Chapter One

The sea was calling her. It always did — it was part of her, as much as the sky was part of her. Aeris leaned on the wall of the Water Walk and looked down at the canoes on the shore. The day after tomorrow, she'd answer the sea's call. She'd leave the Palace behind and go out on the Deep for a season with her father. Maybe this time, the part of her that was missing would be where they were supposed to be. She stood, stretching her wings wide, then folded them back against her back and leaned on the wall once more. One more day....

"You look like you're ready to leave already," a familiar voice said from behind her. An older man joined her at the wall, leaning next to her. He was solidly built, his skin perhaps a shade or two darker than her own, and he wore his long hair in twists, which were currently pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. He leaned close enough to nudge her shoulder with his own. "Which, you can't. We still have the party tomorrow. The cutter should be here this morning, and everyone will want to see you. So no leaving early."

She nudged him back. "I know, Owyn. I just... maybe they're out there this time."

"Maybe," Owyn drawled. "All we've seen is that they weren't in the right place. So maybe they're back on the deep by now?" He shrugged and looked at her. "I know it bothers you. Truth be told, it bothers all of us. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Aeris nodded. "All the lore says I'm supposed to find my Water first. I have everyone else and it's been nearly two years."

Owyn snorted. "And I here I thought we were done living in unprecedented times. I want some precedented times. Really. Any time now would be good."

Aeris giggled and straightened. "I'll find them. I know I will. It's just... where are they?"

"The last place you'll look." Owyn murmured. "That's what Fisher said. You'll find them in the last place you'll look." Then he shook his head. "Which... yeah, that makes sense. It's always the last place you look because once you have it, you stop looking."

Aeris took a deep breath, let it out, then looked at the sky. "I have my shift in the healing center soon," she said. "I should go in."

"I'll walk with you." Owyn straightened and fell in next to her as they walked to the stairs. "Did you eat this morning?"

"Tiras wouldn't let me leave the suite without eating," Aeris admitted. "They actually stood in front of the door and wouldn't let me open it until I ate my entire breakfast, including the porridge."

Owyn laughed out loud. "That's my Tiras. You have your hands full with that one. Your Fire got their stubborn from both parents."

"And has Gannet to back them up." Aeris smiled. "Tiras actually told me that they were going to have Gannet sit on me if I didn't eat."

"And Gannet would do it in a heartbeat. And not just because he's your Air and he adores you."

"He does," Aeris agreed. "But sometimes I think he loves my Fire more than he loves me. He'd fly to the moon for Tiras."

"And all it took was a broken nose." Owyn stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at her. "You know, your bond with the three you already have is as strong as the bond we have with your mother. Don't worry about your Water. Once you find them, you'll be fine."

Aeris nodded, taking his hand as they walked toward the Palace. "We just need to find them."

***

This early in the morning, the Palace healing center was cool and quiet. The only person Aeris was expecting to find there was Dyna, her Earth. No one had been surprised when Aeris had given the Earth gem to Dyna — they were as close as a pair could be already. They'd grown up together, then trained together as healers. Neither of them were interested in taking the other as a lover — there didn't seem to be a point. They already loved each other, and sharing a bed wouldn't make that love any deeper. So their relationship hadn't changed at all once Dyna wore the Earth gem, and the quiet, early morning shifts were their time to talk and share the way they had all their lives.

To Aeris' surprise, she heard voices when she opened the door to the healing center. She walked in, and smiled when a large wolf with a muzzle gone completely gray looked up at her, his tail swishing over the floor.

"Good morning, Howl," she said, going to kneel on the floor next to him. He rolled onto his back, and she scratched his belly as the voices came closer. She heard the squeaking before she looked up, but it wasn't a surprise. If Howl was here, then Karse wasn't going to be far away. And if Karse was here...

"Aeri girl!"

Aeris gave Howl a final pat and got up, going over to the wheeled chair to kiss Trey's scarred cheek. "Good morning, Uncle," she said. He smiled up at her.

"Hug?"

"Of course!" Aeris laughed and hugged him. "How are you feeling today?"

Trey shrugged slightly and waved one ruined hand. "Good. Feel good." He paused, looked up at Karse, smiled, then slowly and clearly said, "My man worries too much."

Karse burst out laughing. "Well, if my worrying means you'll say more than two words in a row, I'm going to keep doing it." He leaned down to kiss his husband. "Just a regular check," he added as he straightened. "Figured, it was quiet. There wasn't likely to be anyone here, so it gives Trey the time he needs, and it lets Aven do his work without rushing."

"My father is here?" Aeris looked back toward the examination rooms. "I didn't expect him to be. He's usually not on morning shifts."

"Benefit of being the senior healer on site," Aven said as he came out of an examination room. Dyna followed him, smiling when she saw Aeris. "I can sleep in and let my dawn bird daughter take the early shifts."

Aeris laughed and went to share breath with her father, going on her toes to kiss his cheek. He hugged her to his side, and she sighed and relaxed against her father's warmth.

"You ready to sail?" he asked.

"Looking forward to it, Fa," she answered. "Fa Owyn said he thought I was going to leave by myself this morning."

"Was he out on the Water Walk?' Aven asked. "I thought he'd gone to the kitchens." He paused, then laughed. "Oh, of course. Alanar and Vir are overdue on the cutter. He's watching the tide."

"Hard for him," Trey said, waving one hand. "Him here and them there. S'hard."

"Well, you are feeling good," Karse murmured. "Good enough to come watch the guards drill? Meri is out there. You haven't seen her for a while. She's gotten better."

Trey grimaced. "Not... no."

Karse sighed. "I thought that might be your answer. Come on. We'll go find Fancy, then I'll go make sure Meri isn't running roughshod over her brother."

"Tacen is sticking with practice?" Aven asked. "Even though he's decided not to go into the guard?"

"Yeah, he says it's good for him," Karse answered. "And I can't disagree. He'll follow his mother into service, but he'll also be able to break heads if he needs to. Can't see how that's a bad thing." He put his hand on Trey's shoulder. "So, shall I take you to help Fancy and Danir with the accounting?"

Trey sniffed. "Good for something, at least."

"Hey, none of that," Karse chided. He leaned down and kissed Trey. "You're good at a lot of things. And you're an expert at others."

Trey tipped his head back. "Really? What?"

"Being my man," Karse answered. "Being Fancy's man. Being Meri and Tacen's fa. Loving all of us. Do I need to keep going?"

Trey made a face. "Fine. You win. Fancy?"

"Let's go. She should be in her office." He moved to the back of the chair and started pushing. "Howl."

The wolf got to his feet, shaking himself all over. He turned toward them, then raised his head and growled. A moment later, they heard the deep tolling of a bell.

"What's that?" Dyna asked. "Wait... that's the Council bell!"

Aeris looked up at the ceiling. The last time the Council bell had rung, it had been the day her grandfather had died. "Fa?"

"I don't know, little bird." Aven looked up, frowning. "Get your Companions and go to the little Council room. Now."

***

Aeris and Dyna were halfway to the Heir's suite when they met Tiras and Gannet coming the other direction. Her Air and her Fire were a study in opposites — Gannet was both unusually pale and unusually big for an Airborn — his long hair was almost white, as were his feathers, and he was nearly as tall as Aeris' uncle Othi. His wingspan was twice Aeris' own, and she didn't think he was finished growing. Tiras, on the other hand, was outwither — presenting as neither male nor female — and they could only be described as delicate. They were a month older than Aeris, as dark as Gannet was pale, and stunningly pretty. Tiras was so slightly built that it seemed as though they would blow away in a strong wind. But looks were deceptive — Tiras knew more about fighting than the rest of them put together, and had proved it by breaking Gannet's nose less than a month after the Heir's Progress had returned to the Palace. To be fair, Gannet admitted that he'd deserved it — his flock was one of the more old-fashioned ones, and he'd grown up believing that wingless Air only existed to be looked down on. He'd bristled at the idea of learning anything from Del until Owyn called him on his behavior, and explained just why Del had no wings. Gannet had been horrified and mortified in equal measure, but instead of learning his lesson, he'd found another target in Dyna. Once he learned that Dyna was part-Air and wingless, he'd started treating her like a servant. Patient Dyna had ignored him, and urged the others to do the same. He'd learn, in time.

Then Gannet said... something. Aeris wasn't certain exactly what — no one would tell her. But Tiras had lost their temper, lured Gannet out to the practice yards, and beat the big Air bloody. When called before the Firstborn, Tiras admitted to everything, and offered only the defense that some people needed their heads broken open so that sense could get in, a sentiment that caused two of Aria's Companions to burst out laughing. Once he'd stopped, Owyn promised to make sure that Gannet learned his lesson. Then he and Del had taken Gannet into a meeting room and locked the door.

An hour later, a chagrined and red-faced Gannet apologized to the Firstborn and her Companions, then to the Heir and her other two Companions. When Tiras attempted to apologize, Gannet refused to accept, and he insisted that there be no penalty against them, on the grounds that Tiras was right.

