Gorion woke Rosalea just as she requested and she had some satisfaction in informing Annie she might consider trading her for the gelding, much to the mare’s annoyance. Rosalea yawned, gave the soup to the pigs in the back and spent some of the silver change from her gold piece on things to comprise a day’s meals in bread, fruit, cheese, and meat. She took a moment to look around her and take in the surroundings.
River’s End was a very precise name for this place. It was built over where a river met a lake on both the land and water. The central square stood over the center of the river, which was where the market was. Commerce came here not just by road, but down the river as well. The whole town was oriented around the commerce that took place. Ian had requested the booth many months in advance. The central square was set up so that there were indoor areas of wood that could be locked from the inside. Each indoor area contained several stalls and a sleeping area, and was big enough to bring an average wagon indoors. Then, at dawn, merchants could set up shop, where there was a booth constructed just to the side of the door that led to the indoor area. Rosalea rather thought the scheme accommodating and ingenious. Her only objection was the marshy and murky smell of the surrounding land.
Before waking Rhainnon, she reached into her magic and closed off all her other magics for a moment, so she could give what deep, or Essa, magic she had an opportunity to take over. Essa magic was the magic of magic, the rawest form of it. It let people use it as a weapon, create barriers with it, and see the magical currents in the world clearly. She saw just raw magic glimmerings in herself, but after a moment, she started to see something in Rhainnon. After several moments of staring, she determined why she could not see Rhainnon’s magic very well. It did not have a color. It was black. Wait, so does that mean Rhainnon decided to stop before she finished organizing? Or does that mean that she is…? Rosalea had a hard time accepting the possibility that Rhainnon was Uryan. Rhainnon has to be too old for her magic to be undeveloped. Yet, it was why Uryan magic always showed as black magic, it was not finished developing until a liana bond was formed.
She remained focused with her Essa magic down or off, as she moved to Rhainnon’s side and shook the girl awake. Rhainnon blinked thickly and looked up at her. She blinked again. “Rosalea, you… are glowing?”
Rosalea tried to think what that meant. She remembered that everyone had seemed to glow a little when she had first woken… and that had to do with weather magic, and the heat that they gave off? “Rhainnon, did you entirely untangle the river?”
Rhainnon yawned and stretched, nodding. “Uh huh, and I even put the dark blue strands together on one side and the black on the other.”
Rosalea sat back. So, that can only mean Rhainnon is a changer? But she has the bluest eyes I have ever seen… what color were Ian’s and Haidi’s? Rosalea found she couldn’t remember with confidence. She was sure they hadn’t been yellow though. How could Rhainnon be a changer?
Rhainnon sat up. “I am so hungry!” she said. “Hey, the food is only sort of glowing!” Rosalea was silent, not sure what to say. Accusing someone to be at least partially changer was a dangerous move in the best of situations. At least, that is what she had been raised to believe. After a moment, “What is it, Rosalea?”
Rosalea fidgeted. “Were there other colors than blue or black?” she asked, handing Rhainnon some food.
Rhainnon shook her head, taking a hearty bite of her food. “No, just blue and black. Mostly blue though.” She began eating hardily, and around mouthfuls asked, “What does it mean?”
Rosalea took a deep, deep breath. How am I supposed to tell you that you must, somehow, in your heritage, have some Uryan ancestry? She let out her breath slowly. “Magic is recognizable by colors that coordinate well. My teacher said it was because the Gods wanted us to understand it…” Rosalea shook herself. That was an irrelevant bit of material. “Anyway, green coordinates with plant Vitae magics, gray coordinates with the master magic named essa… richer blues and purles indicates imber, paler blue or silvery magics often represent caelus, which those two get lumped into just “weather” magic because they overlap somewhat. The last colors are browns and and grays - those usually mean terra magic, or if a more gold color of brown, or red, animal-based vitae, or changer, magic,” Rhainnon smiled brightly. Rosalea looked away all together, not able to face how she was about to alter that smile. If she takes this badly, this could be the last thing I say to her. “Changer magic is unique, you see. Changer magic is rumored to be the favored magic according to Ieshan lore. To the Ieshans was given the ability to enforce their will upon others, to slay with a glance, to alter shape and go anywhere. Before the Uryans left the Ieshans… or the other way around possibly, the changer magic also had the ability to heal even the gravest of wounds save those that were fatal or needed to replace whole missing limbs…” She could see even from the edge of her vision that Rhainnon was frowning. “Mature changer magic shows as brown. Ieshans by nature have mature magic, when it is ready to be sorted, it no longer shows as black. Uryans, it is different. Uryans are gifted with animal companions that greatly enhance their powers and abilities. These animals are called liana. Until a Uryan is bonded with a liana, the magic shall show as black.”
