The brown-haired, brown-eyed young man looked around him. The sky was cloudless, the moon casting an eyrie glow on the small camp. The trees in the nearby forest reached out, their bare branches looking like spidery hands. The wind rustled the leaves, and the small brook where the soldiers got their water trickled slowly down the bank.
Back to the man. He was more of a boy really, perhaps only reaching the Age of Positioning the previous summer. His brown hair fell just past his ears in messy strands. His eyes were the same colour; mud. He wore a brown tunic and breeches, and a brown cloak was settled on his shoulders. Around his waste hung a steel dagger, and in his hand was a staff. Resting against the rock beside him were a bow and a quiver of arrows. He looked half asleep , but then again, it was well past the mid of night.
The man glanced around again. He was on sentry duty, and his partner had gone to the camp to get two water bottles. The man- I suppose you want to know his name. His name was Rince R’cleadta. He was one of the brown-haired, the civilians of the world. He was the Commander of the Fifth Unit of the Army of the Earth. He was known less formerly as the Commander of the Big Fives and, by his men, as Lord Lack-of-Knowledge. Rince had never wanted to join the army, and therefore had never attempted to learn the art of war. In fact, the position Rince had wanted was as far away from soldier as possible; he had wanted to be a poet. Unfortunately for Rince, his parents had friends in high places, and being a commander of a unit was the family business. His parents had apparently done a little arm-twisting just before he arrived at the Age of Positioning. Not only had he been assigned to the army; he had been given the honourable position of Commander of the Fifth Unit of the Army of the Earth. No one was a commander until they had seen at least forty winters.
I suppose you don’t know anything of the Age of Positioning, units, the Army of the Earth, the brown-haired, or most of the other things I have been telling you about. I’ll see if I can explain it better.
First, lets cover the brown-haired. Well, actually, I’ll explain about the golden-haired, the brown-haired, the red-haired, the black-haired, and the Others. A long time ago, T’ Mi’ñiøldø, T’ Mi’niældæ, the Gods and Goddesses, were angry with the world. They caused the earth to shake, mountains to fall, cities to disappear into the sea, and other such happenings. This time has come to be known as the Time of Destruction. During this time, a man tried to conquer the world. His name is not known, but it does not matter. The only thing that really matters is the colour of his hair. Before the time of madness, all people had the same colour of hair, though no one now knows what colour that was. But this man, called the Conqueror, did things so vile that his heart seemed to turn black. When he died, his son tried to complete his mission. And his son after him. And this went on for many, many years. And through this family’s wickedness, their black hearts turned their hearts black. But although they were evil, they were deadly fighters, commonly using a vicious-looking steel axe. In fact, their eyes saw the axe for so long that this family gained a silver colour in their eyes that refused to go away.
Few people dared to resist such terrible people, but there were a few. Heroes started roaming the world, trying to destroy this family line. These people’s hearts were so pure that they seemed to be made of gold. Their hair turned gold like the evil ones’ hair had turned black. The heroes were favoured by the Gods and Goddesses, and they were allowed to go the Realm in the Sky after death. The Gods and Goddesses wanted to show everyone that these people were higher than all the others, so their eyes were turned blue to show what awaited them in the afterlife.
After a while this war between the evil ones and the heroes, known as the black-haired and the golden-haired, became known as the War of Destruction. Naturally, not everyone was part of this war. There was a society of Priests and Priestesses that opposed the war, saying that the Gods and Goddesses had punished people the last time they were foolish by shaking the earth, and that the earth would shake again if the War of Destruction continued. The religion of these people implied meditation, not fighting. The people finally retreated to the south, the area with the least fighting. Through time, their eyes turned green from spending so much time in nature. Eventually, these people allowed fighting to become part of their religion. But they used violence for terrible things, such as killing those that did not follow them. It was then shown that although their society had hated fighting for many a year, they were deadly fighters, and they spilt much blood. After the War of Destruction, these people tried to wash the blood from their hair, but found that they could not. The Gods and Goddesses had become angry with these people, and had permanently stained their hair red so that the people would always remember that violence was wrong and that the Gods and Goddesses despised it.
But there were people that were not black-haired, golden-haired, or red-haired. These people were the regular people of the world. They wanted to help the golden-haired, for they hated the black-haired and the red-haired, but they knew that they were not brave enough to be a hero. But they went to the golden-haired and explained that they wanted to help. The golden-haired told them that although the golden-haired could fight, they could not sneak into the enemy camps to find out the enemy’s plans. The golden-haired could go in with gold-coloured hair, but they couldn’t die it either, for they had tried and their hearts were so pure that their hair turned immediately back to it’s true colour. The citizens listened and agreed to help. They coloured their hair and eyes brown with mud and put on brown clothes so that they would not be detected, and snuck into the enemy camps. With their information, the black-haired were defeated, and the golden-haired told the citizens to wash the mud from their hair and eyes. But the citizens found that they could not. The Gods and Goddesses had changed their hair and eyes to the colour of mud so that forevermore, the people of the world would know that these people had helped the golden-haired defeat the black-haired. Then the citizens, now called the brown-haired, decided to wear brown clothes, like they had during the war.
Once the war was over, the golden-haired became the rulers of the world. The brown-haired became the citizens. The black-haired were sent north to the mines, to pay for their sins. The red-haired stayed in the south. This is how it had been for a thousand years.
This is what Rince had been thinking about while waiting for his partner to return with the water. He sighed. It was too bad that there were demons in the world along with the golden-haired, the brown-haired, the red-haired, and the black-haired. These demons did not look like anyone else. They had strange combinations of eye and hair colour, such as golden hair but silver eyes, or black hair but green eyes. These people had demons inside them, and if they weren’t killed before they reached sixteen winters, they destroyed the world. The Age of Positioning- what is the Age of Positioning. I suppose you wouldn’t know.
When a person reached fifteen winters, they were taken to the Council of Positioning. The Council looked at their hair and eye colour. If the person had red hair and green eyes, they were proclaimed one of the red-haired, and sent to the south. If the person had black hair and grey eyes, they were sent north. If the person had gold hair and blue eyes, they were sent to the nobles. If the person had brown hair and brown eyes, they were assigned a position, such as baker, carpenter, or soldier. The brown-haired usually had brown-haired parents, the golden-haired usually had golden-haired parents, and so on. But occasionally somebody would go to the Council and would be one of the Others. The Others were the people with odd hair and eyes. They were killed immediately, before they reached sixteen winters.
Rince could remember that day. He had been excited. Maybe the Council of Positioning would position him as a poet. One usually got the position that they wanted. But the Leader of the Council had barely even glanced at Rince. Rince wasn’t surprised by that, because the man, I’iaak N’reet, was a good friend of his family. In fact, I’iaak N’reet had been to his house for dinner just the night before. There was obviously no need to examine his eyes and hair. They couldn’t have changed overnight. Rince was fairly certain that he would get the position he wanted, because I’iaak N’reet knew that Rince wanted to be a poet. The Council went into the room behind their table, the room where they decided what position a person would get. When they returned, I’iaak N’reet looked at Rince. “You are to receive a very honourable position, Rince R’cleadta.” he said. “You are to be the…” A knock sounded at the door. I’iaak N’reet went over to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was the most beautiful woman Rince had ever seen. She wore a blue dress trimed with gold, a gold cloak, a gold chain belt, and leather shoes encrusted with sapphires. Her hair fell in golden curls down her back. Rince was too far away to be positive, but he was pretty sure that her eyes were blue. I’iaak N’reet bowed low- very low- and said “My lady, you grace us with your presence.” Seeing that no one else had a clue who the lady was, I’iaak N’reet added “Is there any way I can help you, Lady Ni’ala D’compreey?” Rince immediately bowed. Lady Ni’ala D’compreey was the First of T’ Gialdr’ñø’ii, or the Ruler of the Golden-Haired, therefore the Ruler of the World. Ni’ala D’compreey smiled at I’iaak N’reet. “I am fine.” she told I’iaak N’reet quietly. Her voice was quiet, but everyone heard what she said. She surveyed the room. “I only need to talk to the Council of Positioning.” I’iaak N’reet gestured to the Council. “This is the Council, and I am the Head. Please join us in the back room. Rince can wait, can’t you lad?” Rince nodded. The lady was certainly more important than he was, and she wouldn’t take very long. Ni’ala D’compreey then walked into the back room, the Council following her.
Rince had thought whatever she was doing, it wouldn’t affect him very much. Perhaps she wanted a new position to be made, but his was already chosen. It was obviously too late for his position to change.
The Council of Positioning returned to the room. I’iaak N’reet turned to Rince, saying “You are to receive a very honourable position, Rince R’cleadta. You were going to receive the position of soldier. But that has been changed.” Rince was shocked. He wouldn’t have gotten the position he wanted! But it didn’t matter now. Whatever the Council and the First had been talking about, it seemed that it had affected his position. But what position would he get? I’iaak N’reet continued speaking. “You are extremely lucky, Rince R’cleadta. Due to recent events, the army has had a terrible loss. You shall take the position of Commander of the Fifth Unit of the Army of the World.”
Rince remembered hearing those words. He had nearly fainted. Commander? There was surely some mistake. After all, he could barely shoot an arrow strait. Commander? Of the Fifth Unit? Everyone knew who the Fifth Unit were. They were famous. Commander?
But here Rince was, on sentry duty for the Fifth Unit. A hundred soldiers following the orders of a man that had only seen sixteen winters and couldn’t shoot an arrow strait. Rince hoped that he something would happen that would enable him to stop ordering these stupid soldiers to do stupid things.
He was about to get his wish. Sort of.
Rince shook his head. He was on sentry duty. Where was the other sentry? He should have been back by now. It had been nearly half an hour! Rince turned towards the camp. He could see a light on in one of the tents. He heard a roar of laughter. The men were playing dice and drinking again. The other sentry had probably gotten “lost” near the dice game. Rince would have to find some way to get his partner back. But he couldn’t leave his post. Oh well. Rince knew how to yell “intruder”.
Suddenly, the shadows in the forest moved. Not like a tree had swayed in the wind or a bat had flown. Moved. As if there was a person in there. There it was again! It was too big to be a bat, whatever it was. What was it? It was about the size of a mountain lion…
A mountain lion! In Rince’s village, there had been a mountain lion. It had killed the blacksmith. Before that, Rince had thought that the blacksmith was invincible. But mountain lions were dangerous. If it was a mountain lion, it should be killed. Rince turned to get some men from the camp, but a painful memory stopped him.
He was being introduced to the Fifth Unit for the first time. The men seemed alright. They seemed to think that he must be a hero. That night in the Mess Tent, they had been talking about the fights they had been in. The conversation changed, and they began to talk about who had killed the most mountain lions. Each man had killed at least five. The soldiers had asked Rince how many he’d killed. When Rince told them that he had never killed anything in his life, let alone a mountain lion, the men laughed. Since then, he had been proclaimed an official wimp.
If Rince could kill a mountain lion now, he would no longer be a wimp. So Rince climbed down from the tower and headed for the forest, notching an arrow. He entered the edge of the forest and peered through the gloom, trying to see the beast. He could hear nothing but the wind in the leaves.
Rince started walking. Where was it? He wanted to kill and be done with the whole thing! Scanning the forest again, he decided that the mountain lion must have seen him and been scared off. If that was the case, then Rince decided he must be very ferocious-looking. Turning around to head back to the camp, Rince saw something that made his blood run cold. And it wasn’t a mountain lion.
Ri’nalmironca T’lalriaknealni pushed a strand of raven black hair out of her face. Despite the howling wind and deep snow outside, the inside of the mine was hot, and her grey, bloused shirt, and grey poofy skirt were soaked with sweat. Her back ached, yet Ri’nalmironca, called Ronca by those who knew her well, didn’t dare stop. The men that kept the black-haired from rebelling would have a whip out before she could even take a breath.
