Andre Norton - Ciara's Song

Geavon’s men, headed by his grandson, escorted them, acting as if they expected bandit hordes to descend ravening at any moment. Harran met them halfway to Aiskeep. Aisling was delighted to see him. She listened to all the small news of home before Keelan interrupted urgently.

“Did Shosho return, Harran?”

The Armsmaster grinned. “She did indeed, Lord Keelan. Where she had been I know not. What she had done there I can tell you. She’s heavy in kitten. She seems well enough but she is missing you, I believe.”

Keelan gulped, looking hopefully across at his grandmother. It would be Shosho’s first litter, and his cat was already four. He knew it could be dangerous for a cat to bear kittens for the first time when she was older. Ciara nodded to him.

“I’ll look her over at once when we’re back at Aiskeep. Don’t worry. Most cats kitten easily. They know what to do, they’ve been doing it without humans for a very long time.”

Privately she wondered. No use telling the boy all that could go wrong, though. They’d be home soon enough. She stretched, she was so tired. Her own bed at Aiskeep with Tro beside her would look wonderful. For now they’d have to make do with the tent.

Being home was one of the best things in the world, Ciara thought a week later. Of course there were problems. Shosho would kitten any day now and Ciara didn’t like the look of things there. Then there was Aisling. Using her gift so frantically to open that door seemed to have started something.

Twice Aisling had given someone a shock. Keelan had been the first, the day after they got back. The girl had been tearing from place to place and finally Keelan had seized her hands and whirled her around.

“Slow down, you’re making me giddy.” Then he’d released her with a surprised yelp. “Ouch! What was that for?”

Ciara had been close enough to see silver fire glimmer briefly about their clasped hands. Aisling had been upset and apologetic. It had just happened, she insisted. She hadn’t willed it, hadn’t even been thinking of it. Two days later it had happened again when Trovagh hugged her good night.

Ciara had wondered if it was some kind of overflow effect. Use it or it uses itself. She had taken her granddaughter out quietly the next morning at dawn. There she’d thrown most of the work of healing a sick lamb onto Aisling. It appeared to have worked.

For a few days. But today Ciara had hugged her good morning and felt the sudden flare. There seemed to be a circle. Use the power to damp it down. But the more it’s used the faster it builds. The more you damp it down with use, the faster it returns and at higher levels.

Ciara had an unpleasant feeling that it could end in Aisling burning up. There must be controls, but she’d never learned them. Those in Karsten who might have known and been able to teach were gone, either by death or departure.

Ciara sighed. Life! Just whenever you thought things were going better, something came along to prove you wrong. From the sound of pounding footsteps racing down the passage toward her room, that was about to be verified. Keelan arrived through the door opening already yelling.

“Come quick, come quick, Shosho’s started.”

The small cat had. What was worse, Ciara thought an hour later, they did have a real problem. From careful investigation she could find only one kitten present. It was huge. Keelan was getting under her feet, Aisling had vanished. And right now Ciara wanted one and not the other.

“Keelan, listen to me. I need Aisling. Go and find her as fast as you can.”

That got him out of the way. Ciara soothed Shosho. “Steady, my sweet. I don’t know what you found out in the hills but you should have thought twice. I know what needs to be done, but I need Aisling’s power to do it. Pray Cup and Flame she hasn’t used up her gift on something already.”

Keelan arrived back with Aisling in tow. “I found her. What now?”

Ciara had had enough. “Now, my lad, you go out to the stables. I want a comfortable nesting box for Shosho and her baby when it arrives. Make a step half height at the door. That way she can go out but the kitten will stay in for a few weeks. Pad it inside with carded wool. Eshwin’s garth may spare you some. When you get that done I want a fire in the smaller hall and water heated there. Now get on with it.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll get it done at once.” He was bustling out of the door leaving Ciara and Aisling in peace.

Aisling grinned. “How much of that is necessary?”

“Well, the nesting box will be useful. But Elanor probably has carded wool. He doesn’t have to go half an hour’s ride to find that.”

“What about hot water, we don’t need that, do we?”

Ciara snorted inelegantly. “Oh, yes we do. Once we’re finished here we’ll all enjoy a rest and a hot drink.” Aisling giggled. “Now, I want you to relax, slide into the mists, and let me use your power. You can watch what I do. But try not to tighten up or stop the outflow. I know what needs doing, but I just don’t have enough of my own gift. If Shosho dies, Keelan will be devastated. Are you willing to do this?”

“Of course.”

“Then begin.” She watched Aisling’s breathing slow. She reached out to take the young hand, placing it on her shoulder, positioning the girl just behind her. “Keep your hand there until I say you can remove it.”

She called her own mists, dropping into them with the ease of long familiarity. She turned her concentration to the cat. The kitten lay in the right position, it was just too large to be birthed normally.

What she was about to do was unorthodox. But it was all she could think of. She drew on Aisling’s power, mind sinking deeper into the small cat’s tissues. She gathered the process up, she must do this and this. Then she drew hard on her granddaughter’s gift.

The silver mist came to her calling, and poured into the cat. Under that demand, that impact of power, tissues became elastic, almost fluid. They stretched far beyond normal. She held them, then nudged the contractions.

Shosho strained. Slowly her kitten appeared; it gasped, squirmed, and came free. Ciara reached again, drawing more power. They might pay for this once she was done, but for now she would use what they had. She poured more power into the stretched tissues as they returned to normal slowly, then she added strength to the exhausted cat. She monitored her granddaughter. The girl was power-drained but not exhausted. Ciara was the same.

It was well. Finally she withdrew, touching Aisling’s hand.

“You can let go now.”

Aisling did so, folding abruptly to the rug. “Phew. I didn’t know power could be combined like that.”

Ciara’s voice was dry. “Nor did I, but we had to do something. I thought I’d heard my grandmother say once that this was possible. I was very young so I could have misheard.” Her voice was suddenly wistful. “We lost so much when Yvian ran mad. My own mother’s gift was small and only for healcraft. But she at least was trained. She’d begun to teach me a little, but sometimes it seems that with less than full-blood the gift comes later. I’d barely begun to learn before everything was gone.”

And that, she thought silently, may be your trouble. You read as a woman of the Power to me—full power. But it’s come late, you’re untrained, and I know of no one who may help. But I do also recall Grandmother saying that was dangerous to the one untrained where the power comes suddenly. There’s no growing into it.

She thrust away her fears, helping Shosho care for the kitten. As his fur dried Ciara admired him. But looking down at the squeaking kitten she wondered again who Shosho had found as a mate.

The kit was large. Dried now, fur fluffed, he looked even bigger. It was impossible to believe Shosho had carried him. Why he was almost half the size of the small cat. Nor was he the usual color or markings. His fur had dried a sort of brownish-yellow. There was a dark-furred V on his forehead, and another like a necklace upon his breast.