A legend of brothers [Attn: Kiellan & Daelar]

[Sean]

Fate, it seemed, enjoyed the novelty of repetition.

The thought stood out Valadin's mind before the Void cleansed all distraction from concern. A wave of sweltering heat roared enveloped the narrow space of the mountain pass just after the menacing aura of Saidin being channeled drew his attention behind him. Daelar he guessed, but did not waste time thinking about. Flows of Fire spun into the air, settling over the distance between Valadin and the others. The danger of what he was about to do was instantly suppressed by the responsibility he felt for lives of his brothers. Gasping the flood of hot air filled the agonized cries of a few warriors unfortunate enough to have been charging pierced through the fog of pain.

I will not die.

Such a simple concept, yet it was one that had never crossed Valadin's mind until now. His life had never been his to keep so it had mattered little if he lost it in the past.

Now, as waded into the tides of battle, slashing into arms and legs with a feral, defiant raw he felt the value of his life. It had meaning...

The smell of scorched flesh stung at the nose and steam smothered the mountainside as hot air collided with cold. In these conditions Valadin, Daelar, Kiellan fought against far greater numbers. How many were slain before the enemy host was turned, Valadin was sure none could answer for certain. For himself he only knew the dull ache that ran up the length of his sword arm and fire searing his insides with each breath he took.

At last only they remained...them and the heap of corpses strewn at their feet. Hefting his sword over his shoulder, Valadin surveyed the destruction and remembered a time when taking a life had been difficult for him.

“Aye, seems we all made it," he replied calmly to Kiellan's initial question. He purposefully put answering the next for there was none to be given. First...

Wordlessly he approached Daelar brandishing his sword purposefully. They were two paces away when Valadin stopped. Judging from the calm expression the Seanchan wore Valadin decided he'd been preparing for this.

“Dedicated Daelar, brother..." Valadin began slowly. On the surface he appeared calm, the Void granting him serenity despite the storm of saidin churning within. “...why did ya risk our lives back there? Ya could've killed the lot o' us with that Weave. Hafta wonder...if ya jus' didn't stop to think or if that was yer aim."

By now the mist had lifted and the powerful aroma of death called crows which fluttered overhead. Soon the pass would littered with black feathers.

“Well? Have you an answer?"

The threat was there. Any warrior could look at the two and see the prologue of bloody combat in their readied stances. Valadin loathed himself for it, but he wanted more blood.

[Julio]

Daelar swept a man's leg out from under him, throwing him down onto a recently created sharp spike of stone. He looked up, and saw that there was nobody left. Time had passed, and their enemies were either gone, dead, or badly injured.

Kiellan asked Valadin if they were all okay, and yes, Daelar was. Valadin was angry at him. That was natural and well placed. "I panicked. I felt a woman channeling, and assumed that the hidden troops were meant to ambush us. That is likely not the case, now that I think of it. I saw no bows in prominence, and any other attack would be doomed to failure. I wove the first weave that came to mind, not paying attention to how dangerous it could be for us. I am still worried about the female channeler, however. I see no women in evidence."

He was vaguely frightened. Valadin would be a terrible enemy. Daelar certainly did not deserve his love in any way. Nevertheless, Daelar would have done little different. Likely he would simply have used a less deadly weave.

The pass was all too still. The cold didn't seem cheerful, as it sometimes did. Everything seemed threatening. However, it might simply be his keyed up senses after a fight. "It also seems to me that their leader is not here. I cannot be certain, though, as I may have been mistaken as to who their leader was."

Daelar waited, hoping that Valadin, or even Kiellan, would say something. Just take all the pressure off of himself.

[Sean]

Grunting, Valadin accepted the explanation, grounding his sword in its sheath. This was no time for division...saving the others would require the skill and ability of all three Dedicated.

Pushing the anger and lust for blood away proved a more difficult task than forgiving Daelar. The Battle Fury was in his skin, under his nails, and picking at the back of his eyes. Shifting in place under the pretense of probing the elevated ridges for any hidden attackers helped, but the call to beat something to bloody ruin still rang strongly. "Yer right 'bout feelin' a woman channelin'. I felt it too, but dint think much o' it."

