A Charm of Finches — Elisabeth Waters

Maja was happy living in the Temple of Thenoth, Lord of the Beasts, in Haven; it was a place that could use her gift of Animal Mindspeech and her love of animals. But the arrival of a hysterical little girl and her injured finch started a chain of events that took Maja from the peace of Thenoth's temple to the intrigues of the king's court.

This story was originally published in Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, December 2010.