Maker of Fire

High Priestesses Foyuna of Tiki and Sutsusum of Gertzpul, Crystal Shrine of Tiki, Planting Season, 3rd rot., 4th day

Aylem Queen would not refrain from flying to the Crystal Shrine eight or nine times every rotation since she returned from Inkalem. Imstay King wanted her to stop for fear of endangering her pregnancy. The Holy Kamagishi of Galt mediated a compromise between the two royals. The Queen would move into the Crystal Shrine because she would not stop her usage of the Great Crystal.

Besides surveillance for the upcoming military campaign, Aylem had been tracking Emily's every move through Inkalem and then down the coast to Sussbesschem. The Queen would not stop worrying about the Coyn prophet.

Foyuna did not protest when Aylem moved in. Aylem was a revelator of Tiki, so she was already entitled to quarters in the Crystal Shrine. Foyuna didn't even squawk at the Queen's eight attendants, two of whom were Coyn. Adapting her shrine for Coyn was more of a headache than she thought.

The Queen's presence was tiring and worrisome. What Foyuna didn't plan on was the invasion of her shrine by the rest of the Convocation. Her shrine was the logical meeting location when the pregnant Queen was residing there.

Foyuna was waiting under the dome that covered the Great Crystal when another high priestess arrived.

"You look tired, sister," Sutsusum of Gertzpul said in her high squeaky voice after dismounting from her griffin. "Are you alright?"

Foyuna sighed, "I admit that hosting the Queen and her attendants is a worry, especially with her two Coyn underfoot. But I didn't anticipate the sudden meeting of the Convocation. This is the first time you've called the Convocation together since I stepped up, Sister Sutsusum." Foyuna beckoned a shrine trainee who was waiting near the recording table. "Priestess-in-training Dayuri will take your flying cloak and leggings."

Foyuna turned to the griffin, "Nedotl, the new mounts residence is now finished. I'm sure you saw it as you flew in. The old one is now closed. The attendants will be waiting for you."

"I thank you, Holy One," Nedotl the griffin bowed her head. "I must pay my respects to the Blessed Asgotl first." The griffin backed up and then walked over to where Asgotl was sleeping next to the Throne of Judgement. She looked down at his sleeping form, walked to his posterior, and nipped the base of Asgotl's tail to wake him up. Then she walked to his squawking head and greeted him politely.

"What was that all about?" Foyuna whispered to Sutsusum.

"Asgotl had a bad break-up with Flavriansha, who is Nedotl's cousin," Sutsusum smirked a little.

"I thought they never had anything going, from what I heard," Foyuna said. "It was all just wishful thinking on Asgotl's part."

Sutsusum smirked a little deeper, "That too."

"Gods," Foyuna shook her head and then allowed herself a small smile.

"When is the meeting?" Sutsusum asked.

"As soon as the rest get here," Foyuna led the other high priestess to the east door out of the great dome of the Crystal Shrine, which led to the shrine's guest quarters. "We're waiting on Fassex, Irralray, Lisaykos, and Senlyosart. The others are either resting in their rooms or in the dining hall talking."

"How are Kamagishi and Losnana?"

"Asleep, thankfully. Losnana's precognition was worse than Kamagishi's. I'm happy my charms of deep sleep are strong enough to work on those two."

"So am I, but you have always been one of the best mages among us," Sutsusum replied, shrugging off her cloak and draping it over her arm. "You are one of the strongest wielders of mental magic I have ever encountered. I regret you didn't choose my shrine when you took your mage trials, but I understand you needed a refuge from the world's noise. Have you considered visiting Ud? Kamagishi said that Ud taught her how to shield herself from the sea of thoughts."

"Kamagishi said the same to me," Foyuna stopped before a door in the outer corridor. "She mentioned it since she knew I was a worse sensitive than she was. I have considered it, but there is too much to do right now. I can not leave with all that is happening. Anyway, this is your room. I know you'll head back to your bed on Two Ferry Island tonight since it's just a few minutes away, but the bed here is ready in case we run late."

"You're as considerate as always," Sutsusum smiled at the younger high priestess. "I will head home afterward, regardless. I didn't bother to bring a change of clothes with me, and I don't relish sleeping in my riding leathers."

