Alaviel’s advisors’ mouths hung open as she finished recounting the evening. By her command, they had been silent throughout the entire report, but now they were bursting with questions.
“You want us to associate with them?”
“All three of them know who you are?”
“She’s alive?”
All of their questions swirled around in the air, nearly unintelligible. She glanced over at Alfonso, who was oddly silent. The unspoken question was clear: What does this mean for us?
She held up her hand to silence them, but that did not stop the confusion she sensed from each one of them. “One question at a time,” she commanded. “Make them relevant, not just shocked responses to what I’ve said already.”
“Can they all be trusted with your identity?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Jada’s inner circle is made up of Sir Norbert, Lady Kessil, Lady Eirana, Sir Ziro, Stefus Astul Lethya, and Gawen Erif Drathil.” She counted them off on her fingers. “We know Sir Norbert is loyal to us. We are his only chance to regain Clevia. Lady Kessil has kept my magical ability a secret, and probably will do the same with my identity. Lady Eirana has kept quiet about Jada’s identity, so she should keep quiet with mine. Sir Ziro--”
“Sir Ziro? The fool who started all of this?”
She breathed in heavily, her words more sure than she felt. “He is loyal to Eirana, and will do what she says. As for Stefus Astul Lethya, his tribe has long been a close trading partner with Manicolus, and he would never do anything to disrupt that. Gawen Erif Drathil--”
“Erif Drathil?”
“Jada adopted him; that’s how all of this got started,” she snapped. “He does not use that name publicly, but if you search his person, you’ll find a Rashdan pendant around his neck. I have felt his pride in being adopted as a Rashdan; he feels strongly about it.” She saw understanding dawn on their faces. No one in the room would be wise to forget her talent in that area.
“Where did the pendant come from?” Sir Alfonso frowned. “Jada has not left Delixia since she first came six years ago.”
“Stefus,” Alaviel replied. “He and his mother communicate using messenger birds. It’s the Astul Lethya specialty. Jada must have contacted Stefus’s mother to have the pendant made.”
At that moment, she sensed something strong, a strange dichotomy of love and duty. Startled by this sudden outburst, her eyes turned purple as she focused into the source. Her advisors were silent out of respect for the royal magic she was using. It was Jada. Complicated emotions spewed forth--anger, frustration, love, then a resigned sort of sadness. What was that sadness? An obvious answer would be grief, but this didn’t feel like grief.
Then, as she listened more closely, still not hearing audible words but rather sensing the shades of the mind, she realized what it was. Jada was sad because she knew she was going to die. Why would she die? Alaviel considered, still listening. Duty.
Presently, Alaviel’s eyes snapped open and returned to their piercing blue.
“What did you see?”
Alaviel shook her head, eyes downcast. “There’s a plan. I don’t know what it is yet, but there’s a plan. Something big. Something like no one has ever seen. But it will cost Jada her life.” She looked up. “Not if I can help it,” she said with resolve.
Sir Norbert cheerfully put his room in order as the sunlight streamed through the windows. He didn’t even like Jada to do this, as he had quite an assortment of current experiments lying around, and his most recent one would be considered controversial at best. Although he would trust her with that secret, he still did not like the idea of how she might try to use it.
It worked! The labor of years of research had finally paid off. He had been so close for so long, but there was always a small percentage of his animal tests that did not work. Now, he had tried it on the closest thing to a human being he could allow, and it had worked!
Who should he tell? This was the discovery of the century. Suddenly, fear gripped him. If the High Court found out about this, there would be no saving him. Worse yet, they could use it for their own evil aims. . .
I must keep this to myself, he thought. The world is not ready for it.
He confidently strode down the stairs to the main pub. There were only a few customers in the dining room at this hour. Ah, there she was. She’d definitely have something to say about what they sensed last night.
“May we talk in a private parlor, please?” Alaviel smiled diplomatically.
Sir Norbert bowed ever so slightly. “I was about to suggest the same.” He led her to his largest private parlor. “In a little while, my entertainment staff will arrive for a meeting, as you know well. You may wish to stay so that they are not surprised when you know about their plan.”
“Of course.”
“Tea?”
“No, thank you. I am awake enough already.”
