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

"Alright, fine. But don't go near this boy or come back in here unless you are hurt or sick, understand?" Catrin's eyes and voice were stony.

"I understand," Maegan said. She turned on her heel and almost ran out of the infirmary. Since she was looking over her shoulder at Catrin, she didn't see Aron coming in the door. He didn't see her either because he was looking up at the Wards. The pair smacked together with enough force to have knocked Maegan off her feet if Aron hadn't grabbed her.

"You look spooked," he said. "What's the matter?"

"Whatever you do, do not get on that woman's bad side," she said, glancing back into the infirmary.

He looked at her in astonishment. "Whose bad side? Draya Catrin? She's a sweetheart. She wouldn't hurt a fly." He looked at her in suspicion. "What did you do?"

Maegan glared at him. "Why does everyone always think its me who did something?"

He grinned at her. "Maybe because usually you have?"

"That isn't true! In any case, I didn't do anything. I just—Oh, Hell, I said something she didn't like that's all. What are you doing here?" she demanded, deciding to switch the attention off her behavior.

"Asking for a first aid kit for working in the snow, with maybe a few basic instructions on handling stuff like frostbite. Andre is planning on posting us up by the Pass," he reminded her.

"We'll see about that," Maegan muttered, heading for the War Room where she knew Andre was working. Being sent away from Ironlyn didn't suit Maegan's plans for getting closer to Logan.

"I just feel I could be of better use here in the keep," she told Andre when she found him and Rebecca in his office studying maps. Ignoring Rebecca and smiling prettily at him, she made sure he got a good look down the front of her tunic.

"Sorry," he told her, his eyes returning to his maps, apparently oblivious to her physical charms. "Your abilities with ice crystals and MacQuain's ground shakes are better designed to defend the area than those of anyone else. If nothing happens by spring, you should both be able to spend more time in the keep."

He turned back to studying his maps, unaware she was glaring at him. Maegan met Rebecca's amused eyes across his back and flushed with resentment. Angrily, she stomped out.

For several weeks no snow fell in the valley sheltering the keep or on the low plains below it, but up in the steep mountains ringing Ironlyn, storms brought snow instead of rains.

During the summer only a few brave souls had been willing to risk the narrow, dangerous trail through the mountains into the shire. When winter descended, the pass became doubly treacherous. Sudden Avalanches were common, and many a Traveler died.

When the first snows fell on the low hills, Andre posted MacQuain and a sulky Maegan with a small group of fighters at the outpost near Avalanche Pass. A work crew had spent the summer up there converting the original one-room cabin into a cozy house, barracks and barns. It was now quite comfortable. MacQuain was delighted to be afforded time alone with Maegan and he was quite pleased with the assignment, seeing it as an opportunity to woo her. He knew she had a crush on Logan, but he was confident he could change her mind. All he needed was time alone with her.

The hideout cabin by the Trade Station had been upgraded as well to include more bedrooms for guests, the kitchen was expanded, and the barn enlarged for several unicorns and a small goat herd. Below the cabin, the ground had been cleared and a garden plowed. Cedric and Kenwyn took turns staying there. Cedric and Issa were to take possession in the Spring. Since it was a fairly easy distance from the keep, she would ride down to the Manor house during the week for her lessons. In the interim, Cedric and Kenwyn took duty turns at the cabin along with one of Lorkeet's young goatherds. When Cedric wasn't on duty, he and Issa occupied one of the spare cottages.

Concerned about Shynian's pregnancy, Catrin had given orders the girl was to stay in bed at least half of each day to ensure she got adequate rest. She had no intention of losing another young girl in childbirth. Kenwyn's talents were similar to Owen's, and Owen had begun training him in handling the Messenger Birds.

As the last days of fall drew near, Rebecca, Catrin and the other women prepared the keep for winter, drying the substantial amount of fruits, nuts and vegetables harvested from the fields and orchards. They smoked fish caught by the village of which Ironlyn took a share. Andre and Logan oversaw the building of various defenses and training men to fight, Owen and Kenwyn, whose talents were similar, were charged with making sure the animals they depended on for food and transportation had enough fodder to last through the winter.

As the offer from Jacite became more widely circulated, Lewys spent a lot of his time dealing with the Cadre's messages. The Jacite offer was spreading through the kingdom like wildfire, leaking down to the common people so naturally it came to the Shahen's ears.

The Jacite offer put the Shahen and the ruling council on edge, and raids on suspected Magi groups increased. Lewys found himself drowning in a sea of messages from Magi seeking sanctuary or advice about how to evade the Proctors. When Owen, Andre and Logan entered his study for their weekly meeting, Lewys was engaged in the task of going through correspondence from the Cadre. He set aside several letters with relief.

Tapping them, he said, "It looks as if you were right, Andre. Georges tells me the Shahen is accompanying the Proctor on his journey. According to this they have just left Cormycin Keep. If they keep to the same route, they will arrive here by next month."

Andre nodded. "I would like to send