Avandor's Gift

I caught him staring at me again for the fifth time this minute. “Is there something you wish to know Tetje.” I asked of my brother.

“I am happy to see that you are alive.” He stated simply.

I then had to look at him as this was a comment that never usually had escaped his lips before. “Missed me did you.” I teased.

“I prefer you in this form and on our side not plotting to kill us.” That was the closest thing to assent I was ever going to receive.

“I prefer this form as well, though I have the feeling that it won’t be like this for long.”

“What do you mean?” his brows furrowed. “You are not planning to readapt the power of Alphandé are you? There is no need to as Evander seems to be handling it well.”

“Too well,” I said. “He has changed, his brother too from what I saw of him. I wonder what brought it about.” I mused mainly to myself.

“He has been making deals with the gods lately. I sense their hands in this.” He replied.

“What do you mean?” I asked. He then told me of their trip to Agden and how it was that he had gotten there in the first place with Manneth’s help.

“What was he thinking of! The fool! Didn’t he know Manneth wants him dead!” I shouted.

“He knows now and it was not a question of what he was thinking of, but whom.” He said letting the accusation linger in the air. He did it for me.

I told him not to look for me and still he did. Nearly getting himself and my brother incinerated in the process and now he had made a deal with another one of them. But which one? My eyes narrowed as I chewed it over. I should have questioned the twin before I left. “Stupid move Tet,” I chided myself softly. Ignorance of what I was facing rankled me to the bones. I did not like not knowing. I would have to fix that soon.

“What do you have in mind?” he asked.

“I need answers which I can only get in Talithá after that I find help for Evander. He is going to need it. Alphandé’s power will consume him as soon as it gets the chance. We cannot afford that to happen or there might be no coming back from this. Some of the impartial are no doubt watching this war from a distance and they need someone to light a fire under their tails to get them moving in the right direction.”

We had emerged from a small brook halfway between Talithá and Toriah. I had called in my freshwater portalling gift from the river spirit that lived in the Argent. She was none too pleased to see me as she thought I had cheated in her test. Maybe I did, but I did pass. She showed me her contempt though by dumping us here when I had asked specifically to be landed in Talithá.

“You do have a special gift of lighting fires under tails, getting under skins and on top of nerves.” said my brother as his eyes were strained towards the north.

“I take it you are not coming with me.” I said as I looked on the serene expression that had overtaken his face.

“I have my own contributions to make.”

“You said that you would never take up that part of our heritage.”

“You said that you would never fall in love with a chuman. Hand-picked, perfect mate or not. Magic, the Grey Mage and Oaklanf could hang themselves from a cliff I believe were your exact words.”

I chuckled at the memory. “I guess we both learned that we cannot fight our fates.” His smiled mellowed as he again looked north.

“Safe journey then brother. If fate shall have it we meet on the field of battle.”

“Goodbye Tetyana.” I nodded and with that, he made his way north and I in the opposite direction. I needed to hurry. Evander might be the most powerful sentient being in Envladane, but the gods will not allow that for much longer. Manneth wanted his price and the grace of Anandra has probably left him by now as he was no longer a chuman. They were going to kill him if Alphandé didn’t already claim him for itself.