The Rings of Salammis

Veglia - Part 2

    "Your knowledge of our customs is impressive," the ancient shae said, leaning back in the armchair and carefully studying the demi shae's face. "You have been well tutored in our ways. You mimic our lifestyle as though born to it."

     Lirenna froze rigid. Electric fear ran up and down her spine. And anger. Mimic? For a moment she was speechless, midway between crying out in anger and bursting into tears. She had done her best, had gone out of her way to behave like a true member of their community, and was rewarded by being complemented on her powers of mimicry! What Athelasta was saying was that she was not one of them, would never be one of them, but that he was amused by her attempts to be.

     The anger grew, hot and powerful, and she had to bite down on the harsh words that rose to her lips. She dared not say anything until she was fully in control of herself, and as she searched for a suitable response questions rose in her mind. Why would an infallibly polite shae deliver such a carefully calculated insult? Was he trying to goad her? If so, why? She had no answer to those questions, but if he was trying to goad her, the obvious thing to do was to refuse to rise to the bait. She smiled pleasantly, therefore, thanked him, and offered him another slice of honey cake.

     Athelasta's expression didn't change. His smile might have broadened a little, but it was too small to notice. He looked around at the tastefully decorated room, his gaze glancing from the carved wooden posy of flowers standing on the sideboard to the hand woven mats on which the cutlery sets were standing and fixing on the piece of carved crystal she'd hung in the window, on the end of a thread of silk. In the morning, when the sun shone in through a gap in the trees, the crystal caught the light and scattered it in a rainbow of different colours all around the room, something that caused her endless delight no matter how many times she saw it.

     He asked her what it was, and when she explained he said "What a very good idea. We must do the same in our own trees. Perhaps, with your greater height, you can help me fix the thread in the ceiling."

     This dig at her partly human makeup stung her even more than his first attack and she shot back her reply before she could stop herself. "I am not ashamed of my heritage!"

     She immediately cried internally in fear and regret. She'd blown it! She'd allowed her temper to get the better of her and now Athelasta would stride out in outrage at her impertinence. All hopes of acceptance were gone for ever. But he'd been so rude! A shae had been rude! Why? He couldn't be so disgusted by her mixed ancestry or she'd never have been allowed to live in a dwelling tree in the first place. So what was going on? What was he up to?

     "Of course you are not, nor should you be," replied the ancient shae impassively, apparently not the slightest bit disturbed by her outburst. "But your mixed ancestry must present a barrier to your thinking of yourself as truly one of us."

     "Not at all," replied Lirenna, staring at him warily. "I am a shae. I have always thought of myself as a shae. Any barrier that might exist is of your making, not mine."

     Athelasta leaned forward in his chair, studying her intently. "You think of yourself as a shae? And is that where your loyalties lie? With the shayen race?"

     "My loyalties are to my family, my husband and my son, and to Queen Tabitha of Haven," replied Lirenna carefully, suspecting that they were very close now to the real issue. "In Haven, all four of the civilised races co-exist peacefully and all swear loyalty to the Queen rather than to their own race."

     "Your human Queen,"

     "She is human, yes, but it would make no difference to us what race she was. The nomes of Haven swear allegiance to her, as do those trogs who choose to make their homes above ground. That is the strength of Haven."