Chapter 19. Okay, from now on, I'm going to put my A/n's in my bio page thingy. So if you want to read my responses to reviews or get a quick summary of this chapter, click the blue letters that say "Trickstergal33". This will save space and will prevent people who don't want to listen to me blab from having to so. Please read and review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story belong to Tamora Pierce.
Duchess Winnamine walked briskly in front of Daine and Lani, leading them to where they would be staying. After a short walk down a narrow hallway, Winnamine halted so suddenly that Daine almost walked into her. The lady opened the door and stood back, not bothering to enter or even look inside.
"Here you are. You two will be staying in our, my room." She said somberly.
"Duchess," Daine protested, "There's no need for you to give up your room. We can sleep anywhere!"
"And believe me your grace, we have!" Lani added with a weary laugh.
"Nonsense," Winnamine assured them, "I've been sleeping in the girls' room anyway. I, I find it hard to sleep here without Mequen." Winnamine smiled, "So, unpack your things and settle in, I'll work on getting you baths and food." The lady walked briskly back down the hall, surprisingly fast, Daine noticed, for a woman in a dress.
Upon the fast retreat of Winnamine, Lani closed the door slowly, carefully listening for the click of the latch before letting out a ragged breath.
"So far so good Sarra," she said, "Or is it Daine, or Miri? Sorry, my head isn't quite in the right place for the moment. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired."
Daine nodded and plopped wearily onto the bed. "That, or it might be that after effects of the truth drops the duchess slipped us."
Lani dropped her bag, a look of shock in her eyes, "What?"
"Don't worry," Daine assured her quickly, "You didn't give away anything. I didn't give anything away either. It's odd; truth drops don't work on me. They had no effect on me today, nor in the palace dungeons when Rubinyan tried to get me to talk about Tortall." Daine replied.
Lani laughed, "Of course truth drops wouldn't work on you!"
"What do you mean?" Daine asked puzzled.
"You are a god child." Lani answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
There it is again, Daine thought a bit unnerved, God child. How does she know? Daine's curiosity got the better of her and she finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering her since she had first set out for the Copper Isles.
"How do you know that my ma and da are gods?" She demanded.
"I just know. It's a feeling." Lani said simply.
"A feeling?" Daine asked, disbelieving.
Lani nodded, "Any full blood raka can feel it if they pay attention. Back when our people left the nests where we were first born, Kyprioth took the raka under his wing. But Kyprioth, you see, liked to play tricks, he still does. He would often appear to the first raka in many different forms. This unnerved them so much that they appealed to his brother, Mithros, for help. Mithros, who also was tired of Kyprioth's tricks, decided to play a trick of his own. He gave the raka the ability to sense a god's presence so that Kyproith could no longer fool them."
"Does that mean that any full blood raka can know that my parents are gods?" Daine asked warily.
Lani shook her head, much to Daine's relief. "The feeling is very faint with you because you are not of the divine realms and raka legends are not as widely known as they once were. Most people would simply dismiss the feeling as an itch."
Daine released a breath that she hadn't even realized that she had been holding. Suddenly, she remembered another question that had lingered in the back of her mind for a while.
"Why do all the raka have little bits of copper fire in them?" she blurted out before she could properly phrase the question.
Lani raised her eyebrows amused. "Copper fire?"
The Wild Mage shook her head sheepishly and better explained what she meant. "Wild magic, the magic that connects humans to the People, animals?"
"Like the magic you have? No one else that I know can talk to animals like you can." Lani had witnessed first hand Daine's connection with animals. All during their journey, curious inhabitants of the jungle had walked beside them, gossiping happily with Diane. She could still remember the look on the Shang's face when she had awoken one morning to find their camp filled with a troupe of howler monkeys.
Diane nodded, "They wouldn't be able to talk to animals like I can, though, because they only have trace amounts. You have a copper speck too."
Lani eyes opened wide in confused surprise. "I have the gift?"
"Not the gift," Daine assured her, "just a little bit of magic that binds you to animals. Do you have any idea why the raka are connected so closely to animals?"
