Ourmeela seemed curious, "I can't answer what imposition it might be until you've asked your question. Perhaps we can match questions? For example, I might begin with, how long have you been able to manifest your bloodline? I've had the occasional opportunity to see you perform in the challenges."
The sorceress looked thoughtful, "It's only been recently that I've been able to intentionally manifest my bloodline and even more recently that I found out whose blood runs through my veins."
Zahra focused on her hands and caused her claws to grow. "Growing up, magic would just randomly happen around me and I never knew that I was the cause. Thankfully my mother knew who to ask for help but I had to learn how to hide it because of how Zhayalammar operates. It hasn't been long where I can let others know that I wield magic and thankfully there is someone I trust who is teaching me to harness what comes naturally."
She glanced again at the walls that were covered with complicated drawings and formulas. "What you can do absolutely blows my mind. I wouldn't even know where to begin or how to decipher the kind of magic you harness. Like in the mirror challenge. Did that magic speak truth? I know there were aspects of divination, but there were also illusion and charms auras. That is the expertise I was hoping to draw from you. Do I accept what I saw as the truth or do I assume they were just illusion?"
Tymythy joined up with Cairee and Dounia as they watched the orcs set up their rope through the grate. Batbayar tied one end of the rope around the old woman's waist as Tyerror climbed up to the grate and began working on the lock. Jad engaged the tile buttons getting her wrist trapped in the closing gate. The gargoyles opened with a flow of lava.
Jad, able to remember the button position, pressed the sequence which released her wrist. Batbayar was already halfway up the rope. Tyerror picked the lock only to find the grate now not only opened down but released entirely. Miraculously, the young orc was able to catch the edge of the grate frame.
Batbayar was jarred but the sudden downward motion and slid down the rope. The end of the rope snapped.
And the old woman was gone.
Tyerror was left holding the rope (and the massive frame of Batbayar) with one hand and the hatch frame with the other. Batbayar wasted no time and scaled the rope, pulling the young Tyerror to freedom.
The hatch led the two remaining orcs to what looked to be a goblin's magical workshop. Here Batbayar was a force of nature as he tore a desk off it's bolted legs and used it as a shield against a fire and then a spear trap. He threw it into a swiping blade as Tyerror leapt over and opening floor panel. They swallowed a dense green smoke to make it to a slowly lowering stone gate.
Once through, they were in a familiar hallway that began to collapse into the ominous void that The Black Birds had experienced. Not looking back, the two rushed as quickly as they could but were obviously weakend by the green fog they ingested. Still, they made it to the doors and back into the arena.
The challenge had taken them more than three hours and had cost them two team members. Batbayar and Tyerror were rushed to the tents.
It wasn't until halfway between the song of two and three that Zahra met up with the rest of The Black Birds.
"… Like in the mirror challenge. Did that magic speak truth? I know there were aspects of divination, but there were also illusion and charms auras. That is the expertise I was hoping to draw from you. Do I accept what I saw as the truth or do I assume they were just illusion?"
Ourmeela watched Zahra extend her talons and then retract them. She nodded as if the display was confirming a guess.
"Chasing after truth is a fools merry-go-round. Someone can give you an accurate painting but anyone who looks at it will say it depicts something different. The schools you spoke about are correct though. It's a simple triumverate to find and reveal an aspect of your life meant to disturb the viewer. The 'truer' it is the more disturbing.
"To know if the information creates a useful understanding or is meant to misrepresent an event or person you'd have to be there, to feel what they were feeling.
"My turn. Can your mother also manifest any arcane effects?"
Zahra tried to glean what she could from what Ourmeela said but to her it sounded like a riddle in a puzzle. Why didn't anyone speak plainly? But one thing that did land in the sorceress' mind was the truer it was, the more disturbing. Hallwn had said something similar in the truth causing more chaos. Zahra's spirit sank as it seemed like what she saw had been the truth.
The young woman blinked for a couple of heart beats as she quickly processed her host's next question. "I...I don't know. I haven't been home much since my abilities manifested in a way that could no longer be hidden. That means I haven't been able to ask my mother more about my heritage." Zahra's brow furrowed in thought as she searched her memories, "I can't remember her doing anything like me but at the same time, she wasn't overly surprised by me either. Since she was familiar with everything I guess it's possible she can but has hidden it from me."
