Chapter 11: The Truth Will Set You Free

"Bloody—"

"Ma? What's taking you so long?"

Alanna snapped. "What is it, Thom!"

"Just came by to tell you that they put me in a different tent this time. Master Shang…err…Fireclaw got my usual one." Alanna merely scowled in response.

"I haven't by any chance interrupted anything, have I? You look like you ate something sour, Ma."

"Thom…" her voice held a warning.

"Well," Thom defended, "I had to tell you where I was staying, else you'd probably walk into Master Sh—Fireclaw in the nude." At that, James grinned and Sathandra caught something at the back of her throat and started to cough violently.

"Oi!" James slapped her on the back, only making everything much worse. "Breathe, breathe, lass!"

"Stop hitting her, you big idiot! You're making it worse!" Alanna's face was nearly as red as her hair.

The pounding feeling on her back vanished.

"Breathe. Then swallow. In and out. Slowly, that's it. That's a good girl." Alanna spoke kindly despite the thunderous looks she was sending the unfortunate Shang Master.

Thom gave a low whistle. "Sorry about that, errr, my lady. I did not think you would hear that."

Okay. That was definitely not on a need-to-know basis. My dad sleeps…in the nude. "Sorry," she automatically said, "I mean the thought...I mean him…er…it's just so wrong. For me of course. I mean…" She looked up at the blank faces. "I'm not really making any sense, am I?"

"Not really," Thom said blandly.

"Well, I mean, I just found out who my father was. My real father, you know. And he's not exactly what I had in mind. I mean, you just said he walks around in nothing! In a tent! In the desert! I mean, the thought," she squawked, "Mom would probably ban me from you guys!"

"Wait," Alanna demanded, "Stop. James is your father. This…this…this next to me is your father?"

Sathandra nodded.

"James!" Alanna screamed at the poor man standing right next to her. "How dare you keep something like this from us! I mean George and Thom and Alan and…!"

James flinched in pain. Nothing was more painful than an angry Lioness in one's ears. "I didn't know until now," he protested.

"Then HOW? How did you find out that you're her gods-blessed da if you didn't know until you just met her now?" She turned her fierce violet-eyed gaze at Sathandra. "I don't suppose you," she pointed at the overwhelmed girl, "knew anything about it before he did?"

"Actually," Sathandra's voice cracked and she cleared her throat, "actually, I found out after he said it, which was probably a few seconds after he found out himself."

Alanna cursed. "This smells just like something the gods would do. And where on this gods-blessed land were you all this time, girl?"

Sathandra "Well, actually...er…it's a long story and umm quite unbelievable. Quite."

"I'd like to hear it. Anything the gods do is within my field of interest." Thom smiled evenly.

"Thom," Alanna growled, "were you eavesdropping? Wait. Forget I asked. Of course you were eavesdropping!"

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to overhear," Thom defended.

Alanna groaned. "Tell me you haven't been spending time with Gary."

"Uncle Gary," Thom defended "was very helpful in a lot of my research. Apparently, as Prime Minister, he has access to otherwise inexistent documents."

"Sometimes I think all my friends are touched by the Crooked God," Alanna mumbled wryly.

Sathandra lightly tugged on James' sleeve, "Who?"

"Huh? Oh, the Crooked God or Kyprioth is the patron god of the Copper Isles. Just like his name suggests, he is the god of crooked people...I mean people who do not take the…high road."

Alanna snorted in amusement, "Ha! You don't need to pretty up your words around us. I take no offense on behalf of those I know who are sworn to the Trickster…well, that is to say I don't really know for certain if they are but…"

"Ha!" Thom scoffed, "You'd have to be blind to not figure it out. My father spends a great deal of his time spreading the knowledge that the Crooked God imparts to this world."

Sathandra had just finished arranging her things in the tent assigned to her. Apparently the people in this universe only knew how to live in tents. And she had thought trailers were hard to live in.

"Cassandra?" It was Alanna.

"Here."

"May I enter?" Alanna asked uncertainly.

"Sure. What's up?" Sathandra unfolded herself from the crouching position she had assumed while fixing her clothes.

Alanna fidgeted, caught herself, and smiled wryly. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright," she laughed lightly and shook her head, "Look at me. Three children grown and I still feel strange asking."

Sathandra smiled. "No biggie."

Alanna laughed, "I take it you mean it's nothing. But it should be something. The Goddess told me to come to the Bazhir and somehow I don't really think it's all about Fireclaw anymore. You are god-touched. More so than others. I can feel it."

Sathandra shrugged. "Huh! I really don't understand anyone here. I don't even know why I'm here, so be my guest." She swept an arm out in a magnanimous gesture.

"You're just like your gods-blessed brother," Alanna observed with some amusement.

"Ha! As if. We are as alike as the day and the night."

"No. You really are alike. Trust me. I had a twin brother."

"Oh…had…Oh, I-Im sorry."

Alanna smiled painfully. "That's alright. I've had twenty years to get over it. Sometimes, it's not so bad anymore. We change."

Sathandra felt tears gather in her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Jered went missing just a month ago."

"Jered? I meant Jude. Your brother Jude Fireclaw? Oh gods! You don't know."

Sathandra shook her head.

"You have a brother, James's son. Jude Fireclaw, the Shang Griffin. Now that I think about it, you do look alike…"

"Wait wait. Is this an older brother we're talking about? Coz I don't think it's possible for him to be younger unless he is actually a half brother…"

"Oh he's definitely older than you are. He's about the same age as Thom. Gods, they fought like cats; the thought is still as funny as it was ten years ago. Don't look at me so disbelievingly! You see, Jude lost his—your mother so early and wanted to treat me as he would have his—your—gods this is confusing—anyway…your mother. I believe it had something to do with his recollection that your mother has red hair as well. Children remember things like that. Anyway, he and Thom had what we like to call catfights. They hissed and occasionally clawed at one another. And that is why Thom still insists on calling Jude the Shang Kitten. Your brother hates it. Last time I saw him, he nearly threw a fit when Thom called him that. Although, in my opinion, they actually do like each other in that strange way almost-brothers of nearly the same age do. You know, whenever Jude leaves with his father, Thom gets this lost look for a while. He probably misses their arguments. Jude was always smart enough to keep Thom on his toes; if he hadn't been chosen for the Shang, he would have made a good scholar."

"I think I'd like to meet this brother. He would have probably gotten along with Jered."

"I think I hear the call to dinner. Are you coming?" Alanna turned to leave and as she lifted the tent flap, she whispered so softly Sathandra had to strain to hear her, "I hope to the gods that you will find both of them."