Outcast

“Jey, darling?”

         I hadn’t heard him knock. My father opened my door a crack, and eyed me upon my bed. After a minute to draw his own conclusions, he opened the door a little further. “Are you alright?”

         I didn’t dare look up at him. Instead I glanced at Syenie, my bound guardian. He gave me a remorseful look, and turned to my father as I looked away.

         My father looked worried, and he entered. The door shut gently behind him and he crossed the gleaming white-stone floor to my bed where I sat with a pillow in my lap, hugged up against my chest. He gave me a critical look, then turned to Syenie.

         “She doesn’t look well.” He said.

         Syenie stepped closer, his hooves echoing on the floor. His head rose, and his voice echoed in my head loudly. She is feeling unwell.

         My father nodded. “Indeed. Jey? Darling what’s wrong? The maids say you’ve not left your room the past two days. Did that cretin boy Mett insult our pride?”

         I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Of course, he was concerned with such a small matter. My date with the noblemans son was five days ago. Has it been that long since we’ve spoken?

         “Then what? Come now.”

         I sighed. This was it. I glanced at Syenie. Connected to my mind, he lowered his head a degree. His voice echoed in my thoughts, but quietly this time as he spoke only to me, I am here if you need me.

         He radiated a pure yellow light which absorbed him, shrunk, and took the form of a floating orb. His spectre glided to me, pressing itself into my chest and returning to his own plane. He was still connected to me by thought and sight, but I felt more alone now.

         I took the pillow from my chest, dropped it on the bed, and scooted to the edge, away from my father. “I’ve heard rumors.” I whispered. “So I retreated to my rooms to think on them.”

         The tension rose so quickly I held my breath. “Rumors?” He repeated, feigning ignorance.

         “I have it on good word that the Ambassador for Interplanetary Alliances has been inquiring as to the whereabouts of the bones of one Arakiel the Bleak.” I said quietly. “I’ve been pondering the meaning of such a rumor.”

         After a moment, he laughed nervously. “Rumors are just that, darling, rumors.”

         I nodded. “You’re right.” I almost glanced back at him as I said, “Then what’s a rumor when there’s proof?”

         He cleared his throat, and stood. He came around the corner of the bed slowly, and stopped next to me. He inspected his hands as he said, “Where have you heard these vile things, darling?”

         “They flitter on the wind.” I said wistfully. “And whisper into my ear. But it’s no rumor that the Bone Master has been injured. I visited her yesterday, and she regaled me with the tale of how her arm was broken.”

         “Hm.” He groaned. Then, he shrugged. “Mayhap she made a clever story to douse the Ambassadors good reputation, as she and he never got along well.”

         I stood. “You threatened her.” I whispered hotly. “And when she said no, as any sensible Master would, you kept your word. How noble of you.”

         He turned to face me fully, and pointed at me with a snarl, “Do not accuse me of something you’ve no knowledge of.”

         “Then deny it already.” I said.

         “I did not break the Bone Masters arm.”

         “Vatek.” I called out. “Tell me this is true.”

         He stood still, and I could see the thoughts churning in his head. His guardian didn’t appear, and so I nodded. “How noble.” I said. “You don’t dare let your guardian speak because he can’t lie about what happened.” I shook my head. “Father if this is true, explain it. Help me understand your thinking.”

         He stepped away, tapping a finger against his jaw. After a few circles around the empty space of my room he turned back to me. “The Ysratians refused our latest peace offering. Any negotiations we effort to make are immediately turned down. In the last meeting their representative assured us they were done attempting to compromise and spoke no further. We suspect war is finally at our doorstep.”

         “War?” I whispered. “You told us there was no chance of it.”

         “I told the public that.” He said carefully. “We can’t have people running with their heads out of place. So now I’ve devised a plan to kill off the Ysratian force before they lay a single missle into our system. This isn’t just about our country anymore, they’d destroy the whole world. I’d be saving millions of lives if that foolish Bone Master would cooperate with me.”

         I shook my head. “Your thoughts are wrong, father. Arakiel will do no humans bidding. He is a twisted and blackened heart that seeks only suffering among his peers. There’s no possible way such a bond could be completed. I refuse to believe it.”

