The Ramblings of an Artistic Equestrian

Ok, self, what’s going on third term? Sray is getting more comfortable with Thelus and crew. She’s starting the Getie’an class and there’s the group interested in that. Ieshan invites her, Kem, and Meikal to join their music group. Is that third term or the end of second? Probably third. I think some of the members may have taken a little more to warm up to the idea. Ieshan and Forn were probably the instigators. Exploring the mountains more.

Sray returned to where Kem and Silfiya were waiting for her. It was still a little strange to hear Getie’an as she approached. Kem was determined to learn the language and was constantly trying to find new words and use them. Her enthusiasm exceeded her knowledge and some of the things that ended up coming out of her mouth were both embarrassing and hilarious.

“How was your traveling today?” Kem asked in carefully enunciated Getie’an.

Sray smiled. “Traveling was good, Kem.” She paused, trying to pick words that Kem would know. “I found a dwelling. I want to discover more about it.”

“Dwelling,” Kem repeated the word thoughtfully. “So like a house?”

“Yes and no. Like the Getier, I don’t think they lived with one small family in a place.”

It’s not like she had a translation dictionary for Ela’yan and Getie’an. They didn’t need so many of the words she found essential in describing how she could feel things around her. The ability to describe fire and how she could feel how something might burn.

Third term she brought her nameofmineral. She had no holder for it, but she did make one out of construct. It seemed to last well enough. Usually she still used a candle because it didn’t require her to constantly push heat into it to keep the light.

She knew Getier burned their dead, but didn’t know what the Breshtsoln or Zegdaen might do with them. She was curious to not find anything. There was no bones, no bodies. It seemed like they simply left. It was a little reassuring that they weren’t just slaughtered where they stood, assuming that the Meim didn’t do anything with the bodies. It seemed strange that the Meim would have gotten this high up, but after watching Mishor navigate the space it didn’t seem so impossible anymore that the Meim could have gotten into some of these areas. Whether they would have had enough energy to put up a good fight was another matter, but given her own instinctual reaction to constructs, the Meim may not have needed to push very hard.

She visited the wall again the following Remstan.

“We’re not going to the usual spot?” Kem asked.

“No, I want to check out something else. We’ll borrow a cart and drive, it’s all the way on the other end of the valley and I don’t think you want to walk the whole way.

Kem nodded agreement. Sray offered Silfiya the chance to join them and it was the three of them and Foo again.

Foo jogged easily beside the small carriage as they cut across the valley. There was a vague track to follow between the hay fields heading east. Foo got distracted a couple times, disappearing in some underbrush before reappearing again, licking her jaws.

They made it to the end of the valley and went into the trees as far as the vehicle allowed before stopping. They unhooked and secured the horse before hiking to the very end of Engama’s territory.

With the snow gone it was a little harder to see the line, but as they drew near, the gap in the trees made it obvious. There were some grasses and small flowers growing in the broad path between the last trees and the wall.

“What is this?” Kem asked, frowning as she took in the structure. Her head tilted up first to find the top and then she slowly scanned left and right. “It’s huge.”

“It is the Meim’s proclamation that this land is theirs and klamon are not welcome.”

Kem furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, compressing her round face. Her countenance expanded with understanding and she looked up at Sray in bewilderment. “The klamon didn’t leave here willingly, did they?”

“No, Engama’s founder and those that followed him forced them out. The Meim knew about this valley, saw it, wanted it, and took it.”

“That’s awful,” Kem said.

Foo sniffed around them, but Sray noticed the pouched dog stayed well away from the wall. The animal had been this way many times with the logging teams and knew what was there. Either she was aware that nothing threatening could come from the wall’s direction, or she didn’t like its feel either.
Sray simply nodded her agreement and pressed her palm against the wall. Smooth, neither hot nor cold, unyielding, and expansive, the wall felt insurmountable.

“What are you looking for, Sray?” Silfiya asked.

Sray pulled her hand from the wall and turned back to Silfiya. “TITLE Serrith told me about this before the fire. Thelus showed it to me and after last week I needed to see it again.”

“What changed last week?” Kem asked.

Sray inhaled slowly and turned to touch the wall again. Dense, solid, but patched and laced together by hundreds of hands. “I do not know how to say it.” She ran her tongue along the inside of her teeth. “I feel … this wall doesn’t belong here. If Hafitch Mishor believes we can unite again, we can’t have walls between us.”

“Do you think there are klamon on the other side of the wall?” Kem asked.

