THE SHERIFF OF HNUT / CH. 21: FAMILY TIES

HNUT, YANEPOLI'S HOME. BROTHERDAY, 8TH WINTER

“Tanepoli,” Dirak said, “I've just had question put to me that I'd like your input on.”

“That's unusual.”

“Have you heard of a journalist who publishes under the name of Tandetha?”

“Oh, that one. Yes.”

“What do you know of her?”

“Not a member of my clan. Quite accurate pieces, very outspoken about some things, including some where she's wrong.”

“Such as?”

“Why dyes are a good thing, why the constitution needs changing, why wizards are a waste of space.”

“What's wrong with the constitution?” Dirak asked, intrigued.

“Based on the apparently false presumption that there is an heir to the empty throne,”

“Keldithanapoli will be happy to hear that.”

“I've never met her, but I imagine her temper is worse than mine.”

“Apparently 'Tandetha' was called Resha when she married, is the orange daughter of oranges, and her husband was blue. She dyed her sons blue before they were old enough to leave the house.”

“Why?”

“It seems she and her husband enjoy dancing when there are leaves on the ground, and they were hatched yellow, in winter. The eldest is in Lanthithanapoli's class. Apparently Lanthi's teacher didn't believe her feathers were their natural colour, and after subtly insulting her a few times he said, 'Sit down, admit you've been lying and we'll give you an acting award later, you stupid fool.' Fortunately your cousin Tang was in the class and called the teacher an idiot who was lucky to still have a throat, and the teacher apologised before he lost any blood.”

“I'm being slow, how does this affect me?”

“Apparently Lanthi's sudden disclosure of her secret got Denas — her classmate — to disclose his to her, and Keldi was going to talk to the parents about how the wizards are desperate to have thought-hearers around. Then it turned out she was a journalist and Keldi's wondering if you'd like to be interviewed about Tagelah and Talinth.”

“Won't that make your investigation harder?”

“Not significantly. We've got all the smugglers, as for the relatives... publishing makes it easier for the parents to decide to come forward to make a complaint. What I've seen so far says that the so-called records list the head of the family rather than the perpetrator.”

“Which makes them inadmissible as evidence?”

“Not inadmissible, but totally unreliable. There's a difference, but basically it means that on the basis of this the police can go, investigate, collect statements, conduct a search, and so on. But someone's name on the list doesn't mean they'll be arrested.”

“When you say head of the family, who do you mean?”

“I mean that it looks to me to show the person that an outsider might expect to be paying the bills.”

“Ah, right,” Tanepoli looked at him, and sighed deeply.

“You'd like to know whose name is on there for your two?” Dirak asked.

“No. It's better if I don't know, isn't it?”

“Maybe,” Dirak agreed, “But sometimes nagging worries eat at people.”

“It was mine, wasn't it?” Tanepoli asked.

“You were having a lot of renovations on your home done at the time, I understand.”

“And sometimes I was so tired, I just signed whatever my mother asked me to.” Tanepoli agreed.

“The bill will have just said 'small statues' or something like that, and be quite a small sum. The actual payment would go with the fluffballs when they were handed over to the intermediary, and would be sent by a separate trader, often in the form of contraband, rather than cash.”

“So the bill I signed was for what?”

“Basically the delivery of a mostly empty crate, with a number on it, sometimes there were actually small statues, plaster models of a few catalogue items, depending on whether the guilty person thought that would help to allay suspicion.”

“So my mother taking delivery of a box of miniature statues....” Tanepoli left her question hanging.

“Is not in itself firm evidence against her. She might, after all have been shown them in the catalogue by someone else, convinced it would help decide which ones should be ordered. She might even have been so convinced she was genuinely overjoyed to see the statues to help her make a decision. It was all a fiendishly clever way to get the special crate into roughly the right place.”

“And you're going to tell the journalist this?”

“Not all the details. We don't want to give anyone a method they can copy. But as well as her interviewing you, I thought that you might like to ask her a lot of questions. Like what it was like raising her three thought-hearing sons, without any relatives around.”

“None?”

“She ran away from home to marry. It's not just nobles who wanted to avoid yellows, apparently.”

“I wonder if some of her male ancestors were noble.”

“You could ask her.”

“Doctor says I mustn't tire myself out. She'll just be here for a few hours?”

“Keldi is planning on inviting her for the weekend.”

“I'll speak to her. If I like what she tells me, I'll answer some questions.”

“Thank you. I'll pass that on.”

----------------------------------------

HNUT, DIRAK'S LIBRARY. SISTERDAY, 9TH WINTER, MORNING

“Yalb, how long did you say you could lift this for?” Yagah asked, five seconds into her lift. “I didn't. Lanthi didn't tell me actually. But she said it was longer than she managed.”

“And she managed how long?”

“About fifteen seconds. The important thing to remember is that you mustn't drop it. And it hurts if it ends up on your toes.”

“You didn't!” Yagah asked laughing, and putting it down exactly on the fifteen second mark.

“No, Lanthi was very apologetic though. But that's why I didn't get her exact time. You did fifteen seconds on the dot.”

