by Unknown
"It's the first step in reuniting the two homelands," I reminded her. Nell isn't stupid, far from it, so I knew that there was something else bothering her.
"But, why me?"
Nodding at the ceremonial necklace she wore, I answered, "You're the First Daughter of the Stone. Grandmother has chosen you to be her heir."
Nell burst into tears. "But it doesn't want me, Galley. I've worn it for three days and nothing has happened. I haven't felt anything. Touch it, Galley, it's cold. It doesn't want me." She took off the necklace and held it out to me.
I stepped back in horror, staring at the glittering Stone hanging on the slender chain. It was the thing I desired more than anything in this world or the next. I shook my head. I knew I could never touch that Stone and let it go again. "It takes time to bond with the Stone, Nell. If Grandmother says that you are the chosen one, then it is so. Trust her. Give it time."
We finished getting dressed in silence, then set off for the feast.
As we entered the banquet hall, I stopped to speak to friends as Nell went on ahead. I saw her greet two young ladies, daughters of council members. I recognized both and knew that neither would wish Nell any good, so I left my friends and followed her in. Nell had gone into the dining area and they were watching her, heads together.
"The old woman is crazy if she thinks I'll follow that one. I touched her just now, and she is unbelievably weak." Basara smoothed her gown, arching her neck in a superior manner. "I could squash her with very little effort."
A rage boiled within me. I reached out with my mind. Basara jerked in fear as the strength of my magic pressed on her mind. I eased up only slightly as I approached them. My voice quivered with the anger I felt, "Such a weak mind, I could squash it with just a thought."
I released Basara and walked past, while they stared in disbelief. Nell's lack of magic was one of Grandmother's little secrets; I was the other. If we were going to keep Nell's secret, I was going to have to use every bit of the considerable magic I possessed. I reached forward and surrounded Nell with some of that magic now. Not a lot, but enough. Anyone else who decided to test her now would not find her aura lacking in magic.
The bridegroom, Lord Alcyon, was the tallest Nelari I'd ever seen, and was well muscled and handsome too. I stood behind Nell as she was presented to her future husband and felt the gentle touch of his magic as he reached out to her.
Nell's hand reached out, and before I could move or protest she had pulled me into the space between them. "This is my sister Gallandra."
I don't know which of us was more surprised. Lord Alcyon recovered first. I felt the touch of his mind again, this time its attention directed at me. He looked puzzled for a moment, glanced at Nell, then back at me. I changed the color of my magic slightly, and he smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you, little sister."
Normally being called little sister would have offended me. I am sensitive about my small stature, and being fifteen, I am a woman, not a child. However, Lord Alcyon's gentle tone and the warmth of his magic were irresistible. Nell didn't seem to agree. She remained nervous and formal throughout the dinner.
"Ladies, may I impose on you for a tour of the gardens? I'd like to get a peek at some of the rare flowers the High Priestess has acquired." He smiled teasingly at Nell. "There won't be much time tomorrow."
That was my cue to make a graceful exit and give Lord Alcyon some private time with Nell. I was just about to oblige him when Nell outmaneuvered me.
"I'm sorry, Lord Alcyon. I'm not feeling very well. I think I had better go back to my room and lie down. Gallandra can show you the gardens. She's the expert on plants in the family. Not even Grandmother knows more about herb magic than Galley."
I glared at my sister. "If you're ill, Nell, I can go back to the room and fix you something. I'm sure Lord Alcyon will excuse both of us."
"No, I'll go back to the room alone. I just feel a little queasy, and tomorrow is a big day. Please show Lord Alcyon the gardens." With that she turned and walked purposefully out of the hall.
Frustrated, I sent a wave of magic after Nell, and gifted her a little headache too, for being so rude to our guest. For his part, Lord Alcyon only looked mildly amused.
"Well, little sister, let's find these gardens. It's a lovely night for a walk."
