After Rae Campbell is murdered by her abductor, she wakes in a world that exists parallel to ours- one which diverged in 1761, when a band of Scottish Highlanders joined with the Skin-Walking Kituwah tribe to oust the British from Appalachia.
Rae b...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The elder is a small woman- she barely reaches my chin- but what she lacks in height, she more than makes up for in spirit. She is also much, much younger than I had expected an elder to be; she only looks to be in her mid-forties.
By the time I arrived to the conservatory, my body still uncomfortably thrumming, she had turned the space into a makeshift classroom. A map of North and Central America hangs on the wall, the territory boundaries strangely broken and color coded. A stack of textbooks sits on a coffee table, and a notebook with a freshly sharpened pencil is laid open to a fresh page.
It's like stepping back in time to when I was in Elementary school, before SmartBoards were the norm in every class.
I suddenly find myself longing for my MacBook.
"My Lady," she respectfully greets me with a small dip of her head. "I am Diyani neiagh Cameron of Clan Aniwodi. Sit." She gestures toward a plush looking plaid-patterned couch.
Her tone is as firm as any veteran High School teacher's. I obey.
"If you are to be Bhanrigh, there is much you need to learn. The least of which are the basics- Geography and Language. And speaking of language- what tongues do you know?"
I blink. "Um. English. I took a little Spanish in High School."
Elder Diyani tuts. "A woman grown and she speaks only one language..." she mutters under her breath with a shake of her head.
"How many am I supposed to speak?"
"All of our children are well versed in Tslaga, Gaelic, and Sagwu by the time they are five. As Bhanrigh, you will be expected be fluent in these, speak passable French and Spanish, and have a basic understanding of Iroquois Proper."
"Six languages."
"Seven, including English."
I gape. "Why?"
"We are not Britain, or Spain, or America, or France. Our women have always been critically important to our government, and to the success of our people. As Bhanrigh, you will head diplomatic missions, and it is necessary to be able to converse with foreign leaders in their native tongues."
"But doesn't everyone speak English?"
"Of course not."
I blink.
The elder sighs, and comes to sit beside me. "I am told the history in your ripple is different from ours. Perhaps we should begin with you telling me about the world you know, to see which knowledge we must build upon."
I bite my lip. "I don't know where to begin."
"We won the war against Britain in 1761. Perhaps you should begin there," she suggests.
"Um. 1761..." I quickly do the calculations in my head, and purse my lips. "The biggest date that comes to mind is the American Revolution. We signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776."