“You made me laugh.”

“I made her laugh too. To be precise I tickled her.”

“You tickled her?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect it might not have been.”

“Why not?”

“She started tickling me as soon as I had it in the air. Fair's fair, if you get Girt to try you've got to tickle him the entire time he's got it in the air too if you want to compare my time with his.”

“No tickling during the arm-wrestle.”

“I'm not that suicidal.”

“You like her, don't you?”

“I hope you will too, Yagah. Just... try to think before you speak. And apologise quickly.”

“You think I'm going to insult her?” Yagah asked.

“I think you might insult me in her hearing, and find her talons at your throat an instant later. I assume she has talons, anyway, as a thanapoli.”

“Legacy of what's his name, Yathanapoli's father?”

“She's a very distant cousin, yes.”

“She's got Yant blood too.” Yagah realised. “A Yant with talons.”

“And Onet blood too, from before they were exterminated as a threat.”

“Quick as an Onet, not Zerker fast, but almost. You're falling in love with an unstoppable killing machine, Yalb!”

“A thanapoli, yes. Who has a strong faith, and a stronger God.

“Did I hear that she dyed her feathers?”

“She planned to wash it off before she comes up. I just pray no one teased her at school. She said they used to say 'be careful, she's a red, she might pluck you, and she was really tempted to rip open their throats and write 'that's not something to laugh about' with their blood. But she didn't. I really admire that self control.”

“I pray she managed to get it all off,” Yagah said. “It'll be hard to take her seriously if she's not the right colour.”

“Just think talons, Yagah.” Yalb advised his big sister.

----------------------------------------

WATCHMAKERS' GUILD, SISTERDAY, 9TH WINTER.

“I need to thank your father for letting me borrow you during work hours,” Sithini said to Quif.

“No you don't. I need to thank you for giving me your whole afternoon.”

“This one's dad's.” Sithini said. Looking at the display. “Cycloidal gears, I see.” Quif said.

“I've not seen involute on any of them.” Sithini said, “Involute is more tolerant of mistakes.”

“I'm confused,” Quif said, “other than decoration they're all the same: 6 jewelled standard self-winding watch. What's impressive about them?”

“Watchmaking is a traditional craft, Quif, you've told me that. Listen. They're all ticking in time.”

“An apprentice watch has to keep ticking for a day.” The gatekeeper said, coming in. “The journeyman watch has to keep time reasonably well. The masterpiece has to keep time just as well as other masterpiece watches. We're a guild, we stand together. You can experiment for commission pieces, if you really want to, young Quif, but you don't impress your guild-masters by trying to change the standard by the back door, which is what you'd do if submitted something that would keep better time than every other masterpiece watch. The standard can be changed if you've got a good enough design, but you've got to have five masters who can make one. You submit something that's that much better and you're telling five masters to drop their paid work and they need to try to copy you. That's really not going to impress.”

“I didn't understand,” Quif said, “Dad said I had to really do my very best, to shine...”

“'Course he did. Saying otherwise is my job. I trust you won't spread it, Sithinilakiina.”

“Certainly not, Master gatekeeper, all guilds have their little secrets.”

“The wizards know about things that keep time so well no mechanics can compare, Quif. Some of 'em you can even wear on your hand,” the gate keeper said.

“But they don't tick.” Sithini said, “You can't look at them and see them working. They don't fascinate, they're boring.”

“Your challenge is to present a watch that ticks as these tick, Quif. You may come and regulate it, of course, but when you say you are ready, it will sit in the stand there, and be tried. And I expect the wizardess here can tell you what the stand does.”

Sithini looked at the stand, and what she'd taken to be a weighing scale, saw there were microphones both on the stand and in the cabinets, and she understood, “A little time-saving wizardry. It compares the tick of the trial watch to the others.”

“Indeed. Saves a lot of waiting, that does. A second a week is the limit, most do a lot better.”

“There are thermal effects, though,” Sithini said.

“Oh yes. Regulating is even worse than getting them all agreeing when to tick.”

“May I place my father's on the stand, to see how long it takes to settle after I warm it up?”

“You're a cruel young woman, to deliberately do that.”

“You use a needle to synchronise the tick? I saw Dad doing that.”

“That's the way, yes.”

“In exchange for me warming Dad's watch, I'll offer you a rack of ten needles that pull out in time to start on time with the room's tick. I assume they all take a slightly different time to start?”

“Yes. You could do that?”

“A dial for each one to adjust how fast a starter it is? But that's a bit too crude. You'd spend as long setting the dial as doing it by ear. Will you trust me to have the machine put the needles in itself, do a test-start, see how slowly it starts and then restart it properly synchronised? I'd happily practice on rejected apprentice work before letting it near these precious pieces of course.”

“The case designs are all different, Sithini, there's no one place to put the needle.” Quif said.

“Of course there's one place to put the needle. It just varies,” Sithini retorted.

“Fine. Why not have them on a conveyor belt then?”

“Trust. I'd let the guildmaster position the needle-holder, it'd have a little light detector to see when the pendulum wheel is stopped, stick out its tongue, so to speak, and then pull it in at the right time.”

