The Oracle
Second Passage of the Cricket Moon
Five in Liramelle
In an event sure to make history, the heir to the regency of Liramelle, Lady Nira Howland, has had . . . quintuplets. That, folks, is five. Five identical girls. They have been named Kasha, Mirabelle, Sanalae, Ira, and Shana. This, of course, creates difficulties, since each of the children is now officially in line for the regency.
“In the excitement,” said Darian Howland, Nira’s husband, “we lost track of who was born first. Now all we can foresee is trouble!”
Nevertheless, Liramelle is set to celebrate, with festivities planned for all of the next moon. For now, at least, the problems with inheritance of title can be forgotten, and the joys of raising children can be attended to. With a few more nannies than the young Howland couple had been expecting to employ.
Tania
Masalla Faces More Uneasiness
Rumors of a major revolt are surfacing in Masalla as the nobility begins to polarize against Queen Anabelle.
“It’s no secret that Cowan Faol is helping the Queen,” I was told by a Masallan sailor who requested to remain anonymous. “And the royalty and nobility are getting pretty angry. To make things worse, some of the common folk are getting bolder and standing up to abuses by their highers – a happenstance which has caused more than a bit of violence.”
Queen Anabelle is maintaining her stance for ‘equal justice’, and the King, formerly a strong proponent of the wealthier minority, has been strangely quiet. He is, according to the most popular rumors, under some sort of enchantment that the Queen or Cowan Faol have laid over him.
Queen Lillian was tentatively approached by Duke Amasay of Moraithe, who has always been suspicious that she intends to create an empire out of all the known provinces. But when he asked ‘what she knew about Cowan Faol’s involvement in the matter’, she pointed out that the famous Archmage doesn’t even live in Aranor any more.
“He moved to Gwynned recently,” she was reported as saying, “and in truth, I haven’t even had the chance to speak to him in over a year.”
It is clear, then, that Queen Lillian is not involved, and Masalla will be free to pursue its own destiny.
Lord Kieran
Ferret Rescues Family in Fire
In the small city of Kellin’s Hold, a tiny animal recently achieved the status of hero.
Mika, a trained hunting ferret, often sleeps on the bed of Tavin, the son of one of Kellin’s Hold’s huntsmen. Tavin’s father is often away in the forests, and he, along with his mother and younger sister, make a life for themselves doing ‘field hunting’ – utilizing ferrets and hawks to bring rabbits in to market.
It was a typical night, with Tavin’s father away, when the fire broke out.
“I awoke to Mika biting at my fingers,” Tavin said, “and right away I smelled smoke. I sprang up and ran into the hall, throwing open my mother’s door and awakening her. But when the two of us ran across the house to my sister’s room, we found flames already blocking the way. The hallway was ablaze.”
Mika was frantic in Tavin’s arms, scratching and biting, and at last he let the ferret down.
“She tried to run through the flames toward my sister’s door, but came back with her whiskers singed. She was making strange noises and trying again and again to run through the flames.”
Struck by sudden inspiration, he grabbed Mika up and threw her over the flames.
“It must have been what she wanted, because she slid under my sister’s door!”
Moments later the young girl had been awakened and emerged from her bedroom, quite afraid. Her mother instructed her to jump from her window, and with Mika in hand, she did.
“Without Mika,” Tavin said, “my sister would have died in her sleep.”
While the minds of animals remain inscrutable to all but the wisest of magicians, stories such as this serve to teach us that there’s more to our furry friends than most of us suppose.
Tirian
To the Oracle Collection--Third Year