Chapter 2

By sheer luck, Arafa was set to arrive that very afternoon. Since completing his apprenticeship, he'd been managing quite well on his own as a healer in a town a half-day's travel distant. He had a family of his own, a delightful partner and two young sons. He carried quite a few obligations but he had always made it a point to visit at least once a month. Ever since Ilafa's birth, he'd taken on the role of step-parent. To me he had become almost like a brother.

After concluding our talk in my workroom, Fafara and I decided to take a bath and do some relaxing. Adelna remained out in the yard working on his sculpture, Ilafa presumedly still in seclusion, no doubt beginning to feel hot and itchy and inexplicably tired.

We had just finished getting dressed when I heard Adelna call out from the yard. Arafa was here -- and so was his son Kafarash! Kafarash was only a year Adelna's junior and the two young hara loved to play together. I sent Fafara out to meet the visitors and went to fetch Ilafa.

I decided to exercise some caution. Feybraiha is nearly always a difficult time and the sensitivities of hara going through the change are notoriously unpredictable. They might appreciate outside concern and cling to their parents for support -- or they might become angry and resentful. I hoped Ilafa's disposition would allow him to accept my care, but I was prepared to be rejected.

I stood by his bedroom door and knocked. When the only response was silence, I thought that perhaps he had fallen asleep. I recalled how tired I had been in those weeks of my life when my own body had moved toward adulthood. At times my limbs had felt like they were made of lead and I would lie on the bed unable to move.

A a few moments, to my surprise, the door opened and there stood my son, looking spent and bleary-eyed. How I had failed to notice this earlier, I don't know, but I certainly noticed it then.

"I'm-- I'm sorry, Dede," he stuttered. "Were you knocking long? I was-- asleep."

I smiled at him indulgently. "No, I just came to tell you that Arafa and Kafarash have arrived."

"Oh." He turned back into the room and walked to a dresser to find himself a change of clothes. His robes were rumpled and creased, probably with sweat. He was obviously not interested in much of anything at that moment. He was simply tired.

"I also wanted to let you know," I continued, observing him, "that later tonight, an hour or so after dinner, Fafara and I would like to have a talk with you."

For just a second, his shoulder's tensed. I'm sure he knew what the topic of discussion would be.

With a quick goodbye and the promise of a good dinner, I left him standing at his dresser, staring listlessly at his reflection in the mirror.

I emerged from the hallway to find everyone in the great room.

"Ah, Dera!" Arafa called to me. We embraced and then he stepped back, gesturing to the table. "You should see what your son has made!"

Adelna pointed. "Look, Dede, I finished it!"

I went over to look. My son had, even before he had begun working with a tutor, always exhibited an impressive artistic bent. He was adept in all the arts -- drawing, painting, and above all, sculpture. Recently his artwork had begun to show a growing complexity.

Still, when I saw this newest piece, I was startled by his powers. He had managed to carve, out of a single piece of wood, a scene of a har spinning gracefully on a hilltop. It was unimaginable, all the tiny details he had worked in, all the magnificent curves, the purity of the emotions. My son had made that!

"Oh, Adelna, it is exquisite," I said finally, after circling it, examining it from all sides. "And just think -- six years ago you were just a little black pearl!"

"Ah, yes," Fafara murmured. "I remember that pearl quite well."

Adelna blushed and look down, speechless. I think the idea that he had once existed in such a helpless form embarrassed him for some strange reason. He'd seen pearls since then, when occasionally he'd gone to assist Fafara on his healing assignments, but still, he was feeling rather grown up and to have his father reminding him of his infancy was not to his taste.

I decided to rid his mind of any discomfort. "Why don't you set it on the dining room table for dinner. That way we can all enjoy looking at it."

Fafara cracked a small smile. "Yes, that's a wonderful idea. Why don't you go along with Kafarash and set the table while you're at it?"

The two harlings instantly set off towards the dining room. I didn't expect Ilafa to appear anytime soon, as he'd appeared so sluggish and ill-inclined to socialize, but even so, I gestured to the door and led us out into the garden. Before Fafara and I had our talk with Ilafa, we had to to know if Arafa was willing.