         “Then you’re foolish as the Bone Master.” He said plainly. “Arakiel has assured me he’ll take the bond if I can retrieve his bone.”

         I covered my mouth in surprise. For a while, I had no words. Bonding with a Divine required a certain level of compatibility, similarity. To bond with such a dark soul meant the human half must also have darkness in it. To add to it the fact that my father had somehow contacted the Divine and discussed such plans with it was equally appalling.

         “How…?” I couldn’t think clearly enough to finish the sentence.

         “Vatek has acted as our medium. When he is recessed, he is able to travel to Arakiels territory and speak with him. Returning to our world through my summons, he relays the message.”

         I touched my chest, feeling Syenie’s bone half-exposed through my skin. When his essence was within the bone, it was also within the realm of the Divines, a separate plane from our world and galaxies. Speaking with unbound divines was done through this method, but only rarely.

         I held up a hand. “Either way, you can’t possibly think that, even if you did bond with Arakiel and he did do as you asked, you can’t possibly think the Ysratians wouldn’t launch a retaliation.”

         “Let them.” He said dismissively. “If they try to get near enough to do damage, we will stop them in their tracks.”

         “You’re crazy. That’s not going to work—there’s no way for you to get Arakiel close enough to—“

         He interrupted, “I don’t expect you to understand the delicacies of war. Leave it to me.” He smiled warmly, and turned to leave. He’d gotten halfway to the door.

         “No.” I said. He turned around and gave me a disappointed look. “No I’m not just going to leave it to you.”

         He started to walk closer. Sensing an argument, Syenie’s orb appeared and hovered overhead, emitting a peaceful natural light in effort to calm us down. Most of the time, it worked. My father stopped walking, and pointed at me. “I’ll have your word,” He said threateningly, “To keep this to yourself.”

         I blinked a few times, then shook my head. “No. This isn’t something I can remain idle about. If the Empire doesn’t know of your—“

         I’d continued talking, somewhat distracted, even as water started to bubble at my feet. After a moment it surged forward, dousing me wet and filling my mouth as I spoke. I coughed it out, flailing, trying to get away from the water. It circled around me—a bubble of clean, clear water, drowning me and holding me captive. I tried to step forward, and it followed.

         My father came to me, and touched the bubble with his hand. The water obeyed, receding as he pressed against it. As I struggled for air his fingers touched my face, the palm of his hand resting across my throat and nose and holding the water at bay. I inhaled greedily, out of breath. He pulled the hand away and the water stayed.

         “I disown you.” I said. “You’re no kin of mine.”

         He nodded with a small shrug. “Seconded.” Then he pointed to the ceiling. “Recall your divine. You’ll need him where you’re going.”

         Syenie rushed to me, filling me with a warmth that I held on to as the water chilled me to the core.



 
Gas sprayed into my nose, and I coughed it away.

         My hand automatically flapped in front of my face, blowing the noxious stuff away. There was a quick beep, and the two doors in front of me opened. The gas filtered out, leaving me to blink wearily at the bright white interior.

         I took a few moments to catch my breath, then looked down at myself. I fumbled with the clasps at my chest, unlocking both as well as the leg straps which held me above the floor. After those were disconnected I dropped to the ground and nearly fell, bracing myself against the padded side of the container. I stepped out, and glanced at the pods display screen.

         Landing successful. Emergency battery has been activated.

         2:34:06 Battery life remaining

         I watched as the seconds ticked away to thirty three minutes, then went to the door and pressed the eject button. The air intake hissed, and it slid away to reveal a world more beautiful than the ones depicted in the Interstellar History book I’d studied. Greens, reds, even blue hues of plants and trees spread in front of me and covered the sky from view. I stepped out of the pod, and coughed. The air was thick.

         Syenie’s orb of light lifted from my chest and hovered in front of me, lighting the area a little. This isn’t familiar to me. He said.

         I shook my head. “Me neither. But it’s hard to tell where we are if we’re only seeing a fraction of it. We should look around.”