So walk we did, and talk, and laugh. I pointed out several rare flowers. My nerves made me stumble a bit in the explanations, but Lord Alcyon was charming and never once made me feel like an unwanted companion. He shared wonderful tales of the Western Homeland and the ocean that separated it from the land of the Narr, our enemies.
I soon thought Nell was lucky in Grandmother's selection of first mate, and I meant to tell her so, even if I had to wake her up. Our room was empty so I quickly began the search for Nell again. The thin veil of my magic surrounding her made her easier to find.
"By my ancestors!" She was in the suite of one of the other guests assembled for the wedding. Basara's brother Nabar was charming, a charming snake. He was known in court circles for two things, his ability to cast a seduction spell, and the art of blackmail. I realized belatedly that the magic I'd left Nell wouldn't protect her against Nabar's tricks.
Minutes later I was banging on Nabar's door, my probing magic revealing that thankfully I was in time to prevent him from becoming Nell's first mate and spoiling any marriage plans.
"Go away," Nabar ordered as he opened the door the tiniest crack.
"I want Nell. Send her out now."
Nabar laughed. "Nell doesn't want you right now, she wants me."
I wasn't about to waste time arguing with Nabar and risk people finding out that Nell had spent even a short time in his rooms unchaperoned.
"Out of my way," I commanded and hit him with a fierce shaft of magic. The door flew open and Nabar tumbled back onto in the floor.
Breaking his spell over Nell wasn't easy or painless, and I didn't shield Nell from the pain either. That would teach her to be a little more careful. AS Nabar watched the scene in apparent good humor, he threw back his head and laughed.
"The old woman's picked the wrong sister." He got carefully to his feet. I felt the icy touch of his magic stroke my cheek. "Would you like for me to be your first mate, Galley? We would make such a powerful team." His seduction spell began to wrap itself around me.
I tried to shake it off in disgust, but it was a strong spell and I was inexperienced enough to be momentarily mesmerized by its tantalizing song. But before I gathered myself enough to react, Nellandra acted, coming to my rescue. Using a heavy vase, she hit Nabar a glancing blow on the back of his head. He crashed immediately to the floor, and the effects of his spell evaporated. Sometimes non-magic action is so satisfying. I helped Nell back to our rooms. She kept apologizing and thanking me for the timely intervention, but I disagreed.
"It's my fault, I should have gone back to the room with you. I shouldn't have left you alone. Grandmother warned me there could be trouble."
"And just when did you become my guardian?"
"I was five."
"Ancestors, Galley! No one gets magic that young. Why didn't Grandmother make you her heir? Surely she knows by now that I'll never come close to your magic." I flinched at the question. Nell fixed me with a look. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Tears streamed down my face as I revealed the truth. "Five sons. I'll bear five sons."
"That's good. You'll have lots of children."
"Not children, sons. No daughters."
Realization dawned on Nell's face. Without a daughter, the office of high priestess would fall for the first time on someone from another house.
"Poor Galley, she shouldn't have told you that. It is so unfair. But why me? Wouldn't it be better to select someone outside the family?"
"Your daughter will be a Silver Queen, Nell. Grandmother let me see. She will be the greatest priestess since Prenola. She will unite both the Eastern and Western homelands."
"I see."
"And Lord A
lcyon really is kind. Grandmother is right, when he finds out that you don't have your own magic, he will protect you. You'll be safe with him."
Nell squeezed my hands. "And you? You will be free, right, Galley? Free to live your own life."
I wiped away the tears, nodding.
We talked a little while longer before I fell asleep.
Surprisingly it was a deep sleep, and I woke up late. Nell was already gone. I found her in the temple seeking the wisdom of the Stones. That is always a private matter for a Nelari so I waited for her with the other ladies.
I was just beginning to fill our Grandmother in on the events of the previous evening when the door opened. There was an audible gasp from several of the ladies. I turned to see that they had stepped aside to allow Nell to enter the room. She walked in slowly, her head high, her skin a glow of pink and white, the auburn curls shining. She had forsaken the blue! Disaster!
I rushed to Nellandra's side and hissed a warning in her ear. "Don't do this! If you forsake the blue, you will be banished from the Homeland forever."
