Campaign Log: Confessions of a Forked Tongue

[coronatiger]

Food would be more expensive in Sam, so Yana and I decided that it would be wiser to stock up for the journey into the desert as we passed the villages on the road south. Keri hadn’t said exactly where we would meet Pak and Groman, but it had to be somewhere between Sam and Ur. I assumed that they had traveled together from Guling, and that Keri had rushed ahead to meet us.

As evening approached, Keri asked how we thought to spend the night. I asked if an inn was acceptable to Wolfram. He wasn’t too keen on the idea, but he agreed. I would assuredly take a peek inside before letting Wolfram into the inn; if there were too many people there, he was likely to panic and demolish the entire village.

At the next village, Yana and I went ahead to check out the inn. There were only three other patrons in the common room, traders, I thought. They seemed content to keep to themselves, so I sent Yana to give the all-clear signal to Wolfram while I talked to the innkeeper. I rented five rooms for our party. I wanted privacy, and I thought the others would like it too.

Keri and Grogg sat down to drink. Hylda joined them, as did Wolfram, after a glance at the traders. They had made no attempt to strike up conversation with Yana and me when we arrived, so I didn’t think they’d bother Wolfram. I wished everyone a good night and took Yana upstairs.

I asked Yana if she minded if I finished replenishing my venom, warning her that it would take several hours. “I can get some sewing done,” Yana replied, so I went to my knees in the corner. Yana was so beautiful that I had to turn my back on her or be distracted. Yana felt the same way about me; she kissed my cheek and draped my cloak over my head before she went to sit on the bed.

Yana had a wide grin for me when I stood up, a little after midnight. Her sewing was packed away, and I didn’t know how long she had been ogling my cloak. Yana looked expectantly at me, and a wave of heat rushed through my body. I yearned to throw myself at her, to peel off her dress and unwrap her chocolate velvet skin, but I couldn’t fight back the yawn that forced itself out. Yana’s desire vanished, turning to concern. That thoroughly ruined my mood, and I agreed when Yana suggested that we went to sleep. We just had to brush our teeth, first.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.


7th of Tityra, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

I was just asking Yana if she wanted to go down for breakfast when Keri started banging on doors to gather us all for the morning meal. One of the traders was already there when we got down to the common room, possibly wakened by all the noise; the other two joined him after a while.

Yana was nearly bubbling over. I felt there was something she was dying to share, but also that this was not the time or place. I was quite certain she had accomplished something, either while I was meditating last night, or after I fell asleep. There was still a sliver of exhaustion, deep inside my core, so I wasn’t sure I would wake if she slipped out of bed to take care of whatever it was. When Xipil looked at Yana, he appeared to reflect her emotions. Were they in cahoots, planning some nice surprise for me?

We continued towards Sam. On the road, Xipil showed me the Moon Shadows’ medicine kit, which he had liberated from their room. Besides equipment and expendables for first aid, there were eight small vials. Four were empty, but one hadn’t been cleaned yet, and I realized it had held the nerve toxin that Grogg and Wolfram had endured. There were two more vials of the same poison. One vial had some intoxicating poison. I was unsure about the last vial. It might not be a poison. Maybe I could discern more with a more thorough analysis than was possible while walking. I asked Xipil if it was all right if I took care of the vials. I was the most competent of us to handle such dangerous substances, and not only because of Your gift of resistance.

The fog was nowhere near as thick as it had been the first days. Keri thought it odd that the fog had come so early, and he wondered if we would have a hard and early winter this year. I couldn’t remember the fog ever coming so far south.

Xipil asked Grogg how the winter clothes were coming along. Grogg admitted he had forgotten all about them, what with everything that had happened. Yana offered to help, but Grogg was too proud to accept. Since Grogg only had promised to make clothes for the lizard man, I suggested that Yana sewed for the two of us. I had warmer clothes in storage in Sam than I was currently wearing, but nothing I owned was made for trekking into the mountains in winter. Yana seemed lost in thought, but she muttered that it should be easy. I know I wouldn’t be able to make any clothes, but winter clothes were apparently not so complicated. I still hoped Yana would take my measurements again.

When Xipil showed what else he had found in the Moon Shadows’ room, three small clay horses, one of which he said contained a spirit, Yana took me aside. “Those are just like my broken heirloom,” she whispered unsteadily. “When my mother gave it to me, I got an impression that it would watch over me,” she continued. I took Yana’s hands in mine. “I don’t think this is something the others need to know, so you can tell them about it or not, as you wish.” Yana looked me in the eyes and nodded gratefully, but she chose to explain to our friends anyway.

Xipil speculated whether the Moon Shadows’ spirits had been transferred into their horses via the clay statues. Yana shivered and I took her to the side so she wouldn’t have to listen to the others discuss it. She was clearly frightened. She confided that she didn’t like the idea that she might have been a Moon Shadow herself. If having an identical horse made her a Moon Shadow, I assured her she wasn’t one now. Yana was thankful for that. Had she been a Moon Shadow, she might have had to hunt me.

When we joined our friends, they had brought out our map, and Keri was showing where Pak and Groman were. They were in the great southern desert, outside Arland’s borders, and not north of Sam at all. Xipil explained where the ancient city was, pointing at the eastern mountains. Keri thought this was an old dwarven city. According to the legends, the city had fallen into the underworld. Xipil mentioned that he thought Korro and Nillet had gone there, and he wondered if those who sent them there had gone as well. I asked if he meant Darvan, but Xipil added Gritt as well. I didn’t discount the possibility.

Keri asked Yana if she was familiar with camels, for he thought we had need of them crossing the desert. She shook her head. Keri suggested hiring camel handlers; he knew a place where we might find some. Wolfram and Xipil started to discuss teleporting to where we needed to go, but that was shut down quickly. We didn’t know how the teleportation circle worked, nor did we have a power source strong enough to fuel it, now that Darvan’s crystal was depleted.

[coronatiger]

7th of Tityra, year 412 (continued)

Since Xipil had seen spirit traces on one of the clay statuettes he had taken from the Moon Shadows, Wolfram was eager to “deal with them”. I saw no reason to delay, but Wolfram and Xipil preferred waiting for nightfall. They draw power from the moon and the stars, respectively, so the precautionary spells they would cast before we destroyed the horse-shaped figurines would be less effective if produced in the middle of the day.

We met quite a few people on our way south, but not many long-distance travelers. It struck me as odd, for our route followed the main road between Sam and Byblos, and with the icy fog on the river, I would have thought most travelers opted for land travel rather than going up or down the Ar on a boat. If something was hindering travel on the road, it was certainly not heavy tolls; we hadn’t seen a single checkpoint since Nulius dropped us off.

One group of travelers stood out from the rest. This was a company of eight dwarves with a horse-drawn cart. Even at a distance, I could tell they were mercenaries. They moved like soldiers, but they wore no uniforms. Keri clearly didn’t want to be identified; he pulled his hood down to obscure his face and hid behind his horse. Yana and I drifted in front of him, to further block him from view. I studied the dwarves as they passed us, and they all wore disgruntled frowns. I guessed they had gone south to enlist in the Aldera army, but for some reason were turned away.

The next time we sat down for a rest, Yana looked pensive, and she was so distracted by her thoughts, I had to prompt her to lean her head on my shoulder. I assumed the incident with the dwarves had sparked some memory, and I was terribly curious what it might be, but I have more self-control and patience than Xipil, so I didn’t pry. If it was something to do with Keri, Yana wouldn’t be pleased with me for bringing it up where he might overhear.

When we started walking again, Yana held me back so we could speak privately. What she asked was not what I expected, but a most welcome topic, and I loved Yana for sharing my interest. “How do you know Ashtar has spoken to you?” she asked. “What do you mean?” I responded. “Isn’t Her voice, that soft hiss that is nearly inaudible, yet loud enough that it feels like your skull is going to break open, good enough evidence that She has spoken?” Yana frowned at me, her eyes darting to my hands, obviously searching for the sign that would tell her I wasn’t telling the truth.

