The Elementals by Morgan Llywelyn Page A

Salmé was trivial to him, already forgotten. He found Kesair’s attitude inexplicable.
    But then, he reasoned, who could ever understand women?

    They traveled on until Byth found his valley. As always, Kesair was following a river. It led between two hills that rose in gentle curves from the plain. Within the sheltering arms of the hills, which blocked the wind and trapped the sun, the river spilled into a crystal lake. An ecstasy of birds was in full song, and the valley surrounding the lake was fragrant with flowers.
    â€œHere we are!” Byth cried, flinging his arms wide and ignoring his arthritis. “I knew we would find this place. We’re home, chicks.”
    Indeed, the valley was beautiful enough to bring a lump to Fintan’s throat. Had Byth not already claimed it, Fintan would have wanted it for himself. But he could not deny the old man. “This is your land, then,” he agreed, “and we shall go on and find someplace for ourselves.”
    â€œStay with us until we get settled in,” Ayn urged Kesair. “Byth is not as strong as he thinks he is, and we would be grateful for some help.”
    Kesair had no hesitation about staying to help this time.
    It was fortunate, because that meant they were still there several days later, when Ladra’s women caught up with them. Several were already thickening with pregnancy.
    Ramé led the group. Her face was haggard, her eyelids swollen as if she had been crying. Ashti, the youngest of the party, was still sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve.
    Kesair hurried forward to meet them. “What happened to you?”
    â€œHe died!” Ashti wailed. “He was just sitting there, propped against a stone, and then he gave a sort of gurgle and blood started coming out of his mouth and he … and he …”
    â€œDied,” Ramé finished. “There was nothing any of us could do.”
    â€œIt was horrible!” Ashti was crying. “Horrible! He kept struggling, and his legs were running but he wasn’t going anywhere, and …”
    Kesair said to Velabro, “Take her over there, away from the others, and give her a drink, will you?
    â€œNow, Ramé, tell me just what happened.”
    â€œThat is what happened. At first we could hardly believe he was dead. You saw how he was, he wouldn’t even admit to being ill. Then all at once he was gone.”
    Listening to the conversation, Ayn was obviously puzzled. “I
don’t understand this at all,” she said. “He was sick, then he got better. Then he was weak again, then he bled at the mouth, convulsed, and died? What sort of illness is that?”
    â€œAnd how did he get it?” Fintan questioned. “Something fatal like that … could we all be subject to it?”
    Seeing the fear in their faces, Kesair wanted to tell them. But she could not. She dared not. “No one else feels sick,” she pointed out, “so we must assume this is something that affected only Ladra. Maybe an illness he’d had for a long time that we didn’t know about.”
    They wanted to believe her but they were obviously frightened. Even Velabro was frightened. She found herself trying to comfort Ashti with words she did not believe. “Everything will be all right, we’re safe, it’s all right.”
    There was no conviction in the words. Ashti continued to cry.
    In their panic to rejoin the others, Ladra’s women had left most of their supplies behind. The cattle and other livestock had been abandoned to graze and run wild. Ramé, knowing Kesair would cling to the river courses, had been able to guess which way to go and so had found them, but her practicality had not extended to taking time to pack up and bring everything. She had been too afraid of being left behind.
    There was only one thing to be done. Kesair arbitrarily divided Ladra’s women among the two surviving men. She was annoyed with