Arturyn went to give rings to their driver and to the front guards. Erin looked down at the one he had just handed her. It seemed to be made of a silvery metal and was about five inches in diameter and maybe a quarter of an inch wide. She didn’t see how it was going to stay on her arm. It was much too large. But she obediently slipped it over her left hand.
Immediately, the ring glowed white and contracted, shrinking down until it fit snugly around her wrist. Erin stared at it with raised eyebrows.
Magic really did take some getting used to....
She looked up to see Kirchel already climbing back into the carriage and followed after her. A minute later, Arturyn rejoined them.
“What exactly are these things?” Erin asked him as the carriage started moving again. She held her left arm up, looking at her new bracelet.
“Well, first and foremost, they’re tracking devices,” Arturyn said, pulling one last ring out of the bag and sliding it onto his own wrist. “You’ll notice that you can’t take it off by yourself. All foreign visitors have to wear them as long as they’re in Raylmiyr. It allows the government to know exactly where you are at all times.”
“Well, that’s friendly....” Erin made a face at the silver band on her wrist.
Arturyn gave her a rueful smile. “Nirayls aren’t exactly known for their trusting natures. Especially not when they’re dealing with humans and Silmariths. But there are some good sides to having to wear these.
"For one thing, the fact that the Nirayl government can locate you instantly greatly reduces your chances of getting lost or getting into trouble. Most of Raylmiyr is heavily forested and is full of dangerous animals and plants. The Nirayls like it that way, and they have the skills to deal with that kind of environment. But for us, taking a jaunt across the country alone would be downright suicidal. They keep close watch on visitors partly to keep them safe.
"The other advantage is that they enchant these bands to allow the wearer to understand Nirayl speech. And Nirayls can understand whatever language we speak. So by using the bands, both sides can use their native languages and still understand each other. That's important, because we’re not physically capable of producing their speech, and most Nirayls aren't physically capable of producing ours. There are a few who are able to change their form to mimic a Silmarith or human. Kirchel's mother is obviously one of them. But most either can't or don't want to."
“You were talking to that turquoise-colored Nirayl before you were wearing a band, though, weren't you?” Erin asked. “So you could already understand them? How did you manage to learn all these languages that you can’t even speak?”
“I didn’t,” Arturyn said simply. “The only languages I actually know are Silmarith and English. And I probably wouldn’t have learned English if it weren’t for Kirchel.”
Erin blinked. “But then how…?” She looked down at her bracelet again. “Oh. Magic?"
Arturyn nodded. “It’s one of the perks of being the Emperor. See, when the Empire was founded, the new government invited the rulers of a number of other countries to a special ceremony to mark the beginning of the Imperial Government and its diplomatic relations with the other governments of Isil-Gal. The foreign rulers who came all exchanged gifts with the new emperor as a sign of friendship.
"One of the gifts that the emperor was given was the ability of language extraction. And the king who gave it to him must have been a pretty amazing mage, since he somehow made the enchantment so that it could be passed down to all the other emperors since then.”
“'Language extraction?'” Erin repeated blankly. “What’s that? It sounds kind of painful....”
Arturyn laughed. “No, it’s not painful at all. It’s a kind of Thryith magic, which is more mentally-oriented than our Elarith magic is. Language extraction means that I can take the knowledge of a language from someone else. You can speak to me in any language you like, and as long as you know what you’re saying, I’ll know what you’re saying. And I’ll be able to speak that language while I'm near you—as long as I’m physically able to, of course.”
“Like how I can understand and speak Silmarith when I’m around Jechrin?”
“Well, kind of.” Arturyn’s expression grew more serious. “I think what he's been doing with you is actually what’s called ‘language projection.’ It's like the opposite of language extraction. You weren’t taking the knowledge of Silmarith from him—he was giving it to you. It’s an even more advanced kind of Thryith magic.”
Kirchel frowned. “What do you mean? Jechrin couldn’t be doing Thryith magic at all, let alone at that level. He’s a Silmarith, remember?”
“I thought he was...” Arturyn said quietly. “But I don’t think a pure-blooded Silmarith would be able to do what he was doing with Erin. Not at such a young age and without highly advanced training, anyway.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“So...what? You think he’s part Nirayl or something?” Erin asked finally.
“He could be,” Arturyn said, looking thoughtful. “But Nirayls aren’t the only species that uses Thryith magic. And they're not the most skilled when it comes to language-related things. They’re best at illusionary magic and working with animals and plants. No, for him to be that skilled when he’s only fifteen, I think it’s more likely he has blood from another Thryith species. And quite a lot of it, for that matter.”
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“Not necessarily.” Kirchel was looking disgruntled. “He wouldn’t have to have that much non-Silmarith blood to be able to use Thryith magic. And then he could just be very talented. It’s not unheard of for teenagers to already be doing advanced magic when they start at Zeiryn.”
Arturyn raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like the idea of being related to someone who’s got Thryith blood?”
“Half my family has Thryith blood, remember?” Kirchel said irritably. “I don’t care what kind of blood Jechrin has. And I’m not related to him, anyway.”
