said, looking just as vexed as Jovvi. "And I'll also get the rest of them hidden in the woods where they can feed themselves, with orders not to show themselves unless specifically directed to do so. We don't want them poppin' up at the wrong time."
There was nothing any of us wanted to say to that, so Vallant moved a few feet away to speak to the Blending entity that waited to give us what help we needed. The rest of us just stood there in the dark of very early morning, all but huddled around the light I'd kindled to let us see where we were going and what we were doing. The air was more cool than cold, middle-of-the-night cool that made you think about the comfortable blanket waiting for you in your bed. We hadn't had our own beds for a very long time, and now it looked like getting back to those beds would take even longer.
"I really wish this was over," Jovvi murmured, her arms wrapped about herself. "Back in Gan Garee I thought that being 'stuck' in the palace was a terrible fate, but right now even a small farmhouse would look good if we were going to be staying there for a while. I never knew I was such a … homebody."
"I'm really glad you said that," Lorand told her as he folded his own arms around hers. "I'd pretty much decided that I was the only one who was tired of being constantly on the move, so I didn't mention the feeling. Now I feel a lot less alone."
"You're even more not-alone than you know," I put in, touching his arm briefly. "I've been dreaming about being back in my house, and every time I wake up to find that I'm not really there…"
"The disappointment is almost crushing," Rion finished when I didn't, a wry smile turning his lips. "I've had my share of the same dream, and it was your house I dreamed about. Once Naran joined us there, it was the happiest time of my life."
"And of mine," Naran said with a better smile as she took Rion's hand. "I've spent most of my life on the move, never staying in one place too long, so it's no wonder that I consider Tamrissa's house as the haven I never had before. If we were back there now, I'd be incredibly content."
"Naran, are you saying that you've also dreamed of Tamma's house?" Jovvi asked, a small frown on her face. "And what about you, Lorand? Have you been thinking about the house you grew up in, or being back in Tamma's house?"
"Actually, it is Tamrissa's house that I've been missing most and dreaming about," Lorand answered, his own frown matching Jovvi's. "And now I'd like to hear Naran's answer."
"Yes, of course it was Tamrissa's house I've been dreaming about," Naran said with a small headshake. "How could it be anywhere else? And why are you all looking at me like that? I've just done the same as everyone but Jovvi and Vallant."
"You can't exclude Jovvi from the group," Jovvi said, obviously trying to lighten a situation that had grown heavy with some kind of portent. "I've also had the dream of being back in Tamma's house, and this is too much of a coincidence for it to be a coincidence. Would anyone like to bet gold against the possibility that Vallant has had the same dream as well?"
"That would be like betting gold against a complete certainty, so stop trying to cheat us," I said, and the words managed to bring a brief smile to everyone. "Instead, why don't you tell us what this could possibly mean?"
"Sure," Jovvi responded with a sound of ridicule that was totally unlike her. "It means we're all homesick for the safety and comfort we found in your house, even if it was only for a short while. What else could it possibly mean?"
We all shook our heads at her, I, at least, hating the way she'd said she had no idea of what the dreams meant. It was another really annoying mystery to add to the rest, and when Vallant suddenly rejoined us he looked at each of us with a frown.
"What's happenin' now?" he asked, and there was almost accusation in his tone. "I leave the bunch of you alone for no more than five minutes, and you find somethin'
There was nothing any of us wanted to say to that, so Vallant moved a few feet away to speak to the Blending entity that waited to give us what help we needed. The rest of us just stood there in the dark of very early morning, all but huddled around the light I'd kindled to let us see where we were going and what we were doing. The air was more cool than cold, middle-of-the-night cool that made you think about the comfortable blanket waiting for you in your bed. We hadn't had our own beds for a very long time, and now it looked like getting back to those beds would take even longer.
"I really wish this was over," Jovvi murmured, her arms wrapped about herself. "Back in Gan Garee I thought that being 'stuck' in the palace was a terrible fate, but right now even a small farmhouse would look good if we were going to be staying there for a while. I never knew I was such a … homebody."
"I'm really glad you said that," Lorand told her as he folded his own arms around hers. "I'd pretty much decided that I was the only one who was tired of being constantly on the move, so I didn't mention the feeling. Now I feel a lot less alone."
"You're even more not-alone than you know," I put in, touching his arm briefly. "I've been dreaming about being back in my house, and every time I wake up to find that I'm not really there…"
"The disappointment is almost crushing," Rion finished when I didn't, a wry smile turning his lips. "I've had my share of the same dream, and it was your house I dreamed about. Once Naran joined us there, it was the happiest time of my life."
"And of mine," Naran said with a better smile as she took Rion's hand. "I've spent most of my life on the move, never staying in one place too long, so it's no wonder that I consider Tamrissa's house as the haven I never had before. If we were back there now, I'd be incredibly content."
"Naran, are you saying that you've also dreamed of Tamma's house?" Jovvi asked, a small frown on her face. "And what about you, Lorand? Have you been thinking about the house you grew up in, or being back in Tamma's house?"
"Actually, it is Tamrissa's house that I've been missing most and dreaming about," Lorand answered, his own frown matching Jovvi's. "And now I'd like to hear Naran's answer."
"Yes, of course it was Tamrissa's house I've been dreaming about," Naran said with a small headshake. "How could it be anywhere else? And why are you all looking at me like that? I've just done the same as everyone but Jovvi and Vallant."
"You can't exclude Jovvi from the group," Jovvi said, obviously trying to lighten a situation that had grown heavy with some kind of portent. "I've also had the dream of being back in Tamma's house, and this is too much of a coincidence for it to be a coincidence. Would anyone like to bet gold against the possibility that Vallant has had the same dream as well?"
"That would be like betting gold against a complete certainty, so stop trying to cheat us," I said, and the words managed to bring a brief smile to everyone. "Instead, why don't you tell us what this could possibly mean?"
"Sure," Jovvi responded with a sound of ridicule that was totally unlike her. "It means we're all homesick for the safety and comfort we found in your house, even if it was only for a short while. What else could it possibly mean?"
We all shook our heads at her, I, at least, hating the way she'd said she had no idea of what the dreams meant. It was another really annoying mystery to add to the rest, and when Vallant suddenly rejoined us he looked at each of us with a frown.
"What's happenin' now?" he asked, and there was almost accusation in his tone. "I leave the bunch of you alone for no more than five minutes, and you find somethin'
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