Billisha stewed as we walked to Voorhei. She and Aluali muttered to each other, careful to keep their voices low and unheard by the adults walking ahead. I listened with half an ear to make sure they didn’t plan anything else off-script.

The kids mostly looked forward to gloating at the results of the World Speaker’s investigation. They’d warned me back at the glen that I might need to have my spirit scryed to prove I had the Levels and Skills of an adult.

Thanks to a certain otter, I felt prepared. The kids had described the process to Ikfael, who then animated it with water, so that I could understand what they were saying. This visual guide was how they filled out my vocabulary and prepared me for the expedition. It was how we developed our contingency plans. Ikfael wanted a dozen fish in exchange, but the effort was well worth it.

This was my first real foray into this world’s civilization, so I took some time to soak in the sights. I’d been too long on my own, and my heart stirred at the sight of people working in the fields. I was curious about everything and sometimes lagged behind our procession to look more closely at what I was seeing.

The land between the village gate and the forest was a shallow bowl on all sides filled with farmland, pasture, and meadow. The stream leading to Ikfael Glen cut through and passed to the north of the village.

As we walked, I saw farmers working with oxen and striped horses. They weren’t zebras--I knew what those looked like. No, these were definitely horses; dun, but with dark gold stripes under the mane and at the rump.

The crops they tended were varied, but I saw a lot of corn, squash, and beans. Most promising were the potato plants--the green shrubs were a welcome sight to my french fry loving heart.

The wall surrounding the village was twenty feet tall. None of the stones matched--they were assembled all in a jumble--and yet the wall felt solid. It reminded me of the wall Woldec had erected before he died and turned into a zombie. It was also uncomfortably familiar, as was the hillside under the village. I first woke up in this world on that hillside.

I shook my head at the memory. At the time, Meliune’s Blessing was more hindrance than help. I’d come a long way since.

There wasn’t anyone at the gate though. “Where is the guard?” I asked.

Billisha relayed Koda’s answer. “No Land Knight visit, no guard.”

The gate consisted of a series of logs strapped together held up by a pulley system, and could be dropped at a moment’s notice. There were holes in the ground to accept the sharpened ends of the logs. Currently, the holes were covered for easier passage.

Inside, two longhouses abutted the wall and funneled us towards a third longhouse sitting lengthwise to block the way forward. Between the buildings were passages to the left and right, wide enough for two carts to pass each other. The buildings were made from logs, with sloping roofs covered in clay shingles. Carved into the walls were images of ferocious dogs.

We turned left and found ourselves in an open space full of people working, colorful chickens underfoot, and small children running free. A communal well sat in the center. A boy carried a clay pot away from it.

I looked back to note how the entrance essentially forced anyone coming through the gate en masse to fork into two choke points; both of which could be defended from this place.

There were more longhouses ahead, all running parallel to the walls. The only ways through to the village’s center were the passages between them. As we walked, it became clear that these passages also dumped into open spaces. The whole village was a series of chokepoints and staging areas.

From the outside, it looked like extended families lived together in the longhouses. From the smell, that included their animals too. I angled to take a peek inside one.

The section for animals was a good two to three feet lower than the rest of the house and covered in straw. A girl squatted next to a goat to milk it. She poured the milk into a clay pot, before hearing the noise outside and coming to take a look.

The dog, Jeseidatchei, was popular with the village children, and a gaggle of them followed behind. They sang to the dog, and, while our procession didn’t stop, his ears waggled to better hear them.

The village center contained a handful of stone buildings. The most striking was a small Mayan-style pyramid with an enclosure at the apex. Adjacent were several residences, a communal oven, and a couple of offices. The offices had signs atop the doors. One displayed a half-husked ear of corn and the other a crossed spear and bow.

The area was busier than I expected. The chatter of people talking, the motion of people entering and exiting the buildings, and the smells of different foods cooking were a shock after being alone for so long. I was particularly struck by the scent of stewing tomatoes and… goat? No, it was like goat, but subtly different.

Koda wanted to head straight for the pyramid, but Musastacha asked him to wait. The dog rider dismounted and ran into the nicest of the residences.

While we waited, a little girl approached Jeseidatchei to put a flower braid around his neck. She couldn’t reach, so Koda lifted her up. The braid wasn’t big enough and sat atop his head like a tiara instead. She didn’t mind, and gave the dog a pat before joining the other children.

We gathered looks from everyone passing by, and more than one person walked up to Koda to ask what was going on. The people seemed to get just enough information to satisfy their curiosity before going back to work. Only one man stuck around to dig for more.

Sima Simsson (Human) Talents: Farmer’s Roots, Horse Whisperer, Busy Body

Nascent: ???, ???