“Does She really speak to you like that?” Yana’s voice held a slight tremor. I felt sorry for her; she had clearly never experienced that bliss. “It isn’t always like that,” I explained. “Oftentimes, when I pray on a choice I must make, I just get a feeling that one of the options is the right one. It’s a skill, that, to separate your natural inclination from what Ashtar is telling you. You’ll come to master it with time, I’m sure. Of course, there are times when Ashtar remains silent. Then you have to decide if it is because you failed to establish the connection, or if She knows that you’re going to make the right choice even without Her nudging. Being on holy ground helps with the connection, as does touching the soil and having snakes join you in the prayer.”

Yana considered what I had told her. “So, when we prayed on whether you should go back to deal with the Moon Shadows, do you think it was Ashtar who gave me the feeling that no matter what direction you took, there would be violence?” “It’s possible, and at the time, I absolutely felt it was Ashtar’s way of speaking through you, but ultimately you have to decide for yourself. I can read you pretty well, but only you know the exact truth about your feelings. It was certainly a big contribution to my decision that day. I try to find non-violent solutions to our problems, but that time, it seemed I had no choice. If we didn’t attack the Moon Shadows, we might find ourselves in an ambush, and I’d much rather have the fight on my terms.”

As they day wore on, Wolfram suggested finding a field where we could make camp. At first, I thought he just didn’t want to enter a crowded inn, but he reminded me that we were going to take care of the horse statuettes. Since that might include some flashy magic and runaway spirits, I completely agreed that we should do it away from people.

When the sun began to near the horizon, we took off from the road and walked a couple of kilometers east, where we found a suitably secluded location. Wolfram and Xipil erected the totem pole and drew magic symbols on the ground around it while the rest of us put up our tents and prepared a small fire.

Wolfram informed Keri what we were planning to do. It is very important for him that nobody does magic without taking due care to those around them. I sat down with Yana when our chores were done and only listened to the explanation with half an ear; I had heard it all before.

Xipil retrieved one of the magic staffs from the cart when the symbol drawing was done. It allowed him to see the spirit world, but the experience was still overwhelming to him, for he moved a little sluggishly, and he seemed less sharp-minded than usual. He began discussing the proceedings with Wolfram, as if it was no longer perfectly clear what we should do. Yana’s description of what she wanted to do to my hair was much more interesting. If Xipil and Wolfram decided to change our plans, I was sure they’d make the changes known to everyone. Wolfram, at least, would never assume that the rest of us instinctively knew what was going to happen, not when magic was involved.

Xipil gave the spirit-seeing ring to Wolfram since he didn’t need it himself when he had the staff. When the lizard-man stepped away from Wolfram and the totem pole, he chose to sit down a bit away from Yana and me. Even with his mind dulled by the staff, Xipil recognized our desire to remain apart. We all watched as Wolfram readied himself.

I recognized when Wolfram started casting his spells. I gave Yana a pat on the hand and stood up, walking over to Wolfram to stand ready. I made sure not to step onto the magic symbols on the ground. I wasn’t sure how long Wolfram’s spellcasting would take, nor what would happen when he finished, so I drew my melee blades.

It took nearly four minutes for Wolfram to complete his magic, and I watched as he grew weary, the spells sapping his strength. Eventually, Wolfram turned to me and said we should begin. He also warned me that he didn’t have it in him to cast many more spells. He took one last round around the totem pole, bending to draw a circle around it and the magic symbols. He straightened and made certain he had everyone’s attention, then declared that nobody should cross that line.

The three horse statuettes lay on flat rocks inside the circle, in a triangle and as far from each other as possible. Wolfram drew his flail and brought it down on the first horse. Clay pieces sprayed out from the impact, but it didn’t look as if anything supernatural had occurred, so Wolfram moved on, following his own advice and staying outside the circle.

When the flail touched the second statuette, everything went dark inside the magic circle. Behind me, I heard Yana gasping and Xipil scrambling to his feet. I realized that Your gift allowed my eyes to penetrate the dark dome. The darkness spell battled against my sight, so I couldn’t see as clearly inside the dome as outside, but I saw that of the statuettes, there was no trace. I suspected they had been turned to dust, just like Yana’s heirloom, but I had to go closer to confirm this. I asked Wolfram’s permission to enter the darkness.

“Can you see anything in there?” Wolfram asked. “Yes,” I replied, “but I would like to have a closer look.” “Any spirits?” “No,” I answered, sheathing my knives. Wolfram nodded towards the dark dome, and I crossed the threshold. I didn’t have much difficulty looking out, but all thoughts of looking for clay dust vanished from my mind. A few brownish yellow shimmers in the air told me there were bird spirits present, but that was not what had surprised me. On the ground, three shadowy spirits of vipers slithered around. I must have gasped myself, for Wolfram asked what I saw. I explained hurriedly. Looking at the bird spirits, I noticed one of them was in fact a bat.

All the snakes seemed poised to strike and to deliver their venom. I also sensed a slow fading in them, as if they were struggling to remain in this world. As Your daughter, I shouldn’t be threatening to my siblings, and it worried me that they wanted to attack. I bent down and scooped up the nearest of the vipers; its shadowy form was so liquid I had to cup my hands to hold it. The viper hissed warningly but allowed me to lift it up. “What are you doing here?” I hissed in Shamara, and the snake answered that it had to deliver its last venom.

I called for Yana to bring my medicine kit, since it had the equipment to milk snakes. I wasn’t sure if it would work on a spirit snake, but the fact that I was able to lift it gave me some hope. Usually, I can only interact with spirits with my eyes and my fangs.

[coronatiger]

Xipil asked if I minded if he made light. “Go ahead,” I told him distractedly. Xipil danced and suddenly there was a flash of light that annihilated the magical darkness. The vipers’ fading accelerated rapidly. Before, I had thought I might have had an hour or more before they vanished. Now, I had merely seconds. “Abort! Abort! Abort! Abort!” I screamed at Xipil while digging frantically at my leather roll for the right equipment. If Xipil cancelled his spell, I hoped the darkness would return and keep the spirits there for a while longer, but Xipil didn’t care. He just picked up his staff and resumed watching.

I meant to store the venom from the three snakes in different vials, but in the rush, all the venom went into a single vial. Thinking back, I wondered how I managed to milk any of the spirits, but when they had all faded, even the third had blessed me with a drop of its venom. I packed up and gave Xipil a death stare before stomping off to pray.

Keri asked nobody in particular if everything was all right now. Wolfram replied that we had finished. Keri nodded and stood up, declaring that he was going to check if anyone had heard the noise or seen the flash of light.

As I communed with You, You blessed me with the insight that it was acceptable for the snakes to fade away as they did. Their place was not in the land of the living, and they found their way to Your final embrace. Before I stood up, I spoke the words of the Ultimate Prayer over the memory of my siblings. I didn’t know the circumstances around their deaths, but I had no faith that the Moon Shadows had shown them the proper respect.

I walked up to Grogg and Hylda. “Grogg, you know that lantern that shines with a different color if strangers come near? Is it in your sack?” It would be useful for the night watch, I thought. I didn’t know if it would detect spirits, but it would surely alert us if nosy farmers came snooping around. I remembered we experimented with it at the Evening Fort and discovered that it wouldn’t react to small animals, but I couldn’t recall us using it after leaving the island.

Xipil overheard my question and provided the answer to all my questions. “It shattered when the Kabal temple at the Evening Fort exploded.” I felt stupid for not remembering that. On the other hand, it hadn’t been in my possession at the time, and I couldn’t remember anyone mentioning that it had been destroyed either. “Oh,” I just said and went to find Yana. I needed a hug.

Wolfram found his blankets and informed us he wanted to sleep in tomorrow, just as Keri returned from his patrol; he hadn’t seen anyone nearby. I offered to take the first watch. Keri hesitated, so I told him to go to bed.

Xipil sat down to meditate under the stars while the others settled down in their tents, but it wasn’t long before he got up and started dancing. I was a little upset that he chose to exert himself rather than finding rest, but since Wolfram wanted a late start, I decided I’d give Xipil an hour or two. There were times when I suspected he hadn’t slept at all during the night, and this had caused the rest of us trouble the day after on at least one or two occasions.

This time, Xipil only danced for an hour. When he was done, he said that something was muddying the eastern sky. I was exasperated with his “discovery”. The way the sun was behaving these last couple of mornings, I could have told him that already. However, Xipil had uncovered something far more dire. The Moon Shadows had done something to the three vipers that prevented them from reaching You in death. If this was a regular practice of theirs, something would have to be done about it. But not today. I asked Xipil to take over the watch, since he was already up, and then I slithered into the tent, careful not to wake Yana.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.


