A/N: This is for those who may have been wondering about the conversation Riya had with the Seer that made her go after Silay.
________________________
Riya liked Silay. She was good company, and could pull her own weight. But there was more to her than she was saying. It was odd to find anyone, but especially a young woman, traveling on her own. And with no set purpose! Riya had first started talking to the girl because she could sense Silay was carrying a Farstone. It had struck Riya as odd for someone so young, and not a seer, to be carrying such a rare and expensive object. Also, most people activated their wards every time they used one, to insure their strength, but Silay carried hers pre-activated. And the girl had asked for directions to a seer, even though she claimed to be wandering aimlessly. As far as Riya was concerned, all of this amounted to rather suspicious behavior, and she had no interest in finding herself in trouble with the law. She was done with that now. A respectful business woman. And so, when Silay asked where she could find a seer, Riya had sent her to Kade, though not without a small amount of guilt. She liked the girl. She just needed to know if Silay was trouble or not.
Riya and Kade had once been partners. Gathering information is easy for a seer, even a weak one like Kade, and thieving is easy for a magician. It had been three years since they had ended their partnership, but they still saw each other at festivals like the one at Surwas, and sent business to each other from time to time. Riya thought she'd send Silay to Kade, then talk to him in the morning to see what he had found out. But Silay had seemed so upset when she'd returned that Riya was worried she had made a mistake.
That night, Riya used her magic to call Silay's Farstone to herself. She inspected the stone curiously. She'd never actually held one before. Her plan was to take it to Kade tomorrow to see if he could find out where Silay had gotten it from, then return it before Silay noticed it was missing. But the next morning, she had been unable to find Kade, and Silay had left so quickly Riya forgot to return the Stone.
Later that day, Riya noticed one of the pockets on her jacket felt warm. She reached her hand into it and drew out the Farstone. Someone was trying to contact Silay. Riya stepped into her tent and closed the flaps before raising the Stone to her face. "Hello?" She asked tentatively.
"To whom am I speaking?" The voice coming from the Stone belonged to an old woman.
"Umm... Riya. I'm... a friend of Silay's."
"I have a message for her. Something I've just Seen. A young man from our town, Talis. He will cause trouble. If she meets him, she should stop him."
This piqued Riya's curiosity. "Stop him from what?"
"The vision is unclear. I just know that he has the potential to make things worse."
"Make what things worse?"
There was a pause before the voice answered. "Is Silay actually there?"
Riya had been thinking during the conversation. The woman she was speaking with was most likely seer. Which meant there would be no point in lying to her.
Riya sighed. "No, she left about an hour ago."
"And left the Farstone behind?"
Riya didn't answer. If she was speaking to ta seer, there was no need to. Suddenly, the Stone in her hand grew warmer, light shining out from the sphere. Riya almost dropped it, but managed to hold on. She had the oddest sensation of someone staring at her from behind. She whirled around, but of course no one was there.
"I see," said the voice from the Stone. "Talis is a few miles North-west of here. Silay is probably travelling in the same direction. I fear there could be trouble if they meet. If you are more than a thief, and truly Silay's friend, you will go after her. She could be in danger."
The Farstone went dark and cold. Riya returned it to her pocket, and only hesitated a minute before starting to pack up the wagon.
________________________
So, what are your thoughts about Riya now?
Dedicated to @EmilyFRussell, who thinks it would be fun to hang out with Riya and turn things yellow.
She is also the author of the ongoing fanatsy novel The King's Might, and the ongoing sci-fi story Crowe and Coyote.