Lani reached down and took off her muddy boots with a shrug. "My papa never mentioned anything about animals when he used to tell me stories. Sorry, you'll have to ask someone else." She stopped abruptly as a knock sounded on the door. "Yes?" she called.
A slave entered the room with a slight bow. "Diner will be served in about an hour. We have your bath ready now if you wish to clean up. We have plenty of hot water, but only one tub, so you'll have to take turns." He said, holding up a pitcher of steaming water to emphasize his point.
"Bath? What's a bath?" Daine asked jokingly.
"Come in, come in," Lani said laughing.
The slave entered, followed by a stream of others carrying similar pitchers. Quickly they filled up the tub located in a small adjoining room, and left, handing Daine some soap and towels on their way out
Lani reached into her bag and pulled out a clean pair of worn looking shoes, which she began to put on.
"You can go first, Miri," she said, "I haven't yet had a chance to train today. Don't want to get rusty." She reached back into her bag and pulled out a small packet, which she tossed to Daine.
"Pour this into your bath and be sure to take a good long soak. It'll help heal the rest of your injuries."
Daine sniffed the packet warily, expecting more pungent herbs, but found to her delight that it smell quite good.
"Yes mother," she said wryly.
"Good, then I'm off." Lani said, ignoring Daine's comment. She stood up and left in search of a place to practice.
Daine shook her head, amazed that the girl had energy left for anything. Carefully, she stripped off her soiled clothes, poured the herbs dutifully into the steaming water, and slipped into the bath, allowing two weeks worth of grime and a long day's worth of mud to wash away.
"Don't you find it odd that a Shang, a full blood raka Shang, would bother coming to a small estate on a lesser known island? There's not much adventure to be had here." Dove confided to her sister. They were walking slowly through Tanair's small gardens. The slaves and servants had worked hard to bring the forgotten old garden back to its original glory.
"Mmm," Sarai said, only half listening to Dove. She was instead remembering the nights when she was younger when her mother and father would take her on walks, each holding one of her hands. They used to tell her stories and teach her about all the flowers that grew in their gardens. She smiled at the memory. Her mother had loved flowers and everything that lived.
"And," Dove was continuing, "Aly ran off earlier with hardly an explanation and just happened to come back with Miri and Lani? That's a bit odd."
As they turned a corner, Sarai found one of the object of their, or rather Dove's, discussion standing calmly a few yards away. Sarai wondered how much she had overheard, but after she got a closer look, it seemed that the Shang Tiger's thoughts were somewhere else.
Slowly, she raised her hands in front of her until they were above her head, framing the setting sun. Then without warning, she thrust her right leg out in a sidekick, shattering the knee of an invisible enemy.
Sarai tried to follow the girl's movements, but her punches, kicks, and rolls were so fast they were almost impossible to see.
"Don't you think, Sarai?" Dove's voice came from beside her. Sarai realized that her sister must have said something, but it had been lost on her as she watched the Shang.
"What's that?" she asked absentmindedly, still not paying attention to Dove.
"Saraiyu, have you heard a word I've, oh," Dove said as she too noticed the Shang's presence.
The glint of metal shined as Lani drew a sword that Sarai had not noticed until then. She couldn't remember the girl having a sword when she first saw her, but in one of the warrior's rare moments of stillness, she recognized it as the type of sword that guards at Tanair used. She must have borrowed it, she realized, or stole it, her more cautious side added.
At the moments, however, Sarai didn't care what the cautious side of her had to say. She was too amazed. The Shang made sword play not only a life or death skill, but an art. With every twist and turn, her feet were firmly planted and her sword was gripped firmly in her left hand.
"It's beautiful," Sarai found herself whispering. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Sarai expected one of her sister's smart replies, but instead Dove nodded.
After a few more passes, the sword was deftly slid back into its sheath and the Tiger continued to move, once again fighting with her hands.
"Oh no!" Dove whispered next to her. Sarai followed Dove's gaze to the other side of the courtyard were she spotted Nawat.
Nawat was an odd young man who worked as a fletcher in the village. He was also very strong and protective of the Sarai and Dove. From the way he was running at Lani, Sarai realized he though she was a threat to them.