Foyuna laughed, "I can lend you a nightgown if you need to stay, though it might be a little big on you," said the tallest of all the high priestesses. She was tall enough to see over the top of Sutsusum's head. The High Priestess of Gertzpul was the shortest member of the Convocation.

"I do need to warn you that the room next to yours is for the Queen's two personal Coyn attendants," Foyuna pointed to the door to the left. "They spend most of their time with her, but they do come out and run errands for her, so please give the right of way in the hallways."

"What about the doors?" Sutsusum asked, concerned.

"Oldest shrine, sister," Foyuna chuckled. "All my inside doors open inward, unlike every other shrine. I have no worries about hallway door collisions with the Coyn. The Queen's two Coyn have been quite helpful, actually. They've given me a lot of practical advice on how to make the Prophet's quarters much friendlier for someone of smaller stature. Emily should be pleasantly surprised next time she stays with me."

"What about the Revered Tom?" Sutsusum asked, curious.

"Our normal beds are more than double-wide for a Coyn. Besides making sure there are chairs and a lounge for two Coyn, adding provision for Tom is not a problem. I now have an entire sideboard of dishes and cutlery sized for the little ones, by the way, plus a storeroom with small-scale furniture. I find all the Coyn-scaled things rather shocking, to be honest. Everything is so small. I haven't been around Coyn since I was a little girl in the palace in Is'syal. I had forgotten what it was like. For example, before meeting the Queen's two Coyn, I never realized just how little they eat."

"In terms of their work output compared to their upkeep, Coyn are a bargain for routine cleaning work and errands," Sutsusum pointed out. Her shrine was the fourth oldest but the first to design for the presence of Coyn when it was built twenty-eight centuries ago. The Hospitable Shrine of Gertzpul owned several hundred Coyn used for cleaning and maintenance.

"Have you decided what you will do with your Coyn?" Foyuna asked.

"I'd like to try something similar to the contracts we're using with the free-flying mounts," Sutsusum dropped her saddlebag on the guest room table and sat down. "It would provide them with shrine protection while they learned how to survive on their own. A lot of my Coyn are illiterate. None of them know how to handle money. I can't just turn them out and hire them back for wages. They don't know how to shop and cook for themselves. They don't know how to rent a place to live. They have no guilds to provide hiring halls or liaisons with the government. None of them have aura seals for contracts. In short, they lack the skills right now to survive without help.

"Most of my Coyn will need education and time to transition to complete independence. Like the Queen has done with her own Coyn, I will not stop any former slaves who want to go off on their own. For the rest, I will provide food, clothes, housing, and work while we teach them the basic skills of how to live. It will not be cheap, and my expenses are already up.

"I am rebuilding every hand of Coyn housing left on Two Ferry Island to ensure it is livable, even in the cold season. I am also building replacement Coyn homes on the hill on the river's east bank. It's not on the island, but it's high enough that the next flood won't wash it away. We lost all our Coyn caregivers, children, and elderly when the levees broke the summer before last. The flood destroyed the poorest neighborhoods and over half of Two Ferry's Coyn housing, including all the family residences. The new Coyn homes will be above floodwaters."

"And what about Cosm housing?" Foyuna raised an eyebrow.

"I passed a new law last year: no structures, other than docks and shipping facilities, may be located below the highest-known floodwaters. That should take care of Cosm housing," Sutsusum managed to look serious. Then she winked and grinned at Foyuna, looking for a short moment like the mischievous grandmother from Imthuxka's Stories for Children.

Foyuna digested Sutsusum's words as the older high priestess removed a long leather roll from her saddlebag. She undid the straps and unrolled it, revealing five pockets. Four pockets held four electrum-plated rods. Sutsusum took them out and fitted them together to make a staff.

The fifth pocket in the roll held a fist-sized fire opal carved in the shape of a flame. Ring bells hung from the collar at the base of the fire opal. Sutsusum fitted the fire opal and bells to the electrum rods, finishing the assembly of the Ringed Staff of Gertzpul, which was the staff of office for the God of Death's high priestess. All of Foskos knew that when the sun went down, the flame-shaped fire opal gave off its own white light unaided by any Cosm magic.