         I disagree. He said, coming a little closer. We’re in unfamiliar territory. Wherever this is, Geran sent us here for a reason. I daresay he knows enough about the neighboring planets to choose the perfect prison for you. There are dense forests on Chemma 2-8, are there not?

         I sighed. Chemma 2-8 was a planet in the next-over galaxy from home with a strange indigenous race of beasts which most of the local wildlife fled from in fear. They were slow, but had toxic skin and a powerful bite.

         I’ll look above and try to see where we are.

         I nodded. “Alright. I’ll stay inside.”

         His orb floated up, through the trees and out of sight. I stepped back, sitting on the floor in the pod with my knees to my chest. Idly, I felt the fabric of the suit I wore. It was a navy blue, stretching material which held optimal temperature. There were no shoes, the fabric went all the way around the feet like footed pajamas. The sleeves went to the palms, but left the fingers open. And since it stretched up to the top of the neck, Syenie was unable to see out his bone at my chest and keep an eye on what was ahead of me.  He didn’t realize until I did that I had a visitor. I’d been sitting with my forehead on my knees, contemplating how my father was so good at hiding his idiocy. All those years, and I never suspected he would be so brash. He’d always taken his job as Ambassador for Interplanetary Alliances very seriously and worked hard to keep relations with the Ysratians peaceful. The bugs had no vocal language and it was my father who helped gather a team of Linguists to interpret their wild sign-language so we could communicate. He’d always seemed so smart and so powerful, to me. I’d looked up to him. Now I had no reason to. I felt sick to my stomach.

         “Are you alright?”

         I shook my head.

         It wasn’t until I heard heavy footsteps enter the pod that I realized the voice wasn’t mine. So wrapped in my thoughts, I didn’t really hear it, just processed it. A frightening idea since, as I looked up, it was a male who was headed toward me.

         Eyes wide, I stood and took a balanced fighting stance.

         He held up his hands. “Are you hurt?” He asked. His voice was deep, rough, but he sounded genuinely concerned.

         “Who are you?”

         He narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?” He asked. “Not one of the Plainsmen, it seems.”

         “Plain?”

         “Terret’s group?”

         I relaxed out of the stance, and shook my head. “Where am I?”

         He nodded. “You’re lost.”

         “Very. This isn’t Chemma 2-8, is it?”

         He gave me a confused look, and I noticed Syenie’s light behind him. I motioned to it and said, “Me and my Divine were sent here without our knowledge. We have no idea what region we’re in.”

         He glanced behind his shoulder, and quick as a flash loosed a dagger that passed straight through Syenie’s orb. His fingers found another as Syenie lowered himself toward the ground, but I stepped forward to grab his arm. “Stop!” I shouted angrily.

         Calm yourself, I am no threat.

         He stepped back, into the pod, and pushed me along with him. “That’s my guardian you fool!” I pushed his arm away from the door, hoping he’d drop the dagger. He held a firm grip, though, and looked from Syenie to me. “The light is yours?”

         Syenie expanded, the orb taking the shape of a large draft horse, then solidifying into his normal, physical form. The man stared, flipping the dagger around to hold it differently.

         Be still, Syenie repeated. I am not a threat to you. Me and my partner are lost. Can you tell us where we are? We have to get to the nearest Star Station as quickly as possible.

         He was blinking and sweating, and I stepped in front of him. “Have you never seen a Divine?”

         He shook his head. “I nor my family.” He glanced at me. “There is a voice in my head. It sounds like my own but the thoughts aren’t mine. It’s this beast?”

         “He’s not a beast.” I said defensively.

         Syenie lifted his head, letting out a gentle, soothing whale song. These words are mine, forgive me. I am Syenie of the Pacifying Light. A Divine of gentle nature, I mean you no harm. Though your fear is understandable, the blade is unnecessary.

         “Where’s the nearest Star Station?” I asked the man. He glanced at me, and tentatively sheathed the dagger.

         “What is it?” He asked.

         “A…Star Station?” He nodded. “Well it’s a building where they launch shuttles to different planets. Big metal building, usually in the capital cities.”

         He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

         I nodded. “Very well. The nearest city, then?”

