Krarrnic shouted with a faint note of hysteria and shock in his voice, “I have no idea what just happened here! Nothing of that makes sense, nothing! Spirits never speak so plainly, never speak of the future we know they can see and I’ve never even heard of a spirit giving up their power in that way, by everything I know it isn’t even possible! Yet, now you burn with his power. Please, please tell me what just happened?!”

Sounding a bit dazed Raelea said, “I-I’m not exactly sure, I felt warmth, peace, love and a strong determination to do what's right no matter the cost fill every single part of me, pushing the cold, selfish sickness of Aignew’s essence out of me. Now I feel… wonderful. Energy fills me, my body thrums with strength and health and more, my magic is back in full.”

Smiling brightly she snapped her fingers and a fierce blue flame with a nearly white core lit on the tip of her index finger.

Pif’s head immediately snapped around to look at the flame, then he snorted and snapping his own fingers a hissing blue\white ball of flame launched itself from his hand and far off into the distance. He grinned and nodded, clearly very pleased with himself.

Raelea chuckled as she shook her hand and the flame vanished, “Show off, you know very well my small castings don’t have that sort of power.”

Pif merely shrugged with a smug look on his face.

Shaking her head at Pif’s antics Raelea said to Krarrnic, “I have been blessed, blessed with the essence of the Spirit of Light. I have his memories, I have his knowledge, but I also have his unfinished task. I will need your aid, I don’t know the plateau or it’s people and some of what must be done will require working with the Oruc people.”

Looking slightly awestruck Krarrnic said, “Of course, the Spirit of Light is revered among the Shaman of the plateau. Completing his task is a great honour. I must also instruct you in Shamanic banishment and we will begin your lessons as soon as we leave. I do not know why he said you must be taught because usually the spirits are not very trusting and some of the ritual banishments can make a wasteland of the spiritworld for years. But I am a servant of the spirits in all things and one of the most revered told me to do so, I will do as instructed.”

“You don’t need to if you feel it is a mistake.”

“I do. I would be going against my own nature to not teach you.” He suddenly grinned at her and his voice became less reverent, “Besides I trust you already and you might as well do more of the work, you have been slacking quite a lot while you had no magic.”

Startled Raelea barked a laugh and said, “Well, can’t keep forcing you to do all the work now can we… oh and by the way.”

She made the passes and spoke the words of a small casting, all the tiny bloody thirsty insects fled the area absolutely certain that something near Krarrnic wanted to eat them.

His hunched miserable stance relaxed and he said, “Oh by the Gods and the Elder Spirits! Thank you, thank you.”

“That should be more comfortable, it’ll need recasting a few times a day just let me know when they start annoying you again and I’ll ward our tent at night too.”

“You will be an even more useful person to have around. I am also very glad for you, I can now see how much not having your magic pained you, but you never said a word.”

Raelea shrugged, “What would have been the point? Complaining would achieve nothing and we were already doing everything we could.”

“I do not know that I could be quite so stoic in the face of a similar absence.”

“I’m sure you would be if you had no other choice and friends who were helping you to regain your loss as quickly as they could. You and Pif are part of why I was able to withstand it so quietly even if it wasn’t always so easy.”

“Glad to be of aid.” Looking at the sky he said, “We still have daylight and should probably make a move toward catching up to the Spotted Foxes, they should be fairly close on their way to the birthing fields.”

Teasingly Raeela said, “Speaking of birthing fields, your hurry wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Speaker of the Fox now would it?”

Krarrnic grinned smugly and said, “And what if it is? Wolfger is an amazing woman, who seemed quite happy about our time together and I would very much like to give her the option of more, if she wants it.”

Raelea just laughed and started breaking camp.

They met up with the Tribe a few days later and for several days travelled with them following the slow moving herds grazing on the lush spring grass, until their paths had to diverge and Raelea’s tasks truly began.

Just after the break of camp Raelea, Pif, Krarrnic and Horse set off south while the Tribe continued west.

After they’d travelled for only a short while Raelea said, “You’re very quiet.”

Krarrnic as he walked along beside Horse said, “Yes, I won’t lie to you if I had my choice I would rather run back the way we came and join Wolfger and her tribe. But I have both given my word and I am a servant of the spirits… and our path is not one that we will likely leave alive better she find a man of her tribe than a corpse to be. But it is hard, so very hard.”

