Student of Kyme by Storm Constantine Page A

Perhaps you should ask Chrysm to build a temple to Nagarana
in Immanion. He is desperate to please you.’
    Haruah
laughed. ‘The temples to Nagarana will be built by ordinary hara,
not Hegemons, but your suggestion is amusing.’
    There was
a comfortable silence for some moments as I examined the little
carving, then Haruah reached out and stroked my face. ‘Ah, poor
Gesaril. You were denied last night, were you not?’
    I
couldn’t help but blush. ‘Hmm. I lack the sophisticated wiles of
older hara, I think. I give up, to be honest. I will become a
hermit.’
    ‘ I should take you home with me, then. The lands to the north
of our territory are the domain of monks, who live in high,
dangerous, inaccessible places. They are hara created from an
ancient strain of humanity.’
    ‘ What is the name of your country?’ I asked.
    ‘ Veranaka,’ he replied. ‘Well, some hara call it by different
names. It is a vast land, with a great many tribes.’
    I sighed.
‘I feel so… uninformed. My whole world consisted of the tiny
territory of Lyonis for so long, and yet really the world is vast.
I only know of the tribes of Almagabra and Megalithica.’
    ‘ That’s only natural,’ Haruah said. ‘During the Changing
Times, communication broke down completely between different
countries. We all underwent our own traumatic changes. Perhaps now
is the time for communication to be rekindled, as long as all
concerned respect other cultures.’
    ‘ You fear the Gelaming are like humans, don’t you?’ I said.
‘They want everyhar to be Gelaming.’
    ‘ That, unfortunately, is the impression they give,’ Haruah
agreed. ‘But Almagabra is small in comparison to the eastern lands.
We’ve kept ourselves to ourselves for many years. Some of us are
now interested in looking outwards. We are all privileged to be
what we are, united by the common destiny that we were bequeathed
by the world. The Nagini believe it is not beyond Wraeththu to
embrace each other as brothers, wherever they might live or
whatever they might believe.’
    ‘ Do all hara in your country feel that way?’ I
asked.
    Haruah
pulled a rueful face. ‘No, not all.’ He smiled. ‘Now is not the
time for such talk. We are here to make friends and to enjoy
ourselves. Perhaps we should rejoin the company.’
    As we
turned back to everyhar else, I noticed that Malakess was watching
me speculatively.
    Ystayne
and Rayzie had excelled themselves in the kitchen, aided by one of
Haruah’s staff, a har who could not speak Albish but who
nevertheless had communicated well enough in mind touch to work
easily with Huriel’s staff. The Nagini were curious about our
cuisine and wanted to try everything. There was a myriad of things
for them to taste, each dish laced fragrantly with local herbs, the
meats slathered with berry sauces. The topics of conversation
covered over dinner were so vast and so interesting it was like
discovering a magical fountain of knowledge. The Nagini had
travelled over sea and land to reach us; they did not have
transport like the Gelaming. They told us tales of every country
they’d visited. So many tribes. So many different kinds of
Wraeththu. It unsettled me to realise how little I know of my own
kind. Still, I can honestly say I enjoyed the evening far more than
the party at the Academy. I was acutely conscious of Malakess’s
presence, but it felt good rather than uncomfortable. I felt I was
shining. Haruah brought out the best in me. He flattered me subtly,
winding his magic into my being. But it was not for his
benefit.
    The
Nagini left before midnight, after which Huriel, Malakess and I
went back to the sitting room to sit before the fire and drink some
pear liqueur that Rayzie had made last year. I felt mellow and
drowsy; our little party had been a great success, not least
because Malakess had persuaded Haruah to dine with Chrysm the
following evening. Huriel and Malakess discussed the evening’s
events, while I stared into the fire, my