Taking a deep breath, I started toward the priest and the guards with Neva’kul in hand while the Ravieri Bard downed the rest of my ale and gathered my pack and cloak. I was well aware that one lesson did not make me an expert, or even a beginner swordswoman, but I needed to buy some time. As I held my sword uncertainly between myself and the approaching men, I tried to get a read on them and come up with some manner of plan.

Neither of the guards had drawn their blades yet, fortunately. They seemed too surprised at first, as I seemingly pulled mine from thin air due to the concealment of my glamour, and stopped in their tracks uncertainly to stare at me. “Magic,” the priest said with an expression and tone that hovered somewhere betwixt jealousy and disgust.

As much as I hated the Church of One, a single priest was not a good reason to cause mass panic or use any of the abilities that Neva’kul could offer. I would hold Sharai’s and Tamisun’s abilities in reserve in case this went badly, but I did not want to cause mass destruction by using Joarra’s ability in a crowded marketplace. Most of these people were victims as much as I was and held firmly under the thumb of the church if the grumblings that Niryln had heard were accurate.

Gaivin’s lust-generating ability was the last thing that I wanted to use in this or any other situation though. I did not want those three men lovestruck and lusting after me, nor any of the bystanders who were taking an interest in our standoff. That left me with my own limited abilities. Swordplay was not one of those yet, but keeping my blade at the ready would hopefully make my opponents overly cautious.

I almost asked Sharai to take over, she probably could have handled two guards and an unarmed priest with no problems. She probably would have done so if I had asked. I could still feel her guilt like a darkness in the back of my mind, but I knew in my heart that she would not allow her feelings to put me in danger if she could help somehow. Still, I felt the need to prove that I was adjusting and would at least try to handle such situations for myself before begging for her help. She was my guide, not my wet-nurse, so I could not go running to her every time a situation made me uncertain.

As I gripped Neva’kul tightly and considered the situation, a grin lit up my face as I looked toward the priest. He had become guarded and afraid as soon as the word magic had left his mouth and was now moving slightly behind one of the guards to use him as cover. If he wanted magic, I would show him some magic.

I focused my minds-eye and felt around for the sense of metals that I would be able to manipulate. My gift seemed more sensitive now, and much stronger, just as Sharai had promised. I had had little time to work with it since I had been trying to adjust to my new form and new abilities, but it was something that I was familiar with. Even as I sensed the metals around me, I reached out for one of the guards’ steel swords before his hesitant hand could reach the hilt and caused the blade to lurch upward, still in its sheath.

The weapon sheath reoriented itself before the guard could get the hilt of his blade in hand; the pommel and hilt jerking suddenly down and away from his reaching hand while the loosely secured sheath flew upward. The tip of the sheath managed to strike the priest moving behind the guard in the groin with enough force to make him collapse, wheezing as he clutched his manhood. As the pair of guards whirled toward their groaning companion in confusion, I summoned a large ball of my rose-hued faerie fire in my hand.

“Do not worry about him, his punishment was far less than a priest of that foul organization deserves. This is what you should be worrying about,” I told them with a manic grin as I sent the ball of pink flames flying toward them. Since it was faerie fire it would not burn or harm them, but none of them knew that.

The two guards reacted instantly, their eyes going wide as they dove aside and out of the path of the fiery projectile. The priest, who was still kneeling on the ground and trying to recover from the pain in his groin looked up at the movement and shrieked like a soprano in an opera as he had just enough time to see the ball of flame flying toward him. When it hit and I dispersed it he had his eyes closed and was still screaming as if he was actually on fire.

That was when I became aware of the sound of wingbeats and since I was keeping mine still for the moment I risked a quick glance at the source. I was just in time to see what looked like a Dragonkin land beside Nirlyn to snatch the Bard up in her arms as Nirlyn called out, “Time to go, Kaelyn!” Then the Dragonkin, a female from the brief look I got, leaped back up into the air, her large wings beating furiously as she took to the skies once more. I wasted no time in moving my own wings so that I could follow. My business in Majair was done, and I hoped to never see the place again.

