On the banks of the Big Bolt River, a salamander crawled in the mud. He was an ancient thing, was the salamander, thriving in his present form even when the first folk of Yaalk were crawling out of their holes and starting to dream of fire. The salamander opened its mouth, and a rasp escaped its jaws.<\/p>\n
Behind a nearby knoll, a girl peered over the grass. Her eyes were as blue as the clear springtime sky, and her long straight hair as black as the beginning of time. The hair was tied in a long braided tail, and the eyes were narrowed in concentration. Slowly, so slowly, she rose up over the knoll, her fingers waggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne\u2026\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
The salamander waddled forward a few inches, plucking at the grass casually.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo\u2026\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n
The salamander looked away from her, and rasped again. The air seemed to shimmer between its little jaws, ever so slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaaannnd\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
She leapt over the grass, landed splat into the mud, rolling over herself and ending in the shallows of the river, covered in stains.<\/p>\n
The salamander had not even moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree!\u201d she cried, leaping up at once, her braid flipping through the air as she flew at the beast.<\/p>\n
She missed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour!\u201d and again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive!\u201d and again.<\/p>\n
Before she knew it, she was rolling around in the mud, kicking and flipping, punching, and biting. A minute later, she was lying still panting. The salamander had vanished. \u201cAll right,\u201d she conceded, gasping, \u201cwe\u2019ll call it a draw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou scared it away!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes snapped to the other side of the river, and at once she hopped up into a crouch. The Big Bolt was narrow here, and only twenty feet away there stood a boy on the opposite bank.<\/p>\n
Compared to him, she made a thoroughly shabby sight. Her puffy short sleeves and pants, which cut off before her elbows and knees, were normally white, but just now were far more green and brown. By contrast, his long, straight sleeves and pants were a light, straw-colored yellow cambric. His vest was a deep, electric blue with bright yellow lining. The only thing soiled about him was the hempen handkerchief wrapped around his neck, which looked grey and sweaty. His eyes were brown, and his head was completely bare.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d she shrugged, \u201cat least I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou call that trying,\u201d he scoffed. \u201cIt looked like you were beating yourself up.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rubbed her left eye, where a bruise was already starting to rise, and decided he had a point, even if he had no hair. \u201cHey, wait a second!\u201d she shouted pointing at him accusingly. \u201cWhere\u2019s your hair? Are you an Orck? Stay away from my village! I\u2019ve killed fifty Orcks, and I\u2019ll kill fifty more!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I look like an Orck?\u201d<\/p>\n
Orcks were a race of evil men from far north of the Cradle of Yaalk. They were white as fish meat, shaved their heads, and ate the flesh of other men. \u201cWell,\u201d she hedged, \u201cyou\u2019re not very big. And not very pale. And I guess you\u2019re not eating any human flesh right at this moment. But how come your head is bare?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a sign of humility to the Mothers,\u201d he answered sagely, eyes lidded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOhhhhhhhh, yeah, I knew that. Hey. Wait a second. No it isn\u2019t. I don\u2019t remember anyone ever shaving their head for the Mothers before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d The boy\u2019s head ducked down. \u201cWellll, it\u2019s also a sign of lice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She fell over backwards into the mud, guffawing and clutching her stomach. \u201cLice! Hah!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell look at you<\/em>,\u201d he shouted back, \u201cyou\u2019re covered in mud!\u201d<\/p>\n Instantly, she was in a crouch again. \u201cLots of things are covered in mud. Like that salamander.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSalamanders are supposed<\/em> to be covered in mud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell maybe I am too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly I get to say what I\u2019m supposed to be covered in!\u201d<\/p>\n The boy did not have an answer for that, so he just nodded. \u201cBut my point is, salamanders have to cover themselves in mud, or else they\u2019ll catch on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Is this more head-shaving talk?