The next day, she helped him down to the river as she promised, swimming further upstream to give them both some privacy.
"How long until you think we can start walking?" She asked, when they were both out of the water again.
"I'm not sure." He said, gingerly touching the wound. She could tell it still hurt.
"I think I have a way to fix it now it's clean." She drew in a deep breath and thought hard as she swum upstream. She would have to heal him with The Voice. She was unsure how long it would take for them to get back and she couldn't afford to stay much longer.
She helped him back to the cave once he had dried and found herself blushing at the touch of his warm skin against his own. Honestly, she told herself, she had no reason to be acting like this. She set him down and begun to talk.
"You remember how I brought you back?" She asked him. He nodded, fondling the snake which was taking advantage of his warmth which Britta was sure she could feel from where she sat from a safe distance away. "I think you've figured it out; me and Diana have some connection with the Aurea. We can talk between ourselves and to animals and we can heal. I healed you a lot that first day-" She shivered as she remembered his skin as cold as ice, "but I didn't have enough energy to fix you properly and I was hoping I wouldn't have to try again but..." She trailed off and examined him closely. "Are you okay if I try and fix you with magic?" She asked.
"You don't have to." Said Micah uncertainly.
"Not my question." Britta reminded him.
"I trust you." Said Micah, his words sending her head reeling in a way it shouldn't when she would need such concentration.
"Okay," she took a deep breath, "and look away, you're distracting me."
Micah smirked at that, but did as he was told. Britta placed a hand gently over the wound and drew up the power she felt inside her. She could see it rush eerily inside her skin down her arms and pool in her hands until her fingertips shone gold. She was not sure why the light of The Voice was green while the one of the Aurea was gold if they were essentially the same thing, but didn't dwell on it as she pressed the light through her fingertips and onto him. She felt his sharp intake of breath below her hands and saw his face scrunch up although she'd told herself she wouldn't look that way while trying to concentrate. She cautiously lifted a hand to see the skin healing over and forced a last burst of power through till it was merely a scar which stood out against his pale skin.
"Done." She said, and then collapsed on the ground beside him, thinking that she would have to get used to how much power she could use.
She woke up in darkness, feeling Micah's warmth beside her although she was on the hard ground. She nudged him awake, ignoring his incoherent mutters until he asked her what she was doing.
"Going back to my own spot." She told him.
"I didn't need to know that." He said, his voice thick with sleep.
"I wanted to point out you're perfectly capable of putting me in my own bed." Britta stood up and rubbed her back.
"I liked you there." He said sleepily, his voice trailing off.
"What do you mean?" She asked, before realizing his heavy breathing meant he'd gone back to sleep. She shook her head and found her own bed, trying to put his words from her mind. Still tired, she found sleep came easier to her then it would have had she been alert enough to mull over his statement.
She was woken by Micah the next morning, who was standing over her and looking pleased with himself.
"Whatever you did last night tires you out," he remarked,
"I healed you." She said, sitting up and realizing it was almost midday.
"I noticed," he said drily, motioning to the scar on his chest.
"Where'd you put your shirt?" Britta asked, deciding there was no need for him to go without.
"I don't know." He said casually, "I'm rather enjoying the appreciation I'm getting for all my training."
Britta looked away from his hardened muscles, beet red. "Last time I'm healing you." She said. "Anyway," she tried to change the direction of the conversation, "we need a plan of attack – well, not necessarily literal attack but you get the idea." She looked at him, waiting for him to use his 'training master' voice which she was hearing less and less of now.
"We could go to the training camp," he suggested. "Or I can find out what The Night Falcon is planning to do."
"I want to find Diana. She can resist the Aurea too, which will give us a massive advantage in stopping The Night Falcon."
"Stopping him won't stop everyone." Micah pointed out, "and why ask me if you know what you want to do?"
"It will start us off." Britta said, "and I think it's a good idea to use all resources."
"You've downgraded me." Said Micah, "How can you be sure where Diana is?"
"We can communicate in our minds; I know what she's thinking and feeling sometimes too, but she doesn't always want to reveal that to me." She thought back to Ed at the training camp.
"That could be quite useful – you wouldn't have to be together to work together."
"We used it a lot at the abbey." Britta said, letting herself trail off as she remembered all the times Diana had helped her get out of a difficult situation.
Her thoughts must have showed on her face, because Micah asked, "was it bad there?"
"We're getting distracted, we still need to figure out what we're going to do." She said, not-so-subtly side stepping his question.
They continued to discuss things, until they finally decided to concentrate on getting the Aurea. It was almost the same as when they had been trying to steal it, except now Britta felt like she knew what was happening and was a little more important in the planning. She recounted it all to Diana and they began on the journey home later that day, finding their way because of the direction of the sun.
"You know," Said Britta as they finally began moving, "It's good to finally be doing something."