Zahra tried again to get something more definite from Ourmeela before being dismissed. "Did what I saw in the mirror challenge actually happen? I know for sure that I would have never conjured what I saw on my own. I just need to know if it actually happened or if someone just wants me to believe it happened."
… "Did what I saw in the mirror challenge actually happen? I know for sure that I would have never conjured what I saw on my own. I just need to know if it actually happened or if someone just wants me to believe it happened."
Ourmeela looked concerned but still curious, "I don't know what it is you saw. If I did know I would have no way to confirm if it really happened. Nor have I ever experienced the mirror maze personally.
"It was, however, designed to get in your head. I can see it has worked very well on you. I'm not going to say something stupid like tell you to relax. People die in these challenges.
"If it hasn't been tampered with it will show the holiest faithful their weakest moments, warriors their cowardice, a brilliant person their hypocrisy. The innocent will see the cruelty of their trusted loved ones. If you are cruel it will show you your cruelty through the eyes of those you've wounded. It will search out what you don't wish to face and make you face it.
"And it is a mirror. By its' very nature it can only reflect what you bring with you whether it is in your head or in you circumstance.
"But the view isn't total. It will show you 'a truth' I suppose, but through 'a mirror darkly'. Polemicized. Amplified. In the way that will most affect you … and it will isolate you to do it.
"For example, I saw that your team connected to each other by a rope on a wrist loop. In the third chamber you all willingly took your loops off your own wrists. Did you see something wrapped around your wrist in the mirror that you needed to remove? A bracelet? Was your wrist trapped in a crack or a snare and you had to pull it free? Was someone holding you by the wrist? You pulled away from them, right?
"It used a moment in your past or the past of someone you know to convince you to literally and figuratively disconnect from your teammates. It didn't exactly lie but it made the truth useful.
"That is what it does. That is the truth it shows.
"I don't mean to be abrupt. I would love to ask you more questions but I need to get back to work. Come back if you like." Ourmeela stood up and walked to the door. "I'll walk you back to the stair."
Ourmeela's words gave Zahra much to think about. Her words gave the sorceress both feelings of hope and despair. Despair for the truth that Zahra dreaded and hope with being able to explain it away if what she saw wasn't the whole truth. Before she realized it, a few tears escaped from the corner of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away not wanting to appear weak.
For example, I saw that your team connected to each other by a rope on a wrist loop. In the third chamber you all willingly took your loops off your own wrists. Did you see something wrapped around your wrist in the mirror that you needed to remove? A bracelet? Was your wrist trapped in a crack or a snare and you had to pull it free? Was someone holding you by the wrist? You pulled away from them, right?
Zahra gasped, "There was a bangle but I wasn't in any trouble. It was just a test to help my family. They put it on and then I was able to take it off. It definitely makes me wonder what I can know to be true."
"I don't mean to be abrupt. I would love to ask you more questions but I need to get back to work. Come back if you like." Ourmeela stood up and walked to the door. "I'll walk you back to the stair."
"No, no, you've been nothing but kind and welcoming considering how busy you are. It is I who must apologize for monopolizing your precious time. Thank you so much, both for our conversation and for the invitation to return...and for walking me out. I would get turned around in a heartbeat."
As soon as Zahra exited the workshop, she began to make her way back to her room. Before she shared anything with her friends, she needed a good cry.
As the headed down the hall Ourmeela noticed a door half bricked-up with tiny bricks. No ants were visible. "Cursed portals and pests. The masonry ants are back." She kept walking until they reached the staircase. As Zahra reached the main level she could hear Ourmeela say something and the stones floated back upward as the floor resealed itself.
When Zahra arrived at the suite her friends were already waiting in the common room.
Dounia waited impatiently for Zahra to return. They'd given up waiting for her outside, assuming she'd come to their rooms when she was ready. Of the four of them, Zahra seemed to crave privacy the most. However, she was anxious to talk to the others about everything that had happened, and it was hard to wait. Her mind kept returning to the orc team. "I can't believe it was lava! Do you think they'll keep competing? They've lost so many."
When Zahra finally pushed the door open, Dounia leapt to her feet, having finally been pulled down by Cairee with an admonishment to stop pacing. "Oh good! You're back! We need to talk."
