Maker of Fire

Lisaykos, Healing Shrine of Mugash

The light inside the Great Crystal at the Shrine of Tiki was steady so we knew Aylem was alive somewhere. Try as she might, Foyuna could not find Aylem even though she was one of the most powerful clairvoyants in the kingdom and could use the Great Crystal to a limited extent.

Emily became more restless by the day, as did Asgotl. The griffin could now fly again but he was still recovering his strength. Emily could get all the way down the stairs now but she could only manage to go up one flight if she was climbing. I worried that when Emily got her strength back, the two of them would sneak out and go on their own search. I did think it strange that Emily was concerned for Aylem even after what Aylem did to her.

My other worry was getting Emily to agree to attend the induction of the new trainees and Kayseo's promotion to a full healer. Kayseo's work was so extraordinary, the healers at the shrine petitioned that we promote Kayseo now instead of at planting midday. This would give those leaving for circuit assignments the opportunity to attend her promotion.

Getting Emily to attend felt like a losing battle. I have never run into someone as stubborn as Emily. She had a good argument, saying the ceremonies were solely a Cosm affair and she had no place at them. I believe my argument was better, that as a blessed revelator of Mugash, she indeed should be at the ceremonies where healers were presented as servants of Mugash for the first time. Unfortunately, I had to admit that I was losing this battle with the half-horn-sized immovable object named Emily.

Emily lost the battle 13 days before the ceremony and I didn't need to do a thing. That afternoon, I was returning from my daily rounds when I was surprised to hear voices coming from my study as I came up the stairs. I stopped in the hallway to listen.

"You know, you're a big reason I'm getting promoted at 16 instead of at 18 or 19," Kayseo's soft soprano cajoled. "The Blessed Lisaykos allowed me to be the lead healer on your recovery, which is one of the hardest practical tasks a trainee must complete for promotion. You don't have to do anything at the ceremony, Emily. You just need to sit in a chair and watch."

I could hear Emily's voice in reply but it was too soft to make out the words. I extended my clairvoyance.

"That's silly, Emily," Kayseo stated in her usual calm and reasonable way of talking. "Maybe people will spend a few seconds looking at you since no one ever gets to see you. If you spent a little more time being seen, you would be less interesting to people. But people will be there to see their children become enrolled, and not to look at you. It's a moment of pride for every family to have a child enrolled here. Not everyone has healing magic. Most can't pass the entrance test for this shrine.

"People will look at you, just like they will look at the Blessed Lisaykos, the Revered Galpahkos, Priestess Recorder Kuerm, and Scholar Attendant Wolkayrs. That's because you all will be sitting behind the crystal on the dais. But their eyes will be on the enrollees who are the real focus for the ceremony. It's really a day for...for..." Kayseo suddenly choked off a sob.

"Kayseo," Emily stretched her hand out to Kayseo, who was kneeling on the floor next to the lounge where Emily was sitting, "what's wrong?"

Kayseo sniffled and blotted her tears with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Emily. I wish my mom and dad and little brother could be here for my promotion. They were here for my enrollment but never got...got..."

Wolkayrs had already crossed the study, tapped Kayseo on the shoulder, and handed her a kerchief.

"Thank you," she blotted up her tears. "Emily, I don't have a family anymore. All I have are my friends to attend my promotion. That's why I'm asking you to be there, Emily, because you're my friend."

I felt Emily's thoughts shift as she reacted to what Kayseo said. "Alright, I will go," Emily capitulated. She had gotten closer to Kayseo ever since Emily's kidnappers attempted to murder the young healer.

I was pleased. Kayseo made an appeal to Emily's emotions that no one else could have made. She succeeded where the rest of us had failed.

The next hurdle was getting Emily dressed. The expression on Emily's face when Twessera and Thuorfosi announced they would take care of her clothes was delightful. She looked like a snow hare cornered by hunting dogs and was trying to gauge which way to jump to escape. I confess I enjoyed this more than I should have, especially when Twessera showed up the very next day with clothes already made from cloth I had provided her several rotations before.

The timing was fortuitous because the King was coming the day after to discuss the enrollment ceremony. I was guessing it has something to do with my son and my new granddaughter.

---

Imstay, Healing Shrine of Mugash

It was the fourth day of the fourth rotation of the cold season, exactly 11 days before cold season midday, and the enrollment of the new healers-in-training. For the first time in my reign, I made an appointment to speak in person with my kinswoman, the Blessed Lisaykos. I didn't tell her that I was bringing other people with me. That was deliberate. I could feel my relationship with the shrines shifting and I wanted to gauge how she would jump with unexpected changes on my part.

