Gasping for air and unable to cry any warning, Chimeg fought against her Vision, refusing to accept it, but the pull of the River of Time was too strong. Tumbling head over heels in its current, the young Seer still struggled, clawing at the dark waters in search of a better possible outcome.

  Once more, the images began to dissolve as the young woman cast her eyes up in unspoken plea, seeing the sun almost straight over the waystation. Straining, the young Seer flung her body against the current, pulling and pushing with arms and legs to return to her original point of entry.

  Somehow, Chimeg managed to intersect with the horror that she wanted to prevent. However, the ever-present current began to push her downstream once more, and the young woman twisted around in an effort to resist its inevitable pull. She managed to move herself a small distance to one side of her original image, transporting herself into an area that was less forceful in its determination to push her away.

  Taking an insubstantial breath, Chimeg opened her mind once more to her Magic. She regretted it immediately when she saw the chained bodies and stacked corpses of not only her party but the very birds and animals that had surrounded the waystation.

  Burning with nausea and wracked with agony, Chimeg refused to give up. Once again putting all of her energy into moving further away from her original image, the young Seer was confronted with the semi-transparent image of the waystation, empty of her party and everyone else. No Ravens rested in the trees, and the underbrush was quiet. There was no trace of her caravan. Even the campfire had been doused and raked.

  As the Blood Mages emerged from the surrounding forest, their expressions turned first surprised and then murderous. One of the older men turned and fired two bolts of a glowing virulent green material that slammed into two of the younger ones, setting them on fire with flames of yellow and green. Watching them as they twisted in a painful death, the Blood Mage reached out his hands and ripped their essence out of their dying bodies, greedily swallowing it in satisfaction.

  As Chimeg felt her control of the Vision erode, the image became more transparent and indistinct. Just before she lost consciousness, the young Seer saw an exquisitely beautiful woman with luxurious hair arranged in a complicated hairstyle arrive. She walked into the clearing, looking around with disdain and disappointment. Turning regally to address the older Blood Mage, they began an angry conversation.

  As Chimeg fell back out of her Vision, shaken by the horror she had Seen and clinging desperately to the hope that she might have found, she screamed frantically for Martina, << Help me! We have to leave as soon as possible. Pack up, throw me in a wagon, do whatever you have to do! Move quickly. Douse the fire and rake it. Remove all traces of us if possible. If we do not get going fast, the Blood Mages will kill all of us, even the birds in the trees and the animals in the brush. >>

  Energy poured into the young Seer from her Familiar, giving her a lifeline to cling to and keeping her from total unconsciousness. Chimeg could dimly hear Martina relaying what the Seer had told her. The echoes of other voices slid gently over her semiconscious mind like a delicate brush of a feather against her skin.

  When Martina’s comforting mental voice spoke, Chimeg almost wept in relief. << We are ready now and are transiting. There will be no trace of us, and we have managed to clear the birds and small animals out of the area also. >>

  Her panic easing, the young Seer realized that there was a trace of amusement behind her Familiar’s worry for her and satisfaction in what they were accomplishing. Chimeg asked, << What are you so amused about? What is there funny in the situation? >>

  Martina laughed, answering, << We seem to have acquired a few more fellow travelers in our journey. I believe you will be surprised when you wake up. >>

  Chimeg had just enough time to give a sigh of relief with the knowledge that they would escape the ambush of the Blood Mages when the last thing that Martina said penetrated. The young Seer manage only a single word before unconsciousness claimed her and dragged her down into the darkness of absolute night, << What? >>

  Chapter 50 – Mongolian Invasion

  Esprit Plein d'Espoir, La Queue-en-Brie, Just Outside Paris, Earth

  A strange noise alerted Chimeg, and the young Seer struggled to open her eyes. Turning restlessly, she brushed against vibrating fur and jerked her arm out to feel what was beside her. Her abused muscles thanked her with a vicious stab of agony that brought tears to her eyes and forced a pained gasp from her lips.

