A Castrovel Adventure: Part 4, Chapter 44

In which Vaeol and her household get to meet the Sealnea up close.

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

16. Asealae, 24,544 - Lea
Today the Year-End Motorae Games began with the bowshoot in the morntide (which Tae, Less, and Hanos watched) and the nimbletree in the afternoon. Yet those trials rose not to our daytide’s height. Instead, at forenoon, we all, ingathering Vosaeth’s household, my brother and his wifemate, and all the children, hied to the house belet to the Sealnea, in answer to their welcome-bid. The house outproved a wing of Lady Rovezh’s hall, yielding a broad midyard wherein the Sealnea team was ending their game-drill. They ran in a pack aring the yard’s edge, playing a ball among them, bouncing it with their heads, catching it and tossing atail. While we neared, one even tumbled, caught it with their foot-hands, and cast it back to the team while spinning back upright, and reclove the run all in one deed.
We met His Highness Lord Ekishi (which title has become easier to say), in a sideroom at the yard's midst. He sat on a bench under the eave, overseeing the team’s drill, and kindly greeted us. While the children, their mothers, and most of the men watched the drilltide, Lady Taiase, Vosaeth, Tae, and I stayed, along with our babes, and spoke with His Highness. When housegrooms brought tea, he rose and, eyesome under a Sealnea wont, poured us tea with his hands into our own cups. Then he sat beside Taiase while they sipped, and we mothers fed our babes. So we chatted friendlily while the children cheered the team.
Our main speech grew about Sealnearas and Holy Yaraesa, whomof Taiase until lately had never heard, since both these Hero-Sages lived after her fall to the Moqeva. She enthrove to learn more, and the truth that the Sealnea outstand as a stronghold of Yaraesa’s worship became a forehap unwithstandable. So soon His Highness began a tale of Yaraesa’s life and deeds, how They had begun as a mere soul-seer seeking the Sage-Queens’ lost lore, which became Their fetch for self-fulsomeness, and ingathering Their teachings, Their building the great minster-hall that still stands nigh Nivaea, and at last as Their seech for self-sheerness fulfilled, Their rise to godhood.
As Yaraesa’s tale inclove Sealnaras’s life and the war with Ofu-Laubu, I could not help think of Vosaeth yesternight (who read my thought and shot a warning look) and what had forsoothly wrought the war. Since couthness (and not to betell Vosaeth’s wrath) forbade the tale, instead I asked why Sealnearas, who after gathering his folk and becoming so their he-queen, had seen fit to leave and roam among the Lashunta. His Highness smiled and spoke that, as doubtlessly we had heard of the war fought with Ofu-Laubu, war between Lashunta and Sealnea had hearkened back even earlier, ere Sealnearas had gathered the folk, and indeed one of the reasons he had done so was to ward them.
Ekishi then shrove that he would next tell something that might give offthank, though he meant no ill will, but instead frankness. He told Lashunta had once hunted Sealnea. From this harm, Sealnearas had gathered the folk and reeved their wardship. Then, after he first offshoved the Lashunta, he had left for Lashunta lands, not only to learn more of their foe, but also to prove himself the Lashunta’s evenmatch. This goal had led him first to Than, and then to Lea, where he had won his great nameworth, by which deed, and until war with Ofu-Laubu outbroke, he had hoped to afasten truce.
At this inlead, I was sorely tried to ask what had started the war. Yet ere I could, the Sealnea team, with our children hastily following, ended drilltide, and overwhelmed our couth talk with nimble leaps, shrill laughter, and even a few hoverballs bouncing among the pillows. We settled to a loud noonmeal, beholding cheese, nuts, fresh fruit, and lakefish. We grownups had to overreeve the young, lest full wildness outbreak, under which trial the Sealnea players’ deft theft and tail-tricks drove them to fun, and we had to teach the uncouthness of grabbing tails and plucking hair. Luckily, our men underwent a forbearingly good mood and even took share in the Sealnea’s jokes, much to the children’s glee.
I brooked the mealtide to sit back, watch these monkeyfolk, and learn their wise. I besaw their team split almost evenly between wives and men (though most of their boat-crew are men) and began to tell their shedness. Though they are roughly the same height (about three cubits), the men’s shoulders are broader, and the wives have a slightest fullness to their bosom, which under their body-hair hardly shows. More tellingly, the wives’ body-hair ends under their chin, while the men’s whelms their mouths beardlike. I recked whether they follow wife-right or man-right, or maybe somewise more manifold like Elves.
Once I caught Ekishi watching and felt a mind brush. I wondered whether he too is a soul-seer.