8th of Tityra, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

Wind tore at our tent. I felt there was something unnatural about it. I went outside, which I wasn’t sure I would have, if the wind hadn’t felt wrong; Yana was so warm and cozy in my arms. Grogg sat by the fire, clutching his sewing to his chest with his one good arm so the wind wouldn’t take it. The apparent source of the wind made me both relieved and disappointed. Xipil was treading a spell dance, undisturbed by the whirlwind that swirled around him.

Since we weren’t under attack, I went from tent to tent, checking on the ropes. They were all secure. We had faced Palo, the storm dragon, on several occasions, so strong winds shouldn’t surprise us anymore. Keri and Wolfram came out to see what was happening, but it appeared Yana and Hylda slept on.

Grogg informed us that Xipil was looking for dancing in the forest. The lizard man was clearly in a trance, but he seemed at least partially aware of us, for he said it was the animals of the forest that were dancing. “Don’t let them use us to capture anyone again!” he also exclaimed.

Wolfram held up the spirit-seeing ring and regarded Xipil and the whirlwind through it. It might have been a coincidence only, but in that moment the wind whooshed away from Xipil, and it spoke: “Don’t let the Shadow Master fool you; the forest is ours!” The wind surged out, mostly towards the east.

Xipil woke from his trance and Wolfram asked with whom he had communed. Xipil just pointed to the east and said that all the nine were there. He has an unhealthy obsession with the stars, and particularly a group he calls The Nine Sisters. If he was going to rant about them, I’d rather go back to Yana.

I had trouble finding sleep again. I couldn’t quite shut out the talking outside the tent, and after a while, it got increasingly bright outside. Yana began to toss and turn, too, which was quite unlike her, and she was sweating heavily. I stroked her hair and whispered soothingly, trying to banish the bad dream, but Yana woke with a scream.

“I’m here! You’re safe!” Yana turned towards my voice and threw her arms around me. I continued to assure her that nothing could harm her. Yana clung to my presence, but I couldn’t seem to calm her noticeably. After a couple of minutes, the light outside faded away, and simultaneously, Yana’s fear abated. Was the light one of Xipil’s illusions, to terrify her so? When her heart stopped racing, Yana lay down to sleep again, pulling on my arm. I lay down too, allowing Yana to squirm against me and envelop herself in my embrace.

I felt like I had just fallen asleep when Wolfram woke me for another stint at watch duty. I was thankful that he had avoided touching Yana – I would have chewed him up if he had disturbed her sleep – but I asked if Keri and Hylda had taken a turn at the watch yet. Wolfram said they hadn’t and went to wake Keri instead.

I was much more refreshed when Hylda woke me. It was still dark, and the camp was quiet, so I sneaked out of the tent. Yana muttered in her sleep when I left her side, but I don’t think she woke up. Xipil lay by the campfire. A strange light surged over his scales, but since he didn’t seem to be bothered by it, I let him sleep. I didn’t think he’d had many hours of sleep yet. Since I wasn’t very tired, I held watch for an extra hour, but when the sun still didn’t make an appearance, I woke Grogg and went back to my tent.

I must have been more tired than I had felt, for Yana succeeded in getting up without disturbing my sleep. She had stayed close, though, to come back inside the tent so quickly after I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Yana beamed at me, outdoing the sun that was visible over her shoulder for a brief moment before the tent flaps fell back down. She straddled me and took my head in her hands, alternating between kissing my cheeks and telling me how much she appreciated me being there for her. It had to have been a dreadful nightmare she had endured; I threw away the idea of asking about it.

When my stomach began to rumble, Yana ordered me to stay put while she got us breakfast. Yana returned to her seat across my legs and put the food on the ground in easy reach for both of us. I wasn’t allowed to touch the food, however. Yana took my hands and placed them on her hips with a smoldering look that said my hands could wander as far as they wished, as long as they stayed on her. Then she proceeded to feed me.

[coronatiger]

It was the best breakfast I had ever had. The travel rations were bland, but the company, the intimacy, more than made up for it. We couldn’t sit in our tent all day, though. Wolfram desired to sleep long this morning, but by the sounds from outside, most of the others were up.

Keri and Xipil sat by the campfire. The strange light still played over Xipil’s scales, but it was far less visible in the sun. Keri had made tea, and Xipil asked if it was “proper” tea or if it was made from swamp roots. Keri didn’t appreciate Xipil being so particular about the tea. I helped myself to the root tea without commenting. Sitting down with Yana to enjoy our tea, I noticed that Keri had added a spicy herb to the tea. It perked it up and would have concealed the taste of alcohol. Keri had offered to add a splash of liquor to the tea, but nobody had taken him up on it. Wolfram did, though, when he finally got up.

I suggested that we started packing up so we could get moving. Keri agreed; if we left immediately, we would arrive at the town across the river from Sam before dark. Xipil wanted to discuss something first. He had taken a magic stone from the Moon Shadows, and he had discovered that its use was to share one’s location with those who possessed similar stones. Xipil said it didn’t work as long as we kept it away from moonlight, but I still thought it was an idiotic and unnecessary risk. It wasn’t as if we were in the business of tracking down Moon Shadows. If we could use it to find them, they could use theirs to track us, too. I tried to argue that even with the best intentions, we could accidentally expose the stone to moonlight, and then the Moon Shadows would know where we were. Only Yana supported my view.

Wolfram said he wanted to try to extract magical energy from the stone. I told him he was welcome to try. I thought it sounded far-fetched. When he presumably discovered it didn’t work, maybe he’d be more amenable to listen to reason. Yana and I went to pack down our tent while Wolfram experimented, but he quickly announced that he couldn’t do it there, because there was too much energy around us. He also wished to wait until the moon was up. That was what I had hoped to avoid, but neither Grogg, Xipil nor Wolfram would listen to my arguments, so I sat down to pray.

I knew You would listen to my plea. You might not agree with my reasoning, in which case I’d quickly fall into line, of course, but You would definitely hear me out. You didn’t really answer my question about whether to keep the stone or bury it where nobody could find it; the stone was of no import to You. I felt reassured that I should be able to deal with any Moon Shadows that managed to find us because of Xipil’s foolishness. Your message echoed in my head as I stood up again. “The stone is not alive, and it has no soul, but it desires some souls that have come to me.” Removing a soul from the Realm of Death is a serious transgression, but we don’t punish anyone for wishing their loved ones back to life. If this stone posed any threat of actually succeeding, You would have told me to destroy it.

When I got back to my friends, they were actually discussing something sensible. Not where to dispose of the stone, as I hadn’t even dared hope, but where to put it so it was safe from moonlight. Keri had proposed his ale keg and Wolfram a waterskin, but they ultimately decided just to put it in the bottom of a backpack and acquire a proper container tonight.

Finally, we got moving. As we traveled south, the icy fog on the river grew thinner and thinner. It was still quite cold even on the king’s road. I could almost feel the river sucking up the heat provided by the sun.

After a while, I noticed a wagon behind us. It slowed down so it wouldn’t overtake us. Was the merchant afraid of Grogg and Wolfram? When we pulled our cart to the side and signaled for them to pass, they picked up some speed again. I spotted an Aldera sigil on one of the crates on the wagon when they came near. One of the guards waved at Yana and me. We smiled and waved back. I couldn’t recall seeing him before, but it wasn’t unlikely that he simply greeted two girls he found attractive.

In the evening, we reached the town that had grown up on the eastern side of the river from Sam. The thin fog wasn’t enough to block the view of my hometown. I felt a pull, a yearning to cross the river, but I shook it off. I needed to focus on getting Wolfram into town.

This place had always felt peculiar to me. People called it East Sam, The Caravanserai, and other names, but the town had no official name that I was aware of. We have some chapels here, all of which I’ve visited at least once, but I seldom had reason to cross the river while growing up in the main temple, so I wasn’t too familiar with the local clergy.

