The Robin and the Kestrel - Chapter Four
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i_read_whatSo last time, we continued meeting an alien! And met another alien. Well, a non-human, one of which at least is heavily implied to be an alien. There was also some world building and philosophical discussion!
The chapter starts off by describing the characters reaching "Stillwater Waymeet". The key takeaway is that the "Sire" of the region really hasn't been keeping up with the roads. Which is more evidence that the King of Rayden (this kingdom) isn't keeping his vassals in line. The narrative is a bit snarky here, suggesting that the road will remain in poor repair until a Guild Master or high ranking Churchman comes this way.
The potholes in particular have become an actual hazard.
The Waymeet, on the other hand, has a very well tended road made of smooth, graded gravel, and there are no potholes. If this were McCaffrey, I'd probably snark a little, but Lackey's usually pretty good at allowing her adversaries some level of competency. The incompetence here has a point, it's not just "bad guys are bad at shit."
And well, Roma are travelers and they run this place, meant for travelers, so it makes sense that they'd want it in good condition.
The narrative gives us an infodump on how Waymeets came to exist. The gist is that once a campground was well-established enough that it always had at least two families residing there, they'd start to improve it, building more permanent amenities (examples given include protected fire pits, wells, and bathing and laundry areas.) They're comparable to the arrangements at the larger Faire sites - which we saw when Rune had tried out to become a Bard - but they're bigger and even more elaborate.
Eventually, some folks who get tired of travelling settle permanently and build even more neat stuff - bathhouses, trading posts, and so on. This cool stuff makes the campsite even more popular, since why go off and camp alone when you can hang out in relative safety with other like-minded people, and enjoy some nice shit. And eventually someone figured out that they could make money by opening it up to everyone.
Stillwater sounds pretty cool actually:
Robin had been to Stillwater many times. The camping grounds were laid out in sections for wagons and for tents, and patrolled by the proprietor's two tall sons and three of his cousins, to discourage theft and misbehavior. There was clean water in both a stream and a well. It also boasted a bathhouse and laundry, a cartwright, a blacksmith, and a carpenter. A small store sold the kinds of things people who traveled often broke, lost, or forgot; it served as a trading post for those who had goods to trade or sell. The fee to camp was minimal, the fees charged for the other services reasonable. Virtually all of the permanent residents were [Roma], since generally any [Rom] who wished to retire from the road but still wanted the excitement of life on the road looked for a Waymeet that needed another hand about the place. At a Waymeet it was possible to have most of the excitement and change of traveling without ever leaving your home.
Of course, we get the usual comparison to Church hostels. They serve a similar purpose, and the hostels are cheaper actually, but there are no sermons at the Waymeet. So, except for in VERY vicious weather, the Waymeets are more popular. And this is an illustration of what I mean by villain competency. Lackey does not suggest the hostels are poorly run or constructed. If anything, the mention of very bad weather, implies that, as shelters go, the Church hostels might even be better constructed.
Our heroes are met by a handsome young Roma who recognizes Harperus immediately, and when he introduces himself, Harperus remembers him too: as Jackdaw, a lad "with the knack for penny whistles". He even remembers that Jackdaw's family was near Shackleford. (Per Jackdaw, his sister married the man who inherited Stillwater. And he was hired on to help keep order.)
Robin, by the way, is of the Kadash Clan. I don't THINK this is a retcon. Her surname was given as Kravalen, but there are generally multiple surnames in a clan I think. Anyway, the price seems reasonable: ten copper pennies, with an indefinite stay as they're Free Bards.
Being Roma has perks here, as Jackdaw notes that even if the cartwright is full up, he can put aside what he's working on: "Kin come afore gajo".
The use of "gajo" is interesting as that apparently is a Romani word. It makes me wonder about the others.
ANYWAY, Robin pays the fee for both, insisting that Harperus allow her to "discharge the debt" of pulling them out of their spot. Apparently, the Roma have an "intricate dance" when it comes to "discharging debt", and Harperus understands that so he doesn't argue.
The rain starts up again as they settle in. Harperus does something cool with his wagon and soft white lights come on at the front and the rear. Robin is intrigued, especially as they're designed to look like oil lamps to the point where there's even a flame like construction inside that flickers a bit too regularly.
