A Castrovel Adventure: Part 5, Chapter 36

~O'mei Vaeol-Ile hokiae ruizya hiesassya zhefatha kaothalmauara.~ (In which Lady Vaeol encounters a new proposal for resolving cross-clade relations.)

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

Afaelae Eve, 24,547 - 9th Month in Qabarat; Midwatch
I cannot sleep. Today I witnessed something that forsoothly bothered me. Now I know not what to do.
Three days ago, a wordbode waited at the Embassy from Lady Soriel Mesaeamave, no less worthy than a matron of the city. After a bloomy hail, the wordbode yielded understand that we had taken share in the latter Motorae Eve awkwardness (which meant the crowdstrife) and blessed our forthrightness, and furthermore our forespeech to the city’s peace. He then beseeched Taiase, Istae, and me to meet Lady Soriel today, where his lady forespoke to answer our worry toward the mislucky strife ailing the city. Reckfully we talked, and then beread with Her Highness Lady Sheneal, who said she knew of Lady Soriel and that she is an outspoken and loresome matron. So we yaysaid to meet.
Afittingly, at forenoon we hied to the Highfarthing and Lady Soriel’s hall, whom we met in a lithe elfyard off the midst. The lady-matron bestowed a bench under a small roof, whereon Taiase, Istae, sat, along with Aoesel while Nelehi, Remaue, and Kaure waited arear. We shared tea and watched a light drizzle break Heaventide’s brightness, wherein light sparklingly lit the rain to all our idleness. Anon Lady Soriel thanked us coming. She outspoke we had doubtlessly saved lives, and also that Son the Eldest, against what many of her cityfolk say, has shown a high, civilized worthiness before which Qabarat her younger sister should stand ashamed. To her mind, Qabarat should owe us a dearth warding her cityfolk when they did not.
Istae asked whether the lady-matron stands with the Rahyathalma and Damaya-Elves. Lady Soriel faltered and answered the thing is more manifold. She rues their plight as wholly unfair and unowed. Yet she also feels ruth for the ~Difithalma~ - the Rightkind - as that fellowship whomamong the crowdstrife’s sinners name themselves. She outlaid they are mean folk who thoughtlessly reckon their lifewise threatened, overblownly in the lady’s thought. Their hatred is rueful, she shrove. ~Ziari o’sti-eiesi nama hiulinaraya o vae aroea-nazyeli?~ - “Yet how do you think folk behave when their lives are threatened?” Taiase answered that to our mind the only folk threatened had been the Damaya-Elves and Kaure our own flagmate. Lady Soriel bowingly yaysaid, answering she would not ward their misdeed, but merely sought to understand their will’s drive.
The riddle, outlaid Lady Soriel, understood happendom beyond either fellowship’s mightiness to righten, but rather under mislucky foredoom bestowed at birth or mayhap under some curse of heaven, weather, or mood while childhood, making at childhood’s end manlikind becoming Damayas instead of Korash, and wifelikind becoming Korashe instead of Damae (and here I felt Kaure tighten). The only answer, she forespoke, lay in ~ahya hoathassi ahya ti haeli thali~ - withdrawing mightiness from doom’s hand.
At her antennae’s shiver, an elder Korasha introd the elfyard, worthily kilted and wearing a purse. Lady Soriel begreeted him as Master Raeas an alchemist. She told his crafthouse had been bound with her house, and whom they had upheld in a loretrial they had worked since old. Master Raeas bowed and greeted us as his blessing to meet as high and nameworthy ladies as us.
From his purse Master Raeas drew forth two sheerglass vials: one shimmering golden and the other purple, and unsmall at a fist’s thickness. He told they are weirdbroths and his livelihood’s work. When drunken by a child ere youthbloom, one weirdbroth assures the child will grow Damaya, while the other assures it will grow Korasha. Rather proudly he yielded the tale how this alchemy had been heedfully and worksomely crafted, with utmost loretrial, ere him by his master whom he had underlearned, and his mistress earlier, the outcome of the most learned alchemical minds in Qabarat. Here was the hope for a healthcraft for Rahyathalma upon the unlucky, to which Lady Soriel added: ~Vae ollodi be zhiama roathya,~ - “Better life through lore and knowledge.”
Before their show we sat, although wherein our antennae’s shudder misgave shock. We clove a reckoning mindshare. Taiase proved bothersomely reckful under the lore’s canniness, while Istae faltered befuddledly, as did Remaue arear. Yet even with full thoughts bared, Kaure’s mood stemmed unspeakable. Whether fear, thrill, wrath, or sorrow I could read not, but reached rearward and took my Korasha maidenmate’s hand.