A black feather drifted from above, settling at Kiellan's feet. "Coulda been one o' the Grey Tower though why dint they stick 'round is the question," Val asked though more to himself than the others.

One of the Blighted birds landed not far from the group of Dedicated apparently unable to wait on the feast of carrion awaiting all along the pass. A Weave of Earth sent a stone hurtling into the crow. As the creature took flight it squawked angrily at having to forsake a meal.

Bloody bottom feeders... Gazing at the sky afforded no means to estimate the time of day. This high up the clouds were around them and the heavens were shrouded in white; continuing seemed to be their only option.

"Brothers...I think we should still go on. The others might still be waitin' on us to save 'em. I dunt know what we'll find ahead, but I mean to have men an' women return to their families."

Daelar and Kiellan had already pledged to do the same, but after a fight...and his accusing Daelar doubts might have arisen. With good reason. Clasping his hands behind his back, Valadin tried to look like someone reliable though he felt the effort had fallen short, "Erm, let's head out. Eyes open. Hold fast to Saidin, we may have more need o' it," he instructed, turning to continue through field of dead.

"Jus'...." he added without looking back toward them, "...try not to kill us all by mistake."

Evidently the grim humor of soldiers was an infectious thing.

Pointedly not looking back, Val headed up the mountain pass ignoring the sickening squelch beneath each footfall. All the while his Saidin blessed ears drew attention to the faintest of sounds. It seemed impossible that anything could be done so quietly, but there was a rhythm to noise suggesting that they were being followed. By whom or what was difficult to tell, but Valadin's thoughts were to save Melita and the other men.

They had to.

[Teddy]

Kiellan was growing more and more uneasy with the conflict between his two companions. Val was right, of course. He felt like a hypocrite for thinking it, he had been channeling as well, but at least he had been sure to confine the channeling to a select area. The explosion could've done some real damage in the narrow path, and not just to their adversaries. Still, they needed each other right now, and if they were arguing among themselves, they would only be more vulnerable.

Daelar's quick apology and changing of the subject seemed to work. Val still looked angry, but he had apparently accepted the apology. Of course, there were much more important things to talk about right now. There had been a woman channeling nearby? Who could that be? Kiellan had to admit he hadn't felt it himself. He had simply thought the goosebumps were a consequence of the battle. Surprised, he realized that he could somehow think about the battle without feeling the need to throw up, something he hadn't been able to do since the Arches had shown him the horrific consequences battle could have. Perhaps the reality had driven out the fear of the imagination.

Kiellan had to force himself not to smile when Val took a crow out of the air with a single weave. A rock pierced the sky and buried itself into the bird, causing the thing to fall down from the sky. Kiellan had never been a fan of animals, but crows could be spies for the Dark One. He shuddered at the thought. Perhaps their attackers had been Darkfriends as well, and this bird was about to report to them. That was the last thing they needed, for their adversaries to be Darkfriends. That meant they might have Trollocs, as well, and maybe even worse. Kiellan forced himself to calm down a little, and as he thought about it logically, he dismissed his initial thought. There was no way there were Trollocs here.

As Val told them of his intent, Kiellan nodded. He had meant it when he said he would follow Val. He trusted the man, but more importantly, Val needed him. If he was going in there alone he was surely going to die, and Kiellan couldn't abandon his friend. Of course he was going with him.

As Val moved on, Kiellan realized something. Ever since Val had shot the bird out of the sky with that stone, something had been bothering him, and he finally knew what. "Val, wait! Val! That stone. You didn't do that with Air. Usually, when you move something, you use Air, but you used Earth. Was that... Val, was that Earth Singing?"

[Sean]

“Aye,” Valadin replied sensing as Kiellan fell in lockstep with him. “More’n one way to channel the Power, Kiellan, but what of it?”

