I’m splitting this week’s questions into two posts in order to do Fiona’s question justice. The second post will be out tomorrow.

Fiona asks:

Dear Andrew,
When the door to Talonyka first opened, you said “This is weird..even for us”. What did you mean?
– if this isn’t too private a question to ask at this time
Cheers,
Fiona

Andrew replies:

Ah well, leaving aside the noisy imaginary friend Lyd had when we were little and the poltergeist that kept wrecking the house a couple of years ago, the  best way to explain is to give you some examples – just remember we can barely go a few days without something like this happening to a least one of us.

When the four of us were eight mum and dad took us camping in Devon. One day we were walking one of the marked trails on the moors when a storm broke out of nowhere and we had to race back to the carpark where we’d started. I remember mum grabbing me and Karen while Dad dragged along Lyd and Dan.

Anyway the sudden clouds made it very dark and the car park was in a little wooded valley which was made even darker by the  canopy. So most people would say what happened next was a trick on the light, but any of us will tell you it wasn’t.

As we ran through the trees I saw dozens of little people watching us. They were smaller than I was then but proportioned like adults and partially see-through and indistinct.  I don’t know why but they made me feel ill just looking at them. They didn’t seem to be able to come onto the path, but when they reached for us their arms extended like… like… hum… like elastigirl’s arms in the Incredibles and one of them did grab my t-shirt and tear it.

When we finally got back to the car we all asked about what we’d seen but mum and dad wouldn’t answer. I know that they saw them though because Dad jumped over one’s arm while we were running.

Oh and one other thing as soon as we reached the car park the storm vanished. Not ended mind you, vanished… the sky was cloudless and everything was bone dry except us… we were soaked.

We got some strange looks let me tell you.

Another less extreme example. A few weeks ago I was going to my friend Tony’s house to fetch my mobile phone, because I’d left it there like an idiot. He lives a good twenty minutes walk from our house, but it was a lovely day so I was going to walk anyway. I called him on the house phone to tell him I was coming, stepped out of our front door and nearly broke my nose when I banged into his front door! When he saw me on his doorstep seconds after he spoke to me on the phone he thought I was pulling some sort of joke – until he checked the number of the last caller and realised it really was from our landline. Then he went white, threw my phone at me and slammed the door in my face. He hasn’t spoken to me since.

I mentioned it to Lydia and she said similar things had happened to her, but didn’t elaborate.

Then there was the time the new shower dumped blood on Karen. Not rusty or otherwise red water but real blood. She freaked and we rarely freak at anything.

And I swear we’ve picked up at least three phantom hitchhikers in  the last two years… well dad did but we were there.

And then there was that thing with the petrol station only a  couple of days before the gate opened… but that’s a story for another time I think. (Author’s note: that will be in the prologue.)

mjkj asks:

How does language work in Talonyka? Since Daniel was wondering that Mela said “plate tectonics” in English – so, how can they understand each other (since I believe they did not learn Talonyka in the first place…)? and how can Mela understand English?

Alaryia answers:

Did you know the Dragons call the Speakers Trystilri – “those who can make themselves understood”, and that really is a better name for them than “Speakers”. I tell you this because to understand language with regards to Speakers you need to realise that Speaker is a misnomer in many cases. The Haltia and other quasi-human Speakers can manage human tongues well enough, but many of the other speakers physically couldn’t manage it. Yet all conscious creatures in Talonyka communicate with ease. Why should this be?

The truth is that something links all minds in Talonyka on a surface level, and what you hear when a Speaker talks to you is pretty much what they intend to say. It’s not perfect though – use a word from a language not your own and it won’t translate. Use a word for a concept the listener doesn’t have and it won’t translate – that’s why the mermaid had to use the English words, her own language simply couldn’t handle the concepts.

The biggest problem though is that it refuses to comprehend that humans are multilingual and this sometimes leads to strangeness. It tends to be direct and pick the words the individual will understand, but not once it fixates. There’s a reason all humans hear, for example, “haltia” even when they’d usually think “elf”. It’s amusing really.

Oh and it can’t deal with draconic at all.
What? What is it? If it’s a Talonykan thing how does it work on Taloa?  That would be telling wouldn’t it? (Author’s note: ie that answer would be spoilerish)

Hmm? What’s Taloa? Oh, that’s what the dragons call Gaia.

