Sidros, Singing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, night – Foskos time

  My day had been amazing. I experienced my first food fight. Then, Healer Twipdray took me to the spice market, which had spices from all over the world – even some I recognized from Elegogeen and Kora Kor. I ate my first-ever street food, which was yummy. Then Opa and I played the lithophone some more. However, I was shocked and nervous to discover we had gathered an audience, including several of the Shrine's Coyn.

  Meeting the Coyn had been another shock. I had never spoken to an educated Coyn before yesterday when I was tested in musical theory and performance by Master Uka. I didn't even realize a Coyn like Uka could exist. He had me play the straightboard and the prell. I thought my fingers would fall off because I had lost all my prell calluses. He had me sing and sight-read, too. After that experience, I began to doubt what I had been taught about the backwardness of the Coyn.

  Coyn were not allowed inside the Impotuan imperial residences, so I had never spoken to one before this year. I had met some Coyn for the first time in Yuxviayeth and at the White Shrine of Landa. I learned firsthand that Coyn weren't just livestock with some primitive speech. I began to doubt much of what I had learned about the lesser human race after discovering an intelligent, educated Coyn at the Singing Shrine who was more knowledgeable and skilled at music than I.

  I had so many questions about the Coyn, but no one I could ask.

  After dinner, while the trainees were studying, I perused the Shrine's library, looking for some of those answers. The library was spacious and comfortable, but it was also half empty. Many of the Shrine’s books and music scores had been destroyed when the old Shrine burned down in the war last year.

  I did find a fascinating volume on the war between Foskos and Inkalem. The details it contained were enlightening. I knew Foskos and Inkalem had a conflict six centuries ago, and the result of the war was a trade treaty; however, I didn't know that Foskos had tried to invade and take over the trade road to Tuleen. The book was a revelation because it explained in detail that the Sea Coyn of Inkalem handed the Foskans a humiliating defeat. I knew I would be back to finish the book later. I would have stayed up to finish it, but the Revered Twipdray came to collect me and sent me to bed.

  Trainees had to be in their rooms by the first night bell. Apparently, so did I, even though I was officially a guest. I climbed into bed and fell asleep instantly, only to wake up a half-night-bell later, wide awake and unable to stop worrying. I put on that interesting Foskan garment called a housecoat over my sleeping tunic and trews and snuck out of my room. The guest quarters were empty and not patrolled. I encountered no one as I wandered into the atrium around the Well of Sassoo and then up the interior ramp that lined the atrium. The ramp was designed so the flying races could enter the Shrine through openings in the dome and walk down to the level of the Well. When I reached the gallery around the dome, the stars—both overhead and reflected in the waters of the salt pans—were beautiful. As I pondered if it would be safe to stay in this place, I watched a shooting star blaze its trail across the sky. As it faded, I wondered where it came from and what its fate would be once its light died. Was it some sort of celestial fireball cast by Tiki, only to exist for a few brief moments before perishing at the god's whim? It was both beautiful and sad.

  I was startled by the clicking of talons on the tiles of the gallery. I looked up to see a large and magnificent black-feathered griffin approach and sit down next to where I was standing.

  “Should you not be in your bed, child?" he asked in a musical bass. "It is chilly tonight and past the bedtime for trainees."

  Was he another one of this Shrine’s odd mix of instructors? The Shrine had Coyn music teachers, so a griffin as an instructor would not surprise me. Everything in Foskos was so different from home.

  "I couldn't sleep, and I'm not a trainee. I'm a guest of the Shrine, sir," I replied politely.

  "Ah." He nodded and then studied the sky. "Well, youngster, it is a lovely clear night, and the stars are marvelous to behold. Do you know your constellations? I can see the Harper, the Hunter, and the seven stars of Gammela’s Spear.”

  “I’m not from Foskos,” I said. “The name I learned for Gammela’s Spear was Ugi’s Sword. I’m afraid I don’t know which constellations are the Hunter or the Harper, at least not yet, now that I live here.”

  “I had deduced that since you speak with the accent of an aristocrat from Salicet,” the griffin said. I felt my stomach clench in fear. Was my accent that obvious? Was it bad enough to give me away?

  “You must be a talented young man," the griffin added, unaware of my anxiety. "Only the most talented are invited to visit a Shrine before enrolling. You must have a talent for Voice magic."

