Shirley Meier's Blog, page 44

545 - Girl Talk, Boy Talk

"No no no, stop, stop."  She reached for my hands, then stopped herself short.  "You are Arkan, shy about the hands... I hold them in spirit."  I gave her my hands anyway.  I was used to this kind of thing, from Yeolis, in Yeola-e. Her grip, though knobby and thin, was very warm and tender and comforting, even motherly… well, in my case more nursely.  "Tell me, would you blurt out an Arkan

544 - A Complete Second-Thresholder of Myself

"He was only seven, so it must have been pervasive in his life," Sukala said thoughtfully.  "Touching every aspect... oh!  I've never had two people together who he's had sex with before, and I've always been curious: what's he like?"

Kallijas choked wildly on his tea and started coughing even as I passed hot liquid through my nose and started sputtering my eyes watering, Reknarja made this

543 - The Forge of Sukala

"So you were not just dreaming that," Reknarja said.  Klaimera looked at him as if she were a touch offended. "I'll admit I saw nothing of the kind.  But I have the spirit-sense of a brick.  I could imagine it from the way Surya moved."

"The best person to ask whether you were dreaming it is Virani-e himself," said Sukala.  "When you get the chance.  He is the only person to whom it really

542 - Silvery Grey and Bloody

"I love you too, Sukala," Kallijas said and disappeared into another cavern.  There came odd creaking noises and then the sound of water rushing, perhaps into a stone sink. 

"Bear with us, my dear potentates!"  Sukala said and went off after him.

"Just tea for me, please," I say.  "May I help?"

"No, no, sit down Minis," and "Certainly, my lad, come right in here!"  Kall and Sukala said at

541 - My Darling Lad

The Liren baths were cool and since the girls had snuffed half of the lamps, the only light was from the windows and the cool green reflections on the ceiling and against the statues.
"I am so upset with him I don't know what to do!"  Skala splashed her hand flat against the water.  "He's ready to marry me, he's not spoken to my brother, he's not spoken to my uncle... he said he was thinking

540 - Like Schoolboys on an Escapade

What Surya did then was something I never thought he'd do in front of Chevenga's family, much less his friends.  It was part of the end of the ritual and I wanted to look away, a great deal, even as my... perhaps not so vile organs stirred.  "He needs to be tied to life," Surya explained, as Chevenga twitched under his hands.  "Right now."  He turned his attention and words back to what he was

539 - The Sword is Drawn

Then Azaila lifted his hand, and the mirrors with their reflections were taken away.  "Stand up," he said.  "There is another sword to take your leave of."  He pointed back into the room where their State sword hung.
Chevenga rose smoothly enough but it was slowly, as if he had to be careful of every muscle stretch.  The room had had all its candles put out sometime in the past few minutes, I

538 - Once all the Armour was off

Once all the armour was off, Azaila took Chirel off his own shoulder and held it out to Chevenga, saying, "Make your farewell, Virani-e."
Chevenga had said that it was the name he was taking, as a non-warrior.  The same way Surya had taken a new name, I suppose.  It made sense that the warrior name would no longer be the first thing people knew of you, but it would be very, very hard for him

537 - The Water-Lion Climbs into Hayel, Unknowing

One of the people in these formal black and white robes did a censing at this point, trailing the delicate scented smoke through the room in circles and whorls and curliques that would have suited the most ornate craving person.
As it tickled my nose and the distant murmur of voices... Chevenga's? The black and white wearing elders? I couldn't tell. As it tickled my nose I realized that my mind

536 - Possessing a Wealth of Years

His speech was wonderful.  I recommend any Arkan read it in either Sinimas Menden's or Kirinas Ferztainas's translation.  Once he finished, we – all of us, foreigners, family, everyone who would witness his private ceremony – went in a clutch together up to the School of the Sword.  He looked as though he was walking injured.  He hadn't put helmet on again and he was sweating over pale, with