  Immediately, a strange mental voice said soothingly, << Just allow yourself to waken slowly. The efforts we make on the other Planes can result in injuries to our physical bodies. My Witch says that you are battered and bruised like someone who had been in a big fight. Do you remember what happened? >>

  The young woman recognized the voice as a male, but it was no one that she knew. Disoriented and fragile, Chimeg managed to get both her eyes opened a small amount and glanced carefully around her. The accompanying ache of that tiny movement told her that it was not only her arm muscles that had been strained but what felt like every single part of her body.

  Chimeg felt like she was trying to think underwater, her normal rapid thought process weighed down by exhaustion and the shock of what her Vision had shown. As if she had conjured up once more, the images that she had Seen and fought against while in the grips of her Magic came crashing down upon her.

  Yanking her body up into a sitting position, the Journeyman Seer called out as loudly as she could, “Geriel, where are you? Ganhsuk, Batsorig, is anyone around?” Her thoughtless movement was once again rewarded by a massive explosion of pain that radiated through every limb of her body. Choking on the pain-filled sobs that she could not control, Chimeg curled forward and clenched her teeth, willing the pain to subside.

  << Chimeg, what is wrong? I have only been gone for ten minutes, what happened while I was gone? >> The voice belonged to her Familiar, Martina. The young Mongolian woman would have answered her, but the bouncing bolts of agony that sliced through her shrinking flesh made it impossible for her to form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence.

  When the Seer did not answer, Martina’s attention turned to someone else, << Davin, what happened while I was gone? Did something attack her? >>

  << No, she started to wake up, and I told her to take it easy, and the next thing I know, she scares me half out of my fur by practically jumping up in the bed. Then she starts screaming in pain, and she begins calling out for people. When you asked me to watch your Witch, you did not explain to me how nuts she was! >>

  Martina sounded amused when she answered him, saying, << Cat, that is not an excuse. You knew how far we have come, and you listened as the other people explained to Jeremiah how we got here and why we need his help. That would mean that you already know how crazy everybody in this group is. >>

  In a disgusted voice, Davin said, << Canines! They do not appreciate the fine art of sarcasm! >>

  Martina stretched her body out next to Chimeg, making contact with the young woman’s skin as much as possible. Slowly, the sharp agony that controlled the young Seer seeped away, leaving her shaken but removing part of the burden that kept her from being able to think. Her throat hurt from screaming, and she knew that when she moved that the pain would rise again.

  Needing the contact with her Familiar more than she wanted to avoid the threatened ache, Chimeg reached out and carefully placed her arm over the back of her huge Familiar. Burying her face in the animal’s luxuriant chest fur, the young woman felt comforted and supported. The feeling was a balm to her soul. When another body curled up against her back, the sense of being protected and cared for became greater, and some of the tenseness in Chimeg’s body dissolved.

  Lulled back into a short nap by the comforting presence of the two Familiars, Chimeg once again woke to the rhythmic sound of a purring cat. This time, the young Seer knew where she was and that her people had escaped the confines of her horrific Vision.

  When she cautiously began to check the damage to her body out by moving and stretching various limbs, Chimeg was pleasantly surprised to find that the pain was much less.

  A mellow male voice surprised her by beginning to speak right by her side, “You should feel better now. I did not dare do too much healing when you first came here, because we were not sure where you had been, and if your injuries were the result of Magical attacks or physical exertion.”

  The man added, “By the way, I am Jeremiah Pinteur, the Witch that you have come to meet. My Familiar is the cat you encountered the first time you woke up, and his name is Davin.”

  Chimeg turned her head and looked closely at the source of the voice. She knew from his tone that the man was elderly, but there had been such strength in his voice that seeing the heavily-wrinkled ancient reality stopped her mental processes for a moment. Jeremiah waited patiently for her to sort out her thoughts, with a kindly smile on his face and an understanding look in his eyes.

