Chapter Four (Untitled)
"That doesn't prove why you don't look like a Carthaki." Alanna stated, gazing at Rehani. Rehani looked at the ground. The purple stare was menacing.
"Who's your mother, Rehani? Does she live here?" Numair asked.
"I told you, I don't know anything about my family!" Rehani replied angrily. Why were they asking her all these questions? Daine, sensing Rehani was about to bolt, placed a firm hand on Rehani's shoulder.
"Numair, Alanna, please. She's already overwhelmed. Don't make it worse." Daine told her friends. Rehani shrugged off the hand and bent over her plate.
"Sorry, Rehani. I thought most of the slaves here were Carthaki. Carthak hasn't been known to buy slaves from pirates. They think foreign slaves are rebellious and have the wrong ideas." Alanna murmured, picking up a roll and dunking it in her soup.
"There's a spell, to say who a child's parents are. I could do it." Numair started to say. Varice Kingsford, who had joined them frowned.
"But Numair. That's very advanced magic. You'd be in bed for weeks. That isn't necessary. She's just a freed slave. Nobody cares about who her parents are." Varice cooed.
"I care who her parents are." Numair retorted quietly. Varice frowned again. She looked at Rehani. Her eyes were pierced with anger. She was pretty, but not like this.
"Is the spell complicated?" Daine asked Numair. She didn't trust Varice at all. Varice had once been Numair's lover but now Daine was his wife.
"No, it's not complicated at all. It'll just take a second." Numair replied, glaring at Varice.
"As I said before, that isn't necessary. I would rather you didn't right now. I wanted your opinion on some spells I made. They're for selling. One can take out the lumps in sauce." Varice babbled on and on about spells and powders she had created. Daine scowled. Keladry hid a small yawn, while Neal made his yawn huge and dramatic. Varice glared at him.
"Stop that, Sir Nealan." Varice snapped. She turned back to Numair, who was trying hard to keep from yawning.
"Varice, I think those spells and powders are wonderful. You must show me them sometime. Meanwhile, I would like to find out who my student's parents are." Numair told Varice quietly. He started to head toward Rehani.
"No!" Varice shouted. All heads turned to stare. "I mean, no. Numair, I'm selling my spells and powders at the market tomorrow. I'd like you to see them. I need your opinion on prices. Please, come with me. They're in my rooms." A sigh escaped from Numair's lips as he followed Varice down the halls.
"She was trying to keep Numair from doing the spells. It was quite obvious." Sir Gareth told the group.
"What is up with her? Why does she care who Rehani's parents are?" Daine agreed. The Tortallans shrugged.
"Rehani? Is there something you're hiding?" Alanna asked. Her piercing gaze was on Rehani again. Rehani shrank back.
"No! I don't know who my parents are! I don't care! I don't want to know! Leave me alone!" Rehani yelled and burst into tears. She ran to Daine's room and crunched herself up on her pallet, sobbing uncontrollably. Why did they care who her parents were? Rehani felt a cool hand on her shoulder.
"Rehani," Daine started to say.
"Go away. Leave me alone." Rehani sobbed.
"Rehani, I wish you'd trust me."
"Why should I? I just met you yesterday!"
"You have a point. Alanna didn't mean any harm, Rehani. Neither did Numair. We won't ask you about your parents again. I didn't know my parents for a while either. It was a shock to me when I found out my father was a god."
"Why does he care who my parents are?"
"Well, I have wild magic. I think this is because my father is the God of the Hunt. If you knew who your parents were, it might have given a reason for you to have wild magic. And we could see if you had any brothers or sisters with wild magic." Daine told Rehani. Rehani pretended to ignore her.
"I don't have any brothers or sisters. Just leave me alone."
"Very well, Rehani. I have to go rescue Numair from Varice. I'll see you later tonight." Daine got up and left. Twenty minutes later Rehani felt a tickling on the back of her neck. She screamed and whirled around. What she saw made her scream again! It was a dragon!
"Help! Help! It's a dragon!" Rehani screamed, backing away from the dragon. It was little, but it was still a dragon. Rehani cowered in the corner as the dragon turned from a pale blue color to dark gray. The dragon retreated.
"What is it Rehani?" Daine burst into the room.
"There's a dragon!" Rehani cried, pointing to the dragon, who looked like she was sulking.
"Oh, you haven't met Kitten. This is Skysong, but we call her Kitten, or Kit. Her mother died and left her in my care." Daine grinned, obviously amused.
"It's not funny! She scared the wits out of me!" Rehani snapped, glaring at Daine.