         “I don’t know.” He said. He crossed his arms. “You’re strange. You use strange words. What is a city?”

         I blinked a few times, then turned to Syenie. “Any ideas where we are?”

         Unfortunately no. These woods spread far. To one direction there is a cliff, another, a mountain range. Another yet, a wide green plain with a thick river through it.

         I tried to think of what habitable planet had such landmarks, but couldn’t. After a minute of frustration, I sighed. “What’s your name?”

         “Kyu.” He said. “You?”

         “Jey. Listen, can you take us to where you live? Maybe we can ask someone there about the Star Station.”

         “Your name is Jey?” He asked.

         I nodded, excited. “Yes. Do you know of me? Os Jey Rho Nicissi is my name, I am the daughter of…Geran, Ambassador for Interplanetary Alliances.”

         He blinked, then shook his head once. “No. Jei is a fruit that grows here in the cold times. It’s a rare and sweet fruit.”

         “Oh.” I said, disheartened. “Well. Can you show us the way back? We should find shelter before night comes in.”

         “What is ‘night’?” He asked.

         “Night.” I repeated, thinking he misheard me.

         “Yes. What is it?”

         I hesitated. “Nighttime? Darkness?”

         Kyu shook his head. “It won’t get dark.”

         “Is it still morning then? Good.”

         “Morning?” He asked, confused. “You speak so strangely. Where are you from?”

         We can discuss these things in a safer location, after a full stomach and some water. We’ve been asleep for hours.

         Kyu nodded. “Fine then. Follow me closely.”

         He stepped warily around Syenie, who was ducking to keep his wide antlers out of a tree’s draping vines. He stopped after a few steps to stare at him, then said, “For something claiming to be of gentle nature, you look rather dangerous.”

         I can be, if needed, Syenie admitted, but I am not good at harming other beings. I can disappear, if you would be more comfortable with me gone?

         Kyu kept his eyes narrowed. “I would.”

         Syenie turned to me, retreated to his orb, and absorbed himself into my chest. Kyu gave me an odd look, and put the palm of his hand on the end of his dagger. “I will not bring a threat to my family’s home.”

         I nodded. “Understandable. Lean on.” He continued walking, slowly, and I decided not to tell him that while Syenie was gone, I could easily call upon him whenever I wanted.

         Kyu took slow and precise steps. There was the faintest of trails he seemed to be following, looking carefully at the ground and trees before taking a few steps. He was constantly vigilant, constantly turning his head side to side and occasionally glancing into the canopy, as well. I followed behind, nervous. Why was he taking such a precaution? I wanted to ask, but feared I’d be making too much noise if I spoke. He moved as though there were monsters around every tree.

         At one point, he stopped walking and in one motion he crouched and withdrew the dagger. He took only a short second to aim, then loosed it. Even as it flew through the air, he chased after it. The dagger struck a flowering plant as it grew on a tree, and it started to shrivel as though in pain. He neared, drew a sword, and sliced it in half. He grabbed the dagger, ripped it from the tree, and took a few steps away, pushing me back with an outstretched arm.

         The plant's wide leaves folded in over the bright pink petals, closing itself. A section started to fall away from the side of the tree, but the rest held on tightly. Kyu kept his arm up, barring me, staring at the plant.

         After a few seconds I said quietly, “It was pretty.”

         He stayed still, and whispered, “It was poisonous.” After a few more seconds he slowly lowered his arm and took a few tentative steps toward it. “Never seen one before?”

         I shook my head, and he shrugged. “How fortunate of you.”

         He continued down his path, and I glanced at the flower all wilted, withered and withdrawn. It was indeed nearly the size of my head when it was bloomed but that only made me impressed, not frightened.

         I followed behind him for nearly thirty minutes before the forest abruptly stopped at a large stone cliff with a rough, uneven face. He turned left, and we walked along the rock face. Ten more minutes, and he vanished. I’d been looking into the forest at the wild colored plants and when I looked ahead, he was gone. I froze where I stood, looking ahead. I took a few more steps and shouted his name as quietly as I could, and as loudly as I dared.