"No Nawat!" she called, but he made no notice of her calls. He leaped and aimed one of his deathly accurate kicks at the back Lani's head.
Just as the kick should have made contact, the Tiger spun and gripped Nawat's ankles, throwing him past her. Nawat tumbled to the ground in front of Dove.
"Nawat, wait," Dove tried, but the odd man was deaf to her words. He got quickly to his feet and charged awkwardly at the Tiger, his arms flapping at his sides, squawking all the while.
Lani moved calmly to the side and gripped one of his arms. Swiftly she pivoted on her right foot, allowing her left to sweep Nawat's legs out from under him. In a moment, she sat on his back, pinning both of his arms tightly in a painful looking lock.
"Don't hurt him!" Sarai called, coming to her senses as she ran over to the writhering man. Lani must have loosened her hold because Nawat stopped thrashing.
"Nawat," she said, kneeling down to look at him, "Lani is a guest here, not an enemy, why did you attack her?"
"Strangers are not welcome in this nest! I tried to mob her." He answered calmly in his strange way of speech.
"Well don't!" Dove huffed as she knelt next to Sarai, "You'll just hurt yourself. She's a Shang warrior."
Nawat gave her a puzzled look and Sarai wondered for what was not the first time where the man was from. To Lani he said, "Please get off of me. If the ladies say so, I will not mob you again."
Lani nodded and slowly released her hold on Nawat. They both stood up.
"You're fast." He noted.
"As are you." Lani said with a wary smile, "Got a good kick too."
"I am sorry I attacked you." Nawat said calmly.
"No harm was done. I was just finishing up anyway." The Tiger said, grinning fully now.
"It's your turn Lani," said a voice from behind Sarai. She turned and saw Lani's friend Miri approaching.
"Oh, thanks Miri," Lani said, looking relieved.
Miri stopped short as she came up to them and stared at Nawat quite openly. Nawat stared back. He tilted his head to the side in wonder, a pose that almost made Sarai laugh aloud.
"Miri," Dove said politely, remembering her manners, "This is Nawat Crow. He's a fletcher in the village."
"Nice to meet you," Miri answered strangely, still staring at Nawat. Sarai knew that Neat was a bit odd, but she had never seen such a reaction out of someone who met him. After a moment, Miri seemed to remember herself, blinked and then continued, "I think I'm going to walk around a bit more."
Sarai wondered why Miri had acted so strangely as she watched her retreating back.
"Saraiyu, Dovesary!" Winna's voice echoed from the doorway into the castle, "Come prepare for diner!"
"Be right in!" Sarai called.
"Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I'd best go clean up unless I plan on going to dinner looking like a pig!" Lani said with another grin as she turned away.
Both Sarai and Dove turn to watch Lani leave.
"Girls!" came Winna's voice again.
"You go ahead, I'll be right in," Sarai said before hurrying off after the Shang.
"Lani, Lani wait!" She called. Quickly, she caught up with her.
"Excuse me, sorry to delay you, but I was wondering, while you are staying at Tanair, I would be greatly obliged if you would be so kind as to teach me some of what you know about the sword." Sarai said quickly, crossing her fingers behind her back for luck. To learn from an actual Shang would be a privilege.
"I would be honored to teach you," Lani said with a slight bow.
"Wonderful!" Sarai said happily. With a Shang for a teacher, she would never make mistakes like she had in her bout this morning again.
"Sarai!" called Winna's voice, which now was sounding quite impatient.
"Thank you! I have to go!" she called as she rushed to find her stepmother.
Alanna the Lioness watched in amazement as Numair Salmalin polished off what must have been his seventh roll.
Well, he hasn't eaten in a week, she thought.
She looked down at her own plate longingly. All of her food was still there, just very well rearranged. She was too tired and had too much to worry about to eat. She had hoped that Numair wouldn't notice the absence of her appetite, but sure enough, he did.
"Why aren't you eating Alanna?" he asked as he daintily wiped his face with a napkin.