Aeris wasn't entirely certain, but she suspected that the pair had been lovers ever since.

"Aeris, what was that?" Tiras asked, spinning one of their wooden smoke blades. Gannet handed Aeris her belt quiver of javelins, and she noticed that he was also armed.

"It sounded important," Gannet added. "We weren't sure what it was, and I thought it was better to go armed than not."

"It's the Council bell," Aeris answered. "We were coming to get you. Fa says we're to go to the Little Council room." She strapped the belt of her quiver around her waist and looked at Dyna. "Being armed is a good idea. Dyna?"

"I have my blowpipe."

Aeris nodded. "I thought you might. Let's go." They started walking. "The last time the bell rang, it was the day my grandfather died," she said as they made their way through the halls. "I don't know why it's ringing now."

Tiras whistled softly. "Someone important died?"

"Or something important happened," Dyna said. "Hopefully, it's not a death." She looked at Aeris, then reached for her hand.

They filed into the Little Council chamber and found Danir waiting for them. The assistant Steward looked harried, but not upset, and Aeris felt her shoulders relaxing.

"Come through to the Hall," he said. "Your mother and her Companions are already seated."

"Uncle, what is it?" Aeris asked.

"News from the Temple," Danir said, and returned to the Hall. Aeris heard him announce them, but didn't move.

"Uncle Steward?" she whispered, and Dyna took her hand again. Tiras rested their hand on her shoulder, and Gannet moved to her other side.

"Let's go see," Gannet said softly. "Maybe it's... maybe it's nothing." He frowned. "An important nothing."

"Your counseling skills suck rocks, Gan," Tiras muttered. Dyna giggled, and Aeris smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "Let's go."

She led the way through the door to the Hall and toward the two daises. The higher dais bore five chairs, and all but two were occupied. At the center, in the seat marked by a circle of golden glass, was the Firstborn Aria, Aeris' mother. She had Aeris' youngest sister in her lap, which did much to calm Aeris' worries. If things were truly bad, Yana wouldn't be here.

Aeris led her Companions to the center of the hall, and they all bowed to Aria before making their way to the second, smaller dais to the left of center. Tiras stepped forward, whispering, "My turn!" as they offered their hand to Aeris, leading her to her seat. She bit down on a laugh — her Companions had devised their own schedule of who would be her primary escort on any given day, and refused to tell her how it worked. She suspected Tiras was the ringleader — they usually were. She took her place, with Gannet and Dyna on her right. On her left, just past the empty seat where her Water should be, Tiras took their own place. The smaller dais was angled slightly, so Aeris could see her mother, Owyn and Del. Her father and Treesi were nowhere to be seen.

"Mother? What's happened?" She rested her hands on the arms of the chair. "Word from the Temple, Danir said. Is Uncle Steward all right?"

Aria nodded. "Yes. He sent a message. And apparently, it's important enough that the messenger was waylaid on his way to the Palace. That's where Aven and Treesi are."

"Waylaid?" Gannet leaned forward in his chair. "Who would waylay a priest?"

"We don't know yet," Aria answered. "Once the messenger is in a better state, we'll see about some answers."

The doors to the hall opened, and Afansa came in, followed by Copper. Behind them were Aven and Treesi, walking on either side of a man wearing tattered and stained Temple livery. The stranger looked pale, and there were fading bruises visible on his face and neck.

"My Water?" Aria said as they approached.

"He'll be fine," Aven replied. "Worst of it was two broken ribs." He smiled at the stranger. "Lorn here will be sore for a day or two, but otherwise he's fine."

Lorn bowed. "Thank you, Waterborn."

"What happened?" Owyn asked. "Let's get that out of the way first."

Lorn turned to him. "I was sent with messages for the Firstborn and for Terraces. There's nothing unusual about that, so we didn't take any precautions and I traveled alone. I made camp a few nights ago, and... I don't know who they were, but they attacked at night. I never really saw them. They tried to kill me, and I barely got away. Lost my horse to them, so I just... kept on moving. It was closer to come here than go back, so I traveled by night, hid during the day, in case they were still looking for me."

Aria nodded. "And the message you have for us. You've told me already, but will you repeat it so that the Heir and her Companions can hear?"

Lorn turned slightly, pausing when he saw the empty chair. "Should I wait?" he asked. "For the Water?"

"They're not in residence at the moment," Aeris answered. "Please, go on."

Lorn nodded. "I was sent by the High Priest to tell the Firstborn and her Heir that Frayim has had a vision, and that it is imperative that the Firstborn and the Heir go to the Temple at once."

Tiras whistled softly. "Frayim... that's the one my fa calls the Seer, isn't it? Tall, thin enough to disappear if he turns sideways?" They looked at Aeris. "We met him, didn't we?"

Aeris nodded. "When we went to the Temple, after we found Gannet. He hasn't had a vision since before I was born." She frowned. "Mother, if we need to be on the road, I don't have to have a party. We can leave tomorrow."

Aria nodded, shifting a drowsing Yana on her lap, then laughing as Del came and picked her up, carrying her back to his own chair. "It will take longer than that to prepare the court to move, my dove. But we will not tarry, either. Afansa, is the day after tomorrow feasible for us to leave?"

"For how long?" Afansa asked.

Aria looked thoughtful. "I'm... not certain," she said slowly. "Plan for a month, I think."

"Feasible to leave in two days for a month?" Afansa frowned slightly, then looked at Danir. "Well?"

He closed his eyes, then nodded slowly. "It will be rushed, but I think so," he said.

"You are coming along very nicely," Afansa said, just loud enough that Aeris heard.

"Oh, was that another test?" Danir groaned.

"And you passed. Yes, Firstborn, we can have you on the road by the day after tomorrow. Now, what arrangements should I make for our visitor?"

"Lorn, you said you had messages to take on to Terraces," Aven said. "We could send you on your way on the cutter. It's due in today, and will sail back out tomorrow. Or we can take a canoe out today. In either case, you'll be there in a few hours."

"Ah... thank you, Waterborn, but... I don't..." Lorn looked down. "No boats."

"Sounds like he's like I used to be," Owyn said. "Lorn, you don't have to apologize. We'll just get you set up with a horse. Right?"

Aria nodded. "Danir, if you would arrange that? Supplies for the road, and a horse."

"And in the meantime, a change of clothes and a rest," Afansa added. "Come with us, Lorn, and we'll take care of you."

Lorn bowed toward Aria, then turned to the lower dais. "You're the one, aren't you?" he said. "The child of all four tribes."

Aeris sat up a little straighter in her chair. "I... I'm my parents' daughter. That's all I can say for certain."

Lorn smiled. "That's all any of us can say, isn't it?" He bowed, and followed Afansa and Danir from the Hall.

"Well, that was weird," Tiras murmured. "He's from the Temple. Is he one of those... what are they called? The sorry ones?"

"Penitents," Owyn answered. "And maybe? There were a lot of them who stayed as priests back when the Temple was rebuilt." He sighed. "Right. Time to get ready to get on the road again?"

"A short trip, I hope," Aria said. "It's been some time." She paused. "I regret that it will mean putting off your season with the family canoe, my Water."

"We'll take our season when we come back," Aven said. "The family will understand."

"What will the family understand?"

Aven whipped around, his jaw dropping. "Fa?"

Standing in the open door were Aeris' grandparents, Jehan and Aleia. Behind them...

"Allie!" Owyn crowed. "Where have you been?"

Alanar smiled, stepping into the hall, followed by his son Vir. Alanar stopped, cocked his head to the side. Then he frowned. "What's happened? Why is everyone in the Hall?"

"It's a good thing you got here when you did," Aven said. "We have a lot to tell you."

Chapter Two

Go to the Salon, Aria told Aeris and her Companions. Wait for us there.

Somewhat early in Milon’s reign as Firstborn, he’d realized that there was no single room in the Palace where his entire personal circle, and his daughter’s entire personal circle, and the increasing number of children could all be at the same time. So several rooms had been renovated and combined to create the Salon — a space that was large enough for everyone to be comfortable, where the children could play, and the adults could gather to talk. There were fireplaces on two walls, and cozy chairs for sitting and reading or napping. One corner of the room was entirely soft toys for the smallest children. Most of Aeris’ childhood memories involved things that happened in the Salon, and it was usually her favorite place in the entire Palace.

Usually. Today, it felt more like she was being sent to her room.

“Is it just me, or were we just told to run off and play?” Gannet asked as he walked over to a quartet of chairs arranged in a small group. He sat down in one of the two low-backed chairs.

“It’s not just you,” Tiras agreed, dropping down to sit on the floor at his feet, setting their blades on the ground next to them. “They always include us in the talks and discussions and negotiations. Always. Owyn says it’s important for us to learn, so we’re not playing catch up the way they had to. This… this doesn’t make sense.”