Sir Norbert poured himself some and asked, “So, what’s your take on it? Your senses are just a little more finely-tuned than mine.”
“You were closer, and not distracted by thousands of people in another country.”
“I was distracted as well. Surely you sensed my research?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Very interesting. I think we’ll need it sooner than you may think.”
Sir Norbert ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly. “The human puppet is only a simulation. A very good one, no doubt, in terms of chemistry, but there are other factors.”
“How would you propose we test it?”
“We?” Sir Norbert frowned. “There is no ‘we’ in it. It is my research. I cannot in good conscience test it on a sentient human being just for the sake of testing, and I don’t think that the High Court would ever release a proper test subject.”
“You have a point there, and I can assure you: you won’t find one in Manicolus, except in the hands of the Riya Dru. However, Jada may become one if we’re not careful.”
“I know. In a way, I think they are wise, not to let each other know. Stefus might do something, ah, rash.”
“Let them enjoy it while they can. Perhaps we can find a solution to it all.”
“And in the meantime, my tests are our little secret.”
“Good morning, Jada,” Alaviel smiled at the newcomers, giving no hint whatsoever that they had been talking about her just moments before. “Good morning, Stefus.” She chuckled. “Good morning, Shalisda.”
Both of them dropped into brief bows before taking seats for themselves. Shalisda took off from Stefus’s shoulder and rested on the back of an empty chair. Jada triumphantly dropped a script in front of Sir Norbert. “This is the show I have in mind. I think it could take me much longer than the promised month to create.”
“Take your time,” Sir Norbert adjusted his glasses to better look at the script. “Politically controversial, by any coincidence?”
“Very.”
“Well, that’s very good for business,” Sir Norbert grinned.
Stefus frowned. “You’re not concerned that they’ll shut you down?”
“Let them try! I’ve had enough of them taking what is mine. This time, I will not just stand back and let them move me from place to place. After all, where will they send me? To Jegundo? I don’t think they want to risk having me around there.”
“I don’t know; Wylth tells me they force-feed mages alcohol until either their magic is gone or they die of alcohol poisoning.”
Sir Norbert rolled his eyes as Gawen, Lady Kessil, Sir Ziro, and Lady Eirana entered. “I’d love to see them try. So, since we’re all here now, you can explain the new show to us.”
“The story is simple. Lr A’dl blesses two separate people, Amasa and Canace, with immortality, and they are to live on D’nal until they have found Heaven on D’nal. When they first learn of this, they are happy that they have so many years--”
“Who wouldn’t be?” interjected Lady Kessil. “That’s the point of my trade, isn’t it?”
Jada gave her a weary smile, and continued. “Then, they encounter the dark side of immortality. Amasa, knowing he is the perfect soldier, enlists in the army of Manicolus. His acts are heroic and brave, and he soon receives public acclaim in Manicolus after he rescues a group of Descans from being sold as slaves. Even King Mentmac praises him personally.”
“Wait, I can see where you’re going with this. . .”Alaviel frowned. “This makes things difficult for me.”
“That is why you are here. I will not do this without your permission. May I continue?” Jada queried respectfully.
“Of course.”
Jada paused. “Everything continues to go well for Amasa. King Mentmac gives him a special job as an emissary between himself and the emperor Sarzarad of Tre-revaj. He personally arranges a meeting between the two rulers in the Edarth Isles.”
Gawen’s eyes grew wide. “Oh!”
“You remember,” Jada grinned, “what happened that infamous night. With horror, Amasa watches as King Mentmac loses Yaylithe forever. Amasa warns the king not to do it, but he does anyway. When the king realizes what he has done the next morning, he has Amasa killed because he does not wish the truth to come out.”
Sir Ziro frowned. “I thought Amasa was immortal.”
“Exactly,” Jada replied. “Of course, he doesn’t die. He is tortured by their many attempts to kill him, and eventually they put out his eyes and banish him to Yaylithe. In the meantime, without Amasa’s leadership, the army of Manicolus fails and Yaylithe is conquered.”
