The next morning, I found Inneioleia and Haoleise training in the courtyard behind the Hunter’s Lodge. The sun wasn’t up yet, and a fine mist blanketed the village, muffling the sounds of people readying themselves for another day in the fields. With “hups” and “hahs”, the two hunters struck at each other, the air around their spears distorted by Spiral Pierce.

Never did I wish for a camera more. Their movements were beautiful--not quite wire fu, but damn close. And more importantly, I wanted a record of their footwork, the way they moved their bodies, and the slipperiness of their attacks. Instead, I settled for not blinking--for taking it all in, as much as possible. Greed was a sucker’s game. It was usually better to remember one or two details than everything all at once, but I couldn’t help myself.

When the spar ended, Haoleise helped the Lodge Master undo the straps of the small shield prosthetic attached to his left arm. With his free hand, Inneioleia waved me over. “Our Eight is so early. Does that mean you have made a decision?”

I spent a long time debating the merits of all the spells. In addition to the guidance provided by Voorhei’s hunters, I also asked for Billisha and Aluali’s input. Both children originally came from tanner Families, and they’d sat in on many stories told by their old village’s hunters. And then there was the uekisheile, who was quite struck by Spiral Pierce, but also interested in Scentless Hunter and all the Attribute buffing spells.

There were two criteria to be considered: combat power and everyday utility. Depending on a spell’s effectiveness boosting each, it’d move up or down my list. Bear’s Strength was a good example of a spell that did both. I was strong for my age, but not as much as a full-grown adult. The extra muscle power would be useful in combat and in life.

Combat power could also be broken down to offense and defense. Bear’s Strength was primarily offensive, while something like Collaut’s Hide was purely defensive. Dog’s Agility was useful for both striking and defending. Agility wasn’t as helpful in life, but it was a decent trade off.

I originally thought to ignore the mana spells, as I already had three on which to spend my limited mana, but then I caught the uekisheile wondering if they could use Scentless Hunter to mask their presence in my body. The sudden realization that the uekisheile could potentially (hopefully) learn spells opened up a whole world of new strategies.

Except that--after some quick experimentation--we discovered that the uekisheile couldn’t use the spell runes at all. They didn’t have eyes, and the idea of holding an image in their mind was alien.

Which, in turn, got me thinking about the unicorn deer. The buck had meridians carved into its horn in the shape of the Cold Snap spell rune, and that let him make magic.

The uekisheile and I considered the idea for a good long time. Normally, they were eager to rush ahead and play with qi to discover what it could and would do, but moving meridians--that felt like looking over the edge of a tall cliff, and the uekisheile’s instincts flared in warning. It was weird to feel them being cautious, but I was glad they’d experiment slowly this time.

So, mana spells for the uekisheile were out for now, but the qi spells were all on the table. And I still considered Scentless Hunter, since I could use it to hide the uekisheile’s presence, not to mention the spell’s usefulness in hunting and ambush scenarios.

In the end, the spells on my shortlist were: Spiral Pierce, Dog’s Agility, and Scentless Hunter.

My original impulse was to choose Spiral Pierce, and then hope for another shot at a spell if the Hunter’s Lodge in Albei accepted Anesthetic. But after discussing things with my Family, I chose Dog’s Agility instead. The boost to offense and survivability was just too enticing, plus it was a delicious opportunity to study the flow of qi through the human body.

The uekisheile hadn’t forgotten the taste when we condensed my qi. Was there more deliciousness in the works? We’d find out. And in the meantime, if my offense needed additional oomph, I’d rely on poison.

I couldn’t very well reveal my lichen tenant’s role in the decision making, but the rest of the criteria were fine. Inneioleia nodded along while I talked.

“That’s why I choose Dog’s Agility,” I said, finishing.

“You are very organized in your thinking. No wonder you are a little pot full of questions. The other apprentices should learn this from you. They are too impressed by raw power. They do not understand that speed is life.” Inneioleia gestured to Haoleise. “Show him.”

Haoleise bowed. And then his spear was in my face, an inch from my left eye. He’d waited for me to blink, and then the spear was there before I had time to do anything. Inneioleia grabbed a hold of my arm to keep from stumbling back.

Haoleise rubbed the hair on his head in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I frightened you, but it will help you remember.” He put down the spear and picked up his bow and arrows. “Watch again.”

This time, I felt the stirrings of qi coming from him. He drew and released, normally at first, but then he sped up. Like, really sped up. To Legolas levels of fast archery. And then he applied Spiral Pierce to the arrows, and it felt and sounded like a semi-automatic rifle being fired downrange.

With the last arrow, the qi dissipated. His face was covered in sweat, and he fought to keep his shoulders from slumping. “My Skill is polished,” he said with a wry smile, “but my well is shallow. Constitution is easy to train at first, but then hard, while Spirit is always hard. Very few have as deep a well of qi as you. You will be a little devil once you learn to fight properly.”