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no,\u201d he insisted, waving his hands. \u201cI\u2019m serious. Salamanders are from the Undersea. They\u2019re made out of fire, but the Sea keeps them from burning up. They can\u2019t get too dry when they visit the overworld, or they\u2019ll catch fire and everyone will know they\u2019re spirit creatures. Then everyone will try and catch them, cause they grant you wishes if you catch them.\u201d<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes. \u201cWho\u2019s gonna try and catch a lizard that\u2019s on fire?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone who wants wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n And again, she had to admit that made a lot of sense. \u201cIs that why you\u2019re out here? Looking for wishes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorta. I was looking for an entrance to the Undersea. Any time there\u2019s a split in the Great Bariad, there\u2019s supposed to a gateway to the Undersea somewhere near where the two rivers meet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cListen, kid\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2019s Orvi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cListen Orvi, I been fishing this river since I was four years old, and I\u2019ve never seen a gate or a doorway or anything leading to another world. I don\u2019t know where you\u2019re getting your facts, buddy, but they owe you an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got it from the monks,\u201d he said, obviously expecting this to impress her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! Yeah!\u201d she cried, leaping to her feet. \u201cI know you. You\u2019re one of those kids always following the monks around. I didn\u2019t recognize you without any hair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t recognize you covered in mud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen buddy, you don\u2019t know me at all.\u201d<\/p>\n They decided it was getting late and started walking home together, staying on opposite sides of the river. At times they had to shout to be heard, but they kept talking regardless.<\/p>\n \u201cSo why were you looking for the Undersea,\u201d she hollered across. \u201cWere you looking for a mermaid to kiss?\u201d She made kissing noises at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re called undine, and they\u2019ll eat you if they catch you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo no kissing then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to have a spiritual experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped for a moment, kicking a small rock into the Bariad. \u201cIt\u2019s my confirmation day tomorrow. We\u2019re supposed to tell the monks what we\u2019ve learned about the Mothers and the spirit world and how it\u2019s affected our lives and stuff. All the other kids have had spiritual experiences, even some of the ones that aren\u2019t confirmed yet. Just not me. I was hoping to get one in at the last minute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell you met me, right?\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty spiritual experience, right?\u201d<\/p>\n He watched as she wiped some mud off her forehead, and did not answer. They kept walking.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what happens if you don\u2019t have a spiritual experience?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI might not get confirmed, then I won\u2019t get to become a monk someday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBig deal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a big deal! I\u2019ve been training for it all my life!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll your life? You\u2019re twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell so are you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm, I\u2019m eleven. I\u2019m very mature for my age.\u201d<\/p>\n The river quieted down some after that, and the sun started to sink lower in the sky.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you doing up there anyway?\u201d Orvi asked. \u201cYou don\u2019t seem to know much of anything about salamanders. No offense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am very offended, but I forgive you,\u201d she answered nobly. \u201cI was fishing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a net? Without a pole?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe river\u2019s really shallow back there,\u201d she explained. \u201cYou can just dive in and grab them. Sometimes pike swim all the way up and get stuck in that bend, and you can wrestle them out of the water. I caught a pike ten feet long just yesterday!\u201d she boasted, holding her hands as far apart as she could. \u201cMost of the time, though, it\u2019s tiger bass or just minnows. You have to be really good to catch them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you really good?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the best!\u201d she shouted, striking a heroic pose.