galvarelli/kral-recruit-attempt.txt

Kral hadn't spent a lot of time by the South Shore, and he didn't enjoy it.
The houses towered over him in a way the dense housing in the Barns didn't, wide and ornate as if to deliberately waste space.
_Notice the smell_, he heard the Meadowlark say.
Kral took a deep breath in.
There was a sweet, green smell, delicious but very faint.
Walled off.
They would have small greens inside, but the footprints of the large buildings cut off how much land they could actually use for cultivation.

Kral heard Sepp before he saw him down the street, stone hooves tapping against the hardened earth under the tramway.

—Ho, Kral! Sepp called. I see you got my message!

—I did indeed. All well? How'd you get the Garrison to release you?

—We were on the right side, Kral.
	They saw that soon enough.
	But don't worry about it, the Garrison's not important.
	I'm glad you're here.

—Just here to give thanks for the help, I still believe in the Guard.

—Of course, of course.
	But that shouldn't stop you from following your beliefs outside that.
	You're allowed to join a Flock, right?
	Anyway, just meet them, let them give you the pitch.

Sepp led him into a tall house, where an older yak welcomed the pair in.
He seemed very well groomed, wearing a long, elegant dressing gown, smoking from a pipe.
Once the welcomes gave way to a conversation between Sepp and their host, who introduced himself as Bromley, Kral took in the house around him.
The entrance was brightly lit, an electric chandelier overhead.
Electric lights were still rare in the Barns, and Kral felt his stomach sinking.
_Their wealth and power does not mean their message is insincere_, Kral felt the Meadowlark say to him.

—Come now, both of you.
	Kral, I've heard quite a bit about you.
	All good, very good, your friend speaks very highly of you.
	I saw you yesterday with the Guard.
	Such a shame to see what the President was doing, condoning the Old Meadowlark like that.
	He ordered you to stay out of uniform, right?

Kral felt his stomach squirm at Bromley's expectation for an answer.

—Well, that is, I can't really say—

—Ah yes, yes, you are loyal to the Guard.
	I won't tell, I won't tell.
	But confirmation then that Calvin is scared to oppose the Hierarch, no matter how much he preaches about the poor refugees in the Barns.

He turned away and continued further into the house and told them to follow.

—Now Sepp, you have met me of course, and a few others in this little group.
	But I don't believe you have met the crow yet, correct?

Kral tried to hide his shock.
Non-yaks were rare in general in Galvarelli, outside of the Barns at least.
You'd come across the odd dwarf in the Haven.
But as far as he knew, he'd only ever heard of a handful of Birds leaving the Aery at all in the past few decades.
Unless it was one of the Ottawan birds from outside the Hidden Lands, but Kral assumed that the Aery took them in the same way Galvarelli took in the farm animals.

—No, sir, Sepp said, although I'd heard he would be visiting soon.
	Actually, I feel bad admitting it, but it's one of the reasons I wanted to make sure Kral came now.

—He is one of us, Sepp, not a trophy to be paraded around.
	Remember that all animals are free to touch the Meadowlark equally, and do not judge him for the separation his kind have sought.

—Of course, I'm sorry, sir.

—No matter, don't let it trouble you.
	Your friend is here because he sees we are serious about our commitment to justice, and to reach higher forms of the Meadowlark, I trust?

—Yes, sir.
	I'd unwisely hoped to impress him, but I hadn't told him.

—Wonderful, well there is no crime in appreciating that it is an unusual position to find oneself by a crow here, I'm sure.

The hallways they passed through dripped with expensive ornamentation.
Whoever Bromley was, he must have had old money.
Maybe someone on the Assembly, or part of some older administration?

They arrived at a library, near what Kral assumed must have been the far side of the house.
Inside, a handful of yaks were engaged in muted discussions in a few groups.
Kral swept his eyes across the room twice before he saw the crow, far smaller than he expected, perched on one of the tables by a group of a couple yaks.

—Ah Bromley, these are the newer recruits then?, one of the yaks called.

At this, the crow looked up, and flitted over to a table near Bromley.

—This one is, this one soon will be, I hope, Bromley called back, chuckling, indicating Sepp and Kral in turn.

— Boys, this is Martin, Bromley said to the pair in a softer voice, in whose excellent company I will leave you.

