"She shrugged indifferently, and by now Darkwind knew he'd get nothing more out of her on the subject. She had all the ability of a ferret to squirm her way out of anything she didn't want to talk about.
But if she likes them, why wouldn't she want to stay near them?
"It is the little ones," she sighed, pensively, as if answering his unspoken suspicion. "I am very sorry, for I am going to say something that will revolt you, Birdkin, but I cannot bear little ones. No matter the species." She shuddered. "Giggling in voices to pierce the ears, running about like mad things, shrieking enough to startle the dead-I cannot bear little ones." She looked him squarely in the eyes. "I have," she announced, "no motherly instinct. I do not want motherly instinct.
I do not want to see little ones for more than a short time, at long intervals.
He laughed at her long face. "I can see your point," he replied. "They are a handful-"
"And soon there will be two more, this time the very little ones, who cry and cry all night, and will not be comforted; who become ill for mysterious reasons and make messes at both ends. No," she finished, firmly. "I care much for Treyvan and Hydona, but I will not abide living with the little ones."
"You've been getting along all right with the hertasi, though?" he asked anxiously. If he had to leave her here for any length of time, it would be a good idea to make sure both parties were willing. Nera had indicated that he had seen no trouble with her, but Darkwind wanted to be sure of that. Sometimes the hertasi were a little too polite.
"As well as one gets along with one's shadow." She shrugged. "They are quiet, they bring me food and drink, they are polite when I speak to them, but mostly they are not there-to speak to, that is." A wry smile touched the corners of her mouth, and the tips of her sharp little canine teeth showed briefly. "I am well aware that they watch me, but in their place, I would watch me, so all is well. I pretend to ignore the watchers, the watchers pretend they are most busy counting grass stems, we both know it is pretense, and politeness is preserved." Darkwind laughed; she smiled broadly. Now I know why Nera called her "a very polite young creature."
"As long as you're doing all right here--" he glanced at the setting sun. "I have to get back for that meeting. I expect to have some trouble with it." Nyara's smile faded to a wistful ghost. "I wish I could tell you it would be otherwise, but I doubt it will be so. I only hope you do not come to regret being my champion." He sighed, and got to his feet. "I hope so, too.
The windows of the ekele shook as his father pounded the table with his fist. "BY all the gods of our fathers," Starblade stormed, "I never thought my own son would be so much of a fool!" Darkwind stared at a patch of the exposed bark of the parent-tree, just past his father's shoulder, and kept his face completely expressionless.
At least it sounded like most of the tirade was over. This was mild compared to the insults Starblade had hurled at him at the beginning of the session.
Then again, it might simply be that Starblade had run out of insults.
Starblade shook his fist in the air, not actually threatening Darkwind but the implication was there. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear I couldn't be your father! I've never-"
"That's enough, Starblade," interrupted old Rainlance tiredly. "That is quite enough." The quiet words were so unexpected, especially coming from Rainlance, that both Starblade and his son turned to stare in surprise at the oldest of the four Elders. Rainlance never interrupted anyone or raised his voice. Except that he had just done both.
"By now we all know that you think your s-hmm, Darkwind-is the greatest fool ever born. We also know precisely why you think that." Rainlance leveled a penetrating stare at Starblade that froze him where he sat. "The fact is, I've known you a great deal longer than Darkwind, and I think there are times when you allow some of your opinions to unbalance your judgment. This is one of them. It just so happens I've never shared your peculiar prejudice against the Changechildren. I won't go into why, right now, but I have several good reasons, strong ones, to disagree with you on that. And I also do not share your view of Darkwind's incompetence." He coughed, and shook his head. "In point of fact, I think Elder Darkwind has done a fine job up until now, a very fine job. His peers trust him, he has never let his private opinions interfere with his judgment, and I don't see any reason to make a snap decision about this Other of his. I don't see any reason, in fact, why we shouldn't continue to help her." Rainlance looked pointedly at the other Elder, Iceshadow, who shrugged, the crystals braided into his hair tinkling like tiny wind chimes.
"She's not a danger where she is," Iceshadow said. "She hasn't caused any trouble-"
"That we know of," snapped Starblade.
Iceshadow gave Starblade a look of disapproval, and Darkwind knew he'd scored at least one point. Iceshadow hated to be interrupted. "Very well. If you insist on that phrasing. That we know of. Frankly, I see no harm in letting her stay where she is until she's healthy, and considering her request for safe passage then." Rainlance nodded. Starblade frowned angrily, then pounced. "Under strict watch. Darkwind may be a gullible boy being led by a pair of come-hither eyes and a sweet voice, but I'm not so sure this Other may not be playing a deeper game. I say she stays under strict watch, with careful observers.
"You can't get more careful than hertasi," Iceshadow remarked to the ceiling of his ekele. "And if she's leading Darkwind around by his urges, that ploy won't work on hertasi. Even stubborn, pigheaded old-ahmages will admit to that." It was Iceshadow's turn to receive a glare, but the Elder ignored it, winking broadly at Darkwind when Starblade turned away in disgust.
"I think the hertasi will do as watchers," Rainlance said smoothly, soothingly, as he sought to heal the split in the Council. "They are certainly quite competent. But I do agree she should be kept as far from the Vale itself as possible. And if she causes any trouble-"
"If she even looks like she's causing any trouble," Starblade growled.
Rainlance raised his voice a little, and annoyance crept into it.
"-she'll have to be dealt with."
"She'll find herself bound and staked, and you can tell her so!" Starblade shouted.
"Are you quite finished?" Rainlance shouted back, his temper frayed to the snapping point. "I'd like to get on with this if I may!" Starblade sank back into his seat with an inarticulate mumble, confining himself to angry glares at anyone who happened to glance at him.
Rainlance closed his eyes for a moment and visibly forced himself to calm down. Darkwind had no sympathy to spare for him; he'd been on the receiving end of his father's tempers too often to feel sorry for anyone else.
Really, Darkwind," Rainlance continued, opening his eyes, his voice oozing reason and conciliation. "You must see this in the perspective of the Vale and Clan as a whole. We really can't take her into the Vale.
We can't take the chance, however slim, that she might be some kind of infiltrator."
"I'm not asking for her to be brought into the Vale," Darkwind replied, echoing Rainlance's tone as much as he was able. "I'm just asking that she be allowed nearer. Right now she's in jeopardy; she's hurt, and she can't run the way the hertasi can. I doubt she'd be able to get away if something comes the border, especially if it's something that's come hunting especially for her.. She can't run, she can't hide, and Mage-Gifted or not, she probably can't protect herself from any kind of trained mage." Iceshadow shook his head regretfully; Darkwind got the feeling that if this hadn't been so serious an issue, he was so annoyed with Starblade right now that he would have been glad to agree with Darkwind just for a chance to spite his father. "No. It's just not possible. And I'm sure she realizes that, even if you don't. After all, look at what she is and what we are-we're enemies. Or at least, she's been on the enemy side.