Storm Warning - Mercedes Lackey [121]
They surrounded him completely, closing him inside a circle as they stood flank-to-flank. He couldn’t possibly get past them unless he pushed through them, and he knew from handling horses that if they didn’t want him to pass, he wouldn’t be able to move them.
One of the nearest tossed its—his, it was definitely a young stallion—head, and made a sound that closely resembled a human clearing his throat. As Karal turned his attention to that particular Companion, it blinked guileless blue eyes at him.
:Ah—you’re Karal, as I understand,: said a voice speaking into his mind, exactly as Altra had. :I hope you’ll forgive the informality of introducing myself. I’m Florian.:
The “tone of voice” was as different from the Firecat’s as a young man’s high and slightly nervous tenor would be from an older man’s confident and amused bass. But with no one else anywhere around, it was pretty obvious that the “voice” was coming from the Companion directly in front of him, the one with deep blue eyes it would be incredibly easy to fall into—
Twice in one day? Twice in one day that uncanny creatures decide they’re going to speak in my mind?
Why now? And why me?
Karal shook his head to clear it, and wondered if he ought to sit down. He coughed, tried to think of something clever to say, and then settled for the first stupid thing that came into his mind. “Ah—Florian? Are you a Companion?”
:Last time I looked, I was.: The one who must be Florian switched his tail and cocked his head to one side. The other Companions had broken their circle and were moving away now, as if they were satisfied that Karal was not going to run screaming out of the Field.
That was probably only because his knees were so shaky he wasn’t certain he could walk, much less run, screaming or otherwise.
“Why—why are you talking to me?” he asked, inanely.
:Well, partly because of Altra,: Florian told him, dashing his half-formed conviction that the Firecat had only been a dream. :He’s a stranger here as much as you are, and he doesn’t know some of what we know. We’re familiar with the entire history of Valdemar, including a lot that isn’t in the books. We thought it was time you had someone around who could answer your questions about this place, the Heralds, and all. You never ask the questions that are in your mind; you keep trying to find the
answers in books.: Florian snorted. :That’s not always possible. People don’t always write down important things.:
Well, he had been a little reticent about asking questions. He hadn’t wanted to look like a complete idiot....
:You hardly need to worry about looking stupid in front of a horse now, do you?: Florian flipped his tail playfully, and Karal got the impression that he was grinning.
“Well, couldn’t An’desha have told me?” he replied, feeling stubborn. He hadn’t asked for this—or for Altra, for that matter! “Or—Natoli, she’s from Valdemar! And her father’s a Herald, too!”
But Florian only stamped his hoof scornfully. : :Your friend An’desha is just as much a stranger to this place as you are, and while young Natoli is a very nice young lady, she doesn’t know anything at all about politics.:
“And you do?” he responded dubiously.
Florian snorted. :Not me alone. We do. We, the Companions as a whole. Remember, our Heralds are up to their ears in politics, and we share their thoughts. There isn’t much at all about us in the books, either, nor Heralds; the details of our partnerships aren’t the kinds of things that get written down. I can tell you all about that, whatever you want to know.:
“All?” He wasn’t sure he believed that, either.
:Well, if there’s something I can’t tell you, at least I won’t lie to you, all right? I won’t mislead you.: Florian’s mood was as mercurial as anyone Karal had ever seen; now it seemed as if he was pleading with Karal. His ears went down a little, and his head sank a bit. :Look, we just wanted to make certain that you knew where you could find someone to help you. Altra may be your guide, but you