Bromley walked over to the yak who had called out to him.
Martin tilted his head quizzically at Sepp, before turning to Kral.

—Welcome, both of you, he said, in a lower voice than Kral expected.
	Thank you for coming here.
	I am Martin, as our gracious benefactor said.

Sepp and Kral introduced themselves as well.

—Sepp, I'm very glad you were willing to see the importance of our mission, and I'd love to talk to you later.
	But for the moment, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Kral?

—No problem at all, Sepp said, with what Kral felt was a tinge of disappointment.
	Kral, if I don't see you before you head out, we'll meet again soon, yeah?

Kral nodded, and Sepp went to follow Bromley.

Martin gestured to the hallway.

—Let's find a quieter room.

Kral opened the door, and Martin fluttered through, reaching a small, vacant sitting room further down the hallway.

Martin took a perch on the table.
Kral felt far more comfortable with Martin alone.
His feathers seemed slightly ruffled, and Bromley's fine grooming and clothing were uncomfortable.
At least the crow would be more likely to empathise with the people in the Barns.

—Kral, perhaps you have heard of us from your friend before, but I hope you will not be offended if I retell my story from the start?
	That way any distortions through retelling might be reduced.
	
—No problem, I'm happy to hear more.

—I am not of the Aery, as you might be wondering.
	My brood is of a line that never followed the Aery, living in small nests near Mountberg.
	We've been a bit lost, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Kral could imagine.
The Partition of the Hidden Land extended far deeper than the politics that moved normal borders.
With the Aery gone, only the Beast and Dwarf Threding remained.
Even the independent yak-towns outside Galvarelli still lay in the Beast Threding.
There might be places to leave among the Beasts or Dwarves, but Kral started to wonder if his parents hadn't found Galvarelli at all.

—We Birds can see far, and I felt the Meadowlark calling me even from our nest far from the yaks.
	Not the Hierarchy, you understand, or even any specific Flock.
	Just the Voice itself, the true Meadowlark.
	I felt it calling me, because the Birds have always been closer to the Beasts than to the Dwarves.
	They are cousins of Men, the Ottawans as you call them.

Kral nodded.
Bovril had talked about living in Ottawa, where it was common for Men to keep chickens or other birds alongside farm animals.

—The Meadowlark was calling me here to help.
	The Hierarchy, the Flocks, they obscure it, hide the Meadowlark.
	But the Voice is meant for all yaks.
	Meant to keep you free, unyoked.
	Do you understand?

—Yes, I do.
	But I thought the Voice of Birds was different from the Voice of Beasts?

Kral felt himself regretting learning so little from his lessons about the Flock growing up.

—The Voice of Birds may be different, but I still was called by the Voice of Beasts.
	I cannot say why, maybe because it can sometimes take an outside force to spark a change.
	But in any case, I am no Herder.
	Bromley has founded this New Meadowlark, and I merely support him in it.
	You may still be sceptical, I sense.

—I have never loved any Flock, with all due respect.
	I don't mean any offense, and of course I'm grateful for everyone's help in the Barns, but I don't want to get pulled away from the Guard.

—Indeed, Kral, I don't actually wish you to join us at this stage!
	You can hear the Voice quite clearly, can you not?

Kral thought about lying, but he could feel the truth slipping out
—Yes, nearly every day, with very little effort.

—Well that settles it, you must not join us today.
	We wish to help those who cannot hear the Voice hear, and you do not need our help.
	The Ancestral Voice speaks directly, and those who would seek to intervene deserve no respect.
	Listen to it, let it guide you.
	You will join us soon, but you will know when you are ready.

Martin turned away, and hopped back and forth on his feet.

—Feel free to leave, Kral.
	I will let Sepp know that you're alright.
	And Bromley as well, he will be delighted you are here.
	I'd caution you to beware the Hierarchy, however.
	They are dangerous, and have people throughout government.
	If they knew you could hear the Voice without them, that you subverted their authority, they would come after you.
	Do not tell anyone you work with about us, for our own safety.

—Of course, Kral replied.

—Thank you, Martin said, before taking off and heading out of the room.

Kral found his way out of the house, somewhat confused.
Bromley seemed like he meant well, but someone that wealthy had to be clueless about actual help.
Martin, though, was odder.
Some sort of psychological trick, making them seem more normal by not trying to recruit him?
Kral let those thoughts carry him back home.