  “Apparently I do, and I also can make the Great Crystal and the lithophone stones sing," I admitted, feeling pride that I was valued for my talent rather than my lineage.

  “Now that is news," the griffin sounded pleased. "I do hope you intend to enroll here. There are only three lithophones on all of Erdos, and two have no one who can play them. The skill to coax music from stone is so rare. Did you know that the god Sassoo listens whenever a lithophone is played? He considers it a form of prayer and is pleased to hear it. The Holy Senlyosart would be so happy if you studied here."

  The griffin tilted his head and looked at me. I swear I could see the stars reflected in his black eyes.

  "You look troubled, child," he said. "My Senlyosart is a good and honest soul. Should you choose to become one of hers, she will protect and defend you, even from kings and armies, like she protected her people last year. You can trust her and any oath she swears. Know also that you can make the Great Crystal sing. That is a sign that you have gained the favor of the Lord of the Winds and that this is where you should be. It is the will of a god that you should abide here. It is wise to heed the will of the gods."

  “How can I be sure of that?" I had so many doubts and worries. Was I really safe here from the Foskan King? Especially with his daughter enrolled at the Singing Shrine? Could I avoid Imstay King and the frightening mad Queen of Foskos when they were sure to visit Opa?

  “The Singing Shrine had over five hundred resident clergy, trainees, attendants, Coyn, and mounts. Yet, through Senlyosart's actions, only twelve From the Shrine perished in the war last year. She was almost one of those who perished. That is the measure of your future mistress, young man. She is a great soul. She is worthy of your trust."

  Then the griffin gave a great yawn, "It is getting late, and I must be going, youngster."

  With that, he stood up and bumped my shoulder with his beak, “Don’t stay up too late. Morning will be here sooner than you think. Sleep well, young one.” He launched himself off the gallery and into the sky. I watched as he disappeared into the night.

  Senlyosart, Singing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, night – Foskos time

  Concerned for the Queen, I lingered at the Healing Shrine until she recovered from the strange state that the god Mugash left her in. That appeared to be the final act of a long and stressful day. The rite of intercession was an amazing but frightening experience. We mortals were ill-equipped to endure the physical presence of gods.

  After arriving home, I was relaxing in my chair with my leg up when, once again, I felt the presence of another god nearby. It was a quarter to the half-night bell, so most residents were asleep. I contained my own fear and searched the Shrine. I gasped when I found Sassoo in his guise as the Lord of the Winds speaking to the young Ugi prince on the upper gallery of the dome. Clairvoyance is not my best skill, so I could not understand most of what they said. Thankfully, their conversation was brief, and the god departed.

  In my mind’s eye, I watched the prince leave the gallery and descend the ramp to the second story, where he returned to the guest quarters in the west wing. Twipdray’s room was close to where we had put Sidros. I saw that she was awake and mindcasted her.

  *Sidros has been wandering the halls. Please put him to sleep. I will be there as fast as I can limp.*

  I threw a housecoat over my sleeping gown and grabbed my crutches for the short trek one hallway over from my suite. When I arrived at Sidros's door, I could hear Twipdray talking to the boy through the door. I knocked and let myself in. Twipdray was sitting on the side of the bed, and Sidros was back under the covers. He had a mug of something to drink.

  Twipdray stood in a hurry and placed the room’s armchair next to the bed for me.

  "Holy One, please sit," she said in her healer's voice, noting that I brought my crutches. Twipdray was acutely sensitive to how much trouble my lame leg gave me, and today had not been one of my better days.

  Sidros gave me an accusatory look.

  "Young man," I scolded him lightly, "of course, Healer Twipdray told me you were up. You are a guest of my Shrine, and your well-being is a concern. Frankly, you're a mess, so yes, I am worried if you can't sleep and out wandering the hallways." I looked up at Twipdray standing beside me, "Is that a sleep draught?"

  “A mild one in warm cow’s milk with cassia and sugar,” my personal healer replied.

  “Well, Sidros, that should help you sleep the night through," I told him. "I am worried about you; so are Healer Twipdray and young Opa. It is obvious that your life has been unkind to you. You have lost your home and your family. You have witnessed the horrible atrocities of war and had to flee for your life as a refugee, constantly looking behind you to escape death on the blades of the same soldiers who killed your grandmother and burned your home. You've not had a safe place to rest your head for at least two seasons. You probably haven't had any decent sleep since the war started.

