Lupi 04 - Night Season

confusing part was the way she felt right now, as if she’d eaten something bad, something she couldn’t quite swallow all the way. “Most of you doesn’t remember me, huh?”
    â€œSome of me does.”
    The way Lily Yu said that made the tight, unswallowed feeling in Gan’s throat feel better. “You recognized me. Even though I look a lot different now, you knew who I was.”
    â€œI did, right away. Are you going to answer Cynna’s question?”
    Gan stole a glance at the candy, but Cynna Weaver still held it out of reach. She sighed. “Some of it I can’t tell, but—”
    The councilor tried to interrupt, but Lily Yu told him she wanted to hear what her friend said. The councilor made a huffy sound. “Little orange one is being mostly demon still. Not is friend.”
    Gan liked the way Lily smiled at the councilor, as if she might hit him in a minute but wanted it to be a surprise. “Really? I wonder how you would know who my friends are.” She looked at Gan. “How did you know about this?”
    â€œThe councilor is a Harazeed, see—that’s one of the gnomish people. So the Hragash—they’re the ones I’ve been staying with—knew he’d be coming, or at least the elders did, because they talk to each other. And it’s time for my testing, so they sent me here so I could take the next step.”
    â€œNext step?”
    â€œGoing with you to get back the—”
    The councilor burst out with a lot of words, some of them in the trade tongue, none of them in English, but Gan caught the gist, which was shut up . Gan looked at him. “I’m supposed to help you, but you are not in charge of me. I can tell them that part if I want to, and I do…if I get my chocolate.”
    Cynna handed her the candy bar. Gan grinned and ripped off the paper. She stuffed half of it in her mouth, closing her eyes to savor the experience, and spoke through the thick pleasure. “They lost something. They want you to Find it.”
    â€œSome reason you didn’t want her to tell us that?” Lily Yu asked the councilor.
    â€œNo, no,” he assured her. “Is that the loss is secret—as the Gan knows.”
    The chocolate was almost gone, melting away inside her mouth. Gan swallowed and opened her eyes. The councilor wasn’t smiling now. She shrugged. “Not a secret from these two, is it?”
    â€œIs for speaking only when is shielded. No shield here.”
    â€œExcuse me,” Cynna Weaver said, “but do you mean ‘shield’ or ‘wards’? Because we can do wards, but…well, when we speak of wards we’re talking about spells to repulse specific intruders—fleas, demons, whatever. Usually they’ll send a warning if something does get through, as well. But a shield spell would create a true barrier, one that keeps out everything, including the mental stuff.”
    The Harazeed bobbed his head. “Is meaning that kind, yes. Shield for everythings’ keeping out.”
    â€œSorry. We can’t do those.”
    â€œIs needing shield! Wards is not closing off the farseeing, farhearing, the elementals, the…wards is not being enough!”
    Lily Yu spoke. “Can you make a shield?”
    The councilor talked to the others in upset murmurs. They used trade tongue, but spoke so fast and low Gan didn’t catch all of it. When the gnome turned back to Lily Yu and shook his head, though, the negative matched what she’d heard. “This one is not able. Others not able. I is having knowledge of spell for shield, but is not having…” He waved his hands. “English is not having word for this. My magic wrong for making shield.”
    â€œBut you know how to make one?”
    â€œI know spell.”
    â€œCynna?” Lily Yu’s face was all shut down so Gan couldn’t see what she was thinking.
    â€œI don’t know,” the inky woman said. “An unknown spell…ee-way ant-cay oh-nay ut-whay it-way eally-ray uz-day.”
    â€œHey!” Gan said. “What language is that?”
    â€œPig Latin.”
    Pig Latin? Gan had heard of Latin, but she didn’t think pigs spoke it. Or any other language. She frowned and took another bite of candy, smaller this time, wanting to save some for later…a couple minutes later, anyway.
    Lily Yu reached across Gan to pat Cynna Weaver’s knee. “You can