I WILL LIVE FOR YOU

One by one, the residents of the Edge came crawling out of the woodwork. The first was a Pegasus who leapt quite nimbly from a tree towering not far from him. The way she spoke to the Weyrleader showed nothing but respect, and it was obvious that the Pegasus held Mirage with high regards. Her coat was a polished golden color, the very sheen of it reminding him fondly of Romani's darker coat. "Xanthos," he said simply when she introduced herself, keeping his head level as he spoke. He didn't want to tip Sage off any more than she already was, so didn't dare comment on what she had said.

The palomino looked to him then, a look of warning in those beryl eyes. Although he hadn't been expecting to be welcomed with arms wide open, the derogatory comments directed at him were a bit of a surprise. Sage had said it with a laugh, though, as if she found her words completely acceptable. Honestly, she had every right to see these things, even if Xanthos didn't want to accept it. He had messed up bad, and it would take a long time to patch his mistakes up.

Two more showed up, then; an equine that resembled his own coloring, looking less than pleased at his presence, as well as the painted mare that he had desperately hoped would follow him during his escape. A ripple of releif fled through his veins to see that she was safe and had returned home without trouble. He might have voiced his delight, but it seemed that Solstice had her own news to share; a message from Psyche. If his memory served, there were no more prisoners residing in the Basin, but he had to wonder, was there some sort of cryptic message hidden in the Empress' words?

Mirage's words were a relief to hear, for as long as he had her forgiveness, he still felt as though he could change things around to the way they should have been. She went on, then, allowing for his mind to stray from the nasty glances and comments thrown his way. With each position that she listed, he debated whether or not he would be a good candidate. His thirst for knowledge and the need to help others pointed him towards the possibilities of a Philosopher or a Nurse, but there was something about mention of a Wraith that interested him. Sage had been right. Obviously, he was more than able to steal others away from the herdlands, a rather handy trait if it was ever needed. This time, however, he was positive he wouldn't be swayed by another prisoner. This was his home now.

"Wraith," the word rolled off his tongue after those few, long seconds of thought, "That is what I wish to be. As for information, the Basin has been rather quiet as of late. When we -- or, they -- were given the land by the God of the Spark himself, he made Psyche pledge that she would never make alliances, lest it be taken away." It might prove useless knowledge to the bunch standing before him, but it was all he knew, and an important tidbit in his own mind. He had to wonder, what exactly would the God do if the Basin went against his wishes?


BEFORE I DIE