—

Fiona asks:

Dear Karen
When we first met you in the first chapter, we saw a girl who likes to dress in stylish clothes; you were the most hesitant of your siblings to enter Talynka…now look at you, you’re a warrier, taking charge and fighting dragons! How does it feel?! Does it feel like you’ve become a different person, or was your warrier side in you all along? Which is the real Karen?
Best wishes,
Fiona

Karen answers:

Last time I was here I was badly burned – mentally and emotionally that is, not physically. My boyfriend betrayed us, one of my closest friends died, and the Core… Well, let’s not go there. But I also made some wonderful friends here, and Alban’s here. I guess that’s why my feelings were so mixed when the door opened. All I knew was I large part of me didn’t want this. But in the end you can’t avoid your responsibilities. I am a Warrior even if I’m not entirely happy about it. If things are bad enough for me to be called back, they must be pretty bad.   And what’s bad for the other world is usually bad for Earth, and I kind of like Earth. It’s where I keep all my stuff, so I’d kind of like it to stay put.

But the stylish girl is me as well. When I don’t have to fight I’m a bit of a clothes’ horse. Though if I’d known the door would do that I’d have dressed more appropriately. I think my best jeans are ruined.

mjkj asks:

Dear left behind ones (I mean, those that stayed on earth) or whoever may know

If it is not too spoilerish, what happened to the evening out and the movie in the cinema they prepared to go to before they ended up in Talonyka? (read: what happened back on earth?)

Daniel Steven’s answers:

Yes, we were due to go to the cinema that evening, weren’t we? I guess that should have alerted me that maybe our father wasn’t resonsible for the gate opening. He’s not quite that mean. I’d been at karate class and when I got back our den in the attic was empty. Given what they’d taken it wasn’t had to surmise where they were. I opened the gate myself and headed off after them. I’d been planning to go after the pendant that night anyway. You know the rest.

But I  wonder what would have happened if I’d got home ten minutes earlier.

Their father answers:

I didn’t realise the gate had opened until Daniel reopened it to go after them. I’m still not sure what power could open a gate in my own home without me sensing it, but something did. Once the gate had opened there wasn’t much I could do about it except cover for their absense and keep an eye on them.

mjkj’s second question:

Dear Mela

Could you please tell me about your life? Like how life is for your kind (merfolk/siren) especially how it was for you – and also how it is to be under water most of the time etc.

Thank you so much

Mela replies:

I can only speak for my clan really, other clans have different traditions – especially the coastal ones.

Like all merfolk children I learnt to swim before I could walk, and to sing before I could speak.  Later Aunt Lori taught me how to empower my song and how to make a spear and use it for hunting. She and my mother taught me about the laws, both Queen Valeria’s and the Core’s.

I’d never known anything else but I think it was a pretty good life, the grotto was comfortable, there was plenty to eat and the pool never dried up, so we never had to migrate. Aunt Lori told me stories about those long land treks to find new homes which some clans have to make every year or so. I’m glad that never happened to us.

We were quite wealthy as well, because as well as trout and other fish our pool supported freshwater shellfish which not only provided food for us, but pearls and iridescent shells which Haltia and Dwarven jewellers traded with us for. Once, when I was eight, one really big black pearl was even bought by a goblin! That caused a stir for months.

What’s it like to live underwater? Well, we only spend about half our time underwater. Less when we’re babies because for some reason it’s a few months before our gills work properly. And I’m not sure I can properly describe it.  Can you describe what it’s like to live purely on land and breathe only air?

mjkj asks:

Whoever may know

What is the effect of hurt and death of one heart friend to the other (both directions) and what is the difference to humans as heart friend?
As example it was mentioned that somebody wanted/had planned to kill one heart friend after birth because he had no soul stone – how would that have effected the (human) heart friend (I do not remember who it was, though)?

Karen replies:

That’s actually a very interesting question. The bond is empathic and both parties are immediately aware if the other is injured, but for some reason the human partner bears the brunt of this.  A Speaker is distressed if their heart friend is in pain or unconscious, but generally aren’t incapacitated. A Human actually shares their heart friend’s pain and will lose consciousness if they do. It’s very … inconvenient.

Death, as far as we know, is invariably fatal to both. Of course no one has experimented with this for obvious reasons.

