CHAPTER FOUR

AERYN looked confused. "What?"

"Oh, yah di'n't know?" Merrik asked mockingly. "Selly's my man."

Selendrian laughed. "Yep. I work fer Merrik- always have," he told the other two. "I'm a wonderful actor, aren't I?"

Aeryn felt, and looked, sick. There went their last hope. "No..."

"Yes," Selendrian taunted. "I impressed even myself, twintin ye up in a ball o' lies." His eyes wandered lazily over to Night and lit up. " 'Specially this one. He's sharp. Had ta work extra nice ta convince him." He swaggered over to stand in front of the knight. "Don' feel so smart chained ta the wall, do ye, lad?" The thief winked.

Night spit on his shirt, glaring daggers. "That's for being so late," she murmured, so only he could hear her, making it look like she was muttering threats. She'd been biding her time until he arrived- even she knew when she was outnumbered. Of course she'd picked up on his plan- frankly, she was surprised no one else had, with the massive hints he'd dropped. "We need to work on your subtlety."

Selendrian slapped her- it was loud, not forceful- and her head snapped to the side. Aeryn cried out, making Night fight a smile. "Watch it, or I'll leave ye here," Selendrian hissed back.

Night continued to glare, but her focus was now inward; her chains were made to restrain Common Magic- how was Merrik to know that she practiced one of the forbidden arts? She couldn't get the chains off herself, but with a little help from Selendrian's gift... A tendril of her magic touched the gold sphere that rested in her pocket, unlocking it. There was a flash, and before anyone knew what was going on Night was free and fighting like mad. A burst of her magic wiped out over half the guards; she pushed through those that remained, reaching Aeryn within minutes and scooping her up, heading for the door.

She looked back to see Selendrian face off with Merrik, and hesitated. "Go, Night- get the lady out o' here," the thief called. Two guards remained (those that hadn't fallen to Night had fallen to Selendrian, and those that hadn't fallen at all had fled after the confusing burst of magic), ready to pounce should their master fall- they wouldn't go after Night.

Night nodded, taking Aeryn outside and hiding her with their packs among the trees. "Stay put," Night told her firmly. Aeryn nodded. "I mean it- unless they come after you, if I get back and you're not here, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself." With those cheery parting words the knight rushed back to the mansion to retrieve their thief friend.

She ran back into the ballroom to see that it didn't look good. Merrik was grinning triumphantly; Selendrian's left arm hung uselessly at his side and, though he was holding his own, he was obviously struggling using his right. One of the guards held up a hand toward her, muttering something under his breath; Night threw up a shield just in time, their magics clashing with an audible boom! Merrik faltered, startled by the noise, and Selendrian's sword bit into his side. Merrik cursed, returning to fight while Night ran the guard through, wrenching her sword out of him to block a swing from the other. She pulled out a dagger, lodging it in the man's throat before turning to lay her sword against the back of Merrik's neck; he stopped moving instantly.

"So hard to find good help these days, isn't it?" She said, her voice icy. "Drop your blade." HE obeyed, holding his hands up; Night looked to Selendrian. "Do you want to do the honors, or should I?"

"I'll take care o' him, lad," Selendrian said quietly. "Go tend to Aeryn."

Night nodded and left; Selendrian came out of the mansion a short while later. "Let's go," he said grimly.

"Hold on," Night told them. She closed her eyes, a gold light shining around her, visible even in the daylight. Suddenly the ground gave a little tremble, then a slightly larger one that lasted several minutes. Finally Night's eyes opened and she swayed, pale and sweating.

Selendrian looked green, his jaw clenched tightly. "What in the Weave do ye think ye're doin'?" He demanded harshly.

"They deserved a proper burial," Night said, swallowing to keep bile down. "Do you need me to see to your arm, or is it healed already?" As far as she could tell, only a bloodstain on his shirt was left to speak of his wound.

"Don' change the subject!" He sapped. "Magic is na meant ta be used lightly!"

Night looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. "You know what- spare me the lecture. I don't want to hear it."

Aeryn gaped. That working must have taken a lot out of him, she thought. "You put all the dead in graves?" She asked. "That's not Instinct Magic! Instinct is used for communicating and reading things, not for actual physical tasks."

"I have Common Magic, too," Night said, picking up her bags and starting to walk off.

They followed. "But... why?" Aeryn inquired.

"Why do I have two magics?" Night asked impatiently.

"Why bother?" Selendrian corrected, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around, tired of her walking away from them. "Why use so much power for the scum that kidnapped Aeryn and tried to kill us- kill you?"