“Oh, I get it. Sorry.”

“Master gatekeeper, am I right to assume that the candidate must calibrate his watch without mechanical aid?”

“He's allowed to sit his watch on the stand, but he wouldn't be allowed whatever wizardry you're thinking of now. And I'd have to ask the other masters about automatic tick adjusters. I like the idea, but it doesn't take that long to get it right. No offence, wizardess.”

“Oh, none taken. It was just an idea. I come up with several things I could happily spend a week on per hour, so there's really no loss.”

“But you hinted you might be able to adjust a watch? Automatically?” the gatekeeper asked.

“Yes, but really, manually wouldn't be much slower. Put it on the stand to listen to the ticks, suitably held of course, adjust, listen, adjust. Ten or twelve cycles of that, halving you adjustment each time, and you don't have a long-arm vernier protractor fine enough to tweak it any more.”

“What's a long arm vernier protractor?” Quif asked.

“Take a clock, inscribe it to centiseconds, either using an apprentice on punishment detail or something mechanical like a worm drive connecting to a striking mechanism. Put the clock hand on the adjuster lever, with a vernier scale on the end, you do know what one of those is, do you?”

“I do. A striking mechanism to mark centiseconds! I like it! Yes, that makes perfect sense! Quif, your beautiful friend here is a genius, I do hope you're going to at least try to talk romance with her before someone else snaps her up.”

“Fear not, master gatekeeper,” Sithini said, “I've promised Quif he can have first try at winning my heart, once he's finished his masterpiece. But before I leave, and sadly I do have to, is there anything I can tell Lanthithanapoli about the watchseller?”

“Yes. Once he gets out of jail for false accounting and various other crimes against the state, then if he ever sells another watch it will be with the notice you suggested, with a few modifications by the guild. If he doesn't comply, then the guild have the ancient right to demand he become an apprentice watchmaker, with whatever the court leaves him with to be confiscated and then sold off item by items to cover the costs of feeding him until he becomes a journeyman or a qualified apprentice-assistant. So we'll make an honest worker out of him one way or another.”

“If he runs away, I've got a little device that can probably find him from about five hundred steps away, given something of his. I'm not offering it for general use, but in his case, I'll make an exception, I think.”

----------------------------------------

KELDI'S FAMILY ROOMS, THE COLLEGE OF WIZARDRY, SISTERDAY, 9TH WINTER

“I'm very sorry I got home so late last night, that's why I couldn't come. But Denas told me about an urm, incident yesterday at school that I found a little hard to believe.”

“But you believe him enough to come, anyway. That's progress, since I hear you don't believe I'm alive. If I do this” Keldi asked, unsheathing her talons, “does that in any way help you to believe your son?”

“That's quite convincing, yes,” Resha, also known as Tandetha, said, swallowing. “Urm, based on what I understood from what he told me, I did write this. I would urm, hate to make any mistake and publish a falsehood.”

“Are you always so careful not to give offence, Tandetha? Or do you prefer Resha?”

“Not always this careful, no, urm, sorry, how do I address you? Tandetha's just a pen-name use these days.”

“Call me Keldi. If you want to use a title, then the only one I use is Wizardess. Well, sometimes I use 'heir to the empty throne,' but that's either to parliament or people who are being dense. Parliament aren't always dense, just sometimes. While I read this, you might like to read this little... press release I guess you could call it. One of the advantages of being the heir is when I call parliament together they have a tendency to come. I can't imagine why. That's got most of what I told them, as Wizardess Keldi. As Keldithanapoli I made a few personal observations, but you're not supposed to even ask about those.”

“Strictly apolitical observations of course.”

“Oh, entirely. I did help someone with their maths. He said that it was useful to the police to have the law as it stood, and I helped him to realise that it probably meant his family shouldn't be breathing. Then I offered that if, once he'd finished killing off his family in a fit of judicial zeal, he ran out of energy when he came to himself, then I'd happily give him a hand in bashing his brains out. But helping someone do some maths and giving a hypothetical offer of help that I'm sure he wouldn't accept is a long way from being political isn't it?”

“Absolutely, it couldn't possibly be taken as a threat.”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“No. I mean, if I made a threat then being a thanapoli it's going to happen. We're quite well known for neither backing down nor going back on our word.”

“You are, aren't you. Journalists as a breed don't really have such a good reputation.”

“I'm not sure it's reputation, is it? It's just that the idiotic breeding program that made my family has bred into me a love of bloodshed, a pre-programmed fight-to-the death reflex, almost-Zerker speed without the dispassion I so envy them for, and just to top it all off, the brains to see how stupid it is. Like yesterday, Lanthi very very almost slaughtered her teacher. I'm immensely proud of her that she didn't. If it had been me, I expect he wouldn't still be alive. We basically have every ability in the book except patience, and self-control. Do you wonder I don't visit parliament very often?”

“I didn't know you existed, parliamentarians say nothing.”

“Have you seen the law on what happens to them if they do? And to you, of course.”