Jada hesitated, glanced over at Stefus, then continued. “Men and women view things through different lenses. Canace, a native of the Desca Isles, is sold into slavery when her family is unable to pay taxes to the Tre-revaj empire. She is rescued, however, by none other than Amasa. In gratitude, she agrees to work for him after he is promoted to his position as an emissary. She teaches him how to fly. They fall in love, get married, but never tell each other of their immortality. All goes well for them until, after that fateful party, she is told that he is dead. She believes he is dead. She decides to wander the world in search of something that will console her grief, and finds some comfort in random acts of kindness to the poor and the miserable.”
“Amasa wanders, too. He is hoping that somehow he can find this heaven on D’nal so that his eternal misery could be ended. Because he is blind, he is mocked and ridiculed. Only a poor Descan widow is kind to him--”
“Canace, right?” Eirana interjected.
“Correct,“ Jada said. “While others are mocking him and abusing him, she gets them to stop and is kind enough to tend his wounds. Then, as soon as he is healed, he decides to go take refuge in Renni; he has had enough of the nonsense of the surface world. Canace continues to wander about, trying to do good, as Tre-revaj makes it harder and harder for her to do so. She starts to despair of ever finding heaven on D‘nal.”
Jada stopped for a moment, gazing into the distance. Everyone in the room was silent as she swallowed, then continued.
“Canace is giving water to a lost wanderer in the Rashdan desert when a sandstorm arises. The wanderer is lost and Canace is kidnapped and taken down into Renni, where she is held captive by a blind man, a gardener of the fiery vines and trees that grow there. He reveals that he is the blind man she helped, and he kidnapped her because she was the only kind person he ever knew but his wife. She pities him, but begs to return to the surface.” Jada gave a mysterious smile. “The scene that follows is probably my best work.”
The room waited with baited breath as she did that aggravating habit of very slowly taking a long gulp of tea, holding them hostage. She laughed and grinned. “You’ll see it in rehearsal. Needless to say, they discover each other for who they are, and the joy of their reunion constitutes as Heaven on D‘nal. Lr A’dl drops in and rewards them with the opportunity to join Him in Heaven. The two choose to stay instead and fight the injustices they have seen. Lr A’dl restores the sight of Amasa and honors them as His most faithful servants, that they would make such a choice. Together, they return to the surface.”
She gave them a moment of silence for the story to sink in, then tentatively asked, “So what do you think?”
“Great story; good for business,” Sir Norbert smiled.
Lady Kessil frowned. “I assume you are playing Canace, and Stefus is Amasa?” Jada nodded. “Are you prepared for the physical demands of these roles? Granted, I haven’t heard how you intend to stage this, but knowing you, the ‘fiery vines’ are probably real fire and you truly intend to teach him how to fly. And how are you portraying Lr A’dl?”
Jada gave her a lopsided grin. “A few dishas, a voice-over, and illusions. I will do my best to portray the full glory of His presence.”
Lady Kessil sighed deeply. “You’re going to get so many burns doing this. . . And what if, while you’re training Stefus for the flying scenes, he starts to fall?”
“I’m not stupid. All safety measures will be observed, at least until after the performance.”
“And what does that mean?” Lady Kessil snapped. “I don’t even know why I ask you about these safety concerns when you’re going to be arrested for performing it anyway!”
“That is my primary concern, also,” intoned Alaviel. “Are you sure you want to follow through with this? If you do this, you and Stefus just might be able to claim immunity as Rashdans, but the rest of the cast would be jailed.”
“My intentions are quite the opposite. I plan that the rest of the cast will escape and I will be arrested. I will not claim Rashdan immunity. I will reveal my identity in full. Do you think that will drive my point home?” she glared at them.
“Quite,” Sir Ziro cowered under her gaze.
“May I read over the parts that concern Manicalese history before you start rehearsals?” Alaviel asked. “I just want to make sure that it is accurate.”
“Of course,” Jada exclaimed. “I wouldn’t dream of performing it without having Your Majesty check it. Here is a copy of the script.”
“Where does the Council come in?” Gawen asked. “What will become of them afterwards?”