It SOUNDS like this thing has headlights/tailights, but carefully masqueraded. Robin decides to let Harperus continue to pretend it's normal - even though no one with experience with the Deliambren would be fooled.
They detach Robin and Kestrel's wagon. It's sturdy enough to use and sleep in, though driving it would be dicey. They wish each other goodnight, and Robin goes inside the wagon to light it up.
We get a look at their wagon:
Once again she lit the tiny charcoal stove, and waited for the place to warm up. The interior of the caravan was well-planned as far as usable space went. Their bed was in the front, just behind the driver's seat, and the door there slid sideways rather than swinging open, so that someone could lie on the bed and talk to the driver while the wagon moved down the road. And on warm nights, a curtain could be pulled across the opened door, giving privacy and fresh air. A second curtain could be pulled across the other side of the bed, giving privacy from the rest of the wagon. It was possible to sleep four, in a pinch; an ingenious table and bench arrangement on the right-hand wall under the side window could be made into a bed just wide enough for two. But the arrangement would not be good for long periods, unless the people in that bed were children.
There was storage for their clothing under the bed, more storage above it. The stove was bolted away from the wall in the rear beside the rear door, and had a cooking surface on the top of it. Storage for food was nearby and their pans and utensils hung from the ceiling above it. There were small windows surrounded by shallow storage cabinets on either wall, where they kept everything else they needed, from instruments to harness-repair kits. The table and benches, bolted to the wall and floor, were beneath the right-hand window, and a built-in basin above a huge jar for fresh water with a spigot on the bottom, were beneath the left-hand window. The basin could be removed from its holder, to be emptied out the window or filled from the jar.
It sounds like a vardo, which I've always liked the look of. I think a small part of me really wants to be a nomad, albeit a nomad with an internet connection.
Anyway, Robin decides to make some food: toasted bread with melted cheese on top. Sounds pretty good to me! Kestrel joins her not too long after, having put up the horses. She hands him some food and promises that next time, she'll get the horses and he can cook.
They chat about Harperus. He is, after all, Jonny's first look at a Deliambren. He asks if they're all so detached. Robin thinks it's a racial trait - at least all the ones she's met are like that. They like to observe humans and their emotional reactions, but don't generally seem to understand them. Per Robin, at one point, Talaysen had had to pull Harperus out of a mob once. And another had gotten in trouble for too many questions about a Sire's lady.
They're not cold, per se, but they express their emotions differently than humans and can't always tell when human moods turn serious, or deadly. The Church sometimes calls them soulless. And Kestrel notes that the Church's current "all non-humans are damned" stance is probably going to be dangerous to them.
It is actually pretty notable that Harperus is alert enough to ask them to look into rumors, and they intend to. In the morning. After they implicitly bang. Because they're young, hot and in a wagon. Why not?
--
So we switch to morning and Jonny's point of view. He wakes up first as Robin is not a morning person, and makes breakfast (sausage, tea and "batter-cakes". I should stop reading Lackey when hungry.) The cartwright arrives not soon after.
We're told he's another Roma, a taciturn but not unfriendly fellow. He can repair the axle by nightfall, at the charge of fifty silver. (Thirty for the new axle, and ten each for the workers.) Kestrel, having lived through near starvation poverty, blanches at the price and looks to Robin (who'd just poked her head out) for guidance.
It IS a fair price, and they have it, so they agree. Though the poor guy tries not to let the words choke him. (There is a cute bit where he asks Robin if they're supposed to help, and she says, not at THAT price.) So they decide to go wander, and fill folks in on the events of the first book: namely, Rune and Talaysen's marriage, and the welcome of the Free Bards in Birnam.
-
We switch to Robin's POV as we meet the first of the other Bards in the area: a trio named Linnet, Gannet and Blackbird. These are very brief characters but they get a fairly involved description - there's a reason for that as we'll see:
Linnet was a tiny thing, with long, coppery-brown hair that reached almost to her ankles when she let it down. Gannet's hair was as red as flame, his milky face speckled with freckles; Blackbird's red-gold hair was lighter and wavy rather than curly, like Gannet's. All three had sparkling green eyes, and slight builds. They made a striking group, whether they were dressed for the road or in their performance costumes.