“But you're allowed to tell me?”

“I'm free to tell Resha, but it starts getting a bit political if I tell Tandetha, and very bad news for you if you write about it. And while I could do something about that law, it would be a mistake.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“Because my ancestress basically challenged parliament to get rid of public glorifications of bellicosity. The last thing you really want to do is have my words to parliament undoing that work. That law means I can state my hopes, my fears, my dreams and the things that make me wake up in the night wanting to kill someone — It's not a thanapoli thing to do to wake up screaming, by the way. We do sometimes wake up from dreams in which our friends and family are screaming in terror about what you're having fun doing, and then spend a lot of time praying that those things will never happen.”

“Urm, Keldi, how much of this is publishable?”

“I leave it to your discretion, Resha. Consider this a get-to-know you time if you like.”

“Urm, OK,” Resha said, not sure why she might need to get to know this eminently dangerous person.

“Have you skimmed that document?”

“Yes. It's terrible!”

“The high council of wizardry want you to publish it, in its entirety. I'd like you to understand, and add, if you like, that for the last two hundred years, the wizarding community have been looking out for yellow winterborns. We have suspected that evils like that are happening, we've never known it. And I can show you old documents, decisions from the council a hundred and fifty years ago. Any parent of a winterborn who feels their children are in danger will be welcomed, will be protected. We've published it, we've whispered it, on occasions we've shouted it. It happened only once, and it wasn't handled very well, I admit. The father brought his daughter and said, 'you want her, you look after her, then.' then he left, as fast as an angry Zerker can. That was the last we saw him. It's entirely possible that he ran himself to death, I don't know. Zerkers can, fairly easily.”

“I didn't know that.”

“How many breaths would you need to run five hundred metres without collapsing? How many would a Zerker get at full speed?”

“Ah, Right. Why are winterborns so important?”

“As you know, winterborns can hear thoughts. You might not know that the light from the closest stars in the sky takes years to get here, from most it's hundreds of years, thousands, or millions. A very very few of the aliens have a gift from God that let's them hear the thoughts of someone on a planet around a distant star, and send their thoughts instantly to any thought-hearer. God has chosen to give our planet a very reliable way of ensuring that our planet can stay in contact with the aliens, and we idiotic murderous reds and oranges have been killing them off as soon as they were born, because they ruin our petty plans for revenge and murder. It makes me so angry I was very tempted to say, right, parliament, let's just traumatise the greens and have a traditional contest, only with no survivors. You know about the contests, do you?”

“Mother told me, yes. She says we never took part, which is why I told my boys, if you see a red girl, then don't tell her you're a thought-hearer, and it's OK to be a bit scared. If she says she's noble, then it's OK to be petrified, they're scary and we're cowards.”

“Wear that title with pride, Resha. I mean it. Your ancestors were never so greedy, so proud, that they sacrificed their sons and daughters to that stupidity.”

“Not all of them were orange. Dad's noble. He wasn't happy about me talking to Tlag. Made me quite reject my faith, that did.”

“What's your dad's name?”

“Tathig of the great and noble Tan clan.” Resha said.

Keldi nodded, “I can see the resemblance. It's almost thirty years since I last had a shouting match with your dad. I'll happily have another one, you never know, it might convince him he's wrong, or at least wound him a bit. So, do you want to meet Tagelah and Talinth? Don't expect much sense out of them, since they're fluffballs. But your cousin is happy to talk to you, although she doesn't think you're a relative.”

“My cousin?”

“Tanepoli, who was starving herself to death because of the crimes of some relative. If it was her mother or her uncle or someone else I don't know.”

“Tanepoli married a Zerker?” Resha asked, in shock.

“Yes.”

“And... and dad sent her fluffballs to the hool?”

“We don't know that, but the leader of your father's clan has prayed fervently that the ruling line of the Tan will be henceforth thought-hearing yellows. Introduce your cousin to your sons, Taresha, and see if you can bring yourself to reclaim your name and your faith. You will also have the chance to interview the sheriff of Hnut who's chief investigator in the hool case, and various wizards who helped.”

“Wizards don't intervene.”

“No? What am I doing now? What have I promised your sons? These little boxes I give to you to give them.” She handed over small tubes, with a button on one end. “They are not limited to a single use or even a dozen, but nor will they last more than about ten hours before they need recharging. Press the button on the end, with the other one pointing away from people, preferably straight up. It makes a protective ball of force and assuming they remember to press the button, it will protect them from falling tree, collapsing house, club, or Zirknife; them and anyone they can embrace.”

“And from royal talons too?” Resha asked, fingering one of the metal tubes.

“Yes. That's an interesting idea. I wonder if the teacher would have thought to use it if he had one. Not thought to use it, I expect.”

“Since he didn't believe she existed.”

“Hmm. I wonder who'd been publishing such things. Take that story to your editor, Taresha.”

“I hate that name.”

“No, you hate what you think that name represents. After lunch, my family will be going to Hnut. Kand, my husband, and I can easily take your family too. You are, after all, my distant cousin as well as Tanepoli's. Your editor will be very cross with you if she hears you've passed up historic stories like these.”

