“Beautiful morning, Cassidy,” Anwen called. Anwen was one of the other village girls and of an age with Cassidy, but they didn’t get along well. Anwen thought Cassidy was just a bit crazy and not at all interested in the right things such as gowns, parties and boys. Cassidy thought Anwen was a superficial whore who was only looking to climb into bed with any man who was stupid enough to take her. “I love your cloak. Green really isn’t your colour, but it would look really good on me. Where are you headed?”

“Guess.”

“You would be, wouldn’t you? You’re going to get yourself into trouble spending time with that crazy old man. I heard my father say he’s a wizard and should be hung.”

“Hanged.”

“What?”

“The word is hanged, not hung.”

“Whatever, he should still be hung. Besides, what good is he going to do you? He’s too old to marry.” Anwen was looking puzzled, but she sounded as if she really wanted to understand what anyone would want with a man they couldn’t marry, or at least get into bed.

“I don’t want to marry him. He’s just better company than the likes of you.”

“How dare you?” Anwen demanded, but Cassidy just turned her back and stalked away.

Her shoulders trembled she held them so rigid, and her jaw ached from being clenched so tightly. She always left any encounter with the village girls feeling like this, but Anwen was by far the worst. Cassidy wished that just once she would have the courage to tell Anwen what she thought of her, but she knew that day would never come. Being outcast for something like that was too much for her. As much as she despised these girls she felt some deep-rooted need to be approved of by them. Hawk always told her not to let them bother her, that they were just jealous that she was comfortable with herself while they still sought themselves beneath all the trappings. Cassidy knew better. She knew they had no reason to resent her comfort level. They had never seen her hands, but then, neither had Hawk. Over the years she had become very adept at hiding her hands.

The village quickly melted away behind her as her step quickened. The last time she had been to see Hawk he had been sick. That had been nearly a week ago and she hadn’t heard anything since. Her parents kept her busy with chores so she wouldn’t have time to go visit Hawk, since they didn’t approve of him any more than anyone else in the village did. After all the work they had her do in the last week, however, there was nothing left for her to do for the rest of the day. She was near frantic to find out how her friend was recovering.

Hawk lived outside the village, on the edge of the bordering forest. Cassidy could only remember him once coming into the village proper, and it wasn’t an incident she cared to repeat.

She had fallen ill and had barely been able to open her eyes much less get up and go see him. After two weeks of not hearing from her he had become worried and had come to find out what happened. He had found her in bed, the house empty. Her parents, after accusing her of playing sick in order to get out of doing her chores, had left to do them for her. She would be soundly punished for it later, just like every other time she had become unwell.

No matter how hard she tried when he came in she had been unable to open her eyes to greet him. The light hurt her head too much. Finding her like that Hawk immediately set about lighting a fire in the fireplace and Cassidy heard him banging through the cupboards trying very hard, but unsuccessfully, to be quiet. She had no idea what he was looking for, but when he brought her a drink she decided it must have been a glass.

Hovering next to her he had gotten her into a sitting position, holding her in one arm while helping her drink with the other. Whatever had been in that cup, she had never dared ask him, had tasted bitter. She shuddered and her eyes flew open. He stayed with her like that until she had finished the entire glass, then he had gently laid her back down and went to tend the fire.

Cassidy had felt better just for having Hawk near. He had remained by her side the entire day, sometimes stroking her short, auburn hair, sometimes just sitting close by. Twice more he had given her the foul tasting liquid and once he had even managed to get some food into her. She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt more safe than having him there taking care of her.

A little while before sundown the bitter brew had taken effect. She could sit up on her own and it didn’t hurt to open her eyes anymore. That was when her parents came home. They took one look at Hawk alone in the room with their precious daughter whom, that morning they were going to punish severely for being near death and now was nearly restored to perfect health again, and went ballistic. Her father pulled a large hunting knife from his belt and had advanced on Hawk holding the blade to his throat. Her mother ran out of the house screaming that a crazy man had poisoned her daughter, possibly even raped her. Men from all over the village had responded to the cry and come running. They had chased Hawk out of the village, back to his house and tried to burn it down around him.

Fear had propelled Cassidy to her feet. She ran after Hawk as quickly as she could without collapsing. She had barely been able to sit moments before. The anger of the men frightened her, but thoughts of what they might do to her only friend with their flickering torches kept her feet moving. As soon as she had them in sight she screamed. The men turned, and, seeing her, remembered that Hawk wasn’t the real concern. After they had fawned and fussed over her and made sure she was all right they packed her off to bed to make certain she was up to do her chores in the morning.