The pass was eerily quiet and Daelar seemed subdued since their near-confrontation. Saidin still buffeted the Void with the intent to flood his senses, but Val felt focused upon their crusade. Cutting a sidelong look towards Kiellan he noted the expectant silence matched with a question in the young Dedicated’s eyes even when they weren’t looking at him.

Somehow through everything, a smile cut through the gloom.

“Earth ent just about movin’ rocks about or heavin’ up chunks o’ the ground. When saidin’s pumpin’ through yer blood ya should be able to hear…somethin’.”

Closing his eyes, he allowed the enhanced senses granted by saidin to take over. The mountain was massive; that much could be felt and told without touching the Power. Still, there was a muted melody that lay beneath the blatant power—it was that song that helped guide Earthsinging. “S’like ya can feel the gentle rumbles of the ground an’ when ya do that yer able channel those rumbles to do…well anythin’,” Val explained, opening his eyes.

If he was honest, there were more suitable teachers for Kiellan. There was a certain spark the young man had that generally lent itself to taking instruction better than most people. On more than one occasion Valadin was caught unawares by how sharp his former pupil was, Earthsinging was a lesson hard-earned; Val’s knew this firsthand. Nearly burned himself out trying to move a few stones, but desperation allowed him to learn to hear the Creator’s song in soil which he tread. Not as well as Betrys, but he heard it.

Thoughts of Bee floated into focus and with them came confusion. The Accepted had a habit of mucking up his thoughts lately. “Better ya try it fer yerself,” he added, voice deepening into the beginnings of a growl.

Wrapping his fingers around the felt cloth of his sword’s hilt Val turned attention towards their surroundings. His ears still picked up the faint shuffle of feet gliding effortlessly across the precarious rock ledges, but could not discover the source of the sound even with saidin’s gifts. Had it not been for the Oneness his entire body would have been tense and ill-prepared for an attack.

As it was everything in the near vicinity remained within notice, above and below. His feet passed over troublesome stones or skirted roots that might have otherwise tripped him. In a way he was both in the world, yet not of it. Through all his meditations reaching such a point had been difficult, but now it appeared the danger of the situation—and the import of their quest—had kindled the kind of focus that his teachers had been haranguing him to apply to his training for long.

Sampling the impression, Valadin shifted his mind once again towards a more definitive purpose. “Keep yer wits about,” he called out for Kiellan and Daelar’s sake. Better they found him annoying than they become lax and prone to surprise. “Saidin’ll give ya the chance to avoid bein’ surprised, but tis up to ya not to miss that chance.”

[Teddy]

As strange as it was, considering the circumstances, Kiellan laughed aloud when Val described what Earth Singing was like. How fitting was it that Val had the same Talent. The man had been his first teacher in the One Power, his teacher in Battle Weaves, and now this. Although he wasn't sure how strong Val was with this Talent, of course. Still, it was entertaining how similar their skillset with the One Power was.

A sense of malice emanated from Val, which told Kiellan he was holding saidin. Kiellan decided to do the same. As usual, his senses were almost overwhelmed by the smells and sounds and colors at first, but he had grown so used to that that he didn't even notice it. But the sounds didn't come from around them. They came from beneath them. The music was unlike anything Kiellan had ever head in a tavern, or in the Tower for that matter. It was beautiful, esoteric, inhuman. It spoke of richness and autumn and dying to allow new life to blossom, making room for one another in perfect harmony. Kiellan didn't think humans would ever be able to create something so magnificent.

He only nodded at Val's words, scared that his own voice would drive the music away. He wanted to show Val what he could do, and quickly wove Earth and Fire together into a violent, explosive weave, but at the last moment, he let the weave dissipate, realizing how foolish he had almost been. The weave was called a Grenade, he thought, but the explosion it would've caused would've been incredibly dangerous in the narrow passage. And who knew what the sound would've done to the mountain. Kiellan quickly forced the music to the background. He had to focus. It was a returning problem, that he had to separate himself from the Song, but it was hard.