”The challenges don't seem to get easier if there are only a few of you… so it might be better for them to stop,” Tymythy said, equally horrified at the way the difficulty of the team challenge had risen since their turn at it. ”But would stopping now be a slight to their fallen kin's sacrifice?” He didn't know, but murmured a silent prayer to any spirit that listened that Batbayar and Tyerror would not let honor blind them… although we're he in their place, with a hunter from his own clan by his side… he might see giving up halfway as a betrayal.
”I wonder just how horrible the challenges will be tomorrow…”
"Cursed portals and pests. The masonry ants are back."
Zahra looked surprised. "I almost stepped on them when I was coming to see you. I assumed that they were doing work for the party. I guess that isn't the case. But where did they come from?"
Zahra made a mental note of the word she heard while Ourmeela was leaving. It may allow them to access the library level again if the password wasn't changed. Or it could have meant something completely different.
"Oh good! You're back! We need to talk."
Zahra stopped in her tracks when she saw the other three. She gave a smile that never reached her eyes, "Good idea. How about you start."
She then went to get a glass of cold cucumber water before settling into a chair. Sipping on the water gave her something to focus on until the others started speaking.
It was a relief to have her friends all together, safe in their chambers. Each one looked worn, their shoulders slumped with a heavy burden. "That challenge took a lot out of us, spiritually and mentally. Does anyone need further healing? With these gloves Zahra found in the last challenge, I think I can try a...deeper...healing."
"I'm sure you all question whether what you saw is true. I spoke with the healers, and I agree with their assessment. The mirrors have a kind of divination. They can pull out information on our past, present, and future. So in a way - yes, what we saw was true. But a skewed truth. A version to sow the most distrust and chaos. Truth without context, aimed to shake us. It would do us all well to hold space for a greater understanding. For example, I saw my friend Flyson, on the night he tried to steal our family's sword. Or, more accurately, I was him. In my pocket was a map of our house. My room was labeled as the 'target's room'. He never told me I was any kind of target. My mind wants to dwell on the worst. That I still am. That he was never my friend, that he was using me..."
She shook off the thought. "There could be many reasons why he didn't tell me. And I hope we'll have the chance to discuss it one day."
For Cairee what seemed to have so struck at the wellbeing of her team was invisible. The cure would probably also need to be.
Tymythy listened to Cairee retelling what the healers had explained to her and frowned. ”In my case, what I saw and experienced had nothing to do with me. I was with Ku'bara'sigi, the previous master of this spear, living a memory centuries old,” Tymythy said, raising his usriev. ”Perhaps its magic interfered with that of the mirrors, as I doubt I share any blood with the ancient Valatudh lord. I relived the last moment if a grand city he once ruled, fought in its futile defense against enemies unknown. A demoness bound was released, one with the face of a fallen angel and wings of bare bones. Bound… perhaps to siphon off her powers for some purpose? There was talk of vaults, batteries of spirits, genierators… the city would be doomed if they fell, and at least one did.”
”Silimiel and another silvery dragon, smaller - perhaps his kin? - fought a stranger in black cloak, the lord's companions said. Never saw the foe myself… but in the very end, I witnessed Silimiel fighting and losing to a crow wielding mighty magics. Perhaps the same foe in another form? A crow that somehow, and for some reason, transported part of the city away from the desert it was founded in. And we have seen that stolen part, as the overgrown ruins in the very first challenge, when we saved those little Fae from the hunting manticore. We only looked at the ruins from a distance, but after that last vision… I'm certain about it.”
”There were many names, of people and places… names I would want to search tomes of history for, to perhaps learn more, to understand why I was shown what I saw,” he went on, looking troubled. He had feared he would soon forget the strange names… but for some reason, they no longer felt so strange and distant. No, there was a feeling of… familiarity as he recalled the names of the warriors who had fought by his side against the demoness.
Douia's eyes were as round as plates as she listened to Cairee. "What was in your room that he would want to steal? Or maybe you were the target - was he in love with you? Maybe he was going to steal you away!"