         His head poked out of the stone wall and made me jump away with surprise. His eyes were narrowed at me, like he was frustrated I’d fallen behind. I came closer, and found a well-hidden tunnel among the crags and hanging stone along the rocks. It was just wide enough for me to fit through, Syenie’s body wouldn’t have made it.

         The tunnel was long, nearly two full minute’s walk, and at the end of it was a large empty room with a single torch stuck into the wall. I was about to illuminate the room so I could see better, but decided against it. Not only would it likely startle Kyu, who didn’t even know Divines had power over elements, nonetheless their human counterparts. And even though we were inside the tunnel, I didn’t know where we were. Perhaps this was more dangerous than the forest, the monsters here would be attracted to light?

         Besides, I could still see. Somewhat.

         He went to a darker corner of the room, which held a staircase. They were part of the stone, just cut away and shaped like stairs. There were nearly ten before a flat section, which we turned around in and went up the next set. And again, and again, and again. By the fifth, I was out of breath.

         “Can we stop for a moment?” I asked, pausing on my step.

         He looked back. “You’re tired?” He asked.

         I nodded. “I’m getting winded. Are we almost there?”

         “No. Twenty more.”          

         “Twen…?” I sighed. “Syenie, can you carry me?”

         His orb appeared, going behind me as there wasn’t space between the two of us. He materialized, his head low. Possibly. He replied.

         I went to him, pulling myself onto his back and crouching down. The ceiling was low. Kyu stared at us long enough I thought he was going to tell me to get rid of Syenie again, but turned around and continued up the stairs.

         Syenie’s hooves just barely fit on the steps, and his antlers only fit if he kept his head lower than his shoulders. But he was stronger than I was, and the twenty flights were easier for him. I’d lost count, but near the end of our ascention Kyu stopped.

         “We’re here. Send him away, quickly.” He said in a hushed tone.

         Syenie retreated, and I landed somewhat gracefully on the ground. Once his orb was completely gone, Kyu went up the final flight.

         I balked at the view, then shut my jaw as a group of three young kids stared at me from a distance. The area was huge, as long as two train cars and as wide as two or three, even. To the left was a half-wall of stone, which overlooked the forest we’d come from. We were just over the tops of the trees, and the view was magnificent.

         I walked faster to rejoin Kyu at one of the many doors to our right. It was open already, and he was waiting for me. I said a quick apology as I stepped in.

         It was hardly the size of my closet. Enough room for a bed which only had enough room for one person, a small wooden table with a chair, and a pair of shelves on the wall next to the door, across the bed.

         He stepped in behind me, and closed the door halfway. The light from outside waned, and I blinked uncomfortable. I’d been spoiled with Syenie, always in the light. I held up my hand and made a small orb in my palm, enough to relight the room from what the door shut out.

         Kyu eyed the orb suspiciously, and shut the door the rest of the way. “Now, we talk.” He said. “There are many things you said earlier which I have no knowledge of. I ask you questions about them, you answer.”

         Since it wasn’t a question, I only nodded. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. “I was walking through the forest, scouting, when I saw something fall from the sky. I followed the trail of smoke to where I found you. What was the round thing you were hiding in?”

         “It’s called a pod. It’s a small vessel that transports a person to another planet using an autopiloting system, so there’s no need for someone to come along just to direct it.”

         “You said we needed to find shelter. Something was coming to get you.”

         I thought back. “I never said that.”

         He nodded. “You said we needed to get to shelter soon before it fell on us. Are you being hunted by something?”

         “Oh.” I said, remembering. “Night.”

         “Yes, that. What is it?”

         “Night is when you sleep. The sun goes away and it gets dark so you sleep and when you wake up the sun is back again. What do you call that here?”

         “The cold season.” He said. “But we don’t sleep until the sun comes back. We sleep when we are tired, sun or no sun.”

         “You just sleep whenever?” I asked.

         “When we get tired. We eat when we are hungry. We pee when we need to. Our bodies tell us what to do and we listen. The sun tells us nothing.”

         “Well it tells you what time of day it is.”

         “Time?”