Amid the stillness growing awkward, Taiase asked her first thought: whether they have already begun these witchbroths’ outtrial. Master Raeas answered they so had over the last fifty years, the outcomes whereof they had brooked to overwork and better the alchemy’s spell. He added that strong hope forelooks in upstirring the broth to a mist and so having the taker inbreathe for swifter soak. Our elder friend then asked whether the outtrials were ongoing, to which he yaysaid, answering every outcome yielded new truth.
A thought worried, to which I gave throat: how is it known whether a boy may grow Damayas or a girl may grow Korashe, and so to foretell whomto which weirdbroth is given? Master Raeas answered we forsoothly know not. However, there is likely spoor that Thwartkind's trend runs strong in known kindreds. Furthermore, some mothers, dreadfully wishing to assure their children grow as Rightkind, willingly yield their children to the trial.
At that word, Kaure leavelessly withdrew from the elfyard. I almost followed but tightly stayed, beseeching Lady Soriel’s forgiveness, and then Remaue to follow and seek our maidenmate’s welfare.
Taiase, however, followed my thought and asked Master Raeas to atrust her guess that roughly one child in ten grows as Thwartkind. The alchemist yaysaid that a near guess, although some homesteads (meanly believed cursed, he added) have boded tallies of even three in ten, which in his mind well foreshows this healthcraft’s need. Although Kaure’s ill had misdrawn me, I had not unheeded this talk, nor our host’s mood. Even so glibly as he spoke, I caught an inkling the alchemist withheld some whit. I halted, which the others took as worry for Kaure, while I tried to read truth from his mind. Then I asked: ~Stanila karada?~ - “How many have died?”
After my word, so still we became that one might hear a needle land upon the moss-stones. Neither Master Raeas nor Lady Soriel swiftly answered. He asked what had called my question. Instead, I repeated, adding that, along with death, how many had the witchbroth crippled or maddened?
Master Raeas’s eyes beseeched Lady Soriel, but who said nothing. At last he shrove the death-toll almost came to one in ten, but that outlival stood as their foremost goal in bettering the weirdbroth’s spell.
Taiase bemarked they were bestowing the weirdbroth to children with no sure knowledge of which might grow as Thwartkind, and thus no sure knowledge of whom it mended (she did not say ‘heal’), and that furthermore, if the death-toll almost evened the dole of Thwartkind in the overall folk, for all we knew, the healthcraft was slaying the likely Thwartkind. Our elder friend (wielding a grim skill learned from not only soulcraft but also deemship and law) then asked how many children grew as Thwartkind even after the healthcraft. ~Thina ussa,~ - “Few enough,” meekly answered the alchemist, which nevertheless beshrove they have happened.
An overall swyness grew awkwardly old. Lady Soriel broke it beseeching us to not begrudge the lore under earnestness to seek betterness, and that with further time it should hopefully reach a more winful goal. Her word, however, we acknowledged not, since we all three shared the same thought: their healthcraft slew children for no sure end. Instead, we let swyness again overwhelm until Istae, seeking trucesomeness, answered they had given us much to think on. Then we stood and swiftly took leave.
I hastened after Kaure, only to behold she and Remaue had already left the matron’s hall. I sought our bower, but where Remaue told our maidenmate had gone, foreguessably to seek Hauronil. I withheld to follow, but instead waited on a bench in the midyard, where I did utmost to shield worry from my son and played until he slept tight in my arms.
Kaure came home late. Straightway I rushed, knelt, and yielded my babe, who woke and soulfully greeted his matemother with glee blithe of all our ills. While she lifted him near and tangled antennae, I set brow on her belly. Kaure laid hand on my head and daintily stroked my antennae. Then with Aeosel riding her stout arm, she knelt and tanglingly kissed, letting me into their mindshare. Besoothedly I wept, thankful love stayed stronger than guilt.
Yet within her mind a bother lurked. I halted reckful of my beloved’s ill will, hopeless to make shriftgeld, like an outrider in an elflove-tale ready to swear any dearth or deed to fee back the sin misdone against her ladylove. To ease my dread, Kaure stroked my ear. She told she would yield a shrift, something so bothersome it made her misdoubt all, her self, her deeds, and even all the evil she had undergone. Not even Hauronil, who understood her better than any, could soothe her bother.
~Ussi naesho-to shyaelzyelo, o sheazya di roaef,~ - “If that healthcraft had been given to me, I know not how I would have answered,” she whispered tearily. I drew my maidenlove’s brow upon my bosom and wept with her.