Ronca often wished that her ancestors hadn’t done great evil. It just wasn’t fair to her generation. She hadn’t done anything, but she was enslaved in the mines. But she didn’t get any say in what was fair and what wasn’t. Only the golden-haired could decide.
Suddenly, the gloom around Ronca seemed to deepen. Ronca looked up. The Master of the Black-Haired, one of the brown-haired named N’ni’iik N’ni’iiashe that was supposed to watch over the black-haired, was watching her. Ronca realized that she had stopped working while she considered stopping. She waited for the whip in N’ni’iik N’ni’iiashe’s hand to hit her.
The rest of the day continued the same way it always did. But the walk that Ronca took every night did not. She was walking by the Black River when she heard it. The sound of something rustling. She would have thought that it was just some leaves, but the orchard was on the other side of the village. There were no trees here. If there were, they would have drunk up the river long ago.
Perhaps it was just some dead grass? No, there it was again. It was much too loud to be dead grass. There wasn’t that much grass here. Besides, Ronca could see a dark shape just across the river. Ronca strained her eyes, trying to see…
The shape disappeared. Ronca turned around and hurried towards the village. She should report this. That was when it happened.
Something touched her shoulder.
Ñiola P’rianjelloca smoothed her red dress, trying in vain to get rid of the wrinkles. Her mother would kill her if she saw that Ñiola, or Ni, had been wrestling with the boys again. “A young lady must behave.” her mother had told her time after time. But did Ni care? No. But Ni did care about the hole she found in her skirt. Maybe her mother wouldn’t notice. Then again, maybe pigs would sprout wings and begin to fly. Ni gave up trying to destroy the wrinkles. It was useless.
Sighing, Ni started home. She enjoyed the walk, even though she didn’t like the thought of what would happen to her at the end. And sure enough, when she got home, her mother exploded.
“This is ridiculous… Look at this… Have you any idea…” her mother went on and on. Her mother shouted for the better part of the hour, then told Ni to go to her room and put on something decent. Ni went to her room alright. To get her cloak. Then she slipped out of her window.
Ni headed for her boyfriend, Ri’iac Ñ’iite’s, house. He would be much better company than her mother. He only lived a block away, so she would be there before her mother knew she was gone.
It was a pleasant walk, with the deep green trees gently rustling in the breeze. It wasn’t time for the harvest yet, so people were still outside playing, rather than working. But then it happened.
She saw somebody at the edge of the Red Forest. People were in the forest all the time. There was nothing wrong with someone being there. But this person was wearing what looked like a black shirt, brown breeches, and a green tunic. Their long hair looked like it was either brown or black. The person was too far away for Ni to be sure, but she thought that the person had dark eyes. They definitely weren’t one of the red-haired like Ni. Ni had thick, shoulder-length red hair and deep emerald eyes. The person was wearing men’s clothing, but had long hair. The person was probably female. But Ni was wearing a red dress with a red belt and a green cloak, not black and brown. The person didn’t fit any group of people that Ni knew of…
An other? Maybe the person was an other. That would make sense. Ni looked towards the forest again, but the person was gone. Ni hurried towards Ri’iac’s house. He would know what to do. After all, others had demons inside them. They were dangerous.
That was when a low, female voice spoke.
The golden-haired hurried down a corridor. Her blue eyes searched the walls, looking for something. Seeing a small statue of a bird, the girl, Aritina D’lalshine, grinned. Aritina pressed lightly on a sapphire that had been placed into the statue as an eye, and the statue and the wall behind it swung out. Aritina ducked into the secret passage and pressed a small stone in the wall, closing the passage door.
Aritina crawled along the passage quickly, breathing harder than she normally would. But she continued to go at the same pace until she reached a fork in the passage. Choosing the left-hand fork, she continued, going slightly slower. She arrived at a “dead-end”, but she simply pressed a brick in the ceiling of the passage, and the wall in front of her swung open.
Aritina scrambled out. She pressed a sapphire in the hand of a statue of a magic-worker, then continued down the hallway. She saw a door and ran inside. Finally! She had arrived.
Aritina looked around the library. She couldn’t see anyone. Good. She went to the back of the library, where a group of chairs sat, and collapsed into one.
Aritina hoped that her breathing would become normal soon. She would have to keep moving if she was to avoid her many suitors. Why did she have to be a golden-haired? All she ever did was escape from them and her father’s blade-master, who was trying to teach her how to use her knife.
The passages she had been going through were unknown by all in the castle except for Aritina, her best friend, and a few of her servants. They were absolutely wonderful, but they would be useless if her parents found out about them.
Aritina’s breathing had returned to normal. She got up from the chair, and glanced down at her dress. She gasped. It was dirtier than she expected! The once fine blue silk had changed to a dirty blue-grey, and the golden chain she used as a belt was hardly recognizable. He leather shoes were dirty, but you could only tell if she raised her skirts high enough to see them. Aritina wasn’t sure, but she thought that her hair might need some help to. If her parents discovered…
Aritina headed for a nearby bookshelf. She looked through the books, searching for a particular one. Seeing a large, brown volume, she pulled it. It didn’t come out all the way, and when she let go, it snapped back into place. The bookshelf swung open, revealing another passage, slightly higher than the last one. She didn’t have to crawl. As she entered, Aritina pulled the same book from her side of the bookshelf, and the bookshelf closed.
Aritina ran down the passage, encountering a few forks. Right, left, right, right again, left, left, right, straight, right. Turning down a final corridor, she came to another “dead-end”. Pulling a sapphire out of her pocket, Aritina placed it in a small hole in the wall. The wall swung open, and Aritina entered her room. Turning around, she pulled on a loose strand hanging from the tapestry that helped conceal the passage. She reached across a table and rang the golden bell that sat there. Two servants scuttled into the room. They took one look at her, then took the bell from Aritina and rang it some more. More servants entered the room. Two of them ran off to the bathing room, and three went to find her a dress. The other six started to undo the complex piles of ringlets pinned onto her head.
Aritina was soon washed, dressed in a fresh gown, and had her hair redone. She went into her private sitting room and picked up the embroidery that she was working on. It was turning out nicely, with the red roses being stitched with stitches so small you couldn’t see them. Aritina’s Sowing Mistress would be pleased.
A brown-clad servant entered the room. Bowing low, he said “Lady Aritina D’lalshine, there is someone here who wishes to see you.” “Send them in.” Aritina told the servant, who then scurried out. In a moment, the servant returned. Following him was a figure clothed in clothes that shifted as they moved. The figure threw back their hood, and Aritina could see that they were female. The woman turned to smile at Aritina, and her hair shifted colours. Aritina barely stifled a yelp.
The woman was a shifter.
Nri’aka W’cari pulled her blue cloak up further over her head. She tried to avoid the odd looks that were being directed at her. Seeing a break in the crowd, she turned down the dark alley. A nearby sign told her that she was on Niika Alley. That was good. Nri’aka, or Nri, headed down the alley. If she turned down I’miall Street, then onto Miin Avenue, she should be home in ten minutes…
Nri walked along Niika Alley, keeping an eye out for thieves. Seeing her turnoff, she headed right down I’miall Street, then turned left onto Miin. Finally, she stopped in front of a run-down shack. She walked up the over-grown front path and opened the front door.
And there was her mother.
Her mother had a worried look on her face. “Where have you been?!” she began. “You should have been home fifteen minutes ago!” Nri sighed. Her mother didn’t care when Tri’shano, Nri’s brother, got home. But that was because he, like Nri’s mother, was a brown. Nri had her father’s golden hair, but she didn’t have his deep blue eyes. Her eyes were grey, marking her as an Other.
The Others. If Nri had had her mother’s brown eyes, it would have been better. That would have been reasonable. Of course she had demons inside her- her father was a golden-haired, and he had married a brown-haired- but if she had had her father’s hair and her mother’s eyes, she might have simply been banished to the Lands Beyond the Sea. But she had grey eyes, like the black-haired, marking her as not only a demon-infested human, but as a demon-infested human that would have been evil without the demon.
Nri wished that she was younger. As a child, she had been able to go outside and play, but that had changed last year, when she reached the Age of Positioning. The Council of Positioning had looked at her golden hair and grey eyes, then immediately proclaimed her an Other. Others were always killed, because the demons living inside them would take over about a year after the Age of Positioning. Nri’s demon hadn’t taken over yet, but it would sooner or later. Nri hoped that the demon would take over later, because she liked to be alive. She was still surprised that she had managed to escape the Dungeon of Others. All Others were placed in a small dungeon until the Day of Purifying, when they were killed. But Nri’s mother and brother had managed to get Nri out.
Nri now lived in constant fear of being found. If anyone in the street looked into her eyes, Nri would be killed. But no one had. There was a sensible reason for that: no one looked into a golden-haired’s eyes. As long as Nri let her hair show, she should be safe.
Nri was jolted back to the present by her mother’s scolding. It wasn’t scolding any more, though. “Are you alright?” her mother asked. “Lately, you’ve been losing focus when I talk to you.” Nri’s mother sounded merely concerned, but Nri knew better. Nri was the right age for the demon to appear. Nri’s habit of staring into space might be caused by the demon. Nri realized that she was staring into space again, and forced herself to listen to her mother. “Why don’t you go to bed.” her mother was suggesting. “I’ll bring you up some soup.” Nri nodded, then headed up the creaking stairs. As Nri reached the top, she heard her mother murmur “please let her stay with us.”
Nri sighed. Her mother was worried that the demon would come out. Nri was worried about that too, but Nri didn’t think that it was showing itself. Sighing again- she was sighing a lot lately- Nri opened her bedroom door and walked into her room. Once the door was closed, Nri collapsed onto her bed.
Nri opened her eyes to a knock on the door. She glanced out the small window. It had been dusk when she got home, but now it was black as pitch outside. Nri sat up, thinking that she must have drifted off. Someone knocked on her door again. “Come in!” she called.
And someone came in. But the someone wasn’t her mother. They weren’t her brother. They weren’t even her father.
It was a Shifter.
Le’alra N’akinoid walked into the clearing. She looked at the small group of people. They all avoided her eyes, but that didn’t surprise Le’alra. They avoided looking at her hair, too, but Le’alra hardly noticed. They didn’t look at her clothes either. Le’alra knew why they were trying not to look at her.
She was a Shifter.
Le’alra’s eyes were presently green, but Le’alra predicted that they would be silver before long. She had noticed a while ago that they changed colour to suit her mood. Her hair fell down her back in soft waves of brown, which changed to red as she drew nearer to the fire. Her clothes changed colour too, giving the impression that Le’alra was simply a floating head. Le’alra hardly noticed her strangeness anymore. She was used to it.
Le’alra smiled at the group. “My name is Le’alra N’akinoid.” she told them. “I am of the race some call the Shifters, if you haven’t already guessed. I have a story to tell you. But first, I want to know your names.”
Le’alra turned to a young man. He realized he was to say his name first, and stammered “I- I am Rince R’cleadta, of the brown-haired.” Next was a young black-haired woman. I’m Ri’nalmironca T’lalriaknealni of the black-haired.” she said. The man named Rince snorted. “Call me Ronca.” Ri’nalmironca T’lalriaknealni added. The, a red-haired woman introduced herself. “I’m Ñiola P’rianjelloca, or Ni, of the red-haired.” Next, Le’alra looked at a young woman in gold-trimmed blue. “I’m Aritina D’lalshine of T’ Gialdr’ñø’ii.” Ronca stared at Aritina D’lalshine, and Ni snorted. Rince grinned. “Sorry, but I don’t speak gobbledegook.” Aritina D’lalshine glared at Rince. “Fine. I am Aritina D’lalshine of the golden-haired. Happy? And it’s not gobbledegook; it’s the High Language.” Rince smiled at Aritina. “Do you got another name I can call you, rather than saying Aritina D’lalshine all the time?” Aritina D’lalshine glared at Rince again. “Call me Aritina.” Seeing Rince’s look, she added “No, I don’t have a nickname. T’ Gialdr’ñø’ii don’t have nicknames.” Rince grinned at her. “Alright, I’ll give you a nickname. You need one. How ‘bout Ari?” “Ari?!” Aritina gasped. “Are you joking? I told you, T’ Gialdr’ñø’ii don’t have nicknames!” Rince shrugged. “You do now!”