Aeris took the other low-backed chair and frowned slightly, trying to put her thoughts in order.

“Aeri?” Dyna perched on the arm of the chair, putting her arm around Aeris’ shoulders. “What are you thinking?”

Aeris leaned into her side and sighed. “That it’s something to do with the people out in the hills who think I’m Axia come again,” she answered. “The ones who hurt my father and Uncle Trey, and who kidnapped me when I was a baby.”

“I thought they were all gone, though,” Tiras said. “I mean… we all learned about it. The woman who did it was executed.”

“She was, but we don’t know if there were others. There are reports from the troops that went out into the hills. They didn’t find anyone, but that doesn’t mean much,” Aeris said. “I don’t know very much other than what’s in the reports and the history texts. Mother doesn’t like to talk about it, and the rest of her Companions take their lead from her.”

“Which explains why we got sent out, I suppose,” Gannet said. He leaned forward and started combing his fingers through Tiras’ hair. Tiras sighed and leaned back, closing their eyes as Gannet started braiding. “So what do we do now?”

“Wait?” Dyna suggested.

Aeris chuckled, then straightened as Dyna tensed. They both turned toward the door, which opened to reveal a handsome young man in guard livery. He looked around, saw them and stepped inside, smiling. Aeris felt Dyna shiver as he came toward them.

“I thought the Salon was empty,” he said. “I’m surprised you’re not in the Hall. The Captain just went in.”

“The Firstborn wanted to speak in confidence,” Aeris answered. “I didn’t think your rounds took you through the Salon, Lancir.”

He laughed. “They usually don't. I was going past and I thought I heard voices. I wanted to be sure no one was in here that shouldn’t be.” He grinned. “We caught two maids and a footman in here one night. Told them to find a more private spot.”

Aeris laughed. “Really?”

Lancir nodded. He shifted from one foot to the other, his dark hair falling over his forehead as he coughed. His cheeks colored slightly as he bit his lip, then asked, “Healer Dyna? I… I’ve been wanting to ask… if we might meet on the Water Walk after my shift?”

“Oh,” Dyna breathed. Aeris looked up to see that her face was pink. “Oh, I… I’d like that. If I can.”

Lancir smiled and bowed, then straightened and winked, his bright blue eyes merry. “Healers are busy. I know. I’ll come find you when I’m off-shift and we’ll see if you’re free.” He saluted. “My Heir.” He turned and walked away, whistling. Dyna shifted on the arm of the chair, and Aeris moved over to let her share the seat.

“How long have you been hoping he’d ask?” Gannet asked.

“And why didn’t you ask him first?” Tiras added.

Dyna’s face turned even more pink. “I… didn’t want him to feel any pressure… because I’m a Healer and a Companion, and he… well, have you heard his history?”

Aeris shook her head. “No. Captain Karse doesn’t gossip about his men.”

“Meri does,” Tiras murmured. Their eyes were still closed. “But I haven’t heard this. Tell, Dyna.”

Dyna glanced at the door, then lowered her voice. “Meri told me that his village in the foothills was wiped out by raiders when he was young. The people who found him and took him in treated him like a slave. He ran away when he was old enough, and he’s been on his own ever since. He entered the guard in Terraces three years ago, and they sent him here. He doesn’t have anyone or anywhere else to go, and I don’t want him to feel like he has to spend time with me to keep his place.”

“How did Meri get all of that out of him?” Gannet asked. “She been spending time with him?

“Not like that,” Dyna answered. “You know Meri. She prefers girls. She’s been helping him with reading, and they’re friends.”

“And you’re about as subtle as a thrown brick,” Tiras teased. “I think the entire Palace knows you like him.”

“Tiras, that isn’t nice,” Aeris chided. “Don’t tease.”

Tiras winced. “Yeah, that was a bit too far. Sorry, Dyna.” They smiled. “You know I still love you, right?”

Dyna laughed. “I know. I—” She stopped and turned as the door opened and a pair children ran into the Salon. One of them laughed and shouted, “Dyna!”

“Mannit?” Dyna got to her feet. “I… Lachin? What are you… Mama!”

Three adults followed the children into the Salon, and Aeris stood up as Dyna ran across to hug her mother. Aeris followed, hearing Gannet and Tiras behind her. The two red-haired men with Trista both grinned, and one of them gave an exaggerated bow. Aeris laughed. “Uncle Astur, Uncle Elaias, it’s good to see you. I didn’t think we were going to. I thought you had… something? A project?”

Elaias elbowed Astur gently, then stepped forward and hugged Aeris. “We do, and this is the next step of it.” He looked past Aeris. “Tiras, Gannet. Good to see you both.” He frowned slightly. “Still not yet?”

Aeris shook her head. “Hopefully once I get back from my season I’ll have someone to introduce to you.”

“Well, it’ll be a trip,” Astur said. “We’re not going back to Terraces for a bit.”

“What?” Dyna asked. “Fa?”

Elaias smiled and held his arms open for Dyna. “I’ve been missing the mountains, lammie,” he answered as he hugged her.

“And you can tell, because the hill folk accent is getting stronger,” Astur teased.

Elaias snorted, “I always had more of it than you or Treesi or Minna ever did. Fa never could beat it entirely out of me,” he said. “And yes, I’m missing it. Missing the height, and the sky.”

“And not getting sick,” Trista murmured.

Elaias laughed. “Yes. I’m missing not getting waterlung every winter because of how wet it is in Terraces. So, with the Senior Healer’s permission, we’re going back to open a healing center near to where Astur and I were born. That’s the project we’ve been working on.”

“You’re… you’re moving to the mountains?” Dyna repeated, her eyes wide. “I… where?”

“Not entirely to the mountains. Just to the crossroads where the Western Road meets the Mountain Road,” Elaias answered. “There’s already a settlement there, so we won’t be starting from scratch. And once we’re established, we can send healers on circuit to the Solstice village and the Temple, and to the little villages in the hills.” He put one arm around Trista. “We’ve been working on these plans for a few years, and the main healing center is finally staffed enough that Senior Healer says they can afford to lose a level five and a level four, and a half-dozen trainees.”

“But… Uncle Arjin and Aunts Pal and Sel and Jes?” Dyna asked. “Are they here?”

Astur grimaced. “They’re… not coming,” he admitted. “Not yet. Jes and Sel both say that the boys are still too young, and it’ll be rough until we get settled. I’ll be making the trip back to see them regularly, and once the center is running, then they’ll come join us.”

“Come in and sit,” Aeris said. “I’ll send for food.”

“Might want to wait on that for a bit. The Firstborn said that she’ll be joining us shortly,” Elaias said as Aeris led them to couches underneath the window. “I wasn’t expecting the Palace to be quite this… on its ear. Something to do with your naming day, Aeri?”

Aeris shook her head. “No. But I’ll let my mother explain,” she said.

“They’re coming,” Tiras added.

Astur blinked. “You’re really that sensitive?” he asked, glancing back toward the closed door. “You can tell?”

Tiras shrugged one shoulder. “Owyn says I’m at least as sensitive as he is, and he expects me to start hearing the rest of the circle any day now.”

“You’re going to hear Gannet first, and we all know it,” Aeris said. She held her hand out, and Tiras smiled and let her pull them to her side. She kissed their cheek, then turned back to the others. “Will Aunt Minna and Uncle Versi be going, too?”

“Ah… no,” Elaias answered. Astur laughed.

“I don’t think we could get Minna back to the mountains with a team of horses,” he said. “She and Versi are happy, and she wants to stay with Mam. She’s promised to help with the boys while I’m gone.”

The door opened, and Aria and her Companions came inside first. Aeris looked at her father and straightened, letting go of Tiras. Aven was clearly trying to hide how angry he was, and wasn’t doing a good job of it.

“Fa?” she signed.

He shook his head and turned toward the people who followed him — her grandparents. But it was the pair behind them that made her gasp.

“Fisher! Grandfa Mem!” She ran across to them and hugged her brother tightly. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in New Forge!”

“We needed to be here,” Fisher answered. He glanced back at his grandfather. “We both saw it.”

“The same vision?” Tiras came up next to Aeris. “Or just similar?”

“The same,” Memfis answered. “How are you, Tiras?”

Tiras smiled. “I’m doing very well, thank you. And hoping we’ll have a chance to talk while you’re here?”

Memfis laughed. “Of course. Now, why did you ask?” He paused. “You didn’t have the vision, too, did you?”

“No. This is the first time I’m hearing about it. But I’m here, so why would I have a vision to come here?” Tiras glanced at Aeris. “Owyn didn’t have it either, or he’d have told me. You both had the same vision, but maybe it was just you two? I mean… your proximity to each other, and the relationship to you and this place… wouldn’t that answer why you had the same vision?”

Memfis looked around. “Owyn, what are you teaching this child?”

“Depends,” Owyn answered. “What did they say?” He came over to join them. “Tiras?”

