Reanna: You suck.
Hiro: What did I do now?
Reanna: You brought that here.
Hiro: It's not mine! It followed me home from the bowling alley and Random wanted to keep it. Besides, he teaches me how to curse in Spanish. Look, he's semi-harmless.
Reanna: Semi-harmless! He tried to toast Chris when he suggested that Pepito go buy some new clothes!
Hiro: Heh… soul-toast…
Reanna: You like him?
Hiro: Sort of…. He's cute. Oh, come on! He has the heart of a little boy!
Reanna: Which he keeps in a jar.
Pepito: Cute?
Hiro: Yes, cute. There are reasons why I let him stay…
Pepito: Mainly being the thing on the other side of the Wall that calls itself Amber Stag.
Hiro: Don't remind me… Reviewers:
Wizard 116- Huzzah for the ever-present reviewer that has left their mark on every chapter so far…
Sarah- Thanks.
Ken- Thankies. :-)
Fireblade K'Chona- Thanks. o.o I have big people watching my story... I feel so loved...
Ashfur- Wait and see… if he trampled the courtiers, then what would serve as the ever-present grinding on Rowen's nerves?
Reanna: You and the things you do to him.
Hiro: … Touché. Now, off to plan my roadtrip…
NOTE: I have now realized that Valdemar does not border Jkatha. My apologies, I only realized when I was dividing my time between writing this and reading my recently-returned copy of Oathbreakers and was studying the maps in the front. Please try to now place Rowen's cave home way up in the Pelagir Hills on the Rethwellan/Valdemar Border. The Change-Circles dotend to transport things…
Any Shin'a'in language that you don't recognize, is Romany (gypsy language.) Mercedes Lackey used Romany as Shin'a'in, so that's what I'm using here. Translations are placed at the bottom of the page.
Chapter Six: Me, Myself and a Voice in my Head.
"Rowen?" Julian asked him. "Rowen?" he shook the other's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
The Shin'a'in in turned around and started violently when he saw Rowen. Rowen walked forward, inadvertently dragging Julian behind him, attracting the attention of many in the room as he did, and stopped in front of the Shin'a'in, who paled beneath his tan as he recognized Rowen's coloring and the form of the horse body.
"Li'sa'eer! Se tu de cu Manush?" He asked in Shin'a'in.
"H-hai. Eu Rowen shena Tale'sedrin," Rowen replied. "Dar tu se?"
"Jarim shena Pretera'sedrin . Get'ke tumare trupos?"
"A Change-circle," he said shortly, switching to Valdemaran. "I was scouting along the edges of the Plains with my horse; I was one of the scouts sent to survey the land and view to see where these Change-circles were occurring. We were returning home when we were caught in one of the Circles. It Changed us; melded us together, and transported us many leagues to the North, into the Pelagir Hills of Rethwellan. I stayed there for three years in seclusion, hiding myself successfully and staying out of the view of those who would have reported me. Then I met Julian, and-" he paused. "Well, you'll hear the whole of the story when the Council interrogates me. How- how have the Clans fared?" he asked, fearing the answer.
The other nomad eyed him, then answered cautiously, "They fare well; perhaps better than before, considering that our duty to guard the Plains is over."
The Heralds had brought him vaguely up to speed on this matter while they were traveling to Haven, but it had been bundled up, and he hadn't really been focused at the time. He would have to hear this story in its entirety, sometime soon.
His train of thought was interrupted when there was a commotion at the door, and a gigantic feathered mass strode in. A gigantic golden-brown feathered mass with a meat-hook in the middle of the face, wings tightly-furled to its sides, and four legs that ended in formidable talons sheathed in human-constructed wooden-tipped covers, and golden eyes. It abruptly stopped, and stared at him with a measure of interest in its eyes, and he knew that it was sizing him up. In turn, he trotted over to the gryphon, for that was what it was, and sized it up. They were about the same size, and he might be able to take it on indoors, but he wouldn't want to get out in the open and fight with it; it was made for aerial attacks, and he'd be mincemeat in a second. They finished the sizing dance, and stood for a moment, studying each other.