Before they could continue, Le’alra interrupted them. “Enough!” She glared at the two. “You are adults! Act like it!” Turning to the next young woman, Le’alra continued in a pleasanter tone “And you are?”
The golden haired woman spoke her name, but said it so softly that no one could hear her. “Speak up.” Le’alra said. The golden haired woman repeated her name, this time loud enough for all to hear. “I’m Nri’aka W’cari.” Ari looked at Nri’aka. “Don’t you know that the golden-haired ought to be more commanding, instead of being-“ Ari stopped speaking in mid-sentence and turned away. Rince looked from Ari to Nri’aka. “What’s the matter with her?” Nri’aka said something, but again she spoke too quietly. Rince turned to Ari. “What is it? You’ll drive be crazy if you don’t tell me.” Grinning broadly, Rince added “Although you may drive me crazy anyway…” Ari glared at him. “Haven’t you seen her eyes?” she demanded. “No.” Rince answered. “Why?” “Well, look!” Ari demanded. Rince glanced at Nri’aka. “I don’t see anything wrong.” he told Ari. Ari looked at Rince like he was insane. “They’re grey!” Rince and Ari jumped. They had apparently forgotten that anyone was there. “They’re grey!” the red-haired girl, Ni, repeated.
“ENOUGH!!!” Le’alra’s voice echoed through the clearing. “You are adults! Now behave!” In a pleasanter tone, she continued quietly. “Yes, there is an Other here. It could be worse. I could have gathered fifty golden-haired and two-hundred brown-haired, instead of the two insane ones that I did get.” Turning to Nri’aka, Le’alra asked “Do you have a nick-name?” Nri’aka nodded. “Nri.” she said quietly.
“Alright.” Le’alra was very glad that they had finished the introductions. Except for one. “I’m Le’alra N’akinoid of T’ Shri’al’l’en, or what some call the Shifters. I was sent by the Council of T’ Shri’al’l’en to find five young people, one from each race, and bring them here.” Nri looked at Le’alra. “Why?” she asked. “To tell you a story.” Le’alra replied.
Rince groaned, but before he could speak, Ronca cut him off. “You talk to much!” she told him. Turning to Le’alra, she asked “What type of story?” “A true story.” Le’alra replied. “But not just any true story. This is the story that has been passed down through the T’ Shri’al’l’en. This story is called “The Time of Destruction”. But this is not your version of it. This is the true version.”
“Wait a minute!” Ronca said. “What do you mean, the true story? Everybody knows the story already.” Le’alra looked at Ronca. “Don’t you think that the story has been changed over time?” Ronca shrugged. “I guess. But not that much!” Le’alra smiled. “It has been changed a lot. I know the true story because my ancestors recorded it.” Seeing the group all start to open their mouths- probably in protest- Le’alra added “It will all become crystal-clear soon. But first, it’s getting late, and the story is long. I will tell you all in the morning.”
Le’alra looked around the camp. The five teens were just finishing their morning meal and cleaning up. They would be done soon, and Le’alra would be able to tell them the Story. But would they accept it? Le’alra wasn’t sure. And everything depended on it!
The sound of squabbling caused Le’alra to pay attention to the group. It was Ari and Rince, and Le’alra wondered why she was surprised that the two were fighting again. From what Le’alra could decipher from the yelling, Ari had insisted that she was too important to do chores, and Rince had told her that she was not. It sounded like Rince had hit Ari with his cloak, which had been rolled up in a ball at his feet, when Ari refused to do any more work. Le’alra managed to get them to be quiet long enough to assign punishment work.
“Ari, you’re washing the dishes for the rest of the week. Rince, you’re drying them. You two have to learn to live together!” The two shut up, but Le’alra was almost positive it wasn’t because of the work. It was the fact that they were staying with her for at least a week that made them speechless.
The chores were finally done, and everyone sat down beside the campfire. Le’alra smiled at the group. “The story I’m about to tell you may come as a surprise. If you have any questions, ask me after I’m done talking. Any questions?” The group shook their heads. Smiling, Le’alra added “Before I begin, I need two of you to do something. Ari, could you please switch places with Ni. That way, you’ll be sitting beside Rince.” Ari grimaced, but did as she was told. “That’s better.” Le’alra commented. “Now, I’ll tell you The Story…”
“Thousands of years ago, the world was a different place. Our land was attached to the Lands Beyond the Seas. People chose their own positions when they wanted. And people looked different. They weren’t defined by their hair colour. Black haired people and golden haired people were friends. People with golden hair and grey eyes weren’t killed. People also had different skin colours. They had light skin, deep brown skin, and skin in all colours in between. People had differently shaped eyes. Some had rounder eyes, and some had almond shaped eyes.”
“Their were also bad things in the world. The things were little boxes that would destroy cities, and one went off. It caused the lands to shake and mountains to topple. The sky rained liquid fire.”
“One land broke apart from the rest. This land, which is ours, had many, many sad and confused people on it. It floated onto an ocean, and became completely isolated.”
“One person, who had gold-coloured hair and blue eyes, realized that the people needed a leader. This person was no different from any other person. They simply wanted to rule the torn land. The person gathered followers, many of which had brown hair and eyes. The followers had only ever had brown hair and eyes. The followers were not special. They simply wanted to follow this golden-haired person.:
“Naturally, not all wanted to follow this person. One man, who had black hair and grey eyes, also tried to control the world. This man was no different from any other. His hair and eyes were always black and grey. But this man didn’t get many followers, and his descendants were eventually defeated by the descendants of the golden-haired person.”
“The golden-haired person’s descendants wanted to preserve their power. The had heard of a group of gods that some of the people in the land were worshipping, and thought that these gods could become useful. The golden-haired person’s descendants told the world that they had not always had golden hair, but instead their hair had turned gold because there hearts were pure and golden. Then they explained that only the golden-haired people would go to the Realm in the Sky.”
“The golden-haired then explained how the other people came to look like they did. They said that the brown-haired, brown-eyed people had changed their hair and eye colour with mud so that they could sneak into enemy camps. The red-haired, green-eyed people loved nature, turning their eyes green, and had fiery tempers, turning their hair red. The black-haired were descendants of the black-haired man, so the golden-haired said that these people had black hearts made of steel to explain their hair and eye colour.”
“Of course, there were also what you call the “Others”. These people wanted to know why they looked like they did. The golden-haired said that these people were sent from the Devil’s Realm to torture the people of the world, and that they should be killed. The golden-haired told everyone that demons would come out of the Others if the were not killed after sixteen winters.”
“During this time, though, there were terrible things happening. The golden-haired noticed that a number of people with strange characteristics were born. Most died in birth, but some did not. A common characteristic, caused by the liquid fire falling from the sky, was to be born with eyes that changed colour and hair that was so many colours that it appeared to change. The golden-haired told everyone that these people, called Shifters, were really demons in disguise.”
“Of course, at first everyone knew that none of this was real. But slowly, after many generations of hearing it, people began to believe it. After a while, even the golden-haired believed that they were a higher form of being. Now, nobody doubts it but the Shifters.”
Le’alra looked at the group. “Any questions?” she asked quietly. Rince opened his mouth, then shut it again. Then he started to talk. “Why?” he demanded. “Why did the golden-haired make it all up? How come the Shifters know the truth, but nobody else does? When is the world going to find out?” Le’alra smiled. “That is why I brought you here. I was sent to find five people, one from each “race”, and bring them here. The Shifters hope that now that you know the truth, you will help us.”
“Help you do what?” Ari asked. “Help us tell the world.” Le’alra replied. Ari looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Ronca cut her off.
“So my ancestors weren’t evil? I’m not evil?” she asked quietly. Le’alra nodded. “You probably have more good in you than many of the golden-haired.”
“That’s all very well,” Ari cut in. “but I want to know something. How can we be sure that you aren’t a demon. Nri might have demons inside her, so how can we be sure?” Turning to Nri, Ari asked “How long until the demons in you are supposed to show themselves?”
Nri smiled. “Haven’t you noticed? My demons have been showing themselves for over a year. Can’t you tell?” Ari stared at Nri. “You mean… there aren’t any demons in you?” Nri shook her head.
“So.” Le’alra looked at the group. “Do you all agree that the Story tells the truth?” The group nodded. “Good.” Le’alra said. “Now that you know the truth, I want you to help me and all the T’ Shri’al’l’en tell the world the truth. Will you help me?”
Ronca looked at Le’alra. “Why are we telling the world the truth? How will this affect everybody?” Le’alra looked at Ronca. “The black-haired would no longer have to work in the mines.” “OK, I’ll help you!” Ronca told Le’alra.
“Uh… would the Others no longer be killed?” Nri asked. “Correct!” Le’alra replied. “I’m in!” Nri said happily.
Rince smiled at Le’alra. “Do ya need an army? If so, I’ll get one for you.” Seeing Ari’s blank look, Rince added “I’m the Commander of the Fifth Unit of the Army of the World.” “Congratulations!” Ari said. “It’s nice to know that we actually have an army on our side! But as for my opinion on this whole “tell the world the truth” thing, I don’t really like it. After all, I have no complaints about my life.”
Ni sighed. “Just because your life is good doesn’t mean that the rest of us have a happy life! Ari, you don’t even know what anybody has to do all day. You only know that the golden-haired don’t have to do anything. I have to work sun-up to sun-down preparing food for you! Do I get paid? No. How come? ‘Cause I’m a red-haired.” Seeing the rest of the group staring at her, Ni added “Come on, everybody! Help me out here!”
Rince clued in first. “Ari,” he began. “I hate to tell you this, but only the golden-haired have a good time. You only have to worry that you will look wrong when you reach the Age of Positioning. But what if you do? Do you even know what you have to go through if you are a brown-haired? I’m Commander of the Fifth Unit. If I were you, I wouldn’t be so glad that we’ve got an army, Ari. I wanted to be a poet. But I was positioned as a soldier. It wasn’t my idea. I got no say in it.”
Ronca smiled at Ari. But it wasn’t a very nice smile. “I’m really glad that I get to go back to the mines.” she said sarcastically. “I only have to work sun-up to sun-down in a filthy, dark, damp hole in the ground. I hear that you golden-haired have a lot of fun as a child. What’s fun? I don’t think I’m familiar with that term. Is fun a good description for the stuff you do as a child?” Seeing Ari’s nod, Ronca smiled again. “I didn’t know that golden-haired two-year-olds had to mine. After all, when I was two, I had lots of fun. I mean, what’s better than squinting at dirty rock all day?”
Nri started to speak, but no one could hear her. “Speak up!” Ari commanded. “Alright, but remember, you asked for it!” Nri warned. “I thought that I was going to be a brown-haired like my mother and brother. But then my hair turned gold. So I thought I’d be a golden-haired like my father. No such luck! Instead, I reached the Age of Positioning, and was called an Other. You know how horrible it is to find out you have demons inside you? You know what they do with the Others? They stick them in a big prison cell and leave them there. Then, at the end of the year, they commit mass murder and kill all the Others. And the only reason for being killed is the colour of your hair and eyes. So if you want to go back to you wonderful life, that’s fine with me, but I for one am going to support the Shifters.”
Ari sighed. “All right! I’ll help you!” All the group smiled- except Le’alra, who rarely smiled. “Now we must plan our actions.” Le’alra said solemnly. Everyone nodded. “So, what do we need to do?” Rince asked.