We flew northwest, landing in the forest that I had left earlier that morning. By the time that I had touched down, only slightly more gracefully than my previous landing, the Dragonkin girl had released Nirlyn and they were both looking me in interest. I had dispelled my glamour while in flight since I saw no use in hiding myself. Niryln had seen right through the glamour while in the city anyway.

“Yer very strikin’. My kind can’t sense magic like ya Fae, but we can see it. I could see the magic o’ yer glamour, an’ could get a sense o’ what ya really are, but I couldn’t see what ya really look like ‘til now,” the Bard commented casually as she looked me over. Then she gestured to the Dragonkin girl who was gaping at me and added, “This is my apprentice, Vesha. I found ‘er as a hatchlin’ a few years after yer mother left us, an’ me an’ the troupe ‘ave been carin’ fer ‘er since. Vesha, this is Kaelyn.”

As she was speaking and the Dragonkin girl was staring at me, I found myself looking at Vesha with similar interest. I had never seen a Dragonkin before, but then, I had not seen any non-humans until I met Sharai. Since then, I had met Nirlyn, the Voyager/Changeling children, found out that my mother was a Voyager, and now I was meeting a Dragonkin as well.

Vesha looked to be around the same age as me and was dressed simply in boots, hose, and a thigh-length tunic, all in dull brown tones. She was pretty with a human-looking face, soft features, and plump lips but she had bright amber eyes with slit pupils, and curved black horns emerging from her temples that swept back along the sides of her head above her slightly pointed ears. The black horns were a sharp contrast to her long crimson hair and before she closed her mouth, I could see elongated canines.

She was also tall enough that I was at eye level with her chin. That was impressive since my new body was quite a bit taller than the average woman now, Niryln seemed to be of average height if you did not count the catlike ears atop her head, and the tips of those were just below eye level for me. And since Vesha had seemed to have very little trouble carrying Nirlyn, I assumed that the Dragonkin was as strong as she was big.

She certainly had the muscle tone under that lightly tanned skin of hers, at least from what I could see of her bare arms. I could see that she had curves too from the way that the tunic was belted tightly at her slim waist but seemed to strain the fabric in both her chest and hips. Her long crimson-scaled tail and the matching large draconian wings probably made it difficult to find clothing that fit comfortably though. I saw those same crimson scales along the sides of her neck, the back of her hands, and the outer parts of her arms as well and I found myself wondering just how far they went.

We both stared at one another for a long moment until Vesha managed to compose herself. With a smile that set my stomach fluttering more than my wings ever could, she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Kaelyn.” Her voice was husky, soft, and slightly deeper than I was expecting with a slight rumble to it.

What was this strange feeling? I felt warm, my knees were weak, and the words lodged themselves in my throat for a moment before I managed to reply nervously, “Umm... you as well, Apprentice Vesha.” I took a deep breath to try to calm my racing heart and turned back to Nirlyn to ask the Ravieri, “You said something about taking me to your camp?”

Nirlyn nodded and replied, “Aye, we’ll need t’ wait ‘til dark though, lass. Too much risk that people might‘ve seen which direction we flew off in. That’s why we flew ‘ere, t’ lead ‘em in the wrong direction. ’Til then, we can walk an’ talk.”

We did not walk in any specific direction, merely wandering the natural paths of the forest. As for the talking, Nirlyn and I did most of that, though Vesha did contribute her opinions occasionally. Each time that she did, I found my eyes being drawn to her and my heart seemed to quicken.

I was still unsure whether I could trust Nirlyn or the troupe she spoke of and she seemed to sense that so she started by telling me about my mother and their relationship. As she had mentioned before, the troupe that she was traveling with was the one that my mother was born to. They had met when the troupe came across Nirlyn as a young adolescent, injured at the side of the road with no memory of her past. Like they had later with Vesha, the troupe took Nirlyn in as a foundling and raised her as one of their own. Apparently, troupes of Voyagers raise children communally so she was treated as any other child of the troupe and she and my mother bonded over a shared interest in music.

