there that I did not expect you to know. But you did quite well.”
Lanai looked at her sister as if she had grown another head. It had always been Lanai or Lucas that excelled in the Elvish lessons, Luvia usually only spoke up in math. It was quite out of character for Luvy to be the one with the answer.
Hamman turned to the slate behind him, and from one of his many pockets produced a piece of chalk. He drew a pentagonal figure with a line transecting each side, coming together like a five pointed star in the middle. He pointed to each in turn reciting their names, “In Frashavian, they would be as thus, Traitor’s Gate, Water Gate, Balun’s Gate, later on known as Aranai Ando , or King’s Gate. Then you have Fire Gate, and lastly, Hero’s Gate. These are the five gates, leading to the five main roads from the Palace of the Elves. Though now in ruins, at the time, it was the very hub of commerce and travel.”
Luvia looked at the pattern on the wall, thinking of Melisan and her little ditty. How could a broken down maid know of the roads from the Elven Palace? Why did she chant their names? The puzzle of it rolled over and over in Luvia’s mind. She was only awakened from her reverie by a tapping on the window. She looked to her left, and through the thick leaded glass she could see a crow. Through a clear spot in the murky glass, it looked at her, its dark eyes shining brightly. For no reason she could explain, she felt a shiver, and the day seemed to darken.
Tap, tap, tap. The crow pecked at the lead holding the window in place. Tap, tap, tap. Luvia felt something from deep inside come to the surface. She held out her hand, fingers split, with the middle one cocked, and the words came to her. “ Autari wanwa Korko, Autari wanwa mor dulin, Autari wanwa Rakinna.”
Tutor Hamman looked startled. He looked from Luvia to the now empty window and back again. “Luvia, what did you say? Did you say what I think you said?”
“I don’t quite know, Tutor. I know I wanted the crow to go away, and they seemed like the right words.”
“Did you say…crow?”
“Yes, Tutor Hamman, there was a big black bird, pecking at the window. For some reason, I wanted it to go away, so I said the words. Did I say them right?”
Tutor Hamman went pale, his skin becoming nearly the same color as the grey in his hair.
“Lessons are over for today, children. Go and…just go. I need to speak with Lord Hondon.” He spoke the last quietly, nearly to himself, as he turned and left the room.
The children all looked at each other. Lucas shrugged, thinking that you could never tell with adults. They acted so strange sometimes. He vowed not to be weird when he grew up. Luvia and Lanai mugged at each other, making bug eyes and grinning at the chance to play, when normally their whole morning would have been taken up with lessons. As they left the room to go execute their plan of pursuing grass house construction for fairies, Luvia looked one last time at the window. No crows, but something not quite a voice, told her they would be back.
The remaining days of the week were hot, stiflingly so. The children retreated from the main house to hide out in the barn lofts at the back of the property, where, with the bay doors open, they could at least catch any little breeze that came by. Luvia and Lanai were busy making little straw men and women, acting out plays, while Lucas sprawled on his back on a nearby bale, head looking out the doorway upside down.
“Hey, Luvy, didn’t you say you had seen a crow?”
“Yes, brother, I did.”
“Hmmm. Why are there no crows around here, do you know?”
Lanai looked over her shoulder at her brother, then back to Luvia, making a face that said what an idiot she thought her brother was sometimes.
“Don’t you ever listen to the histories? Tutor Hamman told us about the crows last season, when we were covering the legends of the Elves,” Lanai responded, her voice full of superiority at having
Lanai looked at her sister as if she had grown another head. It had always been Lanai or Lucas that excelled in the Elvish lessons, Luvia usually only spoke up in math. It was quite out of character for Luvy to be the one with the answer.
Hamman turned to the slate behind him, and from one of his many pockets produced a piece of chalk. He drew a pentagonal figure with a line transecting each side, coming together like a five pointed star in the middle. He pointed to each in turn reciting their names, “In Frashavian, they would be as thus, Traitor’s Gate, Water Gate, Balun’s Gate, later on known as Aranai Ando , or King’s Gate. Then you have Fire Gate, and lastly, Hero’s Gate. These are the five gates, leading to the five main roads from the Palace of the Elves. Though now in ruins, at the time, it was the very hub of commerce and travel.”
Luvia looked at the pattern on the wall, thinking of Melisan and her little ditty. How could a broken down maid know of the roads from the Elven Palace? Why did she chant their names? The puzzle of it rolled over and over in Luvia’s mind. She was only awakened from her reverie by a tapping on the window. She looked to her left, and through the thick leaded glass she could see a crow. Through a clear spot in the murky glass, it looked at her, its dark eyes shining brightly. For no reason she could explain, she felt a shiver, and the day seemed to darken.
Tap, tap, tap. The crow pecked at the lead holding the window in place. Tap, tap, tap. Luvia felt something from deep inside come to the surface. She held out her hand, fingers split, with the middle one cocked, and the words came to her. “ Autari wanwa Korko, Autari wanwa mor dulin, Autari wanwa Rakinna.”
Tutor Hamman looked startled. He looked from Luvia to the now empty window and back again. “Luvia, what did you say? Did you say what I think you said?”
“I don’t quite know, Tutor. I know I wanted the crow to go away, and they seemed like the right words.”
“Did you say…crow?”
“Yes, Tutor Hamman, there was a big black bird, pecking at the window. For some reason, I wanted it to go away, so I said the words. Did I say them right?”
Tutor Hamman went pale, his skin becoming nearly the same color as the grey in his hair.
“Lessons are over for today, children. Go and…just go. I need to speak with Lord Hondon.” He spoke the last quietly, nearly to himself, as he turned and left the room.
The children all looked at each other. Lucas shrugged, thinking that you could never tell with adults. They acted so strange sometimes. He vowed not to be weird when he grew up. Luvia and Lanai mugged at each other, making bug eyes and grinning at the chance to play, when normally their whole morning would have been taken up with lessons. As they left the room to go execute their plan of pursuing grass house construction for fairies, Luvia looked one last time at the window. No crows, but something not quite a voice, told her they would be back.
The remaining days of the week were hot, stiflingly so. The children retreated from the main house to hide out in the barn lofts at the back of the property, where, with the bay doors open, they could at least catch any little breeze that came by. Luvia and Lanai were busy making little straw men and women, acting out plays, while Lucas sprawled on his back on a nearby bale, head looking out the doorway upside down.
“Hey, Luvy, didn’t you say you had seen a crow?”
“Yes, brother, I did.”
“Hmmm. Why are there no crows around here, do you know?”
Lanai looked over her shoulder at her brother, then back to Luvia, making a face that said what an idiot she thought her brother was sometimes.
“Don’t you ever listen to the histories? Tutor Hamman told us about the crows last season, when we were covering the legends of the Elves,” Lanai responded, her voice full of superiority at having
Similar Books