Sima was about the same age as Koda, early to mid 50s, and balding on top with graying hair around the sides. His tunic and hose weren’t fancy, but they were clean and whole. A necklace hung around his neck, a silver horse dangling at the end. He stood next to Koda, casually chatting.

I could’ve sworn I saw Koda roll his eyes. It’s what I would’ve done in his place. Gossips--no matter the world--you can’t get away from them.

Musastacha rejoined us and brought with him a woman in her thirties, not much taller than Billisha. The woman looked a lot like Sima, and for good reason.

Dwilla the Reeve, aka Dwilla Simasdotter (Human) Talents: Farmer’s Roots, Nose for Trouble, Detail Oriented

Nascent: ???, ???

Dwilla appeared to have two names: one as the daughter of Sima and the other as the town’s Reeve. Since the Land Knight responsible for Voorhei lived in Albei to the east, Dwilla was here to represent their interests in the village.

That’s what Reeves did for nobles in medieval Europe, but none of the buildings or people looked European. Maybe it was the closest translation in English? I made a note to be careful of any assumed connotations, just in case.

Sima hung around, while Koda and Musastacha briefed Dwilla on the situation. And so we gathered two more skeptics; the whole troop--minus dog--climbing the pyramid to enter an enclosure at the top.

A stone spiral staircase led into the pyramid, and we walked down single-file. The path was narrow and surrounded by stone on all sides. It only expanded once we reached a round chamber at the pyramid’s base. The stairs clung to the chamber’s walls and circled around it.

At the chamber’s center was a pedestal with a stone disk floating above it. The air felt charged, like a storm was ready to break. The hair on the back of my neck rose. My eyes were drawn to the disk. Five pie slices were carved into it, and each slice was covered in runes. I could almost smell the magic.

According to the kids, the disk was the village’s dasekua, the heart and core of a village’s life. Every ten days, villagers fed it mana, and in return, the village was provided with benefits--fertility, protection, health, growth for the village’s leadership, and a stronger connection to the World Spirit. Maintaining this Village Core was one of the World Speaker’s most important responsibilities.

The chamber had five ramps heading down under arched, half-sunk doorways. A woman in her thirties walked up one of the ramps. She wore a long, sleeveless, lavender dress, with a white blouse under it. A gold pendant hung around her neck. The Candle Stones set in the walls made her shoulder-length hair shine. The pins holding it in place sparkled.

Sheedi the World Speaker (Human, Dawn) Talents: Fire-Touched, Skilled Interpreter, Calm, Ambitious

Nascent: ???, ???, ???

Billisha bit her lower lip. Her shoulders rode up from the tension. I touched her elbow.

“You can do. Remember the story. Remember the practice.”

She took a shuddering breath and nodded. There was a tremor in her voice, but it steadied as she spoke.

Sheedi listened with an amused half-smile on her face until Billisha came to the part about Ikfael Glen. Then her expression turned thoughtful. It took only a moment for her to agree to the request.

Aluali took five small silver coins from his pouch and handed them to the World Speaker. Each of these “taak” was worth about a day of a farmer’s labor. This society’s week was ten days long, so the payment was half a week’s wages.

Sheedi led the procession down one of the ramps to another round chamber. This one had a large circle engraved into the floor. In the center was a round stage a foot off the floor. To the right of the doorway, a podium stood, with an ornate chest alongside it.

The procession crowded around the edges of the room, while I was directed to stand on the stage. Then they asked me to get naked, which I knew was coming, but was still embarrassing.

Billisha and Aluali had zero shame about getting naked in front of each other or me, and were puzzled when I’d asked about this part of the proceedings. The people of this world just didn’t have any hang ups about nudity. I still felt like a horse on display though. Well, not a horse. I was only eight-years old.

Sheedi fiddled with whatever was at the podium, and I felt a tingle in the bottom of my feet. The sensation crawled into my shins and legs, filled my hips, and rose through my torso to spill over into my arms, before continuing up into my head. As planned, the ueikisheile contracted to their smallest size and tucked themselves behind my heart dantian.

The sensation grew and felt like ants crawling through my meridians. I was told to hold still, so I couldn’t scratch or move in any way. Not that it would help. The itch was on the inside. All I could do was grit my teeth and wait the ten long minutes until the tingling drained out through my feet.

Sheedi brought a large sheet of whitish cloth and placed it onto the stage, which was immediately surrounded by Koda, Musastacha, and the rest. I was hurrying to get my pants on when all the adults suddenly turned to look at me.

I worked my way through the crowd, and there I was--a Rorschach version of me painted in watercolors. My dantian, the major meridians of my body, and even some of the other, stranger structures I’d glimpsed during Ikfael’s rituals were represented on the cloth.