Anyway, Linnet plays flute, Gannet has a drum, and Blackbird plays mandolin. Robin introduces everyone and they catch up while the trio has breakfast. The trio is very happy about the welcome in Birnam and decide to make the trek. They haven't found any wintering-over jobs this year.
Basically, none of the taverns that hosted them before would take them. Their space is filled by Guild musicians - ones that aren't as skilled and are much more expensive to boot.
One of the trio suddenly realizes a possible reason for their poor reception - there are a lot of Priests preaching morality now. And they're a trio. They share a room, to boot.
This is the reason for the description though, as they're not a weirdly narcissistic throuple made up of slim redheads. They're siblings. They just never thought it was necessary to say that.
It might be now. Yikes. The boys are inclined to fight, but Linnet would rather just go to Birnam. They unhappily agree. Robin thinks they're being wise - after all, there are prohibitions against incest too. If the priests really want to find them guilty of something...
Robin realizes Linnet in particular is really frightened. She thinks maybe something happened that Linnet hadn't told her brothers. Maybe threats, or a Priest that got nasty intentions (it's not like Gwyna hasn't experienced that!).
And I'll give Ms. Lackey credit too. In a couple of paragraphs she's really managed to drive home that the Church is not just an irritation, but a real, palpable threat.
After leaving the trio, they pass out more information. The Roma are interested in the gossip, but less so in the sanctuary. But the Free Bards are very interested. And they also note that there are more musicians with Guild badges where there weren't before.
They'll get an explanation why in their next encounter.
They hear a harp playing - it's playing those strange dream-haunting melodies that some Roma play. (The kind Rune learned and played for the Ghost, if you recall.) And we get a cool cultural note here, from Robin: it's called adastera music. It's reputed to be able to control and influence spirits. Robin apparently has claimed to Kestrel that she doesn't have the talent for it.
It's a nice little touch that makes the Roma seem a little less monolithic as a people. And it fits: Robin's a bit too worldly to be into ethereal wailing.
The music gets cooler though when a singer joins in, wordlessly harmonizing to make music that would make even Harperus weep. They go along to find Nightingale playing. These songs are, after all, her specialty. And the singer is T'fyrr!
Well, his claim to be similar to a Bard seems to be validated!
Apparently they'd been "experimenting" musically together. The experiment seems to be a success. So they chat about news. Nightingale has some important information again too. She's been listening to all these new priests and preachers.
"Time after time, I heard sermons specifically against music," she said. "And not just any music—but the music performed by what these street preachers referred to as 'wild and undisciplined street players.' They always went on to further identify these 'street players' as people no Guild would permit into its ranks, because of their lack of respect for authority, their immorality, and their 'dangerous ways.' "
"Us, in other words," Robin said grimly. "Free Bards. Just what were the complaints against us, anyway?"
Nightingale's mouth had compressed into a tight line, and Kestrel sensed a very deep anger within her. "According to what they said, directly, our music is seductive and incites lust, our lyrics licentious and advocate lust, and we destroy pure thinking and lead youths to rebel against proper authority. To hear them talk, the Free Bards are responsible for every girl that ever had a child out of wedlock, every boy that ever defied his parents, and every fool who sought strong drink and drugs and ruined his mind and body. But it wasn't only what they said directly, it was what they implied."
Apparently they're being implied to do mind control magic. Lure boys into demon worship. Lure girls off to marry brigands. Inspire folks to a life of crime. They use the titles of Free Bard songs like "Demon-Lover" or "the Highwayman's Lady" to "prove" their point.
It's not just a matter of Free Bards being immoral, but the tavern and inn keepers don't want to risk being blamed for a patron doing something wrong that could be attributed to the musician they hired.
The Bardic Guild provides a solution: recruiting "Guild-licensed musicians" - ones not good enough to become a full Bard, but are certified and capable of entertaining without enticement. They also double tithe to the Church and pay a commission to the Guild.
Yeah, that's not great.
