16647 she is telling him why she left as she did

Gale shook her head. “I don’t know why they would have. Yet I guess I should have seen it. But I could open the near gat when I six and the older one when I was eight. It is just ridiculous for them to assume I went to the furfins. I guess I should have opened the first gate, but I didn’t want to mess up the rites it was near time for. Philip always had a hard time with it if the gate has been used recently, so I just opened the older one, which I guess they didn’t check. Still to think that I would. I mean they might not have known I could open the other two gates, or make my own. Yet still to think that I would go willing to seek death. Hell Edler Jacson knew that I had found a spell that would put them in a trance. I showed it to him. It is how I saved little Nacey. I wasn’t strong enough then to hold it for long, but they knew my abilities were increasing. Therefore it is unreasonable to think that I would have died even had I went that way. It never occurred to that I would be listed among the dead. I have no idea now. No wonder you looked so shocked. I just thought it was where I was. I don’t know what to do. I have no problem with them knowing I am here. They are going to see me. Yet what is the best way? I was going to offer to go to the house, but now. Well what do you think, what would be easier for you?” She took one of the fries, and then nodded at his. “I hope this is all right, Vale said he had taken you to Harvy’s and you seemed to like it. I got you some mushrooms as well. I still don’t see why you like them so much.”

Deviling reached for his hamburger and took a bite both to buy time and to try to reassure her. Everything just felt so strange. It was so odd that she would buy the food. Being the older he was usually the one that had the money. A part of him just could believe she was there and so sure of herself. Not the girl he was used to, that would try and hide so much of who she was. It was easy to tell she didn’t hide any longer. Then being a rider it was likely not possible. There were very few that of raiders as being anything but strong mages and skilled fighters. “I had best say that I saw you and do it soon or they will be more troubled when they do if I haven’t said anything. So what do you want to said? That is do you want them to know where you are living or just that I have seen you around? It is so odd that we both turned up here.  Just how did you end up here of all places? The stories about us that the traders have been sharing were getting troubling and so the elders realized that we need to combat them. After looking at the choices they thought that the exchange program they had rejected a few years ago would be the place to start. So they random selected twenty university students in good standing and asked them to be the first. As much as I wanted to refuse when my name was selected, I couldn‘t, there were too many watching, it would have sent the wrong message. We need to do this, to show who we are and how we live before the hate gets to strong. We need the friendship. If I refused it would have made others think that Uncle had told me to, that there were problems with it. So here I am, for all I never wanted to travel.”

Gale said. “You might as well tell them where I am, it wouldn’t take them long to figure it out. I think I might have one outfit that isn’t blue or red. Even if I am not in uniform my clothes are in my colors anymore. Even the gowns are, and will have my dragon on them someplace. Same with any unit commander, we need to be easy to find.” He looked at her and she shrugged. “If it is to odd to be attached to your little sisters unit, even just for fitness training, I will transfer you to Steve, he will likewise be see that you will be able to make it out of the service alive. If it helps you will be working with Beth, she my lead medic. Last year of her residency, but passed to work unsupervised, which is a big help to me. When both our teams are here Beth is still over the medics, but if we are separated Mike is Steve’s lead, so you would report to him if you want to move to the silvers.” It was her turn to take a bite and work out what to say, how to explain why she came here. Just how much should she say? It was a lot to explain, for all it happened so fast.

Devlin shook his head and said. “I thought that my place here had something to do with you and its fine. After all you have been my main teacher of combat survival since you were six, and took my practice blade away from me as I was holding it wrong. It has never bothered me that you are better at this stuff. Now if it was Robin or Wallace, then it would be an issue just because I have so often had to stop them from charging into a fight they weren’t ready for. They are better now, but still it is hard for me not to see them as rash. Just how? I mean I didn’t think that you would be a captain yet. Somehow I thought they would be older, grad students at the least, if not out of school.”