"I've got too much on my mind," she admitted, "I have to make sure Roald and Yuki are safe, along with Jon and Thayet, and not to mention the unborn heir! Unfortunately for me, I not only have to protect them, but keep them from fighting. All of them are practically begging to fight, while insisting that all the others shouldn't."
Numair grabbed yet another roll and used it to scoop up the last remaining morsels of soup from his bowl.
"I say we lock the lot of the Conté family into the dungeons until we beat the copper brains back to their Isles." He said sensibly. "But, in the mean time, eat."
"Wouldn't that just solve all our problems, I," but she was cut off when Numair shoved a roll into her open mouth.
Alanna spit out the roll at Numair, laughing. "I'm not the type of lady who will just let a man stuff a roll into her mouth, rudely interrupting her I may add, without retaliation." She said wryly. "You just wait."
"I will cower in fear when that time comes, my fair lady," Numair said, "For no magic could protect me from your wrath."
Alanna laughed again, pleased to learn that she still could with all that was going on. "Speaking of magic, how is your gift?"
"Back to its normal abundance, not to worry." He assured her, a bit distractedly. "Do you sense that?" he asked her suddenly.
Alanna opened her mouth to answer, but found that she couldn't take in breath. Looking around, she found that everyone in the mess hall seemed to be experiencing the same thing. It had gone suddenly quiet, except for the sounds of people pounding on their chests, struggling for air that wasn't there.
Sorcery, Alanna thought amazed. She had never experienced a spell like this except for the time when she had won Lightning from whatever possessed the ruins of the Old Ones in Olau. Quickly, she looked at Numair to, who would surely know what was going on.
His eyes were closed, and he was muttering under his breath, using whatever air was left in his lung to speak. Slowly, black mists gathered up around him in a menacing looking cloud. The black robe opened his eyes and clapped his hands together. The black cloud burst apart and washed over the room.
Alanna sucked in a gulp of air. "What was that?" she squeaked over the other gasps around her.
"Inar Hadensra," Numair said darkly, "He used some sort of old spell. I've never encountered anything like this before." He stood up so hard, he knocked his bench over onto the floor.
"Where are you going?" Alanna asked, standing up to follow him.
"I've got to take care of Hadensra. He's looking for a fight, I'm gonna give him one."
Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story belong to Tamora Pierce.
Duchess Winnamine walked briskly in front of Daine and Lani, leading them to where they would be staying. After a short walk down a narrow hallway, Winnamine halted so suddenly that Daine almost walked into her. The lady opened the door and stood back, not bothering to enter or even look inside.
"Here you are. You two will be staying in our, my room." She said somberly.
"Duchess," Daine protested, "There's no need for you to give up your room. We can sleep anywhere!"
"And believe me your grace, we have!" Lani added with a weary laugh.
"Nonsense," Winnamine assured them, "I've been sleeping in the girls' room anyway. I, I find it hard to sleep here without Mequen." Winnamine smiled, "So, unpack your things and settle in, I'll work on getting you baths and food." The lady walked briskly back down the hall, surprisingly fast, Daine noticed, for a woman in a dress.
Upon the fast retreat of Winnamine, Lani closed the door slowly, carefully listening for the click of the latch before letting out a ragged breath.
"So far so good Sarra," she said, "Or is it Daine, or Miri? Sorry, my head isn't quite in the right place for the moment. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired."
Daine nodded and plopped wearily onto the bed. "That, or it might be that after effects of the truth drops the duchess slipped us."
Lani dropped her bag, a look of shock in her eyes, "What?"
"Don't worry," Daine assured her quickly, "You didn't give away anything. I didn't give anything away either. It's odd; truth drops don't work on me. They had no effect on me today, nor in the palace dungeons when Rubinyan tried to get me to talk about Tortall." Daine replied.
Lani laughed, "Of course truth drops wouldn't work on you!"
"What do you mean?" Daine asked puzzled.
"You are a god child." Lani answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
There it is again, Daine thought a bit unnerved, God child. How does she know? Daine's curiosity got the better of her and she finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering her since she had first set out for the Copper Isles.
"How do you know that my ma and da are gods?" She demanded.