"You don't like sitting still do you?" He asked.
"I've grown used to always doing something."
"Why are you here?"
"Doing this?"
"You could still be at the abbey – you talk about it like it was a home."
"Once it was," she said, wondering if she could ever live there again.
"Once?"
"I've changed to much now." Said Britta. "I was like a mouse there, never talking or stepping out of line, I would anger Mistress Core now – she isn't a good person, life would just be difficult around her again."
"Perhaps she has a side of the story to tell too." He suggested.
"Of course," said Britta. She had memories that she had buried because they didn't make sense. She had been young at the time, and had never tried to see Mistress Core is a good way. "There was this time, once, I found her crying. She was holding something – I couldn't see what – and calling for someone I think."
Micahs hand rested between her shoulder blades, and he gently pushed her forwards. Britta shivered although his hand was warm.
"Keep walking." He reminded her.
She turned to look at him, and found his blue eyes sad. "Is that your strategy?" She asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Just keep walking away from everything."
"You did the same." He said. "You left the abbey."
"I can't go back." Britta said, "literally, I could be arrested – I almost killed Mistress Core." She clenched her fists.
"How?" Asked Micah. Britta wondered if he was looking at her and imagining her as a murderer.
She sighed, "I didn't mean to really. She was taunting me and Diana and I got angry – I don't do that often, and never that angry. It mixed with fear and I just..." She broke off and drew flames into her hand.
She could see their light flickering in Micahs eyes as he watched them – green gold under the trees as if her own magic was bleeding in to blend with The Voice.
He raised an eyebrow. "Some accident."
"When we were in the land of the dead was it an accident? Killing that person?" She countered. At the same time, she spoke softly, knowing this was treading on thin ice.
"I'm not sure." He said honestly. "Sometimes things happen that no one can understand."
***
They picked up the pace when Micah strode ahead, no longer in the mood to talk, it seemed. Britta continued to try sense Thunder as they went. Finally, two days later, she caught him at the edge of her mind.
Thunder? She called.
I am here. You are where?
Follow my mind. She told him. Britta had formed a close bond with Thunder, and feeling him there again made her feel brave.
Yes, I come.
Britta smiled and turned to Micah. "Thunders coming." She said.
"The crazy horse?"
"Yup." She said, anxious to meet him. They continued to walk while Thunder travelled to them and they met him another day later.
She greeted him with a loud nicker which made Micah jump; he hadn't realized Thunder was just through the trees. She hugged him, noting the lack of a saddle but the two saddle bags at his side.
I go slower now with both of you. He pointed out. But we be there in another few days.
Britta nodded as found Faithful sitting in one of the saddle bags. She stroked him and he leapt onto her shoulder. Thunder knelt down, and Britta climbed onto him first. Thunder stood up straight afterwards, leaving Micah to awkwardly scramble on.
"That was childish." She told him.
Thunder snorted, "I don't love him; you do." He said.
"I do not lo-" She froze, realizing Micah was listening to her side of the conversation. I do not love him. She continued inside Thunders head. I may like him a little, that's all.
He shook his head impatiently. "An understatement." She flicked his ear and he continued, "is not a bad thing." He turned to look at Micah, "well, is not the worst." He amended, obviously finding Micah unsatisfactory.
"He isn't that bad." She said aloud again.
Thunder pawed the ground. "If he bad I dump him." He threatened.
"I'm feeling a little left out." Micah told her as Britta gave him permission.
"I told him if you annoyed him he could buck you off." She said as she gave Thunder the command to move.
Micah sat as far back from her as he could, which was not so hard considering Thunder was a big horse and the saddle had been left behind. Despite the distance he tried to keep between them he gradually slid forwards as Thunder continued on and Britta found she didn't mind the close contact, although Thunder jolted them together with each step.
That night, Britta removed his reins and saddle bags, leaving him to graze. Diana had packed Britta's spare training clothes and shoes. She'd also put some in for Micah, as well as a tent and sleeping gear.
You're a life saver! Britta told her enthusiastically.
The three day long ride back became uncomfortable. Britta wondered if Micah was regretting his decision to help her. She and Micah talked a little, but it was the riding that made things annoying.
"Do you have a fear of Thunder or something?" Britta snapped, "he won't bite." Micah was again sitting as far from the front of the horse as possible. Micah just muttered something about Thunder being the devil in disguise.
You're a good horse. Britta reassured him.
He's sitting to avoid touching you. Thunder said flatly.
Okay, never mind. She huffed.
That night, while Micah was finding firewood, she found her drawing paper, hidden right at the bottom of the saddle bag with some charcoal. She wanted to draw her mother, but she remembered what she had said about holding on too tight.
"I'll remember what you look like whether I draw it or not." Britta promised.
