I run for the caves, the Khagggun close on my tail. I know why they
are after me, and I cannot allow them to take me to their "Hospice," called
Receiving Spirit, which is more like a laboratory extension. The Gyrgon use
it as a place for them to perform gruesome tests on half-Kundulan half-
V'ornn children.
I was born of a union between a Kundulan Ramahan and a wealthy V'ornn Bashkir. They loved each other greatly, but I share none of that. I have nothing but a deep hatred for these V'ornn that have invaded our precious land. My parents knew that the Khagggun would be coming for me when they discovered what I was - a half-breed, and told me to flee when I was sixteen. It was none too soon. As soon as I had left the estate, the Khagggun arrived to remove me to Receiving Spirit. My father - N'Luuura take him! - told them exactly where I was headed. They came after me, and this is where you now find me.
When I get to the cave, it doesn't turn out to be quite as deep as I had originally hoped. The Khagggun have caught up with me. As the Pack- Commander gives the order to bind me, I countermand it. "Do you know who I am?" I ask in perfect V'ornn.
"Yeah. You're a slimy little half-breed that deserves whatever the Gyrgon have in store for you at Receiving Spirit." The Pack-Commander answered.
"I am Nagor, daughter of Nith Altec," saying the first Gyrgon name that pops into my weary head.
"Yeah, right. We'll see about that later." He waves his hand and two Khagggun come forth to bind and gag me tightly. One of them throws me over his shoulder as if I were of no more importance than a sack.
When we enter Axis Tyr, the Khagggun at the gate check IDs, then wave the pack through. We are headed for the Temple of Mnemonics, which is where the Gyrgon meet and do some of their work. Before the Khagggun Pack- Commander can even raise his hand to knock, Nith Altec materializes right in front of us and then says some thing that took even me by surprise.
"Yes, Nagor is my child, and it would be prudent of you to untie her before I get rather upset."
I look at him, bewildered. Nith Altec? My father?! How can this be? I thought that I was the daughter of a wealthy Bashkir, not a Gyrgon! He grabs hold of me, and with a swirl of his Greatcoat, we materialize inside his laboratory.
"Excuse me, but how can a Gyrgon be my father?" I ask somewhat timidly.
"We Gyrgon are shapechangers, Nagor. Your mother and I mated when I was in the guise of a wealthy Bashkir. She does not know of my true identity," he replies.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I mutter in the Old Tongue.
"It is true, Nagor," he answers me back in the same language. How did a Gyrgon come to know the Old Tongue? I thought that only the Kundulan Ramahan knew that ancient language.
As I look back on that incident, I can now see what it was like speaking parts of two worlds. To me, at least, it seems as though I am above a chasm, with one foot on either side of it. As the chasm widens, my feet are spread further apart, until my body is rent in two. Forgive me. I am now well into my tenth V'ornn century and tend to ramble quite a bit. Sometimes, if you listen closely, you will hear me utter old legends in both the Old Tongue and V'ornn. It can be both a burden and a boon to know both, and I am now grateful for my unusual heritage.
I was born of a union between a Kundulan Ramahan and a wealthy V'ornn Bashkir. They loved each other greatly, but I share none of that. I have nothing but a deep hatred for these V'ornn that have invaded our precious land. My parents knew that the Khagggun would be coming for me when they discovered what I was - a half-breed, and told me to flee when I was sixteen. It was none too soon. As soon as I had left the estate, the Khagggun arrived to remove me to Receiving Spirit. My father - N'Luuura take him! - told them exactly where I was headed. They came after me, and this is where you now find me.
When I get to the cave, it doesn't turn out to be quite as deep as I had originally hoped. The Khagggun have caught up with me. As the Pack- Commander gives the order to bind me, I countermand it. "Do you know who I am?" I ask in perfect V'ornn.
"Yeah. You're a slimy little half-breed that deserves whatever the Gyrgon have in store for you at Receiving Spirit." The Pack-Commander answered.
"I am Nagor, daughter of Nith Altec," saying the first Gyrgon name that pops into my weary head.
"Yeah, right. We'll see about that later." He waves his hand and two Khagggun come forth to bind and gag me tightly. One of them throws me over his shoulder as if I were of no more importance than a sack.
When we enter Axis Tyr, the Khagggun at the gate check IDs, then wave the pack through. We are headed for the Temple of Mnemonics, which is where the Gyrgon meet and do some of their work. Before the Khagggun Pack- Commander can even raise his hand to knock, Nith Altec materializes right in front of us and then says some thing that took even me by surprise.
"Yes, Nagor is my child, and it would be prudent of you to untie her before I get rather upset."
I look at him, bewildered. Nith Altec? My father?! How can this be? I thought that I was the daughter of a wealthy Bashkir, not a Gyrgon! He grabs hold of me, and with a swirl of his Greatcoat, we materialize inside his laboratory.
"Excuse me, but how can a Gyrgon be my father?" I ask somewhat timidly.
"We Gyrgon are shapechangers, Nagor. Your mother and I mated when I was in the guise of a wealthy Bashkir. She does not know of my true identity," he replies.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I mutter in the Old Tongue.
"It is true, Nagor," he answers me back in the same language. How did a Gyrgon come to know the Old Tongue? I thought that only the Kundulan Ramahan knew that ancient language.
As I look back on that incident, I can now see what it was like speaking parts of two worlds. To me, at least, it seems as though I am above a chasm, with one foot on either side of it. As the chasm widens, my feet are spread further apart, until my body is rent in two. Forgive me. I am now well into my tenth V'ornn century and tend to ramble quite a bit. Sometimes, if you listen closely, you will hear me utter old legends in both the Old Tongue and V'ornn. It can be both a burden and a boon to know both, and I am now grateful for my unusual heritage.