“Not yet. But the way things have gone this last week, it seems likely that at least one of you two is going to end up with the name ‘Lin-Talinde’ in the future.” Arturyn sighed. “Though I do rather hope it’s Erin….”
There was another long silence. Kirchel had turned her head to look out the window, so Erin couldn’t really see her expression, but she seemed to be chewing on her lower lip. Arturyn sighed again and leaned back in his seat, looking tired and worn.
He had been having a very stressful couple of weeks, Erin reminded herself. She wondered if he ever got to take vacations. He definitely looked like he could use one.
Erin leaned against the side of the carriage, watching the ravine wall passing by outside the window. Her eyes were stinging with tiredness due to having woken up so early. She let them droop a bit as she gazed absently at the grey rock moving past, and a short time later she felt herself starting to slide towards sleep.
“Erin?”
Erin opened her eyes and turned to look at Kirchel, who was moving over to the opposite seat.
“There, go ahead and lie down,” Kirchel said, smiling a little. “You look like you could use a nap.”
“Oh. Okay...thanks.” Erin unfastened her cloak and stretched out on the seat. Then she spread the cloak over her and laid her head down on her arms.
Within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep.
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Erin opened her eyes some time later and looked up to see that the rock cliffs outside the carriage had been replaced by dense forest. Huge, gnarled trees loomed over the road, and she saw several brightly colored birds flitting around in the branches.
She watched the forest passing by for a minute or two and then turned over and put her head back down. She was facing the other seat now, and she was surprised to see that Kirchel had pulled her legs up onto the seat and was unashamedly leaning against Arturyn, her head on his shoulder. He had his arm around her and his cheek resting against her hair. They were talking quietly in Silmarith, and neither of them seemed to notice that Erin was awake.
She looked at them a moment longer and then closed her eyes again, her brow furrowing a little.
Kirchel’s behavior since they had gotten to Katan Jyrat really didn’t make much sense. One minute she and Arturyn were best friends, and the next she was snarling at him or off kissing Teral. It was completely unlike the steady, sensible Kirchel that Erin had known before.
She didn’t understand what had made her cousin change like that, but she thought it was admirable of Arturyn to tolerate it so well. He really was a very nice person. Erin sincerely hoped that everything would work out with the Nirayl king—for Arturyn’s sake as much as Kirchel’s.
She yawned and burrowed her face into her arms. She still felt drowsy. She lay there listening to the sound of the carriage wheels turning and the murmur of Kirchel’s and Arturyn’s voices.
Before long, she had drifted off to sleep again.
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“This is the capital city? Where are all the buildings?”
Erin was leaning close to the carriage window, looking out at the forest. She couldn’t see any buildings at all—just the occasional rough path leading off the road into the trees.
“Well, it’s the capital, but it’s not a city,” Arturyn explained. “Not as we think of cities, anyway. Since Nirayls can fly, they can get around more easily than we do on foot. So they live more spread out. They also prefer to leave the forest as undisturbed as possible. There are probably quite a few buildings close by. We just can’t see them because the trees are so thick. But we’ll reach the government complex in a few minutes.”
As Arturyn had said, the thick forest surrounding the road soon gave way to a large, relatively clear area that was filled with an impressive-looking cluster of buildings. The road led into the center of the group, where the largest and most impressive building stood.
Unlike most of the smaller structures, which were made of polished wood, this one was made of some kind of pale gold stone that glittered in the sunlight. A single tower rose from the center of the building, reaching high above the other buildings and surrounding forest.
They came to a stop in front of the golden building, and Arturyn helped Erin and Kirchel climb out of the carriage again.
“Now, stay close to Kirchel,” he told Erin in a low voice. “And don’t say anything unless someone speaks to you first. Nirayls don’t have much patience with humans—especially young humans. So be as polite as you can.”
Erin nodded, feeling rather nervous. She hoped she wouldn’t make the Nirayls angry, especially since it was so important for Kirchel and Arturyn to convince the Nirayl king to help them.
Arturyn gave her a reassuring smile and then turned toward the entrance to the golden building, where an official-looking Nirayl with pale blue wings was standing, apparently waiting to greet them. There were two rows of guards lining the path up to the front doors, mounted on the same huge, spotted cats as the earlier group of guards.
Kirchel and Erin followed Arturyn toward the waiting Nirayl, with the counselors and their wives following behind them. Their guards and drivers didn’t move, and Erin guessed that they were going to be staying somewhere else.
That thought didn’t really comfort her....
The Nirayls all seemed to be watching them with expressions of great disdain, as though they thought Silmariths deserved about as much respect as an earthworm. Erin stayed close to Kirchel, trying not to look at the Nirayls’ haughty faces or at their cats’ gleaming teeth and claws.
When they neared the waiting Nirayl, Arturyn stopped and spoke to him in Silmarith, inclining his head respectfully.
“Welcome,” the man replied, not sounding at all as though he meant it. “I am Chancellor Mieraen. His Majesty, King Aieryl, has asked me to conduct you to his audience chambers. He would like to see you before you are taken to your rooms. Please follow me.”
He turned, his icy blue wings sweeping behind him, and led them through the carved wooden doors into the glittering, golden palace.