Arri- July 12, 2004

July 12, 2004
Dear Keish,

I sent my last letter yesterday evening, but I didn’t really tell what happened yesterday, because I was in too much of a hurry to send the letter off. Not that what happened was terribly important, but it was a nice day.
The first thing that I did when I woke up yesterday was to examine Liop. He seemed much better now that we were away from all the magic and turmoil of the last two weeks. He coughed a little, but not hard. He slept so deeply that I did not want to disturb him, but it seemed like a good idea to get the last of the smoke and natron from his lungs. I put a hand against his cheek and closed my eyes. I’m getting better at this, having practiced on Glory. I could see the smoke particles very clearly, how they clogs the small spaces in his lungs. Lungs are much more complicated than I ever imagined and I don’t know any words to describe what I see. Actually pulling them out was more difficult, but I hadn’t actually healed Glory, only looked at her during the days we waited and tried to get past the ants. I used the same method that removed the boy fairy’s iron and after a while Liop’s breathing was very quiet and clear. It was a beautiful sight.
I worked on your letter through the morning. No one disturbed me, for which I was grateful. Liop slept on and I wondered if I should wake him. Neither of us had eaten since the fairies provided us with raw potatoes and vegetables for lunch the day before. Raw potatoes are horrible things. I never want to see one again.
After I finished writing, I found a simple housedress in the wardrobe. My own traveling dress was so tattered that I felt embarrassed to wear it. Liop still slept soundly, so I left him and wandered down the wide, circular staircase to see where everyone was. I was greeted my Mendel almost immediately.
“Hey, Arri! Did you sleep all right? Are you hungry? How’s Liop?” he asked cheerfully.
“Liop is still sleeping,” I responded, “I was wondering if I should wake him to eat…”
“He ate last night before he went to bed,” Mendel informed me, “I’d have given you something too, but you collapsed on the bed and Liop couldn’t wake you.”
Mendel escorted me to the kitchen where the smell of warm bread reminded me that food can be delicious. It was all I could do not to grab the nearest loaf and bite right into it without slicing. The cook looked up from her baking.
“What a starved little bird!” she clucked disapprovingly, “Don’t city folks know how to eat in Rousha?”
“What would you like?” asked Mendel, waving his hand across the room. I asked for a hot sandwich, which contained all the ingredients my diet had been lacking lately: bread, meat, cheese, warmth. Normally I love vegetables, but yesterday I didn’t even want lettuce, just solid warm, cooked food. Mendel raided the pantry for a box of southern chocolates and added them to my plate. He would have added a stack of fried potato slices, but I stopped him. It will be a long time before I can stomach that vegetable again.
We ate in the dining room. Lady Westridge came in to give a formal greeting and ask after the family. She mentioned with a mixture of pride and puzzlement their plans to attend Clara and Prince Tulson’s wedding, and of course thanked Imato for including them in his invitations. She seemed to be under the impression that I was visiting Treany, but had come here when Mrs. Fargo (Treany’s grandmother), arrived unexpectedly and demanded the guest room. I thought it an improbable story, but Mendel stuck to it, so I just tried to look unsurprised and give intelligent answers to the inquiries after the Dinettes. I don’t suppose I did a good job, because she frowned at some of my answers and once Mendel kicked me under the table. After she left, he shook his head.
“You’re a terrible liar,” he informed me.
“I didn’t have much time to prepare,” I responded, trying to decide how I felt about the whole thing, “Don’t you tell your mother what you do?”
“Not if I can help it,” he shook his head, “she worried herself sick when I went looking for Fairy. I was ordered never to do anything like that again.”
“Oh,” I didn’t like his answer very much, and wondered what I’d do in his place. I don’t suppose Uncle Winthrop wants me to go adventuring, but I don’t lie to him about it.
“Well, I can’t live my life inside all the time,” Mendel defended as if reading my mind, “if they had their way, I would do nothing but attend parties and spend money on games. Totally worthless.” He tilted back and forth on the legs of his chair until I thought he would topple over.
“Won’t they find out eventually?” I asked.
Mendel stopped rocking and looked away.
“They would have found out ages ago if they paid attention.” He smiled, “Fortunately, they don’t.”
At that moment Sean found us and turned the conversation. He wanted to hear about the land of the fairies. Mendel brought the legs of his chair back to the ground with a sharp crack and the next hour was filled with discussion about Liop’s abduction. Liop joined us, looking for lunch. He was still pale and tired-looking. When Mendel asked for details about the wards he created, the boy shrugged nervously. It was rather un-Liop-like and bothered me some.
Eventually, I was able to ask Mendel about his return trip with Banquo. Tentatively, I asked if he knew any more about Moonstone.
“Banquo is fine. The winged lioness is taking care of him. He seemed rather nervous to see her, but she was just relieved that he was safe, and I think everything will be okay. I’m sorry for taking Glory,” Mendel said, “but I really needed the extra bit of magic. I don’t really know much about Moonstone—the Lioness said not to worry. You can wean a foal at three months, if you have to, and Moonstone was two and a half. She was eating solid foods when she left.” He shook his head unhappily.