Tiras repeated themselves, and added, “I know that Smoke Dancers aren’t supposed to have the same vision unless it’s really important, but aren’t there other factors that might explain why only two had the same vision?”

Owyn looked thoughtful. “I… yeah, I think so. I mean… the only Smoke Dancers who had the vision that we had to leave Terraces back on Aria’s Progress were the ones that were in Terraces. And that whole Protector of Now thing when Karse wanted to go after Trey? That was just us. So… maybe?”

“Interesting,” Memfis murmured. “And not what I was taught. But you changed a lot of the rules of Smoke Dancing, Mouse. It shouldn’t surprise me that you’re changing the teaching, or that your student is changing the theories, too. We’ll discuss this later.”

“I’d like to be part of that discussion,” Aria said. “But we need to discuss something else, first.”

Everyone took a seat, and Aria waited until they were all seated and quiet before saying, “Frayim has had another vision. We will be leaving for the Temple the day after tomorrow.”

“And the messenger was waylaid on the way here,” Aven added. “I don’t like the coincidence.”

Jehan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Have there been any other reports of attacks on the Western Road? Raiders? Bandits? We haven’t heard anything from the traders who come to Terraces.”

“Nothing that we’ve heard,” Aven answered. He leaned back in his chair, frowning slightly. “Othi has taken over the guard patrols on the Palace roads. He hasn’t said anything. Trees?”

“No. As a matter of fact, he was just saying how quiet it was, and that he might take the girls out with you and Aeris, and visit the family canoes.”

“That’s not good,” Owyn said from his place next to Alanar. “If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it. But why don’t we know?”

“They…don get here?” Del offered. He growled slightly and tugged one hand free from Alanar’s. “If there are bandits out of range of our patrols, they might not be letting anyone past them to reach us.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Aria said. “We have to see what we find out as we go east.”

“Traders have been reaching us, so if there are raiders, they’re not hitting everyone,” Alanar said. “Which might make it harder to find out what’s going on.” He shrugged and stretched, putting his arms around Owyn and Del. “We’re leaving when?”

“We?” Memfis repeated. “You’re going with them?”

Alanar turned toward him. “I barely have any time with my husband. Of course I’m going!”

“Alanar—”

“Don’t tell me no, Jehan,” Alanar interrupted. “You can spare me for a month or two. Especially with Dyneh, Gisa and Minna handling things.”

Jehan sighed. “They’re all very good, but none of them are level five.” He turned to Aria. “And I’m assuming you’re going to ask us to stay and hold the Palace while you’re gone?”

“The thought had occurred,” Aria admitted. “We can discuss it over a meal. I don’t think anyone has eaten yet.”

“We did, before everything started,” Tiras said. “Should I ring for Lexi?”

“If you would?” Aria studied Aeris for a moment, her brow furrowed. “Aeris, since you’ve eaten, you needn’t stay. Will you take your Companions out?”

Aeris blinked. “I… Mama, may I ask why?” She got to her feet. “You always tell us that we’re to learn by watching you, by seeing how things are done. And you’ve never closed us out before. But you sent us out already this morning, and now you’re sending us out again? How are we to learn?”

Aria frowned, just enough at Aeris noticed. “Aeris, you don’t need to be here. This doesn’t concern you.”

Aeris swallowed, trying to keep her wings still, her voice from shaking. “With respect, Firstborn, I disagree,” she said. The room went still. “This involves Frayim, who has not seen a vision since I was born. His visions before that all revolved around me, or at least around who people think that I am. I think that him having a vision again concerns me very much.”

Aven snorted. “I told you,” he said. “Aria, she’s yours to the tips of her feathers. If you push, she’s going to push back. And she’s right. This does concern her.” He took a deep breath. “She’s an adult tomorrow, Aria. And she’s the Heir. She needs to know what we know, and what we think. We shouldn’t be keeping things from her.”

“There’s more?” Aeris asked.

Aria folded her hands in her lap. “You may be an adult tomorrow, my dove, but you will be my little girl always.” She paused. “Yes, there’s more.” She looked up. “Owyn, will you seal the room?”

Owyn looked unusually serious as he stood and went to the doors, closing them, turning the key in the lock, then leaning against them. Without a word, Alanar went to stand with him.

Aria took a deep breath and nodded. “There is more, but nothing of substance. Nothing we can point to and say ‘this is what’s happening.’ The roads have been clear, as far as we know. But over the past year, the mountains have not. We’ve had reports from the Solstice village that there has been fighting in the Eastern mountains. The flocks have been flying patrols and monitoring, and so far it has all been well away from the trade roads and foothills. The foot patrols we’ve sent into the mountains have found the remains of battles, but we haven’t yet been able to find out who is fighting or why.”

“But you think it’s to do with Aeris?” Aleia asked.

“We think it’s a possibility,” Aven answered. “But we have no way to be sure. Only now… if Frayim is seeing again, there might be an answer waiting for us at the Temple.”

“Is it safe?” Tiras asked. “I mean… should we be going to the Temple if there’s fighting out there?”

Del snapped his fingers, then signed, “Fa wouldn’t send for us if it wasn’t safe. He’d have come to us.”

Aeris nodded. “The vision may involve me,” she said slowly. “Do you think the fighting does, too? Are they connected?”

“We don’t know. But maybe we can find out.” Owyn straightened and unlocked the door. “Tiras, let’s see what we can see.”

Chapter Three

One thing that amused Aeris constantly was that when Tiras was excited about something, they bounced. There was no other way to describe it — a happy, excited Tiras was a bouncy Tiras. Standing by the bench just outside the low fence surrounding the Dancing Floor, Tiras bounced in place on the balls of their bare feet, talking animatedly with Owyn. Del stood next to them, carrying a basket.

“You said we were going to see what we could see,” they said. “We. Not just you. That means I get to really dance for a vision? Not just practice?”

“Owyn, you haven’t had him dancing for visions?” Memfis asked.

“Yes and no. It’s complicated,” Owyn answered. “Tiras is very open to visions. More than I was even before. Tiras, tell Mem when you had your waking vision.”

Tiras smiled. “I was six.”

“Six?” Memfis looked appalled. “That’s too young!”

“Entirely too young,” Owyn agreed. “But Tiras makes their own rules.” He turned to Tiras. “And how many visions have you had without dancing for them?”

“In total? Or just in the year before Aeris claimed me?” Tiras asked. “And before you started teaching me?”

“Let’s go with that year,” Owyn answered.

“Fourteen? I think?” Tiras frowned slightly and stopped bouncing. “I… I wrote them down, but I think I forgot to pack some of my journals. Mama said that when I was little, I would see so many things that weren’t there that I’d walk into walls that were.” They shrugged. “Mama did her best, but as a Smoke Dancing teacher, she’s a good cook. And Fa never knew what to do with me. I didn’t have a lot in the way of proper lessons until I got here.”

Owyn nodded. “And since they’ve gotten here, our lessons haven’t been so much teaching them how to see as they have been on teaching them when to see. We’ve been working on channeling that… openness into more structured vision seeking, and working on trying not to see when they’re not meaning to.” He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “It’s been a lot of ‘Try this. Nope, that don’t work. Try that.’ And not much to go on in the records. I’ve been meaning to take them to the Temple to talk to Frayim, so we’d have made this trip anyway.” He shrugged. “Right. Tiras, you have your boots off? You ready?”

Tiras started bouncing again. “Yes!” They hopped over the low fence, bounded out to the middle of the mossy floor, then turned to face Owyn. They paused, looking down at the wooden smoke blades, and Aeris watched all the bounce bleed out of them. “Owyn? I… am I ready?”

“You tell me,” Owyn answered. “Are you ready?”

Aeris saw movement from the corner of her eye, and turned to see Gannet nodding.

“Gannet, stop that,” Owyn called. “I know you think they’re ready. But I need to know if they know it. And they have to know it here.” He thumped Tiras’ chest with one knuckle, then stepped back. “So?”

Tiras glanced at Gannet and Aeris, then smiled. “I’m ready.”

Owyn nodded and walked off the Dancing Floor. Once he was on the other side of the fence, Tiras lowered their head and took a deep breath. A second. A third, and they started moving, flowing into the dance. Aeris knew the forms — Owyn had taught her, even though she’d never had the waking vision that marked a Smoke Dancer. So she saw where Tiras faltered as the vision took them. Owyn clearly saw it, too — he moved closer to the fence, watching intently, then jumped over the fence when Tiras took a sharp breath and dropped to their knees. Owyn knelt next to them, taking their smoke blades and putting them aside. Del followed, and handed Tiras an apple.

“Looked like a good one,” Owyn said, sitting down on the mossy floor. Tiras nodded and took a big bite of the apple. As they chewed, Del set the basket down. Owyn rummaged through it, coming out with a journal and a silverpoint stylus.

Tiras finished the apple, then said, “I have no idea who he was, but he was right there!” They pointed to a spot on the mossy floor. “Real as you are!” They took the journal and silverpoint, rested it on one knee, and started scribbling as Owyn handed them a piece of bread.