He decided on another weave. This time, it was only Earth. There were some weaves he was better at, like the Grenade, or the Earthquake, but most of them were too violent to use in this place. Plus, they made too much noise, and he couldn't be sure there was no one around to hear. There was another thing he could try, however. The first weave was very similar to what Val had done, and he wove it into a rock on the side of the road, about the size of a melon. The weave was more controlled than the one Val had used to kill the bird, and the rock stopped moving in midair. Quickly, Kiellan wove another weave, this one just as simple, but much sharper, sharper than a sword, and sent it along the first weave. Smoothly, the rock fell to the ground, neatly split in half.

He turned his head to Val, grinning, yet also heeding his warning to pay attention to his surroundings. Saidin would tell him if anyone was nearby, and he wasn't going to ignore it. At that moment, another question popped into his head. "By the way, Val, who taught you this?"

[Sean]

Valadin occasionally observed while Kiellan practiced with Flows of Earth. Some Weaves were known to him—Garyas like a true war fanatic had made a habit of showcasing those he believed particularly useful in combat. A silent thanks went to the Creator that Kiellan wasn’t quite so taken with dangerous Weaves.

As with Betrys there appeared to be an innate ease with which the Power obeyed the Dedicated while Weaving Earth, yet it was clear as two halves of a nearby pebble dropped to the ground that the lad had yet to breach his limits. Still if not for the Oneness calming him, jealousy might have been unavoidable.

“Learned from Accepted,” Val commented, though his eyes continued to scan the cliffs. Still, nothing could be seen, but the feeling of wrongness persisted. “A stubborn one at that,” he added without explaining further.

Their trek had taken them a good distance. Now the sun broke through the clouds which were below them stirring an confounding sense of unease as one realized they stood above the heavens. Saidin fought for domination with every step. Every breath was another battle won and the struggle had come to be something dear for Valadin as it did for every male channeller. With the True Source coursing through his veins he was certain he could pick out spots of condensed water vapor where they hung in the air. The change in the elevation was a palpable thing, its effected doubled by the heightened sensitivity brought on by the Power.

Subduing saidin just enough to will a Flow of Earth into the patch of ground several paces ahead brought a smooth sphere of earth from the rocky pass ground. Unlike those not able with Earthsinging, these Flows did not rip chunks from the rock rather it was as if the rock and the pass simply parted leaving no signs of displacement that the eye could see. Of course it was an illusion. Beneath, the topsoil the compactness of the ground had likely lessened, nevertheless the feat brought some confidence—which quickly faltered at the thought of what others might have been able to accomplish; never mind what Kiellan could accomplish once he’d caught on to the knack of it. There was much Valadin had to learn of the Power.

Another Weave reshaped the sphere composed of fractured stone and a small piece of it emerged from the floating ball. “Ent just ‘bout haulin’ rocks an’ shakin’ things at yer fancy. Any man could do that with enough focus. Gotta be able to ‘see’ what the Earth could become...the potential it’s got ‘fore ya can really say yer Earthsinging.”

The mineral plummeted to the ground as the group of Dedicated passed by. “Like I said, I ent much myself, but there’s a connection ya have with these things. Jus’ gotta find yer own way.”

[Teddy]

Kiellan smiled once again when he heard where Val had learned his tricks. It was very rare for a woman to be strong enough with Earth to have a Talent for Earth Singing, and there was only one Accepted in the Tower as far as he knew.

"Let me guess. Was that Accepted named Betrys? She taught me as well. Or well, as much as any woman can teach a man about channeling. I guess I figured most of it out on my own."

Just to show off, he seized saidin again and wove another flow of Earth. This one was almost as sharp as the last, but not in a violent way. It was the sharpness of a brilliant mind, more than the sharpness of a sword. This time, he picked a larger rock. What he was about to do was harder than his last weave, and it wouldn't be perfect. Swiftly, but precisely, he sent the flow into the rock, and let it cut away the stone. At first, the chunks that fell from it were large, but as the shape of the rock became clear, the pieces started to become smaller, the cutting more precise. It was a face, that much was clear, thank the Light. Medium long hair, in a single braid, falling over a relatively youthful face, about the same age as Kiellan. The eyes were crude, the nose not as straight as Kiellan would've liked, but it was clear. If Val had met the girl, he would recognize this as Betrys.