Jada acknowledged him. “They will be my cast, if they vote to do so. They are shown in regular uniform in the last scene. Hopefully, we won’t have any attempts at arrests before then, but I do expect that at that point, they will be quite anxious to jail the entire cast. They will exit with dishas exploding behind them, the exits sealed, and I will reveal my identity, make a stirring little speech, then give them hell when they get me in court. In the meantime, everyone else will be safely hiding in Renni, under Stefus’s leadership.”
Gawen thought about it for a moment. “That would work,” he said slowly.
“Any other questions?” Jada asked.
Who will take your place when you are gone? Alaviel’s voice rang through Jada’s mind, though the room was silent. How will you end what you started?
Jada smiled and said, “Well, then, I hope you have a wonderful day,” thinking, I leave my legacy to you, o Queen, and to the Council. There are possible leaders there.
Alaviel, Eirana, and Ziro left. Sir Norbert looked at Jada strangely for a moment, made a few comments about financing the production, then left. Gawen was still there, looking worried.
“What is it?” Jada asked kindly.
“Mother, I don’t want to lose you,” he confessed. “I mean, I know you are not really my mother, but you’re all I’ve got. If you get arrested, if you go to court, I won’t even have you.”
“What about Eirana? She’ll look after you. Or Stefus?” She hugged Gawen gently. “You know why I do this. I promise that I will not leave you alone. You are an Erif Drathil. You will be strong, like a fire lizard.”
“Lr A’dl dih rah yae.”
“Sih rah yae.”
There was silence as Jada watched him leave, somewhat downcast. Stefus stared at her, unsure what to think. He’d never fully understood the bond between Jada and her adopted son; she had always been fairly private about it. “He really loves you, doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” Jada sighed. “He is one of the few things I’ll regret leaving. And your company. And Eirana’s, and Kessil’s, and. . . Any number of people. But I do this for all of you, and doubtless I will see you all again, when I see Darim again.” She looked up at him. “No need to rush the production, though. We can make the time left as much fun as possible. Now, I’m going to need to make a little trip to get more minerals for my dishas. What a pity,” she added sarcastically.
“A wonderful excuse to get out of here,” he agreed with a grin.
“We can work on our lines on the way there.”
“Yes, Jada.”
She opened her mouth, as if to protest his continually annoying habit of agreeing with her, but thought the better of it. Instead, she asked, “Are you ready to begin your training?”
“Sure,” he shrugged. “Haven’t we started already?”
“That we have,” she grinned. “Before you know it, you and Shalisda will be flying together.” Jada stared at the falcon absentmindedly, then asked, “You still want to do this? You heard Lady Kessil’s concerns.”
“I trust you,” Stefus replied quickly. “A good deal of the time--actually, most of the time--you don’t make much sense to me, but at the very least, you seem to know what you’re doing.”
“You understand me better than most,” Jada sighed. “Sad, eh?”
“No kidding. Can we get started?”
“Sure. Now, what do you remember?”
“Decisions.”
“Have you decided, then?”
He looked puzzled. “Decided what?”
She clucked impatiently. “Whether or not you love flying!”
“All right; I love flying,” he said without enthusiasm.
“That’s not good enough!”
“What is?”
She calmed down a bit, then was struck with a sudden inspiration. “Let’s go outside. Bring Shalisda with you.”
He obliged, and they made their way to the bare yard in front of their cabin.
“She’s trained, right?” Jada asked.
Stefus stroked the falcon affectionately. “As much as one can tame a wild bird. At the very least, she refuses to leave me.”
“How touching. You love her, don’t you?”
“My falcon?”
“Yes; the falcon. If you went to all the bother of bringing her here with you, caring for her, and having her on your shoulder more or less wherever you go, than somewhere down the line, you must have decided to love her,” Jada explained.
Stefus thought about it. “I suppose so. But what does that have to do with flying?”
“If you let her go flying, then, you can decide to follow her, out of love,” Jada postulated.
“If I can’t teach you to fly, Shalisda can. Try it.”
Stefus signaled to the falcon, who glided into the crisp morning air with the smooth, powerfully curving wings of a raptor in fine condition. Even Jada had to admire the fierce beauty of this bird. Stefus watched her for a moment, then slowly rose off the ground. Falcon and man circled each other in midair, Stefus looking amazed that he had done this on his own.
“It’s easy!” he laughed like a child. “Why didn’t you make it this easy in the first place?”
