See Chapter One (A) for Disclaimers
Chapter Four
This, the Ancient One decided, is becoming tiresome. In the beginning, he had encouraged his pupil's attempts to gain the power of the BeastMaster. But the chit's fascination had turned to an obsession. Worse, she was starting to remember love.
"When all memories return, brother dear, you will wish you were dead," a voice said and the Ancient One scowled at his older sister. She had chosen the form of a woman in her mid-forties . . . she looked younger than he did and seemed to command more respect, damn her.
"Hello, Pelagia . . . come to make my existence as miserable as your pathetic pet humans?" the Ancient One asked snidely. His sister just looked at him coolly, and the Ancient One swallowed hard. Her brown eyes flickered to his forehead, where Kyra slept.
"No, that's more your pleasure than it is mine. Unless you wish to count that piece of oxen dung Zad as a human. No, I come on another matter entirely. I want you to keep your pet Sorceress away from my children," Pelagia said bluntly.
"I remember a time, not so long ago to us, when you didn't feel that way about her. I can remember when you thought very highly of her indeed," the Ancient One reminded his sister. Though he hadn't thought it possible, Pelagia's eyes became even cooler.
"That was before she fell in love with Sharak. Damn you, Math!" Pelagia hissed. The Ancient One glared at his sister, and she added, "Never forget, little brother. I know your name . . . and the only thing stopping me from using it is Father!"
Pelagia paused, then went on in a low voice, "If your pet Sorceress continues to pursue the BeastMaster, if her actions result in harm to him, or anyone he loves, she will not be the only one to suffer." She took another step closer, and the Ancient One held his ground. Though just barely. Even when they had been children, he had been a little frightened of his older sister. Not because of her power, for his own was equal to hers . . . greater in some ways. But because she seemed to wield something else, something which he didn't truly understand.
Pelagia began circling around him, something he remembered from childhood. When he had been naughty, especially after their mother died. His sister went on, "What do you suppose would happen if the child regained her memory? And, enraged by what she had lost, she joined forces with the boy? What would happen to you?"
Her smile was cold and challenging, and the Ancient One, or 'Math' to his family, said, "You wouldn't. You wouldn't dare. Father would never stand for you breaking the spell of another." Pelagia looked at him for a few moments, then began laughing softly.
"Oh, you might be surprised, little brother. You see, Father was enraged when he realized that you were feeding upon Kyra, like the bloodsuckers. Enraged, Math. When was the last time you saw him even annoyed? Perhaps that time when you were a hundred years old, and turned a sea into a desert?" Pelagia asked.
Math winced, remembering the incident when he was a child, equivalent to a five year old mortal. Pelagia continued mockingly, "Or was it that time when you thought it would be funny, changing the sky from blue to red? It took Father and me fifty years to calm the humans down after that little trick, dear brother!"
Math found himself envying the BeastMaster his sister, no matter which name she used, and muttered, "Your daughter's BeastMaster does not find it necessary to accept this from his sister the queen. Why should I accept it from you?"
"Because, little brother," Pelagia answered, enunciating each word, "for all his youth and rashness, Dar is more of an adult than you could ever be. You play games with people's hearts, with their lives, with their very souls, and you hide behind 'the' rules. Your rules, many times, brother, not 'the' rules."
Math scowled at his sister, who continued serenely, "Another warning for you, brother dearest. For your sake, take care of that girl you've imprisoned within your mind. Because if any harm comes to her while she's your prisoner, or the prisoner of your Sorceress, you will suffer."
"Promises, promises," Math snarled and Pelagia just smiled again. But Math knew that she meant every word. While she couldn't break his spells, just as he couldn't break hers, she could modify them. And with added strength from their father, the spell he had cast to wipe away memories would be null and void.
"Oh, all right! You have my word, no harm will come to the chit! And if she is harmed in any way, my memory spell will be broken," he agreed ungraciously. Pelagia nodded. With or without his permission, it seemed his sister would have some leverage.
As she turned to go, he called out, "Pelagia?" His sister turned to face him, and Math said, "You told my pupil that you knew about her spell, the one which affected the mothers at the moment of release." Pelagia nodded and Math continued, "How did you know . . . ?"
