The sun was directly overhead by the time I left the lodge; so bright, I had to block its rays with my hands to give my eyes time to adjust. An elderly couple greeted me as they walked past, and I replied automatically. My mind was elsewhere, spinning in circles.

Ikfael may have been human once.

Also, Ghitha was right--the Hunter’s Lodge worked to undermine his Family’s influence. Not without good reason, but still, he was allowed to fight back, wasn’t he? Not by killing Bindesei of course. That was a crime.

Borba would have to pay too. And it didn’t matter that I saw myself in the hard-working hunter. Justice was justice. Wasn’t it?

At least the tea’s effects had worn off. There was no danger of me blabbing my secrets to random passersby on my way to Bihei’s longhouse. Inleio’s instructions to me were clear. Let him deal with Ghitha and Borba. Instead, focus on preparing myself for the lightning bear hunt.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. There was nothing left to do in the village other than train and wait for Billisha and Aluali to finish work, so that I could say goodbye before heading back to the glen.

###

Ikfael was practicing her water art in the moonlight; retelling the story of the knights John Steed and Emma Peel. I dragged myself out of the woods and plopped down beside her to watch. She sent a quick glance my way, but didn’t say anything, absorbed as she was in controlling the character’s movements.

The night was cool and felt good after the long journey to the glen. The sound of the waterfall was constant, but beside it, the cicadas also sang, accompanied by the rustling of leaves in the wind. Time passed, and the peace of the glen worked its magic. It didn’t untangle the mess in my head, but I was able to lay my thoughts aside for a time. There was just me and Yuki and Ikfael watching the story play out.

“If I said the name Ikiira, would it mean anything to you?”

Ikfael’s paws slowed. John Steed was in the midst of confronting the story’s villain, his arms gesturing grandly. His movements stuttered, but only for a moment, a half-breath at the most.

Throughout, Ikfael didn’t turn to look at me. Didn’t quirk her head. Didn’t pause to answer. But that stutter told its own story. I had my answer.

“I’m sorry about what happened to you. But I’m glad that you’re here now as Ikfael Glen.” Careful not to jostle her, I got up and hugged her from behind.

The events that Inleio recounted happened a long time ago in Voorhei’s history. Still, she must’ve suffered. Life was hard enough without having to be responsible for a whole village’s survival, without having to sacrifice yourself for the good of all.

And I was so very grateful for Ikfael’s presence in my life. Not just because of her utility either. Yes, I wouldn’t have survived without her, but just as importantly, she was a source of joy, even if she was sometimes snarky and demanding. The world was a better place for her in it.

Or maybe I’d been thinking too many dark thoughts about intrigue and murder, and I needed to affirm something good and well… holy. That’s what love and sacrifice could be with the right intentions.

I must’ve caught Ikfael by surprise, because Emma Peel froze midway through a kick. The water hung motionless in the air, and the otter’s body in my arms was just as stiff. She didn’t shake me off though, and the tension within her slowly eased, almost grudgingly so.

She glanced back at me, my face half buried in her fur. “You are so unfair.”

“I’m sorry. Can I stay like this for a while? It’s been a hard day.”

“Whatever,” she said and turned back around.

The story resumed where she left off. Emma Peel kicked the villain in the face.

###

The next day, Borba was summoned to the lodge’s ritual room. I’d let myself sleep late and woke to Yuki prodding my qi and urging me to meld consciousnesses.

Hurry, hurry. Or you’ll miss it.

“Wha--” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Mumu and Haol are here. Inleio too. Oh, he’s serving the same tea. And Borba recognizes it. The two of them drink, and the other hunters watch. No, not just watch--they have their knives drawn. Borba feels threatened. He listens with horror as Inleio--

I stumbled toward the waterfall to splash my face. Shocked awake by the cold water, Yuki’s words finally registered, and I dived into the land and into the portion of ourselves inside Borba.