That was the only time Hawk had ever come into the village. After that Cassidy had made him promise her that he would never return. She brought him anything he needed from the shops and kept him company. She didn’t want to risk another incident.

Cassidy shook her head to clear it of the memory. It had happened over a year before, but the torches still haunted her every time she closed her eyes.

Looming up before her was the giant oak that marked the edge of the village proper and the start of the walk through the forest to Hawk’s. The leaves that were just started to turn colours and fall crackled under her boots. She plucked up one of the last summer flowers and settled the soft, cream blossom into her almost maroon spikes of hair.

The smoke curling out of Hawk’s chimney always tipped Cassidy off as to when she was approaching the house before she could see it. The house was well hidden in the trees, but she could find it on a moonless night.

The house appeared closed up, but Cassidy knew better. Opening the door she slipped inside. Hawk was sitting before the fire stirring a pot of bubbling soup. Cassidy often wondered why he cooked so much food all the time since she hardly ever saw him eat it.

“Hawk.” He turned at the sound of her voice and patted the seat next to him by the fire. Cassidy went and joined him, brushing a piece of his shoulder length silvery white hair out of his eyes for him with a smile. “You’re better.”

He made a face. “Of course I’m better. You didn’t expect me to wait until you could come nurse me back to health, did you? I was sick nearly a week ago.”

Cassidy dropped her gaze to her lap. She began twisting her cloak in her fingers, which were buried beneath it. “Some things take longer than a week to recover from. I haven’t been able to come out here and check on you, see if you needed anything. I was worried, I’m sorry.”

Hawk tousled her hair, something he had been doing since she was a child and had hair long enough to properly tousle. Now her hair just sort of ruffled a little. “Don’t be sorry, child. I’m touched that you would worry about an old man like me, but I’m fine.”

“You know I worry about you, Hawk. All the time.”

“I know, dearest, and I love you for it, but this time you really didn’t have to. So you can stop shredding the edge of your lovely cloak now.”

“Oh!” Cassidy started and tucked her hands deeper within her cloak, but she stopped picking at the stitching.

“A summer lily,” Hawk whispered. “I thought they’d all be long dead, by now. It’s beautiful.” He reached out a hand and caressed the flower resting behind her ear, brushing her cheek in the process.

Reaching up and pulling the lily out of her hair Cassidy made certain the bloom was covering the palm of her hand before she held it out to Hawk. “Take it.”

Hawk shook his head. “That beauty belongs with you.”

“Well, if it belongs with me then it is mine to do with what I please, and I wish to make a gift of it to a friend. Please take it.” Hawk lifted the flower from her hand, which she quickly turned away and tucked once again beneath her cloak. The blossom rose to his nose and then remained in his hand for him to gaze upon for a time. Cassidy watched as well as each petal trembled in turn beneath a loving caress from his finger before he gently resettled it upon her hair.

“If I am to take it then I shall choose where it rests best, and I think looks best where it started.”

“You are unbelievable,” Cassidy admonished, but when Hawk made a face she had seen too many times before on the little boys who have been caught braking the rules, but know they will get away with it, she couldn’t help laughing and throwing her arms around him. “And I love you for it.”

“Why don’t I pack up lunch and we’ll take a walk. It’s a nice day we don’t need to spend it locked up in here.”

Cassidy snorted. “A nice day? I couldn’t wait to get to your hearth. It’s cold out there!”

Hawk pushed her cloak behind her shoulders and touched her bare arms with a warm hand. “Perhaps if you wore something a little more weather appropriate you wouldn’t be so cold.”

“I wasn’t planning on spending vast amounts of time outside. My cloak is warm and I like this dress.

Fingering one of the loose sleeves of her simple yellow-cream dress Hawk smiled at her. “I know you do, dearest, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to wear clothing that isn’t proper for the occasion. Once the leaves start turning you should consider long sleeves.”

“I did consider long sleeves, but I decided I would rather wear this.”

“Did I mention you should save that dress for a special event? You don’t own anything else that looks half as good on you.”

“Only every time I wear it.”

Hawk shook his head. “Which is why you wear it so frequently.”

“I only want to please you, Hawk, and you seem to like seeing me in it so much, I mean, you wouldn’t have bought it for me when you went to Khaerrindrein last year if you didn’t want me to wear it.”

“Now who’s being impossible?”

“I learned from the best,” Cassidy smirked.

Laughing Hawk dropped a heavy winter cloak on her overtop the one she already wore then wrapped one around himself, picking up the basket of food he had finished packing. “Let’s go for that walk.”