Night pulled away from him, glaring. "I wouldn't expect you to understand," she said, her voice cold. She was still very pale, and she couldn't stop trembling. "We can camp here- no one's coming after us." With that she pulled out her blanket, laying down and going to sleep instantly, leaving the others to follow suit.

--------------------

Selendrian awoke in the early evening, shortly before sunset. Aeryn was awake, using a small knife to peel roots and small vegetables before putting them in a pot of boiling water resting over a small fire. She hummed softly, butting up the particularly large ones; she popped a piece into her mouth, chewing as she tossed the rest into the pot. Seeing him looking, she smiled guiltily. "I like these ones," she explained, pointing to a pile of long white tubes. "They're sweet."

"Where's Night?" Selendrian inquired, taking out his own knife and helping her with the chore.

"He went hunting," she replied. "You know, he's the one who brought these back." She gestured to the vegetables. "He's far more useful than any other knight I've met."

Selendrian's face darkened slightly. "Aye. He's far more dangerous, too."

"He doesn't seem that way," Aeryn said thoughtfully, frowning. "You say it like he's going to explode at any moment."

"He well may," Selendrian replied. "What ye don' seem ta be gettin is tha' magic is na ta be toyed with. It's dark, and dagerous, and wild."

"So you think I'm dark and dangerous?" Aeryn inquired, arching an eyebrow.

Selendrian's expression brightened and he smiled. "I believe ye could be, if pushed too far. Which is why I don' intend ta doin' any pushin'."

Aeryn smiled crookedly as Night returned, carrying four rabbits. "No dried foods for us tonight," the knight said, sounding almost cheerful. "Selendrian, do you mind helping me clean these?"

Selendrian nodded and Night tossed him two of the hares, sitting and setting to work on her own. "About this morning," she said after a moment.

"Don' bother explainin'," Selendrian said coolly. "I probably wouldn' understand."

Night winced. "Ouch. I'm sorry about that." She sighed. "I don't usually let my temper get the best of me- and I shouldn't have this morning. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"You were exhausted," Aeryn pointed out sympathetically. "That working obviously took its toll on you physically- and it was a big one. There were at least fifteen dead; along with traveling all night and fighting your way through the guards... you were tired. And cranky," she couldn't help but add.

Night smiled slightly. "That's a small excuse," she replied. "I usually have a tighter rein on my tongue."

"Just see tha' it don' happen again," Selendrian said. "There ain't much tha' offends me, but insultin' my intelligence..."

Night shook her head. "I am sorry. It won't happen again."

"So... why did you do that working this morning?" Aeryn asked, curious.

Night sighed, rubbing seasoning into the meat before wrapping it in a special burn-proof cloth and tucking it into the outskirts of the fire. "It's... complicated," she told them. "Listen, because this is part of your lessons. All magic costs something. Whether the caster is the one who pays, or they get someone to pay for them, there is a cost for every spell. The cost varies from spell to spell, of course- you're not going to pay the same price for making an earthquake as you paid for a fire-proofing charm. That's the First Principle of Magic: Everything has a cost."

Aeryn nodded, soaking up the information, and even Selendrian was listening intently. In all his dealings with magic, and he'd had many, never had anything been explained to him, let alone so plainly. "So it's like life," he commented reasonably. "Nothin' comes fer free."

"Basically," Night confirmed. "Well, Instinct Magic isn't as simple. While it requires payment, it doesn't just have a minimum, like Common Magic." Seeing their blank looks, she explained. "Say I cast a finding spell; according to the code of Common Magic, I would have to give up a certain amount of power, be it my own or someone else's. And, when I'd relinquished that bit of power, it would give me what I worked to find, or take me to where I could obtain it.

"Instinct works quite differently. If I cast that same finding spell, it could demand anything- once it called for me to kill a rabbid boar. Another time it had me climb a tree to harvest apples for the old lady who owned the tree- both payments were required for the same type of spell. That's one reason it was outlawed; you can never tell what it will demand of you. Another reason is that the result of the spell can be fully determined, either."

"How so?" Aeryn asked.

"Take the finding spell, for instance. Once I asked my magic to send me someone to show me the way out of a laberynth; I was, of course, expecting some sort of guide to show me the way out."

"Wha' did ye get?" Selendrian queried.

Night smiled wryly. "A giant spider to chase me to the exit."

Selendrian laughed, but Aeryn frowned. "So you pay the price for the spell without even knowing what you'll get?" She demanded.

"No," Night told her. "There's something called 'mage-debt'. You perform the spell, and make the payment later."

"But you're still committing to pay when you don't know what the result will be," Aeryn replied.

"In a way, yes," Night conceded. "And because I have both magics, for some reason the law of payment for Instinct is applied to them both."