Rince was bored. They had been planning all day yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and half the day before, after Le’alra told them The Story. And they did nothing fun. And they never took breaks. They even ate while planning. They even washed up while planning. And then there was sentry duty. It wasn’t fair.
And they were girls. That wasn’t always a bad thing- Rince was, after all, a fairly normal sixteen-year-old boy. But he had grown up with five sisters (Ran, Ki’elle, Sa’an, Eni, and Lil), and he wasn’t particularly fond of girls when he had to spend a lot of time with them. And Rince had a feeling that these girls wouldn’t want to flirt- they would be as awful as his sisters.
What was wrong with these fools? Didn’t they know better? Why did they insist on changing things that couldn’t be changed? Aritina thought that they were all idiots, but they would force her to support them. Aritina had no idea how, but they would. And what was with that dumb nick-name anyway? Ari? That Rince person was an idiot. As soon as Aritina was out of this mess, she would request that he be Re-Assigned. And she would demand that more people were there to guard those stupid black-haired. And make sure that there was no way for the red-haired to come north. And make sure that the Others were guarded more carefully. And make sure all Shifters were removed from this world. They could lie in the Grave of the Dead for the rest of eternity. They would lie there, in that cold, torturous place, and they would never again trouble the world. They would…
Smiling to herself, Aritina imagined all the tortures that would be inflicted on idiots in the Grave of the Dead, starting with the punishments for Rince R’cleadta.
Ronca wished that they would stop. They were still talking. Well, actually, Le’alra was. Did Le’alra think Ronca was listening? No. Ronca didn’t even know what Le’alra was talking about anymore. Maybe she could sneak away. But then she would have to leave Ni to the torture of listening. Ronca and Ni had become friends, and Ronca really like Ni. Ni was outgoing, honest, trustworthy. She was the best friend Ronca had ever had. Ronca wondered what Ni thought of her.
What was Le’alra saying? Something about their plan to wipe out something…? But Ronca didn’t pay any more attention.
Ni looked around. Ronca looked interested. But she probably wasn’t. Although she might be making an effort. Ronca was the kind that would do that. Ronca liked helping and supporting people. She was probably paying attention. That was what Ronca would do. She would not be pretending to pay attention while secretly day-dreaming.
Ronca was nice. She always paid attention, and was the type of girl that you liked immediately. She was rather shy, but that was only because the black-haired rarely had a chance to talk. Ni wished she was like that. Ronca would have Ni’s mother’s approval. Unlike Ni. Ni was, after all, a horrible wretch who knew nothing of how a lady was supposed to act.
Now what was Le’alra saying? Something about the end of the world...?
Nri wondered about the others. They didn’t pay much attention. Rince was apparently thinking about something he disliked, and Ari was dreaming up something awful. Ronca and Ni kept looking at each other, but neither seemed to notice, so they were probably both thinking about the other. Ari was also giving Rince sidelong glances, but they were followed by the expression Nri had once seen on an executioner’s face right before the execution, so whatever Ari was thinking, it couldn’t be nice. Ari was also looking at the others, although not as much as she looked at Rince, and the glances didn’t seem as bad. But then again, Ari and Rince seemed to loathe each other, so that might explain something.
Nri was a little surprised that Le’alra hadn’t noticed them. No one was paying attention. It was obvious. But Le’alra was a Shifter…
Now what was she saying? Le’alra had mentioned something about them doing the job quickly and silently…
Le’alra could barely stifle her laughter. She’d managed, though, as she was, after all, a Shifter, and Shifter children were trained not to show emotions, as emotions showed your weaknesses, and a Shifter could not be weak. But this was amusing!
The group wasn’t paying attention anyway, so rather than go do the job, Le’alra had kept them for two extra days so far. They weren’t paying attention, which was a good thing, because if they had, they’d have heard the strangest planning. Today they were planning how to light the entire world on fire to destroy it, and yesterday’s topic had been to set hippos on the townspeople until they surrendered. It was rather amusing. Le’alra was already thinking of tomorrow’s topic. She was considering suggesting that they flood all the castles in the world with molten lava that they carried to the castles in their pockets…
Le’alra had decided to keep making things up until somebody noticed. After all, The Story hadn’t been told for thousands of years, so people could wait a month or two if needed…
The group was bored. All of them knew it. How come Le’alra was still talking? Why did she insist on torturing them? How come she had not yet realized that they didn’t care what she said? And there she went again, talking about their plot to… flood castles with molten lava?
“What are you talking about?” Aritina asked Le’alra. Le’alra smiled. “Oh, have you decided to listen?” The group was all paying attention now. That was probably because Aritina, not Le’alra, was talking. “So what’s this you’re going on about?” Rince asked. Le’alra smiled again. “I was simply asking you all if you knew where we could get the molten lava.” Noticing their blank looks, she added “Remember what I said? We’re going to flood all the castles in the world with molten lava that we carry to the castles in our pockets. We discussed this ten days ago.”
“Since when are we going to do this?” Rince asked. Le’alra grinned. “That was ten days ago. Well, we’ve been making dumb plans ever since you stopped paying attention. We’re going to do some very interesting things. I even asked what you thought a couple of times, and you agreed to the plan.” Le’alra’s smile vanished. “Now, we could move on, as we should have done twelve days ago, but only if you promise to pay attention when I tell you things. What do you think?” The group nodded. “Let’s go.” Ronca said. “We’ve wasted enough time.”
Rince pretended to pay attention to his surrounding, but he was really noticing the group. He had long since learned that left to their own devices, girls would try to organize and destroy his life unless he stepped in to stop them. Eni and Sa’an, two of his younger sisters, had been delighted by his anything that annoyed him. Even Ki’elle and Ran, normally levelheaded, had played a prank or two on him. Lil had tried, but she was only seven, and couldn’t do anything terrible. The worst had been Sa’an. She had been only two years younger than him, and she was evil. Nearly every one of her pranks had ended in him getting sent to his room without supper. But he was free of her. He was free of Sa’an’s pranks, Eni leaving her books all over the house, Ki’elle’s moaning about this boy or that, and Lil’s following him like a lost puppy. Ran was married, and she was therefore the easiest to get along with. But Rince R’cleadta was free of all of them. The one good point of being a soldier.
Rince’s attention turned back to the girls’ chatter. Ronca and Ni were talking about their boyfriends, Le’alra was deep in conversation with Nri, trying to discover what sort of life Nri had, and Ari was glaring at them all. She looked bored. Rince decided to go “entertain” her.
“Hey!” he said, grinning. Tormenting Ari was fun. “What’s up, Ari?” She glared at him. “I am Aritina D’lalshine or the Golden-Haired, and I don’t have a nickname like some common brown-haired,” she told him haughtily. “Now go away! I refuse to speak with a commoner.” Rince smiled wickedly. “Too late!” he told her. “I am a commoner, and you are talking to me.” Thinking of something to say, he tried a stab at “civil conversation”. “So,” he said. “What’re you up to?” “Nothing that would matter to a commoner.” Ari said. Rince grinned again. “OK. So then you’re bored. So talk to me. Tell me about how much your life sucks.” Rince said. Ari glared at him. “You only think the lives of the Golden-Haired are wonderful.” She informed him. “But we have horrible lives. My father is trying to marry me off, my parents rarely speak to me otherwise, and my parents insist I do needlework!” Rince snorted. “If that’s all that’s bugging you,” he told her. “then stop your whining. I’m a brown-haired, and my life ain’t the greatest. I have to tell all these stupid soldiers what to do, and they don’t take me seriously ‘cause I’m sixteen. But that’s better than home. At home I have to live with four horrid sisters, and look forward to visits from another and her husband. Then Mom starts shrieking about me bein’ good and bringin’ honour to the family and such, and Dad says I should be glad to be a general, and all I want to be is a poet.” Rince stopped talking. There he was, confessing his problems to a girl he disliked. But then again, she’d told him her problems first. He looked at Ari. She was looking at him strangely. “You want to be a poet?” she said at last. “Are you insane? But being a general is wonderful! And the only poets I’ve ever heard of are Golden-Haired. They have time. Being a poet doesn’t pay well, you know.” Rince shrugged. “I’d rather write poetry than lead a battle any day.” He informed her. Ari looked like she was going to say something, but was interrupted when Le’alra called to them.
“Everybody! Come here! I’ve found something!”
Rince started to walk in front of Ari, but she glared at him, and he bowed deeply, smiling mockingly, and let her pass. The two walked over to Le’alra.
“What is it?” Ni asked. Le’alra gestured to a cave. “This is what we’ve been trying to reach. We go through this cave, which will take us underneath the city of Cakalikita. There are several exit points along the tunnel. We’ll use one of them once we’re under the city, and get food and such. We’ll also have to get you all brown cloaks.” Seeing their astonishment- no one but the brown-haired would even dream of wearing brown- she added “Think. If you keep your hoods up, no one will know. And a golden-haired travelling with a black-haired will certainly attract attention. Besides, we’ll blend in better in a forest if we aren’t wearing red and gold.
And with that, Le’alra entered the dark cave. The party look at each other, then followed.
Aritina looked around, but realized it was futile. It was so dark, she could not see the hand in front of her face. It was a good thing that she wasn’t afraid of the dark. Although she had never been anywhere as dark as this. But she wasn’t afraid of the dark…
Aritina stumbled and tripped. She waited for someone to help her up, then realized that no one was going to. So she pulled herself up, and continued walking.
Her eyes were slowly adjusting. She could see nothing but the group’s silhouettes ahead of her. She studied each, trying to figure out who was who, but, as she wasn’t watching where she was going, she tripped on the hem of her skirt, and again fell down.
This time, someone did offer her a hand. As Aritina was about to take it, she looked up to see whose hand it was, and saw the Other. Aritina immediately dropped her hand, and pulled herself up herself. Again. But there was no force on the planet that would make her take an Other’s hand. The only one whose hand she would even consider taking was Rince’s, and only because he wasn’t a red or black-haired, an Other, or a Shifter. But Aritina didn’t like him. So she wouldn’t take his hand either.
Rince R’cleadta. He made her feel… uncomfortable. Maybe it was his attitude. He seemed to hate her. Or maybe it was because he was the only one who really talked to her. But whatever the reason, Aritina did not like him. She made a mental note to talk to her father if… when she got home, and have Rince fired.
What was that skittering sound? Mice? Rats? And there! Was that a snake? Or maybe… a demon? Maybe Nri’aka’s demonic presence was calling demons to her. Or maybe-
Spitting out some mud, Aritina again helped herself up.
Nri watched Ari stumble and fall. Maybe that was what that sound had been. Nri hadn’t known, because her eyes hadn’t adjusted at that point. Figuring Ari would want some help getting out of the mud, Nri walked over and offered her hand.
Ari started lifting her hand, then looked up and dropped it. Then she helped herself up, muttering something about Others. So it was that again.
Nri didn’t expect Ari to like her. She really didn’t care. She had stopped caring a year ago, when she found out that there weren’t demons inside her. But just because the golden-haired said she was different…
And Ari hated her. What had Nri done? It just wasn’t fair. All of them looked at her. They thought she didn’t see, but she did. When Ni and Ronca looked at her, she knew. Then they giggled, and although she couldn’t hear the words, Nri knew what they were giggling about. When Rince looked at her, she knew. He’d then stare into space, and think, and Nri knew what he was thinking about. And Ari. She didn’t even try to hide it. The nicest one was Le’alra. But she also looked at Nri. But when Le’alra looked at her, Nri saw no hate in her eyes. Only pity. Sometimes, pity was worse than hate.
