Lisaykos, fourth floor, Healing Shrine of Mugash

Oyyuth and I put Emily to bed after she fell asleep in her chair after dinner. She caught my skirt as I was getting up to leave, thinking she was deep in dreamland. In a half-asleep voice, she asked: "Did Asgotl come back today?"

"No, he didn't, dear heart," I put a light hand on her shoulder. "I'm worried too. He said he'd be back four days ago."

"Thanks. G'night."

"Sleep well," I dropped a simple charm of sleep on her as we left.

Oyyuth walked back through my bedroom with me. "She's not simple at all, and the more I see of her, the stranger she gets."

"I wouldn't disagree in the least," I remarked to my son's intelligent and observant wife. "Her brain never sits still. She scares me at times with some of the things she comes up with."

"Flushing necessaries?" Oyyuth smiled in amusement. "I want one. And that shower thing is brilliant, by the way."

"Emily loves it, which is probably why she had it made. She doesn't need to have help to use it, other than for someone to charm the hot water tank."

Oyyuth laughed, "that sounds just like her."

We took our seats at the table. "Do you have permission to be out for the evening, Fed?" I asked my granddaughter.

"I can return at first bell if I want to eat in the dining hall or at second bell if I already have eaten, Grandmom."

"And which do you prefer to do?"

"Eat here?" she asked, brimming with hope.

"Thought so," I nodded. "Do you want your own room or do you want to share with your aunt?"

"Oh, Aunt Katsa, can I?"

"Of course, imp," Katsa smiled, enjoying her niece's company.

"Take number six down the corridor across the hall," I told Katsa. "It's already made up, though no flush necessary yet."

"Well, phooey," Katsa pouted.

"The piping is on order with the foundry in Omexkel and the drains are on order from Weirgos. Come back in a half year. I'm having the entire shrine done, followed by the shrine chapel at the north gate, followed by both marketplaces."

"Isn't that expensive?" Imstay the budget-constrained asked, eyebrows up. "Did you need to raise your rents?"

"The paper workshops are profitable, along with the percentage we get from the pencil makers we've licensed on behalf of Emily," I explained. "As soon as I finish negotiating with the Shrines of Giltak and Vassu, we'll get a percentage from the soon-to-be-official water fitters. Most of the licensing proceeds will go to Emily---I made sure of that---but the shrine will still be making enough that I may be able to lower the amount we request from the kingdom next year for the main and chapel shrines. Even then, I'll still be able to refit all the chapel shrines with new healthier plumbing within a year or two, including the ones we share with other shrines."

"Surd save us," the King was wide-eyed and gaping, as was my son.

"How much of the revenue is Emily's?" Imstay asked in an awed voice. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he estimated the taxes he would reap from the new crafts. One way or another, he was determined to profit from the Coyn's inventions. A king's heart is never far from his treasury.

"Emily is a wealthy girl, and I’ve arranged things so no one can steal it from her. But I find it frustrating because she doesn't care about money." To be honest, I was exasperated with her attitude. "All Emily wants out of life is to be comfortable, have a workshop where she can make things, and maybe find a partner and raise a family." I did not mention Emily's unspoken desire to do something about how Coyn were treated in Foskos nor her resolve to raise a family far from Foskos where all Coyn were property." "She also keeps talking with Asgotl about traveling," I added because I knew it would rile the King.

"Gods, no!" Imstay did not like hearing about Emily's desire to see the world. "At least not without leaving us sky metal and instant fire."

"Well, at least you're honest about your greed," I conceded.

The King exhaled in a huff. "It's greed for my soldiers and my garrison guards, and it's greed for the realm," he argued. "A battle mage such as myself doesn't need those things. It's to help those who don't have much magic."

"Paper has been a real boon for the crafts," Imstay pointed out. "Artificers can draft permanent plans at a fraction of the cost of high-count linen or vellum. I heard recently that there isn't enough paper to meet the growing demand."

"Well, then," Katsa the landholder smiled, "it looks like time to plant some more flax fields."

"Not if you cut back on barley to do so," Oyyuth the brewer protested.

"Ah," my son looked at the ceiling in mock innocence, "the endless dialog between supplier and crafter."

"So, Imstay King," I decided it was time to change the subject, "are there any results at all on the search?"

The King's face fell. "I have every one of my agents, all of the corps of wraiths, and all my scouts looking for her. And no, I have not a single clue. It may be hard to find Aylem if she doesn't want to be found. She knows the charm of circular light and the charms of shadows, nothingness, and misdirection. If she uses them together, we wouldn’t find her even if she was standing next to us."

“I don’t understand why she fled,” Imstay showed real worry on his face, “and I worry that the Tirmarans to the north or the nations to the east will take advantage of her absence to attack us. Without the defensive advantage of the Queen in residence, we only have geography as an advantage.”

“Surely not right away, at least,” I pointed out. “It takes a lot of effort to supply an army that must cross the Blue Mountains or the Salt Desert.”

“True, I doubt even Impotu could pull that off before next year’s campaign season,” he pinched his nose and frowned, “and my cousin Foyuna can use the Great Crystal so we’re not completely blind to armed threats. I would sleep better, though, if the Queen was safe at home with her charms of defense.”

---

A woman who has lost herself, in a cavern in the Fenland

"Where am I?" a woman's voice asked the darkness. She was lying on something soft and comfortable but she could sense something living but not human near her.

