“We would never betray you,” said Jireo.
“If they have a judge, you wouldn’t be able to lie,” Nordamen argued.
“We’re both good hunters and good riders,” Arista’s voice chimed in from behind a nearby tree. “We’d be a great help on the expedition.”
“And you’re obviously good at hiding and eavesdropping,” Graely shook his head in mock disapproval, but his lips split into a smile. He’d always had a soft spot for Jireo’s sister. She’d been following Kaevin and Jireo around like an unwanted shadow since she first learned to walk. She was impetuous, but brave. Despite her parents’ misgivings, she would likely join the ranks as a Stone Clan warrior someday… if she survived long enough.
“You could take us with you to the last shire before the mountain pass. We have a cousin who lives there. Darielle will see we’re with you, so our parents won’t fret when we don’t return.”
“You simply want to put off facing Mother and Father as long as possible.” Jireo gave a sideways smirk, and Arista stuck out her tongue.
Graely looked to Nordamen with a silent question. His answering nod lacked enthusiasm.
“And your opinion, Morvaen?”
“I don’t like it.” He accented his words with heavy stomps. “But I see no better choice.”
“Then we’ll set course for the mountain pass as soon as you’re prepared,” said Graely.
“I’m ready now, but our horses will need a bit of time to recover,” Jireo declared.
“We’ll make better time if both you and your horses have recovered from your vigorous rides. Go and take your rest.”
“I’ll spread the word and make preparations,” said Nordamen.
Arista bounced on her toes. “See, Jireo. Aren’t you glad I came? If it were only you, they’d send you back to Laegenshire. My first expedition! I’m going to be a great warrior some day.”
“We do prefer warriors who’re obedient to their superiors,” Morvaen commented.
“So much for you, Arista.” Jireo bent, adjusting the leather binding on his boot. He straightened to find Arista’s tongue outstretched again. In a flash, his hand swept across her wet tongue, depositing a fistful of dirt.
“Ahhh! Pthu! Pthu!” She spat. “Jireo, I’m going to kill you!”
*****
“Go ahead and ask your questions,” said Raelene after Alora had successfully transported the two of them to the end of the driveway and back three consecutive times. “I sense you have many concerns. I will answer anything I am able.”
“Okay,” Alora said, taking a deep breath. Indeed, her mind had been swimming such that concentration was quite difficult. “First, how did I take Kaevin and me somewhere I’d never been when we left the lake and went to Laegenshire? That was the first time I’d ever traveled. Before that I just brought Kaevin to me.”
“Bringing someone to you is the easiest transport to accomplish and the most common to occur accidentally. When you transport yourself to another place or send someone to another place, you either identify the place you wish to go, or the person you wish to be with. Since you’d never been to Laegenshire and didn’t know anyone there, there are two possibilities. Either you reversed your last transport or you gave control to Kaevin and allowed him to image the place.”
“I can do that? I can give someone else control of the transport?”
“No. That’s not precisely correct. If a strong relationship of trust exists, such as the one you have with your Uncle Charles, you could follow someone’s guide to a destination. But this is a difficult skill to master. In this case, you undoubtedly reversed your last transport. That explains why you arrived on the same bed from which you transported Kaevin.”
I can reverse a transport, and I can let someone else direct the destination. Alora filed this information away in case she could use it later.
“Okay, next question. Why Kaevin? Why did I contact him to begin with? It started with images when I was in the shower. I’d never seen him before, and I had no idea who he was.”
“I’ve puzzled over that myself. I’m certain your mother would have attempted to leave you with an impression of your home in Laegenshire. Wendelle must have left a latent impression that would be revealed to you when you came of age. I believe when your mind traveled to Laegenshire, Kaevin was the first person you saw. It could have been me or Graely, or anyone else in Laegenshire.”
“Kaevin says it happened because we’re soulmates,” she mumbled.
“Alora dear, I know you both believe you’re soulmates. But trust me when I tell you that’s simply not possible. You will see the two of you can function quite well apart from each other.”
“Yes, but only since we’ve contacted each other on a daily basis,” she argued. “Before that, we were both in pain.”
“How can I put this delicately, Alora? It would be extremely difficult to survive as soulmates when you’re unmarried. It takes more than holding hands for a few breaths once a day to avoid the affects of separation sickness. You’ll soon see you won’t suffer from separation more than any other young couple in love.”