An idea entered her head and she envisioned the girl Micah had been talking too. Britta knew that she would just have to change the same darkness in her eyes. She put her pencil to the paper and began to sketch the long black plait and woven fabric. She made the smiling mouth and the carefree eyes. She somehow noticed that despite the fact they were brown, they were the same shape as Micahs. Britta was adding a sprinkling of freckles over the turned up nose when Micah returned.
Drawing always made Britta calm, but she felt herself return to reality and she quickly shut the book even though he has already seen the drawing.
"You drew her." He said.
Britta shrugged awkwardly.
"She was only a year younger than me but I've always felt so much older." Gently, he lifted the hand that was keeping the book shut and looked again at the picture. "You're good." He said. "Can I look through?"
Britta nodded, though she didn't know why; she never let anyone see her drawings.
He stopped on a drawing of Thunder and compared it to him. Britta was proud of that drawing, or rather, the fact that she had managed to get Thunder to stand still. She often drew from memory, but seeing how the shadows and light looked in real life helped it to look more realistic.
"I used to use the back of the reports Mistress Core made us file." She said. "She would never notice if a few went missing."
He nodded understandingly. "Did you walk through the woods to get to the camp?" He asked.
Britta nodded. "We were going to get work and then buy our own place to live. That man offered us more money so we wouldn't have to work for years before we could afford it, so we came to the training camp."
Micah frowned. "Usually the process for getting you in is a lot more difficult."
"He looked a little disorientated." Britta told him.
"I supposed I can't complain that you got in." Micah said. He stood up and gave her back the book, closing her hand back over it. Britta smiled slightly as he went to set up the camp fire.
***
Mable was now watched all the time, and she found it vaguely annoying. The only thing to keep her remotely sane was Diana's regular visits, where she would tell Mable everything that Britta had told her. Otherwise, she had next to nothing to do. She had read all the books on her shelves, and re-enacted so many of the scenes in them she felt she knew them by heart. She wasn't allowed to play with Lucky, because apparently he was a 'large dangerous wolf'. He did, of course, stay in the dressing room, which was somewhere Mable could have privacy.
She walked to the window, feeling bored, and looked outside. The forest stretched as far as she could see on her left, and the town on the right, but she was guarded from both by the grey castle walls. Somewhere out there, was her newfound sister. Britta in the woods, Diana in the town. Squinting, Mable could make out the building Diana had said she was staying at.
Suddenly, she also noticed crowds of people, walking towards the castle. She paused, and watched as they formed into perfectly straight lines and continued to come closer.
This cannot be good.
***
Britta could see the light coming through the trees before Micah had noticed it. She called to her sister who directed them to the inn and Britta stabled Thunder herself, before leading Micah inside. She embraced Diana.
"I'm so glad to be able to see you finally!" Diana laughed.
Britta was smiling wide. "Thanks for packing everything."
"You still have your daggers right?"
"Of course." Britta ran her thumb along the hilt. "What about your bow?"
Diana pointed back up the stairs. "Safe and sound, I've just learned not to carry it when I look like a girl. Speaking of that, you need to put the shroud back on or wear girl clothes."
"We're going soon, so I shouldn't have to bother." Britta said stubbornly. Diana just sighed and removed the shroud from herself.
"Happy?" She asked.
"Yes."
Micah had stood quietly at the back, but now he stepped forwards. "We can rest for the night, and then go to the training camp in the morning." He said.
Britta leaned over to Diana and stage whispered. "He thinks he's still our training master but actually we're working with him now."
Diana shook her head playfully. "Honestly Britta-" she paused suddenly, and both of them heard Mables voice calling out to them.
Guys? There are lot's of people coming to the castle and I don't think they're here to have tea, although it would be nice. Britta found that Mables thoughts showed them both an image of a blue and white patterned tea-set, which disorientated her before she could reply.
We're coming. Diana answered for both of them.
Britta recounted what she had heard to Micah.
He cursed. "This is going to end badly."
Diana rolled her eyes, "Pessimist." She muttered, and then looked embarrassed that she would speak to her training master like that. Britta didn't know when, but she'd stopped thinking of him like that.
She leapt onto Thunder and Diana got onto Fawn. Britta caught a glimpse of Quicksilver in the sky, and saw beside her that Faithful was sitting there. She knew for a fact that Micah had the snake curled up in a pocket somewhere as well. He had managed to get a gelding off someone at the inn. Britta wasn't sure exactly how he had managed to get someone to give away a good horse, but she had more important things on her mind.
By the time they had gotten to the castle, it was exactly as Mable had reported, and the gates were now open, people coming through. She knew instantly some of them were from the training camp they had been at.
Quicksilver. She called. Get Ed and Thom and-you know who I mean. We need their help.
It looked like there was finally an enemy to fight, and the fighting was scarcely a few minutes from beginning.