<\/p>\n \u201cNot good enough to catch a salamander, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well,\u201d she trailed off before saying \u201cWith fish, you have to jump where they\u2019re going to be, not where they are. But the salamander wasn\u2019t really moving much. He was kinda already where he was gonna be. So that was my mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s big of you to admit that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is, isn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n It was nearly sunset by the time they reached the town. The girl was on the wrong side, but she dove into the river without hesitation and started swimming across. The current was not especially strong, but she did nearly get swept downriver twice, until she become stuck on a rock and Orvi had to find a large branch so she could pull herself out. Much of the mud had washed off of her, but the grass stains remained.<\/p>\n Shafinah was a town of a few thousand people, stretching for miles up and down the east side of the Big Bolt River. The two children were walking to the village square, where people congregated to buy roast fowl and carrots, celebrate holy days with a feast, or even perform in mythical dances. Once, a wizard from Gharqah had come to sell the magic he had mined out of Windy Mountains, but very few people had enough money to buy his wares.<\/p>\n \u201cSo can I come to the Mother\u2019s House with you?\u201d the girl asked, still squeezing water out of her long braid.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone can come to the Mother\u2019s House, any time they want. That\u2019s what Mother\u2019s Houses are for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat! Oh, we should go to my house first. We\u2019ll have dinner, and I can tell my mother I got mud on me cause I was helping you out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow were you helping me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said salamanders come from the Undersea, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you were looking for the Undersea. So if only I had caught it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold on!\u201d he interrupted. \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n They found no markets or ceremonies in the square. Instead, seven strangers in foreign armor were standing before one of the senators and her wife.<\/p>\n Shafinah had four senators. On any particular month, one of them was serving at the capitol of East Gate, advocating for the town\u2019s interests. Another was also in East Gate, having just finished their month, advising the newly-arrived senator. A third senator would be traveling home and relaxing after two month\u2019s work. The fourth would actually be living in Shafinah, absorbing and distributing news, learning what cases to bring to the capitol, and traveling back to East Gate to begin the whole process again. Israida Potem, the senator in the square just then, was due to leave for East Gate the following week.<\/p>\n The soldiers were dressed in chainmail hauberks covered in leather jacks and steel lamellar plates. They wore conical helms of shining steel, steel greaves over black boots, and peach-colored badges fastened near their breasts. All seven of them bore hand-and-a-half swords at their waists, which suggested each one was a person of importance, and six of them bore a large circular shield, painted peach, bearing a tall black triangle upon it, bisected down the middle.<\/p>\n \u201cZaljans,\u201d Orvi said. \u201cThat\u2019s their national sigil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that just the All-Mother\u2019s sigil?\u201d the girl asked. \u201cYou can\u2019t just make that your own sigil, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Khans of Zalja started doing it two-hundred years ago,\u201d he said, a noticeable edge entering his voice. \u201cThey wanted it to look like Satar agreed with whatever they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Isn\u2019t that called usurpation, or something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called blasphemy,\u201d Orvi answered, and he walked straight down into the square.<\/p>\n Senator Potem was nearing forty, though she did not look it, and had her thick black hair flowing out over her shoulders. She was dressed simply, compared to the elaborate clothing senators wore to East Gate in order to impress the governing body. Now, she wore loose linen violet pants with a black sash and blouse, topped with a violet shawl to ward off the coming chill of evening. Her wife, whom Orvi thought was named Nasida, wore a white woolen shift that had the look of bed clothes, a burgundy robe thrown over it. Her hair was wrapped up in a burgundy scarf, despite her otherwise looking ready for bed.<\/p>\n The seventh soldier, the one who did not bare a shield, was short and slim. She had her helmet in her right hand, but a peach-colored scarf kept her hair up around her head. She was on the pale side, and even as he approached he could see her eyes were grey as a tombstone. Her thin lips pressed together in an attempted smile. There was a small black wart beneath her left eye that almost looked like a teardrop in the gathering dark. Her left hand, gauntleted in black leather, rested casually on the handle of her sword.<\/p>\n The senator was not smiling, and the captain\u2019s grim attempt at a smirk failed to reach her eyes. They were murmuring false pleasantries to one another, but as they approached the captain\u2019s grey eyes suddenly flashed to Orvi. \u201cThat\u2019s one of them, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Senator Potem started speaking before she even looked. \u201cNo. That is no one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d the girl shouted. \u201cI\u2019m Qara Fishmonger, and I have never been no one.