Kanaya dayne Davos sat low in her chair, idly twirling her quill while Loremaster tres Negiri drew several diagrams on the slate board at the front of the classroom. History was not her forte, but Speaker's History particularly drew her ire as a subject matter. For something that by definition should have been grounded in purest fact, the amount of mystery, hearsay, and pure speculation that surrounded the topic made studying history feel utterly unpalatable. Speaker's History only made it worse by adding mythology and theology to the mix, which then made what should have been an evaluation of concrete fact feel like blindly grasping at the shadows of a children's story.
"Kanaya dayne Davos?"
Kanaya snapped to attention as her named was called, suddenly acutely aware that every pair of eyes in the classroom was now turned to her. Loremaster tres Negiri was glaring particularly fiercely at her, gold-bangled arms crossed in front of her chest and eyes like pools of gleaming oil surrounded by the flames of her crimson kohl.
"I beg your pardon, Lorespeaker. What was the question?"
"I asked," Loremaster tres Negiri said slowly, though only the barest hint of impatience leaked from her voice, "why the Allspeaker iman Oshara refused the peace overtures sent by Grand Khalif Uzeph, though it could well have meant decades more of war and suffering on both fronts. This was part of the reading you were supposed to do prior to attending class today."
"Yes. Peace overtures. Of course."
Kanaya cleared her throat nervously as a chorus of tittering came from the opposite end of the room. Ashia zar Mishra, almost certainly, and her band of insufferable toadies. Kanaya desperately scanned her memories of the reading as Loremaster tres Negiri silenced the laughter with a smoldering glare. There had been so many pages, so many pilgrimages and processions and overtures and one Allspeaker after another that she had lost track of them all and finally simply fallen asleep at her desk. She could remember Grand Khalif Uzeph, and the subsequent Lusaran War, but the circumstances surrounding its beginnings completely eluded her. Finally, unable to come up with an answer, she threw out the most probable thing she could imagine had happened.
"The...Allspeaker, Highest among the High, read in omens and portents that Grand Khalif Uzeph was a base and untrustworthy man. She saw that the Allmother was whispering a great truth to her, and though refusing the peace overture meant further conflict, accepting it would only lead to greater tragedy for the children of her children."
Loremaster tres Negiri's mouth twitched at one corner.
"Correct in its fundamentals, if somewhat lacking in specificity." She turned toward the other side of the room. "Ashia zar Mishra. If you are able to laugh while someone else contemplates their answers, perhaps you can elaborate on the other reasons that drove Allspeaker iman Oshara."
"Of course, Loremaster," Ashia responded in honeyed tones, shooting Kanaya a lofty sneer even as she stood to answer. "The premier answer must be that Grand Khalif Uzeph was a man. He was never meant to rule the great City-State of Lusare. His claim to the throne was through his wife, the Grand Khali Rania vash Zuuren, and upon her demise - her very questionable demise, I should add - he was to have held regency as Seneschal only until their daughter was old enough to take the throne. Declaring himself Grand Khalif instead, while not unprecedented, revealed an inherently deceptive and sinister nature, which of course only lent strength to the omens that Allspeaker iman Oshara saw upon the winds and in the trees. Any peace she made with him could not have lasted, and would have been regarded as weakness when he was deposed. Her wisdom proved prescient when the Grand Khalif was removed not two years after, and vash Zuuren's cousin, Suuraya zar Zuuren, succeeded her as Grand Khali."
Ashia gave another disgustingly sweet smile and sat back down. Kanaya fought back the urge to make retching noises.
Loremaster tres Negiri nodded. "Yes. Very good. The combination of the two answers offers a more complete insight into some of the factors that drove Allspeaker iman Oshara. What your text does not mention, however, is that her decision was not made without great deliberation, after many weeks of discussion and even arguments with various advisors and members of her council. The Allspeaker was initially moved to accept peace, but pressure from Hierocracy ultimately led to her final decision. There are some, however, who believe that had Allspeaker iman Oshara accepted the Grand Khalif's offer, the resulting stability would have permitted him to consolidate his rule, and the peace could indeed have been a lasting one. And we must remember that the succession of Suuraya zar Zuuren saw the execution of Uzeph vos Zuuren, the mysterious disappearance of Rania vash Zuuren's infant daughter, and the beginnings of one of the bloodiest conflicts in Telila's history."
The Loremaster paused for a moment, looking out over the classroom. One of her trademark smiles, slight and mysterious, touched her lips as she said, "What do you think? Did Allspeaker iman Oshara make the correct decision?"
