra said gruffly, “I have enough to worry about without human kittens attacking me when they have yet to bloom. Go back to your parents you foolish kitten and leave me be. I care not to fight.” She glared down at the child a few minutes more and then turned away to lead her horse to drink. The chestnut shook his head and rolled his eyes, still not quite recovered from the start he’d had from the girl’s shout. He drank deeply though when he found the water and Elektra turned back to see what had become of the girl. She still sat on the ground, her gaze somewhat glassy and dazed. When she caught Elektra watching her, however, she climbed suddenly to her feet and bolted for the trees. She started up one at the edge of the glade at a run and climbed out on a branch hanging out into the clearing to stare wide-eyed down at Elektra. Elektra rested her hands on her hips and watched the child a while more. She shook her head as she looked away again and bent toward the water to drink.

“No matter where I go, I can’t escape them…” she muttered to herself as she stood again and rubbed her horse’s neck, “foolish creature attacking me like that. I’ll be glad to leave her…” She stopped suddenly. That creature was a child, a child. She couldn’t believe how callous she was being. Had living with the hunter and his wife ruined her after all? How could she think that way about a child, human or not? She turned her eyes back to the child’s retreat and their eyes met. Those blue eyes showed a terror the liked of which Elektra had never seen. Taking the time to think on it, surely a child like that would not be in the woods alone unless something had happened to her and her parents. She broke eye contact with the girl again and began to consider. Would this entire journey of escaping those who had hurt her and finding her own true kin be worth it if she left this frightened and half wild little girl to fend for herself and surely die from the gods knew what? Even if she had lasted a few months alone, how long could she really last before a wild animal decided she was easy prey or a night was too cold and she got sick? If she left this child and forgot about her it would prove how heartless she had become living among the humans of Silver Bay and thus they would win without even trying. It would mean that, at least partially, they had been right about her. No, she wouldn’t hand them any victories, no even a small one. Grown humans, even the naïve like Y’Nara, could fend for themselves, but children were innocent and she could not dredge up many memories of small children hurting her, and she could say that those who had, had only learned what they knew from their parents. She couldn’t bring herself to blame them. This child would probably not last much longer; she was too little. Elektra pursed her lips and swallowed the last smouldering remnants of her anger and left the horse. She made her way toward the tree and paused beneath the girl’s branch. She looked up at her and again their eyes met. Elektra’s tail twitched at the tip as she watched the child. She doubted she’d be able to coax the child down. She didn’t believe after their confrontation that the girl would take food from her hands, and doubtlessly if Elektra just left the food, the girl would take it and run, and Elektra couldn’t allow that. Her wings twitched slightly. Only one way, she thought. She’d never get the child to come down and stay so she would just have to go up.

She didn’t fly much. It felt good when she did, but her adoptive father had threatened her with a sound beating after seeing her once in the sky. He wanted to forget her nature as much as he could, and as long as she kept her feet firmly on the ground he could forget some of what she was. She knew he was convinced that she was a demon who cursed his wife with barrenness; they had never had children of their own. She knew he believed if he just got rid of her that the gods would grant his deepest desire. But by the laws of the town, he had taken her into his home and she was therefore his responsibility until her parents showed up or another volunteered to take her, but there had been no one else who desired to take her into their home. Since she had first learned to fly, it seemed such a waste not to use her wings, especially since learning how had earned her more than one black-purple bruise and after falling off a roof even a broken arm. Well, Gaelin wasn’t here now, was he?

It was easier to take air off of something, but she had managed it from the ground once. Perhaps she could do it again. She stretched open her shimmering wings to their full, impressive span and then crouched down as if to spring. Then, with timing that had to be very precise, sprang and brought her wings down in one great stroke at nearly the same moment. She thankfully caught the wind on the first try and felt her wings carry her up a short distance. She laughed softly to herself. She had always enjoyed this sensation, and to be ordered not to do it had been nearly as bad to her as being chained and fettered. A few more strokes brought her level with the branch. The girl cowered and then scuttled back away from Elektra. With a lurch of her stomach, Elektra thought the girl would scale down the tree and bolt. She didn’t though, rather she pressed her back up against the tree truck as if she were trying to become part of it. Elektra alighted on the branch the girl had been sitting on and for a moment it bowed alarmingly and Elektra thought she’d estimated her weight wrong. But there was no sharp cracking or tearing and Elektra let out the breath she’d been holding. The branch would support her after all.

