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grew apprehensive if she flew beyond a certain speed. He would shiver and mew
in terror, but so long as she kept below this speed he was happy to crouch
within the bag strapped between her shoulder blades.
Because of the delay, she had not stopped to talk to any of the Siyee she had
seen once she reached Si. They hadn t attempted to meet her either; they could
probably see she was moving too fast for them to intercept. Now, as she slowed
to approach the long stripe of exposed mountain slope that was the main Siyee
gathering place, the sky people flew up to join her.
She felt Mischief shift position on her back.
 Fly! he declared.  Fly! Fly!
He had no words to tell her of the strange winged people gliding around and
behind her, but she could sense his excitement.
 Siyee, she told him.  They re Siyee.
He fell silent for a moment.
 Syee, he said quietly.
Some of her impromptu escort she recognized, some she didn t. She exchanged
whistled greetings with them all. Their thoughts were full of relief and
gladness. They knew why she was here, however, and worry made their welcome
subdued compared to previous ones.
She descended steadily, heading for the large, level area in the middle
section of the Open known as the Flat. Several Siyee stood around the outside
of this and she could hear the sound of greeting drums. Two white-clothed men
drew her eye. Like most landwalkers they were nearly twice the height of the
Siyee and their white priest robes made them doubly conspicuous.
She turned her attention to a line of men and women standing near the outcrop
known as Speakers Rock. As she drew closer she made out enough detail to
identify each of them. All were Speakers leaders of a Siyee tribe but only
half of all Speakers were present. That was no surprise. Some would not want
to leave their tribe while invaders roamed within Si, and others lived too far
from the Open to travel here for every unplanned meeting. Representatives of
each tribe lived in the Open, however, and would be waiting among those at the
edge of the Flat.
Speaker Sirri, the Head Speaker of all tribes, stepped forward as Auraya
dropped to the ground. She smiled and held out a wooden cup and a small cake.
As Auraya took them Sirri spread her arms wide. Sunlight filtered through the
membrane of her wings, illuminating a delicate tracery of veins and arteries
between the supporting bones.
 Welcome back to Si, Auraya of the White.
Auraya smiled in return.  Thank you, Speaker Sirri, and thank you to the
people of Si for their warm welcome.
She ate the sweet cake then sipped some water before handing the cup back.
Sirri s gaze flickered to Auraya s shoulder and her eyes opened wide.
 Syee, Mischief whispered at her ear.
Smothering a laugh, Auraya gave his head a scratch.
 Speaker Sirri, she said,  this is Mischief. He s a veez. The Somreyans tamed
them long ago, and keep them as pets.
 A veez, Sirri said, coming forward to stare at Mischief.  Yes, I remember
catching sight of this animal in the war camp.
 They can speak, in a limited fashion. Auraya looked at Mischief.  This is
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Sirri, she told him.
 Seeree, he replied.  Syee Seeree.
Sirri chuckled quietly.  He is an appealing animal. I had better make sure
none of the Siyee decide he will make a nice meal. She straightened.  The
Speakers have requested that I call a gathering in the Speakers Bower as soon
as you arrived, but we could delay if you are tired.
Auraya shook her head.  The Pentadrians travel deeper into Si every moment
that passes, and I m as anxious to deal with them as I am sure you all are. I
will meet with the Speakers now.
Sirri nodded in gratitude, then gestured to the other Speakers. As they moved
forward to join Sirri, Auraya looked toward the two priests. They made the
sign of the circle. She inclined her head in reply.
Seeking their minds, she saw that they were eager to talk to her, though
neither had any matter they urgently needed to discuss. Though they had found
the Siyee welcoming, they also felt their ways were a little strange.
They need reassurance from me that they re doing well, she realized.
Turning away, she followed Sirri into the forest, the other Speakers and tribe
representatives following. They passed many of the Siyee bowers frames of wood
with a membrane stretched between, built around the bases of the enormous
trees growing around the Open and many curious Siyee. Sirri did not hurry,
despite the other Speakers impatience. She knew that her people would be
reassured by the sight of the gods Chosen One.
Once they entered the unoccupied forest around the Speakers Bower, the Head
Speaker quickened her pace. They wound through narrow paths to a large bower
and filed inside. Carved tree-stump stools had been arranged in a circle. The
Speakers took their places. Auraya set her pack down on the floor beside her.
Mischief peered out, then decided it all looked uninteresting and curled up to
sleep.
 As we all know, Sirri began,  a Pentadrian ship was seen off the coast of
southern Si fourteen days ago. Several Pentadrians landed and separated into
groups, which have been travelling inland. It appears they are using their
birds to guide them toward Siyee villages. She looked at Auraya.  We sent a
request for help to the White and Auraya has come back to us. Before we begin
discussing how to deal with the Pentadrians, do you have any questions,
Auraya?
 How often have you received reports on the Pentadrians movements?
 Every few hours. My son, Sreil, has organized for groups of watchers to
follow the Pentadrians and report back regularly.
 Have any of these watchers seen one or more of the Pentadrian sorcerer
leaders among them?
 No.
That doesn t mean they re not with them. Auraya drummed her fingers together. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]