"No," Kanaya said immediately. "The decades of war that followed claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands - perhaps even more if you take into account the pestilence and famine that raged for years even after peace was brokered. The Grand Khalif may have been a man, and perhaps he came to his position through questionable means, but what he offered was beneficial for both Lusare and Telila. Rejecting his offer on the basis of his sex was foolish and short-sighted."
Another chorus of tittering came from Ashia's corner.
"Do you speak so passionately for the empowerment of men, Kanaya dayne Davos?" Ashia asked, her voice dripping with mockery. "Is there a milk-faced little slave boy at home with dreams of joining you in the Scriptorium? Or perhaps joining with you?"
Kanaya felt her face flush with heat as the rest of the classroom exploded with laughter. The Flamespeaker's Words sprang unbidden to her lips, hovering there, demanding release, and the golden flames that burned steadily in the oil lamps around the classroom flickered in anticipation. None of the other students appeared to notice, but Kanaya saw Loremaster tres Negiri glance first at the lamps, then at her, and she quickly averted her gaze downward. The Words went unspoken.
"Enough!" Loremaster tres Negiri rapped her rod loudly against her lectern, until the class quieted down. "That is not an appropriate statement to make in the classroom, Ashia zar Mishra,"she said sternly. "If you have something to say that is actually cogent to the discussion, speak it. Otherwise keep your mouth shut."
Fury flashed through Ashia's eyes, but when she spoke her voice was as calm and as sweet as it ever was. "Of course, Loremaster - it was a poor jest. My sincerest apologies. For my part, I believe the Allspeaker was right to have made the decision that she did. Other sources indicate strongly that the Grand Khalif would have fallen regardless of whether there was peace. Also, had the Allspeaker accepted Uzeph's offer, there are documents suggesting that both Natooro and Prospia would have joined Lusare against Telila after the Grand Khalif was removed. And of course that does not even account for the devastation inherent in running counter to the Allmother's will."
"Which was, of course, the argument posed by the Hierocracy," Loremaster tres Negiri replied. "Interpreting the will of the Allmother is not so simple as it seems, but if there is one thing you take away from this course, it is that the Allspeaker's will IS the Allmother's will. Each of the Highspeakers are Chosen precisely because they cleave so strongly to the essence of their God. Their decisions, for good or for ill, are the decisions of the Gods, but that doesn't mean that their decisions are necessarily the best ones. The Gods are not infallible - not even the Allmother - because we are not infallible."
Ashia gasped, her smile finally slipping. "But that is blasphemy!"
"No, although you've clearly been listening to Highspeaker tes m'Pura a little too closely," the Loremaster said blandly. "The Gods invest their power in us, to a greater or lesser degree depending on numerous factors, and in turn we execute their will here on Dunara. Our will and our decisions, however, represent a process of contemplation for each of them. That is why there have been, at times in the past, multiple Highspeakers Chosen by a particular God, sometimes even in different City-States at war. Their disagreement is a conflict in the mind of the God, their ability to come to peace with each other a way of helping the God come to terms with herself. Had the Allspeaker chosen peace with the Grand Khalif, that too would have been the Allmother's will, omens or no."
"Well," Ashia appeared to mull over the statement, then shook her head as her ,"I must defer to your wisdom, Loremaster. Still, I believe the Allspeaker's decision to have been the correct one. Men are creatures crude and base, filled with violent passions and unspeakable desires. There is a reason their ability to Speak for the Gods is so much weaker than that of women, and why in all of Telila's history not one man has ever held the position of Allspeaker. It is improper, perhaps even unholy, for one to hold a position of authority, much less rule a City-State."
"The Words of all men are not weak, Ashia zar Mishra," Kanaya snapped, jumping to her feet, "and not all women Speak for the Gods with strength and clarity. Many renowned men have been highly notable Speakers, even Highspeakers, and men who have no ability to Speak at all have served well as members of the council. Would you claim their authority to be unholy? The ability to utilize the Divine Words does not confer the wisdom to govern."
"Perhaps you're right," Ashia shrugged. "Men do have a place in the service of the Allmother, when they remember their place. But lest you forget, Kanaya dayne Davos, there is one Highspeaker who has always been a man. One God who has only ever chosen males to Speak for him. Would you say he bears wisdom enough to rule?"
Loremaster tres Negiri drew in a sharp breath. "That is enough, Ashia zar Mishra. Highspeaker Valcaryan shoulders a tremendous burden, and you will speak of him with respect."
"Nezereth is the source of all pain, suffering, and woe, Loremaster, and only men have ever Spoken for him. That alone should be a warning against permitting them too much power. Men only speak the language of violence and suffering-"
"I said, that is enough!" The Loremaster traded glares with Ashia zar Mishra for a moment, then sighed. "I have allowed this lesson to digress too far, but it appears we are out of time. Read pages 320 through 394 of your text for tomorrow and be prepared to discuss the finer points of the peace treaty with Lusare."