Another weave of Earth flew the rock into Val's hands. Overall, Kiellan was happy with the result. It was nowhere near perfect, and if they hadn't been talking about her, it might have been hard to know the face as Betrys, but he wouldn't have been able to do this a couple of months ago. The studying had helped, as well as his talks with Betrys.

Kiellan smiled at Val. "If only I knew another man in the Tower with a real Talent for this, the whole process would be much smoother. No offence, of course."

[Sean]

A guttering laugh escaped Val at Kiellan's words. "None taken, friend."

Holding up the effigy of Bee almost brought on another fit of mirth. Using Weaves of Earth he smoothened the roughly formed lines of the rock replica's cheeks. There were still improvements to be made.

Handing the stone back to the other Dedicated Val continued his survey. Lightheartedness was good for a unit, but maintaining vigilance was even more so. "I might not know much, but what I do know I can show ya."

From somewhere the sound of a pebble skittering from an unseen ledge pulled at his attention, but it went unaddressed as suddenly ensuring that Kiellan's edification became more important. That ent right, Valadin told himself, but something forced his focus away from the growing sense of unease that told him to be on alert.

"See the rocks have this...heartbeat," he began to explain despite the fog filling his mind. It occurred to him that the others should be warned, but no sooner than the idea was given, a stronger voice whispered that it was better not to worry the men unnecessarily. "Earthsinging's 'bout tunin' into these beats an'...well like any good minstrel play on 'em to get the sound ya want. Hard to explain much better than that. I'll tell ya it ain't just Weavin' Earth. More to it...what, I couldn't say."

Every fiber screamed that something was wrong as they continued climbing. With each mile upward there seemed to be less air to breath. Longevity was a skill honed through the trials of contest in the Warder Yards. Val was no stranger to difficulty breathing having suffered many a blow that caused such, but this laziness spreading through his being was more likened to a disease than physical limitation. His fingers unclenched from the hilt of the sword at his hip without his bidding and he stumbled as his foot caught on some Light-cursed crack in the pass.

The Void quivered with uncertainty further evidencing the fact that something was amiss, yet Valadin's mind could not grasp the concept and continued to pay more attention to the Dedicated's Earthsinging questions.

"Listen deeply to sound. Ent somethin' ya hear right away," drawled his thick country tongue.

[Teddy]

A heartbeat. That was an interesting analogy, but not incorrect. Kiellan had always thought of it more like a voice, like the rocks, the earth, the trees and the plants talked to him, or sung to him, of what he could do, and how he could achieve that. In a way, a heartbeat was perhaps more fitting. Without the One Power, the stones just looked like stones, insentient, no life to them. But whenever he seized saidin, whenever he gave himself over to the Song of the Earth, everything around him seemed to come to life. It was like his seizing the One Power was what made his surroundings live, although he knew it was simply a way for him to hear what was always there. The Song was eternal, completely unrelated to Kiellan yet a part of him all the same.

Kiellan had never made music, but when he wove Earth, it almost felt like that was what he was doing. Everything around him had its own sounds, from the deep base of the ground beneath him to the high-pitched tones of the leaves, and the soft yet unmistakable melody of the grass. To Kiellan, channeling usually felt like creating your own materials to use, but when he was Earth Singing, he was simply composing the beauty of the orchestra around him. As he stood there, saidin in his power, even the struggle that came with the male half of the One Power seemed calm and serene, simply another sound in the perfect harmony. It was blissful, although that had its own dangers.

"I can hear it. I can feel it. It's magnificent, isn't it?" It was good to talk about it. So far, it had felt like listening to the most brilliant piece of music ever composed, unable to share it with someone, but perhaps he had found a fellow admirer in Val. But there were other things to talk about. It wasn't easy, but he managed to let go of his perfect state of serenity, and looked at Val. "Are there any tricks you might be able to teach me? I know some things, but sometimes, it feels like I missed the basics. I read a lot of books about it, but I'm not really trained."