Rhainnon was silent. Her face looked a bit… pained. She looked away and set aside her half-eaten breakfast. Rosalea slowly stood up and walked away from her. She fed Gorion and Annie in silence, and prepared to move the wagon with Caelus magic. Rhainnon watched her and then turned back to her food. All was silence. Rosalea pushed the wagon out of the indoor area with her magic, and began stacking crates inside the booth. Rhainnon said nothing as Rosalea worked.
At last she finished her breakfast and walked over. She didn’t look at Rosalea. “My great-grandfather was Uryan,” she said softly. Then turned and walked away to the crates, pulling out some wool samples and setting them up along the counter, tying some bundles together and grouping them into areas to represent different price points.
Rosalea didn’t know what to say. She did not know whether either she or Ian or Haidi had ever thought of this possibility. Rosalea did not know what to think. Evidently, neither of those two had a liana, and so perhaps they had believed the possibility of the blood showing up had died out.
Rosalea got the last crate unpacked. Rhainnon didn’t look like she was feeling much of anything. Her face seemed a lot calmer than normal. The day was still very young, and hardly any shoppers had woken to meet them.
“Listen, Rosalea,” Rhainnon said as work forced them to draw near to each other. “I always… kinda knew.” Rosalea looked at her. Rhainnon met her own yellow eyes with startling blue ones. “It was part of why my mother was so afraid that I would have magic. She always told my father that he was a liability to his children.”
Rosalea looked away. She couldn’t meet that intense look. It was hard to know what to say to something so harsh between her parents. “Well, it is not cursed blood,” she offered.
Rhainnon shook her head, and looked away herself. “No, I know it isn’t. But I get along with the animals so well… I always have,” she said. “Once, when I was a child, my parents had taken me on this route,” she said, waving her hand to indicate the town around them. “They had set up the booth… but I wandered away. Well… I was maybe three or four. There was this stranger and he picked me up and brought me into the marsh…” she trailed off. She was trembling a little. “I was so frightened. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know why he had picked me up. I remember, he had yellow eyes.”
It was an Ieshan then, Rosalea thought. At least, most likely. Rosalea felt a little ashamed of her people… so often taking people from their homes, or extorting things from others, even taking away their free will.
“Before long, we were faced by this huge bear. And he and the man seemed to have this staring contest. A moment later a mountain lion came. And a stag. The man seemed angry, and he put me down and walked away. I was left with all these animals…” Rosalea was struck by the oddity of the story. She wondered what about Rhainnon made them interested in her wellbeing. “Then a horse came, and took me back into the town, straight to my parents. My mother was very angry.” Rosalea was silent. So was Rhainnon for several minutes as they resumed putting the shop together. “Well, that is one of the signs of changer magic right, that animals like you?”
“Yes,” Rosalea said. Though she couldn’t explain that behavior at all. The liana had looked after her, and she wondered if the bigger than average bear was one of them. The horse though? She was pretty sure that all liana were from wild animals. So, she did not know if the animals that had helped Rhainnon were liana or just normal ones.
“So, well… I was always a bit curious. And I wish I was more surprised. My father told me a few years ago about his grandfather coming to Mire…” she broke off then. “So, does the world always glow when you have magic?”
The rapidness of the change of subject took Rosalea a moment to gather herself mentally well enough to catch up. “If you want it to,” she said, trying to smile. Rhainnon had a glassy look in her eyes, though she smiled quite brightly. Rosalea was sharply empathetic to her situation. She too had been afraid of the inevitability that she was actually of Uryan magic, and then it had happened.
