Gavin - 2000-01-04
s Daemil cried, he felt someone place their arms around him. He looked up through tear streaked eyes. The silver-haired woman was holding him. "Sh.. don't cry.. Sh.." She reached into her bag and gave him another berry. "Here, this will help."
Daemil popped it into his mouth and nearly spat it out again. (Ugh!) He thought.
"My name would be Darkecat. Jenra Darkecat." Said the silver-haired woman.
The other woman spoke. This time her voice did not cause Daemil any pain.
"Laudable, you might have said so earlier, instead of choosing to threaten me for no good reason. I am not a Nevian empath; I cannot sense intentions. When one sees an armed figure kneeling over a bound figure and a dead body, one generally does not assume the best of the situation, unless one is a trusting fool."
Daemil was about to speak when the woman whistled, which did hurt. There was a thunder of hooves, then the woman enquired "May I ask what happened here?"
Daemil jumped as some flames sprang up in front of him, then realised he was no longer bound. A strange warmth that was his, and yet at the same time not, flowed through him. He found it comforting, and his head was beginning to clear more.
Then he noticed the angel.
"Elexa," she said, pointing at herself. "Keleos," she added, indicating the woman behind her. "No fight! No, no. Not like, no, no!" she suddenly blurted.
Daemil looked around and realised there were now four people in the clearing. Jenra, whom he noticed had pointy ears and strange more-than-blue eyes.
(An elf? I've never seen one before but this is what they are supposed to be like...) he thought.
A small, slender woman, who somehow seemed to have more presence than her frame would suggest, stood next to the angel, Elexa. Had the angel called her 'Keleos'? The woman had very pale skin, blue-black hair and slightly slanted, dark blue-purple eyes.
(Shenmiri? The eyes were one of the traits we were told of...)
Then he noticed the tiger. Not having ever seen one, he could still tell it was a dangerous creature. He jumped in surprise, but noticed it did not seem bothered with him, but was looking at Keleos.
With his senses now together again, he stood and turned to the elf.
"My thanks to you and your people." He said in Elven.
He reverted to common and addressed Keleos and Elexa. "I haven't had all my senses with me till this moment, but I think I can answer your question about the events that took place before any of you arrived. I am on my way to seek work as a translator in the south of Torrigan. I was planning to spend last night at Stoneley Mill, a village a short way from here, when I met lost traveller. It was getting dark and we were attacked by a group of men."
He looked down at his now filthy green robes. "When I recovered, the other man was dead." He paused, looking angry. "What makes a person do this? Why?" He demanded.
Then Daemil seemed to deflate. "My bag..." It was no longer there. He hadn't had much, but all of it had been in his bag.
A shock passed through Daemil and suddenly all the fires went out.
"What?" asked Daemil, for a moment so confused that he spoke in the Order's preferred language, from a long assimilated kingdom that had existed within what is now Aleron. It was the language of the founder of the Order - Talar.
A black stallion trotted into view between the trees. On his back sat a man robed in fiery red silk. He had long black hair with a single flame-red streak across the crown. Daemil noticed he was carrying two swords and slipped back to beside the elf, where he felt safer.
The rider addressed Keleos. "Dangerous, to raise Fire unneeded in woodlands," he commented dryly. "I trust the Fire was not yours, m'hara?" Daemil immediately recognised the Shenmiri word that meant either kinswoman or countrywoman. (Another Shenmiri?) He thought.
The man continued. "I am Muranog Kachar, called the Red, late of the Ring of Tears, once student under Kyril the Red. And you?" This time his gaze took in the entire group, his question clearly aimed at all of them.
"My name, is Darkecat." Said Jenra, from beside him, sounding somewhat annoyed.
(She probably doesn't like people in the Elven forest). Thought Daemil. The Order had some sort of long standing agreement with the Elves, it had banned its members from going near the forest or cutting any of the trees, and the Elves of the Forest tended to ignore the Order.
The tiger growled softly and Daemil edged away from it. Jenra said something to it quietly and it slipped away, for which Daemil was grateful.
Getting his courage up, Daemil stepped forward slightly and spoke in Shenmiri. "My name is Daemil Laisudamera, formally of the Order of Talar." Switching to common he addressed everyone. "Please, everyone - don't fight." He started to shiver, uncontrollably, as a breeze caught his dew dampened robe.
