"Where do you think you're going, Kelanthra?" asked a harsh voice.

"Going upstairs to get my harp so I can practice, Aunt Lina," responded Kela quietly. "If I don't play well tonight, the inn's not going to make as much money as usual, will it?"

"You can practice after you've swept out the common room and wiped the tables," snapped Aunt Lina. "Now get moving!"

Kela sighed and went to the common room. When her parents were alive, she wasn't required to spend so much time cleaning the inn. Her parents had understood her love of music, and she was allowed the entire afternoon to practice her harp and later the fiddle. But then her father died and her Aunt Lina and Uncle Jorlan had moved to the inn to help out. A few weeks later, Kela's mother had followed, too full of grief for her late husband to want to continue living. Things had drastically changed.

Kela's brother, Mikhail, was relegated to stable work. Kela was allowed to still play in the evenings for the custom, but she no longer had the afternoons free to practice. Her aunt set her many chores to do before she was finally free to practice. Her cousins Adalia and Nicolas were sympathetic, but there wasn't much they could do. Ady had tried to take over some of Kela's chores, but Aunt Lina had put a stop to it when she found out. Nick didn't think it fair that Mikhail had to move to stable work when he had orginally helped his father with the cashbox and drinks. However, when Nick protested it, Uncle Jorlan had cuffed him and told him not to meddle in what the adults planned.

After a few minutes, Aunt Jina had gone upstairs to tidy out the bedrooms. Ady slipped into the common with a rag. "I'll clean the tables, Kela," she whispered. "It's simply awful of Mother to treat you like this. You're her niece, not her servant."

Kela smiled gratefully. Ady was her best friend in all the world and understood her completely. Ady loved music as well, but unlike Kela, had no gift for playing it. When a traveling musician named Nightingale had given Kela the harp, Kela had let Ady play it. Ady had produced music, but couldn't learn any fingerings for songs. All she could do was pluck at the strings and produce various notes. A similar thing happened when Kela's parents had bought the fiddle from a peddler. Ady could only produce squawks and screeches. Kela managed to figure out how to play a few songs after many tries, but her cousin couldn't. So in the end, Ady gave up and let Kela be the one to play wonderful music.

With Ady's help, the common room was soon tidy. Kela went upstairs to get her harp and fiddle and then went to the stable. If she played in the common room, Aunt Lina could interrupt her and find more chores to do. Practicing in the hayloft of the stable wouldn't bother the animals, and Mikhail nor Daren Hostler would set her other tasks to do.

Kela tuned her harp and played the very first song she had turned, "Heart to the Ladies." She remembered when the musician Nightingale had taught her the song. She had been five, and begged to be allowed to play one of the harps for a bit. Nightingale had let her and looked surprised when Kela had plucked out a few notes of 'Heart to the Ladies'. The musician had then proceeded to teach Kela the entire song and the next morning, had said that she could keep the harp. Kela had been delighted with the gift. Before Nightingale left, she had taught Kela another song, "Summer Cider".

Other traveling musicians, most with bird names, had taught Kela more songs to play on the harp. The village priest, Father Preston, knew a number of songs on harp, mostly church ones, and had taught them to her. He was kindly man who told her that if she had been born a boy, she could attend the Bardic Trials at the Midsummer faire in Kingsford. He added that if he had been a better musician, he would have attended the Trials himself instead of joining the Church.

When Kela was seven, a peddler had stopped by. Among the things for sale had been a second-hand fiddle. Kela's parents had bought it for a night's lodging and five silver pennies. After many tries, Kela had managed to figure out how to play some of the songs on the fiddle. A fiddler named Raven, who was dressed in Gypsy colors and looked half-brigand, taught her more songs.

By the time Kela was eight, she was playing evenings for the custom. Thanks to her, the inn was taking in more money, for folks could count on her to play even if there were no traveling musicians staying. Her aunt and uncle understood this, but they didn't see the point on her spending so much time practicing.

Kela opened her eyes and went to pick up her fiddle. She paused when she saw that Mikhail and Nick were in the hayloft as well. "Good playing, Kela," said Mikhail.

Nick nodded. "You would make a great Guild Bard, Kela. Well, after you've had some proper lessons."

Kela sighed. "How am I going to get that? I don't have the money to pay for lessons, and Aunt Lina and Uncle Jorlan would never pay for it. Father Preston has taught me to read music, but he can't teach me composition."

"You forget about the money our parents had saved up," said Mikhail quietly. "Father told me where it was hidden because someday I was to take over running of the inn when I was old enough. He and Mother didn't tell you because you didn't need to know, because they knew that you would become a proper musician."

Nick snickered. "You remember when my father was searching all over the inn to find out where Uncle Lorcan hid his profits? He never found it. And Aunt Jessy never told him where it was. Father figured you wouldn't know, Kela, and Mikhail said he had no idea when asked, though he was the one that moved the box to a new hiding place. Finally Father gave up looking."

"So where is it now?" asked Kela.

Mikhail peered down the ladder, then dug under the straw in the far left corner of loft. A minute later, he produced a box, filled with silver coins. "There should be enough in here to pay for lessons for a year with some left over for other expenses."

"I added some more money to it," said Nick. "It would be best if you ran away sometime in the next few days and fulfilled your dream of becoming a bard. I love my parents, but they're not very understanding of you."

"But what about you, Mikhail?" asked Kela anxiously.

"Our parents' will said that I inherited the inn and would run it as soon as I turned twenty-one," answered Mikhail. "So when I'm old enough, I can ask Uncle Jorlan and Aunt Lina to leave and take over the inn."

"But that's four years away!" protested Kela.

"I'll survive," said Mikhail. "It's not like our aunt and uncle are abusing us. I just have to work in the stable for now."

"And I'll be here to make his life better," said Nick, patting Kela on the hand. "So don't worry, Kela."

"All right," said Kela. She stowed the box of money back in its hiding place. Mikhail and Nick went back to their chores and Kela resumed practicing.

She decided to run away that night, after the inn closed and everyone else had gone to bed.