—

Fiona asks:

Dear Father of the Quads,
Why don’t you consider that Halia might sincerely enjoy healing people?
Fiona

He replies:

Well, because she’s a dragon… which sounds terribly prejudiced, doesn’t it? I’ll try and explain. Dragons are afflicted with an unremitting hunger for what you might call life force, or psychic energy. They do need it to survive but they don’t stop when they’ve had enough. To be fair this is probably because they don’t know when they are sated, but they also enjoy tormenting their prey. I have never encountered a dragon who wasn’t a sadist.

I suppose it’s vaguely possible that their less savoury tendancies might be mellowed by having their hunger repressed by the collar, but I see no sign of that in my other servants.  Even if it did I certainly don’t think it would make them into kind of person Halia likes to pretend she is.

—

mjkj asks again:

To whoever knows

Can you please tell me how time runs? Is there a difference between Earth/Gaia and Talonyka? Like one day in Talonyka equals an hour on Earth or the like – and if not should they not be missed on Earth already?

Doctor Sarah Tyler replies:

Unless someone’s messing with it time runs the same in the other world as it does here for the most part. There are some oddities to do with the nature of the place, but nothing pertinent to your question.

As to why  they haven’t been missed yet. I can’t say for sure, but I imagine it’s because it’s summer. That’s why Karen isn’t at Briarthorne, right now. And their father is covering for them, of course. All the same their absence will be noted eventually. I’m not sure what he’ll do then.

Wow, lots of questions this week!

Kimmie asks:

My question is do all of the human warriors ever appear in the Land of Myth at the same time? Or is it just a certain group at a time

Doctor Sarah Tyler replies:

The answer to this question is yes and no. There have been times in recorded history when every warrior who is of age to fight has been called into the other realm at once. Once or twice this has even been every warrior alive at the time.

But, and it’s a big but, until recently there has never been a time when there has been a heart friend pairing and thus a human warrior for every affinity alive at the same time. Recently though the situation has changed and now, if anything, we have the opposite problem…

—

Rhys asks:

Dear Dan,
From the outset, it looks like each warrior has a partner warrior with the opposite primary ability. Why did (or didn’t you) arrive in the Gaia before the rest of your quads?

Quick Author’s Note: Gaia is what Speakers call  Earth. Context suggests you mean Talonyka.

Daniel replies:

I’m not too clear on the mechanics of this, but my father says the reason the four of us have paired powers is something to do with us being quads. While most affinities can be paired warriors aren’t called in pairs.

As to why I reached the other world first, the Core was trying to call all four of us but was blocked from summoning the other three.

—

Fiona asks:

Why are all the speakers carnivores?

Ebona replies:

We can’t eat vegetation, it burns us if we try. Plants are just too rich in Mabain. They aren’t as dangerous as the raw stuff, but it still has to be filtered through an intemediary. That’s a non-speaker herbivore usually. It can be another speaker who’s eaten the herbivore, though this is generally frowned upon nowadays. Some speakers also consume goblin processed plant based things like wine.

By contrast humans, goblins and dragons don’t seem to have a problem with vegetables, which follows of course.

Who has heart friends and who becomes heart friends?

Kimi replies:

According to my mentor a heart friend bond exists between a gifted human and a speaker without a heartstone. They are each other’s heart friends. We know lack of a heart stone always indicates a heart friend among speakers, but are  unsure if humans are equally distinguished among their peers.

—

mjkj asks Lydia:

What do you remember about your teacher, the “Kithreiri / dragon” that is how did you meet, how did she train you, how came you trusted her in the first place, is she a relative to you, etc.?

I believe since she removed that block from you you should be able to remember those…

Lydia replies:

Don’t ever call one of the Kithreiri a dragon to their face, they hate that. Dragon is what speakers call the ones the Kithreiri call the Kinstrari. I think it would be sort of like calling a human a vampire just because vampires used to be human.

I’ve known my Kithreia teacher since I was very small. I think I landed on her head… Or was it someone else’s head I landed on, and they took me to her for some reason? Anyway I was  just a toddler and I don’t recall much. Except that something about my landing on whoever’s head impressed them.

How did she train me? That would take a while since it’s several years of training you’re asking about. But there was a lot of practicising and demonstration involved. I think I have some ideas to help Drew now I recall it.

Why did I trust her? … You know that’s a very good question. I honestly don’t know. I just did, it never occured to me not to. I wonder why not?