The creature was a thing of beauty, but through its golden eyes shone personality, and intelligence, which it promptly displayed as soon as it opened its beak.
"Ssso, thisss is the oh-ssso fearrrsssome Changebeassst? A Changechild, I ssshould think, and a Ssshin'a'in at that. I am Trrreyvan, and am mossst pleasssed to make yourrr acquaintance."
"I as well. I am Rowen shena Tale'sedrin, and may I present my companion, the Bard Julian?"
"It isss nice to sssee you again, Julian. I am glad that you brrrought him herrre; he may be verrry ussseful to the Alliance."
"Likewise, Sir."
So the gryphon was a male. How did one tell sex between gryphons?
Another gryphon, a bit larger than Treyvan, came in through the door and looked at Rowen in surprise. He stared right back; it had the same eye coloring as Treyvan's, but it's feathers were a soft imitation of the other gryphon's; sort of dusty brown, with more gray than the other had.
"Hydona," Treyvan said, "thisss isss the Changechild. Hisss name isss Rrrowen ssshena Tale'sssedrrrin, and he arrrrived with Julian."
"Ah. Pleasssurrred to meet you, Sssshin'a'in. Pleassse, would you carrre to have a ssseat? Errr-" it looked embarrassed, and its nares flushed. "Well, would you carrre to ssstand with usss in the csssenterrr of the table?"
Rowen looked again at the table, and found it to be more than adequate to hold himself and the gryphons.
"Of course," he replied awkwardly, and they all moved towards the hollow in the center of the table, Treyvan between him and Hydona, and poor Julian still being dragged along by the wrist. Rowen was not going to let go of his one sure ally, not at this dire moment.
Trotting alongside them was large wolf-like beast, with the head and pelt of a wolf and the body of a grasscat; and another, taller creature. This one was rather like a large upright lizard, with a humanlike hands, a blunt snout, and pebbled skin.
As soon as they were settled in the center of the table, the meeting began.
The blonde woman that Rowen had noticed earlier stood up and appraised him across the table.
"Changechild Rowen shena Tale'sedrin, do you know why you are here?" she asked levelly, her voice resounding through the room. All of the other humans in the room immediately ceased speaking and all but ran to their chairs. The Shin'a'in Ambassador and the Karsite were the last to take their seats, and the Karsite's cat jumped up onto the table, positioning itself right next to his elbow, and surveyed the room with amazing blue eyes- that reminded him, irresistibly, of a Companion's. Its eyes locked onto his, and he felt like the cat was somehow laughing at him. He started to glare at it and then shook himself- it was a cat! Just a cat.
:Just a Cat?:
Great, now he was talking to himself.
:I assure you, child of the Plains, you are not.:
Fat chance, he told it, and faced the speaker.
"I was told that I was to be brought here for a trial period, after which I was to decide whether to become your Envoy to the hidden Changechildren," he said.
"That is the idea, Shin'a'in. And what part does Bard Julian play in this?"
"He was the one who brought me here, Majesty. He also serves as my guide and is assisting me to settle here," he answered, and she nodded, over someone's murmur of, "His blind guide?"
"Would you please recite the circumstances that placed you in that form and brought you here, to Haven?"
"Yes, Majesty." And he began the tale of how he had been sent out from the Plains to survey the Change-circles around the Dhorisha Plains, with his saddle-horse, and had finished, and were camping for the night, when a Change-circle had occurred right where the horse had been tethered, trapping him, his steed, and his weapons, and melding the living creatures together, leaving the inanimate objects whole. His muscles had liquefied, bones melted, body and soul dissolved and he had fused with poor Gehdri. At that point he'd lost consciousness. He had awakened, in great pain from the fuse, on his side, with Gehdri's mind completely gone. He was alone. After learning to use the new body without stumbling, he'd managed to carve out a home for himself, and had quickly become adept at moving silently. Then he'd met Julian, being attacked by bandits.
