Maker of Fire

The Fenlands, Harvest Season, 3rd rot., before dawn of the 10th day (Foskos Time)

*Ilsabess,* the spider monster Ud mindcasted the Impotuan High Priestess in exile.

“Ud?” Ilsabess, High Priestess of Erhonsay, woke up and wondered what time it was. She and most of her clergy were in exile from Impotu. They were staying at Ud’s home under the Fenlands. The great cavern was dark, so she knew it was still night. The artificial light shone only during daylight hours.

*I have a favor to ask,* Ud said. *I will be gone for two days. When I return, I will have an injured flying horse with me. I have left you supplies to build a standing sling for him to support his body and wings, one of which must be splinted. Would you be so kind to build the standing sling for me while I am gone?*

“Of course,” Ilsabess replied, sitting up from her cot.

*My second request is more difficult, but if you stay on the end of the city pier, it should go well. Send someone, just one, to Gangkego, to buy ten bushels of oats or barley, and a four large bales of hay. The Sea Coyn have become accustomed to your warmages from the ship rescues you have done for me, so they won’t attack you without provocation. Remind them that you are currently in my employ, and use a proper Inkalem greeting. I have left one stone of gold to pay for the purchase. Tell the little dears that the purchase is for me and to keep the change. I have left my sigil to help smooth the transaction since the Sea Coyn are wary of visiting Cosm. Don’t forget to take a carpet, water, and cups with you for the formal Inkalem greeting ritual. And now I must fly, literally. I will see you tomorrow evening.*

“Ud! Wait!” Ilsabess called out, but the spider monster was already gone. “Well, dammit.” Ilsabess calculated in her head how long the trip would be to Gangkego. If she left now, she could be back before dark, assuming the Sea Coyn had the supplies immediately available. Otherwise, she could sleep in Inkalem overnight and return tomorrow, in time to have the horse feed on hand for when Ud returned.

Ilsabess got out of bed and started to change into flying clothes.

Lisaykos, Crystal Shrine, Harvest Season, 3rd rot., midmorning of the 10th day (Foskos Time)

I leapt off Hekees before he had completely landed and ran over to Aylem’s lounge. Young Foyuna and poor Lyappis both looked spent. They had been watching over the Queen since before dawn.

“Lisaykos, dear,” Aylem looked up at me and smiled with a hopeful expression, “I—“

“Not a word out of you, miscreant,” I snapped. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one morning.” I snagged a chair and sat down next to her, ignoring the pandemonium of my staff off-loading the birthing equipment. I trusted Hekees to retire to the gallery or the mounts residence. He knew my working patterns well after our forty-five years together.

I put my hand on Aylem’s stomach and tranced. The protective barrier around the amniotic sac was completely gone. If Aylem were any other mage, I would seal her powers until the delivery was over.

As it was, I lacked the power to seal her enormous magic. Like the two previous times I delivered her babies, I had to trust Aylem. A mother’s magic could kill her unborn baby. Every Cosm mother, regardless of magical talent, had a natural protective barrier around her fetus that isolated the unborn from the flow of magic. The barrier faded when a mother’s water broke.

Foyuna told me Aylem had performed some outrageous feats of charm casting immediately before her water broke. Granted, it was a small breach and a slow leak at first, but then, she mindcasted Ud in the Fenlands even though she knew her amniotic sac was leaking. Foolish girl. I knew she had a good reason but it didn’t lessen the worry she caused me.

“We have slightly more than three finger widths of dilation,” I stated. “That’s faster than I thought. The first of the two girls has already dropped and what’s left of the mucus plug will fail soon. Lung function is good for both babies, which is the great worry for early births. They will be underweight by ten to twelve stone. We should hear these girls crying by the middle of the afternoon.”

“That fast?” Aylem looked surprised.

“It’s too fast, if you ask me,” I snarled at her. “Why in the name of Mueb did you decide to attempt a virtuoso feat of magic with a season left before delivery? We’ve been working so hard to keep you from any actions that could trigger miscarriage or premature labor. Then, what did you do, you imbecile? Why? Why did you do something this stupid, Aylem?”

She frowned at me ire, “Spot was dying. I had to try.”

“Did it not occur to you to contact Ud and ask her to cast stasis on a person on the other side of the world? She’s not carrying royal twins and she has many times more power than any of us. She would have done it for you. You know she would have. But you didn’t stop to think, did you? You went careening off again without given any thought to your actions. Arg! You are so frustrating at times!” I pounded my knees with my fists.