The Ringed Staff was around four thousand years old. It was one of the oldest pieces of sacred regalia on Erdos, like Galt's necklace and Landa's Halberd. Its five-piece design made it portable, something that every high priestess of Gertzpul had appreciated for over forty centuries.

Every high priestess of the Hospitable Shrine had to travel to conduct the funerals of sacred persons. A nameless silversmith four thousand years ago appreciated the convenience of portability for Gertzpul's Staff. Sutsusum was sure that smith had the best of everything in the Gertzpul's gardens.

"The Staff is just as impressive as the first time I ever saw it," Foyuna said in a reverent voice. "I have the premonition that your business with the Convocation is out of the ordinary."

Sutsusum didn't reveal anything, despite Foyuna's prodding. "It's not our usual sudden meeting to react to battles, floods, blizzards, lava flows, or famine," she dodged giving Foyuna a straight answer.

Foyuna sighed, "That wasn't helpful, Sister Sutsusum."

Sutsusum grinned again and squeaked in her high ethereal voice, "Yes, I know. Patience, child. It will be a bell or less until I share my message." The older high priestess changed the subject, knowing Foyuna would default to being polite instead of confronting Sursusum's diversion. "How many bells a day does the Queen spend in front of the Great Crystal?"

"To hear the Revered Lyappis tell it, it's always too many," Foyuna replied, behaving just as Sursusum predicted. "She takes every morning to survey Impotu and Jutu and then sends that information to Is'syal. Then she eats mid repast in her quarters with Lyappis, followed by watching Emily, Tom, and Twee in the Great Crystal."

"She's not eating with you in the dining hall?" Sutsusum asked.

"She ate with us one evening when she first arrived. She was in full Ice Queen persona by the end of the meal. I found out later that the Queen was embarrassed during the meal. Some of the youngsters in the room lacked the manners to ignore how much the Queen eats, and the Blessed Aylem overheard. They were disciplined, but the Queen has not returned to the dining hall to eat with us."

Sutsusum frowned, concerned about the Queen's mental health. "She is so formidable that it's easy to forget that her feelings can be fragile. I'm sure being pregnant does not help. Being rational and objective is hard when your body is deluged in mommy hormones."

"She has a favorable opinion of you, sister," Foyuna remarked. "I'll give you a little warning now, in case you speak with her in private. In smaller groups, the pregnant Queen is very affectionate toward the people she likes. Do not be shocked if the big girl decides to hug you inside her own quarters."

"Is that likely to happen?" Sutsusum wondered. She did not plan on visiting with the Queen after the meeting was over, especially when her own shrine and bedroom were just an eighth of a bell away.

"That depends on whether you take some advice from me right now," Foyuna gave Sutsusum an intense look.

"And that is?"

"Tell the Queen now why you have convened the Convocation," Foyuna didn't blink. "The Queen is struggling to keep herself under control while pregnant. Given her heightened emotions, surprises are not a good thing right now. I can wait for a bell to hear what you must tell us, sister, but the Queen needs to know before we meet as the Convocation. It is easier for her to control her temper and other reactions in private, away from the public eye. If she already knows what you have to say, she will be prepared not to react emotionally when we meet within the bell."

"The Queen's room is where?" Sutsusum raised an eyebrow.

"Two doors down," Foyuna succeeded in not smiling. She was pleased she convinced the older high priestess. "It's just the other side of your neighbors next door, the Queen's two Coyn."

Sutsusum stood up and picked up Gertzpul's Staff, "I'll catch up with you in your study in a bit."

Sutsusum of Gertzpul at the Crystal Shrine of Tiki, Planting Season, 3rd rot., 4th day

The Queen was sprawled on a lounge, looking more pregnant than she should halfway through her term. I guessed the extra girth and fuller figure were due to carrying twins. We all wanted her to succeed in bringing the children to delivery. Twins were so rare.

The Blessed Aylem carried pregnancy well. She almost glowed, she looked so healthy and happy. Given how complicated my three pregnancies were, now three decades in my past, I was envious that it was so easy for her. Her first two pregnancies had been the same. Some women have all the luck.

Lyappis let me in after my knock. "Foyuna warned you, yes?" the old lady whispered.