“Enough,” Inneioleia said. “If you keep talking like this, he will think his teeth are strong enough to break rocks.”

Haoleise bowed. “Yes, Lodge Master.”

Inneioleia gestured for me to follow. “Come, Apprentice. I will get you the spell. There is still some time before Dwilla arrives.”

###

The Hunter’s Lodge had two small rooms dedicated to meditation. Each was furnished simply with a rug woven with a simple pattern of interlocked circles, a cushion topped with beaver fur, and a candlestone set into the wall.

The air was musty and still. I could hear people moving and working on the other side of the door, but the little room felt like its own world. In my lap was a thin book.

Like the qi spell catalog, this book was covered in animal hide; rabbit if I had to guess. Inside, the pages were vellum and contained illustrations of the human body’s anatomy and meridians. Golden arrows pointed the way for qi to flow; through which meridians and in what directions to make certain patterns.

There were mental images and intentions to maintain as well. Those were harder to interpret, except there was a section of bone attached to the last page of the book. The bone was smooth, well polished from years of apprentices touching it. Faintly, so faintly, I perceived a thread of qi inside.

The uekisheile, impatient with my translations, sprouted from my hand and dived directly into the bone to experience the feeling for themselves. They hummed in happy surprise. Interesting-interesting-so/interesting.

Not/eat, I quickly thought. Important-resource others-use.

Understand-understand. Not/eat-just/sense. Feels-fast. They amplified and transmitted the qi intent directly to my brain.

I don’t know what I expected. Maybe the jolt of a strong cup of coffee or the buzz of too much sugar?

The reality was single-mindedness. It was a kind of thoughtless instinct, purest action and reaction; the wind chasing after a leaf dancing just out of reach. The intent was the void, empty of everything, so that nothing weighed it down.

Good-to/be-alive, the ueikisheile said. Good-to/learn-new/things. The/world-is-wide. We-are-happy.

The unencumbered nature of the qi stirred something deep within me. The feeling was freedom at its most essential, and it washed through my heart and brain.

I didn’t wake up this morning thinking my mind would be blown. I certainly didn’t expect a transcendental experience. And it wouldn’t have happened if not for the uekisheile. Their amplification and their connection to my consciousness made all the difference. The feeling in the rabbit bone would’ve been too tame without them.

Together, the uekisheile and I started moving my qi in the patterns outlined by the book. We experimented, which really meant that I tried to keep up with their permutations of qi.

###

We were in the meditation room for a couple of hours before someone clapped outside the door. “It is Inneioleia come to tell you that Dwilla is here.”

“I’ll be out shortly,” I yelled through the door. The extra time was necessary, because my hands were shaking. A small part of me watched in fascination as they were almost too fast to see. But mostly, I was horrified to have them out of my control.

Too/much-qi-rampaging, I thought to the uekisheile.

We-agree needs-whole/body to/absorb-excess/intent.

Can-we-stop? The/shaking-is-interesting/disturbing.

The uekisheile snorted. You/we-too/much-needs/control. We/learn-much/when-together/control.

But-does/not-feel/safe, I thought.

We-are-safe! The uekisheile struck the boundary of my heart dantian, and waves of qi rolled through my meridians. We-love-you/we! We-not/create-danger. We-protect-you/we. We/we-will/grow-strong/together. We-will/protect-our/Family.

Permission--

Yes-yes-yes, the uekisheile thought, waving me off. We-understand-permission.

This is about Billisha and Aluali, I thought. You’re angry because I won’t let you inhabit them. We talked about this already. Back at the glen--

Not/angry. Want/respect. Want/trust. They snorted again. OIlie/Eight-is-so/slow. But-you/we-will/understand. Time-will/bring-understanding. Now-go/play-with/Dwilla. We-will/make-us/stronger.

I sat there, staring into space and coming to grips with--I think it was my first spat with the uekisheile. We’d had several long conversations in the glen about their desire to send offshoots of themselves into Billisha and Aluali. I didn’t think it was a good idea without their consent, and in my mind, that meant waiting until they were adults.

I didn’t realize the uekisheile was still attached to the idea. No, hold on. It wasn’t the idea itself. It was--

I flashed back to my early “conversations” with Helen. She’d drilled it into my thick skull that it was sometimes less about the fight’s cause and more about the fighters’ attitudes towards one another. I’d always loved her, but respect came slower. It needed me to let go of some of my born-family’s baggage.

The uekisheile and I also had a small run-in when they took over my dream. At the center of both of these fights... was the issue of control. Specifically, of my wanting to stay in control of our relationship-partnership-being. Of me not trusting the uekisheile’s control of themselves.

This still wasn’t a case of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I could feel the uekisheile’s intent, and they didn’t want to take over; neither me nor the kids. What they did want was more authority-agency. They wanted to be true-Family and a not-family/dog. They wanted the Family stronger.