Afaelae Treesong, 24,547 - 10th Month in Qabarat
Again I write this log late, although I think I will sleep better tonight. This morn, even sleepless, I rose early. Ere Treesong or even the household stirred, I took Aeosel and alone left the house, making way back to the Highfarthing, until Lady Soriel’s hall, where I showed before the forecaught doorgroom and beseeched an early hearth with the lady-matron.
Lady Soriel had only right awoken and wore a mere skirt when we met. Yet she greeted kindly enough, adding that me coming after yesterday was wonderfully unforelooked. Under the early belltide, we forwent tea and sat in the elfyard.
I began by thanking Lady Soronil for yesterday’s knowledge, and said I would wholly misdoubt she and Master Raeas undertook the work without belief they so did without other folk’s welfare in mind. Yet a riddle had grown in my mind, and which I would ask the lady-matron, who bade me so do.
So I asked: ~Ussi nama zherraulora hulyela o’qoanassi Rahyathalma?~ - “What if someone drank the witchbroth to become Thwartkind?”
In answer, Lady Soriel’s mouth hung. She said my ask was rather unforelooked. I akept by adding that if someone so beseeched, namely a boy wishing to become Damayas, or a girl Korashe, would she and Master Raeas alet? She warned that such was not the end to which Master Raeas worked his alchemy, to which I asked back nevertheless whether it could be so wielded. She begrudged it had never been so tried. Then she asked that, if folk so did, would all become Damaya to shun Korasha lowliness, and at what loss to Lashunta thededom? And if so, what next? ~Dei haes dasra eshra yi rie?~ - “Would you make men even with wives?”
Her word I acknowledged. Instead I reminded the lady-matron I had dwelt some years among the Retaea Clans, and asked whether she knew that folk, instead of deeming Thwartkind a curse, deemed them a blessing under Elindrae, and so benamed them as the Moon-God’s priests. She yaysaid she had heard it as a wonderful queerness among an elsewise heathen folk, but that Elindrae is a god of little nameworth in Qabarat. Thus she rather doubted any folksome will to raise all the city’s Thwartkind to priesthood.
I told her that among the Retaea Kaure my maidenmate had been brought into Elindrae’s priesthood. I then told of Anmeth’s bridetide, which we had held on Vuael’s Night, holy to Elindrae, and which Kaure as the Moon-God’s priest had led. Then I told of the boon Anmeth had beseeched, to worship both Elindrae and my maidenmate in thanks: if she bore a child quickened on that night, that it may grow to become Thwartkind. I raised my babe and kissed his nape. ~Utha-vas li utha-stama assamaua Rahyathalma qoanyela, o’illi ve o’shoe sevaeaf!~ I said: “If my son or any child of my house becomes Thwartkind, I will love and bless them!”
Lady Soriel blessed my word, speaking it doubtlessly grew from the noblest motherhood. Yet she warned my thought would not mend the bother, since Thwartkind would stay to take meaner folk’s wickedness. ~Rahyathalma zhyea diyae,~ - “Thwartkind are not the ill,” I outspoke, adding my maidenmate lived as the gods had wrought her. Lady Soriel chided me for overgodliness. Afitting my thought, she warned that must so atake crippleness or mindblindness as the gods’ will even as Thwartkind. She asked whether, if a child threatened to become lame, mindblind, eyeblind, or weak-witted, would we not do utmost to forestall the illness ever happening? I told that she wrongly bematched Thwartkind with crippleness. Nothing marred my maidenmate’s body. ~Ushiafte komante, o’shili-hei hishasse,~ - “She was born wholesome, but merely else.”
I then beseeched her to reckon the harm done against the harm mishopefully forestalled. I reminded our yesterday talk and that outcomefully they slay one to heal almost as much. Then I asked: ~Utha-stanila karada yeio ayaora di homaezyelm?~ - “How many children have died forwhy we like not their look?”
Lady Soriel faltered. ~Lanya-ruaelm kanzhauea ollonya,~ - “We hope for a better towardness,” she whispered at last. I answered that on that mark we yaysay, but foresee else paths. Then I told that I shall stand as foe to Master Raeas’s witchbroth and any same alchemy or weirdcraft trying to warp healthy bodies. ~Rahyathalma di diya. O’tolli-yei diyae o’ma-nei aveayeli, o ma diyama,~ - “Thwartkind are not the wrong. So long as the wrong grows in us, we are the wrong.” Then I took my son and left.
How much of my mind Kaure has read I know not. Yet while we watched Treesong, I gave her my babe and stood arear with hands on her breast. I merely pray she understands how utterly I love her. Neither can I unheed the likelihood that I have found a foe in Lady Soriel. Yet with this strife between Thwartkind and Rightkind, and if I truly worship those whom I love, now is the time to take a stand.

