The cold blue morning stretched out before them, and in-between two stone pillars that belonged to the ruins of the capitol of Hardorn, there rose a pale white sun, breaking through the foggy horizon.

Neoka leaned against one of the columns, his head limp against the gray stone, his arms hanging limply by his side, his blood and dirt-smudged pilfered Whites now soaking wet from the rain storm that had visited them throughout the night.

It had fled when dawn came, but Neo had not moved.

Amaro was a few feet away, weary sapphire eyes fixed on the Blue…

Now his Chosen.

:We shou-:

"Don't talk to me like that."

Amaro flinched a little, then narrowed his eyes.  There was no reason for Neoka to be angry with him.  They hadn't moved from the ruins for two days, and Neoka hadn't moved from that single spot since he had stumbled there after crying his soul onto the steps where he had destroyed the Sickness Mage and his sister.

:I have no other way to talk.:

The Companion tried to sound tolerant and patient, but, plainly put, he was out of both.

He wanted to go home.  He wanted to see the rolling green hills of the Field.  He wanted to see the other Companions.

"Then speak as little as possible," Neoka snapped at him, throwing him a glare over his shoulder.

:We need to leave,: Amaro persisted, taking a step forward, his own eyes narrowed, :Menith and Hyatee will be waiting for us.:

Neoka mumbled something.  Amaro snorted in annoyance.

:Speak up, at least!  If you have an argument for why we should stay here, I'd love to hear it,: the Companion pinned his ears back, more than slightly annoyed at the Blue's stubborn behavior.

"I said, I'm not stopping you," Neoka said, as if through gritted teeth.

Then the boy broke.

"Why?!" he demanded whirling from the stone pillar and facing Amaro with deep, deep sorrow in his ebony eyes, "why did you do it?!"

Amaro didn't have to ask what the boy meant.

:To save Valdemar.  I Chose you to save my home,: he said it solemnly, quietly.

"To the hells with Valdemar!" but then it seemed the boy could think of nothing more to say after that.  He whirled away again, one hand reaching out to steady himself against the pillar.  Anger reared up in Amaro.

Did the boy think the Companion had sacrificed nothing in the fight?  A Choice was not something taken lightly!  Amaro had made the Choice because it was the only way to win.  The only way to save Valdemar.

Did that mean nothing to the boy?

:What do you want me to say?: Amaro demanded furiously, :do you want me to say it was a mistake?  Do you want me to cry and whine and beg for your forgiveness?:

"I want you to take it back!" Neoka cried, turning again and clenching his fists, his eyes as hard and cold as the cracked gray stone they stood upon, "take it back!"

:I cant!: Amaro yelled back just as desperately, then turned his head away and closed his sapphire eyes, :Don't you think I tried?  While you were standing there, just looking at nothing, I tried getting away from you.  I didn't want this!  But…:

"But?" Neoka demanded, gaze narrowed unforgivingly.

:But it's too… it's too big,: Amaro turned his head again to look at the boy, hopelessness hazing the rich sapphire into mere shadows of cerulean, :to sever it would kill us both… Neoka, I don't care how much you don't want it, I won't kill us.:

"There can't be an us!" Neoka persisted, taking a few steps toward Amaro, "this is all wrong!  I'm not a Herald!  I can't be a Herald!"

:I know!: Amaro shouted the boy down, slamming his hoof onto the stone beneath him, :don't you think I know?  You can't be a Herald, Neoka… I didn't Choose you to become one.  I Chose you to save Valdemar.:

Their eyes linked, the night sky in one's gaze, the day's in another.  And there was understanding and despair in both.

"We… we're stuck like this?" Neoka finally whispered, wrapping his arms around his chest as if he were cold, "we're stuck together?"

:We don't have to tell anyone,: Amaro replied in the same tone of voice Neoka was using, :we can just… go home… and never tell anyone what happened.:

Neoka looked as if he wanted to say something, then decided against it.  He nodded his head.

"We'll… just pretend it didn't happen?" he asked hopefully.

Amaro shook his head sadly.

:We… will always be connected.  Your power and the circumstances of the Bonding has made sure of that… But we don't… we don't have to be together.  Once we're back home… once we're back in Haven, we don't ever have to see each other again.:

Neoka searched Amaro's gaze for a time, until the boy found something he understood.

Mutual pain.

Neither wanted any part of this.  Neither wanted to be tied to the other.

But they were.  And there was no getting out of it.

"But I'm not a Herald," Neoka said, as if to make absolutely sure of the fact.

:…No.:

***

Neo had been staring off into the distance for at least a candlemark, remembering the moment in time when Amaro had murmured the denial of a Heraldic title, when a soft sound drew his gaze back to the Companion.

Amaro stirred, blinking open his eyes, lifting his neck and looking around his stall confusedly, until his sapphire gaze fell on Neoka.  They were silent for a time, before the Companion broke the quiet spell.