“Stories plural?”

“The disgusting hool, your interview with me, your interview with head of the noble house of Tan on why she deliberately decided to seek out a blue she could love, the construction of the new school of wizardry in Hnut, how Janithanapoli, and Keldithanapoli married non-bellicose husbands, and what Lanthithanapoli thinks now that she seems to have found herself one. Why we retain power when the original, southern royal line are still around, and still far smarter than us. And of course you can ask Sithinilakiina for her perspective too. Oh, and maybe Wizard-at-large Dirak will tell you all about when he uses wizardry as Sheriff and when he doesn't. You're going to be a very busy reporter, sorry.”

“All in an evening?”

“No, the villagers are very hospitable, you'll be staying with some peace-loving oranges up there. Oh, I almost forgot, on Skyday there's going to be a little history lecture by myself, maybe with the venerable lady Yanepoli saying some things too, and we're going to dedicate some fields as a cemetery for the thousands of fluffballs that died under them, centuries ago. And I really want to see what happens when your boys meet Yalinth.”

“Who's Yalinth?”

“A very determined six year old winterborn, due to inherit whatever power is left as head of of the Yant clan.”

“Remind me, what's the traditional holding of the Yants? I can't remember.”

“I had to look it up too, which is embarrassing. It's the whole upper part of the Utt valley.”

“That used to be a powerful family, then.”

“Very. Yanepoli seems to quite like the idea of her ancestral home becoming the second school of wizardry. But it was over-titled Dirak's idea.”

“Over-titled?”

“Zerker, Sheriff, and Wizard-at-large? I always thought two was too many. He's a good lad though. You are coming, aren't you?”

“It sounds like I'd be a fool not to. Is Tanepoli very fierce?”

“I've not actually met her, but she'd been starving herself for two weeks, that's a long time for an adult.”

“Why starve herself?”

“She named her daughters Talinth and Tagelah. Do you know what that signifies?”

“Not really. I know that the oldest adult with the name Tanepoli rules, otherwise, no.”

“-gelah, or -gel means eldest, -linth means mother. A -gelah can name a -linth, either one of her own daughters or a niece. A -linth's first daughter is normally -epoli. No one other than them and the -epoli has the right to give those names, I don't know if that's still law, but it's a strong custom. If one of them cuts herself off from the family, or dies, then the -epoli can name another in the next generation. But without an -epoli, a -gelah or a -linth, the line is dead, the Tan would be no more than a memory. By naming them that, Tanepoli said 'there is no future for the Tan except my daughters'. Then she lost her faith in the future entirely.”

“It was a challenge, wasn't it?”

“It was. As was Yagel naming her daughter Yalinth, of course.”

“But how can the lines continue? Wasn't she saying that the there's no future in the noble families at all?”

“If your sons find themselves yellow wives, Taresha, you should expect yellow grand-children.”

“That's a nice thought!”

“As long as people stop using dyes, of course.”

----------------------------------------

HNUT

“Wow,” Gangar, Rangar's nephew exclaimed quietly. “Who is she?”

“That's Keldithanapoli,” Rangar said, “So I'd guess that's Lanthithanapoli.”

“If you'll excuse me, uncle, I'll just go and make myself acquainted.”

“Can if you like, but be careful, she might have an understanding with someone.”

“She's looking pretty friendly to Yalb, so I guess not,” Gangar said over his shoulder, setting off at a run.

“Shouldn't we have told him, Dad?” Girt asked.

“No, lad. Not our place. But we probably ought to go and make sure he doesn't get stupid.”

----------------------------------------

“I think grandma's going to be impressed,” Yalb said, “I know I am.”

“Your crest is saying that quite clearly, yes.” Lanthi agreed. “How did your arm-wrestle go?”

“I beat her more easily than I beat you, she put the log down on exactly fifteen seconds. And you're going to witness me being flattened by Girt.”

“Has he tried the log?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“And did you tell anyone I was sitting on it?”

“No.”

“You were what, Lanthi?” Keldi asked.

“He claimed I didn't weigh much, and the log was OK, so I made it more challenging.”

“Uh oh, here's Gangar,” Yalb said.

“He does look a bit Lanthin, doesn't he?” Keldi said.

Lanthi whispered, “Yalb, don't worry,” then called “Hello Gangar! Yalb told me quite a lot about you the other day. I'm Lanthithanapoli, this is my mother, Keldithanapoli, and my father, Kand of the Keleds.”

“What's he been saying about me?”

“That you're part Lanthin, that you and your brother are pure-bloods too, and that you were another of the three that almost started a small war over Sithinilakiina, which would have been really stupid, since she's a green, and not interested in muscular displays one bit.”

“Stupid dyes,” Gangar muttered.

“No, stupid boys not knowing their histories,” Keldi corrected.

“Sithini is the green-turned-red, heir of the southern throne. I mean, who else but royalty would name their daughter after Sittin? Speaking as a long term resident.... Yes, I live there, but it's not that pretty. I'm glad Laneth is pretty, no qualms about naming Lanthi after that district.”

