When we returned to camp, I was pleased to see Kalara playing some sort of game with the other children under the supervision of Aunt Sivelle and my grandparents. Even Shava and Sten were involved, each laden with half a dozen worn leather purses and walking leisurely around the camp as the younger kids darted around them. Xulyin was playing as well, though she was darting around them with the other smaller kids and she and Kalara both wore similar looks of determination on their faces.

“What are they playing?” I asked my fellow Bards as we stopped to watch.

“It’s called Mark Tag,” Korine offered with a smile. “It’s one of the first games that Voyager children learn.”

“The game must have just started if Shava and Sten have that many purses on them still,” Vesha contributed with a grin before deciding to explain. “Some of the kids are acting as Distractors while the others are playing Thieves. Sten and Shava are the Marks, and they won’t know which of the other kids are playing which roles, at least, not at first. The goal is for the Thieves to snatch the purses from the Marks while their teammates have them looking the other way.”

Selice quickly added, “Anything goes for a distraction and some purses are harder to snatch than others. The goal is for the Thieves to successfully snatch all of the coin purses without too many of them getting caught. If Sten or Shava manage to ‘catch’ them by grabbing their arm and holding on for a count of twenty, they’re out of the game.”

“One o’ the two Marks will also have sumthin’ else ‘valuable’ on ‘em somewhere, but the kids won’t know which o’ them, what item, or where it might be hidden,” Master Niryln pointed out. “Sten an’ Shava will be usin’ body language t’ give hints though. If one o’ the little Thieves manages t’ snatch that afore all the purses are swiped, they win a prize for their team. Usually, it’s a bag o’ sweets.”

“So, it is a game to teach them how to steal?” I asked with a laugh. Only Voyagers would have a game like this.

“In a manner of speaking,” Daivin said with a shrug. “It certainly looks like that to those of us who didn’t grow up in a Voyager troupe. It teaches a lot more than just how to snatch a purse, anybody can do that with enough motivation. It also teaches them how to read body language to see who might be a good mark, when to make their move, who to avoid, and who might have something worth snatching that’s not in a coin purse. The most important thing this game teaches though is teamwork; they need to work together, watch one another’s backs, and help one another to escape if one of them gets caught.”

“Aye, an’ it teaches them tha’ we’re all family ‘ere, an’ we can depend on one another, which is why Kalara an’ Xulyin are playin’.” Master Nirlyn added sagely.

It was a good idea. It would help get both of the new adoptees used to the other kids in the troupe and help them to build bonds. Poor Kalara was apparently one of the Thieves and nearly got caught by Shava before the six-year-old twins, Kegan and Kirla swooped in and each stomped on one of Shava’s feet, allowing all three of them to dash away when my cousin lost her grip on Kalara’s arm. It looked like this game could get rough on the Marks, so it was a good thing that the older kids were playing that role.

The game finally ended when eight-year-old Jaya swiped a small package that was hidden inside Sten’s vest, earning the children a bag of sweets to share. It had been close since Sten was down to one purse at the time and Shava had only two remaining on her. Once the game was over, they all sat down while Aunt Sivelle divided the sweets between the kids. It looked like Shava and Sten were also giving Xulyin, Kalara, Jaya, and Torin, who had all been Thieves, pointers on how to improve their skills.

It was nice to see Kalara interacting with the other children and seeming to have lost some of her shyness with them. It brought a smile to my face as Master Nirlyn, Vesha, and I headed to our wagon to put away our instruments. As for Kalara’s present, I put the tambourine with our other instruments for the moment since I wanted to have Arinade put a durability enchantment on it before giving it to her so Kalara would have it for a long time.

With that done, I headed back outside to check on Kalara. The kids of the troupe were all still sitting together and talking about thievery as they enjoyed their sweets. She did not even seem to notice I had arrived until I asked Aunt Sivelle, “How did things go with Kalara?”

My soon-to-be-daughter immediately perked up at the sound of my voice, practically jumping to her feet to hug my leg as she happily squealed, “Maera!”

Aunt Sivelle laughed at the reaction as I reached down to pry Kalara off my leg and pick her up. “She was shy at first, Kaelyn, but she was well behaved, and we got her to relax and open up a bit after a while. I’m sure that she’ll get used to having such a big family soon enough.”

I let out a sigh of relief before kissing the blue-haired Elf girl on the forehead. “That is my good girl, Kalara. I saw you playing with the others, did you have fun?”

She glanced back shyly at the other kids but quickly nodded and murmured, “Uh huh,” before burying her face into my chest and snuggling closer.

“Good girl,” I repeated as I gently rubbed her back. “So, you see, you are a part of the troupe now and nobody here is going to hurt you. We all keep each other safe and happy as best we can.”

Arinade arrived at our camp with a large satchel filled with tools and ingredients for her enchanting well before the evening meal was ready. Most of the adults in the troupe were going all out making special dishes for the celebration in their wagons, and two cooking fires had meat cooking over them and were being watched by Godan, our wagonmaster, who would occasionally turn the spits. I did not know what the large bird was in life nor which animal the massive side of ribs had come from, but he had brought them back after a trip to one of the city’s butchers for tonight’s festivities.