I proposed going into town with Yana to arrange crossing. It should be possible to get the rowers to pick up Wolfram and the others outside the town. Both Wolfram and Xipil spoke up to say that we didn’t need to go to Sam, but I told them I had urgent business in the temple. I offered to find an inn where they could stay while they waited for me, but Keri knew people at the Final Destination Inn on the outskirts of town, and he would take rooms there for those who weren’t going to Sam. He told me to ask for Munir.

I asked Xipil if he was coming to the temple. He nodded. “Good. Then we can send you over with a message, should it prove necessary to stay longer than expected.” I assured Grogg and Wolfram that we wouldn’t tarry, and would most likely return the day after tomorrow. I needed to attend a Meet at the temple, and I wasn’t sure we’d get there in time tonight.

There weren’t any boats out on the river that I could see. I attributed that to the fog. Still, it shouldn’t be hard to convince someone to take Yana, Xipil and me across. At the docks, there were others clearly desiring passage over the river, but oddly, nobody was there to provide the service.

Something wasn’t quite right. We needed information. With the sun hovering just over the horizon, Meets should commence shortly, so I took Yana and Xipil to a chapel a little further on. The chapel was hidden under an inn. Not many people patronized the common room that we passed on our way down. I didn’t know if that was out of the ordinary; I hadn’t been there in nearly two years.

When we had done the ritual cleansing, I took Yana’s hand. If she was possessed, trying to enter holy ground might present her with difficulties. If she sensed discomfort building, I would be there to calm her. I had seen Yana terrified a few times, and it was not something I wanted to see again. Neither Yana nor Xipil acted abnormally when we entered the small chapel. I took that as a good sign.

The silence from the chapel made it clear we weren’t interrupting a Meet. Only one human was there, praying silently among the snakes in the middle of the room. Xipil found a corner, but I took Yana with me to kneel by the praying man. I wasn’t about to disturb him, but by seating myself so close to him, I signaled that I wanted to talk. Yana had truly come a long way in surmounting her fear of snakes; she didn’t clasp my hand nearly as hard as she used to do.

After a while, the young man asked where I came from. “From Sam,” I replied, and he asked if I could help him cross the river. That was what I had intended to ask him, but I promised to bring him along if I could find a way across.

The man informed us he had found a dying snake on the road outside Byblos, and he had to go to Sam to speak about it. He had waited for two days, searching in vain for a way over the river. Now that he had finished praying, the man was quite talkative. He made his living producing knives, mostly smaller knives for use as tools, but he proudly displayed a dagger he had made. I bit the blade and hissed a blessing over it. That seemed to overwhelm him, and I closed my eyes and prayed.

The silence didn’t last long, and the man told us that the King’s Fleet had fled Byblos. Actually, the ships lay at anchor just downriver from us, in the swamp. Also, when the cold came, all traffic on the river ceased.

Voices came from the hallway and were soon followed by two women in their thirties. They both waved a hand in the shape of Your sign, and I instinctively responded in kind. One of the women initiated the Meet with the ritual greeting and prayer.

The priestess apologized to the man that she hadn’t been able to find a way over the river for him; the ruling council of Sam had banned people from going out on the water. This order came about the same time as the King’s Fleet passed, and militia from Sam came over to enforce it; Sam had apparently enlisted militiamen from the Farmers’ Republic. Everyone was careful not to speak that name, though. The women were eager to leave, so I chose not to hold them back. The information I had just received was more than enough to begin planning.

[coronatiger]

I introduced myself and Yana for the young man. He gave his name as Zak Woodcarver and explained that he was the black sheep of his family; everyone had expected him to take up their traditional craft. I told him we had three options for crossing the river. We could talk to the King’s Fleet, to get permission to cross or possibly a ride over. We could go to the docks and either talk our way past the guards, or sneak past them. Listing the options was just as much for Xipil’s benefit as for Zak’s, and Xipil shook his head at the option that involved talking to Nulius or his people. I asked Zak therefore if he was competent at moving silently past the guards. He claimed he was decent enough at sneaking, but not exceptional.

I formulated a plan: Only Xipil would sneak past the guards and steal a rowboat. He could drift silently downriver to a place where we agreed to meet. Then we rowed quietly and calmly over the river to Sam. Everyone agreed to the plan, so we went to find a meeting place.

We got a look at the guards. Yana and I agreed they were obviously from the Republic. They were lighting torches along the river, not only in town, but a few hundred meters in either direction. An increasing row of lights on the other side of the river was just visible through the fog; the guards in Sam had the same procedure as those here. Xipil changed his mind about where we should meet, so we went north instead of south.

As we walked out of the town, Zak suddenly pinched my arm. “There’s something strange about your friend,” he whispered. “Oh? Other than him being a lizard man?” I replied coyly. I assured Zak that it wasn’t a problem, but he had clearly never seen a lizard man before, and he didn’t really relax until we had found a meeting place beyond the last torch and Xipil turned around to steal a rowboat.

It would take some time before Xipil returned. It was too cold to sit by the river, so we found a clump of trees on the other side of the road. Zak thought we were too far away, but Yana and I expressed confidence we would spot the rowboat even in the dark. Sure enough, after about half an hour, I caught sight of Xipil’s rowboat. “Come, let’s go meet Xipil,” I said, getting to my feet. Zak squinted, but clearly saw nothing until we were nearly back at the river.

The row of torches on the west side stretched further north than on the east side, and Xipil rowed far enough north that we’d avoid the light. We hid the rowboat among some bushes. I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t be discovered, but if we were lucky, it would still be there when we needed it again.

I proposed we went to the temple. Affected by the trouble in Byblos, Zak was afraid he wouldn’t be allowed entrance, but I said that of course he was welcome. Every Ashtarite is welcome in our headquarter.

There were slightly fewer people in the streets than usual for this time of night, and it seemed that most of those we saw were guard patrols. I didn’t think there were more patrols than before, though, and we avoided them easily. I wasn’t afraid they’d try to impede us, but there was no point taking chances when there were plenty of alleyways available for slipping past them. After the army had recruited many of the able-bodied, the city had clearly filled the ranks of the city guards with men from the Farmers’ Republic.

I showed the way around the temple to the inn entrance. Layne, the woman on desk duty, greeted us with a smile. “It’s good to be home,” I told her. “Do you have rooms for us?” Layne said my usual room was unoccupied. In fact, most of the rooms in the “reserved” wing were empty at the moment, so we could all have rooms there if that was what I wanted. Layne’s eyes swept over my companions, and I understood why. We didn’t usually want people we didn’t know well to wander about in the more private sections of the building. “Guest rooms will do fine for them.” I indicated Xipil and Zak. “She stays with me,” I said, putting my hand on Yana’s shoulder. “No extra bed required.” Realization dawned on Layne. I didn’t think she met Yana last time we were in Sam, but I could tell our last stay had caused some rumors. I hadn’t asked for a second bed then either, and though Yana and I weren’t officially a couple back then, people had clearly assumed we were.

“Let’s meet back here in five minutes and go to the temple together,” I told Xipil and Zak. Layne said she would get my things out of storage and put them in my room after she had shown my friends to their rooms.

Yana and I put down our packs inside my door. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was home. The bed really looked too small to fit two people, but I knew from experience there was room for Yana there. There was a chest of drawers and a small table with two simple chairs. One of the chairs had a leg that was slightly shorter than the others, but I had never complained, so I didn’t expect it to be fixed. There was a fresh candle on the table, its wick still white, but we had no need of it, not even after Yana shut the door behind us, blocking out the light from the hallway.

“Do you need to prepare anything before we go to the temple?” Yana asked behind me, breaking the silence. “Hm? No.” I turned towards the door, my hand beginning the movement towards the handle, but Yana interposed herself before the door. Her face was as calm as the swamp water, but the feeling she exuded was that of a predator, a southern razorfang hiding just under the surface, ready to strike.

The razorfang was named for its ability to rend even the toughest hide. Its venom was surprisingly weak for such a deadly hunter; it was a muscle relaxant and an anticoagulant combined. For a human victim, with a friend to pull them out of the water and bandage the wounds, a razorfang attack was merely an unpleasant experience. For its usual prey, it was a coin toss whether it bled out before it drowned.

I was quite certain Yana wasn’t going to bite me, at least not hard enough to draw blood. For a moment, while we stared into each other’s eyes, I had a flash of panic that Darvan had taken control and was about to kill me, but the panic quickly drowned in the waves of love that surged over me.

