Part 35 (1/2)
Someone else was going to have to explain insults to the Arkon, who in this case was obviously not clear on the concept.
Sanabalis was stroking his beard, something he did when deep in thought. Or annoyed. In this case, it was probably both. ”Yes,” he finally said. ”She is a Lord of the High Court, and she clearly has some influence with the Consort.”
”Had,” was the bitter, mumbled reply. Kaylin had not returned to Court since the disastrous argument with said Consort; she wasn't sure how welcome she'd be, and being thrown out of Barrani digs wasn't high on her list of personal ambitions.
”Regardless, Arkon, yes.”
The Arkon frowned; the silence was sulfurous. But the frown failed to produce either rage or fire, and after another long pause, his expression suddenly sharpened. ”Tell me, Private-the Barrani who achieved this supposed splitting of the whole of a name-was it someone intimately acquainted with the choosing of names?”
”I'm trying hard not to answer the questions that will get me executed for treason,” she replied tartly.
”Failure to answer this question at this time will probably have the same result; you merely have a choice of whom you commit treason against. It is never wise to owe allegiance to two Lords.”
”I owe allegiance to one,” she said. Severn prodded her very gently, and she bit down on the rest of the words that wanted to follow. ”Yes.”
”In this case, you are saying that the whole of the word existed in potential, but the part of it that was not...delivered...remained in the waters of life?”
”Yes.”
”As you can see, the situations are gravely different.”
Yes. It was clear as mud. ”Let me get this straight. You think that what happened in the one case I've cited happened because the Mother of the Race handled the name. You're implying that somehow, she split it, and it survived in its sundered state solely because of her.”
”That is a superficial rendering of what I believe, but yes.”
”Could Bellusdeo have somehow done the same? Do the Dragons even have a mother of their race?”
More silence. ”I am not comfortable continuing this discussion in the presence of the mortals,” the Arkon finally said. ”That includes the Ascendant.”
But Tiamaris, not the Arkon, was Lord here. ”No, Kaylin, we do not.”
”It is not strictly necessary that she know of this,” the Arkon told Tiamaris. Clearly, the designation of Lord didn't matter as much to ancient Dragons as it did to Sanabalis.
”Kaylin,” Tiamaris said, moving slightly away from the Arkon, ”when we entered the Tower for the first time, do you remember what waited at the height of the cliffs?”
She nodded. ”An Aerie.”
”Yes. With words in the ceiling and twisting, dark tunnels that tapered somewhat.”
It had been one of the few pleasantly surprising things the Tower had chosen to reveal. ”You said it reminded you of the Aerie of your childhood.”
He nodded. ”We are not born in our mortal forms; nor are we-as you-born singly.”
”So...the Dragon form is the form of your birth?”
”It is.”
”But-” She suddenly didn't want to ask any questions while the Arkon was glaring at her. It was Maggaron, surprisingly, who answered.
”The three Lords here were born as Dragons, in form. They lived, flew, and breathed fire before they attained their true names.”
Kaylin waited for someone to deny this; no one did. The Barrani babies didn't apparently wake without a name; clearly, Dragon babies didn't suffer the same problem. Which brought up the question of why Dragons needed a True Name at all. ”Those tunnels-a lot of them were people-size.”
Tiamaris nodded.
Maggaron continued, as if blithely unaware of the effect his statements were having. Given Maggaron, he probably was. ”When young Dragons are judged fit by their Elders, they must earn their name. They must find it.”
”What, on their own?”
”We are not Barrani,” the Arkon said with some heat, and some very real fire for emphasis.
”What if they don't happen to find a name?”
”They will die,” Maggaron replied.
She didn't ask how. Instead, she turned to the three Dragon Lords, ”When you get your names, you gain your human form?”
After a long pause, it was once again Maggaron who answered. ”They do. They must then learn to walk, to speak, and to interact in the smaller body. It is, by all accounts, onerous.”
”Why bother, then?”
”Because without that form, they are little more than beasts, according to Bellusdeo.”
”Then she gave up the form of her birth?”
”Ah, no. Bellusdeo said female Dragons were different. They are born-they are hatched-in their human forms. They will learn to walk or crawl as mortals. Their thoughts are quicker, but they are different. In order to attain their own completion, they must survive their childhood. This is more difficult.
”But when they find their name-for they are set the same task as their clutchmates-they attain their Dragon form.”
No b.l.o.o.d.y wonder there were so few Dragons. Kaylin looked to Sanabalis. ”Is this true?”
”...It is a simplification.”
”But it's not wrong.”
”It is not entirely wrong, no.”
”What happens if the females never find their names?”
”They are not judged dangerous by the standard of the Dragons,” he replied. ”And they are allowed to live.”
”As mortals?”
”Very much as mortals-but they are immortal, Kaylin.”
”How is that even possible if they don't have a name?”
”They are, even in the weaker form, Dragons. It is not because of the name that we are immortal.” The Ancients clearly had a very poor sense of design.
”There is also always the hope that they will find what they lack. As you have often pointed out, they are few.”