Afterward, Vesh and Donas ruthfully beseeched to play hoverball with the team, who giftfully yaysaid. So they strode into the yard, kicking the ball. Lenis followed too, though he could hardly kick without falling. Then Oshis brought Tesine and overcrouched, holding her hands while she strove to afterhunt the ball and kick. Less did samely with Lanaryel, and Devaeas with Shaess. Dearly we watched the three stout men helping their children, upholding them when wobblingly while they tried, chiding them not to use hands, softening the ball’s flight with their hover-knacks, and shielding them bodily when the play grew rough. The game (if one may even so name it) soon became a free-for-all, though under the children’s mirth they recked not. The older children enthrove more to witness the Sealnea’s ball-tricks.
Forecatchingly, Remaue and Kaure clove the game, and even more laughingly, Remaue, in a foolish fit, tried to tackle our maidenmate who had the ball. With a staidness we had not foreseen when she first clove our household, Kaure strode into our overbold Damaya wifemate’s brunt and lowered a shoulder into her too light ribs, toppling Remaue breathlessly. When Kaure caught her fall, however, our wicked wifemate shifted it into a wrestle-match. We laughingly yelled them to go back to the embassy and seek sunderness.
Ushna the Sealnea team’s witch-driver came to me. With a worshipful nod, she asked whether she had rightly heard that I am a soul-seer. I answered that honor belithes me, but added Lady Taiase is both my elder and better. Yet Ushna next spoke that she had heard no mightier soul-seer lives than a Lashunta mother under full birthmight. She beseeched to try her mightiness against mine at Witchball. I reckoned her beseech. In schooltide, I had played as witch-driver, though had never deemed my skill champion-worthy. More whitsomely, the awkwardness of birthmight is that one must hold one’s babe to so behoove, and I, so much as any mother else, would not forethreaten my son’s welfare. If we had played with a heavier and thicker witchball, I would not even think it. Yet with the broader and lighter warrior-ball I yaysaid. Even so, I spent most of the tide with my merry son’s head shielded between arm and bosom.
While our fellows watched, we walked out to the yard’s far ends, whence with a kick Ushna started it toward my goal. My mind outreached, found the ball’s flight as it neared, and swung it back aring, driving it to her goal’s rightward bight. She easily ran to meet it, took it within her mightiness, and shot it back, where it flew within three strides of me, but with such strength that I could hardly slow it ere it broke the goal. In this wise, we played for a good tidefarthing. Though my mightiness outmatched hers, her quickness handily thwarted my behoof, whereas my wary stirlessness while bearing my son made me strive and weary faster. Aeosel, for his share, thrilled witting me wield our mingled soulmight and feeling the ball blow aloft. Once I even felt him try to overtake the hover’s reeveship, which made the ball skew queerly. Ushna witted his meddlesomeness and chirpily laughed with me.
Rather breathless and dizzy even with the birthmight upholding, I came back to the sideroom, under buzzes from our household and chirps from our Sealnea friends. Remaue deftly took Aeosel, who still squealed gleefully while I headed to Ushna, knelt, bringing me nigh her height, and bowed my neck. Earnestly she neared and laid her brow upon mine, in a beck whose friendliness I doubted not. Then she thanked me for the drill, adding she would forelook a rematch after my babetide when I can play more boldly. This word brought a loving chide from Less, who joked I should have played as their witch-driver back in Son when the warriors spent time, forwhy he said we could win good stakes on the game’s outcome. I answered it would be uncouth for a sithreeve to so play, and furthermore fairness owed that if we field a witch-driver, so could the other team.
Ekishi himself yielded me winewater, his bow not only kindly but thankful. Then he said: ~O’lani linyaea-shinaztif rudimya atharrya-zhaoe,~ - “I hope we have won your uphold for the games.” I smiled keenly while I sipped. ~Yei o’eriae linyaea-shyaeldis uthara,~ I answered: “Well, you have surely won the children’s.” I then forespoke to watch the games with full goodwill and will cheer if they win.
We took kindly and thankful leave from the Sealnea, though Lanaryel, Tesine, and Shaess wept. We foretold we would again see the monkeyfolk tomorrow when we watch them play. Then we headed back to the embassy, where, athanks to the thrill, the children swiftly settled for slumbertide, which we grownups spent idly.
I shrive I eagerly forelook the games.

Lashunta Words & Phrases:

• ~Lani~ (spiritual): hope
• ~Linyassi~: to win
• ~Atharrya~ - accusative of ~athala~ (common): game; games
• ~Eriae~ (spiritual): sureness; certainty
• ~Utha~: (common): child