Legends of Belariath

Zingara

Lessy's Death

the following is another story about Zingara's life, this takes place very recently and is a show of how her time at TLI has changed her..... enjoy

Tension it runs high when you have large diversity in a small city. Thechirot known as Zingara was clearly near her ends, she couldn’t take itanymore, something had to change, to give… but nothing would, nothing everdid save to for the worse. Thus she was forced to do one thing, seekguidance, only one person could do that, and so she left, her indri and studwere in the care of the Shop, someone would be by daily to run the SirensCall, there was a note left to feed them as well, that simple, and noexplanation, she could not give one, only that she was leaving

Two years had passed, but she knew their route like she traveled every day,and knew how to find them as she flew through the air a faint smile rose atthe thoughts of her way, long and yet like yesterday she remembered it…

You scared?” she whispered as she set her hands on Nateshia shoulder“a little Lissy…” she whispered “I’m not sure I’m ready to play in front ofpeople…”“oh don’t worry they are all drunk anyhow.. they won’t notice if you miss anote” the Gypsy teased as she patted the young chirots shoulder “show themwhat you have..”And as Quizella the flame spitting fae left the stage the eight year oldgirl slowly took the stage, it caused silence, it was seldom to see a childon a stage in a bar, and in truth down right dangerous, it did help however,to have a large Murg standing in the back corner of the stage…Eyes, it seemed like unending eyes were locked upon the little girl as shetried to prepare tuning, then the first note came and another, and soon awhole song was starting to emerge from the lute the woman held, she wasshaking the room seemed in awe, then it happened,“boo”“get her off the stage”“this a fucking joke!?”and the bottles were thrown as well as glasses and anything and everythingelse, including a stool from a drunk wolven. Which hit the chirot hardtaking her of her feet and curling her into a ball crying hard to herselfthe rest acted quickly Murg slamming a wolvens head into a table.. a bartop.. a wall.. a door.. and finally out the room, Ludo shooting arrows atthe lights to cut them out, candles wicks being severed to make it darker,the nymph finding other ways to take attention from the crowd, which meant alot of time on her back, or knees, and the gypsy slide the small girl withthe large bruise on her head from the stage“I’ll never perform again.. I knew I wasn’t good enough.. I’m not goodenough at anything… I shouldn’t be here, I don’t deserve this…”“hey hey don’t say that…” she whispered as she held her hugging her “youknow you’ve been a big help to us, you’re like our child….even Ludo… see howhe was quick to help?” she spoke cradling the child chirot “see we all havegiven effort especially Murg, so unless you are saying he wasted all histime on you, and shouldn’t care then I think you need to try again… in alittle while, maybe after me and you put more effort into the show…” ofcourse the words had little effect on the pride stung chirot as she criedand muttered and sniffled. “I know.. we forgot your stage name!” the elfsmiled “See none of us use a real name, we all took new names when we tookto the stage… and you never did… so how about we rename you here and now,and that way the gods will bless you okay?” she whispered softly“really?” she child asked silencing her sniffles“uh huh….”“what…what… should I be called…”Ludo unexpectedly answered as he listened “Zingara… it means winged Singerto my people….”

“You lying Brat!” she laughed as she landed in the camp, almost rightbehind Ludo “You made Zingara….up?” her voice quivered and cut seeing thetorian in tears “wha…” it was as far as she got before she was spoken to,Galvin their Dwarf fire maker was the one that spoke “Lisandra …” he foundit hard to speak her name let alone anything more“Yes where is she? I owe her an apology for leaving…” Zingara started“No…” came the firm voice of Murg “I’m in charge now..” he stated as hemoved from a tent, his weight on a large metal walking stick “You are well Ihope?” he asked with a smile, he couldn’t help it, he promised two yearsago to be angry at her, but he wasn’t he understood “did you find place tocall home Nathsiea?” He was solemn and seemed older, as if the years ateaway at him five cycles at a time, not one. “Murg… I don’t….I don’tunderstand, where IS SHE!?” she became faintly irate as she her mind racedthrough thoughts started to get a good idea of what was wrong and why peoplewere not speaking, no one hashed her of being gone, no one questioned her asto why her wings had lightning in them or about her spear she now carried,or her armor… they simply stared at her silent, as looked about she realized“others are not here… Quizella, Nagnmere, Fildira, wh….where are they?” hervoice rose “was there a split!? She sounded as she felt, raw worried morequestions rose,“THERE DEAD DON’T YOU GET !?” finally Ludo answered her questions, the onlywiling and then silence she froze, she clenched her hands into tight fists“GET BACK TO WORK LUDO!!” Murg roared deeply His order was firm and harsh,it wasn’t how he wanted Zingara to hear, to find out such a thing. “I’msorry… it’s true… there was to many…” he tried to tell the story, sittingdown, his leg clearly wounded badly still.“how long ago did this happen… what happened…”“calm down.. I’ll tell you…give an old minotaur a moment…” he forced thesmile the joke, “about three weeks ago a stranger rode into camp, asking forshelter and food, said he’d work for it, he just needed a few days rest withus… Lessy, bless her heart couldn’t say no if life depended on it…” helooked away “seems this time it did…” a sigh was offered, and the Chirotheld his large hand with both of hers “go one well early last week we sawhim putting some weird powders in the fire, it made it burn blue then greenonly for a few moments, Ludo questioned him, but it was too late, they wereupon us a large group of Goblins, an ogre something of the likes I’ve neverseen before…he shook his head “wings like Ludo’s then the torso of a woman,and the lower body of a snake it was evil I tell you a sign of dark gods…”he sighed so much confusion so much death Less…..” The large minotaursvoice cracked as he looked away “she was trying to save some of the youngermembers… helping them get away… told none of us to fight.. She got….”The chirot had been silent this whole time “it’s okay…” she whispered softly“you buried her yes?”She choked out the words as she tried to retain focus over the news she justreceived “yeah… along the path, near that battered old tree she loved somuch, it seemed right…” He responded now appearing strong “I’m sorry Zinny”“Zingara” she corrected him as she set her eyes “I should have been here… Icould of…”“what?” came “Ludo’s voice gotten your lute and sung them to sleep? I toldher to stay put” he was all but in tears, everyone was“I could of helped…she would of lived.” she stated coldly as she lookedaround “I need to see her sight.” she sighed softly, rising to stand lookingaround “are they all there”“yeah.. Pay your respects, we won’t be moving out for a few days..”“thanks Murg…I’m, I’m so sorry.”“It is not your fault.”“I should have been here to help.”

