A few weeks later, Kain and his brood stood before the Empress once
again. Shay'Telnira had not been informed of their arrival yet. The Empress
and Kain spoke quietly between on another while the brothers sat on the
ground, being royally bored. Kain glanced down at them.
"Hm," he murmured to the Empress. "My children seem to be quite bored. I suppose we should find a baby-sitter for them."
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she turned to look down the corridor.
"Shay'Telnira!"
The brothers looked up as one, waiting to see her show up. It was the first possibility of a source of amusement they had had today. The daughter of the Empress walked into the cavern, her black hair pulled up and in a bun except for the bangs. She wore a tight halter top and black leather pants which were made for allowances to her tail. Her wings were pulled tightly against her back. She stood next to her mother and the brothers stared at her. Women weren't supposed to be clothed in pants. They were supposed to be in dresses.
"You called for me, Mother?" Shay'Telnira asked.
"Yes. I have need of you again, child."
Shay'Telnira frowned at the brothers as she stated, "I'm going to get stuck baby-sitting again, aren't I?"
"Yes."
"Pillar's Sacrifice!" She stomped her foot. "Why—" Her eyes suddenly widened and she dodged just as a blade came down where she had been a second before. Ker'orin slid into the next motion of the fight as Shay'Telnira kept backing up. Her hands went down to two leg sheaths with a pair of dagger nestled in them and pulled them out.
"You're cheap, Ker'orin!"
"You just pulled those damnable daggers out and you're calling me cheap?!"
"Yes!" she responded as she smashed his blade away with her daggers.
"Shay'Telnira!" the Empress shouted.
"Don't blame it on me!" she returned. "It's not my fault. I didn't ask for this."
"Actually," Ker'orin commented as he brought the blade down vertically and she rebounded it expertly, "you did."
She caught a few more of his slashes, then got fed up. She hit away a thrust, twirled into his guard, and caught hold of his blade with her daggers. They had been specially made to have a long notch in the center of the blade nearly down to the hilt so she could catch weapons with both of them. She caught his blade and twisted, ripping the sword out of his hands. She put the daggers away, kept the sword in her hands, and walked back to her mother. She set the tip on the floor and perched her hands on the pommel. The Empress glared at her.
"What?!" she demanded. "It wasn't my fault!"
"He's your partner and you asked for him to try and catch you off- guard to hone your skills. It is your fault, and you are responsible for his actions."
"Ker'orin," Shay'Telnira stated with a sigh. The silver-haired man nodded and moved behind her right shoulder. She held the sword out to him and he took a guard position, looking more like her guardian then her partner. The Empress looked at her for a long moment, then sighed.
"Now, as I was saying before your partner interrupted, you will be baby-sitting again."
It was Shay'Telnira's turn to sigh as she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. She looked at the brothers, muttered something under her breath, and turned away to head down the hall again. She could hear them follow her. After a while, she turned back to look at them and instinctively moved to the left a foot as a water balloon smashed into the ground where she had been a moment before. She looked up to see Zephon clinging to the ceiling. Noticing her gaze, he cursed and tried to scramble away. She reached up and caught hold of him. Carrying him under her arm, she went to her room, indicated for the brothers to enter, then shut the door. She set Zephon down, then sat down.
"Now, to make a civil introduction. My name is Shay'Telnira, but you can call me Shay if you like. I remember each of your names well enough."
She looked at them a long moment, then suppressed a smile and started shaking her head.
"What?" Rahab asked. She smiled.
"Ah, I'm just figuring out what slot each of you fit in as a brother."
"Oh really?" Zephon challenged. "Try us."
She looked between the six for a long moment, then said, "Raziel's the golden daddy's boy, Dumah the bully, Turel the 'lady's man,'—or thinks he's one, anyway—Rahab is the jock, Zephon the prankster, and Melchiah . . ." She trailed off a moment. "I get the feeling you fill in as the younger brother, filling in the slots of whiner, and the one being picked on."
There was a long silence after she finished speaking. Then Zephon quietly commented, "Damn."
"You were very close," Turel told her. "There was just one problem. I don't think I'm a lady's man. I KNOW I am."