I half expected Aylem to snap back at me but she didn’t. She moved backward into the lounge, as if to escape my wrath, looking a little scared.

“I’m sorry, dearest,” she said in a little voice. “You are right. I could have asked Ud for help.”

“What’s done is done,” I sighed and tried to relax my tense shoulders. “You took a nice, relaxing bath already, so I hear. Have you eaten?”

“I had some soup and pears, but I’m still hungry.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” I had to roll my eyes. “You’re worse than that lazy griffon over there when it comes to appetite.”

“I heard that,” grumped Asgotl from where he was sleeping on the far side of Aylem’s lounge. He didn’t even open his eyes.

“Someone come and tie the Blessed Asgotl’s beak shut for me,” I ordered. “I do not need a mouthy griffin in my birthing room.”

I turned back to Aylem. “No more food for now, dear heart. You’ll lose your appetite within the bell. I want you to relax as much as possible. Let us take the edge off the pain of the contractions for you. Who has the contraction record?”

“I do, mistress,” Lyappis handed me her wax tablet.

“Huh. Maybe we’ll have delivery by mid repast,” I eyeballed the now steady spacing of the contractions. “How is the pain level, Aylem?”

“Annoying but not debilitating. Despite being early, this seems easier and less painful than my previous two deliveries,” she smiled back at me.

“Senlyosart is bringing some musicians to play for you plus your daughter,” I stated. “Irralray is coming to stand in for Imstay on acknowledging the royal birth. I’m surprised I beat her here. Kamagishi’s worried past all reason about you. She feels responsible that you cast too much magic while pregnant. Be kind to her when she arrives. You know how she gets when she feels guilty. She’s afraid you will blame her for delivering early and won’t be friends with her anymore. Why the face, Aylem?”

“But… I…,” Aylem was flapping her mouth like a fish.

“Aylem?” I fished.

“I thought she might not want to stay friends,” Aylem squeaked, eyes wide and scared. “I put her to sleep because she hurt herself when she mindcasted me. I didn’t ask her if I could. I thought it might… That she might...”

“Were you worried you scared her away by another one of your overpowered acts of magic?” Lyappis accused, looking a little impatient. “You know we talked about this, but you still don’t believe us when we tell you it doesn’t matter.”

Aylem hung her head and folded into herself.

“Now, none of that, young lady. It’s time to get up and take another walk around the dome,” Lyappis ordered.

I watched as Lyappis took her patient Aylem in hand and started to stroll with her around the perimeter of the dome. I realized that if I had chided her like this two years ago, I might not be standing right now. Aylem had gotten better with not only controlling her temper, she was losing it less often too.

I got up to inspect how my work crew was progressing with setting up for the birth. Then, I sat down and tranced to contact Fassex in Suapsepso. I needed to update her on Aylem’s labor. The King must be frantic by now.

Imstay, Suapsepso, Harvest Season, 3rd rot., early afternoon of the 10th day (Impotu Time)

Imstay paced across the sitting room of the imperial guest house belonging the Peaked Shrine of Landa in Suapsepso. He had been on his feet for the last two bells, ever since he had heard the news that the Queen was in premature labor.

“I feel sorry for that rug,” Fassex remarked in her usually dry, sarcastic voice as she let herself into the room. “You can do nothing from here for your wife. Your family has taken care of everything. Your aunt, daughter and royal cousins are acting as the royal witnesses. They also providing the witness for the Convocation since three of the four are High Priestesses. The Blessed Lisaykos is in charge of the delivery, and no one is better than she is. Even if you were at the Crystal Shrine, you’d just be in the way. So, sit down, relax, and have some tea, Imstay King.”

A tea basket floated into an empty beaker and a pot floated over to pour steaming hot water into it. The pot and tea basket floated back to the sideboard. Then the beaker of tea floated into the path of Imstay’s pacing, stopping him on his path.

“Take your tea,” a disembodied bass said to the King, “and sit. The Holy One is right about this.”

“Show yourself, lout,” Imstay. “When did you return?”

“Just now,” Usruldes’ voice replied.

“I thought the charm of circular light would turn anything you touched invisible,” Fassex remarked.

“I’m using my mind’s hand,” Usruldes said as he appeared wearing his usually black wraith’s clothes, gesturing at the floating beaker. “Your tea, Mighty One,” he said to the King.

“What if I don’t want tea,” Imstay snapped.

“You are being petulant,” Usruldes raised an eyebrow. He put his hand on the King’s shoulder for a moment.

