The Robin And The Kestrel

rattling off a number of trades that he considered to be something of a coup. A 'laser imaging system' ('still functional, if you can believe it!') for a small glass-smelting furnace; a 'complete cache of memory crystals' for an equal number of precious stones. Or rather, Kestrel assumed they were precious; Harperus referred to them as 'cultured' pearls, rubies, and sapphires. Kestrel was not certain just what 'cultured' meant. Perhaps they were better educated than other gems. Something else Harperus said made him feel a little better.

'You know, value lies in rarity, really,' the Deliambren told Gwyna, when she raised her eyebrow and asked who had gotten the real bargain. 'They were using the memory crystals for jewelry, and valued them no more than quartz. We simply gave them something better suited to display_and tripled our library. To us, memory crystals are rare. To them, our cultured stones are. Everyone benefits, and no one feels cheated. That is the essence of a good bargain.'

Gwyna laughed and told him he would never make a horse-trader, and then settled back for a real nap against Kestrel's shoulder as the rain changed to a dismal drizzle. He held her with an arm around her shoulders, supporting her so that she could nap, as the unknown source of warmth beneath their seats dried them all and made her drowsy.

Harperus patiently waited through Kestrel's stuttering, and answered all of his questions, though Jonny could not tell just how much of what he said was evasion. Finally he turned the tables on the Free Bard and began his own series of questions.

Mostly, he concentrated on Kestrel's own story, and seemed particularly fascinated by the intervention of Rune and Talaysen and the latter's discovery of the power of Bardic Magic.

'I have often suspected something of the sort existed among you humans,' Harperus said thoughtfully. 'Particularly in light of some things I have seen Gypsy Bards do_calming crowds that were in an ugly mood, or charming coins out of the previously unwilling. Fascinating. And you have this power?'

'Wren s-s-says s-s-so,' Kestrel replied, but with uncertainty. 'And he says G-G-Gwyna does too. I th-think he's r-r-right. B-but I d-d-don't know if I w-w-w-want t-t-to use it s-s-since it c-can c-cause as m-much t-trouble as it s- solves.'

Harperus nodded, his face very still and sober. 'I can understand that_but you may be forced to. You should at least master this power before it masters you. Not learning to use it could be more hazardous than mastering it.'

Jonny shook his head.

'If you do not learn how to control this 'magic,' it may act without your knowledge or control,' Harperus amended. 'Let me give you an example. Some peoples we have encountered have the power to read the thoughts of others_and if they do not learn how to do this at their will, it happens without control, and they can be overwhelmed by intruding thoughts so that they do not know who, where, or even what they are. Do you understand now?'

Kestrel nodded, then. And Harperus was right; if he did not learn how it 'felt' to invoke this magic, he might use it when he didn't want to, and that could have some unfortunate consequences. Especially if he was using it on someone who had the ability to tell when magic was being used, and had a reason to resent it being used on him!

'If I may bring up a possibly delicate subject?' Harperus said, carefully. 'Your_ah_difficulty in speaking?'

Kestrel flushed. 'Wren th-thinks it's b-because of the f-f-f-fever I c-c-caught when w-w-we esc-c-caped B-B- Birnam.'

Harperus shook his head. 'I would think not. From all that I know, such a problem is more because of some kind of extreme upset in the past. Your escape, I would say, is itself to blame, and the fear and stress you went through. Not the fever. My people have been known to treat such things, and they are usually successful. May I offer some advice?'

Jonny nodded eagerly. Wren had some advice to give, but he had been no expert, and admitted it. No one else had anything to say on the subject. Robin didn't seem to care_but it would have been so wonderful to tell her all the things she deserved to hear without falling all over the words!

'As I said, this is sometimes the case of your mind running ahead of your words. First, you must learn to relax, and think about the words, not about what your listener is going to think when he hears you.' Harperus smiled as he saw Jonny's eyes widen with surprise. 'You see, some of this is also from tension. You wish to make a good impression, so you tense up. Your mind runs on ahead, and ceases to control your speech, so the tension makes you stammer. You stutter_you fear you are making a bad impression_you grow tenser_and you stutter more. You try to speak faster, to get your words out through the stuttering, and this makes you more tense, which makes it worse yet. If you relax, and take things at their own, slow pace, you will find your problem easing. Think of each word as a note in a melody, and pronounce it with the care you have in singing, and do not think about your listener. When you sing, what are you thinking of? The audience, or the song?'

'The s-s-song!' Kestrel replied in surprise. 'I alw-w-ways r-relax when I s-sing!'

'And you do not stutter, I wager.' Harperus shrugged. 'This is how I would begin to overcome the difficulty. The rest is much, much patience. It will take a very long time, and you must not be discouraged. It took, perhaps, ten years to establish this pattern in you. It cannot be unlearned in a day, or a week, or even a year, necessarily. But you will improve, a very little, every time you speak, and people who have not heard you for some time will be astonished at what you think is no progress at all.'