As if to bring proof of it, a customer walked up to the booth and was rifling through wool when Rosalea chanced to glance up and meet her eyes. “Changer!” she hissed backing up.
Rosalea flushed. Rhainnon instantly stood up and was trying to bring the woman’s attention to herself. “Madam,” she was saying.
The woman looked at her. “Young woman, what business do you have with demons?” At the shrill volume of her voice, people were starting to look their way. Rosalea felt her face flushing as she backed up from the front of the booth, keeping her hands up in her best gesture of meaning no harm.
“Madam, listen to me. Madam!” The woman finally looked at Rhainnon. “This changer means no one any harm… she is indentured to my family where she has served many years.”
Rosalea was startled by the lie, but did her best as if she were following along. She cast her head down and stood as she had seen servants stand when in deference to their betters. The woman was casting scathing glares at her. “She has not bewitched you?”
“She has no magic, she can do nothing,” Rhainnon reached over and grabbed Rosalea roughly by the wrist. Rosalea staggered a bit, and did her best to keep her face down. “Look at her,” she said. Rosalea proceeded to look as pathetic as possible.
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The woman seemed intrigued. “Whatever did you do to tame a demon?” she asked, as Rhainnon lowered Rosalea’s hand and made her kneel down.
“It was my father who did it,” she said. “And this one was taught to behave from a young age.”
Rosalea liked the sense of turnaround in a twisted sort of way. It was the changers that normally took slaves and therefore caused a significant portion of the paranoia striking this woman. “I am here to serve,” Rosalea mumbled. She kept her face down, she was so surprised and somewhat amused that she was close to giggling. Only her practice being around the Uryans and Ulric kept her from it.
The woman seemed to calm significantly. “Would you like to buy something?” Rhainnon asked bluntly. The woman looked over the wool, and assented that she did not. Rhainnon kindly dismissed her. Rosalea slowly stood upright. Rhainnon had sat back and seemed a bit pale.
“Two comments,” she said after a moment. “It is enormously annoying to try and think about anything else when the world is glowing this much. Secondly…” she broke off and shook her head. “Secondly, we are going to cover your eyes with gauze or a veil or something and claim you have an eye problem.”
Rosalea wondered what she was really going to say. She got up and dusted her skirt off. “That was really great on your part,” she said. “Quick thinking. I am super impressed.”
“You played along well,” Rhainnon answered.
Rosalea chuckled, “Well, I did not want to find out how far she could escalate.” She cleared her throat, “So, close your eyes.”
Rhainnon did so. “Now, you can’t see the magic, it is a bit easier to focus. Focus almost like you are trying to get into your inner core, and you should be able to feel the magic in your body. You should also be able to see where it is leaving your body. You want to do whatever it takes to constrict that flow of magic. The more you do so, the less things around you will glow.”
Rhainnon was quiet for several moments. Rosalea, in her distraction, had let go of her gray magic, and so she couldn’t see anything Rhainnon was doing magically. She delved into her imber magic instead, focusing on Rhainnon intently. Now that Rhainnon was awake, Rosalea could see a large blue aura all about her. After a moment, it quickly dimmed and almost went out. Rhainnon blinked and looked at Rosalea. “Well, that is better. Stay here. I am going to go purchase some things.” Rosalea offered her what was left of her coins, but Rhainnon shook her head no.
Rosalea avoided meeting anyone’s eyes as they came to the stall to look at wool and to enquire about the wares. Rosalea was only able to tell them that Rhainnon would return shortly. She was relieved when Rhainnon did. “Here, for your poor eyes,” she said, and Rosalea wondered if anyone else detected the theatrical tone in her voice as she handed it over. It was blue and very finely woven, Rosalea brought it to her eyes and tied it over them. It cast a blue hue on everything that she looked at, but she could see through it well enough.
Rhainnon turned back to the customers, ignoring her for now.