For a while she simply sat on that branch watching the child. She dared not move closer lest the child feel threatened and finally run for it like Elektra could tell she was longing to do. Elektra’s long tail swished back and forth like a pendulum as she considered the best way to go about all this. She wasn’t sure how good she was with children. Despite the town’s dislike, she had on occasion been asked to watch children when the parents could find no one else. The people didn’t like her, but they weren’t the sort to go as far as to think she’d eat their children if left with them. So on more than one occasion she’d been left with the children of one of the town’s families. She had no idea if she’d done a good job caring for them or not as no one had ever cared to say anything kind to her or so it seemed, but even so she took the time to consider how she would have dealt with the town children.

Their eyes remained locked, even during Elektra’s contemplations and she thought that the girl’s eyes seemed to be wanting to leap clear out of her head. She seemed almost like a wild animal rather than a little girl. Elektra drew in a deep breath and close her eyes a moment.

“You know,” she started, speaking in what she hoped was a gentle voice, “you don’t have to stay up here. I don’t want to hurt you. I only snarled at you because you tried to hurt me.” She couldn’t tell if the girl understood her words or not, she might not have even spoken the same language for all she knew. Even so, she thought the girl’s expression changed a little.

“You look as though you had to fight through the worst part of the abyss to get to where you are now, and even that doesn’t look like it’s near the Star Havens.” The girl’s eyes had narrowed slightly as if in suspicion. Elektra met the girl’s eyes again, not sure if such contact would be construed as aggressive or not by the girl.

“You also look like you haven’t had a decent meal for as long as you could possibly remember. I have food…” She paused a moment considering carefully just what she would be saying before she continued, “I have food and I don’t mind sharing it, especially with a child who looks like she hasn’t eaten properly since time began.” She hoped that the girl had at least understood her tone. Elektra pointed to her horse and explained that the food she had was in her bags, but if the girl wanted any she’d have to come down from the tree and get it.

“It may also be easier,” suggested Elektra, “if you came here to me. I think my wings will hold us both.” She spread her arms, shifting her balance carefully on her precarious perch in a gesture she expected would be somewhat inviting to the girl.

Several heartbeats passed while the girl just stared at Elektra with that expression of half-wild terror, though now it seemed to be mingled with something else. The girl was struggling with herself, Elektra thought, still afraid and mistrustful of this strange woman creature before her, but it seemed she had understood something for she had a look of longing as well and her eyes flickered more than once from Elektra to the horse grazing by the river bank. Elektra was beginning to consider giving it up as a lost cause. The girl didn’t trust her and Elektra was hardly capable of making her trust her. She lowered her arms and looked away toward the water where her horse waited. She thought maybe she should head back down to the ground and let the child alone for a while until she was more relaxed when her ears picked up a small sound next to her. She turned back around to find the girl squatting next to her on the branch, her eyes still wide, but Elektra thought maybe not so much as they had been. For a few more seconds they just stared at each other and finally Elektra opened her arms and the girl clambered a little awkwardly into her lap. Elektra wrapped her arms around the trembling child and unfurled her wings. She slid off the branch and drifted down to the ground below.

The drop was maybe a little faster than she would have preferred but not terribly so. The child seemed to weigh next to nothing, but even so that little extra weight was enough so that the trip down more resembled a slow fall than the drop of a drifting feather it should have. Even so, Elektra made a smooth landing, well at least smooth in that nothing was sprained or broken. She did feel, however, slightly jarred and she had a sneaky suspicion that the bottoms of her feet would be a lovely shade of purple come the following sunrise.

She set the girl on the ground and looked down at her. The girl again returned her gaze and Elektra thought she saw a challenge in those bright blue orbs. She nodded her head slowly.