We spent the night at Manse Gunndit. Then the six of us flew up to Aybhas. We showed up at the door to the high priestess' study just as the third bell of the day started tolling. Her ever-vigilant scholar attendant - I forget his name - had heard our entrance from the balcony and was kneeling in obeisance just inside the door to the high priestess' study. His eyebrows went up when he realized there were six of us.

"Oh my," he took my cold-weather flying cloak from me and hung it up. Before I had my leggings off, he glanced at the rest of our party. "Mighty One, my lords, if you will excuse me, I will be back in an instant." He was a short-round fellow but he certainly moved faster than I expected. He ran to the corner of the room, opened a door hidden in the room's wood paneling, and emerged with two more racks, enough for six cloaks and pairs of leggings.

Lisaykos got up from her work table at all the commotion and got halfway across the room before she saw everyone shedding their flying gear, with their hoods half-down and their face coverings still half-wrapped.

"Katsa?" Lisaykos' eyes were wide and her eyebrows were almost to her hairline with surprise.

Katsa handed her hat, scarf, and mittens to the scholar attendant. She didn't bother taking off her cloak. "May the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Great One," she knelt and performed a full obeisance.

"And upon you. Get up, Katsa," Lisaykos snapped. "What nonsense is this?"

Lord Katsa haup Gunndit sprang to her feet, beaming, arms wide, and hugged the surprised high priestess. "Mother, you look well, if not befuddled. Did that terrible king person forget to tell we were coming?"

"He said he was coming but didn't mention you," Lisaykos shot me an accusatory glare from over her daughter's shoulder. "Oh," she saw Hessakos emerge out of his hood and knit head sock. "Irhessa?" As his mother, she used his birth name.

Hessakos blinked when he heard his real name. It was only a half a year since he was reunited with his mother and sister. He wasn't used to hearing it again after twenty years of an alias. He turned, saw his mother, and immediately did a full obeisance on his knees. Bobbo and Musshia, who weren't even out of their head socks yet, joined him. "May the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Great One," they said in near-perfect unison.

"And also upon you," she walked up to her kneeling son. "If you will excuse me, whoever you are," she said to the other two as she lifted Hessakos to his feet and then hugged him. I saw Lord Gunndit bite her lip so she wouldn't laugh out loud at her brother's shocked face.

"How are you, son?" she asked, not letting go. He finally relaxed enough to hug her back.

"To be honest, mother, I am weary. The King is a slime eel who deployed all the scouts and all the couriers to search for the Queen. I've had little time to sleep. I feel bad to be taking this trip, but I fear Oyyuth's wrath if I didn't."

"Oyyuth?" Lisaykos asked.

Oyyuth was a short cloaked figure who then knelt next to Lisaykos with a mittened hand over her heart. A woman's muffled voice from under her scarf said, "may the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Great One."

"Oyyuth!" Lisaykos was truly and pleasantly surprised. I had no idea she was that fond of her son's wife. The High Priestess bent down, picked her son's wife up, set her on her feet, and hugged her. "Now this was a good thing to brighten my day," Lisaykos smiled and didn't seem to care that she looked like she was guilty of the last five child murders in Aybhas. I had never seen such happy spontaneity out of Lisaykos before. It was a bit of a revelation. Was it possible I was starting to like the old mountain goat?

"Oyyuth, you must stay for the mid repast," the old lady declared. "Wolkayrs, we need to warn the kitchen. Mid repast for eight including the King, Lord Gunndit, Lord Pinisla, and the Presiding Craftmaster Elect of Is'syal. Did you contact the Mounts Residence?"

"The garrison is sending someone over to take care of our mounts," General Bobbo, the caretaker Lord of Pinisla, offered. "Water, food, and a warm dry place are already arranged."

I caught a motion out of the corner of my eye. I saw what could be mistaken as a pile of cushions. In reality, it was a pile of the Blessed Emily under a blanket plus cushions. She had fallen asleep reading. A large book was open and took up a third of the lounge. I think the book was bigger than she was.

Emily had fallen asleep next to the tome and someone placed a blanket on her. The commotion of our arrival woke her. The motion was her sleepy hand rubbing her sleepy eyes. The next thing I noticed was an annoyed look aimed at the noise by the door. That look vanished as fast as it appeared. She dropped her head back on the cushion where she was resting and watched the confusion at the door to the study.

I walked up to the high priestess, "may the blessings of the eleven gods be upon you, Great One," I bowed with my hand over my heart.

"And also upon you, Imstay King," she replied pleasantly. "Thank you for the surprise visit by my children. Though, somehow, I suspect that you have a different purpose at hand than making an old heron like me happy."

"May I ask you to introduce Lord Gunndit and her husband to the Blessed Emily?" I asked.

"No, please, permit me?" Hessakos cut in. "Certainly," Lisaykos told her son, "but you may want to move the sleeping griffin first since he's in the way."

