I suppose I might hurry
, Firekeeper thought,
but being a wolf forever and always would not trouble me too greatly
.
Integrity went on. “Now, this matter of tokens was the lesser limitation. There was an even greater one. Cousins are all well and good, and we are blessed that the deities have set them upon Earth’s surface with us. However, in comparison to humans—or yarimaimalom—they are very limited in how they think. They are not precisely stupid, but they are not creative or versatile.
“Some of the maimalodalum loved their beast forms so much that they rarely changed back into their human one. In this way it was learned that when a maimalodalum does not return to the human form from time to time and remains that way, the beast soul consumes the human. The maimalodalu simply becomes a beast. So the matter stood when those from the Old Country crossed the oceans and discovered the yarimaimalom.”
Moon Frost had been listening with perked ears. Now she interupted, eager, but with her ears flat to her head as if facing a dreaded enemy.
“Yarimaimalom are as smart as humans,” Moon Frost said. “If these maimalodalum sacrificed a yarimaimalom rather than a Cousin when they did their magic, there would not be the problem of becoming stupid when in beast shape. Is that what they thought?”
“That is what they thought,” Integrity replied. “Remember, these were humans who thought the deities were pleased with the killing of beasts. They did not see any wrong in what they did as long as they profited from it.”
Tenacity interjected, “Much as we might like to think otherwise, Moon Frost, we are not so different from those long-ago sorcerers. We do not hesitate to kill to feed ourselves and our young. These human sorcerers did not shy from killing when they needed to feed their magic—magic they thought reflected the will of the deities.”
Firekeeper felt a tendril of uneasiness at what she was hearing, but she had schooled herself to obedient listening and did not wish the thread of the unwinding story to be lost in questions. After a moment Moon Frost’s ears rose and her hackles lowered, but she licked the exposed paw beneath her broken foreleg over and over, until Firekeeper worried she would rub the fur away and leave the skin raw.
“Now,” Integrity went on, “although the Cousins had been given no say in the matter, the yarimaimalom did not care for the use to which the sorcerers would put them. When captured and set within the spell chambers, their spirits struggled against the spell and sometimes they won. More often the sorcerers won. Sometimes neither won, and from these undecided battle were born creatures neither human nor beast.”
“Wait,” Firekeeper said, for the tendril of worry had grown into an entire thicket. “What do you mean? What does say in the matter have to do with anything? I can see that the yarimaimalom would not like to have their shapes copied, but could they defy the spell? Beasts have never practiced magic.”
Integrity looked at her, real pity in her amber eyes.
“I forget how much your people hate magic, Firekeeper. They hate it so much that they forget why.”
“Why we hate it?” Firekeeper retorted. “Because great magics were used to beat us back from our lands. Had humans not had great magic, we would have beaten them away. This would still be our land and the humans would remain in the Old Country.”
“Is that all they tell you, then?”
Blind Seer replied, “That is what we have been told. There are little snippets here and there that hint at other reasons, but nothing that has been woven into a web.”
“Hold those snippets,” Integrity said, “I would hear them later. First I must emphasize one point. The great magics were all cruel magics. Unlike the talents which are born into a person, the great magics stole power from other things.”
Firekeeper froze, not wanting to hear, knowing she must.
“Firekeeper.” Integrity said the name as if it was a charm, holding the wolf-woman with the command of her presence. “In the creation of a maimalodalu the yarimaimalo could fight the sorcerers, because in order to create a maimalodalu the animal—Wise or lesser—must die. Its soul is subsumed by the one who would become ‘beast-souled.’ That is where the fight occurred, between soul and soul. And Firekeeper, even if the yarimaimalo won and kept its soul, still it died.”
“WE NEED WEAPONS,” Waln said, “and to get into practice with them.”
He had joined Rarby and Shelby down in the coolness of the interior courtyard. They were playing Navy versus Pirates again, but from what Waln had seen from the upper gallery, not even Shelby, who had drawn the pirates, seemed too keenly interested.
At this time of day, none of them had lessons to teach. As the summer days had grown longer and hotter, the Liglimom had informed the northerners that a midday hiatus was customary.