\u201d<\/p>\n The captain\u2019s eyes stayed on Orvi. \u201cThat vest. You\u2019re a monk, aren\u2019t you boy?\u201d<\/p>\n The girl, who was evidently named Qara, stepped in front of him. \u201cYou can\u2019t call him \u2018boy.\u2019 How old are you<\/em>, eighteen?\u201d<\/p>\n Her thin smirk stretched wider, but she ignored the sally. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for the Mother\u2019s House, to pray after our arrival. We didn\u2019t realize this town was so spread out, and there are only seven of us. Can you lead us there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just a boy,\u201d the senator insisted. \u201cHe\u2019s going home. To his parents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis parents?\u201d the captain wondered. \u201cI thought pupils were all orphans. Isn\u2019t that how you do things in Yena? Stealing orphans for your primitive gods?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe worship the same god as you, Captain,\u201d the senator said evenly, \u201cand that is not a pupil. He\u2019s just a boy in a blue vest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so?\u201d She looked to Orvi again. \u201cBoy, what are your parents\u2019 names? Tell me. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n Qara Fishmonger threw her fists on her hips and shouted, \u201cLady, I don\u2019t even know my<\/em> parents\u2019 names, and I\u2019m way smarter than this kid.\u201d<\/p>\n The captain sauntered toward them. Senator Potem moved to stop her, but one of the soldiers intercepted and put a hand on her chest. The senator\u2019s wife drew her back away from the troops.<\/p>\n \u201cOh I don\u2019t know,\u201d she drawled. \u201cHe looks like a smart boy to me. Tell me, boy, who is the Mother here? Which of the many, many gods you worship is in charge here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiliq,\u201d he answered at once, ignoring the wide eyes the Senator threw at him.<\/p>\n The captain\u2019s thin smile intensified. \u201cLiliq. Forgive me, it\u2019s been years since my apocrypha class. Which one is Liliq?\u201d<\/p>\n Orvi spared a glance at the senator, but it was too late for her to do anything now. \u201cThe Mother of Fish,\u201d he said. Two of the soldiers chortled at that.<\/p>\n The captain put her fists on her hips, unconsciously echoing Qara Fishmonger. \u201cThe Mother of Fish. Truly an imposing figure. It must be quite an honor to dedicate your life to the Mother of Fish.\u201d Five of the six soldiers were laughing now. One soldier, older and a little doughy, looked more concerned than amused. Orvi\u2019s bald head was lowered, staring at his dark blue slippers in the dying light.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is,\u201d he said faintly. \u201cIt is an honor. Without the bounty of the river, we couldn\u2019t live. We owe our lives to Liliq, just like we owe our lives to Satar, to all the Mothers. That\u2019s why we worship them all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very moving,\u201d she said smoothly. \u201cWe Zaljans are simple folk. We can\u2019t wrap our heads around more than just the one god. All the same, we\u2019d like to pray and give thanks before we bed down for the evening. Won\u2019t you take us to the Mother\u2019s House?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I should do that.\u201d<\/p>\n His answer hung in the air like a humid summer night. The captain\u2019s smile grew so brittle it looked like it might shatter at any moment. The moment sat there, and sat, ready.<\/p>\n Then the captain relaxed her shoulders. \u201cAs you wish,\u201d she said, and reached up to rub Orvi\u2019s head. He instinctively backed away, but her smile never faded. \u201cCome on, troops. Looks like it\u2019s a poor, sleepless night for the soldiers of the All-Mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain,\u201d the older soldier broke in, \u201cthis town is far bigger than our intel suggested. It\u2019s so spread out. We might not find the temple for a day or two. Maybe longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no temples here,\u201d she countered with delicate sharpness. \u201cOnly Mother\u2019s Houses. Come.\u201d<\/p>\n The soldier looked at his mates and shrugged. They followed the captain north, away from the fork and along the latter half of the Big Bolt. Away from the Mother\u2019s House.<\/p>\n When the soldiers were out of earshot, the senator approached Orvi and put a hand on his shoulder. \u201cThat was very brave of you, son. The monks must be proud.\u201d<\/p>\n He shuffled his feet. \u201cNot yet. I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up at the receding soldiers. \u201cThey\u2019re headed the wrong way, but even so. If you go home now, you may end up leading them to the Mother\u2019s House. I will go ahead and warn the monks. What is your name, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOrvi, Madam.