“He was tall. Taller than me, maybe as tall as Gannet,” Tiras said as they wrote. They took a bite of bread, swallowed it, and kept talking. “Dark hair. And… I’ve never seen eyes like his before. Two different colors. Right was blue, left was green.” They frowned slightly. “Rough. He was rough. Clothes had hard wear. His hands… scars. Scars and callouses. He’s a fighter. And… and he has a scar, here.” They traced a line down their own left cheekbone with the silverpoint.

Owyn nodded. “Did he say anything? Or do anything?”

Tiras shook their head. “No. They were watching. Waiting. Waiting for something. At least, that’s what it felt like.”

“Any sense of when? Or where?” Memfis asked.

Tiras closed their eyes. “It’s fading. I… where… shadows. All I see is shadows. And… soon. It’s soon.”

Owyn nodded. He took a piece of cheese out of the basket, handed it to Tiras, then reached out and ruffled their hair. “Well done,” he said, and Tiras flushed with the praise. “You did very well. Keep on like this, and you might be ready to start forging a proper set of blades before Turning.”

“Really?” Tiras squeaked.

“Really. Now go sit on the bench and eat that.”

Tiras got to their feet and started toward the fence, weaving like a drunkard. Gannet laughed and stepped over the fence, picking Tiras up and carrying them over the bench, then sitting down with Tiras in his lap. Tiras sighed happily and leaned into him, starting to nibble the cheese. Aeris sat down next to them, leaning her shoulder against Tiras’ back. Dyna reached between them and rested her hand on Tiras’ shoulder.

“Dyna, I’m fine,” Tiras said around a mouthful. “I just need to eat.” They took another piece of bread that Del offered them, then sat up straight. “Owyn is going to dance? I want to see!”

Aeris turned and saw Owyn on the Dancing Floor, his own smoke blades in his hands. He looked at them, then pointed one blade at Tiras. “You can see me just fine from there!” he called. “Gannet, don’t let them up.”

“Yes, sir!” Gannet called, and wrapped his arms around Tiras. “You’re staying here.”

Owyn grinned and nodded, then lowered his head and started the three breaths. Aeris felt warmth at her back, and looked up to see her father was standing next to Dyna, with her mother on his arm. Neither of them were looking at her — they were both watching Owyn, who had started moving into the forms.

And who almost immediately fell to his knees, dropping both blades and catching himself on his hands before he fell face-first into the moss.

“Wyn!” Del leapt over the fence and dropped to his knees next to Owyn. He didn’t touch Owyn — they all knew better than that.

“I’m… I’m fine,” Owyn muttered. He took a deep breath. “I’m fine. That’s… that’s the strongest one I’ve had in a long time.” He held his hand out, and Del put a battered blue book into it. Owyn smiled and sat down, taking the vine charcoal that Del handed him and starting to draw.

“What did you see?” Alanar asked.

“Pretty sure I saw the same person Tiras did,” Owyn answered. “Just a moment.” He frowned down at the picture, then tipped the book so that Del could see. Del took the book from him and handed him an apple. Owyn grinned and took a bite.

“Go show them. Show Tiras.”

Del nodded and got up, bringing the book to them. The image was very much as Tiras had described — he was young, his face scarred. His clothing was clearly much mended, and the scarf he wore around his neck was fraying at the ends. He had a knife in one hand, and Aeris could see scars on his wrist. Aeris felt every hair stand on end, and she almost missed what her father said.

“Those are from manacles,” Aven murmured. “He’s seen a world of hurt, that boy.”

“Who is he?” Aria asked.

“Someone important,” Aeris answered. “I… he’s important.” She looked up to see her parents looking at her with matching shocked expressions.

“Important how?” Aria asked.

Aeris shook her head. “I don’t know. I just… feel that he’s important.”

Aria hummed softly, and murmured, “Interesting…”

Aven glanced at Aria. “Don’t jump to conclusions. You didn’t recognize Del from the picture. You had to see him in person.”

Aeris turned around on the bench to better face her parents. “Are you saying that you think that he’s my Water?”

“No. We can’t say that,” Aria answered. “All we know is that he’s important enough to occupy the visions of two of the strongest Smoke Dancers we know. When we find him, then we will know what else he is and why he is important.” She looked up at Aven. “What are you thinking?”

“Wondering what the scarf hides,” Aven answered. “And thinking of the other visions. The ones that say that Aeris’ Water is in the wrong place.” He frowned. “And… remembering Othi’s hunts, and his theory on the missing ones.”

“Oh!” Aria gasped. “How did we never consider that?”

Aven shook his head. “Wishful thinking?” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Aeris, feel like taking a sail?”

“Now, Fa?” Aeris looked over her shoulder at the Dancing Floor. Owyn was still sitting on the ground, with Del on one side and Alanar on the other. Memfis stood with them, and they were discussing something in low voices. “And… just me?”

“No, all of you,” Aven said.

“Aven, what are you doing?” Aria asked. Aven smiled, leaned down to share breath with Aria, then kissed her.

“Not listening,” he answered.

***

Aeris was at home on the canoe, and since taking her Companions, Aven had introduced them to the canoe as well — teaching Gannet and Tiras how to swim, and teaching all of them to sail. He took them out past the harbor wall, then took in the sails and strapped them down.

“All right. Now we’ll talk.” He lowered himself slowly to the deck, wincing slightly. Aeris sat down next to him, and her Companions clustered around her.

“Fa, why did we need to come out on the canoe to talk?” Aeris asked.

“Because your mother won’t like what I have to say, and you need to hear it.”

“Oh, is that what not listening means?” Gannet asked. “You’re not listening to her? Are you going to get in trouble?”

Aven chuckled. “I may sleep alone for a day or two. But I’ve never liked her keeping your history from you, Aeris. She thinks it’s protecting you. I think it’s clipping your wings. And I’m not doing that anymore.” He looked up at the sky and frowned. “It’ll rain, and soon. We can’t stay out here too long. All right.” He took a deep breath. “You know what happened, Aeris. You all know about what happened when Aeris was born. We know there were others out there that followed Risha. Aria has been terrified in her bones ever since that something like that would happen again, that someone else would try to take Aeris from us.”

“But she’s a Smoke Dancer,” Tiras protested. “She couldn’t… she couldn’t look?”

“She tried, but she never saw anything. Memfis and Milon both thought it was because the answer scared her. She couldn’t see past the fear to find the truth. But it’s been quiet for years. The Penitents told us again and again that there was nothing happening in the hills. Othi took men out to the mountains four years running after he came back from his apprenticeship, and they only found abandoned camps. So Aria calmed down. But now…”

“There’s fighting in the mountains, you said,” Tiras said. “It’s not quiet anymore.”

“It’s not,” Aven agreed. “Something had changed out there. Something happened, and we don’t know what. And now Frayim is having visions again, and he wants to see you.” He shook his head. “And there were those camps. Othi’s hunts? Were to try and find the lost Water. He had a theory that some of the Water girls who couldn’t be accounted for were taken to the mountains… as breeding stock.”

“Oh, that’s vile,” Gannet breathed. “That… that’s horrible!”

Aeris stared at her father. “And my Water is in the wrong place,” she whispered. “Fa, why didn’t anyone tell me that? It’s been two years! We could have gone to the mountains and found him–”

“Unlikely,” Aven interrupted. “Othi never found any signs of Water prisoners or survivors out there. No signs of children. Nothing. Not even identifiable bodies.” Aven sighed. “That’s why he stopped looking.”

“You said identifiable,” Tiras said slowly. “That implies… unidentifiable?”

Aven grimaced. “There were pyres in every abandoned camp he found.”

Aeris shifted uncomfortably. “Fa? Should I not go?” Aeris asked. “I can stay at the Palace with Granna and Grandfa.”

“It’s tempting to say yes, and leave you here, where it’s safe. But if Frayim has seen something that makes him want to see you, it’s important.”

“Why didn’t he come here, then?” Gannet asked. “If it’s that important? It would have been faster.”

“He and Steward haven’t been here since Yana was born, and the Temple… well, from what Uncle Steward’s letter after said, things got strange while they were gone,” Aeris answered. “Three of the Penitents decided independently of the others that Steward wasn’t coming back, and they all of them declared themselves High Priest.”

Gannet’s eyes widened. “You’re joking.”

“She isn’t, and I’m not surprised you didn’t hear about it, as far out as your flock is,” Aven said with a laugh. “The funny thing is that none of them actually did anything against the others. There was no fighting. There were no factions, for all that each of them convinced a part of the Penitents and priests to follow them. They all picked a separate project off the list of things that needed to be rebuilt, and had their followers start work on it. By the time Steward and Frayim got back to the Temple, two of the projects were done, and the third was nearly finished. Steward called it a very civilized uprising, and all three of them were very apologetic when he got back.”