They walked in silence for a long time. Cassidy walked so closely along side of Hawk that she bumped into him occasionally. After a while Cassidy realized that they had gone farther from the village than she had ever been before, and they were still going. She thought about saying something to Hawk, but decided against it. He knew what he was doing, and he would never take her anyplace dangerous.

After a long walk Hawk stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking more forest a long way below. Looking out Cassidy could see a lake fed from a waterfall crashing off the cliff a ways to the west. It was breathtaking.

“Oh, Hawk, this is beautiful!” Cassidy breathed.

“I thought you might like it here.” He went and sat on a huge tree that had been struck by lightening during the summer storms and was now on it’s side providing them with a table.

Cassidy spread her cloak on the ground beneath her so as not to have leaves cling to her dress and sat on the ground beside Hawk with her head on his knee. He stroked her hair absently while gazing over the cliff in the direction of the lake. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Hawk. It’s the most perfect place I have ever seen,” she whispered.

“Anything for you, dearest.”

They stayed that way, unmoving, for a long time; Cassidy basking in the comfort of having Hawk so near, her head in his lap; Hawk glad to be able to share this place with Cassidy, his fingers in her hair.

A breeze blew through bringing with it the scent of pine. Cassidy gave a little laugh bringing Hawk out of his musings. “What?”

“It’s just so silent here. I guess it makes me a little nervous.”

“It’s only silent because you’re not listening very hard.” Putting a hand on her shoulder he bent forward and whispered, “Now close your eyes.” He waited until she did so. “Feel the forest and then listen.”

With her eyes closed Cassidy cast about with every ounce of her awareness. Suddenly the forest was alive with sound. The leaves rustled in the breeze, the wind rushed through her ears, there were birds and insects, the waterfall crashed down to meet it’s counterpoint in the tranquil lake below, and for an instant she was sure she could even hear the trees growing to greet the sky. She had never heard so many sounds come together in such a way before. Aware of everything she could feel the damp earth beneath her, the vast sky above her, and even the lack of clouds in the sky. Somehow she knew that if there were clouds it would feel different, less peaceful, more alive. Only Hawk’s familiar, comforting touch on her shoulder kept her from flying apart from the knowledge of this timeless place. She and the earth were one.

Then Hawk’s hand was gone, wrenched from her shoulder so forcefully that the loss of the contact was actually painful. Her eyes flew open to discover six men standing in front of them. Hawk had stood and Cassidy followed suit.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” A large, muscled man with dark, greasy hair and black, evil eyes stepped forward. He looked Cassidy up and down with those eyes and leered. All the other men had light hair and similar faces, probably family.

Hawk took her hand protectively and stepped in front of her, between her and them. “Don’t you ever look at her that way again,” Hawk growled. Cassidy had never heard Hawk sound so angry, or scared, and she wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of the strange men or how quickly Hawk had become someone she didn’t know.

Two of the men grinned as if this were some sort of invitation. They grabbed Hawk by the arms and pulled him away from her. Cassidy took a step forward before she realized what she was doing, but the look on the dark haired man’s face froze her.

“Let me go,” Hawk snapped.

“What are you going to do, old man, wheeze on us?” A fist came up into Hawk’s stomach and Cassidy could see the air explode out of him.

“Hawk!” she screamed.

“Hawk? You a bird?” The greasy man sneered, hitting Hawk again. “Let’s see if you can fly.” They carried their captive over to the cliff edge and lifted him up.

“No! Don’t hurt him. Please. Let him go,” she pleaded running to Hawk trying to pry them away from him.

The dark haired man turned around, smiling. “Of course, anything you say, pretty. You heard the lady, boys, let him go.”

Cassidy took a deep breath and was about to thank the man when she saw what he meant. The hands holding onto Hawk’s arms let go, but they waited until he was suspended in the air over the edge of the cliff to do so.

“Noooo!” The wail escaped her as she tried to run to the cliff edge and beyond.

“Let him go just like you said, pretty, and didn’t hurt him one bit. Oh, the landing might hurt a little, but we didn’t do it.” They all laughed. Cassidy cried.

Rough hands picked her up and she quickly found herself pinned against the tree-table, a hand sliding under her skirt. “Now we’ll show you the difference between that waste of life and real men.”

Cassidy tried not to think about what was about to happen to her, but it was no use. She felt a hand between her legs, stinking breath in her face, then a sharp pain. All she wanted was for Hawk to come rescue her, but that was a hopeless dream. A picture of him, smiling reassuringly at her, flashed through her mind and she focussed all her attention on that so as not to give them the satisfaction of hearing her cry out as they all took their turn with her.