Grandmother started to come toward us, her mindspeak bombarding me with commands. "Get her out of here! Lock her in her room if you have to, just don't let anyone speak to her!"
Nell held up her hand. Her voice rang with its own magic. "I have freely accepted this Stone, and only I have the power to bestow it on another. That is the law of the Stones."
There was shocked silence in the room. Grandmother reached toward Nellandra, her eyes pleading. Nellandra shook her head, and the High Priestess of Nelar bowed in defeat.
Nellandra turned to me then. One hand gently touched my shoulder and pushed until I was kneeling. Leaning forward, she kissed my cheek and slipped the Stone around my neck. The power of the Stone surged through me as it came to life and blazed a brilliant blue. It was everything that I had ever dreamed or imagined. Nell laughed in triumph. "Hail Gallandra, First Daughter of the Stone."
My euphoria was tempered with sadness, of a vision of things ahead for both of us. Her daughter would be my heir. "I'll come for her, Nell. I'll have to."
"You can come." Nell's voice never wavered. "But she'll be free to choose. I promise you that, Galley, she will be free to choose."
So, Nell slipped away from her bridegroom and her people and I was left to pick up the pieces. Grandmother was no help. I had never seen the High Priestess so beside herself with grief. Not even the death of our mother had affected her so. It would be a long while before she came to herself again, and I doubted she would ever be the power she once was. She had been defeated without magic.
My thoughts turned to Lord Alcyon. He was waiting for his bride. He was waiting for the beautiful Nellandra. But technically that wasn't what the marriage contract specified. It only stated that his bride would be the heir of the High Priestess of the Eastern Homeland, the First Daughter of the Stone. With Nell's abdication, I became the chosen heir. I wore the Stone. I sent away the ladies and council members, even Grandmother. Then I sent a messenger to bring Lord Alcyon. He could reject the contract if he wished, and be blameless. He deserved to make that choice.
I felt his surprise when he entered and found me instead of Nell waiting.
"Where's Nellandra?"
"Gone." I touched my hand to the Stone. His gaze followed, then met mine, demanding answers. I related some of the events leading to her departure. "I'm not Nell, but our offer still stands."
"You're still a child! What can you offer?"
"We can be married. Not right away, but not long. I'm fifteen."
He shook his head gravely. "Fifteen. A woman, yes, but still too young. The Western homeland will be at war soon."
I hesitated, about to make a grand concession. My Stone urged me on. "I will increase the marriage contract to include five sons. Five sons with powerful DaWakanda blood."
His face struggled to convey the urgency of his homeland's need and control the insult he must feel at Nellandra's departure.
I raised my hand and added, "And the power of the Stones will be with your warriors."
I had been warned that the Stones had been all but forgotten in the Western Homeland and I could see that truth in his eyes.
"Power!" Lord Alcyon drew his sword and held it out, "This is the power I need."
My anger ignited and the Stone's magic soared through me. A bolt shot from my hand and the air sizzled with blue flame. Lord Alycon's sword, snatched cleanly from his hand, spun in the air as if consumed by the flames. Neither of us moved.
After a time my anger cooled and the sword fell at Lord Alcyon's feet. In its hilt, a small blue stone glimmered as if still reflecting the flames' power.
Lord Alcyon fell to his knees and grasped the sword, his thumb caressing the embedded stone. Magic hummed as he lifted the sword and touched its blade to his forehead in a pledge of fealty.
Looking up, he whispered, "My Lady."
Sages and Demons
by Catherine Soto
This is Catherine's fourth story about Lin Mei and the two cats she found in an abandoned temple. In the past few years they have grown from helpless kittens to partners she can communicate with. Lin Mei has learned to see with their eyes and hear with their ears, which is a good thing for her; during the same period she's gone from groom to caravan guard to semi-official secret agent for the Empire.
