074 – After Meeting Talking

Mallob and Sharlot stood out of courtesy, and then once Rasgan’s assistant was out of the door they both sat back down. The assistants set about cleaning up their respective sides of the table, taking the writing things over to a cabinet by the clerk.

Sharlot looked at Roxanne. “You may go, if you wish. Unless there is more you would like to know.”

Rox thought, formulating her questions. “Who or what is this chaos bringer, which everyone is so excited over?”

Mallob fielded this. “About every fifteen hundred years, there is born on this world a person who rises to power after some manner, and then sets the world on fire. This is more than the usual despots arguing over territory and seizing control. The humans are not as skilled at maintaining records as we are, and such is their loss, in this case. The three Chaos Bringers that we have clear records of were never after power, or authority. They were after destruction. Our records older than that are less clear as that forth cycle back the records were damaged and had to be reconstructed, by those then living. This leaves us holes from there back to the start of our records about seventeen thousand local years ago.”

Sharlot continued. “Sometimes there is warning, sometimes not. This time there is, insofar as what we have.”

The assistants put glasses of water down for Sharlot, Mallob, and Roxanne, and then withdrew to stand by the clerks table, and talk among themselves.

Sharlot picked up the piece of paper again. “. . .  a new Chaos Bringer will arise . . . No news there.  A son and daughter will be born to one who is a forth generation half-elf . . . Because of the fifteen hundred year loop there has not been much done until this time. In the last ten years or so there has been a concerted effort by some to check every forth generation half-elf, and monitor them for having two children. One of our agents got quietly into the records of an Alistair Kevan on Terra, and discovered you. Let’s see . . .  Darkness will seek them . . . Light will seek them . . . Here we go . . . In their time will come a child, who will bring chaos to all that can be found.”

“Near as I read, that does not tell us anything about the identity of the Chaos Bringer.” Sharlot concluded

Mallob punctuated her comment. “Or origin. Just that your children, Roxanne, are the markers for this future event in their life times. On the other hand . . . Caspian gave us an ear full about Krogg, among other things, when he met with us. I must admit that had Pervical been more forthcoming neither I nor Cuinton would have been as ill prepared about them. As it is, we are awaiting report form Cuinton’s agents in Krogg. Caspian may have more information to share, but Pervical will not allow us to ask him. I expect that you will.”

Rox nodded at this, sipped her water, and spoke. “One other question. When I came in, I could speak, however haltingly, you local tongue. I know right now that I am not. Somewhere in the middle of the meeting my language changed. On the other hand, I presume you are still speaking your native tongue, and I hear and understand it fine. Can either of you explain that?”

Mallob nodded. “I probably can, though Master Iver, or Caspian are the ones to really ask. Caspian probably used the common magic tool of implanting the local language into an individual, on you and your paramour. However because of the magics' that are now inherent to this city, such spells do not take as well as they might elsewhere. The result is that its effects dissipated from you in here.”

Rox understood. “I trust no offense was given. But why do I still hear you?”

Mallob gave a positive nonverbal cue. “None given, and you would do best to ask the magic-mongers.”

Rox nodded. “I will ask. I suppose that is all. These Masters will report how things go and any changes will be decided on later?”

Sharlot nodded. “Yes.”

Roxanne took the sheets of paper that had been left her, seeing it only as writing without any wax seals that she had seen on other documents, she rolled it up. “I will be on my way then. Good day to you and yours.”

Rox bobbed slightly, turned and stepped down off the platform she had been standing on at the end of the table, and strode across the room to the doors, and then retraced her steps out of the building.

The young female elf that she had previously been escorted by appeared to escort her again. “I am to escort you home.”

“Good. Am I speaking a language you comprehend?” Rox answered.

The elf looked at Rox a bit puzzled.

“No I am not.” Rox answered to herself.

They sat in silence as they traveled back to the hotel. The elf looked Roxanne over, as Rox looked over the writing on the sheet.

The writing was a cursive of some kind, and Rox could make out individual words, and some characters, but it was indecipherable to her.

The carriage stopped and Rox accepted the assistance of a footman as she again lighted from the vehicle. Without looking back, Rox heard the carriage pull away, so she gathered her skirts and went inside.

Rox entered the room and found Steven had his things spread about the bed and table, sorting out between short term and long term carry items. The kids’ things and the money were off to one side, his bedroll and cold-weather gear next to his pack and vest, his assorted toys piled next to that. His sword and clothes sat on their own, last.