Gannet whistled. “That… if he left now, he might go back and find they moved the whole Temple.”

“Or started worshiping someone else,” Tiras suggested.

“Thank you, no.” Dyna shook her head for emphasis. “We’ve had enough of that.” She gestured to Aeris. “There were people out there who wanted to worship Aeris!”

Aven snorted. “True. As much as I love you, best oldest daughter of mine, I’m not intending to worship you.”

“Best oldest daughter?” Aeris grinned. “Fa, how many oldest daughters do you have?”

“Just one.” Aven smiled and got to his feet. “One superlative oldest daughter. Who is going to help me with the lines so we get in ahead of that storm on the horizon.”

The rain was just starting to fall as they reached the shore, and they walked up the beach together. Tiras poked Dyna in the arm. “There goes your walk.”

“We can walk tomorrow,” Dyna answered. “Or we can go and spend time in the library.”

“Who is we?” Aven asked. “Dyna?”

“Lancir,” Dyna answered. “He’s one of the guards, and he asked me if I’d join him on the Water Walk once his shift was over. He’s nice, Fa Aven.”

“Lancir,” Aven said slowly. “Young fellow? Dark hair? Came here from Terraces about a year ago?”

“Yes, Fa Aven,” Dyna answered, her cheeks turning pink.

Aven smiled. “I’ve sparred with him, on the days this hip lets me. Nice young man. Good choice, Dyna. Does Owyn know?”

Dyna shook her head. “Not yet.”

“If you want me to speak to him and Alanar, I will.”

Dyna shook her head. “It’s too soon for that,” she said, her words tumbling over each other. “I mean…it’s just a walk. Maybe later. If there is a later.” She reached out and took Aeris’ hand. “I mean… you don’t mind, do you?”

“No,” Aeris said. “Of course not. I like him. If you want to get to know him better, then we’ll welcome him.”

“And if he hurts you, we’ll thump him,” Tiras added.

“You will not!” Dyna gasped. She looked at Tiras and Gannet, who were both nodding. “You would?”

“Of course we would,” Gannet answered. “You’re ours, and we’re yours, and we’re all Aeri’s. We take care of each other. And anyone else who comes into the Circle. No one hurts our Circle.”

Aven chuckled. “Nice to know you’ve learned that lesson, Gannet.”

“I have a hard head,” Gannet answered, “not an empty one. I learn. Slowly, but I learn.” He looked up at the sky. “We should pack, shouldn’t we? If we’re leaving the day after tomorrow?”

“We’ll all need to prepare, but you won’t need to do too much packing. Lexi and her staff will take care of most of it.” Aven sighed. “This will be the first time we’ve all left the Palace at once since your Progress, Aeris, and we prepared for that for over a month. So things will be somewhat frantic today and tomorrow. I hope the coaches are still in good order.”

Aeris looked back down the beach at the sea, and realized something. “I’m not getting my tattoos until we get back, am I? We were going to do that this trip, since I’m old enough.”

Aven frowned slightly. “We could wait. Or…if you want, we may still be able to do it. Othi is here, after all. If you get up early tomorrow, he might be able to have it done in time for your party. We can go ask him.”

Gannet coughed. “That’s hours! It’ll take hours?”

“Mine took days, but I had a lot of catching up to do,” Aven answered. “It’s ritual, Gannet. It can’t be rushed. We’ll need to talk to Othi. He’s the expert.” He stopped walking and winced. “Sand is hard.”

“Because it isn’t?” Dyna asked.

“Because it isn’t,” Aven agreed. “It shifts, and it’s unstable, and it makes walking harder.”

“I can work on the hip when we get inside,” Dyna volunteered.

“Thank you, but I’ll ask your fathers,” Aven said, and started walking again. “Alanar is more familiar with it, since he was there when they rebuilt it. And Elaias has been working with him and my father to try and replicate what Pirit did to rebuild it in the first place. I wish Grandmother had left better notes on what she did.”

“Grandfa hasn’t found anything?”

“No, and they haven’t been able to recreate it, either, for all that he was in the meld when she did it.” Aven sighed and draped his arm over Aeris’ shoulders. “It may have been one of those ‘the Mother helped us when we needed it’ times, and it’s not something that we’ll be able to do again.”

“Here’s hoping that we won’t ever need to know how to do that again,” Dyna said. “Fa told me about that meld. It sounds terrifying. Everything about that sounded terrifying.”

Aven stopped walking. He turned to face them, his lips pressed tightly together. He nodded slowly.

“Mother grant you never have to know how terrifying it actually was,” he said softly. “Now, let’s go in.”

Chapter Four

Aeris yawned and tried to ignore how much her right shoulder itched. Othi had agreed there was enough time for Aeris to have her family tattoo before the party, but only if they started before dawn. So Aeris had slept alone the night before the party, and Aven had fetched her in the dark hours before dawn, taking her down to the canoes where Othi and her grandmother Aleia waited. For hours, Othi had sung the chants and worked with the ink and hammer, inscribing Aeris’ lineage into her skin. Every line, curve, and symbol was a legacy that traced her bloodline back to the first canoe, to Abin and Axia. By the time the tattoo was done, it was near midday, and Othi could barely speak. After eating something, Aeris had staggered up to the Heir’s suite, and had fallen into bed, and her Companions had gently teased her for almost missing her own naming day party while they admired the dark ink etched into her skin. Her father had done something to make certain it healed cleanly, but it still itched.

“Is it supposed to take that long?” Gannet asked. He was sitting across from her in the coach, in the middle of the bench. Tiras sat next to him, and was leaning against him, sound asleep and snoring gently. Dyna was sitting next to Aeris, her hands full of the fine stitchery that she enjoyed when she had the time.

“Fa says that it’s normally supposed to be spaced out over several days,” Aeris answered. “But we all agreed that it was better to get it done before we left, since we won’t have the time on the road.”

Dyna nodded. “And if it bothers you, I can take care of it. Fa and Fa Eli and Fa Aven all sat down with me to make sure I knew what to do.”

Aeris smiled. “They would. And I just realized that I never asked you. Did you get to spend time with Lancir?”

Dyna blushed. “It stopped raining, so we did go out and walk on the Water Walk. It was nice. I’d have told you about it, but you were barely awake, and then there was the party—”

“And you were barely awake,” Gannet murmured.

Aeris laughed and gently kicked Gannet’s shin. “We’re none of us awake,” she replied. “Anyway, Dyna, how was it?”

Her blush deepened. “He’s very sweet. He likes being in the Palace guard, and he likes serving under Captain Karse and Copper. He’s working on learning to read, so that he can be something more than just a guard. So… when we stop, if he’s not on duty, I’m going to read with him.”

“He’s with us?” Aeris grinned. “He’s only been with the palace guard for a year. Captain Karse would say he’s as green as new grass. How did he get assigned to this trip?”

“Dyna, if you turn any redder, you’ll burst into flames,” Gannet said. “Did you get him assigned to the guards coming with us?”

“I asked,” Dyna admitted, “and I think I caught Captain Karse in a good mood. He’s brought Lancir along to further his training.”

Gannet coughed. “He was in a good mood, wasn’t he?”

“Or Fa had a word with him,” Aeris murmured. “Do you want to ask him?”

“No!” Dyna laughed. “No, I don’t want to know. And it’s not like we can really do anything — he’s going to be on duty most of the time.”

“Yes, but only most,” Tiras murmured without opening their eyes. Gannet chuckled and looked down at them.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Who says I’ve been asleep?” Tiras opened their eyes and sat up.

“You drooling on my sleeve says you were asleep.”

“And snoring,” Aeris added. “You were snoring.”

“I was not!” Tiras protested. “I don’t snore!” They looked up at Gannet. “Do I?”

“Not much,” Gannet admitted. “Except when there’s Maiden’s Lace blooming. Then you get all red and blotchy, and you snore at night.”

“And Maiden’s Lace is in season now. There must be some growing along the road.” Dyna set down her stitching and held out her hand. “Let me see.”

“I hate Maiden’s Lace,” Tiras grumbled. “My head gets all foggy and my visions get weird. Owyn says he’s never heard of a Smoke Dancer whose visions are controlled by their nose before.”

Aeris frowned. “But Smoke Dancers used to train in the vents of the Smoking Mountain, and they were breathing in the smoke. Owyn was one of the last ones trained that way. So why is smoke different from the scent of flowers?”

Gannet looked thoughtful, then shrugged. “Because Smoke Dancer sounds more impressive than Perfume Dancer?”

Tiras hooted with laughter, hard enough to give themself the hiccups, setting Gannet off. Outside the coach, Owyn rode up alongside and peered in the window.

“What’s funny?” he called.

“Perfume Dancers!” Tiras broke down in another peal of giggles.

“Perfume Dancers,” Owyn repeated. “I… what are you talking about?”

“Smoke Dancer sounds more impressive than Perfume Dancer,” Gannet repeated.

