Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 33

Airidon and Fini looked up from the map when Tyra handed them each a plate with fried venison, fired roots and more of the travel bread that Tris had. They had traveled hard that day, heading south as Tris had suggested, making for the mountains. No one was especially excited to go through the Shadow-dream Mountains, but as Tris said, it was the route that was least expected.

“Tris, why aren’t you eating?” Shrina asked around a mouth full of meat.

“I am eating, Shrelannasha.” Tris replied calmly, taking a bite of potato and carrot.

“No, I meant the meat. You can’t live on root vegetables and bread and fruit, Tris. Everyone knows that you need a balanced meal.” Shrina said, pointing with her dagger to the plate that was bare of venison. “And you even hunted down the deer that this came from. Don’t you believe in eating what you kill?”

Jehro choked a minute on a piece of bread and washed it down with a long swig of his water skin. He met Tris’ eyes for a moment and then looked away quickly.

He knows, she thought, he knows the truth and still he accepts me. She sent Jehro a pulse of gratitude and then she looked at Shrina.

“Yes, Shrelannasha, I do believe in eating what I kill.” Tris said softly knowing that they would misunderstand her. “As for not wanting to eat the venison, that is a personal choice and one that I hope you will respect. I don’t ask why you eat with the tip of a dagger instead of a fork or spoon, which is your personal choice.” Tris then turned her attention back to her meal, trying very hard to not be sick to her stomach with the smell of so much dead meat around her.

“If you didn’t want to eat it, then why did you kill it?” Shrina pressed.

“Give it a rest, Shrina.” Jehro said, putting his empty plate down and walking off into the trees to be alone. He knew the real meaning behind Tris’ words. Jehro had accepted her for what she was, just as she had him; but, he knew also that the others would be shocked and even repulsed by the thought of accepting her, knowing what she was. At least she would know now that she had one friend, no matter what happened.

Shrina watched Jehro walk away and then looked back at Tris. “You two have a secret, don’t you? You both are telepathic, I remember that and you two have a secret. That isn’t fair, especially in the current situation we are in, being hunted by Handsome and all. How do we know that the two of you aren’t spies for him?”

Tris pushed her plate away, only half of the food gone, unable to eat anymore. “Everyone has secrets, Shrelannasha, even you. I’m sure you haven’t told everyone about your third eye. And I’m sure that you haven’t told anyone about the offer you had from Handsome back when you were starting out as a freelance assassin. How do you know I am not a spy of his? The same way I know you aren’t.”

“Well, what is your secret, you told the others what mine were.” Shrina demanded, angry that this girl had gotten the better of her.

“It isn’t all mine to share, Shrelannasha.” Tris said and left the fire’s light in the opposite direction Jehro had gone. She didn’t understand what had happened between the Siblen’s acceptance of her that morning to the questioning of tonight. What had changed?

“Then who’s is it to share? And why do you keep calling us by our long names?” Shrina’s voice screeched into the night and carried through the trees. Airidon, Fini, and Tyra shook their heads and then ignored Shrina’s demand for answers none of them had to give.

By the time Tris returned, Shrina was long asleep and once again Airidon and Jehro had waited up for her. She dropped a couple of rabbits by the fire and sat on the far side from them.

“Good hunting?” Airidon asked softly.

“I had to do something, Airidon. It was either this or…I don’t know.” Tris answered, her voice tired. “I’m not used to having everything I say and do questioned so closely.”

Jehro and Airidon nodded knowingly and for a time, all three sat comfortably together and watched the fire. Tris noticed that Airidon kept playing with a rock, rubbing it with his fingers, rolling it between his hands. He stopped when he saw her watching him and gave her a little boy grin and showed her the highly polished stone that now glittered a deep red.

“Just a piece of garnet I found the other night. I’ve been playing with it, trying to see what shape it would take.” He tossed it to her and she caught it. It was warm and felt alive in her hand. She saw that it was faceted and shaped to fit into a pendant setting.

“It’s beautiful, Airidon.’ She said as she tossed it back to him. Tris thought she saw a faint blush on his cheeks as he ducked his head. “Well, I’m for some sleep. We have to keep moving in the morning.” Wrapping her cloak around her, Tris fell asleep listening to the crackling of the fire near her head.