“We all did what we had to,” I murmured, wishing I hadn’t asked. I turned the subject again. We spoke more of the old healer and his apprentice, wondering who they were and how I might meet them again. Mendel took to joking about what flying creature I would capture next and speculating about the bait I should use. Then suddenly he turned to Liop and said:
“Happy Birthday, Liop! I almost forgot. I talked to Mother this morning and you must have a party! It isn’t everyday a boy turns eight. Mother gave us leave to have a real feast—cake and ice cream with all the toppings. Anything you want! What’s your favorite food?”
Liop’s whole face lit up and he asked about pineapple preserves, which was rather extravagant, but Mendel called in a servant to take notes and pretended not to hear my protest. Within minutes Sean, Mendel, and Liop had a ridiculously long list of desserts and candies. (I think Sean added more than half of them.) Then Sean took him out to look at the tamarins and Mendel and I were alone again.
I was feeling tired and out of things to say. Mendel just sat looking blankly ahead, lost in thought.
“Would you like to go horseback riding?” he asked suddenly.
“Well, I was thinking about making a trip to visit the Dinette’s store. I need a new dress.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Mendel, standing, “Ask the stablehand to give you Redhawk. I think you’ll like him.”
“I can take the gelding I rented from Rousha,” I responded.
“Oh, Sean had him sent back,” Mendel replied, “We didn’t know how long you’d be gone and thought the rental might get rather expensive.”
I thanked Mendel and went outside to the stables. It was a beautiful day, although rather hot. Redhawk turned out to be a gorgeous roan stallion, a trakehner like Glory, powerful and surefooted. Mendel was right, I did like Redhawk, but he pulled at the bit and took some concentration to control. I rode him out the front gate of the manor and together we headed toward Main Street. I spent most of the way trying to decide what I would tell Treany. I wasn’t sure I wanted to give a long explanation of what happened.
The Dinette’s general store is large and carries just about everything for moderate prices. They usually keep a few high quality dresses in the display windows to please Treany, but most of their clothing is good everyday quality. Mistress Dinette welcomed me enthusiastically and then left me to browse while she went looking for her daughter. By the time Treany arrived, I had picked out a good serviceable traveling dress in medium green.
“Arri, that dress is for older women!” she exclaimed, steering me toward the front of the store and the dance dresses.
“I don’t think I can travel in this,” I informed her, rubbing the satin between my fingers.
“I suppose not,” Treany agreed and sighed, “but you can’t go around dressed like an old maid, either. Maybe we can have something altered to be more the fashion.”
Treany took my measurements and then abandoned me to look at riding tack while she hunted up a traveling dress that could be brought into fashion. I really didn’t have the slightest idea what she wanted, so it was no good having me help. After a good half hour she retrieved me to try on a dark gray suit with a split skirt: “Just the thing for riding,” she informed me. I tried it on and saw in a moment why Treany’s advice is so valuable. It was more comfortable than the green dress I had been contemplating. I would have bought it “as-is”, but Treany insisted on getting her mother to help her alter it.
While they worked, Treany talked about Master Lander Krejko and the dances they’ve been to and the parlor visits. Eventually, she asked me about Phyfe and I told her about getting accepted into medical school. She didn’t know what to say to that at first, so I just started talking about what it was like to study for the exam and what classes I would be able to take in the fall.
“I suppose you’ll meet so many eligible young men there,” she said finally, “but you might not want to speak up in class much. Men are intimidated by smart women sometimes.”
“Oh, well…” I said, unsure of how to respond.
Treany and Mistress Dinette removed the lace from the cuffs of the dress and changed the bone buttons for larger, black ones. Then they changed the shape of the collar and narrowed the waist. I tried it on and thought it still looked very good (although I’m not sure why it was “better”). Finally, Treany removed half the trim from the matching hat and added a rose colored ribbon to tie it in place.
“Well, it’s not quite what they’re wearing in Rousha,” she decided, “but it doesn’t look like anything my grandmother would wear. You look very nice.”
I agreed with her assessment and made my purchase. It had taken rather longer than I thought, but I felt better about the money I spent. This dress should last me a long time, if I take good care of it.
On the way home, I gave Redhawk his head and he almost unseated me by leaping forward like a bird in flight. We made it back to the manor in amazing time. I think Redhawk must have been trained for racing.
The Westridges really put some effort into the party. There were multicolored lanterns in the windows and paper streamers in the parlor and dining room. Lady Westridge thanked me for letting her take the liberty of a real child’s party, saying, “It’s been so long since the boys wanted such things.” They had invited two of Liop’s former classmates (actually, I think they invited more, but only two could come on short notice) and all of the servants’ children, which gave the grand old mansion a vibrant energy. The Westridges are a generous family. Mendel and Sean led the children in simple party games while Lord and Lady Westridge laughed as I’ve never seen them before.
We all went to bed feeling a little too full of sugar and exhausted from happy excitement. Liop was finally beginning to look well again, his big eyes less haunted and his cheeks less pale. I couldn’t thank the Westridges enough.

