Free B00CH3ARG0 EBOK by Christie Meierz Page B

“My father is
of the science caste, but I will be joining the musician caste when I come of
age.”
    Marianne nodded, speechless. Then the Sural burst into view
beside her. Marianne started. She’d been so overcome she hadn’t felt his
approach.
    “High one!” Thela exclaimed, and bowed very low.
    “Very compelling, child,” he said. “Your father did not
exaggerate when he described you as the musician caste’s next great leader.”
    Thela’s eyes went huge. “You honor me, high one.”
    “You honor me with your gift,” he answered, chuckling. “It
is time for the midday meal. Come, join the Marann and me at my table.”
    Thela glowed, almost unable to speak. “Yes, high one,” she
managed to say.
    He gave the girl a warm smile and turned to Marianne. “Beloved,”
he greeted her, as the three of them began walking back to the keep.
    Marianne tucked a hand under his arm, still moved by what
she had just experienced.
    He smiled and patted her hand. “The musician’s gift can be
overwhelming. The first time I heard a performance by a great musician – it was
Corvestal, at the height of his ability – I had much the same reaction. He was
a great talent of the time, and she, a child just beginning to develop her
gift, is nearly as powerful. She has many years ahead of her to become much
more than she is now. Her name will be remembered.”
    Pride leaked out of Thela, washing over Marianne’s senses.
    “Is her father disappointed that his heir doesn’t follow him
into the science caste?” Marianne wondered aloud, finding her voice again.
    “Oh no, high one,” Thela answered.
    “Your father is very proud of you,” the Sural said, “as he
should be.”
    Thela radiated happiness. “I must see to my instrument,” she
said, scurrying off in the direction of the guest wing. When she returned to
the refectory, the Sural motioned for her to take a seat at his table. Marianne
sensed a flash of pride radiating from one of the scientists nearby. From the
physical resemblance, she assumed the man must be Thela’s father.
    The Sural indicated the seat beside Kyza and struck up a
conversation with the climatologist’s daughter, asking questions about her
music training. In spite of her awe, she was soon chattering freely about
composers and technique. Kyza, on the other hand, was less impressed by which
composers’ music she could play and more interested in discovering if Thela
knew anything about politics or history. The Sural let his daughter take over
the conversation, a small smile flickering on his face.
    Marianne grinned to herself, her eyes wandering across the
table. Thela was picking at her food as Kyza chatted.
    The Sural followed her gaze. “Thela is mindful of this
evening’s performance, I believe,” he said.
    Thela nodded. “I do not perform well when weighed down by
food.”
    “I knew musicians on Earth who couldn’t eat before
performing,” Marianne said. “For them, it was usually performance anxiety, but ...
that’s not what it is for you, is it?”
    “Oh no, I love playing in front of other people,” Thela replied
with enthusiasm. “But heavy food takes away energy I need for the performance.”
She paused, then asked, “High one, what is human music like?”
    Marianne blew a loud sigh. “I don’t know enough about Tolari
music to compare it for you. Perhaps you should ask the Sural’s apothecary. She
was exposed to human music when the first humans came here.”
    Cena, seated at another table with Storaas and another of
Kyza’s tutors, came over at the Sural’s signal. She glanced at Marianne when
she heard the question, but Marianne only shrugged. Cena looked up past the
girl for a long moment, then said slowly, “It is ... evocative. Human musical
instruments are said to be much like ours, and their musicians reach a high
level of technical ability, often using a large number of instruments playing
together to produce a magnificent cascade of sound. They do not have