"Yes, I've been warned." Using the Staff of Gertzpul for balance, I made a complete kneeling obeisance to the Queen. The Staff, which often acted on its own, floated out of my hand after I got up. I carried a chair over to the lounge. The Staff followed me, as I expected.

The Queen reached out and clasped my hand, "Thank you for coming, my dear. I can tell from the behavior of The Staff of Gertzpul that your news must be extraordinary."

"The sixth revelator is a flying horse," I did not bother with small talk. "Gertzpul chose him. The revelation has three parts: a message for the Chem about a law change, instructions for new bridge designs, and vehicles on rails. Gertzpul sent the Blessed Spot to the Prophet, the Revered Tom, and the Blessed Twee. Revelator Twee is the recipient of the first part of the revelation. Gertzpul decided the Prophet will write down the revelation dictated by the Blessed Spot. Gertzpul told Spot that he is now supposed to be the Revered Tom's mount."

Aylem's lip twitched, "There's a flying horse revelator, and his name is Spot?"

"Yes, Great One," I nodded. I fought the urge to laugh, which would be an unforgivable act of rudeness in front of the Blessed Aylem. Even with the noticeable changes in the Queen, I was still wary of her temper. The quiet presence of the mind healer Lyappis haup Esso confirmed my need for wariness.

I decided to explain more clearly, "Spot is all black except for a white marking on his nose. It was his mother who named him. He is from the great herd of flying horses on Alkinosuk. Their naming practices are simple and practical compared to Foskos."

"Getzpul chose a flying horse revelator named Spot?" the Queen shook her head and then composed her face into a perfectly neutral expression. "Do you believe in the story of the bet between Gertzpul and Landa?"

I was surprised by the question. "The ancient record of the bet was recorded by the High Priestess of Gertzpul, who witnessed Landa's visit to our shrine for his part of the wager. Yes, I believe the bet was real and not a myth."

"Good," the Queen nodded at me in approval. Her look said she had just made some kind of a decision about me. "We often accuse Tiki of being the twisted god because of his pranks. We always forget that Gertzpul has also played his own pranks, like the one he played on Tiki and Landa with that bet. Picking a revelator named Spot might also be a jest by Gertzpul. I believe I will not offend you by suggesting this about your god."

Now I understood. The Queen was worried I might be offended if she suggested the God of Death had a sense of humor. But Gertzpul is also the Kind God and the Affable Traveler, the hand of a smiling stranger who rescues those lost on the road. Yes, Gertzpul knew how to laugh.

"Humor is one of Gertzpul's attributes, Great One. I am not offended. I am intrigued that you concluded divine humor could be in play."

"Holy One," the Queen blinked, "how could it not be in play? The God of Death picked a flying horse revelator named Spot? Think about it! Spot! Sweet sister Sutsusum, the only reason I am not curled up in hysterics right now is the years of practice I've had not laughing while doing my duties as Queen." Her lip twitched again, and this time, I knew why.

"Great One, were you perhaps worried I would take offense if you found the name funny?" I wondered. "I was worried you would be angered if I found the name funny."

The Queen's lips said a silent "oh" of epiphany.

"Pfft!" The sound of contained laughter exploding erupted behind me. The source was the silent Revered Lyappis, whose presence I had forgotten entirely.

"...Named Spot! Death picked a black flying horse named Spot! Bwahahaha. Hahahah. Hahahahahaha!" Lyappis couldn't keep her mirth contained any longer. The Queen fought hard not to cave into hilarity and failed. I was right behind her.

When we finally regained our senses, I told the Queen about the rest of what Gertzpul relayed to me. His visit was in person this morning, just before the first bell of the day, so it was very fresh in my mind. The Blessed Aylem was shocked that I received a live visit instead of a dream command.

The Queen was gobsmacked when I told her that Gertzpul wanted me to meet Spot in Sils'chk when the Shrouded Shrine of Vassu delivers its yearly gift of ice charm gems.

Before I left her room, the Queen thanked me for disclosing my news before Convocation met. "No matter what," she said, "a Queen cannot laugh at the name of a blessed revelator in public or Convocation. Because of your thoughtfulness, I am forewarned, and the Queen of Foskos will not embarrass her country with an undignified display."