So they meet back up with Harperus, who's also been filled in by T'fyrr. They're pretty despondent. How do you fight something as powerful as the Church after all. Kestrel apparently has picked up more trends, regarding non-humans. It's suddenly okay to call them thieves or lazy. It's making it harder for them to work or get customers. They're also putting up signs: "humans only" in a few places.
It seems more isolated than the anti-Bard campaign, so they're only concerned rather than alarmed, but Harperus has a different thought:
"Could they express their bigotry so openly if they did not have some sanction?" Harperus countered sharply. "And if there are signs reading 'Humans only' now, how long will it be, think you, before there are signs that say, 'Citizens only,' 'Guild Members only,' or even 'No one permitted in the gates without Church papers and permissions'?"
The Deliambrens seem to remember their past among the stars. I wonder how much they know or remember of human history. Harperus may well recognize these signs.
He seems to think the Church is behind this too, noting:
Harperus stroked his cheek-decorations with a thoughtful finger. "I find it peculiar that a Church whose scriptures speak of love and tolerance should suddenly have words of hate and intolerance in its collective mouth," he said. "I find it disturbing that it is effectively sanctioning things that should be repugnant to any thinking being. And I do not think that it is any accident that this should be happening to the two main groups who escape the Church's authority—the nonhumans, who do not share this human religion of the Sacrificed God, and the Free Bards and [Roma], who have no address and cannot be followed, controlled, or intimidated."
I like how the term "Sacrificed God" both echoes themes of Christianity while being a phrase that we don't tend to use ourselves. It's Christianity-but-slightly-off.
T'fyrr has more unnerving facts: The Church is openly preaching against magic. It never used to. But even beneficial magic like healing is now evil if not performed by a Priest. Which raises the question of how long it will be before magic is a crime, and anyone the authorities wish to be rid of is called a "magician".
All of them think it won't be long at all. And on this ominous note, the chapter ends.
One thing that stands out immediately about this book compared to its predecessor is the scope. We get Alanda, the PLANET. The Cataclysm and alien policemen. We get the Church as enemy and oppressor, not just irritant and obstacle. We get issues that very clearly will not be wrapped up in one book.
The chapter starts off by describing the characters reaching "Stillwater Waymeet". The key takeaway is that the "Sire" of the region really hasn't been keeping up with the roads. Which is more evidence that the King of Rayden (this kingdom) isn't keeping his vassals in line. The narrative is a bit snarky here, suggesting that the road will remain in poor repair until a Guild Master or high ranking Churchman comes this way.
The potholes in particular have become an actual hazard.
The Waymeet, on the other hand, has a very well tended road made of smooth, graded gravel, and there are no potholes. If this were McCaffrey, I'd probably snark a little, but Lackey's usually pretty good at allowing her adversaries some level of competency. The incompetence here has a point, it's not just "bad guys are bad at shit."
And well, Roma are travelers and they run this place, meant for travelers, so it makes sense that they'd want it in good condition.
The narrative gives us an infodump on how Waymeets came to exist. The gist is that once a campground was well-established enough that it always had at least two families residing there, they'd start to improve it, building more permanent amenities (examples given include protected fire pits, wells, and bathing and laundry areas.) They're comparable to the arrangements at the larger Faire sites - which we saw when Rune had tried out to become a Bard - but they're bigger and even more elaborate.
Eventually, some folks who get tired of travelling settle permanently and build even more neat stuff - bathhouses, trading posts, and so on. This cool stuff makes the campsite even more popular, since why go off and camp alone when you can hang out in relative safety with other like-minded people, and enjoy some nice shit. And eventually someone figured out that they could make money by opening it up to everyone.
Stillwater sounds pretty cool actually:
Robin had been to Stillwater many times. The camping grounds were laid out in sections for wagons and for tents, and patrolled by the proprietor's two tall sons and three of his cousins, to discourage theft and misbehavior. There was clean water in both a stream and a well. It also boasted a bathhouse and laundry, a cartwright, a blacksmith, and a carpenter. A small store sold the kinds of things people who traveled often broke, lost, or forgot; it served as a trading post for those who had goods to trade or sell. The fee to camp was minimal, the fees charged for the other services reasonable. Virtually all of the permanent residents were [Roma], since generally any [Rom] who wished to retire from the road but still wanted the excitement of life on the road looked for a Waymeet that needed another hand about the place. At a Waymeet it was possible to have most of the excitement and change of traveling without ever leaving your home.