Her eyes grew even bigger as she listened to Tymythy. "I wonder why you got the history of your spear and its old owner? I mean, interesting and all, especially since it seems to be related to Zahra's relative dragon. But a bit rude to ignore you all together. Strange how the mirror made us feel like we were other people. I was Cyra. First when I came to my house. I - she - was an orphan! And my family adopted her! Me and my twin were just babies. And my parents were fighting because my father was involved with miner's strikes and it was very dangerous and I think that's why Cyra lost her folks. And then we were in this warehouse, and it was on fire. I - um - Cyra got stuck in the rubble. We got free, and found that mother and father were fighting, and the babies were crying. Then there was an explosion and it looked like all three of them were killed. I took Dounia, I mean, Cyra took baby me and escaped, she took me right out of the city. We walked for hours and hours, then saw a mirror and went through. "
She took a breath and then continued, "Then, that last time, right before the exit, it was like I was getting dumped with years and years of Cyra's memories. Living in the city and being used by this pickpocket family, and escaping to the oasis, and her raising me, and us fighting, and playing, and being sick, and everything. She was so young! Just a little girl, and she rescued me and raised me. She did everything for me. It was too much, too fast, and I almost got lost in her memories. I still feel her, up here," she rubbed her forehead. "I don't know at all if it was true, but it sure felt true. How on earth did they know so much about me? About all of us?"
The mirrors have a kind of divination. They can pull out information on our past, present, and future. So in a way - yes, what we saw was true. But a skewed truth. A version to sow the most distrust and chaos. Truth without context, aimed to shake us. It would do us all well to hold space for a greater understanding.
Zahra nodded, "That aligns with what I found out too. After what I saw, I had to know if it was true. This first led me to Hallwn, which was unhelpful. He spoke in circles and basically told me that the truth would cause the most chaos. Then after speaking with Nadj, he led me to Ourmeela. She's their chief arcanist and she said something very similar to what Cairee learned from the healers."
She waited for the others to speak of what they saw before speaking aloud what she dreaded. "The reason that I had to know whether it was true or not is because I was my father. There were details that seemed like a lie, like him getting into debt from gambling. This caused him to get involved with a group that offered to pay his debt and in the process save me from all the magical groups who are corrupt and ineffective." She took a deep cleansing breath, barely keeping it together. "The last thing I saw was my father with a group of men in the Grand Bazaar. My father was the one who placed the hood over my head the day I was kidnapped...and then one of the men welcomed him as a member of the Fida Hurras." Speaking it out loud became too much and Zahra buried her face in her hands as her tears began to fall. "It can't be true, it has to be a lie. It just has to be...but I fear it isn't. I think my father sold me whether he meant to or not."
Dounia sat next to Zahra and put her arm around her. "It's probably like what happened with Cyra. She set me up to be captured, but only because she believed it was the only way to keep me alive. If she didn't do it, then they'd kill me. Maybe it was the same with your father."
She looked up to the others. "I just don't understand why! Why would the so-called Moon Boys want me? I'm nobody. I mean, you've got dragon blood in you, and I get why that makes you important. But why me? And why Cairee? They brought her from so far away! And Tymythy? He's from so far away too, and he got here by spirits or something. But why? I mean, he's got that spear-thing now, but surely nobody could have predicted that we'd find that. It's like some puppeteer is pulling so many strings to line us all up, to get together. For what reason? To get that shield? To come here? And somebody is giving us hints, or warnings, or something. But we're just going to forget it anyway!"
That reminded her of Candor's words. "Oh! Also, I talked to Candor! She's meeting up with Mahri, one of those Aureola competitors. They want to figure out a way to keep our memories after this is all over. She wants me to meet them in the middle of the night. I think I should."
”In my case, I might have been just a target of opportunity for the slavers, as they came to me when I was delirious from thirst and exhaustion after what happened to me on my journey here,” Tymythy mused. ”No matter what forces were manipulating the events, to put me into their... into your... path, that the slavers were oblivious to.”
” But for whatever reason my visions were so… detached from myself, it seems I got off lightly. It can’t have been easy to see such dark versions of your own history. It might have been truth, but even truth can be viewed through tinted glasses without quite twisting it into falsehood. So take what you saw and use it to reforge yourself. Blacksmiths say that folded metal is stronger, so even if you bend, it doesn’t mean you have to break.”
Cairee was fascinated by Tymythy and Dounia's visions. "I knew it was a powerful divination magic, but for it to be able to pull such details about your parent's and Cyra's lives, and of those connected to a weapon...that truly is amazing."
Zahra's experience brought Cairee back to reality. Despite her warnings of how to interpret truth, even she felt the shock of learning Zahra's own father had put the hood over his daughter's face. She sat beside her friend, holding her hand. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. Hopefully Dounia's right and he felt it would protect you in some way..." Her words sounded dull even in her own ears.