SPLASH! The sound ricocheted off the cavern walls. Again, Ari had landed in the mud. But Nri didn’t go over. Ari would only hate her. But Nri wished she and Ari could become friends. Ari was a golden-haired, and maybe she could stop the massacre that occurred every year…
Now it was Nri’s turn to slip. But, whereas at least one person- herself- had offered her hand to Ari, none came to help Nri. They all hated her. As she struggled to get up, Nri saw Ronca and Ni giggling hysterically. Probably about her. They could go to the Void for all she cared! They could…
Nri was tired. They had been walking for too many days, and Nri was constantly listening to that incessant giggling! And it was probably always about her! Nri was used to be laughed at, but she was tired of it…
What fools the rest of the party was! They had no idea how to have fun! Ni knew that they would enjoy themselves eventually- it was inevitable- but until then, the group was going to be at each others throats! Her and Ronca found this rather amusing, to say the least.
First there was Ari, with her airs and fancy accent and attempts to seem special and above them all. Then there was Rince, with his attempts at comedy, and his (wonderful) teasing of Ari. And Nri, always trying to go unnoticed. And, of course, Le’alra, with her long speeches, countless stupid thoughts, and elusive behaviour.
At least Ni understood Ronca. Ronca enjoyed fun, and didn’t mind hard work. She was nice, and always ready to listen to whatever Ni had to say. She enjoyed listening about Ni’s boyfriend, and would gladly trade stories about her own life. She was easy to talk to. The two were already friends.
But there was the problem of them being from different social classes. The red-haired weren’t liked, but they weren’t considered evil, like the black-haired. But they were going to change that. Then people would understand. It was all right to have friends with different coloured hair and eyes. Ni had always thought the rules a little silly herself. After all, the evil people, the heroic nobles, the rebellious redheads, the helping common folk, and the possessed people had lived thousands of years ago. Nowadays, people weren’t all the same, and judging people by their hair was stupid. And Ronca agreed. And, obviously, so did Le’alra. But Le’alra was anti-social. Ronca liked people.
And, with a loud splosh, Ni slipped in the mud.
Ronca leaned over and helped Ni up. The party wasn’t faring too well. Ari fell over every five minutes or so, Nri had fallen once or twice, Ni had just slipped, and Rince had landed on his behind about ten minutes ago. The only two able to walk without slipping were Ronca and Le’alra. But Le’alra was some sort of female warrior- she’d probably had some sort of training. The rest of the party probably couldn’t see very well. Ari had grown up in a castle where there was no mud and there were plenty of candles. Nri grew up in a town, like Rince. And everyone knew that the red-haired lived in a warmer climate. Maybe they didn’t have mud there. And it wasn’t as dark. They had candles. The black-haired never carried candles when the mined. It would be all right if they were only mining jewels or precious metals, but few black-haired were trusted enough to do such tasks. Most of them, Ronca included, had mined simpler things like coal. So the stuffy air and darkness of the tunnel didn’t bother her. You couldn’t have a candle in a coalmine. The coal would burn! And it smelt far worse where Ronca used to work.
Smiling at Ni, Ronca half-listened as the girl chattered about her boyfriend. Ronca was very good at half-listening. She couldn’t put her full attention on the Master of the Black-Haired when she was working- he’d hit her, or make her stay longer. And she couldn’t ignore him- he’d hit her, or make her stay longer. So Ronca had learned to pay attention to two things at once. Which was what she was doing now.
Laughing at Ni’s stories of pranks she had played on her mother, Ronca glanced over at Nri. The poor girl was struggling along, ignoring them all. Ronca wanted to go comfort her, but Nri was seventeen, and probably wouldn’t appreciate being pitied. Seeing Nri slip in the mud again, Ronca started towards her, but Ni distracted her, and when Ronca looked again, Nri was up, and walking forward, her arms outstretched. Still nearly completely blind in the dark.
Distracted, trying to pay attention to three things at once, Ronca found that it was her turn to slip.
Le’alra looked around. There should be the symbol somewhere. But she didn’t see it. Then again, she had poor night-vision. Turning around, she called “Ronca! Can you come here? I need you to tell me if you see something!”
The group all crowded around Le’alra. “What do you need Ronca for?” Ari asked scornfully. “Why can’t you do it yourself? Why do you need a black-haired?”
Le’alra sighed. Hopefully Ari would get over her attitude soon. “I need Ronca” Le’alra said “because she has better night vision than me.” Seeing the group look at Ronca curiously, Le’alra added “What, you thought that black-haired mining coal got candles? The coal would burn, and if the heat didn’t kill them, the fumes would. But that means that Ronca can probably see better than any of us.” Turning to Ronca, she said “Can you see a symbol that looks like four rectangles, one inside the other?”
Ronca scanned the darkness. Then, she pointed to a spot on the cavern wall, and said “Is that it?”
Le’alra examined it. A black rectangle, with a grey one inside it, which had another grey one inside it, which had a white one inside it. That was the symbol. Le’alra nodded. Then she glared at the group.
“Now, I’m going to lecture you on proper behaviour. You haven’t been very civil to each other, you least of all Ari. Now, we are going into the city of Cakalikita. My people have a Safe-House there. I will drop you off there, and you can rest. I’m going to look about the city and collect news. Word of your disappearances won’t go unnoticed. While I’m gone, you will rest, eat, bathe, and talk! You will sort out your differences, and when I’m back, you will be nice to each other. Understand? Good. Now, when we’re in the Lost Cave- that’s what this tunnel is called- always stay with me. If you get lost- and you’d better have a good reason for being so- look for this symbol. If you see it, you know that there’s a city directly above you. You go to the city, and go to the Shifter Safe-House, and you stay there. When you go to a Shifter Safe-House, they’ll ask you if they can help you with something. Just say “Brother, don’t you recognize me?”- that’s the password- and you’ll get in. Then stay there. Got all that? Good. Now, let’s go.”
Le’alra then leaned over, and touched the central rectangle. It caused the wall to slide, revealing a hidden stairway. Le’alra led them up, pulling the door closed behind them. Then she carefully opened the trap door at the top of the stairs, and, seeing that the street was empty, hurried onto it.
The group walked down lanes and empty streets, following a long, black line drawn on the road. Le’alra then stopped, even though the line went on. She walked up to a door, with a sign over it saying “The Unseen Inn- Established 1477, NE”. The group looked at each other. They must be wondering why they were staying at an old inn- the year was, after all, 1638, NE. But Le’alra knew. She opened the door, and stepped inside, the group trailing behind her.
Le’alra walked up to the front desk. The man sitting there wore a long brown cloak and non-descript clothes, although his hood covered his head. “Welcome to the Unseen Inn, established in 1477, New Era. How may I help you?” said the man in a bored voice. Le’alra smiled. “Brother, don’t you recognize me?” The man looked at the group. Le’alra had requested that they wear their hoods up while they walked, but they had removed them by now. Le’alra sighed. “Toni, elq siin t’wekq frii kesh saem t’daat miis pikq!” The man nodded, and looked them over. “Ell tiwina elq kesh smesh.” Le’alra smiled. “Everyone, this is Toniakko, my brother.”
Aritina looked around the room. The whitewashed walls were plain, but clean. The bed was hard and lumpy, but the cream sheets were clean. The single chest was unadorned; the plain wood hadn’t even been sanded. But it was large. Although she had nothing to put in it.
Aritina D’lalshine did not like the room. She was used to and deserved better than this.
Someone knocked on the door. Turning around to invite them in, Aritina found that they had invited themselves in. “They” turned out to be two serving women- Shifters. But they were carrying a bathing tub and a kettle of water.
The two women set the tub in the center of the room, and the shorter one poured in the water. The other reached outside the door and grabbed a plain brown dress, a brown kerchief, a brown cloak, and nondescript leather shoes. She set the clothing on the bed, closed the door, and said to Aritina, “Kiiks, slet’ti vraem t’shish, liiks ellq smesh’ti yinlia ellin les!” Aritina looked at her blankly. She thought she caught something, but they were speaking so fast! If they spoke slower… But it was probably the language of the Shifters, which would be based on something Aritina could understand. Probably why she thought she had understood something.
The two women looked at each other. Then they started talking. A few seconds later, the shorter turned back to Aritina.
She pointed at the tub. Then she pointed at Aritina. Then she mimed washing. “Oh! You wish for me to wash!” Aritina exclaimed. Seeing the two look at each other as blankly as Aritina herself had looked a moment ago, she nodded, and pointed to herself, then mimicked the washing mime.
Rince wandered around the common area. It was a fairly nice place. All very clean. Although it would be nicer if they spoke Common. Only Le’alra’s brother, Toniakko, spoke anything like Common, and he had a very odd accent. Rince could barely understand the man. Toniakko could only be understood when saying the line, “Welcome to the Unseen Inn, established in 1477, New Era. How may I help you?” The rest of the time, he was almost impossible to speak with.
“Rince- so good to see you. You like Safe-House?” Rince had heard that if you thought of someone you didn’t want to see, you would speak to them soon, but he’d never experienced it himself until now. “Toniakko! Good to see you too. And yes, I like it. Although I’d like anywhere with hot, clean water!” Toniakko laughed. “Yes, yes, you travel with sister- you no get clean. And you travel through Lost Cave- slip, slip, slide, slide! Very dirty! You look and smell like swamp!” Rince grinned. “But you know call me Toniakko! That what relatives call me! You friend, Rince! You call me Toni, like sister does! Yes?” Rince smiled. “Of course I will, Toni.” “Good good! Now, you hungry? You wanting food?” “Oh yes!” Rince exclaimed. “I’m very hungry!” “Then we go to eating room!” Toni said. Grinning from ear to ear, Rince said, “Lead away, Toni N’akinoid!”
Ronca carefully dried her midnight-black hair. And it really was midnight-black. Blacker than it had ever been. Of course, Ronca only ever washed it once a year- all the water had to be imported, so it wasn’t wasted on washing, as she would only be mining and getting covered in grey-black dust the next day anyway. But even when she did wash, Ronca had never had so much water. And now her long hair was truly black- she was recognizably a black-haired. Ronca wondered how her face looked. She’d seen her reflection in the river at home, and she knew it had been covered in dust. Perhaps now it was lighter, perhaps even as light as Ni’s…
The serving woman smiled at her. “You beautiful!” she said. Ronca laughed. “I’m not beautiful. Just clean,” she assured the woman. But the woman shook her head. “No. You beautiful! Look!” And she held up a small piece of polished silver. Ronca had never seen a mirror before, although she’d heard of such things. Curious as to what she look like when her reflection wasn’t distorted by polluted running water, she leaned forward, and gazed into the mirror.
The woman was right. She was pretty. Maybe not beautiful- no definitely not!- by she had a certain prettiness about her. Her skin was now a rosy-gold colour, framed by her slightly wavy midnight-black hair, which was practically glowing. Her level dark grey eyes were framed by long, dark lashes, and her eyebrows weren’t too big, like some people’s. She nose was perfectly centered, if a bit small. Her lips were a burgundy red, and her cheeks were tinted pink.
The woman smiled. “See! You beautiful!” Ronca smiled. “I suppose…”
“No! I’m a red-haired, and red-haired wear red!” The shout penetrated through the closed door into the hall. Inside the room, Ni tried to explain to the woman why she would not wear brown.
“Look, I have red hair, right?” The woman nodded. “Well, I’m a red-haired. And I’m not ashamed of it! So I’ll wear the colours of a red-haired! I’m sure Ari’s getting away with wearing blue-“ She stopped talking as the woman shook her head.
“You wear brown. All wear brown. Red noticeable! Brown common. You sneak about like little mouse, and nobody see or notice you! But all wear brown. Even girl with pretty yellow hair. Now, put dress on!”
Sighing, Ni accepted the dress, and pulled it over her head. The only good thing was that Ari was wearing it…
Nri sat down at the table. Food sounded so good! And it was hot! Although she didn’t know exactly what it was. Shifters ate… odd foods. But it tasted ok. Passing a plate of… something… to Rince, Nri picked up her fork and ate, watching the group.