"That it belonged to your Sorceress? I remembered a spell which you cast, to cause Father's human mistress to miscarry her child. The very same spell which your Sorceress cast on the day Dar was born. Except again, instead of killing the child, it killed the mother," Pelagia answered. And with that, she disappeared again.
~*~*~*~
Dar wasn't entirely sure what awoke him first the following morning: the rays of the sun, the baby's crying, or the smell of . . . Eww, what was that? Dar grimaced as he opened his eyes, and then stared at the sight which greeted him. A few yards away, he found Tao trying to change Aveta's swaddling clothes.
'Trying' was the operative word. Dar watched briefly, then shook his head. He pushed himself to his feet and joined his friend, saying, "Let me, Tao. When was the last time you changed swaddling clothes?" The young scholar moved out of the way with relief.
"I'm glad you got those additional clothes from the tavern before we left. How such a little baby can make such a terrible mess, I don't know. Where did you learn to change swaddling clothes? From your aunt?" Tao asked as Dar adjusted Aveta on the cloth. He was pleased to see that Tao had wiped her small bottom with leaves . . . and just hoped it didn't create problems for them later.
"No," Dar admitted as he fastened two ends of the cloth around one tiny leg, "I learned it from Kyra. As the storyteller for our people, she spent much time with little ones. And if I wanted to spend any time with her . . . "
"You had to spend time with them," Tao completed and Dar nodded, making a secure, but flexible knot, so Aveta could move freely. He narrowly missed getting a tiny foot in his ribcage as he shifted to the other side, and Tao told the child, "That's not nice, Aveta. Dar is trying to help you, you shouldn't kick him."
"She's too small to do much damage to me, Tao," Dar observed, grinning over his shoulder at his friend. He
turned his attention back to the little girl and added, "And yes. By the time of my eighteenth summer, I was quite adept at changing swaddling clothes, and had stopped worrying about what the other warriors thought."
Tao laughed and said, "Yes, I'm sure. But how much of that was your aunt, and how much of it was Kyra?"
Dar sat back on his heels, lifting the newly changed Aveta into his arms, and turned to face Tao. His smile slowly died as he thought back to that time. "It was actually my father," Dar admitted slowly. He saw Tao's surprise, and the young Sula continued, "It's true. At first, I found it very difficult, admitting that I knew how to do women's work. But my father told me that the women had the most important jobs of all."
Dar paused, controlled the spasm of grief which always accompanied memories of his father, and continued, "He told me that caring for the young took more courage and more strength than facing the enemy in battle. Birthing them, acting as a midwife . . . and he was right. As midwife, my aunt was just as important as my father was as BeastMaster."
"I wish I had known your father . . . he sounds like he was a great man," Tao said seriously. Dar nodded, holding Aveta close. The young scholar smiled and added, "Then again, when I look at his two children, I know he must have been a great man." The BeastMaster smiled and Tao continued, "Well, since you rescued me from the dreaded dirty clothes, I should wash them."
He made a face as he looked at the soiled swaddling clothes, and Dar asked, "You really wouldn't mind?" Tao grimaced as he looked again at the brown mess, but shook his head. Dar grinned and said, "Thanks. Because if you hadn't offered, I was going to ask."
"Right. Don't go anywhere without me . . . and shouldn't we find some breakfast for ourselves, and Aveta?" Tao suggested. Before Dar could answer, the scholar had headed for the lake. Dar winced as his friend tripped over a root, and heard Tao's muffled curse. At this rate, Tao would need to wash, too.
The clumsy one is right, Ruh observed in his mind. We have to do something about food for the little one. She is too small to eat berries and plants. Dar nodded, sighing, and Ruh continued, The flask which Tao carries. We could put milk in it.
"We still have to get the milk," Dar reminded his friend, "and . . . " He stopped and frowned. What was this? He looked around, looked at Ruh, then looked back at the object again. It looked like a flask. With one hand, he reached for it, and bracing it between his knees, opened the flask. Dar took a quick whiff, then looked at Ruh in astonishment, and said, "It's milk."
~*~*~*~
"That's cheating, Mother. Why do you put food out for them, when they can find it on their own?" Curupira asked. Pelagia glared at her daughter in irritation. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to bring her temper back under control.