"I'm awake," said the griffin disguised as a lumpy backless settee next to Emily's lounge. I didn't even notice him until he spoke. How did he do that? Could he always do that?

"Who could sleep through all this noise?" the sleepy griffin complained. "but I can move." He got to his feet, making an amazing transition from furniture to flying mount. He wandered to the far corner behind Lisaykos' worktable, far removed from any human traffic in the study, and flumped back down to go back to sleep.

"Thank you, Asgotl," Hessakos bowed to the griffin.

"You are welcome, friend of Emily," Asgotl replied, cracking open one eye to look at Hessakos and then shutting it.

Hessakos conducted his sister and her husband over to Emily's lounge. Katsa was a head taller than Musshia though he was a big sturdy guy for a halfhair and his hair was more white than brown. He was talented with avoiding court functions and ceremonies so I hardly knew him despite staying at his home for the last two days.

Lord Gunndit I knew well. She was the most respected and powerful noble in the south of the kingdom. She was also one of the most powerful mages and certainly stronger than most of the high priestesses. If she had not become Lord Gunndit, she probably would have succeeded Fassex as the high priestess of Landa. She's also taller and heftier than my cousin Foyuna, the tallest of the high priestesses. I might be mistaken, but I believe the only mage who is taller and stronger magically is the missing Aylem.

The General and Oyyuth, the presiding craftmaster-elect for Is'syal, hurried to catch up with the Gunndits and they made their obeisance to Emily together. I could feel the Coyn's discomfort from across the room.

Emily's voice did not carry this far so I missed what she said that made all five laugh. I stepped closer to hear because I was curious as to how she reacted to Katsa.

"Great One, I would like to present my sister, Lord Katsa haup Gunndit, and her husband, Musshia hat Gunndit haup Surdos," Hessakos said from his knees. All five stayed on their knees, I think out of courtesy, so Emily did not need to look up.

"If y...you are family to my friends Lisaykos and Hessakos," Emily said with a calm smile, "then you are a friend of mine."

"I am happy you think so," Katsa smiled. "My brother has told a lot about you."

"Well, I guess I w...will have to forgive him for telling lies then since I am much more ordinary than w...what he may have told you."

"So, ordinary people read the laws of Foskos to kill time?" Musshia grinned, looking at the book of the realm's laws open on the lounge. "I never knew."

"Yes," Emily rose to Musshia's bait. "B...because of its superb entertainment value, I hear that ordinary p...people even flock to all the chapel shrines every tenthday to hear recitations of the law for two w...whole bells." Emily started turning pages with a grin, "I sure I saw something on that just a few sections ago."

"Great One," I bowed a quick obeisance at Emily. "That's the directive of the Edict of Puyutsptwee," I offered. "Uyumaptwee King repealed that edict right after he removed his brother Puyutsptwee as king. It is no longer part of the law." I even managed to say that with a straight face.

Hessakos laughed and threw his hands in the air, "I am in awe of your mastery of the law, Mighty One." He grinned and looked around at everyone in the room, "We should probably move on to what we came here to do."

"Well, finish getting your flying gear off and let's set up a ring of seats around the lounge since it's easier not to move Emily," Lisaykos picked up an armchair to move it. "I assume this is something Emily can hear, looking at the collection of people you brought with you, Imstay King?"

"Yes, certainly," I nodded and picked up another armchair.

"May I move your codex of the law, Emily?" Wolkayrs asked, bringing her a beaker of hot tea.

"Mark my place first, please," she straightened up, freeing up more space on the lounge.

"Oooo! I want to sit next to Emily," Oyyuth elbowed her husband out of the way before he had a chance to sit down. Hessakos gave her a mock-pouting face and sat next to her.

"How are you doing, Emily" Oyyuth rested her hand on Emily's knees which were still hiding under the blanket. "Getting better?"

"I think so, slowly," Emily smiled warmly at Oyyuth. They were obviously comfortable with each other.

"They were out of that pate you like so much," Hessakos said looking at Emily over the top of Oyyuth's head. They were quite mismatched in height, not that it bothered the two of them. "So I picked you up some of that smoked steelhead you liked, the one with the garlic."

She smiled, "y...you didn't need to do that, you two, but thank you. If y...you bring much m...more of that stuff, I'll get fat."

"You could stand to get a little fat," Oyyuth grabbed and waggled Emily's toes through the blanket. "You look even thinner than the last time I saw you. I swear a strong wind could blow you away right now."

"You see," Lisaykos walked up, "it's not just me." She gave Emily an exasperated look and sat down in the armchair immediately to the right of the Coyn. Emily was annoyed and settled back into her nest of cushions while maintaining a grimace.

"Where are the children?" Lisaykos asked Oyyuth with just a hint of eagerness.