Recap: Lady Vaeol and her housemates have began practice at the Lemussa Weaponyard.

Lashunta Words & Phrases:

• Difithalma (comm): rightkind; cis-clade Korasha.
• Ziari: yet; however
• O’sti-eiesi (adv): how do you think
• Nama (comm): person; people
• Hiulinaraya (3rd-comm cond): it/they may/would react
• O: clause-marker; if
• Vae (spir): life; lives; soul
• Aroea-nazyeli (3rd-spir depend): get/become threatened
• Ahya (spir acc): might; mightiness; power
• Hoathassi: to withdraw; withdrawing
• Ti: beyond; from; without
• Haeli thali (spir): hand of fate
• Ollodi (spir): better; best
• Be: from; thorugh
• Zhiama roathya (comm): knowlege of lore
• Stanila (comm): how many
• Karada (3rd-comm perf): died; have died
• Thina ussa (comm): few enough
• Ussi: if; hypothetically
• Naesho-to (neut ultra-dist): that cure
• Shyaelzyelo (3rd-neut perf depend): it had (been) given
• Sheazya (spir acc): answer
• Di: not
• Roaef (1st-trans cond): I/we may/would know
• Zheraullora (neut acc): potion; weirdbroth; witchbroth
• Hulyela (3rd-comm depend): if/when it drank
• O'qoanassi: to become
• Rahyathalma (comm): Thwartkind; Cross-clade
• Dei: interrogative adverb
• Haes (2nd trans): you do/make
• Dasra (masc acc): man/men; male
• Eshra (masc acc): even; equal
• Yi: relative adverb: like; as; than
• Rie (fem): wife/wives; female
• Utha-vas (masc): my/our son
• Li: or
• Utha-stama assamaua (comm): any child of [my] house
• Qoanyela (3rd-comm depend): if it/they become
• O’illi (adv): will
• Ve (fem): I/we; 1st-person exclusive pronoun
• O’shoe (adv): familial love
• Sevaeaf (1st trans cond): I/we may/would love
• Zhyea (3rd-comm): is/are not
• Diyae (spir): wrong; ill; mistake
• Ushiafte (3rd-fem perf): she was born
• Komante (fem): wholesome; fulsome; perfect
• O’shili-hei (adv): but merely
• Hishasse (fem particip): else; different
• Utha-stanila (comm): how many children
• Yeio: forwhy; because; since
• Ayaora (neut acc): look; sight
• Homaezyelm (incl trans pef depend): if/when we liked/befriended
• Lanya-ruaelm (incl cond humble): we may/will hope
• Kanzhauea (spir acc): towardness; future
• Ollonya (spir acc): better; righter
• O’tolli-yei (adv): so old; so long
• O’ma-nei: in us all (inclus)
• Aveayeli (3rd-comm depend): if/when it grows
• Ma diyama: we [all] are [the] wrong/evil