“What?” Imstay barked. Then he relaxed. “Oh. You just cast the charm of peace on me. I could have you arrested for that.”

“Yes, you could, Mighty One,” Usruldes tilted his head and shrugged. “I advise you sit down before the Shrine must order a new carpet.” He took Imstay by the shoulder and steered him to the nearest armchair. “Now, sit.”

“I will be angry with you when the charm of peace wears off,” Imstay said in a mellow voice.

“It won’t be the first time, Mighty One,” Usruldes did not sound concerned.

“Is there any new news about the Blessed Spot and Emily?” Imstay asked.

“I have spoken with Ud,” Usruldes knelt on one knee before the King. “She has left her home and is on her way to rescue the Blessed Spot. Emily is still missing. Ud knows something, but she will not tell me what she knows. She hinted that the gods have something planned for Emily which will take several seasons to carry out. More than that she will not say.”

“How bothersome,” said Fassex. “Perhaps we should shatter the crystal at the White Shrine without waiting for a revelation. Aylem’s pregnancy will no longer be an impediment in a few days.”

“Are we ready for our Coyn to be free?” Imstay frowned.

“Are we ready for more riots if we don’t free them after Aylem delivers? We will not be able to hide new members of the royal family from our Coyn,” Fassex replied. “We promised the Coyn we would free them after Aylem gave birth.

“While Emily is missing, the prophet’s revelation for the emancipation of the Coyn may not arrive this year. What if our prophet goes missing for more than a season again? We must ask ourselves, must we wait for the prophet to reappear? A significant delay will lead to more unrest. We must find Emily before the end of the season and get that revelation, or we must destroy the crystal without her revelation. May I remind you that Aylem is not the only person who can destroy the crystal.”

“Who else?” Imstay asked. “I thought only Aylem had the power.”

“No, that is not correct, Imstay King,” Fassex smiled with an air of innocence. “Any High Priestess can destroy the crystal in her own Shrine. Recall that the Holy Losnana destroyed her Shrine’s crystal to keep it out of Arkaline Ugi’s hands.”

“All of the Shrines in Foskos have been preparing to free our Coyn on the day my Shrine’s crystal breaks,” Fassex continued. “I think the transition will be difficult, but it will be hardest on the Restful Shrine of Surd. The Holy Rakkalbos fears a sudden increase in unemployed, homeless Coyn without adequate work houses to accommodate them. The Holy Ashansalt is worried about having enough labor in the right places for the harvest, because Coyn provide most of our farm labor. The Blessed Lisaykos fears epidemics among the Coyn as they remove their control gems and refuse to wear new ones with the blessing of Mugash.

“Despite these looming problems, we feel the crystal at the White Shrine must be destroyed soon. We must prevent more riots like the ones last year in Surd and Kas, and the one this year in Aybhas.”

“You realize that we must also free the mounts, Chem, and Coyn of Impotu?” Imstay responded with a bite to his voice despite the charm of peace. “The riots here have been ten times worse than in Foskos. I got sick to my stomach reading the reports of the Coyn labor camps owned by the Fruitful Shrine of Mueb.”

“That it isn’t the Shrine’s fault,” Fassex said. “The Empress took over their management after she stole the throne. The Shrine owns the Coyn and the land, but it doesn’t run the camps, make money off of them, or have any control over them.”

“Empress Arkalla is dead and Arkaline is trapped up the Sasnakra River,” Imstay rebutted. “The name on the deeds and the slave papers is the Fruitful Shrine and if they’re not in control, no one is.”

Fassex made a sour face at the King’s reply, but then she sat up and beamed. “Oh!” What joy! Imstay King, you are the father of two healthy little girls.”

Emily, Harvest Season, 4th rot., 1st day (East Coast Time)

First, I felt warm. Then, I shivered with chills. Sometimes, I thought I heard children’s voice but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Once, I thought someone touched me briefly. I knew I was fading in and out of consciousness because the voices would wake me, and then, I would lose track of everything as I fell back into oblivion.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Mugash said, sitting across from me on a plank bench with the campfire between us. We were in a clearing bordered by balsam and blue pines.

“This is a dreamscape, isn’t it?” I asked Mugash, with whom I was still annoyed.

“Exactly,” the deity smiled with sympathy. “You’re an old hand at this by now.”

“Oh, upchuckingly wonderful,” I groused.

Mugash laughed, “You do like your neologisms.”

I was tempted to tell Mugash to put her commentary where the sun didn’t shine, but refrained. She was a god, after all. She could still make my life miserable, as she had done in the past.