“Come on,” she said to the girl, “I have some fresh fruit in my packs. You look like you haven’t had a proper meal in a long time. I have heard that it is better to feed someone who is underfed soup of some sort, but I haven’t the time nor the ingredients, so fruit will just have to do.” She turned away and started back toward her horse. He raised his head to watch her and the child as they approached with a patient brown eye and then returned to his grazing after a few beats has passed. Elektra startled when she felt something touch her wing. She turned to see the girl quickly withdraw her hand, a guilty and half-fearful expression on her face.

“Don’t do that,” Elektra said firmly, though not unkindly she thought. Her wings twitched slightly, “it tickles.” The girl shrank back a bit, her eyes widening again, “Oh now, and none of that.” Elektra told her, “I’m not angry. Come eat.” She pulled her bags from the back of her horse and started going through them. She finally came up with a small sack of apples and pulled out the best looking one and held it out to the girl.

“I have more than enough, and I can get more in the next town. Eat as many as you like.” The girl hesitated, her gaze fixed longingly on the large red and yellow fruit Elektra held out to her. Finally, with a motion that would have put a viper to shame, the girl snatched the fruit from Elektra’s hand and bit into it without even inspecting it first. Elektra smiled despite herself and pulled a second apple out of the sack for herself. She then settled herself on the ground with her back against a tree and started on her own. She left the sack on the ground in case the girl found herself wanting more. Elektra was aware how much well-fed children ate and so didn’t doubt the girl would devour more than half of the fresh fruit before she was satisfied. As the girl stuffed herself, Elektra nibbled on her own using her free hand to unlace her sandals so that she could soak her feet in the river water. She hummed softly to herself and perhaps a little to the girl so as to sooth her.

Now she had to figure out what to do next. She already knew she couldn’t leave the girl out here…alone. The question was, however, would the girl go with her? and what would the people of Brightwater make of her? Elektra had been there on occasion with Gaelin and Sarina, her adoptive parents and it had seemed to her that the people had been more open minded than those of Silver Bay, but maybe it was only because her adoptive father had been there to sell some of the products of his kills. He could get a better profit in Brightwater or so he said, because the town was larger and game meats were more in demand there where most of the meat came from the farms that surrounded the larger town rather than from the woods. Maybe it was because Brightwater was just bigger than Silver Bay. It was more a centre of trade and commerce than the smaller town Elektra had been raised in despite the fact that Silver Bay was a port town. Even so, tolerant or not, Elektra had a hard time believing that the people would accept a half-starved and half-wild little girl who was dressed in nothing more than the filthy torn skins that had once been her clothing and now barely covered her at all.

The woman canted her head and studied the girl. After a minute or so the girl abandoned the fifth (or was it the sixth?) apple she’d been devouring and turned her attention back to Elektra. She must have sensed Elektra’s gaze on her.

“So, now the question is,” Elektra said to the girl, “What am I to do with you? I can’t leave you here, that is most certain.” The girl narrowed her eyes a moment, looking suddenly calculative; it startled Elektra. Maybe the girl understood after all. Elektra went on regardless, rather than contemplating it too deeply. “I want you to come with me, at least until we find some nice people who would be willing to take you in…unless you can tell me what happened.” The girl tensed visibly, her expression once again beginning to look fearful. Elektra nodded, “All right, we won’t talk about that then.” A pause as Elektra thought passed for a few seconds, “How about we start with names then. I am called Elektra.” Silence as the girl gazed at Elektra, or did she glare? Finally…

“C-Caylin.” The voice that came from the girl was small and shy. Elektra smiled, feeling a sudden warmth flood through her. So the girl did understand, at least on some level.

“All right, Caylin. I am going on a journey. Do you want to come?” A few heartbeats passed as the girl seemed to consider, her small eyebrows furrowing as if in deep contemplation. Finally Caylin nodded.

“Wonderful,” Elektra said, “but…before we move on again we should…see if we can’t find a little girl under all that dirt.” Caylin turned to look at the water and frowned.