I spaced out enough for Inneioleia to clap outside the door.

“Eight, are you well? The Reeve waits for you.”

“I’m well. Just fine, really. I’ll be out soon.”

I stood to hurriedly re-gear. My hands were still shaking, so the uekisheile absorbed the spasming qi, which they did without comment. A quick doublecheck made sure I was presentable before I opened the door.

Inneioleia gazed at my face. He took my hands in his to examine them. He moved aside my chain shirt (Hawaiian-style) and put his hand in my shirt to feel my heart. He watched my pupils dilate as he moved my head towards and away from light coming from the open doorway.

With a grunt, he stepped aside and said. “Go.”

Beyond him, Mulallamu and Integnei squatted on the ground chatting. Dwilla stood with her arms crossed, and her face told me she was annoyed for having been kept waiting.

###

Integnei led the way, while Mulallamu scouted ahead. Our task this time was to escort Dwilla to Fort Sugar Shack.

We were a quiet bunch, without the instruction from Integnei I received last time. Instead, we hunters were alert and watchful. We were a calm presence around a tense and still-upset Dwilla. I made an apology before we left, but it didn’t help. Fortunately, it was only a short hike.

Mulallamu waited for us at the fort’s gate. “All clear,” she signed.

The place looked the same as it did before. From the outside, the defensive wall seemed untouched, but once we moved past the burned gate, we saw how the fire blackened the stone walls.

Integnei stayed by the gate to watch for anything approaching, while Mulallamu roved the interior to hunt for anything interesting.

Dwilla sighed when she saw the damage. “This is worse than I thought.”

She walked over to where Bindesei processed the maple sap. The equipment had warped in the fire, but all of it looked still usable. She tested each piece, from the vats to the boiler, and even the kettle Bindesei must’ve used to brew tisanes. Her thorough examination reminded me that she had the Detail Oriented Talent.

When she finished her catalog of the equipment, she asked, “Where is Bindesei?”

I led her to the residence, and the bedroom where I found the skeleton laid out.

With another sigh, Dwilla stood over him. “Such a waste of Skill and Talent. It takes great courage and endurance to live outside the village. Bindesei had those, and more importantly stubbornness. He would not let the forest beasts drive him from his purpose.” She shook her head. “That he ended his own life and deprived the beasts of his meat and Light must’ve been a last act of spite.” A wry smile came and went. “He could be quite spiteful, our Bindesei, even before he lost his Family.”

“If it’d been me, I would’ve hunted every animal in this forest to extinction.”

Dwilla’s eyebrows rose. “So vengeful, our Eight. Such a sharp spear, and growing sharper every day, or so the Lodge Master tells me.” She nodded to herself. “All for the good of Voorhei, as it should be.” The tension she’d been carrying left her then, and she gave me an absent-minded pat on the head.

I ducked out from under her hand, but Dwilla didn’t notice. Her attention was caught by the skeleton. She looked confused, her eyes focused in thought or memory. Dwilla gently moved the skull, so that the “face” was turned toward us. The jaw swung open to show the corpse's teeth rimmed in black where the lips and gums had charred.

“Bindesei’s teeth were not like this. There were some missing, his mouth like a rake.” Dwilla turned to me. “Call Integnei and have Mulallamu watch the gate.”

I did as she asked and returned with a curious Integnei in tow. We found Dwilla examining the bones of the skeleton’s back.

“Bindesei, he had teeth missing, yes?”

Integnei nodded. “Yes, the whole Family had bad teeth.”

“And these,” Dwilla gestured to where the bones were scored and chipped. “These were left by a weapon?”

Integnei leaned in to examine the marks. “Yes, a short knife or dagger. If it was a longer weapon, we would see evidence on the other side of the rib cage.”

“This is not Bindesei, and it was not a suicide.” Dwilla gently put down the bones and turned to me. “Take me to the other body.”

We gathered Mulallamu at the gate and hiked the short distance to the other body. When we arrived, I noticed right away that the skeleton was missing some teeth.

“Is this Bindesei?” I asked.

Dwilla knelt for a closer look. “I believe so.” She turned over the bones. “And a knife was used to kill him too.”

“Then who does the other body belong to?” I asked.

“The fire was from the turn of the year?” Dwilla asked in response.

All the hunters nodded. That’s certainly what it looked like from the growth of the plants in the fire’s aftermath.

“The only people missing from that time were Woldec, Akbash, Kiertie, Biaka, and Grunthen. We know of Woldec and his Family. Grunthen’s fate is less certain, but he probably died to the same bear. It would not make sense for him to be at Bindesei’s home.”

“Is there a way to make sure?” I asked.

“A Cleansing Fire was used,” Integnei said, shaking his head.

