A Song of Snow and Ashes by S.J. Drew
suddenly alarmed. "Maybe I shouldn't do this after all."
"No, no. I think this may work out better. They assume you are weak, Eliora. You are not. Perhaps it will do them some good to see that the Light is not something to be pushed around or taken for granted. They need to be reminded that you are the Avatar of a god, and the power of a god is indeed a wonderful and terrible thing to behold."
"I never thought of it like that," she stuttered. "And that's good?"
"It's not bad. I'll go to the Council now. They won't be pleased, so this may take some time, especially to convince them to meet you in the gym."
"That's fine. I'll just try not to fall asleep again."
He smiled nervously and left her alone.
She ate her food, feeling oddly calm. "I'm glad I don't feel scared, considering what I'm about to do is going to upset the social order of this place. And judging from Jomei's reaction, some of their ideas about what it means to be an Avatar of Light." She didn't dwell to much on those thoughts to avoid becoming anxious. Instead she put the furniture back and read, waiting for the knock on the door.
After about an hour, it came. She closed the book, put it back on its shelf, and opened the door.
"The Council wants to see you... Gods, what's wrong with your eyes?" Aidan exclaimed.
"It's the solstice, and I expected they would."
"It's winter, and why? Have you done anything wrong?"
"It's summer where I come from, and no, I haven't. Not yet."
"What are you talking about? Why are you meeting them in the gym of all places? Eliora, what's in your head?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she replied, her voice grim.
Something about her tone discouraged him from asking further questions. "Alright, but you shouldn't make the Council mad at you. I still don't think they've forgiven you from running off to fight that fire."
"They'll like me less after this," she thought, but said nothing.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he remarked, leaving her at the gym door.
"Me too," she thought, and gathered her courage. She knocked politely.
"Enter," called Hialmar.
She took a deep breath, and walked into the building.
The seven members were present, standing in the middle of the room with their arms crossed and looking annoyed, except for Jomei, who was looking nervous.
"What do you want?" Hialmar asked. "And why did you want to meet here?"
She stared at each of them, in turn, looking at their souls. Their souls were as she expected, mostly Light, but barely. She stopped her soul-search, but her eyes stayed white from edge to edge.
Now the others looked nervous, and she could hear them whispering about her eyes. She had rehearsed what she was going to say, and now she started her speech. "Gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting you, but I must speak with you on an urgent matter."
"About what?" he snapped.
His tone did not faze her. "Well, I'm afraid what I have to say will take some time, so I ask for your patience."
There was some grumbling, but no one moved.
"I've been a guest in your city for three months now. I understand that you had little advanced notice of the existence of the Avatars, and certainly had no thought that one would be dropped on your doorstep." Her voice was picking up the odd echo that the priest had noticed earlier. "You've been kind to me, in your way. You've taken me in, and in not so many words, you've made your expectations of the LightBearer clear to me. You've also made it clear that I do not meet your expectations."
The men were still grumbling and looking at her with impatience.
"What expectations do you think we have?" Hialmar asked curtly.
"You expected a man of the North, a valiant warrior who will face the ShadowWalker, riding a noble steed, wielding a flaming sword, and wearing the armor of god. You expected a great soldier who will take command of the armies of Light and lead them into righteous battle against the forces of Darkness. Am I so far off?"
The men continued to grumble.
"Well? I am right, or am I wrong?" she pressed.
Hialmar nodded slightly. "I wouldn't put it like that, but yes, that's what we expected."
"And what you got was a Champion who was none of these things. There are some expectations of yours I cannot meet. I'm always going to be a woman from the South. But now I can speak your language. I have been studying magic every single day for almost a month."
"You what?" Hialmar demanded.
"And I have learned to fight," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "I have become a warrior."
Some of the men snorted derisively. "You don't become a warrior in three months, girl," said one.
"Be quiet!" Hialmar commanded. "What do you mean you've been studying magic?"
"I went to Mulago about a month ago and acquired the books I need."
"You left this place without permission?"
"I asked permission weeks ago. When it didn't seem to be forthcoming, I took matters into my own hands," she answered mildly, but her jaw was set. "I ask your forgiveness for my impatience, but I did want to do my best to meet your expectations."
"That was irresponsible and reckless. You should have waited until we finished our plans. We're very disappointed. We thought you were going to submit to our authority, like every other member of this community."
The others seemed to echo his anger.
She felt her temper flare as she realized they were trying to take advantage of what they knew of her background to shame her into submission. She calmed herself, and continued her well-rehearsed words. "I have tried. Except to go acquire what I need to learn magic, I haven't left the city. I don't even get around the city much. What time I don't spend studying I spend in the work-out area. I have tried my very best to give you what you wanted."
They talked in low voice for several minutes. Jomei seemed mostly quiet, although she could tell the Council seemed a bit angry with him.
Finally Hialmar turned to her again. "I suppose we did wait a little too long to send you to Mulago, or at least send someone there to get what you need to study magic. You do need to be trained, and time shouldn't be lost. So we've decided to forgive you for being impatient with us."
"That's very kind of you."