  Suddenly embarrassed by the amount of time that had lapsed after Jeremiah’s introduction, the young Seer burst into speech, saying formally, “I see you, Jeremiah Pinteur and your Familiar, Davin. You have my thanks and those of my companions for allowing us to guest with you. Our blades are sharp for your defense and our arms strong in your support. I am Chimeg Barghujin, a Journeyman Seer, and my Familiar is Martina.”

  Jeremiah responded in an equally formal manner, saying, “I see you, Chimeg Barghujin, Seer. Be welcome by my fire, along with your Familiar, and the rest of your party. Consider my home your own, and my care for you that of an elder brother.”

  Very pleased by the generous and thoughtful acceptance, Chimeg said in a less formal tone, “Thank you so much for healing me. I knew that I was doing myself damage, but I could not find a better way of accomplishing my objectives.”

  Slowly Chimeg sat up and rose up out of bed. Unsure on her feet as her equilibrium settled, the young Seer felt the unyielding support of her Familiar on her left side, and a surprisingly firm grip on her right forearm, as Jeremiah practically lifted her into a full standing position.

  Once her vision stopped swimming, the young woman looked closely at Jeremiah, noticing the sturdy frame and lean muscles that hid behind an aged appearance. The man evaluated her stability and control before a surprisingly sweet smile bloomed on his face. He said approvingly, “You are strong! This is a good characteristic for a Seer to have. Your Magic is one of the hardest to balance, and your strength of will, body, and spirit will serve you well.”

  Tilting her head curiously to the side, Chimeg remarked, “You seem to know a lot about Seers. That is not something that is common knowledge. How did you come about that information, or is it a secret?”

  “My mother was a Seer and built like you and Bolormaa. I have heard of those that have claimed to be Seers but have been slender and frail. To me, they really are more Air than Earth, able to read messages on the winds and the stars. Those types of Oramancers are far more breakable and tend to die young or, worse, live wrapped in foggy non-reality.”

  The young woman shivered, saying, “That is every Seer’s fear, that they will get lost in their Visions and be unable to find their way back to their physical body. One of the reasons I went to study with Dochin was that she has managed to reach such an advanced age and is still sane.”

  Jeremiah let loose a full belly laugh, once more surprising Chimeg. Over the paroxysm of his mirth, the Earth Witch commented wryly, “For the most part, I find sanity overrated.” Helplessly, the Journeyman Seer found herself giggling, a sound that she hated when it came out of her own mouth. However, she found the shared laughter to be a considerable relief, somehow feeling more settled and centered when she finished.

  Davin said sardonically, << Now that you have finished your giggle-fest, there are a whole bunch of people that are anxiously waiting for you at the central fire. Should we tell them that you are having too much fun in the tent, or are you going to go out and join them? >>

  A note of good humor still in his voice, Jeremiah said, << We will go when Chimeg is ready, and no sooner. If you are uncomfortable with that, you may move your furry backend out with the others! >>

  Chimeg was astonished that the Witch would be so protective of her, wondering if all Healers were as focused on defending their patients. Dismissing the idea, she said good-naturedly, << I think I am recovered enough. Davin is correct that there is no need for them to be on tenterhooks and waiting while we are relaxing. >>

  Jeremiah courteously offered his arm. Feeling a bit strange, Chimeg tucked her hand through the crook of his elbow as the old Earth Witch escorted her out of the tent and over to the central fire as if she were some fancy noblewoman.

  Out of the corner of her eye, the Journeyman Seer saw Davin and Martina exchange glances. Both Familiars displayed body language that she did not understand, but seemed to carry undertones of resignation and amusement. Disquieted, she vowed to herself to remember to find out what that was all about but knew that it would have to be later.

  As they walked from the tent to the fire, Chimeg unabashedly looked around. She noted the high fortified walls that surrounded the area, with guard stations and a curtainwall. The enclosed area was huge, surrounded by a high curtainwall with strategically placed guard stations. Permanent fire pits were scattered to provide flexible arrangements of wagons and groups, with a third of the expanse suitable for inhabitants that did not require cook fires.