“I’d be lying if I said I can understand what you’re feeling, I’m only young and I’ve never had to think about matters of the heart because I’ve only had a spirit monster and Pif for company since I ran from my tribe then spent five turnings intensely training for one desperate fight. When I fled my tribe I was a maiden because none of the young men of the tribe would dare tempt fate by chasing a witch in training. I can’t even lie and comfort you by saying once this is done you can come back to her because you see very correctly that our chance of death is much higher than our chance of survival. As little as it is all I can offer is thanks for your loyalty and your friendship and sympathy that such a chance was put in your path when you are tied to our task.” She grimaced, “There are times when I dislike the meddlesome intensely, this is one of them.”

Krarrnic shook his head slowly, “No, your thanks and your sympathy are welcomed. I chose this task, I could no more shirk it than I could fly unaided and to know you value the sacrifice I’m making is very important to me. Now please let us travel in silence for a while, I wish to think.”

Pif looked at Krarrnic and swinging his bag around rummaged through it until he found something, reaching over he patted Krarrnic on the shoulder and presented him with a huge brilliantly turquoise father.

Krarrnic took a deep breath and said, “Thank you little one.” before tucking the feather behind his ear.

It was only mid-afternoon when they reached the site, no one’s knowledge extended far enough back to know how it had come to be. All anyone knew was beasts who ate of the grass in this area sickened and eventually died. She knew from her gifted knowledge that here were spirits behind it trying to extend the area constantly and that the Spirit of Light had only been able to keep them in check, calming them and making them dormant.

Even from far away Raelea could see the wispy tendrils of spirit touch over a huge area of grass, grass that shone in her sight with a feverish vitality, just a little too lush, a little too green… a little too inviting to beasts.

Horse snorted and scenting the lush invitation picked up his pace.

Leaning forward Raelea whispered into his ear, her words beguiling and convincing. Telling him he didn’t really want that grass, what he wanted was the sweet grains which awaited him in his nosebag this evening. His head flicked and he snorted but his pace slackened, falling back to his previous energy saving amble.

Smiling broadly she patted his neck and said, “It feels so good to have my magic back, a witch may never be helpless but still I missed it so much.”

Krarrnic said, “At least you know the feeling if your magic should be blocked by someone.”

A worried frown upon her face Raelea said, “That’s possible?”

Nodding Krarrnic said, “Yes, some of the Fae Chanar know ways to block a persons magic for days at a time.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. I wonder why I wasn’t taught about it by Aignew. More worryingly what other gaps are there in my knowledge?”

Krarrnic regarded her with a smile and said, “I often forget you have had only the one teacher because there are very few areas in which your knowledge seems lacking. The Fae-Chanar who taught him must have been one of their scholars, a seeker of knowledge but considering she was both a witch and necromancer that does seem likely. If you pay attention to other users of magic when talking to them, you will learn what you don’t know quickly enough I’d imagine.”

“True enough. I suppose I should begin.” After studying the manifestation of spirit energy for a moment she said, “Banishment of Yerrnak?”

“With Derrinki’s shaping to allow for your nature and strength, yes.”

Nodding she swung herself down from Horse’s back and walked a few manlengths out into the overly lush grass, then spreading her arms wide she began the chant.

The misty spirit-touch fog swirled into fantastic shapes as things unseen even to her sight rushed toward her. As the chant continued a spinning swirl of misty forms became visible, a towering mass of whispering despair.

Shards of golden light fired from the burning lines her hands left behind in the air as she moved them in the patterns of the banishment, each transfixing a spirit who disappeared with a flash. Within only a few passes the spirits were gone but her chant continued, strengthening and becoming a droning beat that grew until their ears protested. With a final slash of her arms everything became dead still and deathly quiet as a wave of pure golden light spread from her destroying every trace of spirit-touch fog it came in contact with.

The grass lost some of it’s allure, becoming not quite as inviting.

Her arms and shoulders dropped and she breathed deeply for a moment, recovering her energy after the exertion of the ritual, she said, “They are gone, back to the spirit realm and will not return.”

“That was well done, there were a few mistakes but for a first time you performed the ritual extremely well. We’ll discuss your errors on the way to the next site.”

“I’ll cleanse the grasses of the lingering taint and then we can move on.”

She sent to Pif, “Can you clear a circle for me?”

Pif looked up from where he’d been amusing himself hunting (and eating) the bugs hiding in the thick grass with a grin. He hopped up and at his gesture a circular wall of fire briefly flashed into being, scorching the grass in a large area to ash.

Smiling her thanks Raelea quickly drew out a circle and settled herself at the centre. She then spoke the sonorous words of the ritual of cleansing, when she was done there was no visible sign it had worked but she knew the disease lurking in the grasses would fade within days.

First task done they set off to the next site.