"However, we are disappointed you ran off on your own again. You don't know this area. You need a guide, or some sort of protection. Again, we can't keep you here, but only try press upon you the importance of doing as we tell you."
"So you have nothing to say regarding my progress fighting or learning magic?" she asked, not surprised.
"We're glad you're working so hard, but you've still got a long way to go to meet our expectations."
"And if I do? What do I get for it?"
"What do you mean, what do you get?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"If I fulfill your expectations of the LightBearer, will you start to include me in your plans to combat the Darkness? Will you give me information? Ask me advice? Listen to my ideas? Start to plan attacks? Include me in efforts to recruit allies? Will you allow me to meet your final expectation of being a great leader?"
The men of the Council looked sort of amused, and talked amongst themselves again for a few minutes. She heard some snickering, but the priest looked deadly serious, and seemed to be pleading her case.
Hialmar turned to her and with a condescending look answered, "I'm afraid that just won't happen. We know the area a lot better than you do, so we'll be doing most of the planning. But when we feel you're ready, we'll certainly send you out on missions. Small things, of course, like running messages. And if we can get an army ready, of course you'll be allowed to join. But you must learn to listen and obey your superiors."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. The conversation was going as she expected, and now it was time for the bluff. "No, I'm afraid that just won't do," she replied.
; "What?" he blurted, nonplussed.
The odd effect in her voice was now pronounced, like she had an echo of her own voice, only an octave deeper. "I've done all I can to meet your expectations. I've learned to speak your language. I'm learning magic. I'm learning to fight. I've got the noble steed, the gold mare out in the stables." In a flash, she donned the Armor of Obsidian, which had a flowing white cape. The cape wasn't practical, but it was impressive. "I have the armor of god." She held out her hand, and called her weapon. It appeared, the fiery corona reflecting in the bands of gold in her armor, turning them reddish.
The men gasped in surprise, and some even took a few steps back.
"And now I have the flaming sword," she finished, with a grim smile. "After all I have done to be the kind of Champion you had expected, you deny me the opportunity to prove I'm worthy after all? Not only will you not allow me to become a leader, but you expect me to sit down, shut up, and take orders. Oh, no, gentlemen, that will not do at all."
All except Jomei just stared for a few moments. She seemed to have grown taller, her expression was hard, her voice was rumbling with the thunder of a groundquake, and she was glowing slightly with an inner light.
"Shall I prove my prowess to you?" she continued after a pause. She pointed the sword at each of them in turn. "I will fight you, every one of you, or all of you at once. I can fight you with magic from a distance. You couldn't even get near me, if I so desired. Or perhaps I'll even the odds a bit, and engage any one of you in close combat. You can't hurt me with your mortal weapons. Or perhaps I'll drop the Armor, to make
"No, no. I think this may work out better. They assume you are weak, Eliora. You are not. Perhaps it will do them some good to see that the Light is not something to be pushed around or taken for granted. They need to be reminded that you are the Avatar of a god, and the power of a god is indeed a wonderful and terrible thing to behold."
"I never thought of it like that," she stuttered. "And that's good?"
"It's not bad. I'll go to the Council now. They won't be pleased, so this may take some time, especially to convince them to meet you in the gym."
"That's fine. I'll just try not to fall asleep again."
He smiled nervously and left her alone.
She ate her food, feeling oddly calm. "I'm glad I don't feel scared, considering what I'm about to do is going to upset the social order of this place. And judging from Jomei's reaction, some of their ideas about what it means to be an Avatar of Light." She didn't dwell to much on those thoughts to avoid becoming anxious. Instead she put the furniture back and read, waiting for the knock on the door.
After about an hour, it came. She closed the book, put it back on its shelf, and opened the door.
"The Council wants to see you... Gods, what's wrong with your eyes?" Aidan exclaimed.
"It's the solstice, and I expected they would."
"It's winter, and why? Have you done anything wrong?"
"It's summer where I come from, and no, I haven't. Not yet."
"What are you talking about? Why are you meeting them in the gym of all places? Eliora, what's in your head?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she replied, her voice grim.
Something about her tone discouraged him from asking further questions. "Alright, but you shouldn't make the Council mad at you. I still don't think they've forgiven you from running off to fight that fire."
"They'll like me less after this," she thought, but said nothing.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he remarked, leaving her at the gym door.
"Me too," she thought, and gathered her courage. She knocked politely.
"Enter," called Hialmar.
She took a deep breath, and walked into the building.
The seven members were present, standing in the middle of the room with their arms crossed and looking annoyed, except for Jomei, who was looking nervous.
"What do you want?" Hialmar asked. "And why did you want to meet here?"
She stared at each of them, in turn, looking at their souls. Their souls were as she expected, mostly Light, but barely. She stopped her soul-search, but her eyes stayed white from edge to edge.
Now the others looked nervous, and she could hear them whispering about her eyes. She had rehearsed what she was going to say, and now she started her speech. "Gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting you, but I must speak with you on an urgent matter."
"About what?" he snapped.
His tone did not faze her. "Well, I'm afraid what I have to say will take some time, so I ask for your patience."
There was some grumbling, but no one moved.