“It’s not like they’re staring at it, hoping for the first opportunity to sneak through. NAME Hillenbohn waged war against them and put this here. After seventy years they probably assume the wall isn’t going anywhere. But yes, they are over there. Probably not close. If I had come across something like this in Geteilpohth, I would have run the other way.”
Illendis had showed her how to take them apart. She could try, just a little. Just enough to feel like she was doing something. Thelus said they would simply rebuild it.

“I am on the wrong side of the wall.” Saying it aloud twisted her gut. It was probably safe enough to say with Kem and Silfiya, but it still felt like she was saying too much.

“Danrick Mishor has hopes for you, that is true. He wants to present it as you being like any other student. That your klamon heritage is not the reason you are here. You are here because you are Meim, and the rest isn’t worth commenting on. Shouldn’t be focused on.”
 
Would she admit she felt like she was on the wrong side of the wall? It feels like a big thing for her to say, even now.

“I was aware of it like I was aware of klamon targeting the Meim during the Separation Wars. I knew it happened and was there, but never had a truly satisfactory answer. I admit I didn't dig too hard for them, there were other things in my life more concerning.”

Kallon and Shermal galloped past Sray to block the gap. Between the jack and other trolas he pulled up abruptly. Shermal sat on her haunches in a half-rear in response. He brandished the pole and shouted at the trola. The animal lowered its head. Sray felt the temperature drop around the trola, a warning as it focused on Kallon and his horse.

“Kallon!” Sray shouted, finally firmly back in her seat and urging her mare to catch up, pole forgotten.

Shermal pawed the ground, anxious to move again, but holding position. The trola lowered his head. The bony ridges weren’t sharp, but a two ton trola battering ram behind them could kill. Kallon sat back and raised the pole. Shermal gathered her haunches and launched forward. Kallon swung the pole in a wide arc and with it pushed heat back at the trola.
The animal let out a loud, grunting snort of surprise, slid a couple feet on the freshly ice-slick grass, and abruptly turned back towards the holding pens.

Sray exhaled in relief to see the animal trotting away, his head still half-cocked towards Kallon, wary, but not willing to press for a fight if Kallon didn’t insist on it. She wasn’t going to be much help pole-less so she turned back to find it, glancing up to check their progress towards the holding pen and then galloping to catch up.

The trola jack entered the wide funnel of fencing as she came up beside Kallon. A pair of barren jills were also well on their way to the holding pens. Kallon and Sray halted to guard the broad entry as other riders pushed the trola deeper into the maze of holding pen fencing.

Kallon nodded towards Sray. “Maybe you should have stayed home the way you’re riding. At least you got your pole back.”

She tapped his foot with her pole. “You’re lucky no one but the trola and I were close enough to feel what you did.”

“Would you rather I let him get away?”

“I’d rather you not get run over by a trola or do something that makes people wonder how you managed to get an angry trola to stop in its tracks with just a stick and pony.”

“I did one better than stop him.” He tapped her pole back. “Keep a hold of your stick and stay on yours and I won’t have to. Also, they all had their backs to us.”

Sray shook her head. It wasn’t as if she had never pushed a little heat at a trola herself. “Just keep your senses clear. We don't know if the arsonists would actually try something while we're out here.”

“They won’t like what happens if they do.” His lip twitched, but didn’t quite curl.


The last day of the gather Sray and co were dismissed after the last trola was secured behind the final gate. The trolas are pretty happy to graze within fencing so long as they don’t run out of food. If there’s adequate food and water they’re not overly concerned about the restriction so long as it doesn’t go on too long.

Sray was riding alone back towards the wagon. Kallon was helping a little longer around the corrals and Kayrin went to send off Ientel and Forentel with some food. Iel said she didn’t have to fuss over them, they’d be at the relay by the next day, but didn’t refuse the food.

She looked behind her. Tos was trotting up on [description or name] horse. She stopped and allowed him to catch up.

“Another gather come and gone, and with that the new year will dawn.


“How does it feel on the cusp of twenty-two?”

“You should know, you’ve been here already.”

“I suppose so,” he said.

As soon as the meeting was adjourned he darted towards the Hillenbohn’s wagon.

“Sray!”

She turned sharply at the sound of Tos’ voice. She didn’t like how her gut tightened and twisted at the sight of him. It was unfair that she couldn’t convince her body of all the reasons Tos had to stay at arm’s length. She was glad to see him, but it felt like a reminder of all the things she couldn’t be or have.

His smile lit his whole face.

“Good morning, Tos.” She offered a polite smile.

“Good morning?” he asked as if she were grossly wrong. “It is far from good, it is absolutely glorious. Your presence is a cool breeze on a hot day, the warm sun rising at the break of a winter’s dawn. You are back and look well, the day could not possibly get any better.”