Of course, we get the usual comparison to Church hostels. They serve a similar purpose, and the hostels are cheaper actually, but there are no sermons at the Waymeet. So, except for in VERY vicious weather, the Waymeets are more popular. And this is an illustration of what I mean by villain competency. Lackey does not suggest the hostels are poorly run or constructed. If anything, the mention of very bad weather, implies that, as shelters go, the Church hostels might even be better constructed.
Our heroes are met by a handsome young Roma who recognizes Harperus immediately, and when he introduces himself, Harperus remembers him too: as Jackdaw, a lad "with the knack for penny whistles". He even remembers that Jackdaw's family was near Shackleford. (Per Jackdaw, his sister married the man who inherited Stillwater. And he was hired on to help keep order.)
Robin, by the way, is of the Kadash Clan. I don't THINK this is a retcon. Her surname was given as Kravalen, but there are generally multiple surnames in a clan I think. Anyway, the price seems reasonable: ten copper pennies, with an indefinite stay as they're Free Bards.
Being Roma has perks here, as Jackdaw notes that even if the cartwright is full up, he can put aside what he's working on: "Kin come afore gajo".
The use of "gajo" is interesting as that apparently is a Romani word. It makes me wonder about the others.
ANYWAY, Robin pays the fee for both, insisting that Harperus allow her to "discharge the debt" of pulling them out of their spot. Apparently, the Roma have an "intricate dance" when it comes to "discharging debt", and Harperus understands that so he doesn't argue.
The rain starts up again as they settle in. Harperus does something cool with his wagon and soft white lights come on at the front and the rear. Robin is intrigued, especially as they're designed to look like oil lamps to the point where there's even a flame like construction inside that flickers a bit too regularly.
It SOUNDS like this thing has headlights/tailights, but carefully masqueraded. Robin decides to let Harperus continue to pretend it's normal - even though no one with experience with the Deliambren would be fooled.
They detach Robin and Kestrel's wagon. It's sturdy enough to use and sleep in, though driving it would be dicey. They wish each other goodnight, and Robin goes inside the wagon to light it up.
We get a look at their wagon:
Once again she lit the tiny charcoal stove, and waited for the place to warm up. The interior of the caravan was well-planned as far as usable space went. Their bed was in the front, just behind the driver's seat, and the door there slid sideways rather than swinging open, so that someone could lie on the bed and talk to the driver while the wagon moved down the road. And on warm nights, a curtain could be pulled across the opened door, giving privacy and fresh air. A second curtain could be pulled across the other side of the bed, giving privacy from the rest of the wagon. It was possible to sleep four, in a pinch; an ingenious table and bench arrangement on the right-hand wall under the side window could be made into a bed just wide enough for two. But the arrangement would not be good for long periods, unless the people in that bed were children.
There was storage for their clothing under the bed, more storage above it. The stove was bolted away from the wall in the rear beside the rear door, and had a cooking surface on the top of it. Storage for food was nearby and their pans and utensils hung from the ceiling above it. There were small windows surrounded by shallow storage cabinets on either wall, where they kept everything else they needed, from instruments to harness-repair kits. The table and benches, bolted to the wall and floor, were beneath the right-hand window, and a built-in basin above a huge jar for fresh water with a spigot on the bottom, were beneath the left-hand window. The basin could be removed from its holder, to be emptied out the window or filled from the jar.
It sounds like a vardo, which I've always liked the look of. I think a small part of me really wants to be a nomad, albeit a nomad with an internet connection.
Anyway, Robin decides to make some food: toasted bread with melted cheese on top. Sounds pretty good to me! Kestrel joins her not too long after, having put up the horses. She hands him some food and promises that next time, she'll get the horses and he can cook.
