hard tack and jerky from her pack and then slipped into her own thoughts. She had much to think about and after the admonition that had been offered by a stranger, she decided to think about it now.
"You okay?" Brenth sat down next to her and intruded on her silence.
"As well as can be expected, considering the circumstances," replied Leilas. Despite her need to be alone, she wasn't willing to turn away any overture by her brother to become closer. "I suppose it could have been a lot worse."
"The students and masters of the school have endured much more," agreed Brenth. "By trying to save mother and me, you saved yourself. The school is gone."
"How do you know about the school?" asked Leilas, knowing from the fluctuations she felt in the magic that he wasn’t wrong.
"The way I know about most things," answered Brenth with a slight air of superiority. "I just know."
Leilas accepted his explanation. She might have been tempted to tell him he was making it all up, except for what Joshuas had said about him earlier. "What about the masters?"
"It's a funny thing about the way I see things," said Brenth earnestly, trying for once to explain himself to her. "I don't see people. I see things, schools, manors and kingdoms, what happens to them. But not what happens to the people in them. Mother is better at people. You might ask her."
Leilas nodded, knowing she wouldn't ask her mother about the school, and stared off in the direction of Dirth. There was no smoke snaking up into the sky. Nothing to indicate a battle had just taken place there, there was only the disturbance moving around her. If the school had fallen, then Dirth must have fallen as well. "I wonder if father managed to save himself," she mused. She shook her head and turned back to Brenth. "Together you and Mother must be a formidable force to face. It’s no wonder I never won any arguments."
"You won your fair share," countered Brenth, finishing off his hard tack and washing it down with a swig from his water skin. "I was pretty sure you'd win the argument with Mother. I saw Menas."
"Then why didn't you tell her and save us some time?"
"Because, like you, I believed it was her choice to make."
"I have a lot to learn about seeing into the future," said Leilas, shaking her head in bewilderment. "It doesn't make much sense to me. You see something the way it's going to be, and yet, the person still has to make the choice. Even though you know they're going to, you can't influence them to make it."
"That’s it, exactly."
"It might have been easier to understand had I been able to take my vows and finish my training as a master. Master Frey told me it would make more sense once I took the oath." Leilas looked toward Dirth again. "I suppose now it never will."
"You are already a master and have the ability to learn what they would have shown you on your own. All you have to do is take the opportunities presented to learn," said Brenth, staring over her head. "But if it makes you feel better, you can always go to the School of Sea." Leilas acknowledged the truth of his statement, while marveling at the black and white of youth. In one breath he could utter astounding praise and in the next dismiss it with pragmatism. But going to the School of Sea had always seemed foreign to her. She was of the Sky.
"Once we get to Menas safely, I'll worry about what I'm going to do with my life. Who knows what will happen between now and then?"
"Who knows, indeed," Joshuas entered into the conversation, as he bent to fill up his water skin from the stream.
"Somehow, I think everyone here knows better than I do," grumbled Leilas, pushing her tired body up from the rock and mimicking Joshuas' actions.
"Well, I know for certain that we have another two hours of riding to reach camp, so we'd better get started."
Brenth scrambled to his feet and went to help his mother with her things. When he had her safely mounted, he slung his water skin and bag of food around his saddle
"You okay?" Brenth sat down next to her and intruded on her silence.
"As well as can be expected, considering the circumstances," replied Leilas. Despite her need to be alone, she wasn't willing to turn away any overture by her brother to become closer. "I suppose it could have been a lot worse."
"The students and masters of the school have endured much more," agreed Brenth. "By trying to save mother and me, you saved yourself. The school is gone."
"How do you know about the school?" asked Leilas, knowing from the fluctuations she felt in the magic that he wasn’t wrong.
"The way I know about most things," answered Brenth with a slight air of superiority. "I just know."
Leilas accepted his explanation. She might have been tempted to tell him he was making it all up, except for what Joshuas had said about him earlier. "What about the masters?"
"It's a funny thing about the way I see things," said Brenth earnestly, trying for once to explain himself to her. "I don't see people. I see things, schools, manors and kingdoms, what happens to them. But not what happens to the people in them. Mother is better at people. You might ask her."
Leilas nodded, knowing she wouldn't ask her mother about the school, and stared off in the direction of Dirth. There was no smoke snaking up into the sky. Nothing to indicate a battle had just taken place there, there was only the disturbance moving around her. If the school had fallen, then Dirth must have fallen as well. "I wonder if father managed to save himself," she mused. She shook her head and turned back to Brenth. "Together you and Mother must be a formidable force to face. It’s no wonder I never won any arguments."
"You won your fair share," countered Brenth, finishing off his hard tack and washing it down with a swig from his water skin. "I was pretty sure you'd win the argument with Mother. I saw Menas."
"Then why didn't you tell her and save us some time?"
"Because, like you, I believed it was her choice to make."
"I have a lot to learn about seeing into the future," said Leilas, shaking her head in bewilderment. "It doesn't make much sense to me. You see something the way it's going to be, and yet, the person still has to make the choice. Even though you know they're going to, you can't influence them to make it."
"That’s it, exactly."
"It might have been easier to understand had I been able to take my vows and finish my training as a master. Master Frey told me it would make more sense once I took the oath." Leilas looked toward Dirth again. "I suppose now it never will."
"You are already a master and have the ability to learn what they would have shown you on your own. All you have to do is take the opportunities presented to learn," said Brenth, staring over her head. "But if it makes you feel better, you can always go to the School of Sea." Leilas acknowledged the truth of his statement, while marveling at the black and white of youth. In one breath he could utter astounding praise and in the next dismiss it with pragmatism. But going to the School of Sea had always seemed foreign to her. She was of the Sky.
"Once we get to Menas safely, I'll worry about what I'm going to do with my life. Who knows what will happen between now and then?"
"Who knows, indeed," Joshuas entered into the conversation, as he bent to fill up his water skin from the stream.
"Somehow, I think everyone here knows better than I do," grumbled Leilas, pushing her tired body up from the rock and mimicking Joshuas' actions.
"Well, I know for certain that we have another two hours of riding to reach camp, so we'd better get started."
Brenth scrambled to his feet and went to help his mother with her things. When he had her safely mounted, he slung his water skin and bag of food around his saddle
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