Wain had taken to the concept of a rest period with great enthusiasm. Even within the shaded gardens and the thick-walled buildings, sleep or quiet meditation seemed the most reasonable way to employ oneself. Even thinking seemed to take extra effort, but ever since Waln had toured the harbor with Shivadtmon the day before, his mind had been alive with possibilities.
“Weapons?” Rarby echoed, setting down the miniature ship he had been about to move. “As in bows and swords and stuff?”
“Maybe not those precisely,” Waln said, “but the like. We’ll definitely need bows.”
Shelby stretched lazily, popping the joints in his shoulders as he did so.
“Slow down,” he suggested, “and tell us what we’re going to need weapons for.”
“You don’t think,” Waln said with a trace of sarcasm, “that the animals on Misheemnekuru are going to take our trespassing lightly, do you?”
A few days before, Shelby might have looked at Waln like he was crazy, but freedom to roam around u-Seeheera and the public areas of Heeranenahalm had pretty much made certain that everyone would have encountered at least a few yarimaimalom. These moved about the city with the arrogance of spoiled pets, but there was that in their manner that made clear they belonged to no one but themselves.
“You’ve a point,” Shelby said without rancor. “Those won’t be scared off by a few loud noises or a fire circle. I’m not sure …”
Waln cut Shelby off before he could frame his thought. It was much easier to argue when the other party had not stated a position.
“We have a tremendous advantage over these animals,” he said, deliberately avoiding calling them either “Wise Beasts” or “yarimaimalom.” “They’ve lived without being hunted since the plague years, when they made this deal with the locals. They may know about crossbows and such, but they’ve never had to deal with them. I figure a few shots home and they’re going to be more scared of us than any dumb wild animal would be.”
“I don’t quite get it,” Rarby said. “Wouldn’t they just figure out how the weapons work and stay out of range?”
“Good for us if they do,” Wain said. “Out of range is where we want them.”
Shelby didn’t seem convinced.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Why would they end up being more scared of us than a wild animal would? I’ve heard some stories about bears and boars and like that charging hunters. Don’t boars attack even after they’ve been speared?”
“They might,” Waln said, deliberately shrugging this off, “but don’t you see? That type of behavior is precisely because they’re dumb animals.”
“What?” the brothers said, speaking almost as one.
“Imagination,” Waln said. “The same thing that’s getting you into a twist right now. You’re imagining what could happen. You’re imagining dangers. That’s good, because it lets us make our plans in advance.”
“Won’t it be good for them, too?” Shelby said.
Rarby chortled. “No, stupid, because they won’t have time to plan. We’re going in there armed for bear—or wolf or boar or whatever. We’ll hit them hard, and while they’re still trying to figure out what happened, we’ll grab the treasure, hop a boat, and get out of there neat as can be.”
Shelby flared. “Don’t call me stupid, Rarby. I may be younger than you, but I’m not stupid.”
Waln stepped in before fraternal bickering could ruin his presentation.
“You’re both right,” he said firmly. “Rarby figures it like I do. Imagination is going to work against the animals. We’ll have speed on our side, but, Shelby, you’re right, too. We can’t risk giving them time to work out plans and contingency plans and alliances and all.”
“Alliances?” Shelby frowned, and Wain gave himself a mental kick. “With the humans?”
“Maybe,” Waln said, “or with other animals. I don’t know how they work things over there, but I get the impression that being smarter doesn’t make them suddenly less animals. Those that need packs or herds continue to live that way. Those that are solitary by nature don’t start liking crowds. But none of this will matter if we can work quickly. Fear will keep them back for a while, and while they’re bickering, we’ll finish up and be on our way.”
At that moment, the two brothers were all too aware of how even the closest associates can disagree, so neither pressed Waln.
“You said practice,” Rarby said, seizing on a nonconfrontational point. “We need weapons if we are to practice, right?”
Wain nodded. “I think I can get us the basics. Yesterday, Shivadtmon told me something rather interesting.”
He gave them an edited version of his long discussion with Shivadtmon regarding vessels to carry them back north. He focused on the ships he’d seen and his own recommendations.
“Shivadtmon seems inclined to listen to me,” Waln said. “They’re not accustomed to having enemies here, and I told him all about not only Bright Bay and Waterland, but pirates, too.