Kallon joined them alongside Weloma and Traevel. Tos didn't bring up the fire.

“It's good to have you back, Sray,” Weloma said. “Tos was absolutely miserable when the mail was held up. The news said some men set fire to the school. Do you know why?”

Tos opened his mouth to say something, but Sray beat him to it.

“I can’t say why someone would.” At least she couldn’t say with Weloma and Traevel there.
Kallon raised his brows slightly and gave a small, dismissive shrug.

“Was there a lot of damage?” Traevel asked.

This time Tos was faster. “I don’t know if Sray wants to talk about it. Do you?” He turned to Sray.

“Tos is right, I would rather not discuss the fire. It was an awful experience.” True enough.

“Mrs. Hillenbohn,” Tos began, “I noticed you haven’t been using Zhelmay. Is she alright?”
Of course Tos would notice Zhyelmay was missing.

“I decided to breed her and have sent her off.”

“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?” he asked.

“I want her to be well settled when it’s time to breed her and the stud is quite a distance from here.”

It didn’t do much good to lie to Tos. He was sharp and perceptive. One of these days he was going to put it all together and discover why they lived in Jon.

When they were done working Sray and Kallon headed back to the wagon to meet Kayrin and Janef. Sherodd was waiting by the horses, leaning against the hitching rail when they arrived.

“Ms. Hillenbonn.” He stood when they approached. “Do you have a minute to talk privately before you head home?”

“Yes, Mr. Haubodden, where?”

“By the house, if you would.”

“Wait for Bema and Janef, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Kallon frowned at Sherodd, but didn’t say anything.

They walked the short distance to the Haubodden home and stood in the shade cast by the house to talk. It felt good after being in the sun all day.

“What do you need, Mr. Haubodden?” she asked. She needed to know, but didn’t want to know, because she knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say.

“I don’t think you should participate in the trola gather this year.” The words were rushed, as if saying it faster would soften the blow and make the declaration more palatable. As if she wouldn’t notice if he said it fast enough. She hated the idea no matter how he presented it.

It surprised her a little, but her rebellion at the idea was instantaneous. “What.” The single word demanded explanation.

He sucked in a breath through his teeth, not quite a grimace, and it made her question his conviction. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out there, on the plain, perfectly exposed with the arsonists still unaccounted for.”

Sray ran her tongue along the inside of her teeth as she drew in a slow breath, watching Sherodd through low, suspiciously lidded eyes. She let it out in a quick huff, looking out at the street. “You think so or Danrick Mishor thinks so?”

“Who would you listen to best?”

She gave him a smoldering look. She wasn’t in the mood for games.

Sherodd shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We’re on the same page. The arsonists could have burned the whole school down. We have no idea what they might try next, especially if they start getting desperate."

They finally stopped. The carriages rocked as hands unloaded the luggage before the new students were helped out. Sray claimed her two bags and noticed there were just over a dozen other students. They milled about uncertainly as the carriages moved off. This could not have been the whole school. It was too much for so few. Sray breathed deeply and clutched the handle of her case, looking around her.

Returning students must have arrived before them, as there was some movement around the grounds, most of it filtering back into the massive building that loomed a short distance from where they stood. Those near her whispered and chatted, excited and nervous as they exchanged names and hometowns.

"Are you a teacher?”

Sray turned and saw a boy in his mid teens. He had a mop of curly, reddish hair and dark eyes set in a round face. His cream long-sleeved, shirt had dark buttons and wore a plain, brown vest over it.

“No, I am a student.” He squinted up at her with suspicious scrutiny.

“You’re rather old to be here for the first time, aren’t you?"

"I do not know,” Sray replied. “The school invited me, so I am here.”

The youth frowned and moved to speak, but the group of them were called to attention by two tall, dark-haired people. The young man was broad-shouldered and obviously muscular, even under the long-sleeved shirt. The young woman that stood beside him was not quite so thickly built, but still tall, strong, and barely an inch shorter. The pair shared many of the same features; straight hair, sharp, angular jaws, and dark eyes set wide in their faces. Twins were common among klamon, but Sray hadn’t seen it in humans.

“I am Jorgin Pfyllat,” the young man introduced himself. He sounded Ela’yan, even if his appearance and name were anything but. He put a hand on the woman’s shoulder, “and this is my sister, Jina. If you all will pick up your things and follow us; boys with me, and girls with Jina. We’ll get you all settled in before dinner.”