They chat about Harperus. He is, after all, Jonny's first look at a Deliambren. He asks if they're all so detached. Robin thinks it's a racial trait - at least all the ones she's met are like that. They like to observe humans and their emotional reactions, but don't generally seem to understand them. Per Robin, at one point, Talaysen had had to pull Harperus out of a mob once. And another had gotten in trouble for too many questions about a Sire's lady.
They're not cold, per se, but they express their emotions differently than humans and can't always tell when human moods turn serious, or deadly. The Church sometimes calls them soulless. And Kestrel notes that the Church's current "all non-humans are damned" stance is probably going to be dangerous to them.
It is actually pretty notable that Harperus is alert enough to ask them to look into rumors, and they intend to. In the morning. After they implicitly bang. Because they're young, hot and in a wagon. Why not?
--
So we switch to morning and Jonny's point of view. He wakes up first as Robin is not a morning person, and makes breakfast (sausage, tea and "batter-cakes". I should stop reading Lackey when hungry.) The cartwright arrives not soon after.
We're told he's another Roma, a taciturn but not unfriendly fellow. He can repair the axle by nightfall, at the charge of fifty silver. (Thirty for the new axle, and ten each for the workers.) Kestrel, having lived through near starvation poverty, blanches at the price and looks to Robin (who'd just poked her head out) for guidance.
It IS a fair price, and they have it, so they agree. Though the poor guy tries not to let the words choke him. (There is a cute bit where he asks Robin if they're supposed to help, and she says, not at THAT price.) So they decide to go wander, and fill folks in on the events of the first book: namely, Rune and Talaysen's marriage, and the welcome of the Free Bards in Birnam.
-
We switch to Robin's POV as we meet the first of the other Bards in the area: a trio named Linnet, Gannet and Blackbird. These are very brief characters but they get a fairly involved description - there's a reason for that as we'll see:
Linnet was a tiny thing, with long, coppery-brown hair that reached almost to her ankles when she let it down. Gannet's hair was as red as flame, his milky face speckled with freckles; Blackbird's red-gold hair was lighter and wavy rather than curly, like Gannet's. All three had sparkling green eyes, and slight builds. They made a striking group, whether they were dressed for the road or in their performance costumes.
Anyway, Linnet plays flute, Gannet has a drum, and Blackbird plays mandolin. Robin introduces everyone and they catch up while the trio has breakfast. The trio is very happy about the welcome in Birnam and decide to make the trek. They haven't found any wintering-over jobs this year.
Basically, none of the taverns that hosted them before would take them. Their space is filled by Guild musicians - ones that aren't as skilled and are much more expensive to boot.
One of the trio suddenly realizes a possible reason for their poor reception - there are a lot of Priests preaching morality now. And they're a trio. They share a room, to boot.
This is the reason for the description though, as they're not a weirdly narcissistic throuple made up of slim redheads. They're siblings. They just never thought it was necessary to say that.
It might be now. Yikes. The boys are inclined to fight, but Linnet would rather just go to Birnam. They unhappily agree. Robin thinks they're being wise - after all, there are prohibitions against incest too. If the priests really want to find them guilty of something...
Robin realizes Linnet in particular is really frightened. She thinks maybe something happened that Linnet hadn't told her brothers. Maybe threats, or a Priest that got nasty intentions (it's not like Gwyna hasn't experienced that!).
And I'll give Ms. Lackey credit too. In a couple of paragraphs she's really managed to drive home that the Church is not just an irritation, but a real, palpable threat.
After leaving the trio, they pass out more information. The Roma are interested in the gossip, but less so in the sanctuary. But the Free Bards are very interested. And they also note that there are more musicians with Guild badges where there weren't before.
They'll get an explanation why in their next encounter.
They hear a harp playing - it's playing those strange dream-haunting melodies that some Roma play. (The kind Rune learned and played for the Ghost, if you recall.) And we get a cool cultural note here, from Robin: it's called adastera music. It's reputed to be able to control and influence spirits. Robin apparently has claimed to Kestrel that she doesn't have the talent for it.
It's a nice little touch that makes the Roma seem a little less monolithic as a people. And it fits: Robin's a bit too worldly to be into ethereal wailing.
The music gets cooler though when a singer joins in, wordlessly harmonizing to make music that would make even Harperus weep. They go along to find Nightingale playing. These songs are, after all, her specialty. And the singer is T'fyrr!