         I shook my head. Where was I that this man had no clue about such simple matters? “Like noon, or two o’clock, or midnight?”

         “We don’t have those.”

         I was baffled. How do you not keep track of time? “Then how do you tell time?”

         “There’s no need to tell time.” He said, sounding frustrated. “What purpose do you use it for?”

         “Like I wake up at eight o’clock, eat breakfast at nine, have my tutoring at twelve. If I need to meet with someone to talk, I tell them to meet me at, say, three o’clock or in four hours. How do you arrange meetings with people without time?”

         He shrugged. “You send a runner to tell the person you would like to meet. They come to you, you talk.”

         Syenie’s orb came, and hovered by the ceiling. I dismissed my little orb, since his was brighter anyway. I can help explain.

         “Thank you.” I said with relief.

         Kyu, He said, As I am a divine being I also have a divine way of communicating. The words I speak are not truly words. I know all languages in the sense that I know the meanings of each word used in each language. When I speak, I don’t use vocals and sounds, but am able to convey meaning and emotion. I radiate a specific energy, and your mind interprets it in the way that makes most sense to you.

         He took a half step forward. “I am confused.”

         “Give us an example.” I said eagerly. I loved hearing how others interpreted Syenie’s words.

         After a moment of thought, he said, I am bound to Jey.

         I nodded. “So just there, I heard him say ‘I am bound to Jey’. What did you hear?”

         “He said you were his human reflection.”

         I gestured to him. “Essentially these are the same thing, but explained in the way that makes the most sense to us, individually.”

         Kyu nodded. “Interesting.”

         As I was saying, based on the information I’ve gotten from Kyu’s speech, it seems their sun never goes away.

         “It does, eventually.” Kyu corrected. “We are about halfway through the warm season. In about a pregnancy the colds will be here, and the sun goes away.”

         Where we are from, the sun is out for twenty hours, or less, given what time of year it is. The world shifts from night to day in such frequency it is used to keep track of time on a larger scale. Human bodies are also so adapted to it that being in darkness makes them tired, and being in the sun livens them up. They are dependent on the cycle.

         Kyu shook his head. “It’s not like that here.”

         Jey, it seems this planet goes through about three hundred days of sunlight, followed by another three hundred days of darkness. These two times also seem to simulate summer and winter, with brief changing periods of spring and autumn in between.

         “Where in the universe are we? This is such an erratic schedule.” I said.

         “Explain where you came from. How did you get in the sky?” Kyu asked.

         “Well that’s where I’m from. You know at night, or…in the cold times, when you look at the sky there are little white spots?”

         “The stars.”

         “Yes. Those stars are host to other planets, like this one, where people live. They are very, very far away. They have their own suns and systems of time, though it’s not usually so drastic as this one. I came from one of those, named Dar’Bouj. Something happened, and I was put into that pod and sent here. Though I don’t know where here is.”

         “The pod flies?”

         “A little. Mostly it floats.”

         Kyu pointed up. “Explain him.”

         “Syenie?” I clarified. He nodded. “Well, since I’m a noblemans daughter I was given a divine as my guardian when I turned eight. They are celestial beings, kind of, that exist on a different plane than ours, but the two intersect at some small point and they are able to cross it using bones.” I felt my chest, but the prison suit covered Syenie’s bone. “They give one of their bones to a human and…use it to appear.”

         Well answered, for one who knows little of the process. Syenie said. The souls are a part of our essence, just as blood is part of yours. The bone of a divine is placed on the blood of a human and as our essenses touch the divine is able to read that human. If they are a match, the divine takes up a bond and seals his bone into their body. He can then use that bone to step between the two worlds.

         Kyu nodded along as he spoke.

         In addition, each divine has control over a specific element of nature. You recall my name?

         He shook his head. “Not exactly.”

         Syenie didn’t seem offended. I am Syenie, of the Pacifying Light. As you could discern, I control light in all its aspects. To demonstrate, he illuminated then dimmed the room, and even made it glow with a faint green color. Then, he returned it to normal. I can make hot light, light of any color, light of any strength. And because my essence is connected to Jey’s, so can she.