Steven picked up the ongoing conversation as Rox paused and looked around. “They said they were going to teleport me, to save time. But that I might be several days. So I am sorting what is trail-useful versus general-useful. How did it go with you?”

Rox put her rolled up sheets on the table, and moved to sit in a window seat, out of Steven’s way. “I suppose it went well. They spent as much time talking past me to each other as to me. But they have a schedule for me to follow. I go to see a Master Iver tomorrow morning. Once he is done with me I go to a Master Eklund to get my own equipment sorted and approved. Frankly the only part I have any complaint with is the boots. But maybe these people can do better and surprise me. They also mentioned you going to a Master Mundrl for your refitting, once you get back from your errand.”

Rox was still processing the meeting in her mind. “I learned that there is more to the motivation of the people who started this with our kids. But I still don’t think I have it all straight. We know that there is the kingdom to the south-“

“Krogg,” Steven interjected.

“-that sent those guys that kidnapped me and the kids. I understand that they did this for a couple of reasons. One has to do with the unique nature of our kids, Alex in particular.” Rox was looking a bit blank, reading the text in her mind’s eye.

Steven leaned against the table, folding his arms. “We have learned that half-elves, like yourself, usually only have one child of their own sex. You had two; that is apparently odd, and one of the opposite sex, which I understand is apparently unheard of.”

Roxanne nodded. “Right. This marks our children as unique and therefore harbingers of some future villain. Somehow that is of interest to Krogg, and they want to control that villain through controlling our kids.

Rox looked back at Steven. “The elves suggested that Caspian knows more about this than they do. He seams to suggest that as well, when we have got him to talk about it.”

Steven nodded “But does this matter enough, to try to pump him for information? Or do we let him divvy it out at his leisure?”

Rox thought this over. “I don’t think that matters. We got enough other things to think about. On a different tact, the spell that Caspian put on us to speak the local language ran out on me in the middle of the meeting. One of the elves there suggested I talk to the magic-user tomorrow about it. Thing is, I could still hear and comprehend their language, I just no longer had mastery of speaking it.”

Steven nodded. “That is odd, but not fully unheard of. I can hear and comprehend a bunch of Spanish, but can only speak about twenty words coherently. Maybe somehow this local language is just ingrained in you. Want to ask Caspian?”

Roxanne shook her head. “No, not yet.” She looked away, thinking.

Steven put his vest on and started repacking his toys he was not going to take into it. He looked at his rolls of film. He was on his last roll.

Picking up the camera, Steven aimed and focused at Roxanne sitting in the window seat in a shaft of light from the window, adjusted the f-stop and shutter speed, refocused, and clicked.

The noise of the camera brought Roxanne back to here and now. She held still until she heard its final click as Steven advanced the film. Then she turned to watch her husband, and spoke.

“Those elves said a few curious things about Caspian. Evidently he was not their first choice. But he is someone that owed them a favor. They said that I have potential to be as powerful and capable as he is.”

Steven finished putting the camera away. “You want to stay here and find out?”

Rox looked at her husband. He had always been the one to want to get the job done and get back home. He enjoyed the adventure, but always wanted to get back to his own bed in the end. Rox came at it from the other end. Slow to start, once going she was always ready to go see more. This was not her concern though.

“No.” Rox answered after a brief pause. “Sharlot mentioned about Grandma Rhoda being a magic-user herself. I gather that this trait is somehow hereditary. I am wondering how it passed to the kids. Pervical is anxious to train Diana and Alex to whatever capacity they will have. Sharlot read something that said nothing will stand against them. I wondering what all this means. Diana has always been a quick learner. As has Alex.”

Steven agreed. “She reads every book I bring home. Wasn’t she tested at a few years above her grade level?”

Rox nodded. “Yes, so was Alex. He is writing legible cursive already; some of his classmates are still struggling with basic script. My point is that I wonder what potential our children have, or might have if we did stay here.”

Steven spread his hands out to the city beyond the walls of their suite. “With these people?”

Rox looked around, out the window. “Hadn’t thought it out that far. They can’t all be bad.”

Steven put his vest back on the table; it clunked from the heavier things in its pockets. “We will see. Personally, I would rather take them home and let them come back when they choose.”