“Cold.” Elektra started when the girl spoke. They really did speak the same language. Elektra pulled her feet from the water and stood.

“Well, maybe a little…” she ran her hand through the water and laughed softly, “The water’s surprisingly warm. Here, come here.” Caylin looked dubiously at Elektra and then stood and approached. She glared down at the water and then dipped in a toe. She hesitated and then waded into the water. As she did, Elektra returned to her horse and caught him by the halter so that she could bring his head level with hers and look into his big dark eye.

“My friend,” She said softly, “Go find Y’Nara and bring her here. She is not used to these woods and may get lost. It is best that I don’t leave her here. Do you understand?” The horse whickered and lowered his head in a horse-y nod. “Thank you, friend.” Elektra said, patting his neck. As she bent to pull her cloak, a rag and a towel from her bags, the horse trotted away, back in the direction they’d come in search of the Healer they’d left behind.

***

Y’Nara wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting and soaking her feet in the cooling river water, she could still sense Elektra, but now only in the back of her head. It seemed like she had paused. Y’Nara wondered what she was doing. She sighed and pulled her feet from the water. Time to move on she supposed. She had just finished putting her shoes back on when she heard a snort. She looked up and immediately recognised Elektra’s chestnut gelding. Her heart jumped with fright at first. Had something happened to Elektra? How could she have…she paused in her frantic thoughts as she noted that the horse looked perfectly calm. His eyes were dark and peaceful and he was dry, not lathered and foaming like a frightened horse would be. In fact he wasn’t even sweaty as he would have been had he been running. Y’Nara watched him curiously a few minutes, wondering what he was doing there then. He watched her patiently, though maybe a little indulgently she thought. Was he…waiting for her? They stood there just staring at each other for several minutes before Y’Nara realized that she was standing there and gawking like a fool. She had to clear her throat before she spoke.

“Where’s Elektra?” The horse blinked slowly and then tossed his head and turned away off in the direction she’d seen him and Elektra go off in earlier. Again she stood and gawped for several beats before it dawned on her to follow.

“Hey, wait!” she finally managed to yell after the horse, ‘I’m talking to a horse,’ she then thought sardonically as she chased after the vanishing bulk of the quiet beast.

Y’Nara enjoyed the walk through the woods. She now stayed close to the horse, figuring, beast or no, he had to have a better idea of where he was going than she did. He took his time, stopping now and again to nibble on a blade of grass or at the leaves of a low hanging branch. It gave her plenty of time to take pleasure in the tranquil beauty of her surroundings and to hunt for the odd plant and herb she could use when healing. If she fell too far behind in her own browsings, the horse would pause and wait for her, grazing peacefully when she caught up, or standing and waiting in the middle of the path, large brown eyes calm, but a little bored, she thought. On more than one occasion she had caught herself muttering an apology to the beast. After she had realised these things she had spent a while toying with the possibility that this was no ordinary creature, but when she touched him with her empathic gift she received the very same sense as from any other run of the mill horse. No, he was just a horse, so it had to be something else.

She barely noticed when the foliage began to thin, so lost in her thoughts and the pleasure of the walk was she. It wasn’t until they were at the edge of the clearing that she fully realized that they had reached their destination. The horse sauntered away to graze on the grass near the riverbank while Y’Nara took in the scenery of the land around her and finally her eye lighted on not one, but two figures sitting near the edge of the water. There was Elektra, sitting with her back against a venerable old tree and with her was a little girl, with dark blond hair. The Healer couldn’t help but stop and simply watch them. Elektra was so gentle with the little one, all the harshness and coldness of when Y’Nara had met her earlier that day seeming to have melted away. So, Elektra wasn’t all frost and hard ice after all.

