The Mountain Dancer

Chapter 14: Shaynike & Tuneryke

As it turned out, the kids she had to tutor were orphaned twins. Tuneryke and Ryketune Shalebind followed Shay around like lost ducklings. The boy, Ryke, barely said a word. The girl, Tune, had about twenty questions for every one Shay answered.

The sub-tutoring assignment would have been irritating, but she found she could focus on little else than her encounter with Rekness in the Grand Library. It kept playing over and over in her head, and she couldn’t figure out if it was amazing or terrifying. Two Shaynikes were trying to make themselves heard. One insisted that he had asked her out either because Faevock had some sort of plan for them, or someone was just pranking with her. The other Shay could only remember the way his hand had felt, the way he had knelt so close, the coziness of the library, the blue Softshadow lights…

“Who is that!” Tuneryke cried, snapping Shay out of her reverie. They were seated in the Community Hall. It was between lectures, and she had been trying to teach them the basics of Cropforth Artwork. Usually kids their age could at least conjure a few grapes or nuts, but she was having trouble even getting them to bring down a few seeds. Presently, the little redheaded pupil was pointing and leering at a newcomer on the boreway.

And for good reason. The Stateguard was huge and armored in shimmering red scales that interlocked in wavy arcs across most of their body. Shay couldn’t tell if they were a man, woman, non- or cross-gendered – Stateguards were required to shave their heads and the best ways to tell were usually garb or hairstyle. You could usually send a friendly probe to find out, but that would require talking to the soldier, and Shay couldn’t think of any reason to strike up a conversation that wasn’t horribly awkward.

“Don’t point, Tuneryke. That’s rude.”

The girl dropped her hand, but kept her stare. “Who is it?” she asked again. Her brother was much less interested, choosing instead to look at his feet.

Shay gave him a worried glance before she said, “That is a Stateguard of Royth. They are in charge of all the peacekeeping in Heirbrosse. You usually don’t see many around here, our Fistshields do a fine enough job, but I think they sent a Wardensquad here to make sure the bad guy that Rek… that they caught is… um, punished properly.” Shay didn’t want to let on that the fugitive had warranted extra security ­– it might scare the kids.

“Wardenwhat?” asked Tuneryke.

“Wardensquad: a subsect of the Stateguards. Like how the Fistshields are a subsect of the Fist Sect,” she explained.

“What’s a seck?”

Shay sighed. They’d been over this already, but the girl seemed to forget about half of anything you told her. How am I supposed to tutor these two, especially when the boy barely even speaks?

“Ryke, do you remember the Sects?” she ventured, expecting nothing but a muted frown. He surprised her by scrunching up his face and slowly placing a hand over his right breast.

Close enough, she thought. Maybe there was hope after all.

“Look at your brother Tune, see what he’s doing? What’s that mean?”

“Scholarright... crystal?”

“Yes! And here?” Shay put her hand over her left breast.

“Birthright crystal!” Tuneryke knew that one. She had, after all, just received one a year ago in this very room.

“When you have two, that means you are ready to do duty for your aspect and province. What’s your aspect and province, Tuneryke?”

“Massus and, and the Western Wood.”