  "Please, Sidros, promise to wake me, Twipdray, or any healer on duty if you can't sleep. We can't erase all the terrible things you've lived through, but we can at least cast a sleep charm on you so you get a good night's sleep."

  The boy just looked at me with big, uncertain eyes.

  “Promise?” I tapped his kneecap through the blankets.

  “Yes, Holy One,” he meeped in a little voice.

  I nodded at him, “That’s better. So, where did you wander off to that no one nabbed you as a trainee breaking the curfew rules?" I smiled at him, inviting him to reveal his encounter with Sassoo.

  “I went to the gallery around the dome to look at the stars," he admitted meekly. "I didn't think there was anything wrong with going up there. I did meet a griffin up there. He thought I was a trainee, but I told him I was a guest. We didn't talk long. He told me there were three lithophones. I know there's one here and one in Kipgapshegar. Where's the third?"

  I had to work hard not to react to what he said. Apparently, Sid didn't know he had just spoken to a god. How was that possible? Was it because his magic wasn't fully developed yet? Most children were immune from the effect that gods had on adult silverhairs.

  "The third lithophone is in Kora Kor," I replied. "We can chat about this tomorrow. Now it's time for you to finish that sleeping draught and get some snoozing time in." I patted him on the shoulder and again had to work at not reacting. "I'll leave you to Twipdray for now and will see you in the morning. Sleep well, child."

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Twipdray gave me a hand up, and I left the room. I said quietly to the empty hallway, "I would like the wraith on duty to report to me in my bedroom." Then, I retreated down the hall and waited. Twipdray joined me after a moment. I motioned for her to follow me to my bedroom without speaking in the hallway.

  “Shall I help you to bed, Holy One?" Twipdray offered once we were in my quarters.

  “Please," I capitulated. I had discovered that allowing her to help me was easier than resisting. The Revered Twipdray, like most high-level healers, was remarkably stubborn about such things.

  After she had me in bed with a beaker of warm herbal tea, she pulled up a chair and sat. Her countenance looked as troubled as I felt.

  “Why a sleep draught?” I asked, curious. A sleeping charm was easier and more effective than any potion.

  “Did you not feel the touch of a god coalescing in that child’s aura? I did not dare try a charm on the boy with his aura in such a state.”

  "Yes, I felt it too. I find it strange that Sid did not know he had just spoken to the Lord of the Winds. Did the wraith on duty follow me?" Twipdary gave me a sharp look when I said that.

  A lady wraith appeared, “Holy One, I do not wish to linger here long. Another wraith has already replaced me. I am not f...f...fit to continue tonight. I can barely stand, and I cannot stop myself from trembling. I understand you need to...to...to hear my report. Then I would beg the Revered One to find me an empty bed somewhere and put me to sleep. Standing so close to a god is...is...”

  Twipdray stood up and put her hand on the wraith's shoulder. The wraith visibly relaxed.

  "A charm of peace," the wraith sounded much calmer. "Thank you, Revered One. Sassoo spoke to me; he mindcasted me. He told me to watch and not reveal myself or react in any way that might alert the boy.”

  “What did the Lord of the Winds say to him?” I asked. I needed to know.

  "The divine Sassoo urged the boy to enroll at the Shrine and told him he could trust you to protect him. He did not reveal who he was to the boy.”

  “But they spoke of lithophones?” I inquired.

  “Yes, because the boy said he had the talent to make rocks sing as if they were having a normal conversation about the boy visiting the Shrine."

  "That explains it," I nodded. "Your name? And where should I inquire tomorrow to see how you are doing after a near encounter with Sassoo? I do wish to make sure you do not suffer any unforeseen effects. Will you be at Five Needle Row or upstairs at the Charm Gem Exchange?"

  “You know where our quarters are? How is that possible?”

  I chuckled, “Young lady, let me remind you that I am the avatar of a god and my talents are considerable. Not much escapes my notice in Black Falls, especially when I have a Princess under my roof to worry about.”

  “Oh," the wraith blinked. "I am Lynx, Holy One. If I am not on duty––"

  “Trust me, you won’t be,” said Twipdray in a tone dripping with authority.

  “I will be upstairs in the northeast corner room above the Charm Gem Exchange.”

  “Very good. Have you arranged a message for the King about the boy?”

  “Yes, Holy One. Snow Bear will be telling the King if he hasn’t already.”

  "Good. Twip, put Lynx in the room next to yours for the night. Then return, and we will talk."