“In our defence, Keldi, we didn't hear Sithini's full name,” Yalb said, “and conquest era history tends to be forgotten in school.”

“Sometimes I think history gets forgotten in school,” Lanthi said, “My teacher didn't even know the first thing about the contests.”

“This is the one you almost diced?” Keldi asked.

“Yes.”

“A word of advice, boys.” Kand said, “don't call any thanapoli a liar. It ought to be on a list of creative ways of suicide, somewhere above dressing up as a growler then surprising a thlunk.”

“What made him do that, Lanthi?” Yalb asked, shocked.

“I washed my feathers, but he thought I'd dyed them.”

“Idiot of a teacher,” Yalb said. “You don't get colour like yours out of a bottle.”

“He realised his mistake when I showed the class my talons. Praise God for Tang interrupting and calling the teacher a complete idiot, or my talons and the floor would have matched my feathers. Anyway, Yalb, are you going to introduce us to your parents? I'd like to meet them and I'm sure mummy's looking forward to talking about dynastic necessities.”

“Certainly, my lady! See you around, Gangar.”

“'My lady'? You're pushing it a bit aren't you Yalb?” Gangar exploded, “You might be playing tour guide but don't think you're getting her all to yourself!”

“Gangar,” Yalb said, “if Lanthi or her parents think I'm pushing it, I'm sure they'll say.”

“Do you see these, Gangar?” Lanthi said. Gangar did see her talons, and he also saw her feathers were back, ready for battle. “I guess you haven't heard, but Yalb is entirely correct to call me his as we have an understanding, and these say that no one else is butting in at all. You can debate that with my talons if you really want to, but I expect your crest will need sewing back on if you try. Or your head. Now, remember, don't call me a liar; don't challenge me unless you want to grovel in the mud in apology or be carried off to the doctor, possibly in too many pieces to be put back together. I'm a thanapoli, we have four centuries of not backing down, and this is me being patient, and probably all the warning you get. Now, turn and leave.”

He did, with a look of total shock.

“Sorry about that, Yalb,” Lanthi said, “I thought I'd better set him straight.”

“Have I ever told you you're a bit scary?” Yalb asked.

“Only a bit? That's all right then,”

“How much of that was exaggerated, Lanthi?” Keldi asked.

“I asked my talons what they thought of coming out to play, and they didn't mind one bit. My feathers were back there on their own, though. I mean 'don't think you're getting her all to yourself?' What am I, a slab of meat?”

“It looks like you're entirely too lively for Gangar,” Rangar said, coming up with his son. “Your daughter, I presume, Keldi?”

“Yes. Rangar, Girt, this is Lanthi and my husband Kand of the Keleds. Did Tanepoli say she was going to be interviewed?”

“Yes, she did.”

“We've just dropped the reporter off with Dirak, but there's a twist. I think I ought to forewarn Tanepoli.”

“Girt, did Yagah ask you to tell Ganeth and Gangar?” Yalb asked.

“Ganeth said he was going to pass it on,” Girt said.

“I did warn Gangar you might have an understanding with someone,” Rangar said, “he wasn't interested in caution. I'd say you handled that youngster very well. Lanthi.”

“Thank you,” Lanthi smiled.

“I hear we're going to arm wrestle for Yagah's amusement, Yalb,” Girt said.

“Yes, and then we get to watch Lanthi and Yagah having a go.”

“Fair's fair,” Girt said.

“Don't assume it's going to be a pushover, Girt,” Rangar said, “I've heard rumours about these Yants.”

“Have you tried lifting that log that Dirak brought back from Qnut, Girt?” Lanthi asked.

“Yagah told me you wouldn't tell Yalb how long.”

“He managed for more than half a minute, with me tickling him.”

“Lanthi was sitting on it too,” Keldi said, in disapproving terms.

“I wasn't quite sitting. I was trying to get him to put it down before my time was up, and tickling didn't work, so I added my weight too.” Lanthi said unrepentantly. “Making sure to keep my toes out of the way.”

“Lanthi seems to have a habit of setting tests and then making sure they're not very valid,” Yalb said. “I guess I ought to warn Yagah.”

“Not at all,” Keldi said. “That's a friendly challenge. Lanthi's strength tests were play. Quite a difference to the thanapoli mind.”

“Yes.” Lanthi said, “Friendly challenges happen without name calling, without blood, and without tickling. Play might involve tickling, or otherwise trying to put the opponent off, and unfriendly challenges are a very bad idea.”

“Let's make sure Yagah understands,” Girt said, “sometimes she gets excited and calls people names.”

“Hello, Keldithanapoli!” Yalinth said, bouncing up. “Hello Lanthi! Yalb's been doing a lot of thinking about you. I like your red feathers, they're pretty.”

“Thank you Yalinth. I've been doing a lot of thinking about Yalb too,” Lanthi said.

“Can I see your talons?”

“Yes, but don't touch, they're sharp.”

“Ohh, pretty! Keldi, Bob Sathi Bill says he's happy you're going to make another school. And he might have time to talk on Skyday.”