The conversation ended the chirot took the sky soaring, heading to the wellknown spot, only yesterday it seemed she was training under Lessy, onlyyesterday she was taking a fake name thanks to Ludo, but it wasn’t yesterdayit was it was two years ago…she left and over fifteen winters or more sincethey found her starved and almost dead, over fifteen years that a group ofstarving performers took on a useless child chirot protectiong her teachingher loving her, the tears flooded her face as she fell from the sky to landat the site, crashing to her knees in sobs “you shouldn’t of died.” shegushed the words “you were pure, you were loving… IT ISN’T FAIR!” shescreamed at the tree marking the womans grave “you aren’t suppose to die…you were suppose to teach me so much more…” she couldn’t help the tears, shewas so raw so angery, so alone this was more than a teacher it was in astrong, moving way her family, as any and all members of the caravan was,but her and Murg, they were MORE, she looked over the overs graves andsighed, then looked over the grounds, she could see the tracks, lots oftracks, “they kidded not…” she muttered as she rose her face stained intears her eyes raw and red her ears twitching ever so faintly as she triedto hear, she was airborn in no time, she would hunt, she was a knight, shedemanded her revenge, regardless the cost, she flew high fast and focused,she could tell by the noises she was closing in her hearing unmatched by anyas her unique acromancer blood and chirot blood mixed, added to it hertraining to hear notes and pitches as a bard, it took no time to zone in andlocate the group, she wasn’t’ certain it was then until she flew over headand saw the mob of green, and as she saw such horrific masses she summonedthe skies might release bolts of lightning over and over, the chaos eruptingbelow as the lightning of her wings was all they could see, then she woulddive in lashing out with electricity from her wings, bolt and bolt aimed atogre to try and render them dumb to fighting. She landed with her spearready, and pulled back as if a staff, buckler and left arm forward, glaringat those wise enough to gather weapons to arm themselves against herassault. Two goblins lunged at her one to be smashed in the face with theshield, the other found it’s neck severed with the blade of the spear, shetwirled it readied it and attacked another and another, then an ogre, shewas trying to reach the sithian it was her goal, her want, she was feelingblades cut her flesh, a whip sting her back, but she moved forward, leavingmore and more death from her spear, it seemed an unending river of deaththat washed forth with her, but she was getting weaker with each kill, herdance was slowing, there was more cuts upon her, images blurred as sheslaked towards the hideous vile loathsome whore of a woman…

Arrows hissed through the air aimed to end lives, and succeeding the twomore as the torian landed hung in the air a large minotaur pushing throughgoblins two, three at a time with one swing of his huge double flail, otherswhere there, a dwarf who summoned sky fire, all of them made their waythrough the masses of green flesh which had taken to fleaing seeing theywere losing their numbers leaving the sithian and only a few others withher.“We should kill you” Ludo’s familiar voice rose up“Of come, come, there is far worse to do to her.” came Murgs“Yeah but that takes effort… I say we kill her here and now”“wh..how..” Zingara stammered as she came to slow“Don’t move Nat.” his powerful voice soothed her “you were hurt bad… Tiyinaspent days working to heal those wounds…”“Did…I get her?”“No” the White winged Torian rose his voice “and it’s damn good thing”“Naty what were you thinking?”“I…I..wanted revenge.” she whispered“what would Lessy of thought…what would she want?” again the Murg rose hisvoice“…..”“get some rest Nats” he shook his head“thanks…sorry”“So am I….”“wha?” her voice rose as she started to sit up “what do you mean?”“You have to leave…. You are…” he swallowed hard looking away “banned fromour caravan…”Minutes passed in pure silence Murg was joking he HAD to be her eyes startedto water “I…I.. Don’t understand..”“you put your life at risk to cause violence to another… you SOUGHT out tohurt others… and by doing so you put the caravan at risk, that isn’t ourway…. You have to leave.”More silence grew and then Murg headed to the door “It pains me to do this,I love you, but the rules stand.”“I’m… sorry Nat… I was always rough on you… but I always thought you wouldbe here too, you are…. You are a great lutest.. Here” he handed her a case“Do not open this until you are to your home, or where ever you are going”came the voice of her ‘doctor’“I understand…” she finally said. It was the last word said between her andthe group she had broke one of the core rules, her excile was the onlyanswer, dispite her swift return, and her pain and shock, Zingara had broke all that Lisandra had lived for Zingara no longer belonged with the caravan… her life had moved on, better or worse.

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