Beyond the Prophecy (37 page)

Chapter 3: Premonition

Vatar stared into the heart of his forge, gauging both the heat
of the fire—just right—and the temperature of the piece of iron heating
there—not quite ready to be worked on his anvil. He twitched his shoulders
against a sudden prickling sensation, the one that always presaged danger.

He wanted to look away from the forge, to look around the
yard beyond his workshop and locate the source of danger, but something about
the flames held his eyes. Shapes, moving. A long time ago, before he’d ever
understood his magic, he’d been accustomed to seeing visions of Thekila in the
fires of his forge. He knew now that that had been Far Sight, though at the
time he hadn’t believed she was real. This . . . this didn’t feel like that. It
had more the feel of Fore Sight, that most unpredictable and least controllable
of all magical Talents.

Vatar leaned a little closer, trying to make some sense of
the faint images. Ships. Many ships all heading toward the mouth of a bay.
Those promontories guarded the bay on which Caere rested, unless there was
another place almost identical. He knew those headlands very well by now. What
did that mean? The itch between his shoulder blades only intensified,
foretelling danger.

Then the images shifted. The ships became horses. Hundreds
of horses charging across the plains. Their riders carried bows and spears at
the ready. The Dardani going to war? Against what enemy? Would the Exiles and
their Themyri slaves finally slip past the southern defenses? How many battles
lay ahead? And how far in the future? His danger sense usually indicated
imminent danger, but it was nearly winter. The last ships had sailed more than
a seven-day ago. Even the fishermen wouldn’t brave the waters beyond the bay
again until the weather calmed again late next spring. And snow would soon
cover the plains, if it didn’t already. Hardly conditions for a mass battle on
horseback.

He shook his head to clear it as the flames returned to
being merely flames. Vatar was sure of only one thing: the troubles with the
Exiles and with Kausalya—the only place likely to send a naval attack against
Caere—weren’t over. But then, he’d never thought they were.

With Vatar (most of the time):

Vatar
: Half Fasallon, half Caerean, raised by the
Dardani. By profession a master smith engaged primarily in making knives,
arrowheads, and spear points for trade between Caere and the Dardani and
Modgud. The prophesied Harbinger who heralded changes in the government of
Caere and all the cities of the coast. Possessor of forgotten Fasallon magic,
the combined
magics
of the Fasallon and the Dardani,
and through his bond with Thekila, also able to use Valson magic. A member of
the Lion Clan. His avatar is an impossibly large (thanks to the interaction of
the two kinds of magic) white lion with black mane and tail. Willing host to
his distant ancestor, Taleus, who sometimes volunteers forgotten knowledge.

Thekila
: Vatar’s Valson life mate, permanently bonded
to him through their magic. At home, in the Valley, she was a teacher at the
Academy, specializing in Far Speech and Far Sight. Adopted into the Eagle Clan.
Her avatar is an impossibly small white eagle.

Theklan
: Thekila’s younger brother. He was adopted
into the Eagle Clan along with her. Unlike Thekila, who prefers life in Caere,
Theklan’s heart is in the freedom of life on the plains, among the Dardani.

Zavar
: Vatar’s young son from a previous relationship
with Avaza. Savara’s twin. Zavar is aware of his father’s magic and able to
respond to Vatar’s Far Speech much younger than is normal. Lion Clan by birth,
not yet initiated.

Savara
: Vatar’s young daughter from a previous
relationship with Avaza. Zavar’s twin. Lion Clan by birth, not yet initiated.

Jadar
: The infant son of Vatar and Thekila. Lion Clan
by birth, not yet initiated.

Among the Dardani:

Danar
: Vatar’s stepfather. A chief among the Lion
Clan and the most honorable man Vatar knows.

Lucina
: Vatar’s mother. After finding herself
pregnant following an affair with Veleus, she escaped from Caere and the
Fasallon’s repressive policies toward half-breeds by marrying Danar and going
out onto the plains with him. A deeply loving relationship has grown between
them since. She was partly trained as a Healer in Caere and brought that
knowledge with her to the Dardani. She was adopted into the Horse Clan, where
her knowledge of Healing has made her a chief in her own right.

Kiara
: Vatar’s half-sister, eight years younger than
he. She is the daughter of Lucina and Danar. Fiercely independent, she prefers
the kind of work normally assigned to the boys her age to that usually
performed by the girls. She’s had a fascination with Theklan since he first
arrived with Vatar and Thekila. Lion Clan.

Fenar
: Vatar’s much younger half-brother, son of
Lucina and Danar. Fenar is sixteen years younger than his big brother, much
nearer in age to his nephew and niece, Zavar and Savara. Lion Clan by birth,
not yet initiated.

Daron
: Vatar’s “cousin” and friend, son of Danar’s
sister, Lanara, and Bion, a chief of the Horse Clan. Horse Clan. One of the
survivors of the tiger hunt. Life mate to Miriada.

Miriada
: Eagle Clan. As a girl, she was scarred in an
attack by a Forest Tiger. Life mate to Daron.

Ariad
: One of Vatar’s oldest friends. Eagle Clan.
Miriada’s
brother. One of the survivors of the tiger hunt.
Year mate (for several years running) to Avaza.

Avaza
: Raven Clan. She was Vatar’s first year mate
and mother of the twins, Zavar and Savara. Her bitterness towards Vatar
frequently causes him trouble and is the main reason she and Ariad have not
progressed to life mates.

Among the Fasallon:

Veleus
: Vatar’s real father. A highly Talented
Fasallon and member of the High Council in Caere.