He was reeling, and his stomach felt like he was falling from a high cliff. The lodge knew about Grunthen’s murder. He’d done well to keep it a secret so far, but now everything was crashing. His place in the village and his life were potentially forfeit. “Was it Ghitha? Why would he reveal me? I did everything he asked.”

“I will not tell you how we know, but we know,” Inleio said.

An idea popped into Borba’s head. “It--it wasn’t Eight, was it? The other day, he asked me these strange questions…”

“Eight is a child,” Inleio said. “Uncanny, but a child none-the-less.”

Of course. How foolish. It couldn’t be Eight. The answer was probably a hunter with a hidden Talent. Or someone representing the Land Knight. It didn’t matter really. There was no way the village would let the death of a hunter as Talented as Grunthen go. Once they knew he was murdered, they’d work tirelessly to find the murderer.

“All I ask is that my Family be spared. For them to stay in Voorhei,” Borba said. “Our lives are better here than in Voorhoos.”

“Your crime is not their crime,” Inleio said. “You have my word that they will be treated fairly. As will you.”

“What will you have then?”

“Tell us everything,” Inleio said.

And so Borba did. Under the effects of the tea, he laid it all out; from being desperately in love with Kiertie to flying into a rage at Grunthen’s cowardice to Ghitha blackmailing him.

The man sobbed as he spoke. His world was ending, but there was relief too. The secret he’d kept was heavy, and he finally put it down. He also hated Ghitha, almost as much as Grunthen, and it was a relief to be out from under his influence.

Inleio, Mumu, and Haol were backlit by the candle stones behind them. None of them moved. Not until Borba ran down and his story fully told. Then, one of the watchers--based on the size, it was Mumu--stood and moved to the edge of the room. There was the sound of a tapestry rustling, and her blob grew bigger as she approached Borba and placed something in front of him.

The object filled Borba with dread. “This...”

“It is fair,” Inleio said.

“But--” Borba’s protest cut off when realization dawned. “You mean to use me in the hunt for the King of the Forest.”

Inleio must’ve nodded, because confirmation reverberated through Borba. He turned his attention toward opening the box containing--darklight. More darklight than Borba had ever seen in his life.

“You will become a mule,” Inleio said. “You will gain as many levels as possible before the hunt and work with Moon, the Albei team’s mule, to understand your place and learn to control the darklight’s rage.”

“I admit my crime, but why do this?” Borba asked. “I have served the village for so many years.”

“It is fair,” Inleio said. “To compensate for the loss of Grunthen’s Talents, you will have to become as strong as he. To compensate for his life, you must give your own.”

###

We didn’t catch the rest. Once we understood that Borba was meant to start absorbing darklight immediately, we rushed to abandon his body. Fortunately, he was already in so much distress, he didn’t feel us escaping through the exposed back of his neck. Given the level of expertise in the room though, we didn’t travel far. Just enough to hide under a rug.

When we heard Borba starting to choke and vomit, I left the land and rushed to dunk my head under the waterfall. For the second time that morning, the frigid water shocked me back into my body.

When I couldn’t hold my breath anymore, I pulled my head out and sat back with a thump. Gods, but the people of this world were brutal. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand, but Borba was their friend long before I knew the man. That they were willing to turn him into a monster for the village’s benefit was disturbing.

I didn’t know what to think.

Poor Borba. His punishment was cruel and unusual. That’s how my old world would’ve described it. But I wasn’t there, was I? I was in a new world, one with its own considerations. Things happened here that were impossible in my old world. And I had a role in how they played out.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that either.

I admired Inleio--in many ways he reminded me of mi abuelo--but I hated the cruelty I’d just witnessed. But then, that reminded me of my first family too. None of them were all good or all bad. Instead, they were all complicated; by their histories, the people who raised them and the things that happened to them. I’d learned that. Eventually.

Right and wrong and shades in between, Yuki said, reading my thoughts.

I sighed. Yes.

If what the lodge is doing is wrong, do we rescue Borba?