Owyn looked puzzled. “I…we’ll talk about this when we stop. Because that was just enough to confuse me even more. I have got to hear the rest of it.”

“How is your horse behaving?” Aeris asked. “You said you weren’t sure about him.”

“He weren’t too sure of me, either. But we’ve only just met each other. He seems to be settling, but it’ll take us a day or two to get to know each other.” Owyn smiled. “Pepper here looks almost exactly like his grandfa Freckles. I hope he’s as smart.”

“He’s got a good bloodline. He’ll get to know you,” Alanar said, riding up on Owyn’s other side. Past him, Aeris could see Del, who waved at her.

“How far are we going today?” Dyna asked. “And when can we come out and ride?”

“If Mama has her way, we’ll be in a coach all the way there and all the way back,” Aeris muttered.

“I heard that,” Owyn said. “Aeris, be kind. You can’t really blame her.”

“No, but this is suffocating,” Aeris answered. “I can’t just be kept in a box and only taken out for special occasions. I need to learn. We all do.”

“True,” Alanar said. “But if you’re going to ride, then you’re riding with guards.”

“I’m fine with that,” Aeris said, hearing Tiras echo her words.

Alanar cocked his head to the side and smiled. “Dyna? Your heartrate just spiked. So… which guard?”

“Fa!” Dyna gasped. Then she laughed. “I should know better. You always know. Lancir.”

“I’ll tell you about him,” Owyn said to Alanar. “Our girl has good taste.”

They rode on, and Aeris glanced at Dyna. “Did you know he could do that?” she asked. “That he could pick your heart rate out of the group? That… that’s beyond level five, isn’t it? Is there a beyond level 5?”

“I think it’s just that Fa is more sensitive, because he can’t see,” Dyna answered. “Now, I want to hear more about Perfume Dancers! Gannet, what do they use to dance?”

“Fans,” Gannet answered without hesitation. “Big ones.”

By the time the coach rolled to a stop, they had created the entire arcana for the lost Perfume Dancers of the Fire tribe, including mythology and lore, and none of them could keep a straight face. To Aeris’ surprise, the wealth of the information came from Gannet, who proved to be a very talented storyteller, and who appeared oddly satisfied by the whole venture.

“It’s just storytelling,” he said. “I was good at telling stories to the little ones around the fire back with the flock. I haven’t done it in ages, though.” He smiled. “This, though… think I could start another cult in the mountains with this one?”

“Don’t you dare!” Aeris laughed. Someone knocked on the coach door, and she looked out to see Lancir smiling up at her.

“Time for a rest break,” he announced. “The Firstborn and her Companions are at the head of the line. What was so funny? I could hear you laughing from the rearguard.”

“We have to tell Owyn, too, so we’ll tell everyone when we camp tonight.” Aeris got out of the coach and spread her wings wide to stretch. The sides of the road were a riot of color — purple Lady’s Passion, vivid yellow Maiden’s Lace, pink and red Lover’s Blush, and tiny blue Sea Stars. Tiras took one look at the blanket of flowers and sneezed violently.

“Are you all right?” Lancir asked.

“Outside makes me sneeze,” Tiras answered, tugging a handkerchief from their pouch and wiping their nose. Dyna put her hand on their back, only for Tiras to shake their head.

“It won’t help for long,” they said. “I’ll be sneezing again in an hour.”

“How have we not seen it this bad before?” Gannet asked. “I don’t remember you looking this poorly last year.”

“Because I haven’t been out around this many flowers since I came to the Palace,” Tiras answered. “We haven’t all been out on the road like this ever, and I take my season in the fall, when the flowers are done.” They rubbed their nose again. “There are a lot of flowers this year, too.”

“It’s a good year for them,” Owyn said as he came toward them. He stopped and looked at Tiras. “Oh, Tiras. You don’t look good.”

Tiras nodded and sneezed again. “I don’t feel good either.”

“Oh, no. Is Tiras flower sick, or do they just have rotten timing?” Alanar asked.

“Flower sick,” Tiras answered, and sniffled. “It’s not usually this bad.”

Alanar nodded. “I’ve heard this refrain already this year, from multiple sources. Come on. Elaias has honey drops. He swears it helps.”

"Honey drops?” Dyna repeated. “Fa, why would honey drops help?”

“I’ll let Elaias explain,” Alanar said. “It’s apparently a remedy used by non-healers in the mountains, and he says it works. Elaias? Explain how the honey drops work?”

“What?” Elaias asked, turning toward them. His brows rose. “Oh. Come here, Tiras.” He looked around. “Tris? Where’s my carryall?”

“Still in the coach, I think,” Trista answered. “Let me see.” She went to the coach and looked inside, coming back with a canvas bag. Elaias took it from her, giving her a kiss in return. He rummaged through it, coming up with a small packet.

“Here,” he said as he handed the packet to Tiras. “Take two of these a day, every day. And talk to the Senior Healer. He’ll make sure you have more.”

Tiras opened the packet, then looked up. “They’re boiled sweets,” they said, their brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

Elaias grinned. “Tell me what you know about honey,” he said.

Tiras’ frown deepened. “Ah… not a lot,” they admitted. “Bees make it.”

“From?”

Tiras looked around, then blinked. “Oh. Flowers. They make it from flowers.”

“Specifically, they make it from the same part of the flower that makes you sneeze. And that makes me sneeze, although I’m more sensitive to the flowers we find in the mountains than I am to the ones down here.” Elaias leaned against the coach. “And there is enough of that left in the honey after the bees make it that it helps your body build up a tolerance. You just have to take a spoonful a day, every day. But it has to be honey made from the flowers that make you sneeze.”

“That part is easy,” Tiras replied. “Everything that blooms makes me sneeze.”

“So take two of those a day,” Elaias said. “Two of them is equal to one spoonful. When you’re in the Palace, get honey from the hives at the home farm. It’ll take a few weeks to really start showing any signs of working, but it will help. And next year, start taking them when the snows melt, and you’ll be ready for when the flowers bloom.”

Tiras nodded, took two of the honey drops from the packet and popped them in their mouth. They grinned. “Mama never let me have too many sweets,” they said. “She said it made me wild.”

“Now you tell us!” Gannet said with a laugh. “Right. We need to ride. We need to be outside the coach, or Tiras will be bouncing off the walls.”

“What’s this?”

Aeris turned to see that her parents and Treesi had joined them. “Tiras, you don’t look well,” Aria said, gently bouncing Yana in her arms. “Is it from being in the coach?”

“They’re flower sick,” Elaias said. “And there are a lot of flowers this year. It’s not serious, but they’ll feel like they’ve been beaten with a bag of rocks for a bit. Until we get into the hills where the flowers are different, I think.”

“It won’t help,” Tiras sniffled. “I’ve never been anywhere where the flowers don’t make me sneeze.”

“I understand that,” Elaias said, “but these are different flowers, so your body will take a few days to figure out that it doesn’t like them either.” He took a deep breath. “I’m usually sensitive to the ones that bloom first, in the early spring. Summer flowers aren’t as bad, but this year it seems that there are more of them. More of everything growing. We’ll have a good harvest this year.”

“From your mouth to the Mother’s ears,” Treesi said. “When I took my season, Othi and the girls and I just sort of meandered. Everything was in bloom. Every farmer we saw said the same thing — that this is looking to be the best year since Aria took her Progress. They’re wondering why. There were a lot of questions about if Aria was pregnant again when we were near the foothills.”

“That would be no,” Aria answered. “Not after I frightened you all the last time.” She smiled down at her youngest daughter. “As much as I love my children, I don’t want to be pregnant again. Why would they ask that?”

Treesi blushed slightly. “Because apparently Father Adavar is still paying attention to you and your cycles?” she said. “And every year you have been pregnant has been a year with an excellent harvest.”

Aria’s eyes widened. “No one has pointed that out to me. Not a single person!”

“I don’t know that we’d notice it,” Owyn said. “I mean, we’re not as close to the land. We have the reports on yield and everything, but… I don’t think anyone correlated the two. Well, maybe Afansa did and just didn’t say anything?” He paused, then asked, “Treesi, is it just Aria?”

Treesi shook her head. “Hard to say. We can ask Afansa when we get back.”

“I’d be curious to see how the numbers line up, and if it’s just Aria, or if it’s both of you,” Aven said. He grinned. “Oh, there’s a thing I haven’t thought of in years.”

“I bet I know what you’re thinking,” Owyn said with a laugh. “Hilarious pots?”

Aven burst out laughing. “Yes!”

“You’ll explain that,” Aria said. “Once we’re in the coach.”

“Mama, could we ride for a while?” Aeris asked. “If Lancir rides with us?”

Aria paused, then nodded. “It’s been quiet this morning. If we’re lucky, it will stay quiet the entire trip.”

Tiras frowned slightly. “Three days,” they murmured.

“What?” Aeris looked at her Fire, at their distant expression. “Tiras?”