Jada rose up to join them. “Ah, I tried, but I suppose you just had to discover it for yourself. You were thinking too hard about letting go of the ground to actually do it. Now,” she instructed, “in performance it’s me you’re following, not Shalisda. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Jada.” He signaled Shalisda to land, then fixed his gaze on Jada, actually moving more smoothly than before..
Her face paled, and she whispered, “We’re outside! I’m Sarepta, not Jada.”
Irritated, he rolled his eyes and was shocked to find himself dropping out of the sky. Jada’s eyes grew wide and light briefly flashed out of them as she slowed him down to meet the ground safely. She sank, disappointed and exhausted, beside him. “I’m sorry. We just have to be careful.”
“I know. After all, who knows what listening ears might be around at this hour?” he remarked with pronounced sarcasm. She glared at him, and he sighed. “I can follow you and I can follow Shalisda, but I can’t follow Sarepta.”
She rubbed her forehead. “Consider Sarepta and I the same people with different names. After all, Sarepta is your wife; you should be able to follow her, even if you couldn’t follow me. On stage, you’ll be following Canace. But I’m underneath all of it.”
“Should we give it another try?” he suggested.
“I need a breather,” she panted. “I was genuinely scared for you when you started to fall, and the catch wasn’t easy. The moment you get scared, it gets harder to do things like this. Drains you.” Her breathing slowed and she looked up with a smile. “All right. One more try.” She stretched out her arms and soared into the sky with grace and ease. Without a moment’s hesitation, Stefus joined her. “Wonderful,” Jada praised him. “Just wonderful.”
He beamed with pride. “Do you think we could attempt some choreography?”
“Ah, but first we need to learn the music.” She smirked. “You can fly now, but can you land?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted, then made a rough landing as her feet gracefully touched the ground.
“We’ll have to work on that,” Jada laughed. “Come, enough flying; we will go to the desert, you and I, and I will teach you how to walk through fire. First, though, we must assemble our cast and get them started learning their roles.”
“I’m glad you were able to arrange a lunch meeting with me,” Alfonso smiled across the table at his Queen in the dining room of his private quarters. “I know how hard it is for you to get off work.”
“Well, I used connections to pull strings,” Alaviel grinned. “It always amuses me, the power Sir Norbert has over the weak-minded minions in charge of the jengda.”
“He’s a useful person.” He paused thoughtfully, glass poised in midair. “As nice as it is to share a meal with you, I must wonder, why did you go to the trouble to see me?”
Alaviel sighed. “I have just received a major piece of intelligence, and I wanted to share it with you before the rest of my advisors. Jada has formulated a plan, and I would like to offer her your services in executing it, if you are willing.”
“I am a musician, not a weapons master. Why would she need a musician?”
“You forget that she is a musician, too. She wrote a play,” Alaviel explained. “Actually, more of a musical. She’s going to need musicians, and she’s going to need to somehow be sure that there will be a large audience to see it. That’s where you come in.”
“What good will a play do for the jengda?” Alfonso frowned. “Of all the plans she could have made, she comes up with this?”
Alaviel chuckled. “I know it sounds a bit crazy, but you haven’t read the script. The story of the play is wrapped around a telling of the real history of the nations--the truth that, yes, we have been trying to hide, too, but can’t be hidden any longer. This will expose the crimes of Tre-revaj, maybe stir up enough anger against them to cause them to change. We will see.”
“This is treason for the entire cast of such a play,” Alfonso realized. “Who does she intend to drag down with her?”
“Her cast will doubtlessly be composed heavily of the group of jengda she has been educating in the forest. She has formulated plans to hide them in Folona or Renni, if Folona will not accept them.” She bit her lip--hard. “It’s risky, and everyone involved will become fugitives. That is why I cannot command you to do this. I can only ask you.”
“I will do this for you, Your Majesty,” he replied quietly, “because I trust you.”
“Thank you, Alfonso,” she smiled wearily. “Jada’s plan will probably protect you as well, but if it doesn’t, I will see what hell I can raise in Jegundo on your behalf.”
He smirked. “I would love to see what that would look like.”