“At least you’re talking with me again,” she l replied to the thoughts I hadn’t said aloud. Damn gods.

“Why are you here, Mugash?” I asked, sticking a marshmallow in the end of a stick.

“I’m just chatting while I’m healing the worst of your injuries. As I said, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Sassoo’s storm was a bit overdone. We wanted a natural event to separate you and that lovely Spot, but we didn’t want you half-dead. I’m undoing the half-dead bits right now.”

“Sassoo’s storm? Unintended half-dead state?” I was less than thrilled to hear the gods were up to their tricks again. “If you wanted me to go somewhere and do something, why can’t you numbnuts just tell me or ask me to do it? Why all this manufactured arrangement behind my back? This is so annoying. I just want to go home.”

Mugash let out a human-sounding sigh, “As I said, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were setting up an alternate path back to Foskos for you, one that would have some fun and a bit of an adventure for you. At the same time, you would rescue two in need of it, which is something that Erhonsay desires and it would bring joy to someone you care about.”

“Have I ever mentioned that for gods,” I growled, “your employee management skills suck? If you want something from me, telling me would be nice. I had plans made, like getting home before Thuorfosi gives birth, maybe starting a family, having a life...” My marshmallow burst into flames and I didn’t even have it over the fire.

Mugash raised an eyebrow at the burning marshmallow. “Goodness. That’s quite a bit of anger, Emily. Forgive me, but at the risk of sounding ineffable, you are not the best judge of what you need to do and what is best for you. When this trip is done, you will understand why we arranged this. Other than this unforeseen circumstance of the storm, this trip will profit everyone involved, and you will have the chance for some fun travel. Didn’t you want to travel?”

“I prefer to do my own vacation planning, thank you,” I rebutted with acidic sarcasm.

Mugash gave me a chiding look, “I want you to know that I had nothing to do with the current plan. I’ve been keeping my hands off your affairs for a year now. I’m here now to undo the worst of your injuries. You were not supposed to be badly injured after being separated from Spot.”

“You don’t intend to heal me all the way?”

“The plan will go easier on you if you are initially inconvenienced,” Mugash looked apologetic. “I know that answer will displease you, but you will experience almost no pain. A rescuer will discover you in less than a bell. She will bring you to a healer. The splints on the broken bones will come off in a rotation and a half. By then, you’ll be in the city of Kwabin, with the Cosm mage who will travel to Foskos with you. The alternative is for me to heal you completely. If I do, then hundreds of mounted mages will soon be scouring northeast Mattamesscontess to find you. The Infanta Moo’upegan knows you’re here and she will capture you. Your choices are an easier capture and a comfortable recovery, or an exhausting flight, a traumatic capture, and very little sleep.”

“Why can’t I just go home? Galt said I could do what I wanted after I put up with Tiki’s absurd temptation last Planting Season.”

“That was then, and this is now, Emily,” Mugash said with patience so vast I could feel it like a weighted blanket smothering me. “You no longer have that option on the current timeline set. By choosing to destroy the No’ank bridge for Vassu, you set into motion a newly-created set of timelines, which Erdos is now following. Destiny is once again in play.

“You do have the option and the power to disrupt destiny again. You can exert your will as the prophet for a second time and head home by any route you choose. Such an action will crash the new timeline set and reset all destinies on Erdos, just like a half year ago when you collapsed all the timelines after the riot in Aybhas.”

“If I stick with the current plan, who are these people I’ll be rescuing?” My curiosity was intrigued despite my wanting to return to Foskos immediately.

“A Foskan warmage and his eagle. The Tirmarran Eagle tribe has kept those two imprisoned for 22 years. Erhonsay has chosen the eagle as her revelator, so he needs to return to Foskos along with his rider.”

“You want me to infiltrate the Tirmarran cannibals, who are Cosm, to rescue another Cosm and a roc eagle?” I was appalled. “This is what you call a fun adventure? It sounds like suicide to me. You expect all seven hands and less than 90 stone of me to march into the middle of Tirmarran territory to rescue a warmage who is certainly under some kind of magical restraint? Mugash, I’m small, I’m weak, and I lack magic. There’s no way I can do this.”

“That’s why we arranged for you to have some help,” Mugash explained with a helpful smile. “Oh dear,” Mugash looked past me at something in the distance. “Someone is unhappy about my answering your questions.”

“Yes, we are,” said Giltak, appearing between me and Mugash. The god of craft, commerce, and fire was dressed as Glinda the Good from the 1939 movie of The Wizard of Oz.