         Kyu looked over to me. “You control these powers, as well?”

         “To an extent.” I said. “It takes a lot of practice. I know a few useful things.”

         “So if you were bound to me, I could control the light?” Kyu asked.

         If you trained hard enough. But being bound is no simple thing. We divines value balance, over all. We bind only with those compatible with us, who share similarities. But in addition we bind with those that require what we have to offer, in order to stay balanced. A human who takes many risks may be paired with a cautious divine, that at the best of moments a proper decision can be made.

         “Sounds like there’s a lot of arguing.” Kyu noted.

         “Divines are given only to noble figures, as a guide. Generally their advice is taken even over our own. They live for hundreds of thousands of years and have collected such a wisdom we cannot hope to ever attain. They are here to guide us, only a fool would dismiss their wisdom or argue with their thoughts.”

         Kyu nodded. Then nodded again, and spoke. “I have heard enough. You can stay here for now.”

         Syenie laughed quietly. You were going to kill us if you didn’t believe our story?

         He nodded again. “I would have tried. This world is dangerous. I can’t let those dangers close to my family.”

         “I understand.” I said honestly. “But we aren’t fighters, anyway. Even if we were ill-natured.”

         Kyu opened the door. “You will stay here.” He commanded.

         “Well, wait,” I said, getting of the bed as he started to leave. “Shouldn’t I, ah, get permission first?”

         Kyu blinked. “I just gave it to you.”

         “Do you have the authority to do that? I mean, I apologize, I didn’t mean to infringe on your pride, I just want to be sure that whoever is in charge here both knows and is okay with my presence. I should inform them.”

         “Them?”

         “Your leader and their spouse.”

         He turned toward me more, confused. “Spouse?”

         “His wife? Her husband?”

         He smiled, understanding. “Those are old words. We haven’t used such names since before my grandfather lived. There is no need for such trivial ceremonies here.”

         I nodded. “Ah. I see…Well I would still like to speak with whoever is in charge to let them know I’m here.”

         “He is tired and wishes to return to his quarters to think, if you’ll let him.” He said, giving me an exasperated look.

         I shook my head, feeling foolish, and stepped away. “You could have just said that rather than let me ramble. I apologize.”

         He nodded. “I will call on you later. A runner, likely a girl Mirn, will come to fetch you.”

         “Thanks.” I said, feeling deflated. He stepped out of the room, leaving the door open.

         I sank onto the bed and held my face in my hands. “Syenie, did you know he was the leader?”

         He gave me no inclination, else I would have suggested it to you. His messages were more fatherly.

         “I thought so too, he kept saying ‘family’ not…’people’ or something. I feel so stupid.”

         Don’t. There is no need. He didn’t give us the information and it was hard to glean on our own.

         I sighed. “I guess.”

         Reading my thoughts, Syenie dimmed the room to nearly black. Sleep well. He bade me.
 




A quiet knock stirred me.

         Syenie slowly brightened the room and I rolled over to find a young girl, about ten, in the doorway. “There’s a meeting in the tenth floors hall.” She said.

          “The hall?” I croaked.

         She’d been about to step away, but stopped. “Yeah, the…” She pointed out the door.

         “Oh.” I said, nodding. She skipped away, and I heard her feet pound softly against the stone floor as she ran off.

         I sat up, and stretched. “That was very unsatisfying.”

         You slept hardly an hour, though you were laying for two.

         I stood, and left the room. He followed behind me, counting the steps as I went down them. Going down was easier than going up, thankfully. Syenie alerted me when I’d reached the tenth floor, by his count, and I stepped into the hall tentatively. There was already a crowd of people, nearly twenty, gathered around in the open space. I found a spot against the wall, away from most of the people, and waited. They eyed me carefully, some more obviously than others, and spoke in softer tones after I’d arrived. I felt out of place in my one-piece navy suit while they stood in animal skins and leathers. It was a sea of brown with one blue speck, a speck everyone was pretending to not notice.