She sighed deeply, covered her face with her hands, and shook her head.
"There's no hope," she murmured softly.
"Yes, no hope of ever resisting my charms," Turel answered. She fixed one piercing amethyst eye on him and he backed up a step at the coldness he found there.
"Well, then again, maybe there is hope of resistance."
She shook her head and asked, "Would you boys please find something entertaining to do other than kill each other or bother me?"
Her question was answered with silence as the brothers look amongst themselves. What else was there to do?
"Well," Zephon muttered. "We could always finish up our card game."
Shay'Telnira settled down in a chair to watch them as Zephon dealt, including Rahab and Turel this time, and excluding Melchiah as he climbed over the sit next to Shay'Telnira. She reached over and gently rubbed a hand over his head as he curled up in a ball in her lap. After a while of card exchanging and placing on the table, Shay'Telnira chuckled softly.
"I don't think I have ever seen a game in which there was this much cheating."
As one, the brothers demanded, "They're cheating?!"
" 'They're'?" she responded with a laugh. "You all are."
She watched in amusement as utter chaos rained down for a while. She moved Melchiah off her lap and whispered to him to stay out of the fight. He nodded as she walked into her room, then came out holding something. Turel managed to pull away from the fight and looked up at her.
"Where are you going?"
"To take care of some business," she responded. "Duck."
After she said it, he felt someone's fist connect solidly with the back of his head. He shook his head a few times to clear it and dove back into the fight. Shay'Telnira sighed as she walked out of the room, shaking her head. After a few minutes, she returned and watched the utter havoc. She shook her head, then wadded in and threw the boys apart. They glared in anger at the one who interrupted them, then decided it was best not to be angry with the woman who could send Dumah into the wall. She looked at them all for a moment.
"You know, I'm hungry," she commented.
"So?"
"I have to keep my eye on you all."
Raziel, picking up on what she was hinting asked, "So you want us to come with you while you go find food?"
"That would be nice," she answered.
She led the brothers down the multitudes of halls to a large dining chamber. She glanced back at them as she told them, "You boys might want to learn the way to get around here. I have a feeling you'll be around her more than once."
"Hm," he murmured to the Empress. "My children seem to be quite bored. I suppose we should find a baby-sitter for them."
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she turned to look down the corridor.
"Shay'Telnira!"
The brothers looked up as one, waiting to see her show up. It was the first possibility of a source of amusement they had had today. The daughter of the Empress walked into the cavern, her black hair pulled up and in a bun except for the bangs. She wore a tight halter top and black leather pants which were made for allowances to her tail. Her wings were pulled tightly against her back. She stood next to her mother and the brothers stared at her. Women weren't supposed to be clothed in pants. They were supposed to be in dresses.
"You called for me, Mother?" Shay'Telnira asked.
"Yes. I have need of you again, child."
Shay'Telnira frowned at the brothers as she stated, "I'm going to get stuck baby-sitting again, aren't I?"
"Yes."
"Pillar's Sacrifice!" She stomped her foot. "Why—" Her eyes suddenly widened and she dodged just as a blade came down where she had been a second before. Ker'orin slid into the next motion of the fight as Shay'Telnira kept backing up. Her hands went down to two leg sheaths with a pair of dagger nestled in them and pulled them out.
"You're cheap, Ker'orin!"
"You just pulled those damnable daggers out and you're calling me cheap?!"
"Yes!" she responded as she smashed his blade away with her daggers.
"Shay'Telnira!" the Empress shouted.
"Don't blame it on me!" she returned. "It's not my fault. I didn't ask for this."
"Actually," Ker'orin commented as he brought the blade down vertically and she rebounded it expertly, "you did."
She caught a few more of his slashes, then got fed up. She hit away a thrust, twirled into his guard, and caught hold of his blade with her daggers. They had been specially made to have a long notch in the center of the blade nearly down to the hilt so she could catch weapons with both of them. She caught his blade and twisted, ripping the sword out of his hands. She put the daggers away, kept the sword in her hands, and walked back to her mother. She set the tip on the floor and perched her hands on the pommel. The Empress glared at her.