“Oh, you’ll see it anyway, whether it’s for you or not,” Alaviel grimaced. “Our suicidal playwright has no intention of protecting herself, so I must protect her.”
“Good luck with that.” He laughed. “I don’t think she’d let you.”
“I can try,” Alaviel insisted, “and I can try and help you as well. My kingdom comes first, but you follow close behind.” She pursed her lips. “I almost wish I had another agent more capable than you for this task--I will send Braerraire also, but--” she halted and looked up at him. “I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“Tell me what?” His gaze was intense.
She met his gaze and pierced through it. In an instant, she was in his mind, a sensation that had been awkward at first, but was now one he thoroughly enjoyed. When I do this, you know I am here. I do not hide from you, and you do not block me.
Why would I? You are my Queen.
He does not allow me to enter consciously. I can only enter hidden. If I enter as I do with you now, he blocks me. Entering hidden takes so much energy, I cannot allow myself to distract that much power from my people, who need it.
Only those who have something to hide block.
Exactly. Manicalese and Tre-revaj flags swirled from her mind to his. Just a speculation. Speak of it to no one, not even to me, not even this way, if there is one as powerful as Sir Norbert or I nearby. We must not tip our hand. If he is a traitor, it may be advantageous for us to keep an eye on him. Better here, working for us, than away, spilling our secrets.
Understood, Your Majesty.
Gawen gave Navira a rare smile as she joined him outside the castle to walk to the forest. She smiled in turn, but wearily, and it did not last long. “I am pleased to see you, Gawen,” she said as they started walking. “You have been very kind to me, and not many are.”
Something in her tone and the way that she opened the conversation caught his attention. She was usually so shy, and he tended to do most of the talking. “Thank you,” he responded. “I am always glad to see you.”
It was the truth; he took every excuse he could find to be with her, even if it meant pretending he was still a university jengda. He had become inexplicably taken with her as new feelings he did not understand grew inside of him. He had attempted to express these to Jada, and she had merely laughed in the same way Kessil laughed at her and said, “Just talk to her, get to know her, and eventually you’ll understand.” So, he had taken her advice and the two of them had become fast friends.
Gawen proceeded to occupy her with trifling small-talk, making jokes in an attempt to get her to laugh. She did, but it was a very nervous, albeit genuine, laugh. Obviously, something was bothering her. As they began to see the faint glow of the scarsh fire, he could bear it no longer. “Navira, what’s wrong?” he asked.
She tightened her lips. “I will tell you,” she finally said after an uneasy silence. “I am afraid, Gawen, very afraid--”
“Of what?” He frowned. Life as a jengda involved many things to be afraid of, but it had to be something out of the ordinary for it to disturb her this much. She did not, of course, know about the plan yet, so it could not be that.
“I’m afraid because--” she gave him the look of a trapped animal, and swallowed hard. “Judith bought me this morning.”
They were not quite to the clearing yet, but they stopped, Gawen entrapped in a stunned silence. Instinctively, he reached out and put his arm around her, and she let her head rest on his shoulder. He felt the dampness of her tears soak through his shirt. Inexplicable emotions of agony and bliss stole over him, but he let them pass in the silence.
Presently, he spoke. “Navira, that creature did not buy you because you cannot be bought. You are not her slave, and you do not belong to her. You are free, because you are one of the children of Lr A’dl. She can’t take that from you, no matter what else she does.”
“But the things she can do! Gawen,” she raised up her head and looked straight into his eyes, the tears in her own casting reflections from the scarsh fire that made them even more beautiful to him, “she is worse than the Lady Isabelle. If I do anything wrong, she can kill me. Look what she did to Jada, and she’s so much stronger than I am.”
Gawen closed his eyes as the terrifying memories of the fight washed over him--Jada, fighting Lady Judith alone. . .her being struck down with the sword. . .watching Stefus rush like a madman to drag her bleeding, unconscious form out of the water before she would be beyond saving.
Well, he would have to be Navira’s protector, as Stefus was to Jada. “Courage, Navira,” he said gently, “Lr A’dl is with you, and who knows? Maybe you are there for a reason. No matter what happens,” he added tentatively, “know that I am here for you.”