Galt popped into view next to Mugash. He was dressed as Dorothy, wearing the same white-and-blue checked dress, ankle socks, and ruby slippers as Judy garland. The sight of Galt in the dress and the wig with Dorothy’s pigtails hit me on the funny bone. For several minutes, I could not stop laughing.

*Are you done yet?* Galt grumped at me.

“Maybe,” I snickered. He and Giltak looked ridiculous, even funnier than their Singing in the Rain outfits.

*Now that Mugash the blabbermouth has disclosed too much, you can still choose what you want to do, kitten,* Galt created a director’s chair with his name stenciled on it and sat down.

“Is this nonsense your idea, Galt?” The thought that he too was messing with my life left me feeling vexed with him. Of all the gods, I thought he knew better.

*I do know better,* he replied, *which is why I didn’t want you to know. We wanted you to have a fun, exciting adventure, including exotic destinations, an heroic rescue and a big, showy, happy ending. We even timed it so you would get home two rotations after Tom returned to Foskos. That way, you wouldn’t be chewing your fingernails off waiting for him to return from a war.*

“I’m disappointed in you, Galt,” I grimaced.

“Don’t forget Giltak, Erhonsay, and Vassu,” Mugash commented. “It was the four of them who came up with this grand plan to reward you.”

“What? This unwanted road trip is supposed to be a reward?” I squawked.

*I will make you promise, kitten,* Galt said. *When your journey is done, if you are not satisfied with my happy ending, I will grant you and Tom a tour of the one hundred greatest operas every performed, plus one visit every season for the rest of your life to the Earth restaurants of your choice, and all the Grateful Dead concerts you want to attend. I’ll throw in Woodstock and Arlo Guthrie’s famous performance of Alice’s Restaurant in Newport. I will also reconstruct your cavern in the Valley of the Vanishing River. Last, Giltak and I will help you build that hang glider you’ve been designing in your head.*

“You are that confident I’ll approve, Galt?” I had to ask. The gods had delivered many tasty bribes over the last two years, but Galt’s offer was over the top.

Galt started purring, *Kitten, I know you will.*

“You’re assuming a lot, big fat pussy cat,” I raised an eyebrow at him.

*Don’t forget, kitten,* Galt grinned, *I am the god of knowledge and destiny.*

“You may know how timelines resolve, Galt, but can you really know how I will feel about being forced to make another trip contrary to my wishes?”

*Do we have a deal, kitten?* Galt’s purr got louder and his grin got bigger.

“Doesn’t this excursion prevent the shattering of the crystal of control at the White Shrine?” I demanded to know. “Freeing the Coyn in Foskos is already overdue, by my reckoning.”

*The Convocation will destroy the crystal before you have a chance to arrive in Kwabin next rotation.*

“Alright, yes. If the crystal is about to be destroyed, then we have a deal, Galt.”

“Because you now know about this trip and its goals, we will help you when you request it, Emily,” Mugash promised, “but only when your traveling companion’s magic is not sufficient.”

“My traveling companion? Who is this unnamed mage?”

“Now, now, Emily,” Giltak waved the Glinda the Good wand, “you’ll find out soon enough. Telling you everything in advance will ruin the fun of the trip.”

“Maybe I want to reconsider. It might be better if I just go home to Foskos, sooner than later, and skip your detour.”

*Oh, no, you don’t, kitten,* Galt waved Dorothy’s basket at me. *A deal’s a deal. You agreed.*

“See ‘ya,” Giltak waved the wand and vanished along with Galt.

I glared at the empty spaces which the divine comedy duo had just vacated.

“Now, dear one,” Mugash smiled, “you have a choice between a slower, more relaxing recovery, or an immediate but terror-filled recovery with a nasty pursuit attached. Do you have a preference? I recommend the first, since Moo’upegan will capture you regardless of which scenario you pick.”

“Alright, already! I’ll take the slower recovery.”

“Are you sure?” Mugash sounded surprised.

“If the end result is the same for both scenarios, then why suffer needlessly? Yes, I’ll go with your recommended plan of a longer recovery. I like sleeping.”

“Alright, I am done with healing you, Emily. You will have very little pain but fifteen days of being carried around. Did you forget that Mattamesscontess doesn’t possess Foskan modern plumbing?”

“Oh, joy,” I cringed. “I want to change my mind. I’ll take the immediate recovery.”

“No, no, no!” the deity wagged her finger at me, “It’s too late to change your mind. I’ve already finished with all the physical arrangements. You’ll be rescued in just a few moments. You should be sinking back into sleep right about...” Her voice faded with my consciousness.