* This is my home. You are in the Fenland. My children found you and brought you here. You were stumbling about in the cold, raving, delirious and half-starved, but I have healed most of your ills. Today is your third day here. Please tell me if you are hungry and I will have some meat prepared for you. *

"Is this a cavern?"

* Yes, it is. It is a large cavern with many chambers. I live here with my children. *

"Who are you?"

* I'm a large scary-looking monster. My name is Ud. My children and I hunt the chamois, the mountain goats, and the bighorn sheep. We mean no harm to any sapient flying or two-footed creatures. Sadly, when many see me or my children, they flee in terror. I will not be offended if you react the same way. *

The woman lit the darkness with her magic and saw the red eyes, the great maw of the mouth, and the many hair-covered segmented limbs of the monster. She screamed.

* Well, that could have gone better. At least you didn't faint or go running out of the room. Pray, what is your name, child, and where are you from? *

"You are a very scary monster." Standing up, the woman's two eyes were level with the monster's many eyes. "I'm afraid I can't remember my name or my home. Please don't eat me."

* I have no interest in eating my guests. It's bad for one’s reputation as a host. Let me show you around. *

The giant spider pivoted and exited up the tunnel.

* First, you need to know where the front door is located. I have no problems living in the dark---fewer people screaming or fainting that way, but two-footed creatures like yourself need some sunlight every day. So to get to the front door, we go up this tunnel, take the first tunnel on the right and then the second on the left. *

"It's cold up here," the woman shuddered as the temperature dropped.

* It's the cold from outside getting in. The weather is quite wretched right now. It's like this at the other doors too. That's why I tend to stay at least two levels down during the cold season. I keep the doors open because I store my meat for the cold season next to the doors. It's in that room to the left. Now if you take this passage here, I have some nice rooms set up for Cosm and Coyn, with real beds. If you had a mount, I'd have to move over to the west door where I have some spaces big enough for them. *

"Do you get a lot of visitors?"

* Sadly, no. I do have the occasional student, though, and some of them come to keep me company when they can. *

"What do you teach?"

* Magic. I doubt there's much I could teach because you have already mastered the three branches of Cosm magic. *

"I have? I don't remember."

* I hope you like mutton because it's dinner, and early morning repast, and midday repast, and any snacks in between. We'll cook all of your mutton since your kind doesn't do well with raw meat. I'm afraid you're stuck here for the next few days because of the weather. Everything is snowed in and the roads are impassible. I was hoping to stock up on some goat or chamois before the weather turned but I am not in luck this year. *

"I have no complaints," the woman said. "If not for your children, I might be dead in the snow. I am grateful for the rescue."

* While the snow continues, could I interest you in talking about magic? You have an extraordinary level of magic and have mastered its use for the most part, and you're not even 40 yet. I would love to talk with you about it while waiting for this weather to blow through. *

"It would be unreasonable to turn down such a request," the woman said, "especially with the inclement weather outside."

* I am curious about your amnesia. You don't show any sign of being hit in the head and you have no traces of drugs in your system. You have amazing physiology which prevents you from becoming ill, so I think I can rule out a physical cause for your loss of memory. That leaves mental trauma as a cause. You have blessing marks on your aura from Tiki, Landa, and Mugash, so there must be a story there for you to have three blessings. And you speak Fosk so I can assume you're from Foskos. You are a silverhair and the biggest Cosm I think I've ever met, which is in keeping with your magical ability. So what thing happened that compelled you to leave your home and walk all the way here? *

"I don't remember anything. Is it possible to regain my memory?"

* Do not be worried over it. Stress-induced amnesia goes away on its own. Give it time. Most cases resolve within two years of whatever trauma caused it. As for what happened to you, I am merely indulging in being a busybody out of boredom. Pay it no heed. Ah, here we are, back where we started. Allow me to conjure you a chair. *

"How did you do that?" the woman was amazed. "Is that a new creation in the world or did you teleport it?"

* It is a new creation. Creation magic is like the charm of water, where the desire for a physical object becomes a reality. I can teach it to you if you'd like. *

"I want to try but I have lost my crystal."

* Silly girl, someone with your ability doesn't need a crystal. Will you permit me to show you how? *

---

Emily, dreaming

"Hello, Emily," a beautiful woman with long wavy black hair and golden eyes was sitting on the end of my bed, in a perfectly-draped white chiton illuminated by moonlight streaming in through the window.

I sat up. It was still dark outside. Most everyone in the shrine would be asleep. "Who are you?"

"Sophia. I must be quick, Emily, before Mugash catches me in her territory. I've been watching you for a long time and I have come to give you some wisdom. I have three things to tell you. First, the cat has things to give you in Is'syal so you must go there soon. Second, you must prevent Aylem from fleeing Black Falls. Last, Tiki and Mugash have not told you everything, nor will they unless you press them. Remember that the next time they ask you for something. When you're a prophet, it's a seller's market and the gods are the buyers. Don't let your timidity stop you from demanding a better deal. I must go now. Remember."

Was this a dream? Was she the deity of wisdom? Did the Foskans even have a deity of wisdom? She had gone as quickly as she had come, and so did the moonlight. Then I remembered that Erdos did not have a moon.

Did she just insinuate that I was a prophet? I didn't like the sound of that. She also implied that I had bargaining power with the gods. Was that even possible? Could I choose not to do all the things they wanted me to do?

Was it possible that the gods were in some way limited from acting directly on their creation?

I did not remember when I fell back asleep.