The group of centaurs looked at me suspiciously, but didn't protest my presence.
"Good day again, Karlinallisallia," said the male who appeared to be in charge, "Who is your companion?"
The way he said companion implied pet, but I let the insult slide. Despite his tone the centaur was in the worst condition I'd yet seen.
"Good Day, Honoured Leader, I am Lheorayhanni formerly of the Elven Lands."
You have to love Centaur as a language to flatter people in, the nuances of honoured leader for example would have taken several minutes to cover in human.
"Good day to you, Lheorayhanni, I am Leader Kallenaferan."
He introduced me to his mixed group of centaurs, some of them were families and all of them looked underfed.
"If it is not too impolite, may I ask what has befallen your people?"
Kellen, himself, was obviously a mercenary at some point and so were some of the others.
"Humans," he snapped, spitting the word out like a bad taste, "New laws to 'govern' centaurs... making us register, half the places won't even let us into the towns to get guild passes, let alone perform or get work. Farmers won't sell to us, even the ones without Guild Offices won't let us in if they're within a day or two of a big city!"
"We had no idea it was so bad," said Sallan angrily, "but what can we do about it?"
"That's why we're going to the meeting," said Annadelilah, Kellen's Co-Leader, "we are hoping the Exiled Centaurs can make a decision as a group."
I want to say right now, despite what some people have said since these things happened, I am not a seer of any kind... sometimes I just have feelings, but there's nothing magical about it. Anyway this was one of those times...
"Pardon my interuption," I said politely, "but how many people know where the gathering is?"
"I'm not sure," said Kellen. "All of the centaurs, we usually post notices."
"Some humans can read centaur," I remarked. "In fact if I were a human Lord, who didn't want any centaurs in his land I'd probably make sure I found out where large numbers of them gathered. It's common knowledge that you generally travel in groups of a dozen or so, removing groups of that size one at a time would attract the attention of other groups. But a large group all at once, well, if there were enough there it might be months before any of the other realised something was wrong."
"Lora, do you have any idea what you just said?" gasped Karlina.
"You're talking about a massacre of an entire nation!" exclaimed Sallan.
(Exiled Centaurs are considered a seperate nation to the rest. - AL)
"She seems to know a lot about it," remarked Kellen, "for someone travelling with centaurs?"
"It's all quite logical when you think about it," I replied coolly, "but centaurs aren't very good at logic are they?"
"Yes, well, elves aren't very good at caring so I think I'll stick with being a centaur!"
"Lora, please don't say anything," said Sallan plaintively, "we're trying to make friends. Kellen, Lora is just trying to help us, I think we should listen... you know respecting out elders and so forth?"
"very well, I apologise, do you have any idea what we could do to avoid being slaughtered?" P>Glaring at Sallan, and thinking rude things about Kellen's manners, I replied politely.
"I would suggest those among us who are unaccompanied adults spread out over Sandar and change the meeting location, then when you are all in a safe place you can decide what to do."
"Individual centaurs would be far easier to pick off," said Kellen, looking suspicious again.
"Not if they are cloaked in Elven magic, which human mages can't detect."
"That explains a lot," muttered Sallan.
"You would do that for us?"
"Of course." I shrugged. "I think its terrible the way you are treated here, and I certainly don't have anyone to tell me I can't."
"What about our young ones, and the sick ones?"
The speaker was a young mother, holding her child's hand, the child didn't look well I noticed, I smiled at her.
"You will all go to a safe place, of course, and I do believe I know of one."
"I recognise that look, what are you thinking of?"
"The last place a human would look," I replied, "therefore totally safe."