The longer she kept the image of Hawk before her the angrier she became. How dare these men, these monsters, take him from her? They came along and told her that she couldn’t ever look into his amazing blue eyes again, or see his beautiful smile, that she would never feel his arms around her, his hand on her face again, or hear him tell her that he loved her or call her dearest. She expected to find tears at that thought, but instead found heat. Her hand felt like she had set it in the firepit. When she opened her eyes the air around them had changed somehow. Lines and webs floated everywhere, comprised of tiny particles that crackled and sizzled with energy. In fact, they appeared to be pure electricity. Lifting her left hand so she could see it, right through the man on top of her, it seemed, she studied it closely. The lack of lines that everyone else’s hands had which had always bothered her was no longer the issue, what she focussed on now was the lightning bolt that was the only marking on her hand. It seemed to glow of its own accord, pulsing with the electricity all around. If she concentrated hard enough the particles seemed to concentrate around her hand. She experimented with that for a moment and found that she could make them cluster anywhere she wished, just waiting to explode out again. Smiling she released all the rage she had at what they did to Hawk. One of them screamed.

The man taking his pleasure from her jumped up and spun around just in time to see lightning come from no where and fry one of his friends. Cassidy stood letting her skirt fall back down around her ankles in relief. Men were looking around frantically trying to find where the lightning was coming from. Before they knew what was happening another one was burning.

The greasy man turned to face Cassidy. “You’re doing this, aren’t you?” Two more men screamed. “Aren’t you?” Another flash, another scream. Then only the two of them were left. “I’m sorry we ever touched you. Please don’t kill me.” He was near tears.

Cassidy smiled grimly. “This isn’t for me, this is for Hawk.” She held up her hand and the particles gravitated to it until her entire arm was hot and the marking had a light of its own. “It’s your turn to fly, bastard, into so many pieces no one will remember you existed.” Her hand came down until it was level with his face. At the same instant she released the pent up energy and the lightning sprung from her hand searing into him. He exploded.

Now that there were none of the rapists left her anger receded and the ability to see the energy went with it. She could still feel its presence, but that was secondary to the sudden emptiness she felt. Walking over to the edge and looking down she saw Hawk’s body far below. Without thinking about what she was doing Cassidy threw both her cloaks over and very carefully began climbing down the cliff face.

The rock surface was very smooth, having been worn down by all sorts of weather since time eternal, but she managed to find hand and foot holds. Twice the rocks beneath her feet gave way and she nearly went crashing down to join Hawk, but she managed to maintain her grip.

Finally she scrambled to safety on the flat ground and, scooping up her cloaks she ran to Hawk. Her eyes widened slightly as, through her tears, she saw that there was no blood. He didn’t look like he had just fallen to his death, more like he had dozed off.

Cassidy gathered his head into her lap, stroking his hair as tears ran down her cheeks and dripped off her nose. “Oh, Hawk. I love you, Hawk. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have done something. I should have saved you somehow. I’m so, so sorry, Hawk. I love you, Hawk. I love you. I love you.” She couldn’t stop babbling and was near choking on her tears. Dropping her lips to his forehead she kissed the top of his head over and over between gasped I love yous.

“I know, dearest, I love you, too.” Cassidy was going crazy, she had to be. She thought she heard Hawk’s voice and that wasn’t possible. Looking down upon his face she watched as his eyes slowly opened and she gasped, her cries starting up anew.

“You’re alive! You’re okay! Oh, Hawk.”

Sitting up slowly Hawk took the hand with the lightning bolt and kissed the mark before placing it palm to palm with his own. A tingling sensation shot up Cassidy’s arm and she inhaled sharply. “You learned,” he whispered to himself.

“Learned what? Hawk, what’s going on? I’m scared.”

Hawk put his arms around her, ruffling her hair affectionately. “I know, dearest, and I promise to explain as much as I can, but not now. I need to figure out what to do.”

“What to do! I have to figure out what I’ve done!”

“I suppose now is as good a time as any.”

“For what?”

“We’ll need food at the very least, but I can’t get back up there now. I guess we’ll just have to stop on the way.”

“On the way where? Cassidy tried again, but Hawk just continued staring off into the distance. “Hawk, do you even hear me?”

“What was that, dearest?”

Taking his hand she noted the feather in place of lines, like her hands and she realized she had never seen his hands before just as she had always thought he had never seen hers. “Do you want a list?”

“Did I really miss that much? Never mind, we should be moving. I don’t think we want to still be here when someone comes to find out what the fireworks were all about. I assume it was lighting.”