"What?!" she demanded. "It wasn't my fault!"
"He's your partner and you asked for him to try and catch you off- guard to hone your skills. It is your fault, and you are responsible for his actions."
"Ker'orin," Shay'Telnira stated with a sigh. The silver-haired man nodded and moved behind her right shoulder. She held the sword out to him and he took a guard position, looking more like her guardian then her partner. The Empress looked at her for a long moment, then sighed.
"Now, as I was saying before your partner interrupted, you will be baby-sitting again."
It was Shay'Telnira's turn to sigh as she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. She looked at the brothers, muttered something under her breath, and turned away to head down the hall again. She could hear them follow her. After a while, she turned back to look at them and instinctively moved to the left a foot as a water balloon smashed into the ground where she had been a moment before. She looked up to see Zephon clinging to the ceiling. Noticing her gaze, he cursed and tried to scramble away. She reached up and caught hold of him. Carrying him under her arm, she went to her room, indicated for the brothers to enter, then shut the door. She set Zephon down, then sat down.
"Now, to make a civil introduction. My name is Shay'Telnira, but you can call me Shay if you like. I remember each of your names well enough."
She looked at them a long moment, then suppressed a smile and started shaking her head.
"What?" Rahab asked. She smiled.
"Ah, I'm just figuring out what slot each of you fit in as a brother."
"Oh really?" Zephon challenged. "Try us."
She looked between the six for a long moment, then said, "Raziel's the golden daddy's boy, Dumah the bully, Turel the 'lady's man,'—or thinks he's one, anyway—Rahab is the jock, Zephon the prankster, and Melchiah . . ." She trailed off a moment. "I get the feeling you fill in as the younger brother, filling in the slots of whiner, and the one being picked on."
There was a long silence after she finished speaking. Then Zephon quietly commented, "Damn."
"You were very close," Turel told her. "There was just one problem. I don't think I'm a lady's man. I KNOW I am."
She sighed deeply, covered her face with her hands, and shook her head.
"There's no hope," she murmured softly.
"Yes, no hope of ever resisting my charms," Turel answered. She fixed one piercing amethyst eye on him and he backed up a step at the coldness he found there.
"Well, then again, maybe there is hope of resistance."
She shook her head and asked, "Would you boys please find something entertaining to do other than kill each other or bother me?"
Her question was answered with silence as the brothers look amongst themselves. What else was there to do?
"Well," Zephon muttered. "We could always finish up our card game."
Shay'Telnira settled down in a chair to watch them as Zephon dealt, including Rahab and Turel this time, and excluding Melchiah as he climbed over the sit next to Shay'Telnira. She reached over and gently rubbed a hand over his head as he curled up in a ball in her lap. After a while of card exchanging and placing on the table, Shay'Telnira chuckled softly.
"I don't think I have ever seen a game in which there was this much cheating."
As one, the brothers demanded, "They're cheating?!"
" 'They're'?" she responded with a laugh. "You all are."
She watched in amusement as utter chaos rained down for a while. She moved Melchiah off her lap and whispered to him to stay out of the fight. He nodded as she walked into her room, then came out holding something. Turel managed to pull away from the fight and looked up at her.
"Where are you going?"
"To take care of some business," she responded. "Duck."
After she said it, he felt someone's fist connect solidly with the back of his head. He shook his head a few times to clear it and dove back into the fight. Shay'Telnira sighed as she walked out of the room, shaking her head. After a few minutes, she returned and watched the utter havoc. She shook her head, then wadded in and threw the boys apart. They glared in anger at the one who interrupted them, then decided it was best not to be angry with the woman who could send Dumah into the wall. She looked at them all for a moment.
"You know, I'm hungry," she commented.
"So?"
"I have to keep my eye on you all."
Raziel, picking up on what she was hinting asked, "So you want us to come with you while you go find food?"
"That would be nice," she answered.
She led the brothers down the multitudes of halls to a large dining chamber. She glanced back at them as she told them, "You boys might want to learn the way to get around here. I have a feeling you'll be around her more than once."