The words hung heavily in the air for a second, then Navira smiled--this time a lasting smile. She dried her tears and, trembling, gingerly brushed her lips against his. “Thank you,” she whispered.
They walked arm in arm into the clearing, Gawen in a daze.
“This is my plan; I will hear anybody who has anything to say about it at this time,” Jada concluded her opening speech to the Council. “Not a one of you is to be a member of the cast unless you want it. Remember, if you do this, you will be a fugitive like me for the rest of your life.”
“How do we know it will even be worth the risk?” queried a jengda. “How do we know that you getting arrested and us being hunted and displaced will do any good whatsoever for our cause?”
Jada smiled softly. “That’s the kind of thinking that keeps it from being any good. Do you know how magic works? When you have such a strong intent to do good for something, that intent becomes power. The more intent, the more power. When we have nobles and dignitaries from all over the world trapped in a room prey to our combined intent, they will be changed. There will be good. They will hear us, and even if nothing happens immediately, there will be debate, and their thinking will be challenged.”
Terpsichore’s hand shot straight up. “It sounds like a great idea,” she said, “but it takes up so much time. Time is not something a lot of us have. When would we practice?”
“Where does our time come from for this?” Jada countered. “These sessions will be converted into rehearsals. Remember, also, that Sir Norbert has excellent talents of persuasion when it comes to getting Moks and Isabelle to release jengda for his purposes.”
Other questions followed.
“We certainly don’t have enough people to pull off an event this large, even with Sir Norbert’s help. How will we get enough? And what about musicians?”
“Nobles,” Jada stated firmly. “We will enlist the help of nobles.”
The room was suddenly filled with mutterings. “Sir Norbert’s one thing, we can trust him, but anyone else? No,” were among the statements. Jada met Alaviel’s eyes and heard, quite distinctly, Good luck, mediator, spoken to her mind with some amusement. Jada mentally growled back at her and raised up a hand to silence them.
“Of course it won’t just be any nobles,” she reassured them. “They will be trustworthy--how many of you have Lady Kessil healed? How many of you have heard of Lady Eirana’s kindness to her jengda? How many of you have heard of how the Manicalese nobles here have no jengda, but paid servants who choose their own tasks?”
There was silence.
“All in favor of enlisting the help of nobles, say ‘aye’!”
With some hesitation, it was said.
“All opposed, ‘nay’!”
To Jada’s relief, there was silence once more.
“It is voted, then. We will enlist the help of our upper-class friends. “
They don’t know how upper-class, Alaviel commented. Is now a good time?
Not yet, Your Majesty, Jada replied, didn’t you sense how hard that was for them?
I guess.
The exchange had been almost instantaneous, but already the Council was looking at her strangely, so she continued, “Only one item remains on the agenda, then. Stefus and I are leaving on a journey tomorrow, and someone will need to be left in charge of the Council while I am gone, to oversee your progress. I will now entertain motions to that topic.”
After some deliberation, Terpsichore was selected. Jada spent a few minutes passing out music and running over the basics of how to read it, then the meeting was adjourned.
“Well, that’s over,” Stefus sighed in relief as he helped Jada pack up her materials. “I was amazed that they voted in noble help so quickly.”
“So was I,” she replied. “After this, I look forward to a good, long journey. Gawen, do you want to come with us?”
He hesitated, his face pale in an expression Jada had never seen him wear before.
“No,” he said finally.
Puzzled, Jada asked, “Why not? Don’t you want to see Clevia? The Rashdan Desert? Don’t you want to meet Stefus’s mother?”
“I do,” he paused. “It’s just that. . . This time, I want to stay behind,” he affirmed.
“I get that,” Jada said, puzzled. “But why?”
Gawen heaved a great sigh and muttered something incomprehensible.
“What was that?” asked Stefus, interested.
“Come on, son,” Jada intoned quietly. “Tell me.”
Gawen spoke more clearly this time. “All right,” he said, hardly daring to meet her eyes. “Navira has been assigned to Lady Judith’s service, and I’m concerned for her. She’s. . . my friend, and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Surely you can understand that?” It was Stefus he addressed now. “There’s no telling what Judith might do, after what she did to Jada.”
