Welcome to Gaia! ::

The moment the woman felt Miyuki next to her, she put one arm around her protectively and pulled her close with the other children.

"Lady Kirahn," the guard's voice came hesitantly.

"Can you see?" the woman asked him quickly.

"A-a bit."

"Return inside. Fetch the other woman. Bring her to the conference hall, I'll be there shortly with the children. Send for His Majesty. We have to find out what's going on."

"Yes, milady." And the man set off slowly, obediently.

"Lady Kirahn?" River spoke up timidly.

"Yes?"

"I can see a little bit, too ... mostly just colours right now but it's getting better!" She was eager to help out, and terrified to stay out here where Ioreth might still be waiting to do something more to them.

The woman nodded. "Lead us back inside, I'll give direction from there."

River took the lady's hand and started to lead all of them back towards the door that led back inside the palace.

"To the conference hall," the woman's voice replied as River led them forward. "We need to find out what's going on. The fact that someone like that could get into the castle undetected, and escape from under my nose ... it's unacceptable."

River's eyes were clearing up, and she could now see shapes, though they were still blurry.

"Who are you?" she asked the lady. "Are you Lord Jaxon's wife?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "My name is Lady Kirahn. I am personal guard to His Majesty King Eregon, Captain of the Home Guard, counselor to their Majesties, and part-time historian."

She rubbed at her eyes, furious with herself. She should have closed her eyes the moment the woman had begun to glow - but there hadn't been time!

"Um ... which way?" River asked when they reached the inside of the palace.

Lady Kirahn pointed to the left. "Circle around the courtyard. When the corridors join up again, turn right, and it's the last door on the right."

River nodded and started leading them in the direction the lady had told her.

Slowly the white faded from Lady Kirahn's eyes, and blotches of colour began to appear.

"Gift or not, she cannot be allowed in and out of the palace freely," she said, "especially if she's dangerous."

It wasn't long before they reached the room they were heading for, and when they entered there was a startled gasp.

"Lady Kirahn! Children!" Amalthea exclaimed. "What happened?"

"We're fine, Your Majesty," Lady Kirahn replied, helping the still-blind Miyuki and Amalirahc into chairs. "We will explain once everyone has arrived."

"I told you not to go after her," Amalirahc mumbled, holding tightly to River's hand just for the sake of knowing physically that someone else was near him.

"Don't worry about it now," Amalthea said quickly. "Wait until Iorlas has come, then we'll have explanations."

River's eyes were clearing now, and she looked around. There were several guards around the room, as well as the king and queen, Lady Kirahn, and the children. But even as she looked around, the door opened and in came another guard with Iorlas close behind him.

"Ah," the king nodded, his expression solemn. "Good. Please, take a seat."

Iorlas curtsied awkwardly and did as she was asked, and River wasn't sure what her expression was - afraid, perhaps, embarrassed ...

"Miyuki? River? Amalirahc?" Iorlas's voice was shaking. "Are you all right?"

"We're okay," River took it upon herself to answer for the children. "At least, I am ... Miyuki and Amalirahc can't see yet."

Iorlas looked at each of the children, then at Lady Kirahn, and then at the king and queen. "It was Ioreth, wasn't it?" she asked in a strangled whisper.

"We should have asked them to bring down Alassëa too," River said anxiously. "She could help with everyone's sight."

"Iorlas," the king said in a firm voice, "Your sister has made an attack in our home, in our palace. We need to know what is going on, and why."

"Perhaps Lady Kirahn has an idea," Amalthea added, looking at the woman.

"Perhaps I do," the lady replied evenly. "But I could be more sure if I could see properly. It's coming, but slowly."

"My own gift," the female knight replied evenly. "I have the ability to see what a person truly is. For example, when I ran outside and saw you three children, I saw different things - Amalirahc is a small dragon, proud, fearless; River, an osprey, a hunter with an adventurous spirit; and Miyuki, a fox, cunning and intelligent, playful, and with a vengeful streak."

Amalirahc blinked out of surprise, since he still couldn't see anything besides white. "You're like me!" he blurted.

"Yes," Amalirahc replied instead of nodding, since he knew that Miyuki was still having trouble seeing, just like him. "But I don't think it's what people actually are, I think it's their spirits! Because I can see Mama's spirit and Papa's spirit when I look at them, and when I look at Haldia I see her spirit, so I think it must be spirits that I see."

"Well I'm sure not a bird," River piped up. "I'm just a little girl!"

"But I see the same bird when I look at you," the boy said quietly.

"What we see, Amalirahc, is indeed what the person is," Lady Kirahn said patiently. "Even if not physically, we see their heart."

"Then if Lady Kirahn still cannot see," the king spoke up once more, his tone firm and authoritative, "then I would like you, Amalirahc, to tell us what you see when you look at Iorlas and Ioreth."

Down the table, Iorlas was trembling, but she waited in silence.