Ari was making a fuss. But that was to be expected. She didn’t like wearing a brown dress… She didn’t like the food… Her room wasn’t very nice… Finally, the serving maids left her, muttering something in their strange language.
Ni was talking to Rince. That was odd. Ni always talked with Ronca. But Ronca was sitting at the end of the table, not speaking to anyone. She was probably in shock. They all were. Ronca had come to dinner… beautiful. There was no other word to describe her. Her long black hair, previously held up in a dirty grey kerchief, was now loose. Instead of the ill-fitting grey dress, she wore a plain but well-cut fawn brown dress that made her midnight hair stand out even more. Her skin was browner than the rest of the group’s, but it was a pink-brown, as opposed to a proper tan.
Nri wondered where Le’alra was; she had arrived just as they were sitting down, and had told them that she had to go out, and that they shouldn’t wait up for her. Ari had, of course, squawked indignantly- talking to them like they were children- but Nri imagined that Ari would have waited up for Le’alra, if only to complain.
“And my room is a mess! How am I supposed to sleep? And have you seen the beds? They’re rock hard! I am a Golden-Haired, and the moment I get home, I will be complaining about the state of the inn…”
That was Ari. Complaining, as usual. And she wasn’t even talking to anyone. She was simply complaining to the air; no one wanted to talk to her. And she looked ridiculous. Why had she bothered to put on cosmetics? Where had she gotten cosmetics? And what was the point of wearing them? None of the rest of the group were. But then, Ari was strange. She didn’t seem capable of normal thoughts. She was probably going to flirt with the Shifters or some such thing. Although maybe not; she didn’t like the Shifters, and made no secret of it.
What fools the childish group could be. They spent all their time squabbling like infants. Didn’t they ever shut up? Of course not! They just went on talking and arguing, never saying anything civil.
Le’alra sighed. It was a habit that she would have to break. Couldn’t they just pick up on social cues? But no, they were probably laughing. Le’alra sometimes wondered if they just wanted to drive her insane.
When Le’alra had agreed to go after the group, she hadn’t thought of anything but the glory. She would be fighting for a great and noble cause, ridding the world of prejudice… Now she knew better. She had agreed when she was only fourteen, and now, at the age of seventeen, Le’alra had learned; whatever there may be in fighting the beliefs of people, glory wasn’t in it. It had taken her two years of finding enough suitable candidates for being in the group. And then half a year of watching them, just to make sure that they were the right ones. And she hadn’t even gotten all the people she wanted. Rince wasn’t battle-hardened, but he had replaced her first choice, and she had been running out of time; at least he was young enough to accept knew ideas. Nri had been perfect for the job from the first; neither Nri nor her mother knew it, but they hadn’t gotten Nri out unaided. It had taken months of planning, but the Shifters had figured out how to sneak an Other out, and had manipulated Nri’s mother into doing something. Ronca wasn’t one of the original candidates, but Le’alra’s first choice, Canlio, had died in a cave-in, and only two days before Le’alra had arrived in the North. She had noticed Ronca, who seemed… different, and had talked to her contacts, who confirmed that Ronca would do. And Ni… well, Ni had always been a choice; she was more rebellious than most red-haired, if that was possible, but she also thought things through more. But Ari… Ari had been an idea, but had left Le’alra’s list very quickly; she was a spoiled brat. Unfortunately, golden-haired had arranged marriages, and Ari was the only golden-haired on the list to avoid getting married. So she ended up in the party.
If only Le’alra had gotten the people she wanted. Then she might have gotten her precious glory. Then they wouldn’t be in the Cakalikita Safe-House. They would probably be all the way to Ennsilsishe by now. They would probably be in I’dosiike by now! But no, they had to spend their time arguing and being… annoying!
“Ellin lak liskii t’Fraget’fwa Wek’q?” Le’alra’s friend, Friidiik, asked. He spoke the Ancient Tongue, but as that was the language that Shifter’s normally spoke in, Le’alra understood him.
“Hmm? Sook smesh’zi ellin yuk?” (What did you say?)
“Ell yuk’zi ‘ellin lak liskii t’Fraget’fwa Wek’q?’” (I said ‘you thinking about the Annoying Ones?’)
“Lo.” (Yes.)
“Elq yuk-saem jaka, smesh’di elq.” (They argue a lot, don’t they.)
“Lo! Ee jaka!” (Yes! Too much!)
“Ellin vret elq t’Hemu-Rait bakita?” (You teach them the Ancient Tongue yet?”
“La. Ell siin jaka fwom.” (No. I am very lazy.)
“Ell wer! Tesh ell hun’di ellin. Elq siin t’Fraget’fwa Wek’a!” (I know! But I don’t blame you. They are the Annoying Ones!.)
“Lo.” (Yes.)
Rince looked up as Le’alra and one of the Shifters entered the room. They were talking in that strange dialect. Where had they learned it? And why couldn’t they talk like regular folk?
“Ell prita likes kiiks,” Le’alra told him. Then she addressed the group. “Everyone, you are going to learn to speak the Ancient Tongue.”
“But I already do!” Ari insisted. “Really?” Le’alra asked. Ari nodded. “Yin ellin wer sook ell siin yukfwa?” Ari thought for a moment. “Lo… ellin… wer.” Le’alra smiled. “Are you fluent?” Ari nodded emphatically. “Really,” said Le’alra. “So you’ve understood everything we’ve been saying?” Ari slowly shook her head. “I see,” said Le’alra, smiling.
“But why must we learn?” Nri asked. “Because I speak the Ancient Tongue, and it is my first language, so I would prefer to speak it,” Le’alra told them. “Besides, we can speak the Ancient Tongue and not worry about being overheard.”
Rince sighed. They would learn the Ancient Tongue. When he’d been told that he was going to command an army, he’d thought that he had a lot of work ahead of him, but he hadn’t thought that work would include learning another language.
“Now off to bed!” Le’alra commanded. “It’s very late for you to be up!”
Rince sighed again, and got up, heading for his room. Behind him he could hear the group; Ronca and Ni chatting, Nri walking silently, and Ari complaining that she could stay up as late as she wanted. Perhaps Ari would sleep in tomorrow. Then she wouldn’t be there to complain…
THUMP!
Aritina sat up and blinked. Why was she on the floor? She had been almost asleep, despite the lumpy mattress, when suddenly…
A knock sounded on the door. Ari got up, pulled a bedrobe over her nightdress, and opened the door.
Standing in the hall was a very sleepy Rince. He wore a pair of breeches and little else. Even in the dim light, Ari could tell that he was well muscled. Probably because he’s a fighter, she reminded herself. “What is it?” she asked him.
“I heard a thump, and thought I’d make sure you were alright. The floor isn’t the softest landing pad,” he informed her. “And you were making a racket, tossing and turning, and moaning every once in a while. Couldn’t you be quieter?”
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m alright. And I will try to be quieter,” Ari told him. “Ok,” Rince said.
As he turned to go back to his own room, he said, “G’night.” “Good night,” Ari said in return as she closed the door.
It wasn’t until she got back into bed that Ari wondered why she had been polite to him. And why she was thinking of herself as Ari. Her name was Aritina. Ari was Rince’s stupid nickname for her. And she had been polite to him. Well, he had been civil towards her…
We must be tired, she told herself as she fell asleep.
Nri cautiously shut her door. She hadn’t been able to sleep; she had too much to think about. And then she had heard the thump. She’d known it was Ari; sounds had been coming from Ari’s room for a while. But then Nri had heard a door open. She had thought that perhaps it was Le’alra, checking to see if Ari was alright. But no, Le’alra’s room was on the first floor. Curious, Nri had opened her own door a crack to investigate.
She had seen Rince standing there, looking even more dishevelled then usual. He had been checking on Ari, to see if she was ok. But Rince hated Ari! And they had been polite to each other! Why? Maybe it was the hour? But no, Rince would never be polite to Ari.
Nri would have to think about it.
“And then the warrior Kidel F’celen led his people to victory. Their victory was short-lived, however; they perished soon after leaving the mountains. And they were forgotten. Their names were removed from the books the same day they escaped. And so, since that day, the Black-Haired have kept their names long, to prevent their names from being easily crossed out of books.”
Ronca carefully marked her place, and set the leather-bound book down on the table. The Shifters had several books here, which they kept in a library beneath a trap-door. Le’alra’s brother, Toni, had shown it to them, saying that the group was free to read the books. Ronca had browsed through them, and found one on the black-haired, written by a Shifter. It was very interesting. There were things in the book that Ronca had never known. Such as Kidel F’celen. Ronca had never heard his name before. But apparently the Shifters knew of Kidel F’celen the black-haired and his fifty-three followers who had escaped. Ronca could understand why the non-black-haired had kept that hushed up. If word got out…
Perhaps Ronca could do something like that. And if there was a rebellion, there would be a distraction, and it would be easier for the group to move around unnoticed. Ronca would have to suggest it to Le’alra-
THUMP!
Ari. Again. Couldn’t Ari sleep? That spoiled golden-haired seemed to always complain. And tomorrow she would be even more grouchy! Why couldn’t someone have found a better bed for Ari?
Ronca carefully extinguished her reading lamp and lay down, thinking about Kidel F’celen, the black-haired who escaped.
She was pretty. Ronca was pretty.
No, not pretty. Beautiful.
But still, when had this happened? She was a wonderful person, yes, and had a beautiful soul, yes, but Ni had never considered that Ronca was pretty. She was always wearing ill-fitting clothes, and covered in dust and grime. Ni had assumed that Ronca was just an ordinary girl, like Ni herself, but no. Ronca was beautiful.
It wasn’t fair! Why was Ronca pretty? Ni wasn’t! Ri’iac had said that Ni was, but Ri’iac was betrothed to Ni; he would say that! Life wasn’t fair!
How would Ni talk to Ronca after this? Ronca seemed so… different…
No, she was still the same wonderful girl that was one of Ni’s best friends!
Or was she? She had probably never seen herself this clean before. She’d probably not known she was beautiful. So maybe now that she knew, she’d become mean and stuck-up, like Ari…
Ni tossed and turned, not sure what to think about her friend.
Stupid children! Didn’t they ever sleep? Le’alra had heard a loud thump, and had gone upstairs to yell at Ari. But Rince had apparently beaten her. Le’alra, knowing that Shifter-cloth would hide her, had stayed in the shadows to watch. But Rince didn’t yell! He politely told Ari that he had heard the thump and thought she might be hurt. Le’alra almost stepped out and yelled at Ari. But something stopped her. Rince being nice to Ari? And Ari being nice to Rince? That was ridiculous! They hated each other! Unless…?
Le’alra hadn’t thought of this. She’d never even considered the possibility. This could present a problem. Or not. But was what Le’alra was thinking true?
Le’alra had assumed that Rince didn’t like Ari because Ari was a golden-haired, and it was a golden-haired’s fault that Rince was a general. And Le’alra had assumed that Ari didn’t like Rince because he was a brown-haired, and Ari considered herself above him. But what if it wasn’t that? What if their heads were trying to deny what their hearts felt? What if…?
This could be a problem. If what she thought was accurate, then the two would find out eventually. And if they found out at a crucial moment when Le’alra needed their full and undivided attention…
This could definitely be a problem.
“Ilgonq, ellinq!” (Be safe, everybody!) Toni yelled after them.
The group smiled. Perhaps this Ancient Tongue was a good thing. Now that they spoke it, Toni spoke to them in the Ancient Tongue, and he spoke the Ancient Tongue much better than he spoke Common.
“Rikt, ellinq,” (Come, everyone,) Le’alra told them, and the group followed her through the twisted streets of Cakalikita.
It was barely sunup, and they were tired, but they had to leave early, or more people would see them, and they wanted to be discreet. If no one knew they were here, that was good; they would be able to do more if fewer people knew of their presence.