If I was out of breath when we met up with Zak and Xipil at the reception desk, it was only because I’d had to hurry to be there before five minutes had passed. The kiss had nothing to do with it. Yana hid it well, but my arm around her waist detected that her heart was racing, too.

Zak insisted on paying for his stay. I told him the room was free, but he was welcome to leave a donation. I indicated a wooden bowl on the desk. Zak put two silver coins there.

I showed the way down to the temple. We washed our feet and hands before entering, of course. The temple looked empty at first, except for the snakes, of course, but Rhuk appeared from a side passage before we had time to sit down. I rushed to meet her and gave her a warm hug.

We sat down to talk. Rhuk knew we had gone to the east and she was surprised to see us arrive now, with river traffic shut down. I confirmed that we had visited several places, Byblos among them, but I teased Rhuk that she must have grown senile in the last month, to forget what she, among others, taught me. She gave me a warning look that encompassed Xipil, Yana and Zak, but it wasn’t necessary. I wasn’t going to spout any secrets in front of them. Rhuk knew that I was Your Fang; my sacred purpose, to be where I wasn’t expected, to execute Your will. “Where there is a will, there is a way,” I quoted.

Rhuk had been given new responsibilities since my last visit. She didn’t give any details except it had to do with the city council. She had been on her way out on that business when we arrived, but she would rather stay and talk. I thought she sensed my urgency. I was in need of advice on a range of topics. Rhuk questioned whether Zak should be present for this, but I told him, “Some of what we will discuss may be above your rank, but I will not turn you away from the temple. You can stay or go as you wish; Ashtar will guide your decision.” I didn’t actually know his rank. He was humble, but he was also dedicated. I would guess he was a Bearer, possibly a Dagger. Zak searched his heart, then declared he would leave us. We wished each other a good night, and I said I hoped to see him again at tomorrow’s Meet, if our paths didn’t cross before that.

[coronatiger]

8th of Tityra, year 412 (continued)

When Zak had departed, I told Rhuk about what the Moon Shadows had done to the three snake spirits. That is, I didn’t know exactly what they had done, but the effect was clear: The snakes had been prevented from going to You when they died. That was clearly an abomination in my mind, but Rhuk didn’t know; it could be bad, really bad, or perhaps not so bad after all. She merely advised that we should try to stay away from Moon Shadows. I totally agreed.

Rhuk had heard about disturbances in Byblos, but she didn’t know many details. I explained about the schism between our temples; we had witnessed and in some cases been part of events that would surely count as “disturbances”, but the schism was obviously the most serious. Rhuk was shocked to hear about it, but she was relieved when I told her what steps I had taken to heal the wound.

Rhuk mentioned the King’s Fleet passing Sam, and warned us that this was a topic that wasn’t discussed much in town, for word had gone out that talk of the Fleet might get “someone” to attack Sam. This was clearly propaganda from Nulius, who desired the Fleet to be forgotten. Rhuk also said that while the Farmers’ Republic had a strong presence in Sam, it didn’t seem like they wanted to take over completely.

My old mentor turned the talk back to Byblos. According to the rumors she had heard, something supernatural had happened there recently. Two events came to mind, and I described Wolfram’s going berserk as a demon-afflicted spirit bear and also the episode where Darvan came to us in an illusion and we visited the execution plaza on the Day of Judgment.

Suddenly, we heard someone sneaking down the hall from outside, and we turned to see who approached. It was a cloaked and hooded man who asked if it was safe to come in. Rhuk said yes and he entered the temple room, but he wanted Rhuk’s repeated assurance that it was completely safe before he removed his hood.

The man still seemed hesitant, and I sensed there was a connection between him and Rhuk. “Do you know each other?” I asked. The man finally introduced himself. His name was Hein Gertram. I got the feeling he expected us to know the name, but it meant nothing to me, other than reminding me of similar names I knew from the Farmers’ Republic. “I’m sorry, I don’t recognize your name,” I told him, surprising him with my ignorance. Hein said he was almost chosen as dictator for Sam. That revealed how Rhuk knew him; she was involved with the city council, and if Hein wasn’t on it, he clearly had influence there.

I gestured the Ashtarite presentation of my rank, prompting him to reply. I didn’t think he would have come to the Temple if he wasn’t one of Your children. He was a Dagger. Using his tongue, he said he would like to hear what we had to say. Unfortunately for him, Hein confessed that he wasn’t only an Ashtarite. In fact, he meddled with birds! Still, I had realized lately that even birds went to You when they died, so I swallowed my disgust and asked Xipil if he thought it was all right if I talked. Xipil didn’t mind.

I told Hein we had come from Byblos recently and asked if he was behind the ban on river crossings. Hein replied he wasn’t directly involved. He was curious about what happened in Byblos on the Day of Judgment, but I apologized that we couldn’t tell him. I could have told him what we experienced inside the illusion, but since we didn’t know what actually happened, I remained silent on the topic.

Hein was also interested in what travel was like on the road. Leaving out what our party had been up to, I explained about the reduced number of long-distance travelers. Other than that, traffic was quite normal.

I noticed Hein was studying Xipil, but since he didn’t comment on my lizard man companion, I didn’t say anything about it either. When he turned to go, I wished him a good night, but Hein said the night was still young.

I brought out Hope from my pouch and showed her to Rhuk, but Rhuk went over to the exit and listened to Hein leaving. She came back and sat down with us again and said that she had forgotten he was coming. I told the story about Hope, that Kraa had gifted her to me when I was despairing over the schism, and that I named the blue-bellied river striker for the feeling of hope she returned to me. Even Yana and Xipil could see now that Hope was pregnant; it wasn’t long now before she would lay her eggs.

Rhuk didn’t have a solution for me when I told her about the alleged aura of death that had followed Pak and Groman from the Kings’ Crypt. I hoped Nian might know something that could help us, and Rhuk confirmed I could talk to the priestess at the Meet tomorrow.

It was getting quite late, and Rhuk sensed there was nothing more I wanted to discuss with the group, so she started to say good night. I stopped her and asked Yana and Xipil to go to Layne and tell her from me we wanted warm baths. Xipil was hesitant to leave the Temple, but he went when I said I needed to talk to Rhuk alone. Normally, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to listen in on the conversation, but I knew Yana would keep him in line.

I told Rhuk that Xipil’s illusions frightened Yana and expounded on my theory that the two of them were under the influence of demons that were hostile towards each other. Rhuk wasn’t convinced about the demonic influence, and I told her I wasn’t so sure myself. When I was possessed by Gritt, I hadn’t been allowed to enter holy ground at all, and neither Yana nor Xipil had displayed any signs that entering a chapel or the Temple had been the least difficult. Rhuk recommended that I kept my eyes open for clues and my mind open for other explanations. Yana’s dark vision had not come from You, but Rhuk reminded me that there were other sources for such gifts.

We said our goodbyes. Rhuk went off to bed, but I needed to pray. If Rhuk didn’t have the answer I sought, I knew You would. As I opened myself to You, the snakes in the room gathered around me, feeling Your presence. You remained silent, though, which I had not expected, but it meant I didn’t have to do anything about Yana and Xipil, at least not yet.

When I emerged from the Temple, I saw that Layne had roused a couple of young boys to help Yana and Xipil carry hot water to our rooms. I took a bucket myself and brought it upstairs. The bathtub in the middle of the room was nearly half-full, so more trips were required, but I sat down to think, handing the bucket distractedly to the boy. I didn’t recognize his face, but he surely knew me, or at least that I was someone important. That didn’t matter. I needed to sort my thoughts, to plan.

I had promised our friends on the other side of the river that we wouldn’t stay longer than necessary. Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to leave the building for any of my remaining tasks. I planned to use the ground floor workshop to analyze my newly acquired poisons, and Nian would be at the Meet, so I could talk to her there. If the poisons didn’t prove too difficult to identify, I should even have some hours to spare.

Thinking about what I was going to say to Nian privately and what I should reveal to the whole congregation, I barely registered that Yana thanked the boy for the help and wished him a good night. On the other hand, it was impossible to ignore when Yana blew out the candle, sashayed into my field of vision and sensuously started to strip.