Cassidy nodded numbly. He’s a wizard and should be hung. Anwen’s words echoed through her ears. If they were found anywhere near what was left of those men everyone would surely blame Hawk and there was no telling what they would do to him. For Hawk, if nothing else, they had to get moving. “Let’s go.”

With a reassuring smile from Hawk they set off west, towards the waterfall. The cliff face blocked them from most of the wind, but still Cassidy shivered. Pulling both cloaks back around her she moved closer to her friend.

They walked most of the day in silence, but towards nightfall Cassidy began to grow restless. “Hawk, I’m happier than you could possibly imagine that you’re still alive and not hurt, but how did you survive that fall?”

“I’m not really supposed to do this, but this is an unusual circumstance.”

“Not supposed to do what? Who says?” Cassidy cut in.

“That was the law set long before you or even I were born. I’m not permitted to tell you any of what I’m about to tell you, however, I believe you have a right to know.” He held out his hands so she could see the feather on each. “A feather is a symbol of air, which is the element I can work with. Which is how I survived the fall.” Cassidy’s puzzled frown told Hawk al he needed to know. The lake was in sight, although upon closer inspection it appeared much larger than any lake Cassidy had ever seen before. It stretched fat enough that she couldn’t see the distant shore.

They stopped in the shelter of the cliff with an overhanging for cover. With no tents or food or supplies of any kind it didn’t take long to set up camp. They huddled together in a tiny alcove wrapped in wool still damp from the brief rain shower they had encountered.

“How did air save you from that fall?”

“Extend your hand.” She did as she was told. “What do you feel.”

“Nothing.” She let her hand drop.

Hawk concentrated for a moment, his brow creasing. “Now try it.” When she tried to move her hand it felt like she was pushing on a stone wall. “Just because you don’t see or feel anything doesn’t mean there’s nothing there. Air has substance to it, just like everything else. I have the ability to manipulate that substance. I can make the air solid enough to support my weight and I simply lowered myself down.”

“Why didn’t you bring yourself back up?”

“Because that takes a lot of effort and I didn’t want my energy to give out when I was almost there and to fall again. I didn’t manage to catch myself until at least halfway down. Gravity is an amazing thing.”

“But when I found you you were unconscious. If you had lowered yourself down softly why were you like that?"

“Because that sort of effort takes a tremendous amount of energy. I over taxed myself and passed out.” He winced. “And judging by my back, before I hit the ground.” Cassidy moved around behind him and began working tense muscles with experienced hands. Thumbs and heels of hands dug into his shoulders and neck and then slowly worked down his back until all the tension went out of him and he relaxed. “Thank you, dearest, you have wonderful hands.”

Leaning up against him she dropped her head onto his shoulder and allowed him to take her hand in his. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me, but then, you’re the only person who would.” She looked at her hands. “So these things really mean I can do things like call down lightning?”

“Haven’t you already?”

“I suppose so, but I have no idea how I did it.”

“That’s not really important yet. Right now all that matters is that you understand what’s happening.”

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing?”

“I was trying. It’s much easier for me to talk when you have your ears open and your mouth closed.”

Cassidy’s jaw dropped and she smacked him in the arm before burying her head back into his cloak, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

“I can’t really teach you how to use your gift, I’m not trained for it. I don’t really know what you need to learn, though, because, to my knowledge, you’re the first mage to ever stumble across it on their own. When we get to Khaerrindrein there will be people at the Hall of Mages who can teach you. For now it’s best not to start experimenting. There are limitations and dangers that are different with each different talent. No one can tall what anyone else’s boundaries are and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“So if I break one of these rules that no one can tell me it could recoil on me?”

“Something like that.”

“Than how am I supposed to keep from obliterating myself?”

“I never promised this was going to be easy, but there isn’t really any turning back, now. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let you do anything wrong, dearest. Believe it or not, I would be even more upset than you if you managed to destroy yourself.” He wrapped an arm around Cassidy’s slight shoulders, cuddling her to him. Then he kissed the top of her head, a feeling of protectiveness coming over him such as he had never felt before in all his many years. “Some of us have the ability to sense when the power is building wrong. That’s part of the training, learning your boundaries, and learning how to sense your boundaries.” He paused to plant another kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to take care of you, dearest.”

“I know you will. You always have, Hawk.” A tear worked its way out of the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek followed rapidly by another one and then another until she was sobbing in his arms.

“What’s wrong, Cassidy? What happened?”

Cassidy curled up against him practically trying to occupy the same space she was so close. “Please don’t ask. I don’t want to talk right now. Just hold me?” So he held her close and let her cry herself to sleep in his arms, a whispered “I love you” working its way out between her lips as she finally succumbed to her weariness and the safety of his arms.