A couple of years after they found Nirlyn, the troupe met a traveling Master Bard named Orrus Silvertongue. He saw potential in my mother and Nirlyn and took them on as apprentices at a time when a lot of Guilds, including the Bardic Guild, were against recruiting females, non-humans, or Voyagers. Even though Voyagers could pass as human well enough, there was a lot of stigma about “Gypsy filth” among the Guilds back then.

His decision to take on a Voyager and an obvious non-human, and girls at that, was not a popular one. It took Niryln and my mother twice as long as any other apprentice to be allowed to take the Journeyman exams and they had to work five times as hard as any other apprentices to prove themselves. They did it though, despite all of their detractors, and now the Bardic Guild and several others were starting to take on apprentices by skill and talent rather than race and gender.

She told me other things too, things about my mother that I never knew, and offered to show me all of my mother’s letters when we got to their camp. She had kept them all and had practically memorized them. She told me that the early ones were mostly about my mother’s life in Greendell and there was a lot about me after I was born as well, but the later ones started to include more and more about the threat of the Church of One to those with magic.

After my mother’s last letter and hearing that the Bard passing through had not been able to find us, Nirlyn and the rest of the troupe had become worried and attempted to find us both physically and with whatever magic they could, but they could not find any trace of myself or my mother with scrying magic. They figured that my mother was probably dead because of that but they had nothing connected to me to properly scry with so they held out hope and kept trying to find me or some information about what happened to us.

Then one of the troupe elders, Tanna, predicted that they would find what they sought if Nirlyn was in a certain city on a certain day and in front of a certain shop. The troupe changed their route to take them to the main Bardic Guildhall in Derevik so that Nirlyn could make an appeal to look into the disappearances in Evalis. Then they stayed long enough for her to convince the Guild Council of the need and then to allow her to take her Master’s exam and lead the investigation.

She even answered my questions about the Voyagers. They, and by extension me, were indeed Changelings, though they had not called themselves that since the Demons were defeated after the fall of the Ancient Ones. The Changelings had been nearly wiped out and since hostility had increased between Fae and humans and they could pass as humans if they were careful they decided to reinvent themselves, something that was a common enough concept among their kind. Except they reinvented their culture to appear as secretive and mysterious wanderers so that they could travel the continent freely and watch for signs that the Demons might return.

Finally, she finished with a sigh as the sun was near setting. “They didn’t change who they were at their core though; they still worship Hespira, they still care fer the land, they still ‘old grudges like nobody’s business, an’ they still enjoy a good bit o’ mischief like what ya pulled on the guards an’ that priest. Yer mother would ‘ave been proud, lass.”

I looked down at my feet and took a deep breath. “I guess it is my turn then. My mother and father were murdered by a man from the Church of One. But that is not all. The Demons are back, the church is worshiping their god, they’re corrupting and possessing those that they can, and persecuting the Touched and those who still follow the old ways. They wiped out an entire troupe of Fae in the forest outside Greendell.”

Since I had gotten the ball rolling, I told them everything. Nirlyn’s face shifted from sad to furious and then to sympathetic as I told her about watching the man murder my parents, how I had been living for the past five years, my encounter with Sharai, and everything that had happened since. I finished by telling them that I was on my way to Tarin’dol to warn them about the Demons’ return.

The Ravieri Bard and her apprentice needed a few minutes to process everything that I told them but I knew exactly how they felt after receiving so much information about who and what my mother was, and what I am, not long before. While they sat there thinking I focused my thoughts on my spirit guide. “Sharai, please do not blame yourself for me changing as I have. You could not have known that I was a Changeling or that your blood would have that effect. You thought that they were wiped out. Besides, I like my new form and I like having you with me. I am not angry with you. So please, stop hiding and be my partner again. We have a long journey ahead and you still have much to teach me.”