"Wha' does this have ta do with yer stunt this mornin'?" Selendrian asked.

"Well, my magic and I made a deal, so to speak," Night explained. "Not an actual deal, of course, since magic is not a living thing. Anyway, it's a principle my father taught me. He told me to heal more than I kill, as a way to 'pay' my conscience. When I do things for a good outside of myself, even if I use magic to do it, it counts against my debt and the only thing it takes from me is the physical strength I would have used anyway."

"That doesn't make any sense," Aeryn said. "Your magic takes off bits of your debt, even when you use it? Are you sure it counts against your debt?"

Night nodded. "When your debt piles up... you feel it. And you can feel it slip away as you pay it off." She sprinkled spices in with the vegetables.

"Is that why you do good things?" Aeryn asked. "To pay for your magic? That's why you buried those men?"

Night flinched. "Yes and no," she replied. "I figure if I can't let them live, the least thing I can do is give them decency in death."

Selendrian sat, thoughtful. "So, you said tha' magic's na a livin' thing," he said slowly. "If it's na, then wha' keeps track o' your debt?"

Night shrugged, looking at him. "That's the thousand crown question, isn't it?"

--------------------

Night came awake late that night- or early the next morning- every nerve in her body alert. A nearly inaudible shuffling sound came from the trees, moving around them. Selendrian, a few feet from her, was also awake; she gestured to him and they stood silently. Suddenly the thief leapt into the trees, coming back with a man in front of him, Selendrian's knife at his throat.

Night broke into a grin. "Well, if it isn't Rian the drama queen!"

The man grunted, grinning. "If it isn't Night the runt!"

"You can let him go," Night told Selendrian, pretending to be cross. "He's a bumbling bafoon, but he's not a threat. Now, I'm going back to sleep." And that was exactly what she did.

The two men sat, both too full awake to sleep. "So, how do ye' know young Night?" Selendrian inquired softly.

The knight eyed him, sizing him up as Selendrian was doing to him. "Night and I grew up together," he replied.

"Really? The thief asked. Did he know her secret?

Rian nodded. "We entered training the same month," he replied. "We're like brothers, Night and I."

He doesn't know. Selendrian's eyes flashed with amusement. How can anyone know her for so long and not figure it out?

You didn't know until you saw her bathing, a voice chided him.

But I only knew her for a few days, he retorted. I would have figured it out.

Sure you would have, dear.

"What's your name, goodman?" The knight inquired.

"Selendrian," the thief replied. "And cut it with the 'goodman' nonsense. I ain't no goodman."

"Indeed not," Rian said, bemused. "You robbed my young aunt."

"And wha' of it?" Selendrian asked, eyeing the younger man measuringly.

Rian grinned. "Nothing," he replied. "I never liked her- treats men like dirt, she's unkind to her servants... you taught her an important lesson."

"And wha' would that be?" Selendrian queried.

"That commoners and men can be just as conniving."

Selendrian smiled. "What's yer name, sir?"

"Rian," he answered.

"Well, Rian, I think I may actually enjoy yer company."

--------------------

Night roused the others a few hours later. "We need to go into town," she told them. "I just need to pick up a couple of supplies, horses... I assume the two of you can ride?" Aeryn nodded, as did Selendrian, though he looked less than happy about it.

They set out, Rian untethering his horse from a tree several yards away, near a stream. "Lady Aeryn," he said, bowing and offering her his horse; Night had made the introductions earlier.

Aeryn looked at him for a moment. "I'll walk, thanks," she said, setting off in the direction Night had said the town was in.

Night covered a smile as they followed Aeryn. "You got a new horse," she commented to Rian, eyeing gold mare. "What happened to Jester?"

"Desert bandits," he replied, sounding a little sad at the thought of his old, faithful horse.

"I thought you'd been with the desert men," Night nodded. "So whos this beauty."

"This is Bright," he told her.

She blinked at him. "You named your horse 'Bright'?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

He looked rueful. "Her name meant 'bright' in Orrolan," he told her, naming the language of the desert people. "But I couldn't pronounce it."

The nearby town was well-fortified, if not well-manned. The two young men who stood at the gates looked as if they weren't sure how to hold the spears in their hands, let alone use them properly. The crown really needs to send a trainer out here, Night thought, inwardly shaking her head. They're just asking for bandits.

"Who goes there?" One of the youths asked, bringing his spear up in front of him in a pitiful replica of the "guard" position. Rian winced, and Night fought a smile; that was almost exactly how his stance had looked not more than a year ago.

"Sir Night and Sir Rian, knights of the crown, and their companions," Rian announced. "We come seeking trade."