Gale said. “I can bet you were upset. I never expect to see you. I am glad that you are giving it a chance, for all it isn’t what you want. In the other branches most of the officers are grads, or at least in the last year of their masters. The Air core is different in a lot of ways, after all the dragons years factor just as much as the riders. That said we have two ranks, one in the unit and one in the service. Not all captains are officers which causes a few headaches. It can be a bit of a mess. Until this past month there was always an old team sent with us. I started forming my unit last October when it became clear that I just wasn’t going to fit into any of the formed ones. I just didn’t have the same style. Well Steve and I do, but um, well I just ended up taking command when we tried to work together. So it just made sense to go ahead and start my unit for all I had intended to wait a couple of years, until I had a few more years.”

She took a bite of the burger and closed her eyes. It was going to be hard no matter how she led into it. He had a right to know. Not just how I got here, but what led up to my leaving. He was told nothing of the last years. “I am a senor, so that helps I don’t know what they would do if I had of come in as a freshman, it was bad enough that a previously unknown junior was starting a new unit. Just glad that I had done internet classes, for all they were tricky to hide. I’m majoring in military tactics and history. The history would have been alright, but not the tactics. After all that is one of the fields intend for males. It would have possible worked if I had of went with Temple, he had come to accept that, after the arms classes. For all he tried to talk me into stopping them, to refocusing my energy to more fitting activates. However I took the classes through a university in Estaer. So I had to watch it., as there was no way he would have possibly allowed it. It was a bit tricky, but Estaer accepts sword master as proof of adulthood. So all I had to do was get it. He of course wouldn’t let me, but well Uncle Wane took us to the Carter fair in Edinburoh, Estare. Father was lived when he found out about the trip. I don’t know if he even knew there was an arms contest or that Robin and I entered it. Anyway after that it was no problem enrolling in the school, though I do wonder what they thought I was using the money on. It took a lot of baking to buy the books, but I managed.”

Devlin looked at her. “I had no idea. Just how did you pull it off? Where did you find the time to get everything done? Mother said that you were really selling the cakes, and I know you were baking a lot when I was home, but I had no idea. You didn’t seem to be reading that much and you had your stripe then? But it wasn’t on your blade you were using. I watched a few of your lessons. I could tell you were skilled. Father said you were a natural, but he was worried that you were not being given a chance to decide what you wanted in life because of your skill with the blades. I don’t think he knew a thing about you having your master, either.”

Gale said. “He knew before I left, but not for the first year, or I don’t think he did.  I just used the sword I had been given when I earned a blade, kept the one I won in my trunk. I wasn’t ready for that discussion. I wanted to be sure of what I was going to do. At that time I was still trying to believe that I could go to Temple and join the sworn. They let women join, unlike the other troops. It wasn’t like I ever carried a blade outside of class anyway so I didn’t see why it mattered. I don’t think anyone knew that first year. I might have, but well I answered another Power’s call instead.” She took out the first necklace, the one for her Goddess. He looked at it and then at her, shocked. The Crone was talked of, but her servants were seldom seen. Most followed the Dual Lord, and the temple. Not that the others were outlawed, just mostly forgotten. “I was at the old village, the ruins we found. They went further than you had a chance to explore. There are temples to all the nine. I would go there and talk to them all as I was trying to work things out. It just felt right. I never thought one of them would answer. Yet they did, and I found where I belonged. The Dual Lord did say they would take me, but that wasn’t what my heart wanted, as they knew. It was hard, but I had to do what was right for me, over what anyone wanted. Even though I knew it would hurt Father, deeply. I was going to telling him, but not the way it happened. We were having a game night. One of the dice took off. I didn’t even think of my necklace when I bent down and picked it up, but it fell out of my shirt. I didn’t notice just went back to the game and took my turn. Only notice something was wrong when Robin didn’t yell when I jumped his piece. I looked up and saw them looking at me. Before I could say anything Father was yelling about my necklace and demanded I take it off. By the time it was over he knew that I have given my oath. After that things were harder for me at home. He started watching where I went, and warning me against leavening. So I took off in the night, leave letters behind. I thought that would be better for everyone, but it was worse.”