Yana wore a contented smile when we climbed out of the bathtub and dried ourselves off; I couldn’t stop grinning myself. “Happy anniversary, Nuur-Karif,” Yana exclaimed. I frowned at her. “It’s well past midnight, so today, it’s been a month since you fell for me,” she explained, which only made my frown deepen. One month ago, we had been in the ashen drought, south-east of Byblos, and I knew I’d had feelings for Yana long before that. “Don’t you remember us walking into the fog with Hylda, towards Odon’s camp?” she asked, crawling into bed and holding up the blanket invitingly. I took Hope out of my pouch and let her slide into the water before I took Yana up on the offer. “When you realized it was possible for one girl to love another, when you realized that you loved me, Nuur-Karif, you fell flat on your face in the ashes. You literally fell for me! I’d say that marked the beginning of us being an actual couple.”

I blushed with embarrassment at the memory, but Yana brushed my lips lightly with her own and reminded me that I should feel no shame in her presence. That was good, for she set out to recount all the clues she had given me, that I had been too thick-headed to grasp. Some of it even brought laughter out of me. It was incredible how clueless I had been.

When Yana couldn’t recall any more hints, she turned serious and said she wanted to do something to celebrate our anniversary. I suggested we could dress up and go out for dinner at a fancy restaurant. A flash of panic crossed Yana’s face, but she was all smiles again so quickly, I decided I must have imagined it. Yana leaned over and hugged me, whispering in my ear that she’d love to go out with me. I felt her open her mouth and thought for a second she was going to nibble on my earlobe, but then I realized she was yawning. I suggested we went to sleep. Yana pecked my cheek and turned around, squirming into my embrace.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.

[coronatiger]

9th of Tityra, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

Considering what Yana and I had done in the bathtub last night, once we finished washing and shaving, I shouldn’t have been so surprised to find my hand nestled between her thighs when I woke up this morning. My eyes shot open with panic that my dreams had made me go too far, but as I tried to pull my hand free, Yana clenched her legs together, an amused smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she regarded me. Yana hadn’t put my hand there herself, as that would have been a trespass against me, but she certainly hadn’t done anything to stop my wandering hand either.

My eyes widened even further with the understanding of what Yana wanted me to do to her. As my eyebrows rose, so did Yana’s leg. “Go ahead,” Yana invited. “Do you want my hand now, or my tongue afterwards?” she asked, offering reciprocity. I nearly fainted at Yana’s shamelessness, but I managed to stutter out my preference.

I thought Yana’s actions must have unhinged my mind, for when she slithered back up to face me again, I sensed nervousness in her eyes. “As delightful as that was, I wouldn’t mind some actual food,” Yana whispered. She cleared her throat. “Could you bring something up?” she asked with a slight tremble in her voice. I leaped out of bed and into my dress. Yana just lay there, watching. “Maybe you should get up too? Put something on?” I asked. “What a marvelous idea, Nuur-Karif!” Yana exulted. She still didn’t have her voice under control, though. Going downstairs, I wondered why she was so nervous.

All was revealed when I came back up. My chin fell to my chest at the sight that awaited me. What Yana wore could best be described as a creation. It truly was a masterpiece; it took a moment before I realized it was a dress.

My eyes were drawn first to the “skirt”. Around Yana’s middle lay a wide wreath of green leaves and flowers of every color. The wreath seemed to rest only on Yana’s left hip, slanting precariously and looking as if it would fall down at any moment, if not for the two flowery braids that climbed up her chest and met behind her neck where they joined a third braid going up along her back. The two braids widened slightly as they passed her breasts, giving the slightest nod in the direction of modesty and respectability, but they only hid the view directly from the front. From the wreath hung a multitude of flower strands of varying lengths and thicknesses that hinted at a full skirt, but they were far from dense enough to conceal Yana’s graceful legs, which were visible all the way up to the wreath, far above her knees.

Yana perceived that I liked what I saw, and she invited me to take a closer look. It wasn’t until I gingerly touched one of the flowers that it dawned on me that these were the ones she had spent the last weeks making; she hadn’t raided a lady’s garden. Up close, I could see that the creation was indeed a dress. All the leaves and flowers had been fastened to it, but the fabric was so fine it was practically invisible. It had to have been a nightmare to work with it.

Embroidery, half-hidden behind the applied leaves and flowers, gave another dimension to the dress. Most of the embroidery was of leaves, but there was a scattering of smaller flowers in between. Also, as I noticed only when Yana pointed it out, here and there she had embroidered a black diamond pattern to make it seem a midnight asp was hidden under the leaves. I traced the patches of scales around Yana’s waist; it was like she wore a deadly snake for a belt.

Yana had never looked more beautiful. I was torn between the desire to stare at her like this forever and the urge to get the dress off her and make love to her again. Yana had a third option. This was the dress she had promised that she would make for me, so I had to try it on in order for her to determine if any adjustments were necessary. I helped Yana out of the dress. The flower braid up her back concealed a row of tiny buttons.

“It’s a little sturdier than you seem to think,” Yana commented when I started to put on the dress. She had to help me with the buttons; I couldn’t quite locate the holes among the flowers and leaves, not without eyes on the back of my head.

This dress fit my figure perfectly. I could tell at once, but Yana wanted to see for herself. She scrutinized every inch of me, with her hands as much as her eyes. Sparks flew from her every touch, and I half-wondered why the dress didn’t catch on fire. I thought I had grown accustomed to her caresses, but they still sent shivers to my very soul. The fact that Yana wore not a stitch after relinquishing the dress didn’t help at all. In my overwhelmed condition, I didn’t notice that Yana had unbuttoned the dress before she pushed it off my shoulders and it fell to the floor. “Make love to me,” Yana commanded huskily. I wasn’t hard to ask, and we tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. The dress, magnificent and exquisite, lay forgotten on the floor.

Yana came with me after breakfast when I went down to the workshop to analyze my new poisons. We stopped by the front desk on the way to ask for the bathtub to be removed; Hope was back in my pouch where she belonged.

There wasn’t much for Yana to do. Goram and Rakesh, fellow Fangs I hadn’t seen in over a year, sat in a corner with their heads together, clearly planning something. They gave Your salute when we entered, but after quick hugs and introductions, they returned to their private discussion. I could have made up some work for Yana, but she seemed content watching me.

I started with the substance I knew the least about, and I figured out the Moon Shadows used it for its invigorating effect. Maybe they imbibed it to remain alert after a long period without sleep. I was just packing that vial away so I could begin the analysis of the next when Xipil entered the workshop; Goram and Rakesh had left a few minutes earlier, so we were alone.

Xipil told us about a vision he had last night, of speaking to Hein up on the roof. Xipil had actually gone up there and seen the republican handling birds, but he gave the impression that the conversation had only happened in his mind. Based on what Hein said in the vision, I concluded that he harbored no ill will towards Sam. Good to know, I suppose, but hardly earth-shattering news.

Yana wondered if Hein had given anything to the birds other than food, although she didn’t know what it would mean if he had. Xipil had been focusing on his vision, so Hein had ample opportunity to act without him noticing.

I informed Xipil that Yana and I planned to go out to eat when I had finished analyzing the unknown poisons I had acquired. I made it clear we didn’t want company. If I hadn’t said anything and Xipil spotted us leaving the headquarters, his curiosity could force him to follow us, and I certainly wanted to forestall that. Xipil offered to help me with the analysis, but I told him I had it under control. He does have some experience with poisons, but I thought my knowledge easily surpassed his. Xipil decided to find something to read, so when he asked if we maintained a library, I told him he should take a trip to the market. I didn’t think he’d find our ledgers very interesting, at least not those accessible to one of his rank.

The Moon Shadow intoxicant contained Swansong, and I discovered that anyone dosed with it would become drowsy and more open to suggestions. I could think of several uses for it, none of them benign. I felt I didn’t have any reason to analyze the nerve toxin further. I had seen how it affected Grogg and Wolfram, and the preliminary analysis I had done on the road had told me all I needed to know. That just left the few drops of venom from the spirit snakes, but I couldn’t analyze that with mundane methods, so I determined to ask You about it later.