Koda was clearly surprised by the density of information, while Musastacha looked like he’d bitten into a lemon, and Sheedi’s eyebrows elegantly rose. The kids just giggled.

I brought up my Status (Visible), so that I’d have something to compare.

Eight (Visible Status) Path of the Young Forester 3 Age 8 Silverlight 763 Attributes Strength 8 Constitution 10 Agility 9 Intelligence 9 Wisdom 9 Spirit 8 (9) Charm 8 Luck 9 Hit Points 13 Mana 13 Qi 25 Talents Qi Sensitive Uncanny Tracker Multilingual Enduring Blessings Ikfael Glen (Spirit, Temporary) Curses Conditions Skills Magical Aeromancy 2 Hydromancy 2 Nature Magic 3 Qi Body 5 Spirit Magic 0 Mercantile Barter 5 Martial Archery 5 Knife Arts 2 Spear Arts 3 Strategy 1 Social Relationships 1 Scholarship Communication, Nonverbal 5 Communication, Trade Sign 3 Literacy, Diaksh 3 Survival Caves 3 Forest 5 Stealth 4

Sheedi began to interpret my spirit map. While the others listened intently, Billisha quietly translated the words into simpler language for me.

“The Level is 3. The Path is near the Hunter, but with strong rivers of qi and a little magic. I see Nature, Water, and Air. The Bow rises over the Spear and Knife. They hide in the Forest and a little in the Cave. Baei paelle!” Sheedi gaped at the next constellation of structures. “Four Talents! One for the River of Life, one for the Hunter, one for understanding talk, and one for hunting perfection.”

The adults were impressed that I could use qi. They were shocked to learn that I could also use magic. They were outright astounded that I had four Talents. Suddenly, the story that I was some kind of wild child became more plausible.

“More. There is more,” Sheedi said, pointing to an otter shaped blob. “A Blessing. A Spirit’s Blessing. Possible, the Spirit is Ikfael Glen.” She turned to look at me, her eyes sparkling.

They all did, even Musastacha. Whatever annoyance he’d felt before was gone.

“This is a good seed,” Sheedi said.

“He is a Hunter,” Koda said. “He needs to join the Hunter’s Lodge. There is an ihkip who needs children.”

“The Land Knight needs kaleshi,” Dwilla said.

“Ikfael Glen’s Blessing,” Sheedi said, and then a bunch of words, flowing as fast as a stream.

I heard water and something sounding like the word for house, but lost the rest. While the group argued, Billisha managed to convey that Sheedi wanted to build a shrine or temple at the glen. That it would grow the village’s issepachu. Billisha puffed out her chest to make herself look more important.

As the adults argued and argued, going around in circles. Billisha explained the role of the Land Knight’s soldiers, the kaleshi. They were specialized warriors responsible for protecting the Knight’s holdings. The doggo destruction team of Musastacha and Jeseidatchei was one example.

The training sounded interesting, but leashing myself to a master wasn’t part of the plan, at least for now. I expected to lose some autonomy by connecting to civilization--that’s the price paid for the benefits they offered--but my hope was that it wouldn’t be too much. I liked my life in the glen. I just needed to supplement it.

“I choose,” I said, interrupting the argument. “I am an adult, and I choose what I do.”

I got four frowns in response. The only one who approved was Sima, who seemed to be having the time of his life watching the kerfuffle.

“Ithia the Land Knight protects these lands,” Dwilla said. “The Elders of Albei govern. You are under their law. There are duties and obligations.” She paused while Billisha pantomimed the tough words.

“Then we pay what is owed,” I said.

Aluali caught his cue and opened our money to reveal the single small gold coin in our possession. It was called an antaak and was worth two hundred taak. Showing the gold was a gamble, but we needed to establish that we could take care of ourselves. I was gratified to see Musastacha’s jaw drop.

“Level 3 and more taak than me,” he mumbled.

“I am an adult,” I said again. “I choose.”

Koda backed down first, his gaze thoughtful. He seemed to recognize what we were doing.

Dwilla was unwilling to concede, but she didn’t have much recourse. According to Billisha, we were safe under the law, as long as we met our obligations.

Now, those obligations were intense. They consisted of taxes, labor on behalf of the Land Knight, participation in the village militia, mana for the Village Core, and a tenth of all silverlight gathered, including funeral silverlight. But any and all of the previous could be exchanged for money, and money we had.

Sheedi was the one who worried me. Instead of being upset, she smiled. “Yes, you choose, but Ikfael Glen also chooses. I need to talk with Ikfael Glen. In two weeks is the offering time. I go then to talk with the Spirit.”