"Touchy, touchy." Daine muttered. She was silenced with another glare. "Tomorrow we start lessons. I'll see you tomorrow." Rehani turned away and fell asleep. She woke to rays of sunlight shining through the window. Rehani sat up with a gasp! Why hadn't Dria woken her? She was going to get killed! How could she have slept in? Rehani looked around, suddenly remembering. She pulled on new clothes and warily went to the place they had eaten the night before, which was in the center of all the Tortallan rooms. The table was piled high with breakfast foods. Nobody was there, so Rehani sat down and grabbed a plate. This food was better than anything she had gotten in the slave's mess hall! She was so busy eating she didn't notice when the seats on either side of her were filled.
"Good morning, Rehani." Daine chirped, grabbing a plate.
"Nice morning, isn't it?" Alanna asked, wolfing down a muffin.
"Hello." Rehani muttered, still annoyed with Alanna for asking about her parents.
"Rehani, we need to start lessons right after breakfast. First thing is meditating." Daine added.
"What's that?" Rehani asked, letting her curiosity get the better of her.
"You clear your mind and it helps you get a better hold of your magic, so it doesn't get away with you." Numair announced as he entered the room, hearing Rehani's question.
"Morning, Numair!" Daine and Alanna chorused.
"Good morning Daine, Alanna, Rehani." Numair grinned widely and sat down.
"Well, I'm done eating. Rehani, if you're finished we can start meditation." Daine stood up. Reluctantly Rehani followed her back into their rooms.
"How do we do it?" Rehani asked bluntly.
"Sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Try to clear your mind of all thoughts." Daine replied, sitting on the floor with Kitten curled up in her lap. Rehani settled across from her and closed her eyes. She wanted this to work, but it wasn't happening! This was boring! She wanted to get to turning into animals. She opened her eyes.
"This is boring! I don't want meditate! I want to shape shift." Rehani cried, scowling.
"You can't do anything until you learn to meditate, Rehani. Try it again." Daine replied without opening her eyes. Rehani closed her eyes again and furrowed her brow, trying to clear her mind of thoughts. But more thoughts just kept popping into her head! After more than an hour of trying, Daine stopped Rehani. "We can try again later. Come on, give me a tour of the palace. You must know your way around." Grudgingly Rehani led her around the palace until lunch.
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Rora Kuusou - Kaddar only freed some of the slaves - the Banjiku and the mutes. I don't know about the menagerie think, I think they were redoing it, but let's just say it isn't finished yet.
"That doesn't prove why you don't look like a Carthaki." Alanna stated, gazing at Rehani. Rehani looked at the ground. The purple stare was menacing.
"Who's your mother, Rehani? Does she live here?" Numair asked.
"I told you, I don't know anything about my family!" Rehani replied angrily. Why were they asking her all these questions? Daine, sensing Rehani was about to bolt, placed a firm hand on Rehani's shoulder.
"Numair, Alanna, please. She's already overwhelmed. Don't make it worse." Daine told her friends. Rehani shrugged off the hand and bent over her plate.
"Sorry, Rehani. I thought most of the slaves here were Carthaki. Carthak hasn't been known to buy slaves from pirates. They think foreign slaves are rebellious and have the wrong ideas." Alanna murmured, picking up a roll and dunking it in her soup.
"There's a spell, to say who a child's parents are. I could do it." Numair started to say. Varice Kingsford, who had joined them frowned.
"But Numair. That's very advanced magic. You'd be in bed for weeks. That isn't necessary. She's just a freed slave. Nobody cares about who her parents are." Varice cooed.
"I care who her parents are." Numair retorted quietly. Varice frowned again. She looked at Rehani. Her eyes were pierced with anger. She was pretty, but not like this.
"Is the spell complicated?" Daine asked Numair. She didn't trust Varice at all. Varice had once been Numair's lover but now Daine was his wife.
"No, it's not complicated at all. It'll just take a second." Numair replied, glaring at Varice.
"As I said before, that isn't necessary. I would rather you didn't right now. I wanted your opinion on some spells I made. They're for selling. One can take out the lumps in sauce." Varice babbled on and on about spells and powders she had created. Daine scowled. Keladry hid a small yawn, while Neal made his yawn huge and dramatic. Varice glared at him.
"Stop that, Sir Nealan." Varice snapped. She turned back to Numair, who was trying hard to keep from yawning.
"Varice, I think those spells and powders are wonderful. You must show me them sometime. Meanwhile, I would like to find out who my student's parents are." Numair told Varice quietly. He started to head toward Rehani.
"No!" Varice shouted. All heads turned to stare. "I mean, no. Numair, I'm selling my spells and powders at the market tomorrow. I'd like you to see them. I need your opinion on prices. Please, come with me. They're in my rooms." A sigh escaped from Numair's lips as he followed Varice down the halls.