-I… are you certain, Kaelyn?- the Faerie spirit asked tentatively.

“Yes, we are partners, Sharai. I need you if we are going to bring down the church and the Demons,” I told her with all seriousness. “And I think I would miss you if you continue to shut me out.”

I was about to say more to try to convince her but I could feel her acceptance and maybe a little affection in my mind. That was also when Nirlyn spoke up again. “Yer right, lass. Tarin’dol needs to be told ‘bout this. I’ll talk t’ the elders ‘bout us takin’ ya there. We will need t’ go t’ Derevik first though.”

As much as the idea of not having to make such a journey by myself appealed to me I asked, “Why Derevik?”

“I need t’ report t’ the Guild Council, lass,” the Master Bard replied. “The guild needs t’ be told ‘bout this an’ what happened t’ Kalara, an’ likely our other Bards as well. I’ll need ya t’ act as a witness. They can then spread the word t’ others who need t’ know as we make our way to Tarin’dol. I also need t’ inform the guild o’ my new apprentice.”

I looked toward Vesha but the Dragonkin seemed as confused as I was. I realized that I was staring again and flushed as I quickly tore my eyes away to direct my gaze back to Nirlyn. “New apprentice?”

“Aye. Kaelyn Bladebearer, I am askin’ ya t’ join the Bardic Guild, as my apprentice,” she said formally. “Kalara taught ya well, ya inherited ‘er talent, an’ any fool can see ‘ow much ya love music.”

I could barely make myself say the words, “I cannot. I need to learn how to use this sword and I should learn more about magic as well if I am going to be fighting Demons.”

-You should do it, Kaelyn,- Sharai encouraged. -I will still teach you swordplay and we can find someone to teach you magic, I am certain that some of the Changelings in the troupe that she mentioned would know some. I can feel your longing when you think about music though. If this is what you truly want then I will help you, as your partner.-

“I didn’t say it’d be easy, lass. It’ll be hard work but it’ll be worth it too. Ya can set aside time t’ learn to use the sword an’ yer new abilities. Yer already a fair musician from what I’ve seen, better’n many yer age. As fer magic, I can teach ya that well ‘nough,” the Ravieri said with a hearty laugh, completely unaware of Sharai’s encouragement.

I should have realized she would know some magic since my mother had told me that Ravieri were nearly as talented with it as the Fae but I had yet to see her use any. “But if you know magic, why did I have to distract those guards?”

“I was testin’ ya, lass, seein’ if ya were yer mother’s daughter after all,” she responded with a shrug as she pulled aside her cloak to reveal her harp brooch. “Consider this yer first lesson as my apprentice. Copper harps are fer apprentices, silver fer Journeymen, an’ gold fer Masters. Only the Master pins ‘ave gems though, an’ they represent the different areas o’ mastery. The emerald on mine means vocal mastery, the sapphire means that I’ve mastered at least five instruments, but the amethyst is new. Since I’m the first non-human Master Bard, an’ humans usually can’t use magic, there’s been no need fer it ‘til now. It means I’m a spellsinger.”

I turned my attention back to Vesha, worried that she might be jealous that her master was so interested in taking me as an apprentice. It would take attention and teaching away from her and for some reason the thought of her resenting or hating me hurt far more than it should have for someone that I had only just met. To my surprise though, the Dragonkin was smiling wide enough to show off her long canines. My heart skipped a beat and I almost failed to notice the sense of familiar dark magic heading toward us from the direction of the city. “A Demon is on its way,” I near whispered as I tried to suppress a shudder.

“We’d best get goin’ then,” Nirlyn half-growled. “Much as I’d like t’ stay an’ give it what it’s got comin’, we don’t know who or what it might be bringin’ with it. They could ‘ave soldiers since they ‘ave the King’s ear. I’ll not endanger ya girl’s by fightin’ at a disadvantage. Let’s get back t’ camp so we can pull up stakes an’ get out o’ this cursed country. We got what we came fer.”