  I read while I waited for Twipdray to return. When she had settled back into the chair next to the bed, she gave me an accusatory look.

  “I knew he was a refugee Impotuan noble, but just who is Sidros that he has wraiths watching him?” Twipdray attacked.

  “You can not repeat this, not even to the Holy Lisaykos,” I ordered. “You may speak of this only to me, the King, the Queen, and Opa. Other than the wraiths, they are the only ones who know. You might have already guessed his real identity. He is Arkashar Ugi, the Heir Presumptive of Impotu. He does not know that we know. We need to keep it that way.”

  “Merciful Mugash!” The unflappable Twipdray was gobsmacked. “But the King already knows? And he let the boy live?”

  “I convinced the King and Queen to let me save him if I can. And now we have a different problem.”

  Twipdray’s look of consternation deepened, “He’s just been touched by a god!”

  “I know. This greatly complicates things. Hiding the boy just became more difficult, yet hiding him is crucial, both for his protection and for stabilizing the situation in Impotu. Arkaline Ugi must not discover that her son is alive and hiding in Foskos, or we will need to lock him up.

  “I must go to Is’syal to consult with the King and Queen or ask them to make another secret visit here. I can't, in good conscience, ask the Queen to come again so soon when she has the twins to take care of. I will probably be traveling again tomorrow if our young Sidros will be all right in my absence. Given how unsettled he is, I don't want to leave him."

  Twipdray frowned, “If he can stick with Opa, I think he'll be fine. They get along, and he cheers up when he’s with the trainees. They seem to like him. His shyness, his performance in the food fight, and his ability with the lithophone have left a good impression with the first- and second-year trainees."

  “Food fight?" I had to ask. How delightful. I had not heard there had been a food fight.

  Twip grinned, “Opa was the one who started it. Isn’t that wonderful? I got an earful from Salirsa about it, especially since she’s convinced you’ll be lenient with the Princess. Salirsa had Opa collect all the thrown morning buns to feed them to Lord Black's hogs, but you'll need to come up with something for Opa to discipline her."

  “Oh, blarg. Salirsa's right; I do want to be lenient. Opa doesn't need any more piled on her. I already have her saddled with teaching. Starting next season, she will be adding weapons training before morning repast with an instructor from Kas. And I don't want to give her any punishments that might get back to her mother. Opa doesn't handle it well when her mother is angry with her. It's something the Revered Lyappis cautioned me about."

  “The Queen has gotten better,” Twipdray pointed out.

  “You and I know that, at least in our heads," I commented. "But Opa is not mature enough to realize how much her mother has improved, and she has a bad habit of pouting and acting like a brat in front of her mother, which doesn't help either stay on a steady footing. Unfortunately, the Queen is a little too strict with her daughter if you want my opinion."

  “What’s the usual punishment for starting a food fight?” Twipdray circled back to disciplining the Princess.

  “Kitchen duty, which doesn’t work for Opa given her schedule.”

  “You could revoke her privileges to leave the Shrine and go into town.”

  “I can’t do that. Her parents need her to attend events outside of Black Falls.”

  “Forbidding her from visiting town for a season would work," Twipdray said. "She loves to go shopping."

  “Not while she’s babysitting Sidros. I’m hoping those two will continue to bond.”

  “Feeding Lord Black’s hogs for a season?”

  “It would fit her schedule,” I smiled. “Yes, Twip, that might work.”

  Emily, on a ship, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 5th day – East Coast time

  I woke to the sound of sea birds. At first, I was confused about where I was. The ship did not look familiar. Then I realized I was sleeping on the stern platform of the pirate vessel. Moo was at the tiller, which was too big for any Coyn to handle. The fair-haired Coyn from Souk were handling the lines that controlled the angle of the enormous sail. The Coyn’s ship and the war ketch were tied alongside. Off the port side was the smudge of land. The sun was low on the horizon of the starboard bow.

  I looked up at Moo, “We’re sailing east?”

  “Oh, good morning to you, little bed bear.” She smiled, reached down, and ruffled my hair. “Did you sleep well? You’ve been hibernating since yesterday when the god put you to sleep. That was scary, but the little folks no longer question that you’re a prophet. The appearance of a god on the boat convinced them.”

  "What?" I thought Mugash had spoken directly to my mind.