Shrina screamed as her ankle was caught and she was sent sprawling on the dirt. Airidon jumped to his feet, sword in hand, looking around wildly. Jehro was also on his feet, daggers in hand, and then he snorted in disgust as he saw Shrina lying on the ground.

“I told you not to try it, Shrina.” Tyra said impassively from where she sat next to Fini. Fini had skinned the rabbits and was roasting them over the open flames.

Airidon and Jehro turned and looked at Tris. She had turned onto her back and was facing the sky, eyes still closed. They knew she was awake when she moved one hand from behind her head and scratched the tip of her nose. “Don’t ever try that again, Shrelannasha, or next time I won’t just throw you to the ground, I will break your foot.”

“You already did.” She whined and rubbed her ankle. She saw everyone glaring at her. “I was just going to wake her up and offer her some breakfast. Anyway, now that Jehro is here and you are awake, can you tell us your secret?”

Tris stood in a single fluid movement. “No.” She shook out her cloak and put it back on. Then she sat down, a little away from the fire, to brush and braid her hair.

“But…”

“Shrina, it isn’t her secret to tell.” Fini said. “She told you that last night. Let it go.” He tested the roasted meat and declared it done. Taking it off the spit, he was about to offer some to Tris when he caught Jehro’s eye and didn’t.

“She said it wasn’t all her secret to tell. That means she can tell part of it. I want to know what it is.” Shrina accepted the hot meat and licked the juices off of her fingers. “Hmmm…this is good, Fini. Hey, Tris didn’t get any.” She said when she saw it was all portioned out and Tris wasn’t included.

“I don’t want any, Shrelannasha.” Tris said, trying off her braid and pulling an apple from her cloak. “But I’m glad you are all enjoying it.”

Airidon gave Tris a funny look, but didn’t say anything. This was the third time she had refused meat she had provided. It was hard not to be curious.

“Why not, Tris? I thought you said you eat what you kill and didn’t you kill these? They weren’t here last night and you were the only one out when I went to sleep.” Shrina persisted. “Or is this part of that secret you won’t tell us?”

Tris was about to say something, but Jehro stepped forward first. “Actually, Shrina, the secret is that I’m not a half-elf. I normally hide my true nature because people find it uncomfortable to deal with my kind. But when Tris healed me, she learned the truth and she was keeping quiet about it for me.” Jehro set his plate on a log and turned back to face them.

As he was moving, his hair was getting shorter and darker, and when he turned back to face them, he no longer had the delicate features of the Elven race. “I’m a full blooded Chameling.” He said with a thick accent as he pushed the words through the rows of jagged teeth in his double hinged mouth. His hair was now red and curly and his eyes were bright green with slit pupils rather than round ones.

“A shape-changer?” Tyra said and then chuckled. “Figures, Jehro, that you would hold more surprises than just empathy and telepathy. It would also explain why you are so used to being hunted. I think only the Wer are hunted more than Chamelings.”

“But for different reasons, my friends, for different reasons. But yes, I’m a shape shifter as well as the other things. It’s just easier to deal with people as a whole looking like a half-elf.” Then Jehro again changed so that he looked like the half-elf they had all gotten used to.

Shrina looked at Jehro again and nodded slowly and then she turned to Tris. “So, if part of the secret was Jehro is Chameling, what does that make you?”

“We have been through this, Shrelannasha. I am a half-elf. Yes, I can shape shift, as you know, as well as have other abilities including the two that Jehro also has. Are we about ready to start our day’s journey?”

“What is your other half, Tris?” Shrina persisted. She knew that Tris was hiding something and now, so did the others. Tris looked to Jehro and he just shrugged. “Look, Tris, you are part of us, we have all felt that, so it really doesn’t matter. But it would be nice to know exactly what combinations of the races we are dealing with.”

Tris shook her head and picked up her staff. “No, Shrelannasha, my other half isn’t open for discussion at the moment.”

Airidon put his hand on Tris’ shoulder and turned her to look into his eyes. “Please, Tris, won’t you trust us, even a little?”