***
During the course of the day, between lulls in customers, Rosalea was able to teach Rhainnon the basics of her very clearly imber magic. They also, in indirect ways, confronted Rhainnon’s being a changer. Rosalea concluded that Rhainnon had already thought about the possibility, but she had never truly taken it seriously, and she was now not certain what to think. She was also grateful that her blood was diluted and so her eyes were not yellow.
Rosalea also was quite surprised by how popular the wool was. Apparently Ian’s sheep were well known to have very high quality wool. By the end of the day, over half the stock was gone. Rhainnon departed every now and again, she was intent on acquiring some fine woven cloths and different things for sewing. She said she needed to make a new dress. She did not seem too interested in that, what she did seem quite interested in attaining was some books. She found about three volumes. Rosalea was surprised to see that one was one Ulric had made her read about forms of magic.
Rosalea also took some time to shop. She used up the last of the silver and copper of her gold piece buying a large bag of molasses candies for Annie and for herself. Rosalea felt that she had gotten a very good deal on it, the bag was over ten pounds and only for a few silvers.
It seemed that the next day, they would sell out of the wool, and the day after they started for home. Rosalea wondered if her work would be done and then she would have to move on. She felt sorry for the possibility. She really liked Rhainnon.
Rhainnon addressed it early the next day. “I shall have to get my father to come up with more work for you,” she said during the lunchtime lull of customers the second day.
Rosalea glanced up. “I would definitely not object,” she offered.
Rhainnon grinned. “Now, I just have to ask myself if you want to stay around for the pay…”
Rosalea felt the suggested question, so she looked at Rhainnon and grinned, “I like you,” she responded. “Your father is not paying me so very much that I would stay around if I did not.”
She smiled, “Oh, yes. I forget, you would really prefer to wander and associate with no one and scrape a living out of the land.” Rosalea was not sure what to make of Rhainnon’s tone, whether Rhainnon was admiring her or just poking some fun at her mostly solitary nature. Rosalea settled for shrugging at her. Rhainnon looked more serious for a moment. “Rosalea, I like you too,” she said.
The arrival of three customers put an end to the conversation.
They talked as they usually did as the day drew to a close. Rosalea’s sentiments about the last of the wool going was correct, it sold out early afternoon, and Rhainnon closed the shop. The two of them went and got some food for dinner, and Rhainnon finished the shopping commanded by her family.
Rosalea spent the rest of the evening teaching Rhainnon to use her magic. It was all theory though, much like how Rosalea had learned. Though Rhainnon could use magical vision and senses - nothing made her magic do anything that was not innate. She was, in the end, Uryan, and her magic would not be completely functional until her liana came to her.
Rosalea wondered if she was able to use magic because she was also part Ieshan. But then, if Rhainnon’s great-grandfather was a Uryan, then only one-eighth of her background or less was Uryan. Yet, it did not seem to help. Rosalea inspected her magic again, Actually, she probably has more than three times what her father is in possession of as far as just imber magic. Still, not as magical as Nerric was.
Rosalea was missing Nerric more and more lately. Probably because she was spending so much time comparing him to Rhainnon, since both were her friends. I guess I never looked at Taigan’s magic. She couldn’t help but think of him from time to time, even though they had only spent a little time together, he had left quite an impression on her. Still, if I can stay awhile, Rhainnon is my friend now. There is no scary Ieshan council making my life impossible and no liana or Uryans telling me to move on. If I can stay awhile, then I can have a friend awhile and I will not have to have so much pressure. She pushed those homesick and uncomfortable feelings away and focused on enjoying right now.
Even so, there was this lingering feeling that she really should plan to move on soon. The longer she stayed at a single place, the more likely it would be that the Ieshans could eventually trace her to the spot. That would be dangerous for everyone, especially given what had almost happened to Rhainnon in this very town. But for now, I could stay a bit longer.
Before Rhainnon went to bed, she had smiled at Rosalea, “You know, if anyone had to tell me I am a changer, I guess you are one of the only people that I could have stood to hear it from.”