\u201d<\/p>\n The senator turned to her wife. \u201cNasida, take Orvi home and serve him dinner. Once the monks have been warned, he can go home and join them, if he wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, come on,\u201d Qara Fishmonger interrupted, \u201cyou can\u2019t bring him to your place, or the Zaljans will just follow him there. You can stay at my place tonight. We still have some of that pike I caught left over from yesterday; you\u2019ll love it.<\/p>\n They all stared at her. \u201cPike?\u201d Nasida asked.<\/p>\n The conversation became confused after that, but it ended with Orvi and Qara Fishmonger following the soldiers north to her parents\u2019 house. Like many of the houses in Shafinah, it was constructed of red brick traded from Mu May to the north, sealed together with hardened clay from south of the Big Bolt\u2019s fork. It had a slanted clay roof, built to funnel rainfall to the back-right corner of the house, where large barrels were kept. It was a common feature of tinier villages in Yena that were not built near the rivers, but a peculiar addition for Shafinah, where water was plentiful.<\/p>\n The house was squat and wide, shaped like the red bricks from which it was built, with a crooked wooden door in the middle and a window on either side. As they approached, Qara shouted, \u201cWelp, here we are! I suppose me and Orvi the orphan will just bed down here for the night. Yes we will!\u201d The shouting drew several stares, and an old man poked his head out of the window and shouted at Qara to get inside.<\/p>\n Inside was crowded. The house was deeper than it had appeared facing the river. Even so, there were three generations living inside. An old couple were sitting on a pair of stools by a doorway that Orvi assumed led to their bedroom. Another doorway led to what was probably the bedroom of Qara\u2019s parents. A smattering of cushioned rugs near the older couple\u2019s door was probably where the children slept. Right now, the children were gathering around a large, circular rug of deep purple, setting wooden plates before them. The plates held cuttings of small fish, minnow from the look of it, along with bean curd and fried bread. The smell hit Orvi in a wave, and his stomach rasped like the salamander he had all but forgotten.<\/p>\n A man in his thirties, with a bushy moustache over his mouth and a clean apron over his brown trousers, spread his hands wide when they entered and shouted \u201cQara! Home at last. How was your day. Did you catch the salamander?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but I put up a pretty good fight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Next time, next time. And this is one of the monks, yes? A pupil, I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Orvi nodded to the man. \u201cMy name\u2019s Orvi, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, good, very polite. I am Messid, and this is Harrin, Isha, and Toma.\u201d He pointed to a baby boy, a little girl, and a son who was clearly the oldest. \u201cMy parents Fared and Ginell are in the corner there. This is their house, still. And my wife\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n A tall, gaunt woman with giant blue eyes emerged from what Orvi assumed was her bedroom. Her hair was in a long braided tail like Qara\u2019s, and she wore a light blue shift of linen with a shawl over it. The shawl was bright red, patterned with yellow whirls and sunbursts and Satari triangles, and a few curved arrows meant to represent the pike. She was smiling when she entered, but upon spying Orvi her face went stiff in shock. She pulled the shawl off and drew it before herself, then looked down at it, balled it up, and threw it back into the room she had just exited. She looked down at herself again, then ran back into the darkened room. \u201cSweetie,\u201d she called lightly, the slightest edge in her voice, \u201cwho is that monk that\u2019s visiting us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just a pupil I think, dearest,\u201d Messid called back. \u201cOrvi is a new friend of Qara\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh good,\u201d the woman called back in a voice that suggested entirely otherwise. \u201cWhat would we do without Qara and all her friends?\u201d<\/p>\n The woman, Qara\u2019s mother Orvi assumed, returned a moment later with a burgundy robe wrapped around her shift, belted with an undyed hempen rope. \u201cGood evening, Orvi. My name is Reysill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to meet you, Madam,\u201d said Orvi. Qara stared at him as though he were speaking another language. Qara\u2019s mother smiled at him, though she still seemed a bit stiff.<\/p>\n \u201cCan he stay for dinner?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course!\u201d Messid beamed. \u201cThe more, the more, as they say.\u201d He grinned. Toma groaned.<\/p>\n They all sat down around the rug. \u201cOrvi, will you bless us before eating?\u201d asked Messid?<\/p>\n Orvi nodded, and they all bowed their heads. \u201cAll-Mother Satar bless this food, and through it us, that we may better work your will upon this your world. Liliq, we thank you always for your bounty and your mercy upon us, your children, and upon our kindred the fish of the river. We thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank you,\u201d they all murmured in assent, and started eating.