Fayonejunjal
carried weapons. It isn’t going to be hard to convince Shivadtmon to make sure we have some, too. From there to pointing out that weapons are of little use unless you are in practice shouldn’t be hard.”
Both Rarby and Shelby looked quite pleased at this, then Shelby frowned again. Wain swallowed a sigh. The brothers were the most inclined to use force of any of the shipwreck survivors. That had been why he’d chosen them to assist in taking Lady Blysse. Unfortunately, Shelby was a worrier.
“We can’t take a ship into those islands,” he said. “And won’t the humans wonder what we’re doing if we take a smaller vessel and vanish for a couple days?”
“I’m working on that,” Wain promised. “I told Shivadtmon that several of you had expressed a desire to do a bit of sailing in the bay. He told me we’d be welcome to two or three of the vessels his temple keeps. I figure we start taking little jaunts right away. They’ll get used to it. By the time we’re ready to head for Misheemnekuru, I’ll have figured out an excuse to cover our absence.”
Shelby still didn’t look convinced, and Wain had to resist an urge to hit him.
“Anyhow,” Waln said, “what will they do if we do disappear and they think we’ve landed on Misheemnekuru? From what I’ve heard, they’re forbidden by treaty not only to land on the islands, but even to sail the inner waterways. Once we’re in, they won’t know for certain where we are.”
Unless the yarimaimalom tell them,
Wain thought,
and I’ll be beggared if I volunteer that. I’m not even certain the animals could communicate something that complicated
.
Rarby, eager to show he was both game and smarter than his brother, spoke up.
“We could tell them that we sailed a bit further south and had something break, that we had to go to shore to mend it. There are villages that way, but plenty of empty coast, too. When we come limping back all on our own, who’s to say where we’ve been?”
Maybe the animals,
Wain thought,
but I’ve said all I’m going to about them. Enough that I’ve introduced the idea that they need to get in practice with their weapons of choice. If these two agree, the others will follow.
“Good idea,” Wain said aloud. “I’ve been collecting what maps I can, and I’ll look for one that gives details of the coast south of here. Maybe we’ll even do a little scouting.”
Shelby brightened. “That’s a good idea. Our original voyage was supposed to be one of exploration. We’re just doing our job. That’ll make those who are eager to send us home see we’ll be happy to go.”
Waln nodded.
“Now,” he said, “if you’re interested, let me show you a map I copied the other day. It shows the area I’m considering for our target.”
They unrolled the map on the table, weighing down the corners with bits from the Navy and Pirates set. A raven flying overhead dismissed their activity as just another game and flew off to enjoy how her sapphire-and-diamond pendant glittered in the afternoon sun.
DERIAN WOKE EARLY the next morning, but found the rest of Varjuna’s household up before him.
“We suggest you follow your usual routine,” Zira said. “Take Prahini out, visit with a few people, be seen being as normal as possible.”
“That makes sense,” Derian said.
“And stop looking so worried,” Zira scolded. “Glow.”
“Glow?”
“Glow. Look happy. Look elevated. You’re the crazy foreigner who kept sneaking off to look at the Wise Horses. You’ve been honored with yet another ride. You’ve been taken into their lands. Glow.”
“But don’t gloat.” Derian laughed, understanding. “I’m happy, thrilled, and honored, but not too full of myself.”
“Exactly.”
Derian paused, thoughtfully spreading honey on a thick slice of bread.
“Actually that shouldn’t be too hard,” he said. “I am awed and honored. I’m just terrified about what comes with the honor. It reminds me of how I felt when King Tedric gave me the counselor’s ring. Everyone around me was going on about the honor and all I could think of was the responsibility.”
Zira patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll do just fine. Poshtuvanu said you two are scheduled for a Pellish lesson midmorning before the break. We’re going to meet then and discuss matters further. Meiyal can’t stay away from Heeranenahalm too much longer, but it makes sense that she not return until the cool of the day.”
When they met at midmorning, Derian was immediately certain that Varjuna and Meiyal had already been working on the problem. To those who had observed them, doubtless it had seemed that the iaridisdu was being given a slow and decorous tour of the new foals, but Derian had no doubt that the topics under discussion had been more than conformation and pedigree.