A is for…

As promised (threatened), this is the first of my blog posts about some of the people, places and things you will meet in my Chandris stories. We’re going to start with aiea and Ayriene.

A is for Aiea

Aiea is the term used by the Chesammos, and adopted by the changers in general, for the energies emitted by Eurna (the Lady) and channelled by changers to manage the change to bird form. For those with a changer talent, the aiea is also the way by which they access their additional abilities.

When changers refer to aiea they generally mean the lower form, aiea-bar. This is the energy accessible to all changers (there are a very few exceptions, but it would be a bit spoilery if I went into that). The energies used by talented changers are specified by the term aiea-dera.

Aiea-bar is stored within the body, and is variously felt by changers as a pressure in the abdomen or on the chest, or rarely as a weight on the back. Aiea-dera circulates around the body, and can be seen around a talented changer by another talent. This gives rise to the expression “talent knows talent” as once the talent is developed enough for the flows of aiea-dera to be detected, one talented changer will be able to detect another.

Once away from the island, the changer is unable to replenish their aiea, and soon will be unable to hold changer form or manage a transformation. This effect is temporary, with the aiea replenishing itself once the changer comes back within range of Eurna’s energies. The Chesammos believe that only the Lady emits these energies, but the Irenthi dispute this, thinking that it is a property of the island as a whole that produces the aiea.

Some changers maintain there is a third level of aiea, but it is unclear where this theory originated, what this higher level would be used for, and who might be able to access it.

 

A is for Ayriene

We first meet Ayriene early in Crowchanger, at the ceremony to remember her youngest child Adwen.

She is a changer and a healer talent, and she blames herself for Adwen’s death. If the accident that killed him had happened on Chandris, she could have used the aiea-dera to heal him. But they were travelling off-island, finding samples of medicinal plants from the mainland to bring back to Chandris, as plants, seeds, or simply dried leaves and powders to use in her treatments.

Ayriene takes Sylas, the main character, on as apprentice. They form a close bond, which helps them both: Ayriene in getting over the grief of Adwen’s death by focusing on her work and his training; Sylas by giving him the security and hope for a future he so desperately needs.

As time goes on, Ayriene is forced to confront a memory she had tried to suppress: of ships on fire and a young girl with burned hands…