Was the lodge wrong? It felt so, but I had a different history than Inleio and the rest. This business of turning people into mules was a way to cope with a harsh and unforgiving world. Well, it was likely more complicated than that. No doubt it was the poor and disenfranchised who tended to become mules. I didn’t know that for sure, but I’d seen enough in my previous life to bet on it.

Unless they were dolbec, but they seemed to be a special case and treated darklight differently than others. Moon’s story was probably complicated.

Everything was complicated. And I couldn’t escape from the whirlpool of my thoughts.

Yuki nudged me. Our question?

It’s not our place, I said finally. Borba brought this punishment upon himself, and until we know more about this world’s civics and politics, its religions and common sense, I’m not willing to intrude.

Not unless it’s children in danger. Yuki’s statement was a clarification of intent.

It stung though. I felt like a hypocrite. Things were fine as long as they didn’t touch my values or what was important to me. That stance made me angry in my previous life, and here I was replicating it.

I grit my teeth. “There are some lines I’m not willing to cross. No matter anything else.”

And later? Once we know civics and politics, religions and common sense?

“Then we make the best decisions we can in the circumstances in which we find ourselves.”

That seemed to satisfy Yuki, and they retreated to think about things on their own.

###

I kept myself occupied. It was classic avoidance behavior, but served a purpose; creating space until I was ready to re-engage with the events in Voorhei.

As for Ikfael, the knowledge that she was once human changed nothing. Everything was the same as before, except her portrayal of Emma Peel looked more otterish. As if the character could get any more lithe.

In addition to training, I surveyed the trees around the glen. The Family hired to build Ikfael’s shrine would need some wood, and so did I. The metal tools I purchased from the village smith meant that I’d finally be able to make proper furniture for the cave. Beds--how wonderful would it be to have a real bed? And boxes for storage. And walls.

I trained and measured and planned, and every so often, I checked in on Ghitha and Otwei, but they were unaware of what was happening to Borba. As for the portion of Yuki stuck in the ritual room, they found a way to escape through the ventilation holes into the lodge above. Over the course of two nights, they snuck towards Bihei’s longhouse and found a spot to hide on the ceiling.

They were proud of themselves, and were pleased to be in a position to watch over the kids and Bihei.

A day later, Kesa’s team showed up in the glen with the head of the Family tasked with building Ikfael’s shrine in tow.

Tuusulei the Builder Talents: Timber-Sense, Measure Twice Cuss Once, Eye for Details

Nascent: ???

She was a tall woman, with long salt and pepper hair tied back in a braid. Her eyes were clear and her clothes appropriate to the forest, if finely made. Something about the way she curiously examined the glen made me think that, although she was serious, she also smiled easily.

Kesa asked if she could leave Tuusulei with me for the day. Apparently, the original plan was for Borba’s team to escort her, but the hunter wasn’t feeling well. And with Mumu’s team occupied with some kind of secret project, that left the duty to Kesa’s team, even though they were still scouting for a location for lightning bear hunt.

My stomach cramped to hear the stories coming out of the lodge, but what could I do? As for Tuusulei, I didn’t mind. It’d mean Ikfael and Yuki would have to stay out of sight, but both seemed occupied anyway. Plus, I could negotiate with the builder about purchasing lumber for myself.

Glad of the help, Kesa’s team prepared to leave. Before then, though, one of the team members gave her a nudge.

She frowned, but said anyway, “Ah, one more thing, Eight. We found signs of a blynx near where the musk ox bulls were butchered. Given your interest, we thought you would want to know.”

Ah, the first good news in days. “Thank you. That helps. A lot.”

“Wait for your team. Do not let your impatience drive you to reckless action.”

“I’ll make sure to take every precaution,” I said.

Kesa’s frown deepened. She was old enough to recognize an evasion when she heard one. She didn’t call me out on it though. Just: “Be careful. For everyone’s sake, be careful.” Then she led her team into the forest.