Catherine Soto lives in San Francisco. She has developed an interest in Kyudo, the art of Japanese archery. She is still hanging out at the Asian Art Museum, but she misses the monks and the daily prayers (the exhibit this past spring was from Bhutan, and the two monks who came with it chanted scripture for an hour twice a day). By the time this book is published there will be an exhibit titled "Emerald Cities"—no, not Oz—art from Siam (now Thailand) and Burma (now Myanmar).
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Lin Mei and her brother Biao Mei walked into the great square before the Norbulingka palace. No sentries challenged them, for the Yar Lungs ruled there, and no Yar Lung would admit to danger or fear. An old man in a stall nearby was selling strips of roasted meat wrapped in barley bread. The smell tempted them, for they had just arisen and they had eaten a light dinner the night before after a long journey.
"Food, Grandfather," Biao Mei said gruffly, handing over two coppers. The old man snatched them out of his hand with an alacrity that belied his years and handed back two wrapped meat strips. Lin Mei bit into hers with relish. They moved to the side of the square and eyed the crowd around them. Already the square was beginning to fill with a crowd of merchants, shoppers, and beggars. Lin Mei shivered in the early morning chill despite her quilted jacket and the hot breakfast they were eating.
"That man is in a hurry," Biao Mei noted, nodding his head in the direction of a burly man in a long woolen robe making his way through the crowd. Lin Mei eyed him closely.
"Or running from someone, or something..." she said, noting the backward glance as he shoved someone aside. Automatically she eyed the rest of the crowd and saw another man, tall and lean, dressed in the leathers of a nomad and with a shaven head, striding through the crowd toward him. She tapped her brother's shoulder and motioned toward the newcomer.
It was over in moments. The two men seemed to brush against one another, and the short burly man fell, as if stumbling.
But the two had seen enough death in their short lifetimes to know it when they saw it. Shoving their half-eaten breakfasts into their jackets they raced forward into the commotion starting around the fallen man. Biao Mei raced after the killer as Lin Mei headed for the fallen man.
As soon as she saw the blood soaking into the ground she knew nothing would help. The wound was deep on his right side, just under the ribs. He coughed his last breath as she knelt by him.
"Does anyone know him?" she asked the crowd.
"Go Choden," someone replied. "A servant of the Kalden temple."
"The killer was tall, with a shaven head and dressed in the leathers of a nomad," she said. "Did anyone see him?" There were nods, bu
t no one could give a name. Her brother returned, shouldering his way through the crowd.
"He got away," he said, "into the alleys in the lower town."
"Ah!" someone cried. "All the bad ones live there!"
"The chostimpas come!" someone else cried out, referring to the city guards. Standing, Lin Mei saw a group of tall ruffians making their way through the crowd. Eyeing the liberal use of their long staffs and whips on the people around them gave her little assurance of civil treatment.
"We'll go look for the killer," Lin Mei announced. "Let's leave," she muttered to her brother, who showed enough sense to follow her into the crowd. In moments they had slipped from the square into the alleys of the lower end of the town.
"He vanished into that area," Biao Mei said, motioning with his left hand. Lin Mei noted he kept his right hand near the hilt of the sword thrust though his sash.
"And we will not," Lin Mei replied. "We are here on another mission, not to solve random killings. We will leave it to the chostimpas. Let us go back to our room."
They had lodgings not far from the square, in the Norbu Ling quarter, almost in the shadow of the palace. Circling around the square through the outskirts of the city they arrived at the Inn of the Yu Thog, which had been recommended to them. The recommendation had been a good one. The place was clean and had private rooms at reasonable rates and good food.
As they entered the inn, the innkeeper's wife approached. "There was a message for you," she said, clutching a strip of paper. "It arrived just after you left." Lin Mei thanked her and took it, but waited until she and Biao Mei reached their room to open it.
Closing the door behind them they paused to take stock. Their few belongings were neatly arranged as they had left them. Lin Mei looked over at a corner to check on the cats, Shadow and Twilight. They were asleep in a puddle of fur on a worn horse blanket. Satisfied that there was no immediate danger, she unfolded the paper. After a moment she looked up from it to her brother.