“You want to know what I am?” Anger started to build deep within her. “You want to know that my father’s people, the elves had him hunted down and murdered because he dared to love my mother and to sire a child with her. You want to know how he used the last of his magic to give me everything he had, all his knowledge, magical talent, and physical strengths. How when his people found him, half dead on the edge of the forest I grew up in, they hacked him to pieces and scattered them to the winds?”

Tris watched the horror growing on the faces of those standing around her. Jehro’s face was twisted with sorrow as he felt the pain of emotion ripping through Tris’s body as she forced the words out, words of memories she had before she was born.

“Or do you want to know that my mother’s people hunted her while she carried me within her body. How she had to hide in the frozen wastes with the nameless beasts that live there to carry me to term. Do you want to know how she, like my father, spent all her magic to give me all her knowledge, and magic, and strengths? How she placed me inside the den of a family of speaking wolves and drew the hunting party of her people away from me. How she was slaughtered by her own people when they found her broken and half dead body near where my father had perished months before.

“You want to know that if either my father’s people or my mother’s people knew I lived, that I would be hunted and destroyed as an abomination in both of their sights. No, Shrelannasha, I do not think that you need to know all of that. Now, can we please get moving before the sun is too high?”

“Tris, we will protect you from whomever we need to. But we need to know whom we are to protect you from.” Airidon said, pleading.

Tris straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath and let it go, and then took another one. She hadn’t wanted to face this now, not without the power of the prophecy to help make it easier on the others. She looked them each in the eye, challenging them. Jehro, the only one who knew the truth, was the only one who didn’t drop his eyes from hers.

“My father was the Sun-speaker for the Elves, Trisandar. He was reported killed in a hunting accident seventeen years ago.” Her voice was soft, filled with regret and sorrow. “My mother was the High Priestess of the Demons, Jaqukwen. She was reported killed by an Elven hunting party seventeen years ago. Are you happy now? Are you?”

Denial, fear, and revulsion were the strongest emotions on the faces of those that stared at her when she finished speaking. Jehro took a step forward as if to stop her, but she didn’t see it. Gathering her magic around her, Tris simply vanished from their midst and once again, they were utterly alone.

“Jehro, you knew?” Airidon asked after the shock wore off. “Can you sense her, anywhere?”

“It’s why she wouldn’t eat meat; it brings out the Demon in her.” Jehro whispered softly. “When she healed me, she hadn’t meant to open up as much as she did, but she was wounded herself and very tired. I knew then, but it wasn’t for me to say anything. And no, Airidon, I can’t sense her, anywhere. She’s gone.”

’Well, let’s get her back then.” Shrina said. “We can’t let her just wander around with Handsome’s men hunting her.”

“Shut up, Shrina. You started all of this. She would have told us in her own time if you hadn’t kept pushing her and pushing her. We would do better to find that prophecy and let the power of that pull her to us again.” Jehro said acidly and then gathered his stuff together to leave. “What do you say?”

Fini took the lead, as he had the day before and they continued on the path to Catira and the prophecy. Once they had it, they would find Tris again and make her understand she was wanted and needed as part of their group.

“What just happened?” Chaos asked Shægnek as he watched Tris leave. “It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. They were all supposed to make it to Catira.”

For a long moment, Shægnek didn’t answer. When she finally did, the words were forced.

“You are right; it wasn’t supposed to happen this way, Chaos. But I had to change it so it would. Tris doesn’t understand yet. She doesn’t have emotions like the others and emotional ties don’t affect her like with the others. We can’t have a leader who doesn’t understand compassion and vulnerability. She’s learning now and it will be very hard for her for a time until the others return to her.”

Shægnek was playing with a pair of pot holders and then put them away. She met the hot glare of Chaos and lifted her chin. “It’s my job, Chaos, to make sure that the prophecies are fulfilled as they were meant to be. You don’t have to like it; you just have to accept it. Just remember, you have prophecies of your own that I am working on as well. You wouldn’t want me to skimp on the details of yours would you?”

She then left, not able to watch what was going to happen next, but knowing that Chaos wouldn’t be able to tear himself away from the window. She had already watched it happen once, she didn’t need to see it happen a second time.