  “The god of healing appeared behind you and put you to sleep," Moo said. "Then she instructed the crew to take us to Souk, where we will fight more pirates."

  “Mugash did?”

  “I’m confident it was Mugash.”

  The captain climbed the ladder stair to the steering platform, "Good morrow to you, Beloved." He stopped to bow. "I was worried when we couldn't wake you yesterday. The god said we would encounter more pirates. The Exalted One said the black contraptions on your ship are powerful weapons. Do you know if they are useable? If we must fight off more Cosm pirates, we need all the help we can get."

  “I’ll need to get on the ketch to see if the ammo survived the storm,” I got up, “but first, I need to visit the head. Is there one on this boat?”

  “There is," the captain said, "but it's too big for any of us to use besides the Exalted One. We have slop buckets set up in the bow."

  “Oh joy,” I grimaced. The captain laughed.

  The captain's name was Willis. It was such a nice, manageable name after suffering through so many Mattamesscontan and Mattamukan ones. He and his crew were dressed in well-worn drab browns and yellows. It made me wonder if Souk lacked a developed fiber arts industry. The sail on their ship was made of better quality cloth than their clothes. The crew was mending it when I woke up.

  As we jumped the gunwales onto the ketch, I asked, “How did you get the sail up on the pirate ship?”

  He grinned and pointed at Moo with his thumb.

  “Oh, right,” I laughed, “stupid question.”

  “She rescued us, and the two of you need help to get home. We usually don’t allow Cosm to stay in Souk, but it wouldn’t be right to turn you away,” he said in his funny clipped accent that tended to drop the final syllable on a word if it ended in a vowel.

  He stopped and gave me a funny look, “Is she really the Empress of Mattamesscontess?”

  “She will be,” I said.

  "Well, it can't be a bad thing for us to make her our friend. The Empire's navy is what keeps the shipping lanes safe. We can't do it. It’s hard enough to defend our port from raiders.”

  “Are the pirates really that bad?”

  “They come and they go. When they get too brazen, the Mattamesscontan navy will burn the ships and the port of Mattamukmuk, and it will be peaceful for a few years. Then pirate raids will start again and get more frequent. The funny thing is, we've noticed more pirates on the northern sea routes, starting a few years ago. Lately, they have gotten worse on the north side of Alkinosuk. That happened after the Mad Monster Queen of Foskos single-handedly destroyed half of the city of Mattamukmuk. We think some of the Mattamukans have made a new port somewhere between Souk and the Cliffs of Gong."

  “You don’t know for sure?” I asked.

  “There are a handful of Coyn towns along the coast. Like Souk, they are inside fjords so they can be defended against Cosm raiders. Once you get to Gong, there are no more ports because there are no more fjords. The cliffs of Gong go northeast until you sail into the Ice Sea, where huge mountains of ice float in the water. We don't up there because there's no one to trade with. Go too far, and you'll reach Canniballand, where Cosm who think they are animals live and feast on any unfortunate enough to wash up on those shores."

  “Back up to the Coyn settlements. Tell me, how do you defend yourselves against Cosm?" I was curious. "They're huge, and they have magic. That's a hard combination to beat."

  “Now, the funny thing about magic users is that most of them can’t cast their spells if they are busy doing something else, like drowning, or being bombarded with rocks.”

  I had to laugh. Willis's take on attacking mages sounded straight out of a fantasy role-playing game.

  “Here, Willis, can you give me a hand,” I pointed at the storage under the gun platform on the ketch. “Those casks should have the explosive powder for the cannon, and those square chests will be shells for the mortar. I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to pull them out myself.”

  “I can take care of that,” he said as he wrestled a chest from under the gun platform, followed by a cask of sugar-based exploding powder.

  “This doesn’t look good,” I looked around. “I think the swabbing tools for the cannon were washed overboard. We may be stuck with just the mortar until some new ones can be made.”

  “Swabbing tools?”

  “They clean out the insides of the cannon between shots. I'll explain everything later," I promised. "Help me pry this chest open so I can see if the shells got wet."

  By the time we sorted through all the stored ammunition under the gun platform, I could tell the crew of this ketch had used up about half their mortar shells and none of the fireworks, which Tom cleverly rebranded as signal flares.

  To be honest, I was disappointed that we had two more days before we reached Souk. I was itching to shoot at something, like a Cosm pirate ship.

  By evening, I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and demonstrated how to use the mortar using two of the twenty fireworks shells.