  So large was the area that Chimeg’s group looked lost in the acreage. She saw the horse herds happily grazing on thick green grasses, with a few foals playing complicated games of tag. There was some forested area, and the Journeyman Seer could see birds perched in the branches of the trees, while wrestling in the underbrush warned her of more hidden inhabitants.

  A small motion caught her eye, and she looked up at the walkway that ran around the entire wall. There, perched in regal splendor, was an array of the snow leopards, enjoying the warmth of the noontime sun on the bricks of the curtainwall.

  Chimeg almost did not know where to look, there was so much going on around her. Trying to get an overall understanding of where everyone was arranged, she froze in place when she realized that the same Ravens that had been encircling the waystation were now perched around the fortified enclosure. Some of them sat on the towers, while others rested in the trees or even on the edges of the walls.

  It was as if lightning had struck her, and new knowledge had flooded in. Turning to Jeremiah, Chimeg exclaimed, “The Ravens are Familiars! Are all of the birds that followed us Familiars? I knew we were being spied on, but why would they do that? They could have just come in and introduced themselves!”

  A very amused voice sounded in her head, << Very good, featherless daughter. We were suspicious and wanted to see what you truly were. We were tasked with deciding if you were misguided, brash, or part of an elaborate trap to capture more of us. >>

  Now thoroughly out of patience, Chimeg demanded in a flashing rage, << Well? What did you decide? And why should I care? Instead of contributing to our journey and the decisions we were making, you chose to spy and ride the draft behind us. Rather than greet us with straightforward statements of who you were and what you needed to know, you decided to stand in judgment and let others do the work for you. That is stealing the results of the efforts of others without contributing anything. >>

  The Raven was silent for a while, thinking. The Seer ignored his silence and deliberately changed the conversation.

  Chimeg looked at Jeremiah, saying, “Let us go over to sit with the others by the fire, and we can share what each of us knows. This has been a very stressful five days, and we are not done with our journey yet.”

  Chapter 51 – Catching Up

  Esprit Plein d'Espoir, La Queue-en-Brie, Just Outside Paris, Earth

  Patting the woman’s hand gently where it rested on his forearm, the Hedge Witch escorted her the rest of the way to the fire without interruption. Chimeg hoped that no one else saw how shaky her legs were by the time she got to the empty seat, but she could feel the intense scrutiny from the other members of her party like heat on her body.

  She started the discussion saying, “Sorry for my inadvertent nap. What happened after I passed out?”

  Ganhsuk immediately responded, saying, “We did what you had outlined. Less than thirty minutes after you collapsed, we were ready to charge through the portal. There should be no trace of us in that waystation, nothing that will allow a Blood Mage to track us. Everything we could not burn or destroy was packed out with us. No one was left behind, and nothing was in the area that would identify who or what we are, especially something that would tell our destination.”

  Chimeg felt a huge weight shift off her shoulders, and she drew her first unencumbered breath since falling into the Vision that had frightened her so much. The woman complimented her party, saying, “That is excellent! The Vision I had was horrific, and I fought to find a way that it could be changed. Hopefully, what we did will buy us some time before the Blood Mages come after us.”

  Adil, the Wizard, asked quietly, “Can you, and will you, tell us a bit about your Vision? I do not ask with any intent to cause you pain, but if you can identify some of the successful attacks that were made on us, we might be able to determine counters that would be prepared to protect us in the future.”

  Knowing that the man was correct, Chimeg drew air deep into her lungs and began to tell them what she had Seen in the first set of Visions. When she came to the parts about the specific spells, the Seer was interrupted many times with questions. The Priest, Witch, and Wizard began a quiet conversation among the three of them to discuss possible responses. Soon after that, some of the Familiars and Hidden Folk crowded in close enough to contribute to the conversation.