Today was quieter. I spent the early morning in the stables with Glory, bidding Mendel good morning as he left for the day’s fishing. Liop slept until breakfast. He looked brighter this morning. Lord and Lady Westridge ate with us and then left for the day, Lord Westridge to his business affairs and the Lady to her various projects. After breakfast Liop and I helped Sean with the tamarins, but there didn’t really seem to be much to do, and Lady Westridge had been so kind to us, that I decided to seek her out and see if I could help with something.
I checked the parlor first and then tentatively knocked on the sitting room door, but no one answered, so I headed to the library. There I found a big, illustrated book about wildlife and read until I dozed off. I was awakened by the sound of voices, Lord and Lady Westridge. They seemed to have been talking awhile, but as my chair was turned away, they didn’t know I was in the room. I froze, trying to decide what to do. I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep and felt embarrassed to admit I might have heard anything. At first I was to groggy to notice what they were saying, but gradually their speech became clearer:
“The young lady can make up her own mind, I’m sure,” was the first sentence I made out clearly, in Lord Westridge’s confident , serious voice. It was followed by: “I really wish I knew what goes on in his head though. Sean assures me he collects his allowance every week, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what he spends it on. The game rooms and taverns never see him, that’s certain.”
“All the better,” Lady Westridge quipped.
“Fishing is a fine gentlemen’s sport, but he doesn’t have much to show for it. Not a single trophy fish in all these years. I’d be happy to put one over the mantle in the den. People would like to see it, I’m sure… and he ought to refresh his wardrobe properly each season. You’d think he’d care more about his appearance.”
“He always looks very fine, dear,” Lady Westridge defended.
“He acts like a prisoner, when all we want is for him to have fun and enjoy life! Very few young men have such a fine, easy life.”
“Perhaps life in Rousha will wake him up a bit. It’s too easy to outclass the younger men here,” said Lady Westridge.
They walked back out again and I was left to think about what I had heard. I did not know who the “young lady” was or what she had to decide, but the “he” was obviously Mendel. The conversation bothered me. For all their kindness, it seemed that Lord and Lady Westridge knew less than even I did about their younger son. I couldn’t really decide whose fault this was. Mendel is full of contradictions. He dresses very well in town, knows all of the latest dances, and never misses a chance to show off. Yet he spends most of his morning and daytime hours alone in the woods “fishing”. He makes a joke out of almost everything, but is every bit as responsible as Sean when you come right down to it. Nysa thinks the world of him, and Sean treats him as an equal, but his parents seem to view him as lazy and childish. As always, trying to puzzle out Mendel made my head ache, so I left the matter alone and went to find Liop.
Liop and I played board games in the dining room until lunch, when Sean joined us for sandwiches and one quick game before he went back to business with his father. Mendel showed up a couple of hours later, and this time, he really did have a fish wrapped in paper and carefully hidden just outside the kitchen entrance.
“Follow me to the forest where we can divide the plunder safely hidden from the sheriff’s eyes,” he grinned. He looted the kitchen for lemon and spices. Then we followed him to a fire pit just outside view of the mansion. He was rather disappointed to learn that Liop and I were both familiar with trout, Uncle W. drawing no distinction between “poor” and “rich” foods. Still, it was a very good fish.

