Agnith's Promise: The Vildecaz Talents, Book 3 by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Page B

“Drink this. I got it from one of the scullions about ten minutes ago. It'll make you stronger. That wallow-moj took a lot out of you last night, I can see it in your eyes. You must be famished.”
    “Thank the Six Founder Gods and Goddesses, we weren’t in any larger place than this, or even one so small as Lagee,” she said, thinking of the small village where they had been two nights before. “I don’t like to think how far the word would spread about me, and how it would be embellished, had I Changed in either place.”
    “That’s important,” he said a bit obliquely as he tended the increasing fire. “But, Ninianee, surely you don’t think you can go on without ever dealing with your Change in the presence of strangers. No matter how well you plan, what happened at Chogrun’s Court will happen again, and you and I will have to be ready to deal with it. You would do well do glory in your Change, not shrink from it.” He paused and looked toward her. “As long as you do this – as long as you hide your Changing – your talent will not be an asset to you, but a detriment, and what could be your greatest strength will remain a weakness. It would break my heart to see you become less than all you are. I hope you don’t intend to remain ashamed of your Changing for the rest of your life.”
    “Would it trouble you? That I continue to conceal my Changing?” She asked this very softly.
    “Yes, because it troubles you,” he answered at once. “There has to be some way to make your transformation an advantage.”
    She wanted to weep, but kept her tears at bay – this was not the time to give vent to flailing emotions. “You’re being wonderful about the Change, but it can’t have been any fun for you, having to share this small space with a wallow-moj, let alone deal with the animals and grooms.”
    “The ponies and mules didn’t like it. They set up quite a racket, whinnying and braying and kicking. The grooms stayed in their quarters with a flask of eayon-brandy for company, and if they noticed anything, they’ll credit it to drunkenness. For me, I found it . . . intriguing. Perhaps tonight when you Change, you can let me know what the wallow-moj is feeling. You should have more comprehension tonight, shouldn’t you?”
    “I assume so,” she said quietly. “At least I should be able to be more aware of myself during the Change.”
    “Then let’s plan to make an effort to determine what the wallow-moj represents, or why you have taken on that form this time. It may be random, but I suspect there’s more to it than blind chance.”
    “If there is a pattern to my Changes, I’ve yet to detect it,” she said, shoving herself onto her knees.
    He took her hands and helped her to stand, as well as keeping the sajah around her. “You’ll need breakfast soon. What would you like me to order?”
    “I don’t think I’m ready to eat,” she said, a little unsteady on her legs.
    “You’ll need its strength,” he said. “The wind is picking up, and we need to get back into our suite before someone sees you.”
    She stared down at her feet, suddenly unwilling to meet his eyes. “I hope this hasn’t all been for nothing – coming so far with no news of my father, and . . . and all the rest of it.”
    “I don’t consider it nothing,” he said as he turned her to the closed stable-door. “You have accepted me as your Official Suitor – that wouldn’t have happened if you’d stayed home, would it?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started her toward the door, walking slowly while she regained her footing.
    “Probably not,” she allowed.
    “And you wouldn’t have spoken with the Golozath Oracle – “
    ” – who might have led me astray,” she said with a rush of sadness.
    “It’s possible. And it may be that the Oracle spoke true, but in such a way as you might interpret what it said amiss. Oracles are often deliberately ambiguous, making sense after the fact, not