The class was immediately a bustle of activity as girls rushed to pack up their papers and quills into their satchels. Kanaya angrily stuffed her things into her bag, then slung it over her shoulder and shoved her way out of the classroom. She had not gone ten feet into the hallway, however, when the familiar voice called out, "Oh, Davos!"
Kanaya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then turned to glare at Ashia zar Mishra and her three flunkies.
"Do accept my apology, Davos," Ashia said sweetly, a smug smile tugging at her lips as she rapped a finger against the side of her face. "Of course this topic would touch you so. It was so silly of me to forget. Highspeaker Treo dorn Davian was your uncle, was he not? A shame, what happened, but it was foolish for him to extend his reach too far. A mud monkey cannot hope to grasp the sun, after all."
"Don't you dare, Mishra," Kanaya hissed. "Don't you dare insult my uncle."
"Or what, Davos?" Ashia asked. "What will you do to defend your poor uncle's honor?"
A small crowd had gathered at this point, surrounding the two of them in a low chorus of giggles and whispers. Ashia barely noticed them in her rage. Heat rose from her chest, the sound of sizzling flames suddenly deafening in her ears, and almost without realizing she Spoke a Word of Fire. Four brilliant orbs of golden light sprang into existence around her head, their heat nearly singing her hair, and at a gesture from her they soared toward Ashia zar Mishra.
The other girl had been prepared for exactly such an attack, however. She Spoke a sonorous word, something Ashia could barely hear, much less understand, and the air between them was suddenly a rippling sheet of water that caught Kanaya's fireballs, extinguishing them in bursts of steam. Then, without missing a beat, the wall of water coalesced into a whip-like tendril that lashed out with lightning speed. Before Kanaya could react, the water whip had wrapped around her ankle and pulled her leg out from underneath her. She fell hard onto the marble floor, knocking the wind from her lungs and cracking the back of her head against the stone. For a moment she could only lie there, struggling to catch her breath as blinding pain pulsed through the back of her skull. Before she even fully realized what had happened, however, something grasped her firmly about the waist and hoisted her into the air.
"Attacking a fellow student," Ashia zar Mishra tsked. "Such behavior is unbefitting a student of the Scriptorium, Davos. Really, somebody should teach you some manners."
And then something was slapping at her behind, whipping it as if she were a babe barely out of her smallclothes. Kanaya roared in outrage and struggled to turn toward Ashia, but other tendrils of water shot out from the other girl and wrapped themselves around her wrist and ankles, while another snaked around her face to prevent her from Speaking. The tendrils held her fast as Ashia beat her again and again with her whip of water. All around them, other students pointed and whispered and laughed. Some looked shocked, perhaps even appalled, but nobody moved to assist her. Heat bloomed again in Kanaya's face, this time from shame, but no matter how much she struggled she could not release herself from Ashia's manacles.
"What is happening here?" a voice shouted from the other end of the hallway.
The tendrils of water abruptly vanished and Kanaya flopped unceremoniously to the ground, adding another few bruises to her already tender knees and elbows. She looked over her shoulder to see Loremaster tres Negiri stalking over, her face dark as thunderclouds as bolts of electricity arced around her head.
"We Speak for the Gods in order to best ensure their will is carried out in this world," the Loremaster hissed, punctuating the sentence with a bolt of lightning that sent sparks crackling up and down the walls. "The Divine Words are not to be used for common brawling in the halls of the Scriptorium."
"I was merely defending myself, Loremaster," Ashia put on an injured expression. "We were discussing our differences of opinion regarding the matter of male Speakers, but Kanaya dayne Davos has such a temper."
Loremaster tres Negiri glared at her, then at Kanaya, then at the crowd that had surrounded them.
"Begone with you, all of you!" she snapped, finally. "Class is over and you have your assignments. It is unseemly to be dallying in the hallways like a pack of wildcats."
The crowd of girls scattered. Ashia zar Mishra gave the Loremaster a deep bow, then turned and swept by Kanaya without a second glance. Her three flunkies giggled under their breaths as they followed, one of them "accidentally" kicking Kanaya in the shoulder as they breezed past. Kanaya stared after them from the floor, pure hatred boiling through her veins like serpent venom, then slowly pulled herself to her feet and reached for her satchel.
"Not you, dayne Davos," Loremaster Negiri said shortly. "You come with me."
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and stalked back toward the classroom, leaving Kanaya to stumble after her.
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I'm almost inclined to count this one as two, it certainly took long enough. I think I'm losing the point of these exercises - I should put a time limit on how long I spend on each of these. The world in this story is one that I'd kinda like to develop into a longer and more-fully formed piece, however.
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