They were headed for the city of Ennsilsishe, and then to the Inskiiek Islands, which were the home of the red-haired. Once there, there were plans to put ideas of a rebellion in the red-haired’s heads. That had been Ronca’s idea. Well, not entirely; Ronca had suggested that they get the black-haired to rebel, to attract attention. Le’alra wanted the red-haired to do the same. The idea was to plant ideas of rebellion into the red-haired’s brains, so they would think it was their own idea when the finally agreed to rebel; they were stubborn, and not likely to do as a Shifter said. And if the red-haired heard of a black-haired rebellion, they might start theirs then, as most golden-haired would have headed off to the Black Lands. Then the group would go to Rince’s army, and get their support. Once they had that, they would lay siege to the city of Siekslie, the seat of the golden-haired’s power.
It was a simple matter of getting support from a lot of people that hated them. Not too hard. There were worse ways to do this.
Ari didn’t know what to think. For the past week, they had been travelling to Ennsilsishe, and it would be another week and a half. But she was getting used to travelling, and she could live with that. That wasn’t what was wrong.
And it wasn’t that she was getting along better with everyone. She was now carrying on conversations with Ni and Ronca. They had some interesting thoughts. And Ari now understood why they wanted to free the black-haired and red-haired. Ari could live with adults living under less-than-desirable conditions, but children? It was inhumane! And it wasn’t fair to the children. Now that Ari knew the true story, Ari didn’t think it fair that these children were enslaved because their hair was the wrong colour. They should be free!
And Nri was also interesting to talk to. She had grown up hoping her eyes would change to blue. She was so close! Her eyes weren’t even true grey; they were a half-blue half-grey colour. Ari thought it was pretty. But Nri was supposed to be killed!
And Le’alra was also interesting to talk to, when one could get her to talk. Because Ari spoke the Ancient Tongue better than the others, she had become a sort of teaching assistant. She also talked to Le’alra more than the others. Ari had previously thought that Le’alra was just not a talkative person. But apparently not. Le’alra was quite talkative; her first language wasn’t Common, so she didn’t want to talk it, as she had a bit of an accent, which was somewhat noticeable. When Ari had first met Le’alra, she hadn’t noticed; she’d been to preoccupied with the idea of living with a Shifter. Now that Ari knew Le’alra, she noticed the accent, and understood why Le’alra never talked. Ari supposed that she wouldn’t speak much either if she had an accent and didn’t know all the words.
But talking to the group wasn’t the problem.
Thinking of herself as Ari wasn’t the main problem, although it was a problem. Ari had thought she had just been tired, but that was clearly not the case. But it didn’t matter too much. She had other things to think about.
The problem was Rince.
Ari couldn’t stop thinking about him. He occupied a large portion of her mind. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? True, he wasn’t bugging her as much, but she was now going out of her way to avoid him. Why did she keep thinking about him? He wasn’t any different from the hundreds of manservants that had lived in her father’s house. They were all brown-haired, just like Rince. Many of them knew something of fighting, just like Rince. Many of them wore the same style clothing and had their hair cut the same way as Rince. Many of them had a sense of humour, just like Rince. So what made him different?
It wasn’t fair. She kept thinking about him, and he wouldn’t leave her mind. At night she dreamt about him.
Why was she always thinking about Rince?
Rince tried to think about the weather. Or the trees. Or the birds. Or whatever it was Ni and Ronca were saying. Something about their homelands. Yes, that was something to think about. And what was Nri saying? Something about how the brown-haired were raised. Yes, Rince could think about that.
“What about the golden-haired, Ari?” Ronca asked.
Ari! Why had Ronca said that name?! Now he was thinking about her! It wasn’t fair. Before Cakalikita, Rince hadn’t thought about her half as much. Or at least, he didn’t think he had. The only thing he’d ever thought about was her complaining. Maybe he had thought about her as much. But she had always been complaining! Now she was being nice to people. She had grown up. So why couldn’t he think about Nri or Ronca or Ni or even Le’alra? Why?! Ari wasn’t exciting! Ari wasn’t from a group of oppressed people! Ari was from a spoiled group of people! A group of people that had put Rince in charge of an army! So why was he thinking about her?
Maybe he was just thinking about Ni’ala D’compreey. Ari looked similar; he was probably sub-consciously comparing them. Or something like that. But that couldn’t be it! Ari didn’t look like Ni’ala D’compreey! Ni’ala D’compreey was taller, and all bony, and not very beautiful, while Ari was shorter, and slim, not skinny, and much prettier…
What was he thinking?! Ari was not pretty! She was not! But deep down, Rince knew she was. Why?! What was he thinking?! Why couldn’t he think about something else?! Anything else?! Why?!
Stupid Ari! No, not stupid. Annoying, and constantly on his mind, but never stupid! Oh, what was he thinking?! He’d never thought all these things about… her before! Why?!
She would not think about him! No! She wouldn’t! Maybe she’d take up rock carving. That would get him off her mind. Or maybe wood carving; wood was probably easier to carve than rock. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She would take up wood carving, and stop thinking about him. Maybe she’d be really good at it. Maybe.
Only eight days until they arrived in Ennsilsishe. Then they would stay at an inn, where they’d have separate rooms. That would be good. Then, maybe she’d completely stop thinking about him.
Only eight days of wood carving.
What was… NO! He wouldn’t think about her! But it was too late! He was. It had almost been five minutes since his last thoughts about her…
Oh well, the damage was done. He might as well go see what in the Void she was doing.
“Uh… Hey! What’s up?” he asked her. Ari looked up at him, surprised. She immediately looked around. Then, seeing that they were alone- they had camped for the night- she said tentatively, “Nothing.”
“You must be doing something,” Rince told her. “So, what’s up?”
“I’m… um… trying to carve wood.”
That took Rince by surprise. Wasn’t wood carving work? He thought it was. And she hated work! So why was she trying to carve wood? And why was she using that jewelled knife she kept at her belt? She never get far with it.
“Why are you doing work?” he asked her. She shrugged. “I’ve had… a lot… on my mind. I think this may give me something… better… to think about.” “I see,” Rince said sceptically. “Well, you had better stop trying to use that ridiculous knife; you’ll never get anywhere.” “I have no other knives,” Ari informed him. “Ok, so use this,” Rince said, taking a small pocket-knife out of his pocket. “Thank you,” Ari said as she accepted the knife.
As Ari took the knife, her hand brushed his. Her skin felt cool, while his felt hot and clammy. Her skin was so soft, compared to his weathered, calloused fingers. She looked up at him, and he could see some expression in her eyes. But what was it? Rince had once been a poet, but now he was at a loss for words. Ari looked… tentative? Apprehensive? Rince couldn’t put a word to it. All those days of scribbling on pieces of paper, and he’d never written about this emotion before. Or at least, he didn’t think he had. Maybe the emotion was the same he was feeling. He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling. He didn’t think he’d ever felt it before. Why didn’t he know? He liked to know things? And why was Ari making him feel this way? It wasn’t fair!
Ari took the knife, but she wasn’t paying it any attention. Not anymore. Now she was watching him. Were his emotions as evident as hers? He hoped not. But if they were, she would probably be as uncertain as he. Or at least, he hoped so. If she knew what he was feeling…
What was this strange, new emotion stirring inside him?
Ari didn’t know what to think. He had just come up, and started to talk. Ari had tried to end the conversation, but it hadn’t worked. Then, she had almost betrayed her secret. But she hadn’t. And then he had presented her with The Knife.
When their hands met, Ari had become even more confused. Why was she feeling this way? She was closer than she had ever been to him before; he’d never handed her anything, and they had normally tried to sit as far from each other as possible. This close, Ari noticed new things. He was taller than she by about half a foot. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way. His hair was longer than she’d thought, but not too long. He needed to shave, but he still looked ok. No, not ok. He was good-looking. No he wasn’t! Yes, he was. Oh, why was she thinking all these things now?
She’d never noticed so much about him before. He was just a brown-haired. Nothing more. No reason to notice him any more than, say, Ronca, or Ni. They were perfectly normal. So why was he thinking so much about Rince?
Finally, Rince broke the silence. “D’you need help carving? D’you know how to use that knife?” “I think so…” Ari said. “Ok. What are you carving?” Rince asked. “I… don’t know,” Ari answered truthfully. She put down the knife on a rock, and picked up her carving. “Can you tell what this is?”
Rince took it from her- and again their hands met!- and looked at it. “No idea,” he said, putting it down on the rock beside the knife. Then he stood up straight and looked at her.
Their eyes met. For a second that lasted eternity, they looked at each other. Ari felt her pulse beat faster. She heard Rince’s breath quicken. Why? She didn’t understand. And the same instant, they both leaned forward, and-
“Rince! Ari!” Ni called. “Where are you?” Rince and Ari immediately stood up straight and turned to face Ni, who came crashing through the trees. “Oh there you are! C’mon! Le’alra wants us!” And with that, Ni headed back to their make-shift camp.
“We’d… better go…” Rince said quietly. Ari nodded. Rince followed Ni, leaving Ari alone. She carefully picked up her carving and Rince’s knife, and started back towards the camp, thinking. What had they been about to do? Why had her pulse and breathing quickened? What was she feeling?
Was it love?
Rince sat down in a daze. One moment he’d been talking to Ari, the next…
Had he been about to kiss her?
No! Ari was a spoiled air-head! He wouldn’t kiss someone like that!
But he nearly had.
Ari entered the clearing where they had set up camp. Rince noticed that she sat as far away from his as she possibly could. Why? Oh well. That was probably a good thing. And it was a good thing Ni had come; she’d stopped him from making a terrible mistake! Yes, a very good thing…
“Now that you’re all here, let’s go over some of the more important bits of our plan,” Le’alra suggested. “Let’s start with Rince’s army. Rince, how long do you think it will take for them to join us?”
Rince shrugged, being careful not to look at… her. “They’ll probably be convinced within a week. They’re pretty smart. Once they know the true story, they’ll all think, and eventually some of the more important ones will decide to join us. That’ll make ‘em all come over to our side. And they’ll want to join us.”
“Good,” Le’alra said. “So, do you have any idea where they are? And will they have a new commander?”
Rince hadn’t thought of that. “They’ll probably be where I left them,” he said slowly. “And as to your other question, I don’t think they will. They were always complaining that they hated their commanders. They liked me because I let them get away with stuff. They’ll probably appoint one of their own as commander, and not tell the golden-haired. There was one man, Met’non F’alkin. He was the “unofficial leader”. He’ll probably be in charge.
“And will he be hard to bring to our side?” Le’alra asked. Rince shook his head. “Naw. Once he’s learned that I’ve been staying with a demon and a person possessed by a demon, he’ll be worshiping me. He’s always wanted to see a demon.”
“Good.”
The talk continued, and Rince almost managed to forget about her and lose himself in the talk.
Almost.
Ari walked at the end of the group. She wasn’t paying much attention to what she was carving. She was able to carve without concentrating; she’d need a new hobby. But this kept her hands busy…
It had been three days since… It happened. And there had been no attempts at It again. Of course, Rince hadn’t talked to her since then. He just walked by himself, thinking. And sometimes he looked at her. Was he thinking about It? Ari hoped not. She hoped that It was just a bad dream.
But sometimes It happened in her dreams. And in her dreams, It was finished. And in her dreams, Ari enjoyed It.
But those were dreams! They weren’t real! Ari did not like Rince! Not at all! It was only a dream. Maybe it was because there were no other men around. When they reached Ennsilsishe, Ari would stop thinking about him! She would! She had to! She would stop day-dreaming about him, and… It.
If only she could stop thinking about him…
Le’alra said something in the Ancient Tongue. Ari barely noticed. Then they stopped, and Ronca, Ni, Le’alra, and Nri started setting up camp. Rince headed over to help. Ari was about, but first she looked at what she had been carving.
It was Rince.