:I thought we weren't going to see each other again,: he pointed out, tucking his legs under his belly and looking away from Neo.

"As did I," Neo agreed, turning his head away as well.

Another quiet filled the air between them, and when it was broken, it was Neo who was the culprit.

"I'm sorry."

:For what?:

"Lots of things," he whispered, eyes misting, but not yet dropping tears, "most of all, though, for making you go through this."

Amaro blinked at him.

:You… you Sent that pain to me on purpose?: he asked confusedly.  Neo stiffened and whipped his head around to glare at the Companion.

"You're just as bad as Menith!" he accused, "of course I didn't!"

:Then why are you sorry, Neoka?:

"Because…" Neo trailed off, his gaze turning down to the ground frustratedly as he searched for words, "because, with this bond… I'm taking you with me… I'm taking you with me when I die."

Amaro stared at him, blankly, silent.

Neo shifted uncomfortably, whishing the Companion would say something.

Finally, Amaro did.

:What in the Havens are you talking about?:

Neo felt his jaw clench.  This was important, damn it!  What a time for the Companion to play stupid!

"I'm talking about me, being Infected, and damn near taking all the Heralds with me!" his eyes narrowed into mere slits.  He got to his feet rapidly, one finger outstretched to point at the Companion accusingly, "and it's all your bloody fault!

Amaro, still apparently not understanding any part of the situation, latched onto something he could comprehend.

:My fault?!  Why are you blaming this on me?!: then the rest of Neoka's words sank in, :INFECTED?!:

Neo winced, covering his ears with his hands, though it did him no good, "you don't need to shout!"

:What in the bloody hells do you mean, Infected?!: Amaro demanded, scrambling to his own hooves.  Neo clamped his hands over Amaro's maw, though again, it would have no affect on the volume Amaro spoke with.

"Hush!" he demanded, "be quite or I swear I won't tell you a thing!"

Amaro looked exceedingly livid, but nodded his head once and did not utter a word.

Neo glared at him for a moment, before plopping back down on the hay.

"It's… it's a morphed form of the virus.  I can't just overpower it, like I did with the first form.  It… it runs away, down Channels," he looked up, wondering if the Companion understood what he was saying.  Amaro nodded for him to continue, "it draws off me too.  I'm feeding it a thread of power right now, so it doesn't move from me to… somewhere else… I don't know how I got it… unless," a thoughtful look overcame him, and he murmured aloud, "unless it was from the Border barrier… anyone who touched it got Infected… I broke through, but I guess… I guess a part of it touched me or something…"

He shook his head.  He was wallowing in stuff he had no proof of.  Best to stick to the facts.

"I tried beating it," he said, pulling his knees up to lean his arm across, "but it… it tried going through me to you.  I squeezed the Channel near shut… gods, did that hurt… and stopped going after it.  So it went back to my center…"

He looked up into the eyes of the Companion.

Amaro stood there, staring at him for a long while.  Finally, the Companion moved, lowering his head until it was in alignment with Neo's.

:You may not be my Chosen, and I may not be your Companion,: he began, a solemn tone to his voice, :but we are together in this…:

"How can we be?" a ring of hopelessness was still tainting Neo's own voice, "how can we be together in anything?  Much less this?"

Amaro pulled his head back a little, looking away.

:We've got a bond between us, as much as we may not want it.  It's not going to go away, if your "squeezing" it was any clue, without taking at least one of us with it… and probably driving the survivor mad,: he connected sober sapphire eyes to Neo's own ebon gaze.  :You and I, we know you aren't a Herald… but through our connection, harm could come to the Heralds and Companions,: his eyes turned pleading.  :Please, Neoka.  Please don't let that happen.  Let me help you through this.  We can beat it together, just like we beat-:

Amaro silenced himself before he could say something he would regret, but Neo shook his head.

"No, you're right," the boy murmured softly, "we beat the Mage together… we can take care of this…"

:Right!: Amaro nodded his head, cheerfulness entering his frame, :so, what do we do now?:

Neo raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude, then shook his head as a rueful grin spread across his shadowed face.

"We… find someone who can teach me how to control my powers…" on the edges of his mind, an idea was forming.  It was too hazy to see fully, too incomplete to criticize or judge. 

But it was the beginning of something.  That much was clear.

***

Menith had a stomach ache.  He had back pains too.  And there was a kink in his leg that seemed to be gnawing at his bone.

But his other problems were getting a lot bigger.

"What do you mean, exile?!" he shouted, standing up so fast from his chair that he was slightly dizzy for a moment.  Jhaspar made soothing motions with his hands, while Kara watched him unemotionally from her seat.

Several other Council members began angry murmurs, equally shocked by the King's Own suggestion.  Jhaspar hurried to reassure them.