Rosalea had offered an awkward thank you, and then was kept awake as a result for several hours wondering… wondering how a mother who did not want Rhainnon to be magical would accept Rhainnon the magical changer. What about when some seemingly wild animal had to move in? She had sometimes wondered about her own liana. She could remember in the Uryan camp that none of the animals were domestic, no horses or dogs, for example. Everything she had seen were hawks, eagles, mountain lions, stags, boars, even a mouse. I guess if she ends up with a mouse or something, that would make it so that she could hide what she is a little easier.
Rosalea could not remember falling asleep, though she found herself being shaken by Rhainnon and the room was filled with the grayish light of early morning. She sat up, feeling sleepy and sore. “We have to head out, they already let the shop out to someone else since we are finished here,” she said.
Rosalea nodded. She had already loaded the empty crates into the wagon, and so it was just an issue of harnessing Annie and Gorion. Annie was much more cooperative than normal, anxious to leave so she would not have to spend so much time stalled up in a busy and noisy place.
Within half an hour, they were under way. Rhainnon produced some bread and fruits to eat. They rode on in silence for quite some time.
“Rosalea, I have to ask you…” she trailed off. Rosalea looked at her, her face looked quite pained. “Do you know what Mire is?” Rosalea was confused. Her face must have clearly shown it, because after she did not answer for a few moments, Rhainnon continued. “Haven’t you noticed? I mean, looked at the people and the format of the very landscape?”
Rosalea frowned. “The only things I have noticed is that it is all very orderly and that the people are almost surprisingly nice looking.”
“And you think that happens normally?”
“I cannot be sure,” Rosalea said awkwardly, her cheeks flushing. She was feeling annoyed for being interrogated in this fashion. What did Rhainnon want from her? “I have hardly visited any towns for long to notice much about them.”
“I thought you had no idea, Rose. Listen, there is a reason. The changer people know about dragons, don’t they?”
Rosalea suddenly felt quite stupid. Overwhelmingly and alarmingly stupid. She had noticed this, and she did know about dragons… and Mire was a dragon-town. Rhainnon was studying her face, watching the changes of color. “Oh… I see,” was all Rosalea could manage.
“If the dragon sees you, you will never be able to leave,” Rhainnon said. “All of Mire belongs to a dragon called Kaylar.”
Rosalea was quiet. “Then how did you come to River’s End?”
“I can leave for short durations of time, but only because I know that I will be back soon. I should not be able to take even one step if I thought I could possibly leave with any intention of staying away for more than a few days.” Rosalea was quiet, remembering how focused Rhainnon had been as they were leaving. “So, if you want to leave you can. You don’t even have to come back with me. The dragon could come at any time he chooses.”
“Are his visits recurrent?”
“Does he come often? Not usually. He doesn't come that often, really. Sometimes we do not see him for years, in fact, he had not been by that I know of for over three years. At other times, he could show up every week for months. You really didn’t know?”
Rosalea silently reminded herself to use simpler words as she answered Rhainnon’s question by shaking her head no. Her internal reminder was lost in her mind’s effort to figure out what to do. Ulric always taught her to use her most intense words when the situation seemed like it was out of control to reassure people that she did know what she was doing. She had just committed to herself to stay a bit longer, and being on her own again so quickly felt untenable. It was risky, but she believed Rhainnon’s assertion that the dragon did not come often. She had been there several days already. “I will go back with you. I do not know how much longer I will stay, but I will go back with you.”
Rhainnon was silent for a while. “After you leave, you could always write. And I can leave town for short periods. You know, to see each other.”
Rosalea nodded, and felt powerful feelings of animosity toward any creature that could take over lives like this. Rhainnon hardly ever saw the dragon, but it was exerting changes over her life, like an invisible chain. Rhainnon was as owned by it as if the dragon were there frequently. “I suppose there is no way to break the spell?”
Rhainnon shrugged. “It isn’t that people haven’t tried. It is just that none succeed. It is like your body turns against you. – I was about to say that you would see, but I really hope not.”
Rosalea could not but nod agreement. There was a long period of silence.
“So… tell me some more about changers. I am Uryan right? Women get liana like my great grandfather had? What are liana like?”
Rosalea was content to let the subject be changed.