“Probably to hide that it was a murder,” Dwilla said, “and not a suicide.”

“Grunthen was lightning-touched. Maybe some lightning qi remained?” Mulallamu said.

This time, I shook my head. “I didn’t notice any.”

“The Cleansing Fire would eat the dead qi,” Integnei said.

“Could someone...” I said, prompted by my paranoia. “Could someone have tried to hide Grunthen’s identity with the Cleansing Fire?”

The others frowned in thought.

“And maybe Bindesei saw it happen,” I said. “When he tried to run away, the killer chased after and killed him too.”

“Then why not use Cleansing Fire on both bodies?” Mulallamu asked. “There was time to come back and do so.”

“Because the killer didn’t need to hide Bindesei’s identity,” I said, “but something about the other person would’ve caused problems. I don’t know, it’s just an idea.”

“If it was Grunthen,” Dwilla said, frowning, “then it would cause a big storm. But how do we explain how or why he was killed at Bindesei’s house?”

I scratched my head. “Yeah, that’s a good question. The answer is a mystery.”

###

On the way to Voorhei, I felt a chill run up and down my spine. It was my responsibility to watch our backtrail, but I didn’t see anything following us. When I asked Mulallamu to investigate, she turned up signs of a giant javelina moving through the area, but the tracks were at least four or five days old. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched though, and it trailed me all the way back to the Hunter’s Lodge.

The hunters waited while Dwilla talked to the Lodge Master. Mulallamu must’ve noticed my anxiety, because she ruffled my hair.

“Be easy, Little Pot. Without their light, the dead are dead. They will not walk again. You will not have to fight them like you did Woldec and his Family.”

“It’s not zombies I’m worried about,” I said, muttering.

“Then what--”

Inneioleia interrupted to hand each of the hunters five taak for their service that morning. I also received an extra three of the small silver coins for leading the party to the second corpse. The initial cost to join the lodge was high, but the return so far was good. So far, I’d earned two eltaak and eight taak, plus a qi spell.

Mulallamu grinned at her second payout in two days. She laughed when I dodged her attempt to pinch my cheek. “You are good luck for me.” Suddenly, her hand shot forward, faster than I could react, but instead of a pinch, she gave my cheek a light pat. Her grin spread. “Have a bright morning, Eight. Call for me if you find another body in the forest.”

With a wave she left the lodge, and Integnei followed soon after. While Inneioleia and Dwilla continued to discuss the events at Fort Sugar Shack, I went back to the meditation room. I still had a lot to learn about Dog’s Agility.

I was leery of the uekisheile’s mood, but the time passed uneventfully.

###

It happened that night. After hearing from the kids about their day--the work in the fields and around the longhouse. About the other children they’d met and their discoveries about the village. After they’d gone to sleep and I was halfway to slumber myself, I looked up from the tangle of children’s bodies to see a man watching us from the foot of the bed.

He was thickset, with broad shoulders and big hands. He had angry black eyes and hair in disarray. There weren’t twigs snarled within, but it looked like there ought to be.

I got up and left myself sleeping with the children. When the man saw I was ready, he turned to leave the longhouse. The back of his white tunic was stained with two bright red circles.

Through the sleeping village we traveled, the three-quarter moon limning the earth with a soft white light. When we passed through the village gate, I recalled my weapons and armor to me, just in case. Who knew what other spirits I might encounter in the forest.

We walked under the dark night and the bright stars. The trees stood as silent witnesses. The wind quieted where we passed. Time flowed as it always did, but my sense of it was distorted. I felt like I walked for days. I felt like we arrived in a flash to the place where we’d left Bindesei. He had no Family left, so Dwilla performed a simple ritual over the body. Otherwise, she left the scene untouched.

Bindesei’s spirit looked down at his remains. I noticed that an animal had rooted through them looking for anything left over, so I knelt to put the bones back in order. It wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the spirit, but I hoped the gesture of goodwill would be well received.

He grimaced to show me his rotten teeth. Dwilla was right--Bindesei did look like he had a rake for a mouth. The grimace faded as quickly as it’d come. The spirit lifted his hands, palms up, and recalled a small chest to himself. It was only about nine inches wide and six inches tall, but when he opened it, the inside was full of coins--a mix of taak, eltaak, and a single glimmer of gold in the moonlight.

The spirit’s angry eyes glared down at the body, then at the chest in his hands. I wanted to sign to ask what he wanted, but something interfered with my ability to communicate. It was like that part of me was blocked off. I was as mute as the spirit.

Back and forth his eyes traveled, and I could feel the will in him to make me understand his intent. Was his death caused by the treasure in his hands? Was the treasure a reward for finding his killer?

With a snap the chest’s lid closed. The wind blew, harsh and stinging. My eyes closed to protect them, and I opened them again in my bed, awake for real this time.

“Forking ghosts,” I said to the still-sleeping household.