         The running girl arrived, followed by Kyu. He sat precariously yet confidently on the half-wall. “Let’s have quiet.” He said. The talking drifted to a stop. “Slender slugs have gotten into our vegetable reserves and ruined nearly half. There’s enough time in the season to make a run for more, from the farther harvesting region, and make it back before the winds get here. Let hear it.”

         After a few seconds of quiet, the talking started up again. The people turned in toward each other, talking and debating and at some times shouting. Kyu responded to what he heard and understood, and even the little running girl pointed her finger at an adult and shouted her opinion at him. I stood in the corner, watching the chaos.

         “Well regardless,” Kyu shouted over the bantering, “Something has to be done. Pesh, we can’t rely on our stocks as they are. We’ll be half-starved halfway through the cold seasons, even if we shortened rations, and that’ll just make us weary and weak by the time light returns. Bou I know there are no harvesters left, but someone has to go and get more. There’s no way to contact them and ask them to stay out longer, and who knows if they’ll bring back a shorter crop than normal. We can’t rely on our meats, there’s no guarantee the hunters will be successful, either.”

         There was more shouting. At one point, a man was pushed by a woman half his size. I watched, wondering whether Syenie’s pacifying light could calm this. Kyu sat by, seeming perfectly at peace with the way the debate was going.

         He pointed at someone in the group. “I agree. We send a small group of the most qualified to bring back the Calla plants. Any objections?”

         “There are too few abled bodies left.” A woman said. The man next to her nodded.

         “But there are some, aren’t there?” Kyu said. “That’s why we’re going with a small group. Myself and Vari will be attending.”

         There were a few gasps, and protests, but Kyu held up his arms. He slid off the half wall. “We will send Mirn for those we’ve selected, and we’ll meet at the base floor within a bread baking. Return to your rooms for now.”

         Slowly, they migrated away. I approached Kyu and he glanced at me. “What’s a bread baking?” I asked.

         He raised an eyebrow. “How long it takes to bake a loaf of bread.”

         “Oh.” I said. So this was their way of telling time. A thought occurred to me, and I mused it aloud. “I don’t think I’ve ever baked bread before.”

         The husky woman next to him laughed at me. “What a precious life you’ve lived, never to have made your own bread.”

         Kyu turned to her. “And when was last you made a craft in the kitchens?”

         She scoffed. “It’s not my place. I’m needed elsewhere.”

         “Speaking of which, she comes with us.” Kyu said, gesturing to me.

         Both of us balked. “We don’t know her.” She said plainly.

         “Vari, this is Jey.” He said. “Jey, this is Vari.”

         Vari glared at him. “She isn’t safe.”

         Kyu shrugged. “I suppose we’ll find out. Pick your five.”

         She pointed at me, while keeping her eyes locked on him. “Me and my men will not risk our own lives to save hers.”

         “No one is asking you to.” Kyu said. “It’ll be her own fault if she dies.”

         I looked at him with disbelief—how heartless!

         Vari sighed. “Madesh, of course. Morra. Atek. Quin. Velan.”

         Kyu looked down to the young girl who’d woke me up. She nodded. “Madesh, Morra, Atek, Quin, Velan.”

         He nodded. “Go.”

         She turned heel and took off running toward the stairs.

         “I’ll make my preparations.” Vari said, turning away and heading to the stairs as well.

         “I fear you’re making a mistake,” I said before he can leave. “I lived a precious life, as she said. I’m no hunter.”

         “We aren’t going to hunt, we’re going to gather safe plants to eat.” He said.

         “She said something about not risking her life to save mine. What’s so dangerous? Why is she so afraid?”

         He laughed. “Vari isn’t afraid of the dangers.”

         “What dangers?”

         He gestured behind him, to the trees. “All of them. The plants and beasts alike. She knows them well, how to avoid toxic plants and how to fight powerful beasts. She knows this and is unafraid of them. If the group gets lost, or we don’t make it back in time for season change, you and your divine will be an incredibly valuable asset. We have to take you along, as a safeguard against worst case scenario”

         I sighed.

         “In any case, it will be a comfort to the group. Be useful but stay out of the way.”

         “I’ll try.”

         He shrugged. “You’re off to a poor start.”

         I stayed quiet as he stepped away.
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