When she regained her composure, Pelagia said calmly, "Because, Curupira. The babe cannot eat plants, or fruits. She has not teeth yet, so she may only drink milk. That, in turn, will help her teeth grow. Why do you persist in behaving as if you hate humans? How can you hate that which is part of yourself?"
Her daughter's eyes flashed as she hissed, "I am not human . . . I am nothing like them!" Pelagia stared her daughter down, and as always when the topic of her lost father was mentioned, the guardian spirit added, "My father abandoned me. I want nothing that is his."
"That is not your decision to make, Curupira," Pelagia said quietly, "and what's more, continuing to punish Dar for your father's death is wrong, as you punished his ancestors. I loved him, Curi. And he loved me. And if he had lived, he would have loved you. He does love you. Just as you love Dar."
"He is a foolish boy, just like his father!" Curupira hissed. Pelagia sighed. Here they went again. There were times when Pelagia could happily throttle her daughter, when her child's jealousy threatened to poison what Curupira held dearest. And she had a pretty good idea what had brought up this human-hatred thing again.
"Ril was never a fool. He loved his family. But you always grew angry with him because of that love. Would Ruh abandon his cubs? Why then should Ril? Why should he be any different than your animals? You can't forgive Ril, any more than you can forgive your father. You can't forgive Ril for not abandoning his family, his son, and you can't forgive your father for seeming to abandon you," Pelagia replied.
She was referring to an incident when many Sula warriors had been killed in a skirmish with the Terrons. Fearing for her animals, Curupira had demanded they be taken to the safety of the caves. Meanwhile, Pelagia had helped the survivors in any way she could.
Ril had sent two of the best warriors to do so, while he remained behind to protect his ten year old son. Curupira had not been pleased. Only Pelagia's intervention had eased tensions, as the enraged Curupira had threatened if his father didn't do as he was told.
Curupira averted her eyes and muttered, "I was angry. Ril was the BeastMaster, it was his responsibility to take the animals to safety. More than his responsibility to Dar, more than his responsibility to his tribe." Pelagia rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"You sound like your uncle. There was no excuse for that, Curi! None! Dar was a little boy . . . how dare you threaten him in order to gain his father's cooperation? And Ril was only a human being, like his son is, like his daughter is. He cannot be everywhere at once, none of them can!" Pelagia exclaimed.
She saw a familiar sulky expression on her daughter's face, and the goddess sighed, "And I gave the milk to those boys because they need help. Do you know how long it has been since Dar has helped to care for a baby? Many, many years. And Tao can only do so much."
Curupira muttered a few unkind statements about the young scholar, and Pelagia seized her daughter, turning the girl to face her. She hissed into Curi's startled face, "That is ENOUGH! You're angry not with Dar, but with yourself. Because you went to their woods last night, and you watched him sleep. Because you told the babe what was in your heart. That's why you're angry!" Curi blinked back tears, then drew herself proudly up. Pelagia cupped her daughter's face in her hands, whispering, "Why do you do this to yourself, Curi? Why do you keep hurting someone you love, someone you need, when all you're really doing is hurting yourself?"
"Because I must, Mother!" Curi answered fiercely. "If he knew that I've loved him for years . . . he'd leave me. Just the way my father did. All my life, humans have left me. My father. Ril left me. He died, and he chose his son over me! He left me twice, Mother!"
"He would have never left you, Curupira, if you hadn't pushed him away. Don't you see, sweeting? You drove him away. You threatened what was left of his family, and in that moment, Ril began hating you. You cannot win through hate. Only through love," Pelagia whispered, tears shining in her eyes.
Curi answered hoarsely, "I don't want to love him, Mother. That hurts. I learned that from Mira when she fell in love with Gereon. And Dar can never love me. Even if there wasn't Kyra . . . he could never love me." Pelagia held her daughter close as Curi began crying.
"Aye. But you are his friend. You will always take care of him. And maybe when he's asleep, or in need of your love . . . maybe then the truth can be known. But for now. There is a babe who needs us," Pelagia replied. Curupira wiped away her tears, nodding.
~*~*~*~
(Continued)
Main BeastMaster Fanfic Index General Rating BeastMaster Index
Main Library Index Main FanFiction Index
Email the author!
[email protected]
If you see anything out of place or non-functioning, please let the Keeper of the Library know. Thank you and enjoy your stay!