Chapter 5

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Dresden and the Custodian stepped out of the abode to find Mohon standing guard in the center of the garden, his hackles up and the mane of fur around his neck standing on end. The garden's residents were also in a tizz. Some had completely uprooted, backing up tightly against the fence opposite the garden entrance, unable to go further (the Custodian had put in the fence after receiving a number of complaints from the Hepsfolk about his meandering specimens). The large tree at the entrance, the one with all the leafy eyes, had raised every branch into the air and was leaning back as far as possible from the figure at the gate, as if it were trying to fly away.

                But it was the person at the gate that now commanded their attention, and she was a sight to behold. The girl there was no taller than Dresden, and she stood motionless, looking up at the sky with an expression of astonishment. Her attire was similar to what the stranger inside the house wore: tight-fitting black clothing that covered her from the neck down, and this fact made the Custodian very worried. However, unlike the boy, she was wearing footwear, boots – also black – that went up to her shins, and as the Custodian stared at her, he noticed another significant difference: her clothing appeared to be firmer, more akin to the armor worn by the Hepsguard (perhaps it made of some type of glossy or polished leather), with seams that ran in intricate patterns along the front and down the sides.

                "Hail, friend," the Custodian called, raising one hand in greeting. He did not, however, move toward the gate.

                The girl's head snapped back down, and she looked over at the Custodian and Dresden. It was at this point they noticed how astoundingly beautiful she was. Her dark-skinned face was perfectly pretty, and her black hair was neatly braided against her head and pulled back into a tight bun. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide-spaced and set above high cheekbones, and their pale green color – visible to the pair at the doorway even though she was more than a dozen yards away – contrasted brilliantly with her skin. She also seemed to be unfazed by Mohon's growls, and didn't appear to pay the garden any heed. And, despite the Custodian's initial fear, she evinced no sign of menace whatsoever.

                "I am Aris," the Custodian continued, "Mage of the Realm, Protector of the Sovereign Lands of the Hepstraad, and sole Custodian of the Robe of God." He paused to clear his throat loudly. "If you come in peace, you are welcome here. If you come with ill intent, then go your way, and do not return."

                The girl raised her right hand, and hesitated. "I am come in peace," she called back. Although her syntax was unusual, she pronounced the words perfectly.

                "What is your name?" the Custodian asked.

                "I am... name," she replied, and hesitated. Then she said, "Trijgorinarinid."

                "Custodian, she speaks the language of the boy!" Dresden said.

                "So it seems," the Custodian said. "See to Mohon, young Dresden, but keep your guard up."

                Dresden walked over to the katarn, who continued to growl audibly. "Mohon, it is fine," Dresden said. "She's just a girl."

                Mohon stopped his growling, and what he woofed next made the Custodian's blood run cold: "Girl. Power."

                The girl, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

"Abstrilufanagun, 'girl power'!" she said, and grinned. She bowed her head once. "Come in peace," she said, and opened the garden gate. Closed it gently behind her. Then she walked calmly up to Dresden and Mohon with one hand held out in front of her, palm up. "Come in peace," she repeated.

                Dresden had his hands on Mohon, and felt the creature become tense for a moment as she approached, then relax. Mohon cautiously licked the girl's hand with his long, green tongue. Surprisingly, the girl didn't flinch (Mohon's tongue was rather unsightly... even Dresden flinched when the katarn licked anything). Instead, her smile grew wide, and she knelt down to greet Mohon at eye level.

                "Srancrutistinpolin," she said in that other language, and looked at Dresden.

                "This is Mohon. He's my mother's katarn, and my friend," Dresden said.

                "Friend," she repeated, and looked the katarn directly in the eyes as she spoke to him: "Mohon, friend. I am friend." She stood up and turned to the Custodian. "I am friend, come in peace," she said, and pointed at the house. "The boy."

                The Custodian was visibly shaken. "By the Highest, you are learning our language as we speak it!" he said.

                The girl was unfazed. "I am learning your language as you speak it," she said, and there was no hesitation in her speech. Every word was enunciated perfectly. "I speak the language of the boy," she continued, still pointing at the house. "I come in peace, friend Custodian Aris, Protector of the Hepstraad, sole Custodian of the Robe of God."

                The Custodian stroked his mustache, trying to regain some composure. There were beads of sweat forming along his lower lip. "I'm sure you do," he said. "Yet I sense your power. Your tremendous power. I remain cautiously uncertain of you, young lady."

                Dresden, hand still on Mohon, asked, "Where are you from? Did you come from the boy's land?"

                She nodded. "I come from the boy's land."

                The Custodian asked, "And where is this land that you and the boy are from?"

                The girl looked at the Custodian, then back at Dresden, then at Mohon. She appeared to be struggling to speak. She then pointed at the ground. "Not this land," she said.

                "What do you want of us?" the Custodian asked. "Why are you here?"

                "The boy," she said simply.

                "You wish to take the boy?"

                "Yes."

                "Back to your land?"

                She looked uncertain, her iridescent eyes flitting between Dresden and the Custodian. "I am learning your language as you speak it," she said.

                The Custodian looked at her, puzzled. "It is a simple question," he said. "Do you wish to return to your land with the boy?"

Dresden stood up. He understood what the beautiful girl in front of him had meant. "Custodian, she cannot tell you because she does not know our language well enough to explain herself," he said, and turned to the girl. "Is this right?"

                The girl looked at the Dresden with visible relief. "I cannot say because I do not know your language well enough," she said, and pointed at the house once more. "The boy."

                "Custodian, she needs to meet him," Dresden said. "Surely she means no harm."

                The girl smiled. "I means no harm," she said, and scratched a now-acquiescing Mohon behind one ear. "If I harm you, Mohon friend..."  She motioned with her other hand, gesticulating a biting gesture, and laughed.

                Dresden also laughed, but the Custodian did not reciprocate. "Very well," the Custodian said, and took a deep breath. "But the power I sense from you, young lady, is like nothing I have ever encountered. My abode is protected with many magic spells, and in fairness I have forgotten what many of them are. If one of them hurts you... well, you have been warned."

                The girl smiled once more (and Dresden was beginning to like that smile, he realized). "Nothing hurts young lady," she said.

                The Custodian stepped to one side, and motioned for her to enter the house. "For your sake, I should hope not."

The girl bowed, and then, with Dresden and Mohon in tow, walked past the Custodian and into the doorway of the abode. Once they were all through, the Custodian followed, closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, the plants of the garden were settling down and relaxing, returning to their designated plots. The tree with all the leafy eyes was the only one to witness the disappearance of the 'white shield' when the girl arrived. If it were asked, perchance it would have talked about how the 'shield' rose up from the ground and spun wildly on one axis before vanishing entirely, and how this strange event was followed by an inaudible change in pressure (momentarily distracting Mohon from chasing the 'ball'), then the arrival of the girl.

Perhaps the tree would have asked about the connection between the shield and the girl, and maybe raised the alarm, warning the Custodian that something was amiss. But it was not given the chance to say anything. So, much to the Custodian's future disadvantage, the tree chose to forget the incident instead (the attention span of this species was not especially admirable), resumed its sleepy posture, and the day outside, to all intents and purposes, returned to normal.

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