As they sat in a heavy silence, Cairee thought about how Zahra and Dounia's kidnappings had been specifically targeted.
"I always assumed the attack on our camp the night I was taken was random. It never occurred to me that I was a target." She mulled this over. "Could my kidnapping be connected to Flyson's map of our house? Was he there to kidnap me? But that was years before we were taken. And he could have easily taken me any time in the years were were living in Issmenador. I would've gone anywhere with him."
"I asked Yoy'ya to look into why the story of the mirror was told last night. It could be a clue, another 'nudge' - though whatever information or warning it was trying to convey was lost on me until after our challenge."
When Dounia brought up a secret meeting with Candor and Mahri, Cairee frowned. "I don't think it's safe to meet with an Adherent alone at night. Should we all go? Or ask Prem for help?"
Zahra absorbed her team's comfort as they sat and discussed but she didn't say anything else about what she saw. "It sounds like everything we all saw was challenging specifically to us. It sounded like the challenge was designed to shake us to our core so I guess it was successful. I'm sorry you all had to experience what you did."
When Dounia mentioned her meeting, Zahra said, "Although finding a way to keep our memories would be beneficial, is this meeting you've been invited to something that others can just come to?"
She looked at Cairee, "I agree that Dounia going alone isn't ideal but if we all go then we may spook these people. Although I'm not really thinking clearly right now so I'm good with whatever you all decide."
”I would risk much not to lose the memories and insights I have gained here,” Tymythy said once Dounia mentioned a method to leave the party with their memories intact. ”This Mahri invited you, not all of us, to meet her? If so, would you still want us to hang around, give you privacy but stay close enough to intervene in case this is some ploy after all?”
Dounia was shaking her head no at Cairee's suggestion, and almost interrupted Tymythy as he spoke. "No, none of you can come. Not even close by. Candor invited me, not Mahri. Candor is risking much by inviting me without telling her. She told me to come alone. If you lot are going to be skulking noisily about, it'll ruin everything. I won't be in any danger, well, not much. If it goes wrong, I'll just run away. Don't tell Prem, or Yoy'ya. I told you because I trust you not to mess it up. Nobody else can know!"
Testing...
All could hear the late song of four being sung.
"So I guess we know what Dounia is doing this evening." She looked at Tymythy and Cairee, "I'm not sure I'm up to socializing this evening so I'll stay close to our quarters. But don't let that stop you guys from dancing up a storm again."
"Before anyone leaves, did we want to discuss which challenge to choose tomorrow? I don't think we have all the key pieces yet for the escuchened door so I think that just leaves the riddle challenge, right?"
""No, none of you can come. Not even close by."
There would be no talking Dounia out of it. But Cairee couldn't let the young thief wander out alone while the cleric was safe in her room. "Then if Ousel agrees, she will accompany you. And the rest of us will be ready if you need backup." She looked at Dounia sternly. "It's that or I escort you arm-in-arm."
"Before anyone leaves, did we want to discuss which challenge to choose tomorrow?"
Cairee thought of the Sisters and the Warriors, who each lost a member in their first challenge. And of Jad, swallowed by lava not so long ago.
"Should we consider forfeiting?" She was certain she knew her teammates response, but paused to let them speak their mind. "The Escutcheoned door can be opened without all the key pieces and Dounia could surely get us through with what we have. But their may be other benefits to having all of the pieces. If we have a choice, I think we should select the ash door."
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While all of her friends had been deeply impacted by the visions, it seemed the effects were lingering most with Tymythy. During a quiet moment, Cairee sat next to him. "Would you meditate with me? With these gloves Zahra found in the last challenge, I think I can provide some relief."
The two sat facing each other. Cairee wasn't sure what to do. "Try to relax. This might take a while. It shouldn't hurt though." She said it to reassure mostly Tymythy. But also herself.
She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of the soft suede. Her arms and hands started to tingle with warmth. She took a long deep breath, counting slowly to ten as she exhaled. Her mind cleared. She was Saiph's vessel, and the goddess was working through her. All she had to do was get out o the way.
The tingling turned into a buzzing, and Cairee felt her arms float up from her lap. Her eyes opened and she saw Tymythy in front of her, awash in a pale yellow light. Her hands were on either side of the spearman's head, a few inches from his ears. She couldn't read his expression. Was he panicked? Curious? Bored? She willed him not to move. For she was certain this new, strange power was working. As if to help keep Tymythy put, Ousel hopped onto his shoulder and settled down, puffing out her soft black feathers.