"She was trying to keep Numair from doing the spells. It was quite obvious." Sir Gareth told the group.
"What is up with her? Why does she care who Rehani's parents are?" Daine agreed. The Tortallans shrugged.
"Rehani? Is there something you're hiding?" Alanna asked. Her piercing gaze was on Rehani again. Rehani shrank back.
"No! I don't know who my parents are! I don't care! I don't want to know! Leave me alone!" Rehani yelled and burst into tears. She ran to Daine's room and crunched herself up on her pallet, sobbing uncontrollably. Why did they care who her parents were? Rehani felt a cool hand on her shoulder.
"Rehani," Daine started to say.
"Go away. Leave me alone." Rehani sobbed.
"Rehani, I wish you'd trust me."
"Why should I? I just met you yesterday!"
"You have a point. Alanna didn't mean any harm, Rehani. Neither did Numair. We won't ask you about your parents again. I didn't know my parents for a while either. It was a shock to me when I found out my father was a god."
"Why does he care who my parents are?"
"Well, I have wild magic. I think this is because my father is the God of the Hunt. If you knew who your parents were, it might have given a reason for you to have wild magic. And we could see if you had any brothers or sisters with wild magic." Daine told Rehani. Rehani pretended to ignore her.
"I don't have any brothers or sisters. Just leave me alone."
"Very well, Rehani. I have to go rescue Numair from Varice. I'll see you later tonight." Daine got up and left. Twenty minutes later Rehani felt a tickling on the back of her neck. She screamed and whirled around. What she saw made her scream again! It was a dragon!
"Help! Help! It's a dragon!" Rehani screamed, backing away from the dragon. It was little, but it was still a dragon. Rehani cowered in the corner as the dragon turned from a pale blue color to dark gray. The dragon retreated.
"What is it Rehani?" Daine burst into the room.
"There's a dragon!" Rehani cried, pointing to the dragon, who looked like she was sulking.
"Oh, you haven't met Kitten. This is Skysong, but we call her Kitten, or Kit. Her mother died and left her in my care." Daine grinned, obviously amused.
"It's not funny! She scared the wits out of me!" Rehani snapped, glaring at Daine.
"Touchy, touchy." Daine muttered. She was silenced with another glare. "Tomorrow we start lessons. I'll see you tomorrow." Rehani turned away and fell asleep. She woke to rays of sunlight shining through the window. Rehani sat up with a gasp! Why hadn't Dria woken her? She was going to get killed! How could she have slept in? Rehani looked around, suddenly remembering. She pulled on new clothes and warily went to the place they had eaten the night before, which was in the center of all the Tortallan rooms. The table was piled high with breakfast foods. Nobody was there, so Rehani sat down and grabbed a plate. This food was better than anything she had gotten in the slave's mess hall! She was so busy eating she didn't notice when the seats on either side of her were filled.
"Good morning, Rehani." Daine chirped, grabbing a plate.
"Nice morning, isn't it?" Alanna asked, wolfing down a muffin.
"Hello." Rehani muttered, still annoyed with Alanna for asking about her parents.
"Rehani, we need to start lessons right after breakfast. First thing is meditating." Daine added.
"What's that?" Rehani asked, letting her curiosity get the better of her.
"You clear your mind and it helps you get a better hold of your magic, so it doesn't get away with you." Numair announced as he entered the room, hearing Rehani's question.
"Morning, Numair!" Daine and Alanna chorused.
"Good morning Daine, Alanna, Rehani." Numair grinned widely and sat down.
"Well, I'm done eating. Rehani, if you're finished we can start meditation." Daine stood up. Reluctantly Rehani followed her back into their rooms.
"How do we do it?" Rehani asked bluntly.
"Sit down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Try to clear your mind of all thoughts." Daine replied, sitting on the floor with Kitten curled up in her lap. Rehani settled across from her and closed her eyes. She wanted this to work, but it wasn't happening! This was boring! She wanted to get to turning into animals. She opened her eyes.
"This is boring! I don't want meditate! I want to shape shift." Rehani cried, scowling.
"You can't do anything until you learn to meditate, Rehani. Try it again." Daine replied without opening her eyes. Rehani closed her eyes again and furrowed her brow, trying to clear her mind of thoughts. But more thoughts just kept popping into her head! After more than an hour of trying, Daine stopped Rehani. "We can try again later. Come on, give me a tour of the palace. You must know your way around." Grudgingly Rehani led her around the palace until lunch.
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Rora Kuusou - Kaddar only freed some of the slaves - the Banjiku and the mutes. I don't know about the menagerie think, I think they were redoing it, but let's just say it isn't finished yet.