Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

let him see she hated him, so he ... he wanted to punish her. He could not beat her, but a man may punish his sons in any way he wishes. My uncle, her brother, challenged him and tried to make other people challenge him, but Yaro ... that was a bad time. I was a child then. I did not understand anything that happened.”

“You understood some of it,” Aras said.

“A little. Eventually. Especially after—” Tano stopped. Then he said, even more softly, “After I saw how the warleaders of other tribes behave. After I had some time to think about the difference. I understood some things better then. But not all of that, everything you said.”

“Cults are rare. I would imagine this problem is even more rare among Ugaro than among Lau.”

By this time, we had come into the inKarano camp. Some people must have hurried ahead to make everything ready, because five of the very large tents had been opened up and fastened together to make one very large tent. Braziers stood all around the edge of this tent, and three more in the center. Tisane was brewing. Bowls had been stacked ready by the braziers, and cushions set all about.

Darra inKarano was there already. I had not realized she had hurried ahead of us, but now I guessed she had directed all these preparations. She would have known exactly how her father wanted everything arranged. Now she sat in the place appropriate for important women, on the far side of the great tent, behind the braziers. Many other people had already come here, and more came in with us, many men and some women, so that suddenly even this enormous tent was very crowded.

Darra had risen to her feet when everyone came in. Every younger woman stood moved aside to give the foremost places to those older. Darra indicated with a polite gesture that my mother should take the place before all the other women. When Dara sat down again, I noticed she sat beside a man I did not know. This man was older than I. His bones were strong, his eyes wide-set in a broad face. He had braided his hair in a complicated way that was not exactly the way most men braided theirs. His hair was not the raven black of every other Ugaro person, but had a faint reddish cast to the color. I knew who that must be, and looked at him carefully.

I thought I would go sit beside Darra, on her other side. But Koro came in just then. He sat down near his daughter, looked around, and ordered, “Everyone who went into the land of the shades by any means, sit there,” pointing to the part of the tent exactly opposite his own place.

I went to sit down where he commanded. Hokino sat down beside me on one side and Aras on the other. Everyone else moved as well. Raga and Arayo came to sit behind me. Tano hesitated for half a heartbeat, but Arayo glanced at him and jerked his head in invitation. Tano went to sit with them, drawing his younger brother down beside him. No other children that age had come into the tent. This was not a time for children. Everyone pretended not to notice the boy.

Etta sat beside Iro, and Lalani on her other side. Before everyone had settled, Garoyo came in. He spoke quietly to our father first. Our father listened, then gave a curt nod. Garoyo crossed the tent and sat down beside Hokino.

My father took the place beside Koro, his back straight, his hands on his knees. Yavorda inGeiro sat down beside him, and then Soro inKera. Royova inVotaro sat down to the king’s other side. Everyone else took places, with less regard than usual for precedence. Most of the women sat to one side and most of the men to the other, but even that with less regard for custom than usual. The tent was too crowded with important people for everyone to know exactly where to sit, and no one wanted to quarrel. Everyone wanted to hear what had happened.

Koro said, “We will hear this story. Anyone may speak. No one needs to stand up to speak. Whoever was present for any part of the story may tell that part. I would like someone to begin by explaining why the people of the sunless sea became the enemies of the Tarashana people, if anyone here knows anything of those reasons.”

Everyone looked at Aras. He glanced up, but only said quietly, “While we dwelled in the starlit lands, Raga inGara spoke more to the Tarashana than anyone else here. I think he knows something of those reasons. He should answer.”

Raga had straightened in surprise. Now he bowed, politely deferential, but anyone could see how pleased he was to be asked. Moving so that he faced Koro directly, he said, “I learned only a little of the Tarashana tongue. But it is true I spoke to some of those people, a little in their language and more in taksu. It is true I asked a woman named Kelhasian tal-Shalaseriad to explain these things to me. This is a woman who was as a sister to our Tarashana, because she learned from the same teacher. Among her kind, this is important. I do not know with certainty how everything happened, but I will tell you the story as this woman explained it to me.” He hesitated for a beat, not uncertain, but pausing as a poet will to gather everyone's attention.

Then he said, “These people of the sunless sea, these people of the starless sky, these people called the Saa'arii have long been powerful. But some years ago, it came to pass that some among them learned different arts. These Saa'arii learned arts of sorcery and other kinds of magic. They became powerful. Then they became arrogant.”

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