Days like this made Xigon feel like he and Qila were raising pigs. The young ones were like pigs, he thought, in all but appearance. Intelligent, determined, easy to love, but more than a little on the smelly side, and gods be damned, the moment anyone mentioned food, no one could prioritize anything else.

He had left Azvalath and Kolo to their own devices after recreating a bit of Kolo’s missing history. When he returned to the rooftop, Lalek and Rizval were in a tussle and unsupervised. He sat down and let them wrestle it out before he asked any questions.

“Master Qila took Jai-Lag and went to her study,” Lalek told him, after she and Rizval finally wore each other out.

“She said she didn’t want to linger around you all day.” Rizval looked at Xigon. When Lalek reached over and smacked them, they yelped. “What? It’s true! That’s what she said!”

“I really am sorry about earlier,” said Xigon. He gestured for the two to sit by him. “No one should have had to witness that.”

Rizval plopped down next to him. “I love watching you duel.” They grinned. “You two should have a rematch. Fair and square, without Azvalath ruining it.”

Xigon gave them a stern glare. “No.”

Lalek popped the lid off her canteen and took a gulp of water. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. “Agh, cold!”

Rizval took a drink as well. “Wish it were tea. Then I could warm up and have my hardtack.”

Lalek brightened. Her huge hand tugged at his sleeve. “Master, can we eat?”

Xigon adjusted his goggles. “Both of you need to work on endurance. It’s been too long since we’ve had either of you on the ground.”

“Come on! We haven’t had any food yet today,” Rizval pointed out. “You had us up and at it right at dawn.”

Xigon sighed. He was hungry too now that he thought about it. “I’ll tell you what.” He looked up and saw the sun through the dense clouds. “Looks like it’s about half an hour from noon. Put in another half hour of hand-to-hand practice and then come find me. I’ll be talking to Qila.” He looked up. “And remember, your bodies don’t lie. I’ll know if you were slacking off.”

“But Master Qila said she didn’t want to linger around you all day,” Rizval reminded him.

“Well, she can put up with me for half an hour. It won’t kill her.” Xigon hauled himself up and leaned on his crutches. “Get to it. And remember, I’ll know if you were slacking off.”

In a move he would perhaps regret later, he left the two to their own devices and went downstairs.

He found Azvalath and Kolo in the receiving room. Kolo was dry heaving over the bluehole. Xigon locked eyes on her and used his power to settle her stomach. She turned around and noticed him. “Um…thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Xigon turned around and kept going. He leaned more heavily into his crutches with each step. His back and legs hurt to the point that he could barely put weight on his feet. He clenched his teeth together and dragged himself to his study.

He caught himself on the wall and leaned against it. His breaths were strained with pain. He stayed there for a moment, then went over to his desk and opened a locked drawer. Xigon pulled out a vial of dark amber liquid and downed it in two swallows. He coughed. The pain medicine tasted terrible, like the dirt its ingredients had grown in, but he knew it would give him some relief.

Xigon set the vial and his cructches down, then settled into his wheelchair. He sighed, then smiled. Even with its one caster that always clicked, his chair made him feel whole. Xigon turned to his mirror, fixed his hair, then rolled himself out.

He was soon reminded of the horrid and unnecessary existence of stairs.

Xigon rolled his eyes and turned to take the long way around. There was a ramp that way. Eventually. By the time he made it to Qila’s study, he was thoroughly irritated. He watched her eyes widen for a second when she answered his knock. “Xigon?”

He crossed his arms. “Yes, it’s me.” He noticed her heart racing. She was scared. He tried to alleviate the tension. “Or maybe I’m Channei pulling off an absolutely flawless mimicry.”

“Ha!” She clapped him on the shoulder. “When’d you grow a sense of humor? Anyhow, come in. I assume you’re here for something important.” She stepped away from him.

Xigon maneuvered through the doorway and positioned his wheelchair next to Qila’s rocker. A log snapped in the fireplace. He folded his hands on his lap. “Lalek and Rizval want tea.”

“Surely that’s not the only thing.” She closed the door and came to sit beside him. Her rocking chair thunked back and forth on the uneven floor. “I expect Channei will be back soon. Also, I asked Yayaba to keep herself hidden from now on.”

Xigon nodded. “I have faith they can do what’s needed.” He sighed. “They’re not the ones I’m worried about. Those two are quite capable.” He tugged at his gloves. “Kolo’s mind is in worse shape than I thought.”

“The younger ones always have scrambled minds when they come to us. Nothing new.” Qila tapped her fingernails on her rocker’s armrests. “What has you so worried about her? She’ll come around.”

“Scrambled minds, yes, but they at least have a sense of who they are,” said Xigon. “Kolo has almost nothing. Not a blank slate, but one that someone was desperate to erase.” He touched his forehead. “She has creation power, Qila. And I think that’s only scratching the surface.”

Qila stood up and shoved her chair backwards. “She has what?”

Xigon went on. “I’m trying to reconstruct her memory and uncover her true nature, but I can’t do it all at once. That could shatter her all over.”

Qila scoffed. “You’re being soft, Xigon.” She sat back down. “Do you realize how much this could change things?”

“Which is why we can’t afford to lose her now.” Xigon glared at her. “She could bring some light back into the world.”