Orleus
: Vatar’s older half-brother, son of Veleus and
his first wife, Gerusa. Veleus removed Orleus to Tysoe, a frontier town on Lake
Narycea, at a young age to keep him away from Gerusa’s influence. Orleus is now
Captain of the Tysoean Guard as well as an avid hunter. He keeps a very fine
black horse, Racer, and two hunting dogs, Seeker (similar to a blood hound) and
Arrow (similar to a borzoi).

Boreala
: Vatar’s older half-sister, daughter of Veleus
and Gerusa, raised by her father following her parents’ divorce. A Master
Healer and newest member of the High Council.

Cestus
: Vatar’s slightly older half-brother, son of
Veleus and a Caerean woman. He has almost no magical Talent. The exclusion from
advancement because of this led him to lead a revolution among the
less-Talented Fasallon. The effects of that revolution are still working out.

Miceus
: Vatar’s half-brother, son of Veleus and
Gerusa. Being very young, he was initially left with his mother when Veleus and
Gerusa divorced. Gerusa attempted to brainwash him against his father, but
after a chance meeting with Orleus, Miceus reunited with Veleus and the rest of
his family. He stammers largely because of emotional abuse by his mother.

Selene
: Vatar’s half-sister, daughter of Veleus and
Gerusa. She was also raised by her mother, as Gerusa’s chosen successor.

Gerusa
: Veleus’s first wife and long-time rival for
power on the High Council. Forced together only because they were the two most
magically Talented of their generation, the marriage was doomed from the start.
Gerusa lost her place on the High Council (the seat now occupied by Boreala)
after she defied the High Council and kidnapped Vatar’s twins. She is an
indefatigable enemy of both Veleus and Vatar.

Montibeus
: Long-time friend of Veleus. Third most
Talented among the Fasallon. High Priest and member of the Fasallon High
Council. He originally supported Veleus in allowing Vatar to continue outside
the rigid control of the Fasallon. Since discovering just how Talented Vatar
is, he regrets that decision and continually tries to bring Vatar deeper into
the Fasallon fold—usually with the exactly opposite result.

Dinus
: Cestus’s stepfather and supporter in the
revolution.

Lancera
: Cestus’s wife. She was unfaithful during his
absence and bore a still-born child as a result.

Jana
: Daughter of Cestus and Lancera.

Arus
: Son of Cestus and Lancera.

Among the Caereans:

Arcas
: Vatar’s cousin, son of Lucina’s brother Lanark
and Castalia. Adopted into the Lion Clan. A member of the Merchant Guild and
the only merchant to trade with the Dardani and Modgud. He and Vatar are
business partners and co-own a farm outside the walls of Caere which is the
center of their business.

Elaria
: Arcas’s wife. Daughter of a prosperous
merchant.

Caslar
: Baby son of Arcas and Elaria, just about a
year older than Jadar. Lion Clan by birth, but he’s never been onto the plains.

Lanark
: Vatar’s uncle, brother to Lucina. A master
smith and Vatar’s original mentor and sponsor in the Smiths’ Guild. Arcas’s
father.

Castalia
: Vatar’s aunt, wife to Lanark, and mother to
Arcas. Great cook. Vatar has a weakness for her berry pies.

Fowin
: Vatar’s first friend in Caere when they were
apprentice smiths together. A master smith.

Gafar
: Fowin’s younger brother. Theklan’s first
friend in Caere who shut Theklan out after finding out about his magic.

Among the Valson:

Quetza
: Thekila’s oldest and best friend. In the
Valley, she was also a teacher at the Academy, specializing in shape changes.
Avid outdoorswoman. She came along with Vatar and Thekila when they left the
Valley. She’s in the process of forming a lasting relationship with Orleus. Her
avatar is a white wyvern, which is just small enough to allow her to fly.

Teran
: One of Thekila’s oldest friends and one-time
rival for her affections. Also a teacher at the Academy, specializing in the
Tenets which govern magic use among the Valson. Twin to Terania. His avatar is
a black-striped white Forest tiger, which he enhances to make it appear larger
than it is. Sometimes, he adds other effects, too.

Terania
: Another of Thekila’s oldest friends. Also a
teacher at the Academy, where she specialized in calming and focus techniques.
Her avatar is a
white mountain
cat.

Sharila
: A student at the Academy. Sister to Sharlin
and a student in his class.

Sharlin
: A teacher at the Academy, dealing with
students with special aptitudes. Brother to Sharila.

Zoria
: Originally one of the five Valson youths who
harassed and attacked Vatar. Through overuse, she was trapped in her avatar—a
white mountain
antelope—for years and remained on the
grounds of the Academy in hopes that someone would discover how to free her.
Sister of Zoridan.

Zoridan
: A student of the Academy on the verge of
graduation. Brother to Zoria. His avatar is a black wyvern too large to fly.

Balan
: Another student of the Academy about to
graduate. His avatar is a white giant lake otter, which pretty accurately
reflects his personality.

Among the Exiles:

Platan
: One of the original Valson youths who
attacked Vatar and were exiled for it. His avatar is a black wolf.

Loran
: Another of the youths exiled for attacking
Vatar. Actually the leader of the group. His avatar is a black bear. Twin to
Lorania.

Lorania
: A member of the group that attacked Vatar.
Lover of the youth who died during the attack. Her avatar is a white doe. Twin
to Loran.

Nertan
: Father of Loran and Lorania and one of the
leaders of the Exiles. The planner.

Wartan
: Father of the boy who died. Co-leader of the
Exiles. The firebrand.