“I understand,” Stefus said gently. “Look, it’s not your responsibility to look after her--”
“How is it any less than that you have to Jada?” Gawen shot back at him.
“That’s different,” Stefus sighed. “That’s one of those binding Rashdan things.”
Jada frowned. “You’re free to go at any time. I’ve made that clear--you’re not really bound to me by any Rashdan promise.”
“All right, so promise or not, it’s still different,” Stefus replied testily.
“I don’t see how,” Gawen grouched.
Jada shook her head sadly. “I think we’re missing something here. Gawen, what happened?”
“She,” he hesitated again, “she--she kissed me.”
Both Stefus and Jada reeled back in surprise. “What?”
“That’s what happened,” Gawen shrugged. “I can’t leave her after that.”
“I suppose not,” Jada said finally, after an awkward silence. “You may stay here.” She thought for a moment, then remarked, “We may actually be able to use this to our advantage.”
It was Gawen’s turn to be surprised. “How?”
“She’ll be working right in the center of Judith’s operations, right?” Jada queried.
“That’s right. . .”
“She’ll have access, then, to many things that none of us could dream of accessing,” she postulated. “She could act as our spy, but only if she wishes to do so.”
Gawen considered this for a moment. “It’s risky,” he said finally. “How would we get information to you?”
Stefus smiled. “I don’t keep birds just for decoration, you know--”
“Of course not; you use them for fletching, but how does that help me?” Gawen growled.
“Yes, it is handy to have flocks of birds on hand for fletching, but it would be pointless to have so many just for that. Each of them I have trained carefully to respond to certain commands--to fly in time to music, to attack enemies, and even,” his smile broadened, “to carry messages.”
He patted Shalisda fondly, and for the first time Gawen saw the full fierce beauty of the bird. “Shalisda’s too conspicuous,” he frowned.
“Surely you don’t think I only keep Shalisda here with me?” Stefus laughed. “No, you only see her because I keep her with me all the time. I have entire flocks here, and they blend in with the natural bird population perfectly--it is impossible to tell one of my birds apart from a common sparrow. Vatyat, emoc oth em!” Stefus called.
There was a slight rustling in the trees and a tiny sparrow flew down and landed in Stefus’s hand. “Give Vatyat to her,” Stefus handed the bird over to Gawen. “He responds to Rashdan commands only, so you’ll have to teach her. If you roll up your message on a small piece of paper, he can carry it to me in his beak.”
Gawen took the sparrow, thanked Stefus, and left the clearing.
Impressed, Jada asked, “Exactly how many birds do you have here, anyway?”
He grinned. “Colf rethag thiw em!”
Jada stared in wonder as the forest suddenly came alive and hundreds of birds--sparrows, doves, blackbirds, swallows, eagles, owls, and even a few pheasants and swans rushed in with an overwhelming sound of flapping wings.
“I never knew,” she whispered in awe, watching the circling flocks that blotted out the stars with their numbers. “And even more reside in Folona?”
“Yes,” he replied, enjoying her reactions. “We have birds in every major city of the world, ready to be mobilized. My main concern is hunters, though; nothing kills my flocks faster than a good hunting party.”
With another command, they had all dissipated, and once more the forest was quiet again.
“Wow,” was all Jada could say.
As they started back, Stefus remarked, “That’s pretty wild there, Gawen and that girl. I didn’t know he had it in him.”
“Neither did I,” Jada admitted. “He’s already passed me up. I’m concerned for him, though. He seems too young to be doing this sort of thing.”
Stefus shrugged. “He’s not much younger than I was when I decided to stay here.”
“That’s right,” she remembered. “Wow, so much time has passed. . . I can hardly believe it’s already been five years.”
“Neither can I.”
She smiled at him, amused. “It’s been a wild ride.”
“I knew it would be.”
Jada looked at him intently for a moment. “Why, then, did you stay? You never even had to come. You could have just left it all behind in the desert that night.”
He stopped, turned towards her, and grinned. “I would have missed the adventure.”
She stared at him for a moment, looking as though she might hit him, then the two of them burst out laughing, the sound of it echoing like merry bells throughout the forest as they walked, arm in arm, back to the enchanting lights of the town on the lake.
