#53 - The Research Curious

Merry Yul and other Holidays to you!  Here's a post as a year-turning present!

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“These foreign iti-igi can hear and speak more than our own,” Didara rumbled to Jagunjagun.

“And they like the shinies that our iti-igi make,” he answered quietly.  He was very calm for a young male.  “Perhaps we should cease our explorations with these cities for now?  The iti-Queen/Doge of Mak did warn us that there are musthe iti in the hills who may attack us for our shinies.”

“And because they fear us as monsters.”  She added swaying from foot to foot as her iti continued to speak to the Feren Queen/Doge.  Against her gold coat Ologbon was a dark figure that waved his iti-igi like arms, his smile very bright.  He was a good friend and she felt very safe with him.  They’d grown up together and he’d not hesitated a moment when she said she wanted to explore across the great strange sea when the Riga had appeared in their magical sailing ships that could carry all the Rigan Iti AND more than one of the People and their iti partners.

“The branch-head iti-igi Queen has promised us escort.  She says her stag is in this innean place innetheloooom.”

Didara, the Truly Curious, of the Research Curious, laid her trunk over Jagunjagun’s head and watched Ologbon speak with the Riga-Feren Queen/Doge.  A child iti-igi broke away from his mother in the crowd, ducked under the reaching hands of the iti-minders and sat down between Didara’s feet.  “These strange calves are so trusting,” she rumbled.  “They are not our Iti-igi who know us and grow with us.”  She patted the child on the head and lifted it, squealing with delight, over the heads of the minders to offer it back to its parent.

Ologbon looked over his shoulder and boomed at them.  “Come come come please. Speech.”

“Let us go and be diplomats instead of the Curious.” Jagunjagun said severely.   

She shook her ears at him, making her bells clash.  “You do the talking.  I shall take notes.”

**

Teel had his booted foot up, crossed over the saddle, stretching.  He leaned his elbow on his knee and watched thoughtfully as Ahrimaz, whooping, landed the jump, on a strange horse, no bridle.  Then a second and a third in quick succession.

Wenhiffar watched them do another round and then said.  “Enough for today!  Here!”  She tossed his coat up at him as he thundered past, a wide grin on his face. He did another round of the arena, finishing with a triple jump before he and the bicolour mare reared to a playful stop in front of their instructor.  “Nicely done,” she said.  “The two of you should ride them cool on the woods path.  She waved.  “M’sieur James, you’ve had very good teachers, but they’ve let you get away with a lot of things.  I am not about to put up with that.  Should you choose me as a teacher while I’m working with my fetch-son here, be aware of that.”

“Yes, Maitre!” he said and swept her an elegant bow, even from his awkward position.

“Go on.”  She sniffed and left them to walk their horses cool, the stable children… for some reason addressed as ‘Tiger’… waiting to rub them down and put their blankets on, once they came back.

Teel straightened up and led the way outside, calling ‘Door!’ as he ducked under the lintel, Ahrimaz, with a bemused look on his face, following.  In the woods, the trail through the thick winter trees barely wide enough for one horse, Ahrimaz let the mare take her own pace, both hands on her withers, just soaking up the heat she radiated.

In the steam rising off the horses images swirled up and broke apart and he blinked, wondering, thinking he was seeing things.  Faces.  Mostly women, hair floating up around them. Horses running.  He shook his head.  Why was he seeing Didara, alive? Her gold belled ears flapped silently as the image broke apart.  “Teel?”  He could finally focus on why the raconteur had insisted on joining him in what seemed to be an entirely unnecessary riding lesson.  “You have some kind of question that’s set your trousers on fire with urgency?”

Teel half turned in the saddle as his horse turned a near hair-pin corner on the trail to head back to the barn and it let him look back at Ahrimaz.  He grinned.  “You might say so.  You’re a prophet now, you know?”

“What in Aeono’s great and grand world are you babbling about?”

Teel raised his voice so that it carried as he turned his head forward, but the trail widened so that Ahrimaz could urge his mare up beside.  “Why don’t we let the children take the ladies in and I’ll tell you inside, over a cup of hot wine?  I’m very chilled.”

“Son of a scorching leopard.  You have some kind of news that you’ve been twitching with for the whole lesson!  I know you… or at least your equivalent on the other side.”  Ahrimaz shrugged and dismounted.  “Here, child, she’s nearly cool.”

“Thank you, M’sieur Ahrimaz,” she said and he nearly stopped again.  Where had he learned to just speak to the lowly like that?  And where had she gained permission to just answer?  These people.  No propriety at all.

“Why don’t we go upstairs to speak for a change?”  Teel raised an eyebrow at him  “You’ve been hiding in the basement for moons now.”

“I… suppose.  I’m not sure…”

“Use the Green Parlour,” Wenhiffar said from where she sat mending a piece of tack.  “M’sieur James, you know where it is.”

“Yes, Madam.”  Ahrimaz bit his lip as they went inside, wanting desperately to go down and hide from everyone once more.  Sure and Teh were at his heels and blocked him turning to the stairs.

They finally sat down in a small room painted like a Yhom forest, dark green spike-needle trees, with cups in their hands.  The brand new stove based on Ahrimaz’s designs brought from the Empire burned pine and was tiled in white and dark green.

Ahrimaz gulped down the hot brandy laced wine set the cup on the rustic table.  “So?”  He sat on the edge of the cushioned chair.  “What’s the news you want to startle and surprise me with?”

Teel sipped and grinned at him over the rim of the cup.  “Your ele-phants are here, just as they were in your Empire.  We have them in this world too.” He grinned over at Ahrimaz.  “Two of them have landed in Riga.”

Ahrimaz froze, hands clenched together.  “You… they… ELEPHANTS? Didara and Jagunjagun? HERE? ALIVE?”