"We cannot deal with his power," he said, shaking his head, "and he has become a threat to the Companions.  We Heralds will not accept that."

"What do you mean, we Heralds?" a Council member spoke up.  "Is he not one of you?"

Jhaspar looked over at Kara, who blinked back at them, then stood up, gracefully and silently.

"Whether or not Neoka Marron is a Herald is not the matter at hand.  He is a threat.  He must be dealt with accordingly," she sat back down, folding her hands over her lap calmly.

Menith was less than calm.

"Then make him an asset!  Take the threat away by training him!" he growled loudly.  Kara went back to examining him.

"We have tried that, Herald Menith," she said, putting her elbows on the crescent marble table that all the Councilors sat behind, steepling her fingers and looking entirely unconcerned by his anger, "if you remember correctly, we gave the task to you.  However, due to some unknown reason, he was unable to control his powers, and a Companion is now suffering because of it.  Herald Menith, this is entirely unacceptable."

Menith's shoulders shook with rage.

"You're barking mad!" he shouted.  "You can't exile him!  He's done nothing wrong!"

"We can," Kara insisted quietly, "we will, and he has.  Attacking a Companion is wrong, Menith, however you look at it."

"But-"

"Menith," Jhaspar cut him off impatiently, throwing the Herald a 'shut-up-right-now-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you' look.  Menith shook harder, then sat down with a hard 'thump'.

"None of us wants to exile the boy for something he cannot help-" the King's Own began.

:Then don't.:

 The entire Council room jumped, but before any non-Herald could go into a panic over a voice in the head that did not belong to them, the voice continued, and through the Council doors waltzed a dyheli.

:I have a possible answer for your… problem,: it said, advancing until it was in the center of the room.

Menith was staring with as much confusion as everyone else until Hyatee entered his head.

:Her name is Jayl,: the Companion explained, :she's the new representative for the dyheli.:

:But…: Menith glanced to his left, where the gryphon that represented, or had represented, all the non-human species from the Pelagirs sat, :but then what-:

:The dyheli and Valdemar are making some new treaties, just between them.  Some issues are a bit sensitive, like grazing rights, and keeping hunters off their herds, so the dyheli sent Jayl to do all the negotiating.  Be careful with what you say.  She's polite, but very shrewd.  She'll take you at word-value.:

Menith nodded, and by the looks on the Herald's faces, he figured he wasn't the only one who was getting the information.

"Ambassador Jayl," Jhaspar greeted, bowing slightly, "if you do indeed have another option for us, we would be quite pleased to hear it."

Jayl fixed her ebony gaze on the King's Own, and was silent for a moment.

:This boy you're thinking of exiling, is he dangerous only because of his Gift?: she asked.  Menith spoke before any one else could.

"Yes.  He'd be perfectly harmless if it weren't for his Powers."

Jhaspar sent him a quick glare, which Menith happily returned.  Jayl switched her deep stare to him.

:Then I propose this.  Send the boy to the Pelagirs.  Let my kind train him.  Everyone who knows anything about Mind Gifts will know that the dyheli hold the most advanced form of it, and know how to handle it,: she turned her head to look at each Council member in turn, finally coming back to Menith, :if we succeed, you will have a fully trained, very powerful Herald on your hands.  If we fail, we will dispose of the boy.:

"What do you mean, dispose?" Menith asked, eyes narrowed.

:I mean, we will seal off his power.  And, since you seem to be fond of the idea of getting rid of him,: her gaze slid to Jhaspar and Kara, who met the dyheli's gaze unwaveringly, :we will either house him within the Pelagirs, or send him away.:

"And what would you want in return?" Kara voiced calmly.

:Year-round protection for the Herds roaming your lands, and unshared grazing lands.  As much as you might think we don't mind sharing with your livestock, we've had quite a few incidents of bulls and steeds becoming a little too interested in a few members of the Herds,: Jayl snorted and looked a little amused, :we'd rather not have the dyheli kings spending their entire reign making sure their does don't have unwanted company.:

The details were argued over, but in the end, Jayl got what she wanted, and Jhaspar and Kara got Neoka out of their hair.

"Now, to work out transportation-" Jhaspar began.

:He will come with his Companion, of course,: Jayl stated, :unless you wish him to walk.:

Before the King's Own or Kara could voice any argument, Jayl had turned and left the chamber.  The Council members quickly followed, muttering to each other about the meeting.

Menith frowned, unsure of what he thought about Neoka's future arrangements.  But he did know this: Jhaspar and Kara did not get what they wanted.

And for now, that was all Menith needed.

Author's Note: ^^ bigger chapter for everyone who wanted one!  This chap got a "meh" and a shrug from my grade-o-meter.  The next chapter is where we get things rolling.  Well, tell me what you thought of this one, k?  Reviews very much help my will to write *wink*