***

Caylin no longer feared the cat-lady who called herself Elektra. When she had first seen her she had panicked only remembering the animal masks the bad men had worn when they had attacked her village and killed her father. She had thought Elektra was one of them, animal-like as she was, but Elektra had fed her and promised to take care of her. Caylin didn’t want to be alone and afraid anymore, so she let herself trust the kitty-lady. Elektra had told the truth when she’d said the river water felt warm and Caylin had let Elektra scrub as much of the dirt away as she could and free the leaves and twigs from her tangled hair. Caylin now sat, wrapped in Elektra’s warm cloak, feeling somewhat naked without all that filth and grime. The dirt hadn’t been all that pleasant for a girl who had been used to bathing in her village, but it had given her camouflage of a sort at least in case the bad men returned. Now that was gone and she wondered how she could hide. She now she sat in silence as Elektra pulled a comb through Caylin’s fair hair, gently teasing out the snarls with fingers so deft Caylin hardly ever felt a tug.

“What happened?” Elektra’s voice was gentle and Caylin could tell she really did want to know, despite the distance to her voice, “where are your parents?”

“Gone.”

“Gone? Where?” Caylin didn’t answer. She instead watched the light dancing on the river water with solemn blue eyes.

She remembered how she had stood watching the boys as they had played together in the long grass. They had refused to let her play because she was a girl and they had been playing what they called “boys’ games”. She remembered deciding to go play by herself then, rather than going back to sit with her grandmother and weave baskets. She remembered spotting the men with the evil looking masks, masks made to look like wild and half-crazed animals, coming at her village. Too late her warning had been. Her father had thrust a short spear into her hands and told her to run, run to the woods and not come back until she knew it was safe. She had fled, though she hadn’t wanted to, to a distant bluff and watched the destruction of her village. She knew her father was dead; she had seen him fall with the other men. Not a single man had been left in the end. She had no idea what had become of her mother and the other women or the children. At dark she had fled for the woods and just narrowly escaped capture. Since then she had been living in the woods, eating whatever she could find or kill with her spear. She had come to the river in hope of catching fish when she’d run into Elektra. She was vaguely glad now that Elektra hadn’t allowed herself to be hurt by Caylin’s spear. She was glad also, though in a numb sort of way, that she had allowed herself to be convinced to stay rather than fleeing. Her belly felt fuller than it had since that horrible day and she felt calmer. Even more, she felt somehow safe with Elektra there with her. Even so, that safe feeling didn’t stop her from leaping to her feet in half-wild fright, painfully wrenching her hair from Elektra’s grasp, when she heard feet behind them. She stared at the strange woman in the blood-coloured dress and thought to run. How many people had she killed to get that dress so red? Elektra looked up at the intruder and then stood slowly, holding up a hand to Caylin as if in a signal for her to be still.

“It’s all right,” she said softly, “she’s…not going to harm you.” Caylin watched the lady in red carefully as she came further into the clearing.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you, little one,” the strange woman said gently, coming slowly forward.

“She won’t hurt you,” Elektra said again, “she’s a Healer.” The red lady nodded.

“My name is Y’Nara. I help people, help to get rid of their suffering.” Caylin looked at the lady carefully. She had never seen anything so red as her dress other than flowers and the bright red berries that were bad to eat. She had a somewhat forgettable look, average size with light-ish skin and hair the colour of soil parched by the sun. Caylin found that her eyes, however, caught her up and swept her away. They looked silver, like the round moon on the river at night, and when she looked into them she felt a warm calm settle over her. Y’Nara smiled gently and Caylin felt she had to like this woman in the red dress…if only a little bit.

“All is well,” Elektra’s voice murmured. Caylin looked up at Elektra then, uncertain for a moment, but Elektra’s eyes, as green as the leaves of the trees that always stayed green, were calm and though the cat-lady’s gaze on Y’Nara was cool, it was not frightened or hateful. Caylin trusted Elektra’s judgement.

“All right,” she said and then yawned, “tired,” she murmured. The corners of Elektra’s mouth twitched slightly in something that came close to a smile and nodded. She sat down once again with her back against the big tree and gestured to Caylin.

“Then sleep a little while before we go,” Elektra told her, and with out a need of further invitation Caylin did, nestling close to Elektra, using the cat-lady’s lap as her pillow. She wrapped the warm cloak closely about her and drifted of to sleep the moment her eyes closed.