They fell into step behind the pair as they turned and strode confidently towards the pale, looming walls that seemed to glow warmly in the fading light. Sray glanced nervously at those who strode beside her. They were all markedly shorter than Sray. She was a few inches taller than the average Ela’yan woman to begin with, and a lot of the men in all honestly. That combined with the obvious age gap and her straight, blond hair in the midst of the crowd of dark, curly and wavy-haired heads around her snuffed out any hope of her blending in. There was one boy who looked Golanan with dark, straight hair and brown skin, but he was around the same age as the rest of them. All but two of the others appeared to be in their early teens, the older ones, a boy and a girl, were around Kallon’s age. The other two girls were in similar garb as Elima and Seri. Instead of lacing about the neck and arm openings, there was embroidery along the neckline. The older burnette girl’s clothes had some simple vines, leaves, and flowers and the younger, black-haired girl’s embroidery was finer and more elaborate, stylized horses prancing alongside loping dogs amidst trees against the deep navy background. The hem of her apron was also embellished with a similar motif. The dogs were too stylized to figure out if they were pouched or not.

Sray took several deep breaths and focused on the direction they were headed. Their guides took them through the yawning front doors that mirrored the seal from her letter. The entry hall on the other side was tall and wide with large, mottled windows that scattered what little light remained across the stone floor. The walls were white marble swirled with darker veins. Their guides walked slowly and patiently as they all gawked at the massiveness of the structure. The eastern portion of Ela’yas, and especially the south where Sray was from, consisted mostly of unsettled frontier land. The few cities that did exist were young and had not yet amassed many large architectural monuments.

Sray couldn’t help but be impressed by the structure. She hadn’t seen anything quite like it. The buildings the Getier made were carved into the cliffs they lived on, impressive in their own right, but she had never seen such massive, free-standing structures.

The girls were led to the right, and the boys disappeared down the halls to the left, lugging their bags awkwardly beside them. The hallways were tall. Windows lined the east side near the ceiling, darkening by degrees as the sun vanished from the sky. Lamps shone brightly from their decorative perches set within the walls on either side. They passed many large, dark doors on either side of the hallway, set a dozen or more feet apart, suggesting the size of the rooms behind them.

They took a right, a left, another right and another left before Jina Pfyllat opened a door midway down the hall on the right. “This will be your shared room. You have a few minutes to freshen up, but the faster you’re back out this door, the sooner you get dinner.”

They filed past Jina into a sparsely decorated room. The outer wall and the one with the door they just entered were bare white stone. The other two walls were plastered and painted white except for the brick and stone around the fireplace. Five beds were neatly turned down and lined the south wall. There was a shelf set into the wall above each bed with a gas lamp and space to spare. Each lamp was lit, giving ample light to the room.

The east wall had three large windows framed with thick curtains, a square desk with an unlit oil lamp and two wood chairs under each one. There was a fourth, lower oval table set out from the north wall that had a large, three-wicked oil lamp glowing in the center surrounded by six cushy chairs. A second door on the north wall, to the left of where they entered, led to a modest bathing room with a cabinet full of linens, two baths draped in sheer curtains, two sinks, a wash tub and board to manage laundry, and a privy in its own little closet; all with running water. There was also a fireplace on the north wall with a dark stone hearth below the brick chimney. A few fresh logs were stacked within the fireplace and a large kettle hung beside it.

Sray allowed the other girls to go in ahead of her, having no desire to jockey for position, figuring it best to let them sort themselves out. She would claim whatever bed remained, which ended up being the one closest to the windows. She set her things down at the foot of the bed and re-entered the hallway.

Jina was leaning against the wall, arms folded, she raised her dark, thin brows at Sray’s quick return. “You must be hungry.”

Food was the last thing on Sray’s mind. Her gut roiled with anxiety at the thought of it. Sray forced a smile. “The sooner we get to dinner, the sooner I can get some rest after all this travel, right?”

“If that’s the way you want it,” Jina said. “You’ll be introduced to the rest of the school and your instructors at dinner, but after that, the time is yours.” She fingered an oval pendant that hung below her breastbone, glinting against the dull white of her shirt. The stone was set in silver and delicately carved. The natural tones were used expertly to accentuate the form of a flying dragon. Jina also had brass cuffs around her upper ear with complex geometric designs etched into them. Sray almost asked about the pendant, but the other girls filed out the door and it was a short walk to the heart of the building.

Their guide stopped just to the side of a pair of open doors even larger than the ones at the entry. The dark wood was carved with delicate, fine reliefs depicting stylized animals and plants. People were seated and chatting around multiple tables just inside. No one seemed to have noticed them yet. “This is the main hall where you will have all of your meals, please follow me to your table. You will have time afterwards to greet anyone you might know, but please be quiet and respectful as you enter.”