“When did he say that?” Keldi said.

“Just after I said you worried about lots of things.”

“Was that today?”

“Yes, it's not fair. He told me to eat my vegetables too, just like mummy.”

“Guess what I think about eating vegetables.” Keldi suggested.

“I don't need to guess.”

“Can you decide not to listen?” Lanthi asked.

“Yes.” Yalinth said.

“Well, if you know that someone isn't going to hurt you, then why not guess when they say guess?”

“They've already thought of it.”

“Oh, that's sad. Don't listen,” Lanthi said.

“You're going to try to surprise me.”

“I am. Do you like surprises?”

“If they're funny,” Yalinth said.

“Does Yalb like surprises?”

“I'm in a constant state of surprise around you, Lanthi.”

“He does, yes.” Yalinth said.

“OK, well you stand there, and Yalb, you stand there, no, back a bit, and get ready.”

“Lanthi, when did you last try this?” Keldi asked.

“A while ago, mummy.”

“If your feathers get broken, it's entirely your fault.”

“I know that.”

“Now, Yalinth, have you guessed yet?”

“No.”

“Have you heard?”

“No.”

“Can you make yourself blink?”

Yalinth very slowly closed her eyes. “Like that?”

“No, like you suddenly see a fly going towards your eye. Much better! Now, I'm going to say 'OK' and sometime after that, Yalb is going to say 'go', and when he does he'd better be ready, and when he says 'go', you blink. And if you can't see me, then turn round and look at Yalb, OK?”

“You're going to jump over me while I blink?”

“Do you think I can?”

“No.”

“So maybe I'm not going to, but maybe I'm going to prove you're wrong. And maybe I'm going to surprise you. And maybe my mummy's right and I'll need to borrow some feather glue from someone.”

“Why is it so important that you surprise me?”

“Because surprises are fun sometimes, and I like surprising people. Especially people who don't get many surprises.”

“Please bear in mind the ground is frozen solid, and we're all waiting in the cold for you to make a fool out of yourself, Lanthi.” Kand said.

“It's a trick isn't it?” Yalinth said.

“Of course it's a trick. But what sort of trick is it?”

“Complicated,” Yalinth said, “and confusing.”

“The best ones are.” Lanthi said, checking where people were. She drew a deep breath, held her hands out wide, bent her knees and then straightening up said, “OK, let's go in then.”

“What?” Yalinth asked, outraged. “You're not going to do anything?”

“Did I surprise you?”

“Yes.”

“Was it a good surprise?”

“No.”

“OK, let's try again then shall we?” Lanthi said, repeating her procedure. “Are you sure you don't want to go in? Your great grandma is waiting, I expect.”

“You're teasing me.”

“No, I'm helping you get ready for the surprise,” Lanthi said, took another deep breath, and said, “Now look at me, and don't forget to blink. OK, Yalb.”

Not knowing what to expect at all, Yalb said “Go!"

Yalinth looked around at Yalb, confused. Lanthi had indeed vanished. She looked at Yalb, who was grinning, but not holding Lanthi.

“Boo.” Lanthi said, from resting on the ground just in front of her in press-up position. “Good trick?”

“How did you get there? You weren't there just now!”

“You were looking up at me, and I'd made you expect that I'd be jumping somewhere even if it wasn't into Yalb's arms, and I told you to look round. You looked up, you looked round, but you didn't look down. Stand back!”

And then Lanthi was back on her feet.

“And barely a feather out of place,” her mother said. “But you might want to wash your hands.”

“Good job the ground's frozen,” Yanepoli said from the doorway. “It's a long time since I played that trick on anyone. Did you enjoy the trick, Yalinth?”

“Yes, great-grandma.”

“See, surprises come in all shapes and sizes.” Yanepoli said.

“They do,” Lanthi agreed, “Still ready, Yalb?” And she jumped; flipping over Yalinth's head, and into Yalb's arms. “I love that surprise ending. You're a good catcher, Yalb, well done.”

“You did it!” Yalinth said, “You jumped right over me!”

“Yes.”

“But I'd started listening again!” Yalinth exclaimed.

“I already knew what I'd do, so I didn't need to think about it,” Lanthi said.

“That's a pretty impressive move,” Yanepoli said.

“Yathanapoli invented it as far as I know, or maybe Zalathanapoli,” Keldi said. “It sort of goes with the talons. It's a few years since I did it, and I'm certainly not going to try it now, since I'm carrying. But combined with the talons..., you can guess it's bad news for an opponent's crests or feathers.”

“You've surprised me, young Lanthithanapoli, and I think you've shocked young Yalb out of his senses, but he's got a smile on his face and a spring in his step which is nice to see. Welcome to what's left of my domain.”

“I humbly thank you for your welcome, lady Yanepoli. May your domain be secure wherever the Yant dwell.”

“Hmm, I don't suppose you'd like to repeat that sentiment to my eldest daughter, would you?”

“I have a request to make of you, Yanepoli,” Keldi said, “which I had planned to deliver formally, as I promised. But as I am within your domain I will touch on it, and accede to your wishes. Your eldest daughter, who uses the name Hnayagelah, sends her regrets for harsh words in the past, and asks if she would be welcome to visit.”