<\/p>\n Despite Qara\u2019s boast, no pike was forthcoming, but the dinner was delicious all the same. The children spoke of their friends. Fared and Ginell asked Orvi about the Mother\u2019s House and how Brother Hesiud, the head of the order, was doing. Things grew slightly more somber when Toma mentioned the Mine at Mu May. The Mine was Yena\u2019s source of iron ore and a valuable political tool in bartering with Zalja to the east and Khabar to the southeast. Because of its importance, Yenai citizens were selected to serve two-year terms working the mines, and Toma had been selected to serve starting next year. There were rumors that goblins lived in the deeper parts of the Mine, looking to drag people off into the fiery depths. Messid laughed off such ideas, but it was clear that even he was worried, more about cave-ins than goblins, but worried all the same.<\/p>\n Things lightened up after that. Remarkably, it was over half an hour before anyone asked Orvi why he was there, and the subject of the Zaljan soldiers was finally brought up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would they want with the Mother\u2019s House?\u201d Ginell wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cTo burn it,\u201d Reysill shuddered. \u201cIt\u2019s the Crusade all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one is burning any Mother\u2019s Houses,\u201d Messid insisted placatingly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the Crusade?\u201d Qara asked? Orvi was about to groan in exasperation, but he was more than a little fuzzy on the details, so he settled for rolling his eyes and hoping no one would ask him to explain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a Zaljan invasion,\u201d Toma said. \u201cThe last Khan was trying to convert us all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to take the rivers and the mines, more likely\u201d Reysill said darkly.<\/p>\n \u201cBut regardless,\u201d Messid broke in, \u201cEast Gate set up fortresses all along the Great Bariad, and the Zaljan forces never made it past them. The poor people of Musmahwa took quite a hit; they\u2019re right on the Bariad themselves. But East Gate stood firm, and the whole enterprise fell apart after a few years. Most of us were never touched. The Khans learned their lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis new Khan\u2019s from a farther branch of the family tree,\u201d Toma said suggestively. \u201cI hear he\u2019s a warmonger, looking to stand out from his predecessors. A new Crusade would be the perfect way to make himself look strong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOhhh, is that so?\u201d Messid asked wryly. \u201cAnd how did you acquire this remarkable political insight? I didn\u2019t realize you were such an intimate of the senators\u2019 counsels.\u201d He smiled at Reysill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw a senator,\u201d said Qara. \u201cAt least, I think she was one of the senators.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe captain of the soldiers was talking to her,\u201d Orvi added, \u201ctrying to find out where the Mother\u2019s House was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe wasn\u2019t a captain,\u201d Qara objected. \u201cShe was barely older than Toma. She was just a loud girl with a wart under her eye. They should call her Captain Wart.\u201d<\/p>\n The adults at the table grew very still. They looked at each other.<\/p>\n Fared opened his mouth slowly. \u201cA wart, you say? Under her eye?\u201d Qara and Orvi nodded. The adults all looked at each other.<\/p>\n \u201cWas it his daughter who had the wart,\u201d Ginell asked, \u201cor his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaughter,\u201d Reysill said firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d Toma asked. \u201cWhose daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a good subject for dinner,\u201d said Messid, but Reysill felt differently.<\/p>\n \u201cDivine Commander Ybril Ro Kheer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A tense silence followed.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that someone we\u2019re supposed to know?\u201d Qara asked. Loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s time for bed,\u201d said Messid.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Crusade,\u201d said Ginell, slowly, \u201che burned the Mother\u2019s House at Musmahwa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now his daughter is here?\u201d Orvi asked. \u201cLooking for the Mother\u2019s House?\u201d In an instant, he was on his feet. \u201cThank you for everything!\u201d he stuttered before running out.<\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d Qara shouted, half standing and half rolling toward the door. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have to warn them!\u201d he cried, vanishing into the newborn night.<\/p>\n \u201cThe senator already went!\u201d Qara yelled.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re my family<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n With that, he was gone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the banks of the Big Bolt River, a salamander crawled in the mud. He was an ancient thing, was the salamander, thriving in his present form even when the first folk of Yaalk were crawling out of their holes … Continue reading