“Down here, Mommy,” the voice was that of a young girl, high-pitched and piercing. “This is is where Gilly found it. I think it’s still alive. It could be a Coyn but it’s too small.”

I felt the ground vibrate as Cosm-scaled feet approached. Vegetation crunched as someone settled next to me.

“Halloo?” a woman’s voice inquired, using the standard Mattamesscontan greeting. “I’ve never seen clothes like this. The head covering is strange and that’s a broken leg,” she continued aloud in a clipped accent I didn’t recognize.

I was flat on my back. I tried to raise my head so I could pull the hat off, but my right shoulder and side had other ideas and I ended up whimpering.

“It’s alive,” the woman said. “Lilas, run home, find the village head, and ask that she send for a healer. Then tell her to bring the moving board here. Go. Run, child. And now, for you. Stay still. Let me get this head thing off you.”

I felt her fingers find the knot for the chin strap laces and undo it. Then, she gently tugged it off my head. She pulled down the hood on Ud’s shirt, which I had up to keep my head warm while flying.

“Goodness, you’re just a child,” a concerned middle-age halfhair looked down at me. “Can you speak?”

“Yes,” I barely managed to squeak because my right side hurt when I tried to reply. “Breathing hurts. Maybe broken ribs.”

“If you have a chest injury, I won’t ask you to speak much,” she smiled in a motherly way. “You have a broken leg and a hurt chest on the right side. You certainly hit your head because you have some bruises on your face and forehead. Do you any other injuries?”

“Right shoulder. I don’t know if there’s more because I can’t get up to check,” I whispered with effort. “And I’m feeling cold.”

“I think you’ve been out here all night. There was a terrible storm yesterday. You must have been caught up in it. The village head will be here soon and I’ve asked for a healer. The healer won’t be here right away. She comes from the healer station in Mahradin.”

“Ulexi?” Another woman’s voice called out.”

“Over here, milady,” my halfhair rescuer replied.

I saw an older silverhair stride into my line of sight. She frowned when she saw me.

“That’s quite the broken leg,” the silverhair said in the nasal accent of Mattamesscontess. “She’s a storm casualty. Are there other injuries?”

“She might have broken ribs and she has an injured shoulder. There are bumps and bruises on her face and head. I didn’t check for more than that. I didn’t want to remove the coat because of the ribs.”

“Let’s get her on the board and get her inside,” the silverhair ordered. She put a thick board on the ground that was much longer than I was tall. Then, I felt myself float up and to the side, settling on the board. Then she levitated the board and started walking. The village was only a short walk away from where I had landed after the storm. She walked me into the biggest building on the village green, a two-story wooden structure with a fancy peaked roof.

The silverhair guided the board up some stairs, down a hall, and into a bedroom. Then, she levitated me onto the Cosm-sized bed. Ulexi followed her and put my hat on the side table.

“How are you feeling?” the silverhair asked as she started to undo the buttons of my coat.

“I’m cold and I ache and I feel disconnected,” I managed to say. I was afraid she couldn’t hear me because I was speaking even softer than usual.

“It’s unusual for Coyn to have flying clothes,” the silverhair smiled in a friendly way. “Where are you from and who owns you?”

“I’m from Foskos and I have no owner.”

“What?” She placed her fingers on my left hand and then snatched them away. She made a frightened fish face and her eyes pinned me to the bed, “Ulexi, please leave us for a moment. Go down to the kitchen and get a basin of water and some wash clothes from Cook. And ask Ilstera to find something we can use as a bedpan for a Coyn.”

“Yes, milady,” Ulexi replied and left.

“What are you?” the silverhair asked. “The gods have marked you.”

“Revelator and prophet,” I winced as I spoke because talking was starting to hurt a lot.

“You have the eyes of the cat god,” the silverhair said softly. “You are Emly.”

Hearing my named mangled yet again made me grimace.

“Yes, my name is Emily.” I didn't have the energy to add instructions on how to say my name correctly.

She bowed her head, “I am honored to meet you, Beloved of Vassu. Everyone in our village follows the old gods. We do not know if the healer we requested will be one of us or one of the worshipers of Cragi. When she arrives, please mind what you say in front of her until we know which god she follows.”

“I can do that,” I replied.

“Now, let’s get some of these clothes off,” the silverhair said, “so we’re ready for the healer when she arrives.”

Thus began my short but eventful time with Lady Veronteegan in her village of Pocotoe.