by L. Itram and Ben Yackley Main * Story * Setting * Cast * Illustrations * About * Comment

Chapter 25: New Beginnigs: Communication (Posted on 3/31/04 )

"I sure made a mess of things," grumbled Luen, slouching against a tree which was no more distinctive than any of the other trees which dotted the hills around the town of Featherglass. He stared absently at the large green stone in his hands, turning it over between his finger.

"Aye, that ye did," said a voice.

"I wasn't talking to you, Viola."

"Considerin' what we've been through, I think I got a right ta comment," Viola grumbled. She was annoyed at Luen for spoiling what should have been the best day of her career thus far, annoyed at herself for feeling sorry for him, and annoyed at him again for making her feel annoyed at herself. To top it all off, she was rather peeved that he'd chosen this particular hill and this particular tree as his moping ground. She considered this to be her personal tree and she came here to resume the nap Kinto had interrupted over a year ago. "Cannae believe tha Dean trusted ye ta be his spy."

"You think he would've chosen you, Miss Almost Got Expelled?" Luen detached himself from the tree to glare at her.

"I was thinkin' Kai, actually." Viola threw herself to the ground and folded her feet under her. If Luen didn't want her around he could darn well find some other tree.

Luen was silent. He couldn't really argue with that.

"Still," he said in a slightly calmer tone, "At least I know one creature who still trusts me." He brushed his fingers over the stone.

"I cannae believe he let ye keep yer pet," said Viola as the small rabbit-like maginaria appeared before him.

Luen scooped Clorin into his arms. "She's more than a pet, Viola, she's -- what? What's wrong?" The last was to the maginaria, who squirmed her way out of his grasp and landed a few feet away, fur fluffed.

"Looks like yer problems are just beginnin'."

Luen crouched on the ground. "C'mon. You still remember me, right?"

"Can I say no?" asked a soft voice.

"You...can talk?"

"An' with a Featherglass accent, no less." added Viola, obviously impressed.

"Manaqi," said Clorin. "Auli taught me." She sat down and scratched at her ear with a hind leg. "Do I say thank you now? You didn't kill me. But that wasn't very nice."

"Auli's ... not dead."

"I'm sorry."

"That's not a very tactful thing to say."

Clorin's ears drooped. "You didn't separate us good, Luen. I got ... um ..." she paused as if unsure of which word to use, then gave up. "She's mostly empty now. I'm really sorry. She wasn't bad. Just upset."

She stood up again and turned away. "I'll visit her. And visit you. I'll miss you."

"Wait, you're just gonna leave?"

Clorin stopped, not looking back.

Luen gestured helplessly "But I thought -- I mean, we --"

At that, she turned, gazing sadly at him over a shoulder. "You're sweet, Luen. But you're nothing but a summoner. And I'm nothing but a pet. And I don't like that anymore," she finished, walking away.

Luen shook off the sudden, sickening, feeling of deja-vu. "Would I have gone through all that for a pet?!"

The maginaria paused, wrinkling her nose in response.

"Clorin, it was precisely because I am a summoner. Without you -- without maginaria I'm nothing."

"So're they," she countered, nodding at Viola. But she turned around and sat down again, as if ready to listen to reason.

"Well, yes. All mages depend on maginaria. But they don't think about it; we do."

Viola hmphed quietly.

Clorin waited, ears perked forward.

"At least, I do." Luen added. He paused, but the maginaria just looked at him. As if to fill in the silence, he found himself elaborating. "I did a lot of thinking after you'd been stolen, and ... look, I'll go after wild maginaria if I have to but, frankly, I'd rather have one I can trust ... and teach ... "

"You'll find a bunny. You're good. Go to Aezo."

Luen folded his arms. "You didn't let me finish."

Clorin sat on her haunches and stared back at him.

"I said I'd rather have one I can trust. And teach -- not train, teach. Someone who can reason and communicate makes for a much better ally than a trained animal."

Clorin flicked an ear, as if to tell him to keep talking.

"And .. that's it, really." Now it was Luen's turn to look away. His gaze briefly touched on Viola -- whose own stare was almost as unnerving as the maginaria's -- then settled on the ground. "If I never said anything before, it's because I never really though about it. I always thought of maginaria as animals to be caught and trained. That was my job. Even Iff ... for all its logic, its thought patterns were so narrow it was like just another beast."

The only response was a soft hmph, which did not come from Viola.

Luen continued talking. What had he to lose? Viola already thought he was an idiot, and Clorin ... Clorin, at least, was still listening. "What really did it, I suppose, was travelling with you and Auli. You as Auli, that is, but still obviously you. I guess I had to actually see a maginaria in a Levendish body, speaking Levendish, before I could accept that she might be just as bright as one." He took a deep breath. "The only thing I learned from this so-called 'exam' is that I'm not nearly clever as I like to consider myself." He kept his eyes firmly on the ground, waiting for her to leave.

Instead, she padded back to him. "Good start."

Luen looked up. "You're staying?"

"Maybe. Two promises?"

"Anything."

Clorin flicked her ears in amusement. "One is we're partners. I'm not your bunny."

"I'll try. And the second?"

"Two is no more chain."

Luen looked confused. "The...summoning spell?"

The maginara nodded. "Itches. I'll come when ... um .... I come."

"I'd really like to be able to call you in an emergency --" Clorin started to turn away "-- but I guess I'll just have to learn to take care of myself."

The maginaria flicked her ears. "You're not ..." She paused, trying to remember the word Luen had used. "Clever! You're not clever. But you're not stupid. A very good start." She nodded decidedly, then lifted an oversized front leg to paw at his tail. "Pick me up. The grass is cold."