Chapter Twenty-Six, Ward

Ishylde considered the tearful girl beside her. Tania had managed to stay composed while she'd packed her clothes and some food into a knapsack. She'd even managed to tell her where the keys were for those trucks that worked. But when Ishylde had gone back in to help her bring out the spellbooks she'd found her new companion sobbing into the rug. She could hardly blame her; whatever sort of man Enelat had been, to Tania he'd been a father. She'd been at somewhat of a loss; grief in the mountains was normally a very private matter, if you stumbled upon someone in that state there the usual thing to do was to leave them be. But she'd been entrusted with the girl as a last request, leaving her be was no longer an option. She'd given her a clean rag to wipe her tears with and carried the books for her. She'd even waited at the gate for her, apparently while she'd never been aware of her appearance her body had been quite accoustomed to its mechanics. Her coordination was poor, and she could manage little more than a walk without collapsing.

After helping her charge up for what felt to be the hundrenth time, Ishylde just stopped and looked at the girl. She was strong, both of mind and body, but she was empty. Like a masterless golem, she lived yet had no heart.
Ishylde knew little of magic, only a few pieces of Alchemy Zack had showed her. The presence of it in the girl was strong enough that even she could feel it. Not just the power given her by Enelat's last spell, nor that small power she'd born before; her very nature throbbed with the taint of a darker more powerful spell than any she'd ever encountered. It was like the faint trace that Enelat's death had left upon her. It was both weaker with time and stength, and stronger in effect and nature. Within was the taint of another death, more tragic and less deserved. Tania was a being of magic, that could be certain; but she was not a mere golem. She was not without soul, just of a hollow one. In time she coud become as much a person as Ishylde was. It would be a long road, and if the stories told by firelight on moonless nights belied the truth she would be vulnerable to all manner of shades and demons until she came into her own. A more powerful magician would be needed to protect and guide her; someone like Alicea.

"Tania." The girl looked up, wiping a briny moisture from her cheek.
"I'm taking you with me. I serve a woman named Alicea. She's a strong warrior and a powerful magician. She'll keep you safe."
She smiled weakly. Ishylde acted on the whispering of that Nieldic voice. A maternal spirit swelled in her breast as she brushed a few copper hairs from the face of the distraught child. A soft smile grew, and she gazed kindly into her ward.
"As will I."