“Eldest Yant Rebel?” Yanepoli asked, deciphering the name easily, “Well, of her generation anyway. Does she wish to change her name once more then?”

“I think that would confuse her friends and family. She's married to the member of parliament for Bothet, Bob of the Bothin.”

“She married a noble!”

“She specifically asked me to let you know that; and no, she says, the irony wasn't lost on her. Parliamentary vacations need to be spent in the constituency, so if she is to come it would need to be by wizardry. Since there's going to be a lot of coming and going, I don't see that as presenting a problem these days. I understand that she did try to ask if there was anyone coming up this way some years ago, but no one was, and she didn't say why.”

“Yalb, run and get your mother for me. Tell her I'm stubborn to the point of stupidity and I really hope she's been keeping those letters safe that I told her to burn. Hopefully, the younger Yant Rebel has been rebellious in her own way. Does she have children, Keldithanapoli?”

“I know one daughter, who was rather surprised to hear Sithini pronouncing my full name, and told hers in exchange. I'm afraid. I've not spoken to her about siblings. I'm not sure if she knows what her name means. My request was to have been that you house her once the building work starts; she's an apprentice wizard.”

“You're planning to have a granddaughter of mine /shovelling mud/?” Yanepoli asked.

“Oh, I doubt it. We wouldn't want to embarrass the boys showing off their muscles, would we? No, she'll be making sure that things end up in the right place, that sort of thing, but maybe she'll decided to showing that she can lift more than a blue of either gender from time to time. You'll house her?”

“Of course I'll house her, Keldithanapoli! What's her name?”

“She goes by Hna, but her mother named her Hnayalinth.”

“Well, I can hardly blame her.” Yanepoli said “If I go taking her name from her and giving it to her equally rebellious niece... Stupid, stupid, innate bellicosity and noble pigheadedness at work once again. Someone ought to bash our collective heads together, eh, Keldithanapoli?”

“I believe those were my mother's words, yes. Yalinth, tell your grandma what I'm thinking now, when she gets here.”

“About me and Tagelah?”

“Yes.”

“Can't you say it? It's complicated.”

“Well if I say it then it makes your grandma's life a bit more complicated than it is now. But if you tell her that's what I'm thinking then it's easier for her to disagree.”

“I don't understand,” Yalinth said.

“That's because you're still little,” Lanthi said, picking her up, “and you've got a lot more growing up to do. So do you want to whisper it to me, and then I can tell your granny?”

“Yalb likes you. ”

“I like Yalb, and I think I'm going to like you, too. You don't mind if I like you, do you?”

“You're funny!”

“Yalb thinks I'm scary too, but I try to be funny and nice much more that I'm scary.”

“Yes. It's easy to be cross and hard to be nice, but God wants us to be nice. That's why you want to marry Yalb?”

“Yes. So my children find it easier to be nice.”

The door opened, and Yathin came in with some slightly browned letters. “You told me to stick them in the stove like I did for the first one, mother. As you see, I obeyed you to the letter.”

“Hmph. You put them in the oven didn't you?”

“It's part of the stove, isn't it?”

“Good girl. Do you know why your sister hasn't come home?”

“No, mother.”

“She married a politician, Bob of the Bothin. Very duty-conscious the Bothins. By law he has to spend his spare time somewhere in his constituency.”

“So Yagelah did find a noble husband, but couldn't bring him?”

“I bet these letters tell me exactly that.”

“You're not going to be good company once you start reading them, Mother.”

“Ha! You think I am now? I have some news to catch up on, and then I think I will pray about how to reply, and probably weep also. I believe the youngsters have decided on some friendly competitions. Do try to keep things civil, parents, the carpet is not what it once was, but I still treasure it.”

“Will someone introduce me to Tanepoli?” Keldi asked.

----------------------------------------

TANEPOLI'S ROOM

After Yanepoli had done the introductions and left to read the old letters, Keldi said, “Tanepoli, Dirak said you'd told him the reporter was not a relative?”

“Yes?”

“She's here in Hnut, but her name used to be Taresha.”

“My cousin. Uncle Tathig said she'd died.”

“She ran to the city to marry, and accepted no visitors in the house while her boys were under a year old, then and died them blue, just in case word got back to him. Apparently he told her that if she spoke to Tlag, her husband, again, she was out of the house, and if she dared to marry Tlag against his wishes then he'd make sure none of her kids grew up.”

“Tathig. He's always been so quiet after Taresha supposedly 'died', but he was always determined. I never suspected. But yes, he has business contacts. Can you bring Taresha up, Keldi? And her family if they wish to come. I would like to hear from Taresha what her father said, and if she has any witness other than her own flight and his lies. I have little power as head over my clan, but I will use it.”

“You may find you have more than you think, if any of his business deals have used the clan name.”

“Oh, I'm sure that they have, yes. Would you be able to put me in touch with a wizard in the city, preferably one who knows a lawyer not at all connected to my clan?”