The guards caluted, opening the gates and letting them pass. "Must be nice," Selendrian murmured. "Not havin' ta deal with proof and bribes."

"Our insignias are proof enogh," Night replied, tapping the emblem on her left shoulder. "And they're too young to know how to demand a decent bribe."

The horse trader was not hard to find, though- unfortunately- he was the only one inf town. Most of his horses were ragged, all of the previously owned, but a few of them were still sound. Night ran her hands over them expertly, checking flanks, legs, eyes, and teeth as she pretended not to notice Selendrian slip away.

Are you treated well? She asked one, a beautiful red stallion who's calm stance and lively eyes had caught her fancy.

He snorted, surprised at her voice in his head. For the most part, he replied. I'd like to run, though.

Night smiled. That can be arranged. What's your name?

Corric, he replied

She blinked; it was an awfully human name for a horse. Most of the one's she'd talked to were named things like "birr-neigh-hugh" or something else as unpronouncable.

She shook her chill off and nodded, paying the trader for the horses- a strong, placid dappled gelding for Aeryn; Corric for herself; and a black stallion for Selendrian. The horse's restlessness and reluctance to be handled seemed to fit with the thief.

Leading the horses out into the street, Aeryn sighed. "Where to next?"

"I don't know," Rian shrugged. "Where's that Selendrian fellow?"

A sudden commotion broke out down the street and Selendrian abruptly pushed through a cluster of people, running like a cat with the hounds of hell after him. As he rushed past, Night surreptuously passed him the reins to his horse and he promptly leapt into the saddle, galloping through the gates.

I want to play, Corric thought wryly.

Give me a moment, Night replied. "He stole my horse!" She yelled indignantly. "Fear not, good people of Barton Town, he will be brought to justice!" With that she mounted Corric, riding hard through the gate with Aeryn and Rian close behind.

They met with Selendrian a short way into the forest; he was laughing, and the city guards were not far behind them. "Here's what we'll do," Selendrian said. "Ye three go that wey- let 'em chase me. They'll never catch me, anyway, 'specially with this beauty." He patted the stallion's neck. "Nice choice, by the way." Seeing Night open her mouth, he added, "Don' worry about me, lad- I'll be fine."

Night glared at him. "I wasn't worried; I was going to tell you not to let them catch you because I want to kill you."

The thief bowed, grinning. "And who am I to deny ye that pleasure?" He asked, then turned and took off in the other direction.

Night scowled after him, then wheeled her horse, going the nearly-opposite way from Selendrian. Unfortunately, the guards were dumber (or smarter, depending on how you look at it) than they thought, and they could soon clearly hear that the fools were following them instead of Selendrian. Night sighed, stopping and turning her horse, nearly making the others run into her. "What are you doing?" Aeryn hissed, but stopped when she actually looked at Night. The knight seemed to have grown, and an air of power and authority rested around her, thicker than usual.

The guards came into sight, stopping several feet from the two knights and the lady. "Is there a reason you're following us, or are you just more incompetent than I thought?" Night asked, her voice chill.

Their leader swallowed slightly, but straightened in his saddle. "We decided to... form a search of our own, my lord," he said slowly.

"You thought that we were in league with the thief," Rian corrected smoothly.

"Well, my lord... you see..." the man fumbled, trying to think of what to say.

"Oh, for love of the Weave, go away!" Night snapped, the picture of insulted nobility. "Form your search. We will inform you if we find the culprit."

The guard hesitated, then turned and rode in another direction, his fellows following close behind.

"That was interesting," Aeryn commented as Night seemed to return to her normal self, though she was glowering.

"It's a perk," Night said wryly. "We're taught to be... authoritative."

"Night always was better at it than me," Rian commented as they rode on. "He's already got that mysterious, powerful aura. Me, I'm too laid-back and lovable."

Aeryn gave him an odd look, making Night frown. Rian was a good man- they'd been really close in training. He was, as he said, laid-back and lovable for the most part; he had a temper, but then, so did Night. And he wasn't bad-looking at all; tall and broad-shouldered, with gold-brown hair and green-gray eyes, he had most women crooning. So why was Aeryn looking at him like he was some kind of changeling?

At that htought Night looked him over with her magic; he was himself.

"What's with the prodding?" Rian snapped, turning to look at Night. While he had no magic, himself, he'd always bee able to feel when magic was being used around him- or on him.

"I was just... making sure you were you," Night explained.

"And who else would I be?" He demanded.

Night sighed, preparing herself for one of his explosions.

Suddenly he relaxed, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I know you were just being safe... but still, you know I don't like being poked and prodded like that." He grinned crookedly. "And a word to the wise- you should probably check these things before they have a chance to kill you in your sleep."