"I just know. It's a feeling." Lani said simply.
"A feeling?" Daine asked, disbelieving.
Lani nodded, "Any full blood raka can feel it if they pay attention. Back when our people left the nests where we were first born, Kyprioth took the raka under his wing. But Kyprioth, you see, liked to play tricks, he still does. He would often appear to the first raka in many different forms. This unnerved them so much that they appealed to his brother, Mithros, for help. Mithros, who also was tired of Kyprioth's tricks, decided to play a trick of his own. He gave the raka the ability to sense a god's presence so that Kyproith could no longer fool them."
"Does that mean that any full blood raka can know that my parents are gods?" Daine asked warily.
Lani shook her head, much to Daine's relief. "The feeling is very faint with you because you are not of the divine realms and raka legends are not as widely known as they once were. Most people would simply dismiss the feeling as an itch."
Daine released a breath that she hadn't even realized that she had been holding. Suddenly, she remembered another question that had lingered in the back of her mind for a while.
"Why do all the raka have little bits of copper fire in them?" she blurted out before she could properly phrase the question.
Lani raised her eyebrows amused. "Copper fire?"
The Wild Mage shook her head sheepishly and better explained what she meant. "Wild magic, the magic that connects humans to the People, animals?"
"Like the magic you have? No one else that I know can talk to animals like you can." Lani had witnessed first hand Daine's connection with animals. All during their journey, curious inhabitants of the jungle had walked beside them, gossiping happily with Diane. She could still remember the look on the Shang's face when she had awoken one morning to find their camp filled with a troupe of howler monkeys.
Diane nodded, "They wouldn't be able to talk to animals like I can, though, because they only have trace amounts. You have a copper speck too."
Lani eyes opened wide in confused surprise. "I have the gift?"
"Not the gift," Daine assured her, "just a little bit of magic that binds you to animals. Do you have any idea why the raka are connected so closely to animals?"
Lani reached down and took off her muddy boots with a shrug. "My papa never mentioned anything about animals when he used to tell me stories. Sorry, you'll have to ask someone else." She stopped abruptly as a knock sounded on the door. "Yes?" she called.
A slave entered the room with a slight bow. "Diner will be served in about an hour. We have your bath ready now if you wish to clean up. We have plenty of hot water, but only one tub, so you'll have to take turns." He said, holding up a pitcher of steaming water to emphasize his point.
"Bath? What's a bath?" Daine asked jokingly.
"Come in, come in," Lani said laughing.
The slave entered, followed by a stream of others carrying similar pitchers. Quickly they filled up the tub located in a small adjoining room, and left, handing Daine some soap and towels on their way out
Lani reached into her bag and pulled out a clean pair of worn looking shoes, which she began to put on.
"You can go first, Miri," she said, "I haven't yet had a chance to train today. Don't want to get rusty." She reached back into her bag and pulled out a small packet, which she tossed to Daine.
"Pour this into your bath and be sure to take a good long soak. It'll help heal the rest of your injuries."
Daine sniffed the packet warily, expecting more pungent herbs, but found to her delight that it smell quite good.
"Yes mother," she said wryly.
"Good, then I'm off." Lani said, ignoring Daine's comment. She stood up and left in search of a place to practice.
Daine shook her head, amazed that the girl had energy left for anything. Carefully, she stripped off her soiled clothes, poured the herbs dutifully into the steaming water, and slipped into the bath, allowing two weeks worth of grime and a long day's worth of mud to wash away.
"Don't you find it odd that a Shang, a full blood raka Shang, would bother coming to a small estate on a lesser known island? There's not much adventure to be had here." Dove confided to her sister. They were walking slowly through Tanair's small gardens. The slaves and servants had worked hard to bring the forgotten old garden back to its original glory.
"Mmm," Sarai said, only half listening to Dove. She was instead remembering the nights when she was younger when her mother and father would take her on walks, each holding one of her hands. They used to tell her stories and teach her about all the flowers that grew in their gardens. She smiled at the memory. Her mother had loved flowers and everything that lived.
"And," Dove was continuing, "Aly ran off earlier with hardly an explanation and just happened to come back with Miri and Lani? That's a bit odd."