"Amoythoy is back at home with her aunt and uncle," Oyyuth leaned forward. "Fed and Troyeepay are at Manse Gunndit being entertained by their three older cousins. They're both city kids like me and they've never been on a working farm before. Kattessat and Troyeepay have really taken to each other. Today Kattessat is teaching him how to milk cows. It's really cute to watch the two of them."

"And Fed?" Lisaykos asked.

"Pestering me about what one needs to do to run a Lord's holding," Katsa said with some frustration. "Great One," Katsa looked right at Emily, "did you really show her all that stuff about double-entry accounting? I never expected a 12-year-old to quiz me about my journal and ledgers. I expect that from the tax collectors, but from my niece?"

Emily looked little cowed by Katsa's vehemence. Lisaykos studied Emily, frowned at her daughter just long enough for me to catch it, and then laughed.

"Katsa, it was more like Fed attacking poor Emily to extract everything she knew when she was visiting Irhessa's and Oyyuth's house," Lisaykos diverted the attention away from Emily. "Fed loves anything to do with math."

"Well," Musshia rolled his eyes, "I never expected to be quizzed before about the nuances of the bundled twigs the wranglers use to count heads of cattle. She's like the great sucking mouth of Uedroy, wanting to know everything. The real problem is, she really wants to know everything."

"Yep," Emily said in her soft voice, "that sounds like Fed, alright. I can get tired just watching her."

I found myself nodding my head at that assessment of Hessakos' daughter, who had too much energy to spend.

"It sounds like you have something to share about my niece, Mighty One," Katsa hadn't missed my silent agreement about Fed.

"Imstay King taught her how to fish," Hessakos saved me from answering. "After two or three bells of non-stop questions, she asked him why the fish would bite at bait that didn't look like anything you could find in a river, like grains of maize on a hook, and the King answered, 'I don't know! Why don't you ask the fish?'" It was worth a good laugh at my expense.

"I seriously considered passing a law declaring Fedso'as a national calamity, given how many days it took me to recover from her unquenchable curiosity," I stated solemnly. It was a good follow-up laugh.

"Well," I took a hot beaker of tea sweetened just right from the scholar attendant, "getting down to business, I have three matters to discuss regarding the enrollment ceremony next rotation. All of them need your cognizance and approval, Great One," I looked at Lisaykos. "But first, I would like to know if the Blessed Emily will be in attendance?" I looked at Emily, who gave me a face full of frustration as she nodded yes. I guessed she would rather not go.

"Excellent," I winked at her and she rewarded me with a splendid glower. I was beginning to see why Hessakos and Oyyuth described her as fun to be around. She was easy to tease and not offended by it. "Fedso'as would be very disappointed if you were not there," I added. "She asked after you, you know." That surprised the little Coyn with the thousands of facial expressions.

"The first item of business will determine whether the second item can even be considered. This entails the need for General Bobbo, as the caretaker lord of Pinisla, to speak with Healer-in-training Kayseo, since we have determined with the aid of the Restful Shrine of Surd that she is the last living member of the house of Pinisla."

"Oh, my," Lisaykos' eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. I managed to surprise her.

"I appointed General Bobbo the caretaker lord to rebuild the holding of Pinisla two years ago, after the mudslide destroyed the town. As part of his duties, he was to search for anyone who may have the Pinisla bloodline. Kayseo haup Pinisla was born to a cadet branch of the family that had little more than the right to bear the name.

"Regardless, she had the strongest surviving bloodline and claim to the lordship. General Bobbo collected many positive statements from everyone he has interviewed regarding this young woman's character," I continued. "He has only to speak with her himself before making the final decision to name her the heir to the lordship and his adoptive daughter of the land."

"It's a big step for me," Bobbo jumped in, looking a little nervous. I was surprised since he never showed that face to people. I think he made a conscious decision to display his real feelings for a change, to show others how serious he took this. "I do have a legitimate reason to speak with her other than gaining my final assurance to go forward with the announcement. I've been meeting with all the surviving residents of Pinisla since there are only 27 of them. She is the last one.

"Given what she suffered after the disaster, as her friends here at the shrine have told me," he exchanged a look with Wolkayrs, the scholar attendant, who stood in the appropriate spot behind the high priestess. "I want to surprise her and declare her as the heir at the beginning of her promotion ceremony, which is the last piece of business at the enrollment ceremony. That way, she can have both her dearest friends escort her as well as the King and me for her promotion."

I studied Lisaykos and saw that she was willing to listen to our proposal.

"My plan would be to challenge the promotion to demand the right of escort, on the grounds that I claimed her as my daughter of the land. The king would then make her the heir by soil, salt and wine. It's a quick ceremony. After that, we would roll immediately into the promotion."

By the time the staff served the mid repast, we hammered out all the details to the satisfaction of the high priestess and all the Gunndits. All that was left to do was finish the embroidery on everyone's clothes for the ceremony.