“Three days of quiet, then it begins,” Tiras said. Then they crumpled, and Gannet caught them before they hit the ground.

“Tiras!” Gannet knelt, lowering Tiras down to the ground. Owyn knelt next to them, and Dyna dropped to her knees on Tiras’ other side.

“I didn’t think they were more than flower sick!” she said as she reached for Tiras’ hand.

“They’re fine, Dyna,” Owyn said. “Don’t touch them. That was a vision. Tiras? You with us?”

Tiras nodded, sitting up and rubbing their face. “I’m going to have visions all the way there, aren’t I? There’s going to be flowers all along the roads, and I’m not going to see a single thing that’s really in front of me.”

“Three days,” Aria murmured. “Three days and it begins. What begins?”

Aven shook his head. “We find out in three days?” He sighed. “We’ve had twenty years of quiet. Twenty years of balance. What’s starting now?”

“I…it really already started, didn’t it?” Aeris asked. “It started when I didn’t find my Water. We’re not balanced. Because I’m not. We’re not.” She looked at Dyna, at Gannet and Tiras. “We’re missing part of us.”

“She’s got a point,” Owyn said. He stood up and dusted off his knees. “And apparently it’s been growing. Whatever it’s coming, Frayim is seeing again, and it’s starting in three days.”

“Will it be as bad?” Del signed. “It can’t be, if things are growing and blooming.”

Owyn sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I mean… I don’t feel anything coming. But we’ll find out. And we’ll handle it.” He helped Tiras back to their feet. “Come on. I’ll ride with you and you can explain this whole Perfume Dancer thing to me.”

Aria blinked. “Perfume Dancer?”

“I have no idea, but from the laughing we could hear from inside their coach? It was fucking hilarious.”

Aven chuckled. “As hilarious as pots? Maybe I should ride with you.”

“More.”

***

Camping that night was quiet. Prompted by Owyn, Gannet told the others about Perfume Dancers, and Aeris got to see her mother laugh until she cried. And, while everyone was sitting at the fire, Aeris watched Dyna walk into the shadows with Lancir.

The next day was more of the same, with some traffic going west who reported nothing of import on the road. They shared a meal, then rode on.

The third day left Aeris feeling uneasy, too fidgety to sit in the coach, too nervous to ride. Her horse danced underneath her, and she sighed and tried to get her emotions under control.

“You feel it, too?” Owyn said, riding up next to her.

“Like summer lightning,” Aeris said. “Whatever Tiras saw, it’s close enough that I can feel it.”

Owyn nodded. “Aria feels it, too. She sent riders ahead to scout for a campsite. There should be someone coming back…” His voice trailed off as he squinted into the distance. Aeris looked, and saw dust on the road.

“Someone coming, at speed,” Owyn said, and reached into his belt pouch for his whip-chain. “Go to the coach.”

“Owyn—”

“Do what I said!” He urged Pepper into a gallop and rode off. Aeris turned Lace back toward the coach, riding past it, then turning to ride alongside. He hadn’t said to get in the coach, after all.

“What’s wrong?” Dyna asked.

“I’m not sure,” Aeris answered. “A rider, coming toward us at speed. And Owyn and I are both feeling as if something is about to happen—”

“Now,” Tiras’ voice came from inside the coach. “It’s now.” They looked out. “It begins.”

Aeris looked at them, then tapped Lace’s sides with her heels, riding forward. Whatever it was, she needed to know. She joined the group at the head of the line as the rider came into view.

“I thought I told you to go to the coach,” Owyn grumbled.

“I didn’t listen,” Aeris answered. “That… that’s Lancir!”

The young guard drew in his horse as he reached them, threw himself down from the saddle, and ran toward them.

“Firstborn…” he panted. He bowed and took a deep breath. ‘I… we found something. A burned-out camp. And a body. We found a body.”

Chapter Five

The campsite was set well back from the road, far enough that Aeris didn’t think that you’d find it if you didn’t know it was there. She wasn’t sure how the guard had found the site, and she wasn’t entirely certain that she was happy they did. She and her Companions hung back with Aria, Del and Treesi, watching as her father, Owyn, Karse, and Othi went through the site and Howl circled the area, sniffing the ground.

“Is there anything that might identify them?” Aria asked. “Anything at all?”

Aven shook his head. “It looks as if everything was burned — there’s not a blasted thing in this camp that wasn’t put to the torch.” He looked around. “Whoever did this, they were thorough.”

“It was deliberate?” Astur asked. He and Elaias had helped Aven examine the remains of the body that had been found in what probably was a tent, confirming that there was nothing left to it that would allow for identification. The state of the body was so bad that Elaias thought that it might have been a man, but it wasn’t anything he would swear to it. “It wasn’t… the campfire burning out of control? Or… or lightning?”

“It’s too complete,” Karse answered. He crouched next to a charred pile, poking at it with a stick. “A campfire burning out of control wouldn’t burn everything this completely. Whoever did this even killed the horse and burned it.” He gestured with his stick to another charred pile, then snapped the stick in two, sighed and stood up, brushing off his hands. “I hope the poor fuck was Fire.”

“We’ll bury what’s left,” Owyn said. “Just… just in case.” He sighed. “I don’t get it. This is more than a robbery. This… there’s no way to tell who they killed. Or why. They did this so no one would know who it was they killed.”

Howl whined softly, and started to dig near the remains of the tent. Karse glanced at Aven, then went over. “What have you found, old man?” he murmured, going to one knee. Howl whined again, and Karse took his dagger out, using it to dig down into the ash and uncovering something that glittered. “What’s this?” he murmured, picking it up. It was a pendant on a chain, and he let it dangle from his fingers. “Definitely not a robbery,” he said, showing the others. “This is gold. They’d have had this.”

“May I see that?” Astur asked. He took the pendant from Karse and rubbed his fingers over it. “I… I’ve seen this before. Or one like it. But… I can’t think where.” He frowned. “I know I’ve seen it.”

“It’ll come to you,” Elaias said. “Hold on to it. We’ll keep it safe, and see if we can find where it came from. It’s distinctive.”

“That’s why I recognize it,” Astur said. He shook his head. “I know I’ve seen this before!” He closed his eyes. “I… it’s been a while. A long while.”

“Maybe when you were still living out in the hills?” Owyn suggested.

“That’s probably it,” Astur sighed and tucked the pendant away. “Right. Are we burying the body?”

“I think that would be for the best,” Aven said. “That way, if they were Earth, there’s at least a chance of the Mother finding them.” He looked over at Karse. “Do we have shovels? Something to dig with?”

Karse nodded. “We’ve got tools. Let’s go back to the coaches. We can come back and get to work while they get the camp set.”

“Do you want help?” Gannet asked, sounding hesitant for the first time Aeris could remember. Karse looked at him and shook his head.

“We’ll take care of it, lad. It’s been a time since we last had to deal with raider leavings, but I think the lot of us still have the knack of it. You’ll be more help if you go help Trista with the kids, or help with the kitchens.”

Gannet looked startled. “I… I’m not a child. I can help.”

Del tapped Gannet’s arm. “There are different kinds of helping,” he signed. “This sort of helping? Isn’t going to be helping, because you’ve never done anything like this before.”

Gannet blinked. “You went too fast.”

“He said that this isn’t something for us to help with, because it’s not something we have experience with,” Aeris said. She took Gannet’s arm. “And I agree. Fa and Owyn and Del and Uncle Captain have all been through harder times than we have, because they had no choice. They don’t want us to experience that if we don’t have to.”

Aria nodded. “That’s exactly it,” she said. “And I wouldn’t have had you this close, but it was pointed out to me that protecting you from everything leaves you ignorant of the real risks we face.” She gestured toward the camp. “This… will we see more of this? And from where?” She sighed. “I’d hoped you would never have to see this sort of thing, and now we must make certain you know how to face them when they come. But for now, we’ll do as Karse suggests. You can help with the camp, and we will talk around the fire after we eat.”

Aeris looked back at the charred ground, then followed her mother back toward the coaches. Her mind was racing, and she didn’t let go of Gannet’s arm as they walked; by the time they reached the road, she could tell that her Companions were worried.

“Aeri?” Gannet murmured. “What is it?”

“I… I’m still getting my mind around it,” she answered. “I…” She frowned and looked back. “That was because of me.”

“What?” Dyna gasped. “Aeri, no!”

“It was,” Aeris said. She let Gannet’s arm go, clasping her hands in front of her. “I… I’m not sure how, but it was. And there will be more. Because of me. Because of who they think I am.”

“As much as I wish I could say you’re wrong,” Aven said from behind them, “I don’t think you’re wrong. I think this is still that same… conflict that’s been simmering for years, and it’s finally coming to a boil.”

“So how do we stop it?” Aeris turned to look at her father, and pointed past him, toward the burned-out camp. “How do we keep that from happening again? How do I make them

Dirty

Megan Hart

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