As they turned a corner, Sarai found one of the object of their, or rather Dove's, discussion standing calmly a few yards away. Sarai wondered how much she had overheard, but after she got a closer look, it seemed that the Shang Tiger's thoughts were somewhere else.
Slowly, she raised her hands in front of her until they were above her head, framing the setting sun. Then without warning, she thrust her right leg out in a sidekick, shattering the knee of an invisible enemy.
Sarai tried to follow the girl's movements, but her punches, kicks, and rolls were so fast they were almost impossible to see.
"Don't you think, Sarai?" Dove's voice came from beside her. Sarai realized that her sister must have said something, but it had been lost on her as she watched the Shang.
"What's that?" she asked absentmindedly, still not paying attention to Dove.
"Saraiyu, have you heard a word I've, oh," Dove said as she too noticed the Shang's presence.
The glint of metal shined as Lani drew a sword that Sarai had not noticed until then. She couldn't remember the girl having a sword when she first saw her, but in one of the warrior's rare moments of stillness, she recognized it as the type of sword that guards at Tanair used. She must have borrowed it, she realized, or stole it, her more cautious side added.
At the moments, however, Sarai didn't care what the cautious side of her had to say. She was too amazed. The Shang made sword play not only a life or death skill, but an art. With every twist and turn, her feet were firmly planted and her sword was gripped firmly in her left hand.
"It's beautiful," Sarai found herself whispering. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Sarai expected one of her sister's smart replies, but instead Dove nodded.
After a few more passes, the sword was deftly slid back into its sheath and the Tiger continued to move, once again fighting with her hands.
"Oh no!" Dove whispered next to her. Sarai followed Dove's gaze to the other side of the courtyard were she spotted Nawat.
Nawat was an odd young man who worked as a fletcher in the village. He was also very strong and protective of the Sarai and Dove. From the way he was running at Lani, Sarai realized he though she was a threat to them.
"No Nawat!" she called, but he made no notice of her calls. He leaped and aimed one of his deathly accurate kicks at the back Lani's head.
Just as the kick should have made contact, the Tiger spun and gripped Nawat's ankles, throwing him past her. Nawat tumbled to the ground in front of Dove.
"Nawat, wait," Dove tried, but the odd man was deaf to her words. He got quickly to his feet and charged awkwardly at the Tiger, his arms flapping at his sides, squawking all the while.
Lani moved calmly to the side and gripped one of his arms. Swiftly she pivoted on her right foot, allowing her left to sweep Nawat's legs out from under him. In a moment, she sat on his back, pinning both of his arms tightly in a painful looking lock.
"Don't hurt him!" Sarai called, coming to her senses as she ran over to the writhering man. Lani must have loosened her hold because Nawat stopped thrashing.
"Nawat," she said, kneeling down to look at him, "Lani is a guest here, not an enemy, why did you attack her?"
"Strangers are not welcome in this nest! I tried to mob her." He answered calmly in his strange way of speech.
"Well don't!" Dove huffed as she knelt next to Sarai, "You'll just hurt yourself. She's a Shang warrior."
Nawat gave her a puzzled look and Sarai wondered for what was not the first time where the man was from. To Lani he said, "Please get off of me. If the ladies say so, I will not mob you again."
Lani nodded and slowly released her hold on Nawat. They both stood up.
"You're fast." He noted.
"As are you." Lani said with a wary smile, "Got a good kick too."
"I am sorry I attacked you." Nawat said calmly.
"No harm was done. I was just finishing up anyway." The Tiger said, grinning fully now.
"It's your turn Lani," said a voice from behind Sarai. She turned and saw Lani's friend Miri approaching.
"Oh, thanks Miri," Lani said, looking relieved.
Miri stopped short as she came up to them and stared at Nawat quite openly. Nawat stared back. He tilted his head to the side in wonder, a pose that almost made Sarai laugh aloud.
"Miri," Dove said politely, remembering her manners, "This is Nawat Crow. He's a fletcher in the village."
