In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

Lewys and one of Jors fighters brought them in through the old trail, stopping at the mouth of the tunnel to the outside gates, where Andre and Rebecca waited.

"Wait here," Lewys told them curtly, stepping aside to speak with his granddaughter.

"Who are they?" his granddaughter asked.

"Gordon says they came in separately," Lewys answered. "The girl and boy aren't related, but they came in with a caravan master he trusts. The older man rode in by himself."

Rebecca moved to confront the three refugees. She made a small sign with her hand and a blue butterfly fluttered over to them pausing at each one. It glowed brighter as it reached the boy and the man, although the girl also caused it to brighten.

The girl was a little older than Catrin. She had a thin build, short blond hair and frightened green eyes. She looked at Rebecca nervously. The boy was around Selene's age, his skinny frame showing the lanky awkwardness of a boy just entering puberty. He was afraid as well, but his green eyes stared defiance. The man was older, around middle age. A thin, unshaven face scowled at her. His body showed evidence of once being well-fleshed, but he had recently lost weight.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"We are Travelers," the older man said.

Rebecca cut him off. "We know you for Magi, so do not lie. Why did you come here?"

"But—you’re Magi too!" cried the girl, pointing to the glowing butterfly.

"What’s your name girl?" Rebecca asked. Andre gave her a sharp look. When they encountered Selene, she had been warmly welcomed, not greeted with suspicion.

"Amber McNesson," the girl said.

"Lower your shield, child," Lewys said, "So we can judge your intent."

With obvious reluctance, the girl obeyed, a small shimmer running over her too-thin body as she did so.   "How did you come to be traveling with the Caravan?" Rebecca asked.

Amber swallowed. "I went live with My aunt and uncle after my parents died. They had a child who had turned out to be Magi and my uncle had turned her in to the local Proctor for the reward. My aunt never forgave her husband for it. When she learned he was about to do the same with me, she took me to visit a caravan stopping at the Trade Station. The caravan master agreed to bring me here if I worked in the caravan."

After studying her for a moment, Rebecca nodded. "Welcome, little sister. Please move away from the others."

Andre watched as the same routine was done with the boy. He said his name was Tyrel Rivers.

"What happened to your parents Tyrel?"

The boy hesitated, looking from Andre to Rebecca. "I think my parents are dead. My father was a woodworker, and my mother took in fine laundry to support us. They were Magi, so we moved from village to village, hiding from the Proctors. We got word the Proctors were doing a sweep looking to pick up people for testing. My mother had just lost a baby and was bedridden, so she couldn't run the way we had before. Dad, gave me a sack of coins, a food pack, and his tools, and told me to leave the village. He said I wasn't to wait for them. I knew what he was going to do, because we had talked about it."

"And what was that?" Andre inquired.

"We all carry a packet of poison to use if we get captured. Dad wouldn't desert mama and leave her for the Proctors; They intended to die together, but they wanted me to have a chance to escape."

"How did you come to be with the caravan?"

"I hid and traveled by night for weeks along the road toward Jacite, looking for a caravan to join. After my food ran out, I went into a village to buy more, but the grocer there accused me of stealing my own money, so I ran again. I found a farmhouse, and I could see everyone was out in the fields, so I broke into their larder and took what I could carry. I left some coins on the table to pay for it, and I ran and hid again. I fell asleep by the side of the road and one of the caravan people found me. They fed me and Master Georges agreed to bring me here. He said you helped Magi escape the Proctors."

"Where will you go now?" Andre asked him.

Tyrel shrugged. "I don't care. I need to learn a trade to support myself. My father taught me woodworking, and I have his tools, but my skill is nothing compared to his."

"We will talk more about your plans later," Andre promised. "For now, you are our guest."

Rebecca moved to confront the older man, telling him to lower his shield.

He glared at her. "I am Daris Firewalker. Who are you to demand I lower my shield, girl?"

Andre’s knife came out the sheath with a soft hiss. The man looked at him in contempt. "You are no Magi. I don’t fear you."

Andre smiled at him. "I have fought Magi before and won. I can cut your throat before you can finish a spell, old man."

Firewalker’s magical shield lit up, and Andre had an arm around the man’s throat, and a long, sharp knife against his chin, just under his ear. A cut from that angle would kill instantly. The younger man had moved so swiftly Lewys hadn't seen him shift positions. Lewys also realized with shock Rebecca hadn't looked to him for help when Firewalker challenged her. She had depended on Andre instead.

"It’s called teamwork Sorson Firewalker," Rebecca said smiling.

"Don’t be foolish," Lewys admonished Firewalker. "I doubt if you can withstand a three-pronged attack from us so don’t try. As to who she is to demand you lower your shield, this is my granddaughter, Draconi Rebecca Kathlea il'Mabinogion, the heir to Ironlyn."

Rebecca applied more pressure and Firewalker's aura lit up again. There was a massive burst of light, his shield ruptured, and his