Children of the First

My father waited for me to get close before turning to leave the welcome dinner. I didn’t quite know what to expect as I followed him through the line of trees that bordered the quad. I knew I was in trouble, but he hadn’t said anything so I couldn’t tell if I was in for a slight reprimand or if he was really going to let me have it.

I followed him into a garden tucked between a couple of the tall grey academic buildings. He watched as I picked my way through the ivy covering the stone steps that led down into the garden, and stared at me for a moment before he spoke.

“Fix your hair Sha’anyr, your scales are hidden.”

I hadn’t yet had my Rohdai, so I wasn’t allowed to use Daie rings to keep my hair from falling into my face. I tucked the loose strands back and immediately felt my father’s fingernails bite into my left ear.

“Just what were you thinking when you openly insulted Professor Verris like that” he growled. “You were raised better than that.”

“I’m sorry, father,” I said, wincing. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, you certainly were not,” he said. “If you had been thinking clearly, you never would have shown such a blatant lack of respect for your elders.” I stifled a yelp as his grip tightened. “Or am I wrong to think that?”

“No,” I gasped. “You’re right, I’m sorry father.”

“I am glad to hear that.” He released his grasp and turned away to let me rub my aching ear without embarrassing either of us.

“You disrespected your elder, Sha’anyr—a professor for that matter. And while Verris is no longer a count, he is still a powerful man, and there is no reason to make an enemy of him.”

The anger left his voice, and he turned to face me. “Worse than that, you showed a lack of respect for me.” The hurt look in his eyes made me feel childish and ashamed. I looked away.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“I know, Sha’anyr, but you must remember that your actions reflect on your entire family. I've done what I can to smooth things over with Verris, but he is a petty man and will hold a grudge. We deal with a lot of the same people, and any conflict you have with him will have a direct impact on my life as well as yours. Gaia knows I have no love for the man, but you must show him the proper respect, difficult as it may be.”

I felt a glimmer of hope as he said this. “It’s just that when he said those horrible things—and with Retis right there—I couldn’t help it, I had to say something. Even if he hadn’t been there, Retis is still my friend, and I couldn’t just let that moron talk about him like that.”

“I know, and I understand your impulse to defend your friends. I would even commend your loyalty and willingness to stand up for your convictions. It takes courage to do what you did, foolish and inappropriate as it was.”

I risked a slight smile, but he wasn’t looking at me. It had started to get dark, and my father was gazing up at the last pink streaks of sunset.

“You have a strong will, Sha’anyr, just like your mother, but I fear that it will get you into trouble, just as hers did.” He sighed. “Come, it’s getting dark; I’ll walk you back to your hall.”

We left the garden and started to walk slowly back toward my dorm. I didn’t say anything, just waited for him to speak.

“You know I do not always approve of the way some Nedraka treat the other races; I feel the same twinge of sympathy you do, but there are some things you cannot change. You can try to be a friend to Retis and others like him, and you may succeed in some respects, but you can never be equals. You are a Nedrak, a direct descendant of the Dragons, and that will always set you apart from the other races. Of course you should show them respect and treat them fairly, but you do them no favor to pretend that they are your equals. You must be careful not to let your compassion for the other races come before your heritage and culture; you must not go against the teachings of Nedraika.”

“But my existence is against the teachings of Nedraika,” I exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the path. “How can I follow a religion that says I never should have been born?”

“Lower your voice,” my father hissed, “the last thing we need—the last thing your mother needs—is for someone to hear you.”

I realized we were close to the dorm and other people, so I calmed myself down and started walking again. “Don’t you ever question the teachings of Nedraika?” I asked. “There are so many parts that I don’t agree with, so many evil things done in its name—doesn’t that bother you?”

“The religion is not to blame for the actions of a few misguided individuals.”

“A few misguided individuals? The Dragonblood wars were started by a few misguided individuals?” I was shocked.

“I am not having this discussion again, Sha’anyr. The wars were regrettable, but we cannot change the past any more than you can change your heritage. The Arlan equinox is only two weeks away; it will be your twentieth and you will have your Rohdai. After that, you will be your own man and make your own decisions, but until then, you will obey me. That means holding Nedraika and showing Verris every bit of respect he doesn’t deserve, do you understand?”

“Yes,” I mumbled as we reached the dorm.

“Good,” said my father, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I expect great things from you, Shawn. You may not follow in my footsteps on the brawl team or become a Nedrak Knight, but you have a mind for Nedrak magic, whether you like it or not.” He smiled. “You may have your mother to thank for that, Gaia knows what her son will be capable of.”

“Now,” he said, “I have a bit of business to attend to before I take the gate back to Rowyra, so I must be going. Gaia bless your life and Camnea guide your steps.”

“And yours, father,” I said, and went inside.

When I got up to my room, Retis was lying on his bed and Roo was hanging on the towel rack behind him, both staring intently at the computer on Retis’ lap.

Retis sat up when I came in. “Hey kin,” he said. “Have you seen how fast the electrical Internet is here? All we have in The Vale is magic connection, so this is awesome.” He must have seen the look on my face because his expression changed and he closed his laptop.

“Oh, so… how’d it go?” he asked.

“About how I expected, more or less.”

“Oh, yeah,” Roo said, and jumped down off the wall. “Retis told me what ‘appened. Pretty fine thing you did, yeah.”

“Thanks,” I said. “But anyone would have done it. The guy was way out of line.”

There were a few moments of awkward silence before I realized someone was missing.

“Where’s Jarn?” I asked.

“Ugh,” said Roo, hopping onto the foot of Retis’ bed. “He’s watching ‘Dark Mountain’ for the 'undreth time. Said ‘e might come by later.”

“We were just about to smoke,” Retis said. “Don’t suppose you’re interested?”

I started to say no, but changed my mind. “You know what, I could use something to calm me down after all that, sure.”

“There ya go,” Retis smiled, and went to his desk to retrieve his stash.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 2:33 pm and is filed under Chapters, CotF Main Story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.