"I've been a guest in your city for three months now. I understand that you had little advanced notice of the existence of the Avatars, and certainly had no thought that one would be dropped on your doorstep." Her voice was picking up the odd echo that the priest had noticed earlier. "You've been kind to me, in your way. You've taken me in, and in not so many words, you've made your expectations of the LightBearer clear to me. You've also made it clear that I do not meet your expectations."
The men were still grumbling and looking at her with impatience.
"What expectations do you think we have?" Hialmar asked curtly.
"You expected a man of the North, a valiant warrior who will face the ShadowWalker, riding a noble steed, wielding a flaming sword, and wearing the armor of god. You expected a great soldier who will take command of the armies of Light and lead them into righteous battle against the forces of Darkness. Am I so far off?"
The men continued to grumble.
"Well? I am right, or am I wrong?" she pressed.
Hialmar nodded slightly. "I wouldn't put it like that, but yes, that's what we expected."
"And what you got was a Champion who was none of these things. There are some expectations of yours I cannot meet. I'm always going to be a woman from the South. But now I can speak your language. I have been studying magic every single day for almost a month."
"You what?" Hialmar demanded.
"And I have learned to fight," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "I have become a warrior."
Some of the men snorted derisively. "You don't become a warrior in three months, girl," said one.
"Be quiet!" Hialmar commanded. "What do you mean you've been studying magic?"
"I went to Mulago about a month ago and acquired the books I need."
"You left this place without permission?"
"I asked permission weeks ago. When it didn't seem to be forthcoming, I took matters into my own hands," she answered mildly, but her jaw was set. "I ask your forgiveness for my impatience, but I did want to do my best to meet your expectations."
"That was irresponsible and reckless. You should have waited until we finished our plans. We're very disappointed. We thought you were going to submit to our authority, like every other member of this community."
The others seemed to echo his anger.
She felt her temper flare as she realized they were trying to take advantage of what they knew of her background to shame her into submission. She calmed herself, and continued her well-rehearsed words. "I have tried. Except to go acquire what I need to learn magic, I haven't left the city. I don't even get around the city much. What time I don't spend studying I spend in the work-out area. I have tried my very best to give you what you wanted."
They talked in low voice for several minutes. Jomei seemed mostly quiet, although she could tell the Council seemed a bit angry with him.
Finally Hialmar turned to her again. "I suppose we did wait a little too long to send you to Mulago, or at least send someone there to get what you need to study magic. You do need to be trained, and time shouldn't be lost. So we've decided to forgive you for being impatient with us."
"That's very kind of you."
"However, we are disappointed you ran off on your own again. You don't know this area. You need a guide, or some sort of protection. Again, we can't keep you here, but only try press upon you the importance of doing as we tell you."
"So you have nothing to say regarding my progress fighting or learning magic?" she asked, not surprised.
"We're glad you're working so hard, but you've still got a long way to go to meet our expectations."
"And if I do? What do I get for it?"
"What do you mean, what do you get?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"If I fulfill your expectations of the LightBearer, will you start to include me in your plans to combat the Darkness? Will you give me information? Ask me advice? Listen to my ideas? Start to plan attacks? Include me in efforts to recruit allies? Will you allow me to meet your final expectation of being a great leader?"
The men of the Council looked sort of amused, and talked amongst themselves again for a few minutes. She heard some snickering, but the priest looked deadly serious, and seemed to be pleading her case.
Hialmar turned to her and with a condescending look answered, "I'm afraid that just won't happen. We know the area a lot better than you do, so we'll be doing most of the planning. But when we feel you're ready, we'll certainly send you out on missions. Small things, of course, like running messages. And if we can get an army ready, of course you'll be allowed to join. But you must learn to listen and obey your superiors."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. The conversation was going as she expected, and now it was time for the bluff. "No, I'm afraid that just won't do," she replied.
The odd effect in her voice was now pronounced, like she had an echo of her own voice, only an octave deeper. "I've done all I can to meet your expectations. I've learned to speak your language. I'm learning magic. I'm learning to fight. I've got the noble steed, the gold mare out in the stables." In a flash, she donned the Armor of Obsidian, which had a flowing white cape. The cape wasn't practical, but it was impressive. "I have the armor of god." She held out her hand, and called her weapon. It appeared, the fiery corona reflecting in the bands of gold in her armor, turning them reddish.
The men gasped in surprise, and some even took a few steps back.
"And now I have the flaming sword," she finished, with a grim smile. "After all I have done to be the kind of Champion you had expected, you deny me the opportunity to prove I'm worthy after all? Not only will you not allow me to become a leader, but you expect me to sit down, shut up, and take orders. Oh, no, gentlemen, that will not do at all."
All except Jomei just stared for a few moments. She seemed to have grown taller, her expression was hard, her voice was rumbling with the thunder of a groundquake, and she was glowing slightly with an inner light.
"Shall I prove my prowess to you?" she continued after a pause. She pointed the sword at each of them in turn. "I will fight you, every one of you, or all of you at once. I can fight you with magic from a distance. You couldn't even get near me, if I so desired. Or perhaps I'll even the odds a bit, and engage any one of you in close combat. You can't hurt me with your mortal weapons. Or perhaps I'll drop the Armor, to make