—

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mjkj asks:

Dear Karen

As of the current update you seem to remember now more about your abilities and how to fight. Why could / did you not teach your siblings a bit more of how to use their powers and how to use them before that attack came? If that is not too spoiler induced … if it is then: Why did you leave your siblings behind – I thought you wanted them to come with you to your heart friend – or did I misunderstand / misinterpret that?

Karen replies:

Of course I would have preferred to have Lydia and Andrew with me, but the situation didn’t really allow that.

I don’t know what’s got into her but Valeria obviously wants them dead for some reason. I think she only wants me alive because of Alban. We could have avoided the thunderbirds she sent after us, but then we’d have been faced with fighting our way to Alban with all the risks involved, and the Speakers aren’t really our enemies. Valeria’s decision to capture me offered an easier alternative to meet up with Alban, and then we can find a way to escape and get back to the others I hope…

As to why I didn’t teach them to defend themselves. I never really had chance. It’s the sort of thing that requires demonstration more than explanation. I only got my bracelet back a couple of days ago. If I’d tried I would have collapsed. Which wouldn’t have been helpful at all. Since then we’ve just been too busy, and – to be honest – I’m a lousy teacher.  It’s likely I would just have confused them if we had chance to practice.

Hope that explains things,

Karen.

—

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Dragon Wars Main Page | Dragon Wars Character Index

• Full name: Karen Stevens
• Nicknames: Kaz, Light Warrior
• Heart Friend: Alban
• Affinity: Light
• Race: Human
• Gender: Female
• Date of birth: September 17th
• Place of birth:Central England
• Age: 16
• Height: 5′ 11″
• Body type: Athletic
• Hair colour: Brown
• Eye colour: Grey
• Distinguishing marks: Unknown Read the rest of this entry »

Dragon Wars Main Page | Dragon Wars Character Index

• Full name: Kimi
• Nicknames: None Yet
• Heart Friend: Andrew
• Affinity: Ice
• Race: Arctic Gryphon
• Gender: Female
• Date of birth: September 17th (Earth date)
• Place of birth:
• Age: 16
• Fur/Plumage: white fur with black spots in resting form. In gryphon form her snow leopard rear half remains the same (though larger) and her arctic eagle front end has white feathers with black speckes. Both fur and feathers are covered in a rime of frost.
• Eye colour: blue
• Distinguishing marks: Unknown

BIOGRAPHY (to be expanded)

Like Bennu, Kimi shares her birthday with her human heart friend. Her pride were nervous about her heart friend nature, and while they didn’t cast her out for it she was isolated and friendless. Eventually they voted to send her to one of the wise night gryphons (half-panther half-owl) to be educated in her role. Her mentor was completely unphased and became her first true friend – she still has a bit of a crush on him.

He got a bit of a heads up on the gate opening somehow and sent her on her way to meet Andrew.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

In resting form Kimi resembles a normal size snow leopard. In her gryphon form she has the front end and wings of an arctic eagle and the rear of a snow leopard and is the size of a pony.

PERSONALITY & TRAITS

Kimi is intelligent and introspective. Her education has given her much information about the history of her world, but she’s begining to realise she doesn’t know everything.

ABILITIES & SKILLS

Flight. Cryokinesis. Telepathy.

RELATIONSHIPS (to be expanded)

• Andrew: Heart Friend. Human.
• Her Mentor: A Night Gryphon

BEHIND THE SCENES

Dragon Wars Main Page | Dragon Wars Character Index

A drawing of  Kimi will be posted as soon as possible. I’m a bit behind on the art

Dragon Wars Main Page | Dragon Wars Character Index

• Full name: Andrew Stevens
• Nicknames: Drew, Ice Warrior
• Heart Friend: Kimi
• Affinity: Ice
• Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Date of birth: September 17th
• Place of birth:Central England
• Age: 16
• Height: 5′ 9″
• Body type: Athletic
• Hair colour: Blonde
• Eye colour: Grey
• Distinguishing marks: Unknown Read the rest of this entry »

Dragon Wars Main Page | Dragon Wars Character Index

• Full name: Bennu
• Nicknames: None Yet
• Heart Friend: Lydia
• Affinity: Fire
• Race: Phoenix
• Gender: Male
• Date of birth: September 17th (Earth date)
• Place of birth: Brennandi Eyrie
• Age: 16
• Plumage: reddish brown in resting form. Flames in phoenix form
• Eye colour: golden
• Distinguishing marks: Unknown Read the rest of this entry »