The cleric was unaware of time passing, though when her hands finally floated back to her lap and she regained an awareness of their surroundings, the clock told her an hour had passed. She vaguely remembered the sensation of her fingertips reaching into Tymythy's hair, and then through it, into his...mind?
She looked at her friend shyly, a little embarrassed by the magical intimacy. "How do you feel?"
There would be no talking Dounia out of it. But Cairee couldn't let the young thief wander out alone while the cleric was safe in her room. "Then if Ousel agrees, she will accompany you. And the rest of us will be ready if you need backup." She looked at Dounia sternly. "It's that or I escort you arm-in-arm."
Dounia grinned. "Ousel can come!"
Cairee thought of the Sisters and the Warriors, who each lost a member in their first challenge. And of Jad, swallowed by lava not so long ago.
"Should we consider forfeiting?" She was certain she knew her teammates response, but paused to let them speak their mind. "The Escutcheoned door can be opened without all the key pieces and Dounia could surely get us through with what we have. But their may be other benefits to having all of the pieces. If we have a choice, I think we should select the ash door."
Dounia was not surprised by Cairee's question - she'd been wondering the same thing. "I mean, maybe? It's getting harder and harder each time. But we're so close! Only 2 more challenges, and we could have the diamond! I mean... the wish. And I can definitely open that door with the pieces we have. I don't know if it would be worth more points to have them all, or to do it without. Although maybe having them all does something good inside the challenge. I don't know. I mean, what if one of us dies? I don't want to be burned up in lava!"
She looked at her friend shyly, a little embarrassed by the magical intimacy. "How do you feel?"
Dounia's hand shot into the air. "Do me next! Do me!"
"Then if Ousel agrees, she will accompany you. And the rest of us will be ready if you need backup."
Ousel whispered her stalwart whisper to Cairee, "If it will help Orhabim I will go with Liwofin."
Dounia pricked up her ears. "What did she call me?"
<edit>
Dounia was not surprised by Cairee's question - she'd been wondering the same thing. "I mean, maybe? It's getting harder and harder each time. But we're so close! Only 2 more challenges, and we could have the diamond! I mean... the wish. And I can definitely open that door with the pieces we have. I don't know if it would be worth more points to have them all, or to do it without. Although maybe having them all does something good inside the challenge. I don't know. I mean, what if one of us dies? I don't want to be burned up in lava!"
”The risks are certainly growing graver,” Tymythy mused as his mind, too, wandered to the stream of lava swallowing the orcs. Certainly quite a step-up from water, no matter how horrifying the thought of drowning might be. At least this end had come quickly. ”I don’t particularly care for the rewards, I was more intent on not allowing it to fall to those who might misuse such a boon. I’m still worried what Cairee’s siblings would use the power for if it fell in their hands… but if you want to stop while we still can, I won’t press the matter. Besides, the mystery challenge could hold anything. The other one, though… the riddles. It might be more manageable. Either answer with the correct words, or fight a challenge? I believe we might manage that one at least.”
The cleric was unaware of time passing, though when her hands finally floated back to her lap and she regained an awareness of their surroundings, the clock told her an hour had passed. She vaguely remembered the sensation of her fingertips reaching into Tymythy's hair, and then through it, into his...mind?
Tymythy had grown to trust Cairee with his life, and had felt the touch of her healing blessings many a time already, but those had been brief affairs, over almost as soon as they had begun. But this ritual, sitting still for many a moment, as magic was worked on him… there was no pain, quite the opposite, but Tymythy had plenty of time to think about what was being done, and to one grown up taught that magic was, while not quite feared and distrusted, but a gift of the greater spirits only given to those who had proved themselves sound of mind and moral, to wield the gift for the benefit of the clan. And while the gift of healing was appreciated, the elders and shamans and shouldermen who wielded the power were a strange and fearsome bunch. Their company sought only at need, otherwise respectfully, fearfully, avoided, lest they take offence.