July 13th

When I woke up this morning, I was thinking of Banquo and wondering how he faired. Mendel had said that he was all right, but my last sight of him was tattered and defeated. Since he was hurt trying to help me, I felt rather to blame and wanted to see him again. The problem was that I really didn’t know how to contact him. Trena said he would be at my call for the rest of my life, but I had no idea how that really worked, and I wasn’t sure it was fair to make him come to me anyway. So I decided to go to the cave and see if I could find the Lioness. I checked on Glory in the stables and said hello to Mendel on his way fishing again. Then I got my fairy book and transported myself to the cave. Liop was still asleep.
The entrance cave was empty so I left it and went to the practice cave. Again empty. I went out into the caverns and called, my voice echoing over and over against the stone walls. No answer. I wandered further into one of the storage rooms. The walls of this cave were pocketed with shelves carved into the stone. Here old pieces of well-polished armor, weapons, cooking utensils and other odds and ends were laid carefully away. Nysa and I had already picked up and examined many of them, discovering that most had lost all magic a long time ago, if they ever had any to begin with. I picked up where we had left off, examining a collection of old children’s toys: wooden figures, glass marbles, tops, puzzles… None of them contained magic and I wondered why they were brought here. An archeologist probably could have told me their ages and other bits of trivia. I thought they probably came from different eras, but was at a loss for any other information about them.
I suppose I was there for a couple of hours, feeling idle, wondering if I should give up on Trena and go back to the manor. Then I heard a soft growl and turned. The Lioness stood before me.
“Hello,” I said.
She dipped her head, looking amused.
“I don’t spend all my time lying in wait for your call,” she purred softly, “I could not come immediately.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, reddening.
“Nevermind that,” Trena said, “I want to hear about your time with the fairies.”
“Didn’t Banquo tell you?”
“Yes, I have his version. I would like yours too.”
The Lioness did not seem to enjoy hearing about the land of the fairies the way she had enjoyed hearing about your wedding. She listened gravely and asked only a few questions.
“Banquo is young,” she said at one point, “but I suppose the fairies needed to be harsh in their punishment. It was a very dangerous mistake.”
“He did make a containment circle,” I said, “He was trying to be safe.”
“Yes, he was as careful as he could have been, but the idea was still a bad one.” She shook her head firmly.
“Is he still in trouble?” I asked.
“No, banishment from the land of the fairies is punishment enough,” she sighed, “I have healed his injuries and he is back with his parents. You must learn to call him, when you need him.”
Trena gave me the words of the calling spell and had me repeat them until she was satisfied that I could pronounce the foreign sounds correctly.
“Remember, he is a free being and not bound to you as a slave. It is possible to lose his allegiance, not that I believe you will abuse him.” She smiled, “I just want you to understand what a privilege it is for you to have his friendship. He truly considers you a friend, Arrietta.”
“I’m glad he’s my friend,” I said.
Trena purred. We talked some about Liop and alchemy and the spell that you and Imato found in the Chronicle.
“Trena,” I ventured, “I was wondering about the two fairies I met, the old healer and his apprentice. Can you tell me about them? Do you know about the prophesy that I will meet the old healer again?”
Trena closed her eyes and didn’t answer. She seemed to be concentrating very hard. I leaned back against the wall of the cave and sat with my arms around my knees. Several minutes passed. Trena’s huge wings rustled against her back and her tail flicked back and forth. There were moments when she looked exactly like a cat. Finally, she opened her eyes.
“I had not heard that the fairies gave the old healer an apprentice, so I can’t tell you anything about the boy. It does seem that your mother knew him. She occasionally met other fairies in her wanderings among the fairy rings. She always told me what she thought was important. This boy was probably not the old healer’s apprentice at that time,” she paused, “Unfortunately, I cannot see this prophesy about you, either,” she said softly.
“Why can’t you see it?” I asked.
“I don’t know. There are several possible reasons: if the prophesy is not connected to my life in any way, which implies that it occurs after my death,” (she frowned grimly), “Or if the fairies have blocked the prophesy from my view. It is very difficult magic, but they have done that on two other occasions. Or it may simply be unrelated to me for other reasons. I think you will make many choices before you are faced with this prophesy. I think it is far in the future.” He ears twitched and she sighed.
“I would not worry too much about this prophesy,” she continued, “I don’t see anything you can do about it at this time. The day may come when Keish can see it for you, but I think this is far away. In the meantime, I will tell you a story that perhaps will be useful when the time comes.
“A long time ago, a nine-year-old boy, who had escaped the fairies many times, offered himself in trade for his six-year-old brother, whom the fairies had succeeded in abducting. The fairies accepted his offer and the younger brother was freed. In becoming a fairy, the older brother lost all his memories, but none of his goodness. The result of this bargain was a powerful piece of magic and a prophesy: that the older brother would live until all of the fairies had been healed.”
“How old is the healer?” I asked.
“He is the oldest of the fairies, but he is not older than me,” Trena smiled, “he was of the Maurisald line of magic.”
Trena waited while I turned this story over in my mind. Treythan and Flora, who helped me when I was lost in the desert, were from that line of magic.
“Is this prophesy connected to the one about me?”
“I don’t see how it could be, and yet, you are a healer, as you so aptly proved with the boy fairy.” She put her head on her paws and regarded me sadly.
“Sometimes I don’t like feeling old,” she said, “I have outlived all my sons and many of my grandsons. I was once the most powerful ally of the Brio Family.”
“You still are that,” I protested.
“No,” she said softly, “I am the guardian, till another comes to take my place.” She bared all her teeth, “They will not have an easy time of it,” she growled, and then huffed as if at a joke.