I didn’t want to traipse all over Sam in my best finery, so when Yana had helped me pack up the analysis equipment, we stopped by the reception, where I asked for a carriage to be hired for my use this afternoon. Then we returned to my room to prepare. I could have put on my own makeup, but Yana didn’t allow me to handle any of the paints and powders she brought out. She also put up my hair into a small tower that cascaded with flowers of a kind with those on my new dress. Yana used a framework of bones to build the tower, but once she was finished, it was no longer visible. After nearly an hour and a half, Yana declared that I was ready, and let me try to figure out the small buttons on the dress while she did her own face and hair. That took no more than ten minutes. Finally, Yana borrowed the purple evening gown. She looked amazing!

[coronatiger]

“I feel naked,” I confessed to Yana. “Really? I thought you were confident enough to carry this dress off,” Yana replied sadly. She seemed on the verge of tears, her masterpiece wasted. I assured her she mistook me. “It’s just that I can’t wear my armor or my knives. I can’t even bring Hope.” Yana smiled and showed me a small pocket on the left hip. It wasn’t half as large as my pouch, but it had room for some coins and a blue-bellied river striker.

There weren’t many people in the common area when Yana and I glided through on our way out to the carriage, but they all turned to stare. Nobody was more stunned than Zak. When we met him on the east side of the river, we had looked like travelworn commoners, not too poor, but we didn’t display wealth either. Now, it took him a moment to recognize us, dressed up as if for a ball at some noble’s mansion, if not the king’s palace. Of course, in the dress Yana had made for me, I was unlike anything anyone had ever seen.

I must have given off some vibe of uncertainty when I explained to the driver that Yana and I were going out to eat. I already had an idea of where to go, but the driver recommended a restaurant where he could get us in for a small fee. I gave him the money, but I shared an amused look with Yana. No place of commerce would turn us away today.

I had never been inside the Gilded Cuisine before, but I had heard about it, of course. Yana and I drew looks when our personal host showed us to our table, but the other diners left us alone. This was not a place where one simply strolled over to another table to strike up conversation.

Our table host presented the menu. All the dishes had fancy names that didn’t say much, but the host described them all in mouth-watering detail. Yana ordered a spicy soup for starters, then fried chicken glazed in a sweet onion sauce and finally a selection of chocolate confections. I began with a salad, followed it up with fillet of trout and strawberry jelly with clotted cream for dessert.

Another man appeared as soon as our host left with the order. He called himself sommelier, and he was in charge of the wine. The sommelier had overheard our food order and had a recommendation ready when I queried. I would have preferred water, and Yana had had an unpleasant encounter with wine not so long ago, but we both felt that we shouldn’t hold back today.

We had a wonderful celebration. The chitchat flowed as smoothly as ever, and we stayed away from serious topics. The room was spacious enough that the other diners wouldn’t overhear, but Yana and I both wanted this afternoon to be enjoyable, so we didn’t bring up anything that could spoil the fun. Eventually, we had to wrap it up, for the sun was approaching the horizon, and duty called.

We arrived back at the headquarters only minutes before the Meet would begin, so we went straight to the Temple. Again, we drew everyone’s eyes to us when we made our entrance. I spoke a few words of greeting to old friends, but Nian was deep in conversation. Still, I managed to notify her that I wanted a private word later.

Hein sneaked inside just as Nian opened the Meet, and he sat down behind everyone else. Yana and I noticed his arrival only because we turned to see what had caused Nian to stumble. Nian covered her surprise well, and I didn’t think anybody else perceived it.

When it was time for members of the congregation to speak, I took the word, beginning with the standard opening: “May the Divine Mother of Snakes fork my tongue so I speak only according to Her will.” I explained about the schism that had nearly broken us in Byblos, and I thundered that we must never fall so deep that we turn the back on our brothers and sisters. I told Hope’s story, that she had arrived in my deepest despair to restore my confidence. I held up my little sister so everyone could see, but at Nian’s gesture, I put her on the altar. As the priestess led us in prayer, Hope laid her eggs.

Others spoke as well, many just to say thanks for Hope and for my actions in Byblos. Zak looked like he wanted to speak but didn’t quite have the courage to talk to so many people, so I went to encourage him. He had trouble taking his eyes off Yana’s marvel, but his ears were open to other input, so he heard me say that he should pray on it and let You tell him whether it was right for him to speak or not. I knelt beside him and prayed too, until Zak told me that his calling wasn’t to speak, it was to make knives for Rhuk; she had asked him to do so last night. Zak would make one for me too, as a gift. I smiled and thanked him.

I found Nian and indicated that I wanted a word. She excused herself to the elderly couple she was talking to, and we entered a side passage where we wouldn’t be overheard. I explained about Pak and Groman having been to the Kings’ Crypt and that they now – according to rumor – had an aura of death. I wondered if my acquaintances had transgressed, like I would do if I went below and came back up without observing the proper rites. Nian didn’t think so; the Kings’ Crypt wasn’t part of Your domain. Rather, it was a prison. However, Nian couldn’t rule out that some entity that should have been with You had been trapped there.

For some reason, it didn’t feel right to bring up the spirit snake venom, neither to You nor to Nian. Not now, at least. That meant I had done all I came to the Temple for, and we could leave. I asked Nian if she knew of any exceptions to the river crossing ban, perhaps for high-ranking clerics. There were no exceptions, Nian said. That was why the people didn’t protest much. Nian hinted that there would be riots if rich people could pay their way across. “Well, then,” I said. “We’ll have to sneak back over the river. Maybe it’s best not to spread the word that we’re leaving.”

I couldn’t go without saying goodbye to Rhuk. I gave her a hug and whispered that I hoped to see her again soon. I also had to pay my respects to Hope. She was still on the altar, coiled protectively around her eggs. I bent and kissed her head. I closed my eyes and said a short prayer over her. Yana’s grip tightened on my hand and my eyes popped open. Hope had reared up, as if to strike, but she didn’t bite me, of course. She just needed the elevation to reach the hair tower on my head. “So, your place is still with me,” I hissed in Shamara. “I am pleased. The Temple will care for your eggs.” I smiled at Yana and led her out.

I hadn’t seen Xipil during the Meet, but I wasn’t too surprised, for he usually stayed hidden in a corner. I expected he had left after the main part of the Meet was concluded. We went to knock on his door, but he didn’t reply. I asked Yana if she saw him at the Meet. She hadn’t either. I took Hope down from my hair and asked her if she knew where Xipil was. “Not here,” she hissed. People were starting to drift out from the Temple to the common room, so I asked around if anyone had seen my friend. Someone remembered him returning from outside about the time Yana and I had left for our dinner date, but nobody had seen him since.

Nian was near the front desk. She hadn’t seen Xipil either, but she pulled me aside. She had seen me talk to Hope, and I explained it was a gift I received at the Evening Fort. Nian warned me that if snakes said anything complex, it was either You who spoke through them, or something supernatural was happening. I supposed a mage could make it seem like a snake was speaking, or perhaps a demon. I hoped I’d be able to discern the truth.

I was more annoyed with Xipil for disappearing than worried that something might have happened. Yana and I entered his room just in case he was sleeping, but he wasn’t there. Maybe he had brought a book to read in the workshop? We checked, but he wasn’t there either. Yana reminded me that Xipil loves to go up on the roofs to watch the stars, so we went there next. Xipil lay there, unconscious. I hurried over. He was almost frozen solid. I grabbed his shoulders and Yana took his legs, and we ushered him inside. I ordered a hot bath, and we managed to thaw him up.

When Xipil woke, his first words were to inform us that Krull was coming south. Xipil also asked if we had heard news from north of Byblos, which we hadn’t. I hoped Xipil understood the danger he put himself in when he went on these vision trips. His recklessness would be the end of him. I would miss him if he died, but I didn’t want to force him to be careful; I wouldn’t miss him that much.

We agreed to meet up in the reception half an hour later. That would give Xipil time to soak up some more heat for the trip over the river, time Yana and I would spend changing clothes and removing makeup.

[coronatiger]

Not many people were out when we started walking. Xipil pointed discreetly towards the Temple roof. A man stood up there, on the ledge, but with his hood pulled down over his face, it wasn’t possible to identify him. It seemed likely it was Hein Gertram. A black crow landed on his arm while we watched, and Xipil saw him take something from the crow’s leg and replace it with something from his pocket. I guessed he used the crows to carry messages.