Selaney suddenly stopped him in the middle of his story, and more people entered through a side door that he hadn't noticed. He didn't recognize the man that it took three of them to hold in place, but apparently the man recognized him, because he went dead white and started sweating.
"Is this the 'monster' that attacked you, 'Farmer' Wilkes?"
"Yes, milady! This be th' monster tha' attacked me wi'ou' warnin'!"
"Interesting," was all Selaney said, then, "Talia."
The Queen's Own stood up, and Selaney nodded at her. Talia stared first at the man, then at Rowen, and a faint blue glow appeared about the other man's head and shoulders.
'Magic.'
:Quite right,: the voice in his head commented again.
He ignored it, and focused on Talia.
"Farmer Wilkes, state your full name, please," she asked politely.
"John Wilkes."
"What is your profession?"
"'M a bandit, ma'am."
The Councilors stirred, and a few started murmuring uneasily. Selaney hid a smile.
"And what were you doing when the- ah- monster found you?"
"We was robbing the Bard an' Mac was thinkin' of keeping 'im as a pleasure slave."
At this, some of the Councilors looked outraged, and Talia looked at Julian, concern written all over her face.
"Did you manage to injure the Bard in any way?" Selaney continued.
"No- th' monster attacked us afore Mac could do more th'n scare 'im a little."
Incredibly, then man seemed completely unaware of what he was saying, as if they were hearing one thing come out of his mouth, and he another.
"What happened then?"
"Well, th' bastid comes runnin' at us and starts playin' tag wif us an' ar' 'orses, so we run and I come 'ere for 'elp."
"Right. Now, Changechild, please state your name."
"Rowen shena Tale'sedrin."
"Good. Your age?"
"Twenty five summers."
"Hmm. Relate your version of the events to the Council."
"I was patrolling my territory in the forest when I heard screaming and went to investigate. When I got to the scene, they had him surrounded, and the leader was standing in front of Julian, holding their faces together. I started distracting them, hoping that he would be able to get away, but I didn't realize that he was blind."
Julian's arm suddenly stiffened slightly in his grasp, and Rowen squeezed gently in reassurance.
"So I took him back to my home, let him stay for two days because of the thunderstorm, then took him to the road, where he set off for the next inn. About an hour later, Heralds Lisha and Kyndri arrived with their Guard troop, intending to destroy me. I left, and caught up with Julian, who explained to the Heralds what was happening. Then one of the bandits came back and shot us both, him in the shoulder and myself here." He pointed to the formerly wounded leg. "Then I subdued the bandit, and the Heralds and Guards took us back here."
"Thank you," Selaney said. "Bard Julian, is all of this true?"
"Yes, Majesty."
"Well, then. Talia, you may dismiss the spell." The blue glow vanished from around the bandit's head. "Guards, take the bandit out. The Lord Marshall can decide what to do with him for lying to the Queen and Council. So, Changechild of the Shin'a'in, what shall we do with you?"
"Whatever you wish, Queen."
"Mmm. Might the other Councilors question you now?"
Rowen looked around dubiously. Some of the Councilors looked fearful, a few hostile. A few, including an old man who wore the symbol of a religious office smiled and nodded at him as Rowen's eyes passed over him.
:The Lord Patriarch.:
The Karsite smiled at him as well, and nodded. The cat nodded too, and Rowen was starting to get a suspicion that this was no ordinary cat.
:Too right.:
He cursed at the voice.
"Yes, Majesty, they may, as long as they are polite questions."
Some of the Councilors frowned, and the Karsite smiled.
:I think that you and Karal are going to get along fine.:
Language:
Se tu de cu Manush? – Are you of the People?
Eu Rowen shena Tale'sedrin. – I am Rowen of the Clan of the Children of the Hawk.
Dar tu se? – And you are?
Get'ke tumare trupos? – Can you explain your body?
Note: I translated this in the English sentence formation since I have no idea of verb/subject placement. (I failed Spanish class, too.)