Chapter 16 - Moving House

Once the decision was made, the head of the town guard was called in and informed of it. They were more than happy to help, to guard someone with as much magical aptitude as Silaira had was generally considered a great honor after all. He went ahead to the guardhouse to inform the others so the word could be passed along, that the Skyweaver family was staying with them and for how long.

They stood out in the night after the guard had left, her mother continuing to stroke Silaira's tail to calm her as her father looked to Mystari, "Thank you, Head Mystic Mystari, for working to assure our child's safety and for understanding that we don't want her to be alone."

"I've no children of my own," Mystari revealed with a small sad smile, fate had taken that chance from her some time ago, "Still, I know what it is like to want to protect something very dear to your heart. Lead the way to your home. We'll escort you to the guardhouse before retiring for the night."

He glanced from her to her guard, who only nodded once in agreement with Mystari's decision at his scrutiny, "You are certain? I know that you spoke of being tired in order to escape the festivities…but you truly look it, head Mystic. This early, we should be safe. You needn't worry about us."

Mystari shook her head slightly, "This is a small task, a little thing I can do to help put a child at ease," her gaze moved to Silaira, "Would you walk beside me for this trip? I want to hear your fears, to hear the stories the young ones tell these days…So that I may warn you what holds a grain of truth and what is just a story."

Silaira ended up walking beside Mystari with her mother at the other side, a gentle hand resting between her ears. The idea that some of the stories that had been told through the afternoon were false was calming her already.

Mystari spoke gently, asking Silaira to relay what she had heard and then confirming or denying the truth of it. To the idea of being snatched while someone had hold of her, the Mystic said quietly, "They've the same magic as anyone else," she explained, "Certainly, they could probably fake some things, but they cannot remove a hand from your own without your notice."

"So, if we keep her close she'll be safer?" It was not Silaira that asked softly, but her mother.

"Yes," Mystari answered with a slight nod, "The ones we have safeguarded from them have always had someone else close at hand to watch over them," her eyes trailed once more to Silaira, "Your magic guarantees that you will some day be someone very important Silaira. We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe. I'll make certain the people coming to get you are on their way straight here by morning at the latest."

Silaira nodded slightly and joined her mother in gathering things when they reached the family's small home. Her father stayed outside with Mystari and her guard, watching over the only entrance that would not have to be shattered in order to gain entrance to the abode.

"What will they do to my child if they take her?" He asked at length.

"You should not ask questions you do not want the answers to," Mystari responded evenly.

"I may not want the answer," he said quietly, "But I do need it. You say she'll be very important some day…won't that apply to them as well? Won't it make them fight even harder to get her?"

Mystari sighed, almost hating that the man was incredibly intelligent, smart enough to know that her words held more meaning than she let on, "I can tell you that they will take great care in how they mistreat her, if they do so at all. They will not risk her death, will not risk that she could lose a limb, will not risk doing anything that could harm her ability to bear children in the future either. Their means of controlling her will be far more limited due to those things. The ones we've found years after they were snatched away have always shown scars, some have even been missing fingers, toes…an eye. She will be free of those means of coercion, free of many poisons too because they can damage her ability to ever bear children. That means, though, that this entire village is a bargaining chip now and your elders know that. I fear one or more of them will sell her to the guild for an empty promise of safety 'ere too long."

Her father nodded slightly, falling silent until his mate and child came back out of the house. They hadn't brought much along with them considering the guardhouse had most things. Her mother only had some particular herbal teas she'd mixed herself as well as clothing. Silaira had even less, just her books and pocket watch, its chain attached to a loop on her pants. The guards could stop by later for anything else, they had the important things and that was what mattered.

Not too much later, they settled into a vacant room of the guardhouse. Her father had joked about putting them in a cell to make it just a little bit harder to get to them, the guard had laughed but shook his head. They were friends, they would not be treated so poorly. The room was not large, around the same size as Silaira's own room made smaller by a bed the size of her parents that had recently been moved into it in place of the small one that had been there. She and her parents would sleep together, so that they could be close at hand in case of trouble.

It took a little while, but they settled for the night after a warm cup of tea. Mystic Alnus would have to stop by the guardhouse for her training, they'd decided earlier. Her diving training as well as her Ghostwalking training would have to be on hold until they reached the capital. Once there, they'd be far safer. The capital had all kinds of detection spells running at all times, none could enter or leave the city without someone being alerted of it.