Title-- The Demon-God of Jubagh (book two, part fifteen)
Rating and Warnings-- G; mild language.
Cast-- Rai Gerring, defected black magician (human man); Brandon Styhan, exiled paladin-warrior (human man); Lhafa Softstep, blind voodoo warrior (baghan woman); Jujinkajou, native guide (shapechanger Sivefi man).
Previously-- Book One: Jubagh. Earlier parts of Book Two: Sivef.



Rai forced a smile at the Sivefi, who seemed determined to pack himself into as small a ball as possible, but his mind was whirling. Brandon had called off his questioning after Ju'jou's face seemed to lose distinction and became nearly featureless - the boy had almost switched back to his animal-body. But Rai still had questions, such as 'which town was it?' and 'how did you get back to your home?' and 'are the bastards who enslaved you still alive?', because if they were, he wanted to go kill them.

Actually, Lhafa was more angry than he was; her tail was still lashing violently, her fingers moving in restless little jerks that suggested she wanted a weapon to grasp. "Lhafa?" he said tentatively, rocking back on his heels and looking over at her.

She tilted her face towards him. "Used and abused," she snapped, repeating Brandon's earlier words. The phrase had infuriated her enough that she'd stopped sitting calmly near the doorway, waiting for Ju'jou to stop shying away. Her tail gave an extra lash. "Those people treated him like an animal."

Brandon had gone back to his window, but he hadn't left the conversation behind. "Softstep, look. We can't go kick more asses than we can really justify." He shot her a wry grin, not caring that she couldn't see it. "As ironic as that is, comin' from me. We've gotta--"

Lhafa interrupted. The sheer fact that she spoke over him at all was enough to draw Brandon up short. "And you," her face turned towards Rai again, "you said he was made to fight his own kind for sport." She spat the words. "After all we have done, we will do nothing about this?"

Rai switched to his own native tongue; not a diplomatic move, but a necessary one. "Brandon, I've never seen her get so riled up. Even after beating the hells out of Kerrek in her own head, she was calmer than this. Think her using anger as magical fuel is having a side effect?"

"Doubt it," Brandon replied in the same language. "I bet you she's just attached to the pup. I've never met a woman of any species who doesn't get protective over certain people." He grinned mirthlessly. "There's a reason they call 'em the deadlier sex."

Lhafa frowned tightly when the two began conversing in a language she didn't know; Rai didn't even answer her question. It reminded her how Ju'jou must feel when the three of them spoke in baghan. A sudden warm weight against her leg startled her; she angled her face downwards, unable to hide a look of surprise. Carefully, she quested with a hand until her palm met Ju'jou's furred back.

"Whyareyouupset?" he rasped, a little whine underlying the words. He wrapped himself around her leg again, his fluffy tail brushing noisily against the wooden flooring. She'd been too immersed in her own emotions to hear him approach her.

Instantly regretful of her preoccupation, Lhafa petted the shapechanger's shoulder. "I do not..." She paused. Could she tell him honestly that she didn't like to hear about his past? Well, she couldn't lie. "...approve... of what happened to you. I would like to rectify things, if I could." She turned her face towards the two men. "However, I doubt they will allow such to happen."

Ju'jou looked startled. "How wouldyou fixit?"

The blind woman smiled, even though the expression still seemed to puzzle him. "I was once a warrior, Ju'jou," she explained softly. "I kill those who do wrong."

"Not was," Rai interrupted in sivefan. He gave both of them a pointed look. "Still is. Powerful." He turned back to Brandon without another word, and they continued speaking.

Ju'jou tilted his head and peered up at Lhafa. "You wanttokill thosepeople? Becauseofme?"

"I would kill them because of what they did. It would not make things right for you, or change your past, but it would prevent it from happening to other Sivefi." Her voice was solemn, her tail stilled; she'd gotten her anger under control. Or, at least, she wasn't showing it any longer. "I hope I never go near that place, for their sakes," she added in a dire tone.

Rai interrupted again, speaking baghan with a cheerful tone. "We need to rest, all of us. The sun will be setting soon, and we should head out around dawn. Can you ask Ju'jou to get a Sivefi to bring warm water for the bath? My command of the language doesn't include the necessary words."

"And no," Brandon added, "you're not allowed to go hunting the bastards. We're here for a reason, and we can't make a week's detour just to rough up some slavers." He chuckled ruthlessly. "Even though we'd all enjoy it."

Lhafa didn't allow herself to sigh, settling back into her strict self-control. She simply nodded, then asked Ju'jou to speak to his friend for them. He nodded and bounded out of the room, coming back shortly after with the Sivefi woman. They arranged to have the bath drawn and drained three times, once each hour, and Lhafa let the men bathe first. Ju'jou hadn't wanted a bath, so she settled on the mattress nearest the door and let him doze on her lap.

Once Rai and Brandon were cleaned and settling into their respective beds, the baghan took a quick bath and cleaned the grime out of her fur. She dried off, replaced most of her human-made clothing, and made her way across the quiet room to her bed. Soft, regular breathing indicated that the men were asleep.

Lhafa paused beside her bed, tilting her head and listening carefully. A smile flickered across her face; it didn't really surprise her to find Ju'jou already curled up on her bed. At least he left enough room for her.