Him again! He occupied too much of her mind! Ari threw the carving as far as she could- and it hit a nearby tree, and fell into the bushes. Well, it could stay there! Ari walked over to the group and bent over to pick up a pack-
And found herself face-to-face with Rince.
They stared at each other for a second. Then, Rince said cautiously, “Uh… hi.” “H-hello,” Ari returned. They looked at each other for a moment longer, and then, just as both opened their mouths to speak, Le’alra yelled at them. “Come on! Get this camp set up! That includes you, Ari, and you, Rince!”
They both reached for the pack. They both stopped, seeing the other reach for it. After a second, they both reached for it again. Both smiled a little. “Will you get that, or should I?” Ari asked. “I’ll get it,” Rince said.
As both straightened, Ari noticed Ronca looking at them. What was Ronca thinking? Did she know…? No, because Ari did not like Rince! She didn’t! It was just that Rince was the only male around. That was all! No other reason!
It was getting late. But he had to find it. It should be here; he had seen whatever it was hit a tree and land in these bushes.
Rince wanted to know what Ari had been carving. Maybe it would tell him what she thought of him. Probably not. It would probably just be a bird or a squirrel or something. Nothing to do with him.
But then why had she thrown it away? She hadn’t been paying much attention to it, but when she had looked at it, she had seemed surprised. Then she frowned, and threw it away. Did she know that it had hit a tree? Probably. She was smart. No, she wasn’t! Not at all! She was a complete idiot! Like all the golden-haired! She was! But Rince still thought she was smart.
Maybe it was the food. He wasn’t eating food he was used to; it must be affecting his brain.
Here it was! A little wooden carving, the size of his hand. It was dark, so Rince couldn’t see it clearly. He stepped into the middle of the clearing to see better.
It was him!
Rince didn’t understand; why would Ari make a carving of him? And why would she throw it away? Maybe she hadn’t been paying much attention when carving, and had been thinking about the two of them, and… whatever they had been about to do. So why throw this carving away? She probably still hated him. That must be it. Otherwise, she would have kept the amazingly accurate carving.
No, not entirely accurate. The carving made him look much better. The carving was of him without a shirt on- why had she done it like that?- and the carving was better muscled. The carving’s hair was slightly shorter, and clean-shaven. But it was still recognizably him.
Why wasn’t it entirely accurate. Ari obviously had some talent; the carving’s face showed that. So why had she made him look slightly better?
Was this how she saw him?
No, Ari was just not very good at carving. That was all. And she wanted to get rid of and forget the carving. Rince should respect that. He should throw the carving away. He’d do that right now.
He meant to. But instead, he put it in his pocket, and went towards his bedroll, thinking about cutting his hair.
Ari had woken up from a nightmare. Something about… him being killed. Why was that a nightmare? But it didn’t matter; it wasn’t even dawn, and Ari needed her rest. But it was early spring, and still cold out at this hour. Frigid, actually. And Ari couldn’t sleep. She needed to be warm to sleep. How could she get warm? Maybe Rince…?
NO! Not him! Never him! There were other ways to get warm. Or she could just lie here and be cold. Anything but him. It was almost dawn; the clouds were turning pink near the horizon. Ari would just lie here and wait for Le’alra to get them up. That’s what she’d do. And she wouldn’t think about him!
Waiting. Waiting. Nothing to think about. Maybe she could review the entire plan in her mind. Yes, that would pass time. Let’s see. They would go to Ennsilsishe, then go to the Inskiiek Islands, then to the Black Lands, then go find…
Well, it almost worked.
Perhaps she could review Ancient Tongue grammar rules. Yes, that was an idea. Add “q” to make a word plural, add “zi” to make a word past tense, add “ti” to make a word future tense…
There. This was working. But Ari’s arm was going numb. Probably because Ari was lying on it. Ari turned over-
And saw him.
Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? Why did she keep thinking about him? Why?
Ari continued to try to review Ancient Tongue grammar rules, but her mind was not entirely focussed. But it was almost. And it would soon be dawn. Only another fifteen minutes or so…
Maybe Ari could get up and start fixing breakfast. That would give her something to think about. Yes, that would work. It had to! But there was Rince. Just lying there, sleeping. He looked so handsome, even when sleeping…
What was Ari thinking? She was a golden-haired, and he was a brown-haired. Even if whatever she was feeling was real, it would never work. But it wasn’t real! It wasn’t! Just like the almost-kiss. They hadn’t really been going to! No, they hadn’t. They’d been about to do… something else?
A rustle behind her told Ari that Le’alra was up. A bunch of yelled Ancient Tongue orders told the group to get up, and get ready. Before long, they were. Nobody wanted to do anything at this hour; they spoke as little as possible, and worked fairly quickly. They had all learned how to half-sleep while walking.
After the ate, they all picked up their packs, and headed on. Only four more days to go. Then they would be in Ennsilsishe. And then Ari would no longer spend all her time thinking about Rince. He was just the only man around. It was perfectly logical.
A sharp, cold gust of wind raced down the path, cutting through their clothing. It was cold! Ari shivered. It was going to be another windy day. Oh dear. Well, that would give her something to think about. Hopefully…
Rince shivered. It was cold. It was a good thing he had an extra cloak in his pack. Ni and Ronca had already donned theirs. Nri was searching through her pack, and Le’alra never seemed to be cold. Why was that? And Ari was putting her on.
Ari again! Wouldn’t she ever leave his mind?
Well, he was too cold to wonder why she was in his mind. Rummaging through his pack, he found his own spare cloak, and put it on. He was considerably warmer. The all looked warmer. Ronca probably considered this hot; she had lived in the north. Perhaps that was why she was removing her spare cloak and handing it to Ni. Ni had lived in a hotter climate. Nri looked fairly warm. And Le’alra looked the same as always.
Another gust of wind cut through, and Ari shivered. She was probably cold. The castles where she had lived were much warmer. Was she going to be ok? Of course she was! A little cold never hurt anyone. But what about Ari? She might get too cold…
No, she wouldn’t! She would be fine. She was no warmer or colder than the rest of them. She was probably warmer than Ronca and Le’alra. She had to be; she was wearing more layers.
Perhaps he should offer her his spare cloak? No; he would get cold. She would be fine. He hoped.
Maybe he should…
Ari shivered. Again! It was so cold! Why? Oh well, at least her clothes were dry, it wasn’t raining, and she had too cloaks…
Aack! It was slippery! Why was it slippery? It must be the leaves. Or perhaps the dew? Who knew? It wasn’t important. The important thing was staying warm, and not thinking about…
Him.
Le’alra held up a hand, stopping the group. “Ellq opnet yish, liiks thikes siin lempt heesh lin.” (We need water, and there is a river near.) Ari spoke up. “Ell smesh’ti fline yish.” (I will get water.) Le’alra nodded, and pointed at the river, a little ways off the path, and handed Ari six water-bags. Ari took them, and headed for the river.
Ari bent down by the river, and filled the pouches, careful where she stepped. It wouldn’t do to fall into the water; it would be icy at this time of year, with all the snow melting off the mountains. Finally, she was done, and she turned to go.
What a fool she was! She tripped, and fell into the river.
And it was cold!
Rince saw Ari fall in. She cold never survive being in that water for long; it was snow melt, from the mountains. So Rince rushed forward, stripping off his cloaks. He had the sense to grab the end of the robe Ronca handed him, and he tied it around his waist. Ari was getting further and further down the river. He was ready, and Rince dove in.
The water was icy, but Rince barely noticed. All thoughts were on Ari. He swam down the river, and managed to catch up with her. He then grabbed her, and Ronca and Ni pulled them in.
Ari was barely conscious, and cold as ice. Nri handed Rince his two cloaks, and he pulled one over his shoulders, while placing the other over Ari. Would she get warm enough? He hoped so. What would he do if she wasn’t?
It didn’t matter. She was a spoiled air-head. But she was barely breathing. Should he do mouth-to-mouth…?
No. That was disgusting! This was Ari! But she was barely breathing…
She was coming ‘round. That was good. Why had he even considered…? No time for that now. He had to make sure Ari was ok.
“Ari? You ok?” he asked her. She nodded. “I think so…” She looked around. “What happened? I remember falling in, and then… nothing. What happened.” “Rince jumped in after you,” Ronca informed Ari. “You did?” Ari asked him. Rince nodded. “Why?” Ari asked.
That was a good question. Why had he? Nri or Ronca or Ni or even Le’alra could have done it. Why had he risked hypothermia to save Ari? “Because you were in trouble,” he told her. “Oh,” she said softly.
Le’alra came up to them. “Let’s stop here for now. We’ll eat and early lunch, and recover from this… experience.” Rince noticed absent-mindedly that Le’alra was speaking Common. “Sound good to you?” Le’alra asked. The group nodded. “Good,” Le’alra said.
They set up their lunch-stop. And all the while, Rince wondered, why did I do it?
Ari shivered. She was cold! She’d have to change into dry clothes. But that would require moving…
Le’alra tossed her a pack. “Slet imron.” (Go dress.) Ari nodded, and took the pack behind a tree.
Ari fumbled with the straps for a moment. Then Nri was there, helping her. Nri smiled. “Need a hand?” Ari nodded. “I thought so.” Nri opened the pack, and pulled out some clothes, which she handed to Ari. With Nri’s assistance, Ari managed to put on dry clothes. Then she pulled… his… spare cloak over her shoulders, and went back to the temporary camp.
Ari sat down and accepted a bowl of soup from Ronca. She held it, warming her hands, noticing that Ni, Ronca, and Nri all watched her and Rince when they thought they weren’t looking. Le’alra didn’t, though. Did she know something? No. She couldn’t; there was nothing to know! There wasn’t. There couldn’t be…
But then why had Rince jumped in to save her?
Rince was now in dry clothes, and warming up. Ari didn’t look too bad… It didn’t matter! He didn’t care! He didn’t! But he did… No!
Rince took a deep breath to calm himself. There was nothing wrong with saving a comrade. Any person would have done the same. And as for the cloak… Ari’s cloaks were wet, so he had simply been gentlemanly and leant one to her. That was all. It had to be all…
Why was Ronca looking at him again? Did she think something was different between him and Ari? But there was nothing different! And Ni? What did she think? Did she know something he didn’t? And Nri was looking at Ari… Coincidence. It had to be. Le’alra wasn’t looking at them strange. Or was she…? No!
Rince took another breath. There was nothing out of the ordinary! He still hated Ari. He did!
Or at least, he thought he did…
This was going to be a problem. Le’alra had hoped that it would just go away, but it hadn’t. She should have known. There was no use trusting to luck; she had a mission to complete, and luck never went her way. Why wasn’t she one of those people who had an outrageous amount of luck?
No time to worry about that now; she had worse problems. Ari and Rince. This shouldn’t have happened. Ari was a golden-haired! She should consider herself above Rince! And Rince should hate all the golden-haired for making him a general! They weren’t supposed to fall in love!
But that was what was happening. And Le’alra had no control over it. So now she had to figure out how to convince the two to give up on love until after. Maybe if she let them stay confused…
No, that wouldn’t work. Then they would be too preoccupied. Le’alra would simply have to talk to them. Ari first; she would probably be easier, if only because she was a girl, and Le’alra could relate to her. Yes, she would talk to Ari, and convince her that falling in love at this time was inconvenient at best. Then Le’alra would try Rince. He might be easy to talk around… What was she thinking? Neither would “give up on love” just because it inconvenienced Le’alra the Shifter! It was ridiculous! But it was worth a try; Le’alra didn’t know what else to do.
Tonight. She would do it tonight. No use putting it off; it could only get worse. So Le’alra would take Ari aside after they had set up camp, and she would talk to her, and Ari would understand. Then Le’alra would discuss the problem with Rince. Ari and Rince were both adults, although they rarely acted like it; they would understand.
They had to. The world depended on it.