Qila sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She got up and went to her desk. “It’s coming time we deliver a report to the Wash town council.” She shuffled through papers and dropped one on the floor. “I’ve already gotten started.” The old woman bent down to pick it up.

“Is this how we’ll announce Kolo’s arrival?” He reached out to take the paper.

Qila came over and handed it to him. “Have a look over it. I’ll make the young ones some tea.”

Xigon smoothed a folded edge on the paper and read it to himself.

Report on Styzia’s Activities Within the Last Quarter Year

Dear Mayor and Council,

As laid out in our agreement, your town provides our resources and in turn receives our protection. We consider it imperative that you remain informed of our activities. The past three months have not been proud ones for us. Our warrior Azvalath engaged in needless bloodshed, as you may be aware. We regret to inform you that any rumors of him wiping out opposing communities are true. He has been disciplined accordingly and demoted to the level of a student.

We are proud of Channei for her diligence in spite of being in the field with Azvalath at this time. At the moment, she is on the ground monitoring a potential enemy, and Yayaba is conducting surveillance from the sky. There are three Ferash Therall unaffiliated with our order who may be attempting to compromise us. We will keep you updated as we learn more.

Lalek, Jai-Lag, and Rizval have not been on the ground except for training purposes.

We have taken in a potential new warrior. Her name is Kolo. She is not yet ready for initiation, but we have high hopes.

If you have any questions or need anything from us, write back as soon as possible.

Sincerely, Master Qila

“You call this a report? It’s barely anything of substance.” Xigon folded the parchment. “Rewrite it.” He crumpled it and flung it toward the fireplace. It hit the wall instead and bounced across the floor.

Qila glared at him in utter disgust. Her lips pulled back in a snarl for a second. Then she took a deep breath. “Good thing your aim is terrible.” She forced a chuckle and bent down to retrieve the page. “Would you rather work on it? I can take over with Lalek and Rizval.”

“I’m quite fine instructing them today.” Xigon put one leg up across his lap.

“No, you’re not.” Qila came over and knelt in front of his wheelchair. “Dueling me must have taken a toll on you.”

Xigon’s eyes narrowed. He let out a slow, strained exhalation.

Qila took his left hand and clasped it firmly between hers. “I’m not angry with you.”

He corrected her. “Yes, you are.” The tall man leaned forward a little. “And that’s something you’ll need to acknowledge.”

The old woman’s eyebrows rose, then knit themselves into a scowl. “Xigon, there’s something I need to ask you.” She took another deep breath. “If Azvalath hadn’t intervened, would you have killed me?”

Xigon looked up, then down, then straight into Qila’s eyes. “Yes.”

Qila swallowed hard. “I suppose it’s only natural you would want revenge.” She squeezed his hand. “You don’t know how much I wish I could undo my mistakes.”

“It’s not about revenge.” Xigon jerked his hand away. “And it wasn’t a mistake, Qila. We’ve both wanted to kill each other for as long as we’ve known each other. You almost succeeded once, disabled me, and nearly every day you cry to me about how it was a mistake? Let it die. It’ll never be undone.”

Qila looked like she was on the verge of tears. Then she growled at him. “You don’t know how much it hurt.” She stood up and turned her back to him. “I’ll make them tea and go watch them. You go and write that report.”

Xigon sighed. Sudden fatigue weighed him down. His mind and vision grew hazy. He turned his power inward for a moment and tried to wake himself up, to little avail. His eyelids grew heavy.

Qila must have noticed him getting quieter. She turned back around to look at him. He heard her laugh, but she sounded distant. “Would it kill you to sleep? It only takes you a few minutes. Stop torturing yourself and rest if you need to.”

He barely managed to get out of his chair and lie down on the floor before he lost consciousness.

He woke right as Qila left the room. The old woman didn’t even acknowledge him as she closed the door. Xigon sat up. His energy returned in a rush. He lifted his goggles up and rubbed his eyes. “Takes her that long to get out the door, does it?”

Xigon got back up into his chair and nearly tipped it backwards. He jolted, then rolled himself over to Qila’s desk. “Your loss, Qila,” he muttered. “Bigger study and you’ve got a whole damn fireplace.” Like hell he’d go back to his own study right now.

He heard a chuff from the corner. Xigon looked over his shoulder. The sabretooth cat was curled up in one of Qila’s old coats.

“Didn’t even notice you, Jai-Lag.” He opened the desk drawer and rifled through to find a blank sheet of parchment. “I need to write that report better than she did. Would you happen to know where Master Qila keeps her blank sheets?”

Jai-Lag ignored him.

Eventually, he did find a blank sheet and some ink that wasn’t entirely dried up, but when he put the quill to the parchment, he found himself at a complete loss for words. His focus and motivation died in an instant. Xigon put his head in his hands. Jai-Lag ran her claws along the wall with a sound that made him clench his teeth.

“Stop that.” He looked over his shoulder for a second. “I’m busy right now.” He looked down at the parchment again. No ideas came. “At least, I’m trying to be.” He shook his head. “I will be productive.”

All he ended up producing in the rest of that half hour was a sloppy stick figure sketch of how he imagined his students saw him. As tall as the page, with giant bug-eyes, blabbing something he thought sounded wise but no one else wanted to hear. Entirely unproductive, but entirely amusing.