-------------------

Selendrian rejoined them that night as they set up camp. "They never did catch up with me," he said, grinning. "I did see them going back ta town, though, lookin' all dejected. Just as well, though- I had time ta do some huntin'." He held up three good-sized rabbits.

"You're skinning them," Night said, glaring.

"Aw, is yer tail still in a knot?" Selendrian teased. "Come on- I'm a thief. It's my job."

"But I'm a knight!" Night snapped back. "I can't be associated with a blatant thief! I thought you were more careful than that."

He shrugged, his eyes shielded. "There was a booby trap."

"Then from now on do your job when I'm not around!" She stood and stormed off into the trees.

Selendrian watched her go, an odd expression on his face. "Ye'd think, if he didn' like thieves, he wouldn' keep me around."

Rian chuckled. "He doesn't have anything against thieves," he told Selendrian. "Some of his mentors were the thieves of the capital. You just had him worried, that's all."

Selendrian looked bewildered. "Worried? Why would he be worried about me?" He pulled out his knife and started skinning one of the rabbits.

Aeryn looked at him as if he were stupid. "What would have happened if they had caught you?"

He shrugged. "They'd have tossed me in a cell for a couple months," he replied.

"And if they figured out who you are?' She pressed. "Selendrian is not a common name."

It clicked in his mind. "Oh."

"Oh," Rian agreed, smiling. "He'll cool down. Night's the type who takes in strays, and once he's adopted you, he thinks you're his responsibility. Our other friends and I used to call him 'Mother'."

"I'll bet he loved that," Selendrian said wryly.

Rian laughed. "He fought it for a while, until he realized we were only joking. He put up with a lot of mockery from other boys."

"Why?" Aeryn inquired.

"He's not all that masculine-looking, if you haven't noticed," Rian answered. "He thought we were calling him a girl when we said Mother."

"I never really pegged Night as the nurturin' type," the thief commented thoughtfully. "So I've been adopted, eh?"

"It would seem so," Rian affirmed. "How'd you end up traveling with Night, anyway?"

"I've taken a fancy ta the lad," Selendrian said, sounding quite serious. "He resists now, and I know it's unusual, two men, but I can' help it." He sighed. "He'll accept me someday, I hope," he added, with just enough wistfulness that it was hard to tell if he was serious or not.

Aeryn hid a grin, but Rian obviously didn't catch the laughter in the thief's eyes. "I- uh... haha... well..."

"He's joking, Rian," Night said, glaring at the thief some more as she dropped the pile of roots she carried back into the camp. "You can't trust anything a rogue says."

"Ah, lad, I'm hurt," Selendrian replied, placing a hand over his heart. "And how do ye know I'm messin'? Mayhap I really do fancy ye. Wha' would ye say, then?"

Night just redoubled her glare, starting to peel the roots as Selendrian started on his second rabbit. Aeryn laughed. "Of course Selendrian doesn't like Night," she said. "Who'd fancy a scrawny knight when I'm around?"

That startled Night out of her glare and into a surprised bark of laughter. "The lady has a sense of humor?" She asked, amused. "And I'm bigger than you are!"

"I meant scrawny for a knight," Aeryn sniffed. "And I never said I didn't have a sense of humor- you assumed."

"He's a judgemental, scrawny, prickly sort of knight," Selendrian said mournfully. "Alas, I can' help but feel how I do." He grinned, winking at Night.

Aeryn stood, as entertained as she was. "I'm going to water the horses." She took the reins to their three horses, leading them down a narrow path to a stream.

Her horse drank passively; Night's horse- Corric, did he say?- pulled until the rein came out of her hand. Instead of running, though, he sat on the streambed and drank. Selendrian's horse refused to drink at all.

"Need some help?" Rian came up beside her, letting his horse drink the cool, clear water.

"No," Aeryn replied stubbornly, tugging on the horse's reins. "You need to drink," she muttered to the stallion. He just snorted, eyeing her rebelliously. Finally she sighed. "Fine. Can you get him to drink?"

He walked over, whispering in the horse's ear. It made a disbelieving sound, looked at him for a second, then bent and drank.

"Do you have Instinct Magic?" Aeryn asked bluntly.

Rian looked startled. "That's illegal," he said. Seeing her look, he shrugged. "That's Night's specialty- I'm no mage."

She frowned, pulling Night's horse upright and leading the horses slowly back. "So what did you say to him?"

Rian grinned. "I told him that horses hat don't drink get weak and are killed for their meat."

She opened her mouth, but that's when they heard the exasperated yell. "That's what you stole?!"