"Nice to meet you," Miri answered strangely, still staring at Nawat. Sarai knew that Neat was a bit odd, but she had never seen such a reaction out of someone who met him. After a moment, Miri seemed to remember herself, blinked and then continued, "I think I'm going to walk around a bit more."
Sarai wondered why Miri had acted so strangely as she watched her retreating back.
"Saraiyu, Dovesary!" Winna's voice echoed from the doorway into the castle, "Come prepare for diner!"
"Be right in!" Sarai called.
"Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I'd best go clean up unless I plan on going to dinner looking like a pig!" Lani said with another grin as she turned away.
Both Sarai and Dove turn to watch Lani leave.
"Girls!" came Winna's voice again.
"You go ahead, I'll be right in," Sarai said before hurrying off after the Shang.
"Lani, Lani wait!" She called. Quickly, she caught up with her.
"Excuse me, sorry to delay you, but I was wondering, while you are staying at Tanair, I would be greatly obliged if you would be so kind as to teach me some of what you know about the sword." Sarai said quickly, crossing her fingers behind her back for luck. To learn from an actual Shang would be a privilege.
"I would be honored to teach you," Lani said with a slight bow.
"Wonderful!" Sarai said happily. With a Shang for a teacher, she would never make mistakes like she had in her bout this morning again.
"Sarai!" called Winna's voice, which now was sounding quite impatient.
"Thank you! I have to go!" she called as she rushed to find her stepmother.
Alanna the Lioness watched in amazement as Numair Salmalin polished off what must have been his seventh roll.
Well, he hasn't eaten in a week, she thought.
She looked down at her own plate longingly. All of her food was still there, just very well rearranged. She was too tired and had too much to worry about to eat. She had hoped that Numair wouldn't notice the absence of her appetite, but sure enough, he did.
"Why aren't you eating Alanna?" he asked as he daintily wiped his face with a napkin.
"I've got too much on my mind," she admitted, "I have to make sure Roald and Yuki are safe, along with Jon and Thayet, and not to mention the unborn heir! Unfortunately for me, I not only have to protect them, but keep them from fighting. All of them are practically begging to fight, while insisting that all the others shouldn't."
Numair grabbed yet another roll and used it to scoop up the last remaining morsels of soup from his bowl.
"I say we lock the lot of the Conté family into the dungeons until we beat the copper brains back to their Isles." He said sensibly. "But, in the mean time, eat."
"Wouldn't that just solve all our problems, I," but she was cut off when Numair shoved a roll into her open mouth.
Alanna spit out the roll at Numair, laughing. "I'm not the type of lady who will just let a man stuff a roll into her mouth, rudely interrupting her I may add, without retaliation." She said wryly. "You just wait."
"I will cower in fear when that time comes, my fair lady," Numair said, "For no magic could protect me from your wrath."
Alanna laughed again, pleased to learn that she still could with all that was going on. "Speaking of magic, how is your gift?"
"Back to its normal abundance, not to worry." He assured her, a bit distractedly. "Do you sense that?" he asked her suddenly.
Alanna opened her mouth to answer, but found that she couldn't take in breath. Looking around, she found that everyone in the mess hall seemed to be experiencing the same thing. It had gone suddenly quiet, except for the sounds of people pounding on their chests, struggling for air that wasn't there.
Sorcery, Alanna thought amazed. She had never experienced a spell like this except for the time when she had won Lightning from whatever possessed the ruins of the Old Ones in Olau. Quickly, she looked at Numair to, who would surely know what was going on.
His eyes were closed, and he was muttering under his breath, using whatever air was left in his lung to speak. Slowly, black mists gathered up around him in a menacing looking cloud. The black robe opened his eyes and clapped his hands together. The black cloud burst apart and washed over the room.
Alanna sucked in a gulp of air. "What was that?" she squeaked over the other gasps around her.
"Inar Hadensra," Numair said darkly, "He used some sort of old spell. I've never encountered anything like this before." He stood up so hard, he knocked his bench over onto the floor.
"Where are you going?" Alanna asked, standing up to follow him.
"I've got to take care of Hadensra. He's looking for a fight, I'm gonna give him one."