Well, his claim to be similar to a Bard seems to be validated!
Apparently they'd been "experimenting" musically together. The experiment seems to be a success. So they chat about news. Nightingale has some important information again too. She's been listening to all these new priests and preachers.
"Time after time, I heard sermons specifically against music," she said. "And not just any music—but the music performed by what these street preachers referred to as 'wild and undisciplined street players.' They always went on to further identify these 'street players' as people no Guild would permit into its ranks, because of their lack of respect for authority, their immorality, and their 'dangerous ways.' "
"Us, in other words," Robin said grimly. "Free Bards. Just what were the complaints against us, anyway?"
Nightingale's mouth had compressed into a tight line, and Kestrel sensed a very deep anger within her. "According to what they said, directly, our music is seductive and incites lust, our lyrics licentious and advocate lust, and we destroy pure thinking and lead youths to rebel against proper authority. To hear them talk, the Free Bards are responsible for every girl that ever had a child out of wedlock, every boy that ever defied his parents, and every fool who sought strong drink and drugs and ruined his mind and body. But it wasn't only what they said directly, it was what they implied."
Apparently they're being implied to do mind control magic. Lure boys into demon worship. Lure girls off to marry brigands. Inspire folks to a life of crime. They use the titles of Free Bard songs like "Demon-Lover" or "the Highwayman's Lady" to "prove" their point.
It's not just a matter of Free Bards being immoral, but the tavern and inn keepers don't want to risk being blamed for a patron doing something wrong that could be attributed to the musician they hired.
The Bardic Guild provides a solution: recruiting "Guild-licensed musicians" - ones not good enough to become a full Bard, but are certified and capable of entertaining without enticement. They also double tithe to the Church and pay a commission to the Guild.
Yeah, that's not great.
So they meet back up with Harperus, who's also been filled in by T'fyrr. They're pretty despondent. How do you fight something as powerful as the Church after all. Kestrel apparently has picked up more trends, regarding non-humans. It's suddenly okay to call them thieves or lazy. It's making it harder for them to work or get customers. They're also putting up signs: "humans only" in a few places.
It seems more isolated than the anti-Bard campaign, so they're only concerned rather than alarmed, but Harperus has a different thought:
"Could they express their bigotry so openly if they did not have some sanction?" Harperus countered sharply. "And if there are signs reading 'Humans only' now, how long will it be, think you, before there are signs that say, 'Citizens only,' 'Guild Members only,' or even 'No one permitted in the gates without Church papers and permissions'?"
The Deliambrens seem to remember their past among the stars. I wonder how much they know or remember of human history. Harperus may well recognize these signs.
He seems to think the Church is behind this too, noting:
Harperus stroked his cheek-decorations with a thoughtful finger. "I find it peculiar that a Church whose scriptures speak of love and tolerance should suddenly have words of hate and intolerance in its collective mouth," he said. "I find it disturbing that it is effectively sanctioning things that should be repugnant to any thinking being. And I do not think that it is any accident that this should be happening to the two main groups who escape the Church's authority—the nonhumans, who do not share this human religion of the Sacrificed God, and the Free Bards and [Roma], who have no address and cannot be followed, controlled, or intimidated."
I like how the term "Sacrificed God" both echoes themes of Christianity while being a phrase that we don't tend to use ourselves. It's Christianity-but-slightly-off.
T'fyrr has more unnerving facts: The Church is openly preaching against magic. It never used to. But even beneficial magic like healing is now evil if not performed by a Priest. Which raises the question of how long it will be before magic is a crime, and anyone the authorities wish to be rid of is called a "magician".
All of them think it won't be long at all. And on this ominous note, the chapter ends.
One thing that stands out immediately about this book compared to its predecessor is the scope. We get Alanda, the PLANET. The Cataclysm and alien policemen. We get the Church as enemy and oppressor, not just irritant and obstacle. We get issues that very clearly will not be wrapped up in one book.
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Date: 2024-04-08 05:48 pm (UTC)= Multi-Facets.
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Date: 2024-04-08 06:47 pm (UTC)