And here he was, locked in some ritual. Not daring to move a muscle in case he caused some mishap. ‘Try to relax,’ she had said… easier said than done. Yet… time passed and nothing untoward happened. And the presence of Ousel served as a strange sort of relief. A feathered messenger had set his foot on the path he now walked, and here was another strange bird, one touched by the spirits, perchance. Connected to Cairee, the woman with the starling’s wing pendant, as he had thought in his delirium when they first met.
She looked at her friend shyly, a little embarrassed by the magical intimacy. "How do you feel?"
”I…” Tymythy hesitated, started from his musings by the question after long moments of silence. He took a moment to consider the matter. ”Better. Good. Like a thin bank of fog I hadn’t realized shrouded the horizon had lifted under morning’s light, allowing me to see more clearly. Thank you.”
"Should we consider forfeiting?" She was certain she knew her teammates response, but paused to let them speak their mind. "The Escutcheoned door can be opened without all the key pieces and Dounia could surely get us through with what we have. But their may be other benefits to having all of the pieces. If we have a choice, I think we should select the ash door."
Zahra was torn with Cairee's question. She didn't want to forfeit because she wasn't sure she could keep Silimiel's scale safe without the help of the wish but she couldn't ignore the fact that the challenges were getting life threatening.
She momentarily considered how the wish could be used to make right everything she had seen in the mirror challenge but she couldn't let that change her original reason for coming here.
After listening to the other three, Zahra added quietly, "I would also lean towards continuing and doing the ash door next. Maybe we should ask Yoy'ya about what kind of threats the last team faced when they got a riddle wrong. If any of us are on the fence about continuing."
As soon as it was socially acceptable to excuse herself, Zahra headed for her room while making sure not to hurry too quickly as to cause concern.
She closed the door behind her and leaned heavily against the door as her body sagged under the emotional weight of the day.
After a few breaths, she threw herself on her bed and buried her face in the pillows and cried. When she had emptied herself of her tears, she was able to think about everything she had learned.
How much she pondered everything rested on whether she would remember anything when she left this party. Would she remember that her father had gotten into debt gambling? That he had paid off his debt by selling her and becoming a member of the Fida Hurras? How much did her mother know or how much should she tell her mother? But again, would she remember anything to tell?
She turned to reflecting on what she remembered feeling as her father in the Grand Bazaar. She thought she had sensed some hesitance on his part when he realized the extent of the kidnapping but he also never stopped it from happening. Maybe he had been caught off guard and was too surprised to not go along with the others.
And then there was seeing him right before the party. He had given her the gift for Hallwn and he hadn't restrained her or called anyone when she had returned. He knew she had escaped her kidnappers, the ones he had sold her to, and yet she was still free.
She could think herself in circles if she allowed it. Everything she saw, she could explain away. But at the same time, if it was true then she couldn't fully trust her father and that was why she was so distraught. The realization that she could no longer trust someone dear to her who had always loved and protected her absolutely broke her heart.
But would she remember any of this? Part of her hoped that she wouldn't remember the betrayal but at the same time, her and her friends would be in unknown danger if she didn't remember.
And then there was everything she had learned about Silimiel during her time here. Her heart couldn't bear losing those memories.
It was then that it struck Zahra that regardless of whether she retained her memories or not, she was leaving grieved. Either she remembered everything and grieved the loss of her relationship with her father or she forgot everything and unknowingly grieves the loss of her memories of Silimiel. If this is what it meant to be an adult then she wanted no part of it.
There was a firm but steady knock at the door, "It's Yoy'ya. Is it a good time?"
”Better. Good. Like a thin bank of fog I hadn’t realized shrouded the horizon had lifted under morning’s light, allowing me to see more clearly. Thank you.”
Cairee bowed her head in acknowledgement of Tymythy's thanks, once again humbled that Saiph had chosen her to be a vessel of the goddess's power.
Dounia's hand shot into the air. "Do me next! Do me!"”
The gloves still held magic, but Cairee could tell they had been temporarily diminished. Both she, and they, needed time to rest. "I don't think I can today. But we can try tomorrow if still aren't yourself. Though I imagine a good rest will do you a world of good."
Ousel whispered her stalwart whisper to Cairee, "If it will help Orhabim I will go with Liwofin."
Dounia pricked up her ears. "What did she call me?"
Cairee listened to Ousel's whispered reply and smiled.
"Ousel says the other sky weav- birds, call you Liwofin, or Little Worm Fingers, because of your quick fingers. They call Zahra Sparonow from sparkles on snow because of her eyes. And they call Tymythy Shleho, or Sharp Leaf Holder."