Xipil sped up when we started walking again, supposedly to verify that the rowboat was where we left it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he rushed ahead of Yana and me for another purpose. It could just be that he wanted to give us privacy; I didn’t detect any inclination for treachery in him.

The boat hadn’t been discovered, or at least it hadn’t been moved. We pushed it out and Xipil took the oars. It was still cold on the river, but the fog had receded even more since last night. When we went ashore on the east bank, we discussed if I should tell the guards about the boat. We had borrowed it without permission, so I felt it should be returned to its owner. Xipil didn’t have confidence in my ability to stay out of trouble if I talked to the guards, and we decided to pull the boat up towards the road where it would be found in the daylight.

We walked through town. The Final Destination Inn was on the south side. In the common room, I approached one of the servers and asked for Munir. The man seemed surprised that we knew Munir, but he took us to him. I informed Munir we had come to meet some friends, and he took us upstairs and pointed at two doors.

We knocked on the first door and entered. Grogg was sewing, Hylda was drawing and Wolfram was whittling away on a giant piece of wood. They looked all quite busy, but Hylda regaled us with stories of Grogg and Wolfram going shopping. If I hadn’t seen the truth shining in her eyes, I would never have believed her. Hylda also said the two men had purchased a log – several meters long and much thicker than the one Wolfram was working on – and carried it around town. That was more believable.

Since Keri wasn’t there, I asked if the other room was his. Nobody knew where Keri was. The other room was for Xipil, Yana and me. Sunset was a few hours behind us, so I thought it was time to go to bed. Xipil came too, but only to drop off his pack before returning to talk to Grogg, Wolfram and Hylda.

Yana and I prepared for bed. I was brushing my teeth, looking out the window and staring at the stillness of the night, when Yana came up from behind and put her arms around me. “I think we have some time before Xipil returns,” she murmured. Yana’s words, combined with the way she pressed herself against me, drove me wild. I spat out the window and tossed aside my toothbrush. I barely had enough foresight to close the curtains before I twisted around and began the kissing. Yana was already naked, and she eagerly assisted me in achieving the same state.

We hurried our lovemaking, for we wanted to finish before Xipil returned. Our rush paid off, and I had time to gaze into Yana’s eyes as I so loved to do while we caught our breath; her emotions were exposed to me and I could tell she was pleased with my performance. Reading her like that usually only fueled my own good feelings, but tonight, it reminded me of something I hadn’t understood earlier.

“Can you explain something to me?” I asked. “I can try,” Yana replied. “I had a great time today, going out and celebrating with you. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishment; I sensed it whenever you looked at the marvelous dress you made for me. The dress was truly awesome. What I don’t understand is your possessiveness. It was a gift, right? Therefore, it really should be my decision what happens to the dress, not that I could ever see myself giving it away. I picked up on your possessiveness several times when someone let their eyes linger on the dress.” “Oh, Sweetie!” Yana exclaimed compassionately, her fingers tracing the contours of my body. “They weren’t looking at the dress!”

I felt my face turning bright red, but Yana was quick to pour her affections on me to soothe the embarrassment. We kissed and cuddled for a few minutes, until Yana decided it was time to sleep. I touched my hand to the floor while we prayed.

[coronatiger]

I had nearly fallen asleep when someone hammered on the door. “What is it?” I asked drowsily. Xipil answered that spirits were rapidly approaching from the south. “We’re coming!” I yelled and scrambled out of bed. I fastened my knife belt around my waist and grabbed my cloak, wrapping it around me on the run.

The south, Xipil had said, so I rushed down the back stairs and out, past Xipil and Hylda who stood at the door. There was a strange sound on the wind, like rusted metal hinges groaning. Wolfram had already transformed into his spirit bear shape so he could deal with whatever was coming. I stopped running a few meters outside the inn, when it became clear both Wolfram and Grogg were moving towards the door. I drew long knives and prepared myself for the oncoming rush. At first glance, it only looked like a cloud blowing towards us, but when I had studied it for a couple of seconds, I could see vague shapes in the cloud. I couldn’t say if there was an actual cloud there, or if it was just the figures moving around and blending with each other that made it look cloud-like.

I hadn’t beaten the spirits to the battlefield by more than a few seconds, so we had no time to speak. Whatever planning the others had done before my arrival, I would just have to trust that I could read it on their actions and support them. I heard Yana’s footsteps behind me and glanced over my shoulder. She had stopped inside the door, so I shouted “Close the door!” and hoped she and Hylda would be safe.

There was a high-pitched screech culminating in something shattering. Wolfram thundered ahead, plowing into the cloud, which split in two on either side of his rush. Xipil’s star bolt struck the left-side cloud and appeared to hurt it. This close, the ghostly figures were no longer vague. I put my knife into one of them as the right-side cloud came at me. It did no apparent damage, not without spirit-slaying venom, but I focused my will and forced the spirit to manifest physically. It looked like an old, desiccated corpse. I sliced it with my other knife and stepped aside to allow the other spirits to pass. Grogg brought his maul down on the suddenly visible opponent, crushing it completely, but the remaining spirits enveloped him. Where they touched him, rime blossomed.

Grogg and I had cooperated well in bringing down that first spirit, but Grogg failed to keep his head cool when all the enemies – except for one that harassed Xipil – focused their attention on him. Wolfram dropped his defenses to bring down Grogg’s foes as quickly as possible. I wasn’t quite that foolhardy, and the rhythm required of my manifestations didn’t allow me to use that gift as often as I might have wished. Anyway, with Grogg lashing out randomly against the spirits he couldn’t see, I needed the time to finish off the spirits I manifested.

I had hoped Xipil could deal with his lone opponent, but when it blew through him and stunned the lizard man briefly, I stepped away from Grogg to manifest the ghost that had harmed Xipil. While I did, Wolfram performed a flurry of blows against Grogg’s remaining opponents and obliterated them. That meant only the one desiccated corpse in front of me was left. I gave it a powerful cut across the neck and nearly decapitated it; Xipil let out his frustration on the fallen enemy, kicking at it until it disintegrated into dust and blew away.

As soon as the night was quiet again, Grogg started consoling Kraa, who had returned and was hiding inside him. Wolfram sniffed around for more enemies. I put away my knives and drew my cloak tight; it shut out the cold night air, but it didn’t do much for my freezing feet. I knocked on the door with a toe, hoping to jolt some heat into it. Hylda opened and Yana asked if we were all right. I told her the others got a shock or two in the brief fight, but we were fine.

It didn’t take long before Munir came charging out another door, scimitar raised. Keri and others came after him. Wolfram was still in his bear shape, spewing demonic ashes, and I hurriedly interposed myself between him and the newcomers; Keri had his crossbow at the ready. Wolfram stormed off into the night, but Keri took aim, so I distracted him by raising my arms and giving him and those with him a full-frontal view of me.

I jogged up to Keri and Munir, covering myself again. I explained that we were attacked by spirits, but we had dealt with them. Keri inspected the frost wounds on Grogg and Xipil, but Munir went back inside, issuing orders for his men to guard the inn. We assured Keri that all was well, and he went inside to calm Munir down.

I suggested to the others that we too went inside so we could get out of the cold and do some first aid. I saw to Xipil while Hylda dealt with Grogg’s wounds. She doesn’t know first aid, but she is an excellent masseuse, and her skill seemed to work well with the frost wounds Grogg had suffered.

Wolfram had transformed back to a human when he entered the room. To his relief, I had time before his arrival to step across the hall to put on clothes. Wolfram had suffered a ghostly touch, and I tended the frost wound while Xipil told him how I stopped Keri from shooting him.

Grogg said the spirits had tried to get Kraa to join them, and Wolfram had a theory: The spirits had followed Pak and Groman out of the Kings’ Crypt and had reacted when the strange spirit raven showed up. We couldn’t let our guard down, not when we didn’t know whether a second wave of hostile spirits might come crashing over us anytime, so Yana and I retrieved our gear and all the mattresses from the other room. If we all stayed together, only one of us needed to stay awake. There was mention of Munir’s guards outside, but since I didn’t think they’d be able to detect spirits, I shut down the idea of leaving our safety in their hands.

O Ashtar! We surrender our lives to Your coils. Take us while we sleep, or grant us another day in Your service, as You will.