Since we still had a while before the evening meal would be ready, I helped Arinade to find the appropriate wagons so she could place her enchantments and then relax after we all ate. We started at the wagon that I called home now, where I paid her for retrieval enchantments on my bow and quiver as well as durability enchantments on both those and on my gift for Kalara. When we left the wagon, Kalara was happily trying to play her new tambourine while Vesha, who was more familiar with that type of instrument than I was, attempted to give her a lesson as Master Nirlyn continued cooking something.

Next, we headed over to Uncle Bryden and Aunt Sivelle’s wagon. Aunt Sivelle was chopping veggies and had started some sort of stew or soup simmering, but it was Uncle Bryden and Shava who we needed to talk to and my uncle was eager to get some enchantments placed on Shava’s new gear. They decided on the same enchantments for her bow and quiver, but nothing else.

While Uncle Bryden had wanted to get a retrieval enchantment for her Squire’s Armor, that just was not practical with all the moving parts, straps that would need to be fastened, and adjustments made with her key whenever she put it on. Her armor might last until she was fully grown, but mine was a lot easier to get on and take off. Armor that was too loose or too tight when she summoned it would only be a dangerous distraction in a battle, especially when she could use her gift, or Alara’s, if she was in a pinch. Uncle Bryden wanted her to get used to wearing the armor whenever we were on the road anyway though, so hopefully she would not be without it if she truly needed it.

They didn’t need durability enchantments for her armor or Uncle Bryden’s sword either because they were Dwarf-made and already came with the standard enchantments that Relgar placed on all his creations. His goods might be a little on the expensive side, but they were master quality and he made sure that they were worth every copper. The same held true for Mara and Hagen’s swords and the pair of wheel bows.

Not that the pair of scouts did not want any enchantments when we visited them. They got the same enchantments on their bows and quivers that I had gotten, as well as durability and protection enchantments for their leather armor and a retrieval enchantment for both of the wheel bows and their metal arrow cases. While they planned on wearing their new armor now whenever scouting, the wheel bows and their arrow cases were too large and bulky to keep with them and they wanted to have them at hand if they encountered something big and dangerous.

By the time Arinade was done with the enchantments, the evening meal was ready, and we all settled down by the fire for some good food and conversation. Kalara and Xulyin were both a little uncertain about all the attention they were getting as the guests of honor since neither was used to it, but I think the game earlier helped. Kalara was still a bit shy, but at least she was not clinging desperately to me as she had been before today.

We were all feeling pleasantly full when my grandparents stood up and my grandfather called for attention. “The time has come to welcome new children into our troupe and our family, as they have already found their way into our hearts. Xulyin, please step forward.”

The undine looked nervous as she stood up and stepped before the pair of troupe elders. Then the pair each took one of her hands in theirs and spoke in unison, “Xulyin, when our troupe found you, you were alone in this harsh world, with no family to call your own. You are alone no longer. On this day, we welcome you into our family and name you Xulyin, the daughter of our hearts. We offer you family, a home, and a place here with us. We, Vaela Stormbringer and Lorne Switfblade, promise to raise, teach, defend, and cherish you as we would any child born of our blood. From this day forth, this will be your nameday and you are one of us, our daughter and a Voyager of Sparrowsong Troupe.”

In the firelight I thought I could see a wet trail streaming down, Xulyin’s cheek as she stammered a quiet, “Thank you… m-mother… f.-father.” Then they both wrapped the Undine up in an embrace and held her for several minutes before finally releasing her and sitting back down with her between them. Then my grandmother gave me the briefest of nods to let me know that it was my turn.

I took a deep breath to steady myself as I took Kalara off my lap and had her stand up before taking both of her hands in mine and giving her the most encouraging smile that I could. If I was this nervous, I did not want to think about how nervous the poor shy girl was at that moment. “Kalara, when I found you in that cage, you were alone in this harsh world, with no family to call your own, just like Xulyin. At that moment, my heart went out to you, and you have surely captured it since.”

I took a moment to swallow the lump that had taken residence in my throat before continuing. “You are alone and without family no longer, now you have me and this entire troupe to love and care for you. On this day, we welcome you into our family and I, Kaelyn Darkbane, name you Kalara, the daughter of my heart. I offer you family, a home, and a place here with us. I promise to raise, teach, defend, and cherish you as I would any child born of my blood. From this day forth, this will be your nameday and you are of us, my daughter and a Voyager of Sparrowsong Troupe.”

I could feel the weight of the promise settle upon me as I pulled Kalara to my chest and held her tightly. I was her mother now. I almost expected to feel different somehow, more of an adult, but it seemed nothing had changed but the promise that now bound us. I continued to hold her close until Master Nirlyn called out, “Get yer instruments, Bards! This is a celebration, an’ what’s a celebration wi’out music!?”