---
When Cairee had asked if they should forfeit she had expected her friends to argue to stay. But they all expressed doubt, concern. The challenges, both what had come and what was ahead, laid heavy on all of their hearts. But to bow out risked putting the prize's power in the hands of her siblings, or worse, the Adherents.
There was a firm but steady knock at the door, "It's Yoy'ya. Is it a good time?"
"Perfect timing. Let's see what Yoy'ya has learned. It may help in our decision." She opened the door and welcomed their benefactor.
Yoy'ya looked about the room, "Has Zahra returned?" She looked and saw Zahra's door closed. "Resting? Good. I don't have anything to tell you that she needs to hear."
She went into the room with a familiarity and sat back with her feet up.
"I asked around. It took a couple of hours. I got next to nothing. My sources here are thin. I've only had a few days to cook them up, but what I could learn is other people have been asking the same questions. 'Who set the story of the mirror before your challenge? Were they trying to send a message? Are the Black Birds receiving hints about the challenges before they enter them?'."
"Has someone in particular been losing a lot of gold betting against us?" Tymythy growled, feeling a new kind of weariness. So it wasn't enough they were risking life, limb and sanity? That they seemed to be specifically targeted, like in the kidnapping attempt in the arena? The armchair generals throwing coins around now had to find a conspiracy to amuse themselves with.
"Little worm fingers? WORM FINGERS?! That's...that's...." Stuck, Dounia paused, not sure if that was an insult or a compliment. Sighing, she muttered, "worm fingers."
"I asked around. It took a couple of hours. I got next to nothing. My sources here are thin. I've only had a few days to cook them up, but what I could learn is other people have been asking the same questions. 'Who set the story of the mirror before your challenge? Were they trying to send a message? Are the Black Birds receiving hints about the challenges before they enter them?'."
Dounia looked perplexed. "But...how could that story have been a hint? We knew that the challenge was mirrors. We could see that in the lake! Unless...was the story telling us what to do? Should we have been smashing mirrors instead of looking in them? I mean...in the story...that wise guy looked in it too much, and ate everybody up! That's not help." She shook her head, confused.
"Has someone in particular been losing a lot of gold betting against us?"
Yoy'ya, "It certainly had a strange feel to it but I couldn't get it pinpointed. Some of the people asking around were certainly 'of the betting kind' but at least one, Nadj, has recently been betting on - not against you. Some of the others asking around were judges. I have no info and no proof but if I were holding cards and had a feeling like this, I'd say it was a fake-out. Some kind of little bluff.
"Maybe someone's shaking trees to see who gets edgy."
So others were noticing the 'help' as well. "Whoever is interfering is getting bolder. Or desperate."
The mirror story bothered Cairee. The other clues had been in game, something only they could see. Why do something so publicly? And how had they all failed to pick up on it? How had she? As the self-appointed leader of that challenge, Cairee felt she had let her team down. Could she have spared them all suffering?
She thought back to the story and to her conversation with Ila. Had the story been an obvious hint to break the mirrors? They'd inspected the ones in the halls and it hadn't been a viable option. But perhaps breaking the final ones would have ended the trances. Or was the clue more subtle than that? What had she missed?
"I could speak to Voltus again - he had said to bring him any information, and he may know who arranged the story to be told. We could see if Prem's heard anything. Is there anyone else we can talk to?"
"We must all be on alert tonight, in case they try again. If we get our way and are able to do the ash door, perhaps there will be hints to the riddles or beasts we'll be facing."
Cairee wracked her brain but felt no instinct nor dug up any intuition.
"Who's Voltus again?" Dounia asked. She couldn't keep all the people straight. She was surprised how many servants of Hellym the others had spoken to. "And can this guy be trusted? After all, he's one of the djinn's lackey's right? How do we know all these people aren't just sowing more chaos for the boss?"
At the mention of Prem, she looked around as if only just realizing he was missing. "Where is Prem, anyway? Did he think Zahra died again, and run off?"
At the mention of Prem, she looked around as if only just realizing he was missing. "Where is Prem, anyway? Did he think Zahra died again, and run off?"
"Or has that worthless noble-born cornered him again, to take out his frustrations on whom he considers an easy target?" Tymythy growled. "I hope he, in particular, bet a lot against our survival in the previous challenge."