Your letter came this evening.
Uncle Winthrop is doing magic? That’s fantastic! It seems strange though. He’s been against magic for so long that it must be hard to come back around to it. Trena was right. He came full circle. I wonder if that means she won’t be angry with him anymore. I’m glad that he and Imato are getting along. It’s awful when they argue. Locking them in that room together was a very good idea.
In defense of Uncle Winthrop, I doubt any amount of magical training could have helped Liop escape from the fairies. It was the alchemy in the end that won the day. I should also add that Trena told me that no method of protecting a child from the fairies is likely to work more than once, not even alchemy. She was impressed that Imato could find a spell to protect our blood from the fairies, but she doubts it will work for more than one generation. She says we ought to use the spell soon, before anyone is expecting a child.
“For greater strength,” she added, “I would pull in any great-aunts and seconds cousins you can locate. The core of Brio magic is found in the descendants of your grandparents, Bastion and Katja. However, there is some minor magic in your extended family which might create a loophole in any spell that requires the entire family to perform.”
“How many second cousins do we have?” I asked.
“Sixteen cousins and then two great-aunts and a great-uncle. I can help you locate them, if you wish.”
“Do you think they will want to help?” I asked. I remember meeting some of them at the funerals of our grandparents, but I don’t know any of them well.
“I think the subject will interest them,” Trena smiled, “After all, they won’t want the fairies turning to their children when they can’t have yours.”
“Oh!” I said. I hadn’t thought of that.

I’m glad to hear that Nysa is feeling better.  And I’m glad that she and Uncle W. are coming to get Liop and me in Odsreq. Staying with the Westridges is very nice, but I want to be home with all of my family again. I’m so glad that Imato and Gretel will live in Rousha, at least in the beginning.
I am so excited to see everyone at Prince Tulson and Clara’s wedding on the 24th. I’m sure that Uncle W. and Nysa will be ready to return to Rousha the day after they arrive here. That means that I will arrive in Rousha on the 15th, which gives me nine days to contact all of our Brio relatives. Fortunately, Trena told me that most of them still live in Rousha and few that don’t are less than a day’s journey away. I suppose if I start with the great-aunts and uncle, they will help me spread the word.
I’m going to send this letter now. Enjoy your one week of respite from wedding plans before you leave for Rousha!

Love,
Arri

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