"Now what?" Thamrys asked quietly.
Thailla looked tiredly at him, the sword in her hand dissolving in a million tiny sparks of light. "Now, we rebuild."
"If you need any help - wood, stone, food..."
A smile. "Thank you, but we don't need it. Even with your help, we'd never rebuild in time with normal means... winter is near."
"Then how...?"
"Have you ever heard of the Aoedias of Illithian?"
He shook his head in confusion. "Of course. But those are legends..."
"Legends? No. As Lady of Illithian and Head Aoedia, I think I can safely tell you that we are very real, as you will soon see." She turned to the girl next to her and smiled. "Nete, please, could you call the Elder Aoedia for me? I'm tired already, and I need to save my voice."
The girl nodded and took a deep breath, then sang a single note, which sounded high and clear across the fields. In the sudden, stunned silence that followed, a hooded woman materialized in front of Thailla.
"You have need of me, cha'ytrin?" she asked, using the formal term of address.
Thailla smiled. "You know you don't need to be so formal with me, Chloris. And I believe you already know why I called you here. We can't rebuild everything that was destroyed before winter comes..."
"So you want to sing them." Thailla nodded, and Chloris gestured towards Thamrys. "Can we trust him with the knowledge?"
"I'd trust him with my life" Thailla replied earnestly.
"Very well." Chloris pulled down her hood, revealing long dark hair and eyes of a surprisingly light blue. "Let's go to the Songhouse."

[ 10/23/2001 03:08:07 PM | ]