Abby - 2000-01-05
"The sudden outburst from Elexa took Keleos by surprise, and her attention shifted from 'Darkecat' and company to her Avarel charge. This was quite probably the longest coherent sentence she'd heard from Elexa since they'd met.lexa," she said, pointing at herself. "Keleos," she added, indicating the woman behind her. "No fight! No, no. Not like, no, no!" she suddenly blurted.
In another moment her attention swung back to the young man as, seeming to be finally recovered, he got to his feet and addressed the white-haired woman in what sounded like Kethiel Elvish. (Elvish? He's not an... oh.) For the first time Keleos noted the sharply pointed ears and slanted blue eyes. (A white-haired wild elf. I didn't know they came in that shade.)
The young man reverted to common and addressed Keleos and Elexa. "I haven't had all my senses with me till this moment, but I think I can answer your question about the events that took place before any of you arrived. I am on my way to seek work as a translator in the south of Torrigan. I was planning to spend last night at Stoneley Mill, a village a short way from here, when I met lost traveller. It was getting dark and we were attacked by a group of men. When I recovered, the other man was dead." He paused, looking angry. "What makes a person do this? Why?" he demanded.
Then he seemed to deflate. "My bag..."
Keleos sighed inaudibly, relaxing a fraction. (There. Mystery solved. No need for all this posturing.) "All right, Elexa," she said, pitching her voice mildly, "no fighting. On my honor." She refrained from looking at the elf. (Holding myself to that is probably not going to be easy... But for now I'd better get Elexa calmed down before she sets the entire forest aflame...)
But before she could say another word, a ripple of Power washed over her--bright, pure, and very, very familiar. Keleos braced herself against the sudden shaft of bittersweet pain. (Shenmiri sorcery!) The little tongues of flame snuffed out as though they'd never been.
From between the trees appeared a sleek black horse bearing a red-robed rider whose long black hair had a flame-red streak dyed in it--a man whose obvious Shenmiri heritage had Keleos stiffening, her face sealing over into an impassive mask. The rider addressed Keleos. "Dangerous, to raise Fire unneeded in woodlands," he commented dryly. "I trust the Fire was not yours, m'hara?"
Keleos stood frozen, unable to reply. (I can't face him. Honor demands--I can't.)
The man continued. "I am Muranog Kachar, called the Red, late of the Ring of Tears, once student under Kyril the Red. And you?" This time his gaze took in the entire group, his question clearly aimed at all of them.
(Can't face him, can't run, can't tell him, can't *not* tell him--Lord of Storms, what do I do now?)
"My name, is Darkecat," the elf put in for the second time, sounding annoyed.
Getting his courage up, Daemil stepped forward slightly and spoke in Shenmiri. "My name is Daemil Laisudamera, formally of the Order of Talar." Switching to common he addressed everyone. "Please, everyone - don't fight." He started to shiver.
Keleos gritted her teeth. Fine. She'd do what honor demanded. If it killed her.
"No," she told the pyromancer clearly, in trade-tongue. "The Fire was not mine, but that of my charge." A brief motion of her hand indicated Elexa. "My thanks for your aid in controlling it."
(Now--now or never--) Keleos took two steps forward and sank to her knees, bowing low to the other Shenmiri. In her own tongue she said stiffly, "Ne sai m'hara. I was born Keleos Kanari, but lost that name fourteen years past. I am Keleos Oath-Broken."
Amber - 2000-01-06
enra watched the on-goings silently, amazed at the man, Daemil's, strength. Silently she gathered her possessions, while the attention was not on her, slipping her medicines into her belt-pouches, and the smaller dagger back into her boot. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she adjusted her small back-case and her belt holding the axe, and prepared to set off into the forest, her silver-blue eyes already catching the movement of several of her Brethren clans, who had come to see, and probably to take care of the outsiders in their land. With a few elegant movements disguised as common things such as glancing at the sky, adjusting her axe, and shaking her hair out, she signalled them that she was fine, and to meld, a Kethralian term that meant to disappear, to be gone, but yet be there. She saw the flash of silver in the forest light and set off towards it, crossing the clearing with silent strides.
Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.