Jaufre was unsuccessful in convincing the troupe to rehearse the Tsar Lutenist. Instead they were putting on the vela story. He pouted and sighed deeply before relenting and standing up to give a hand moving the wagons. The troupe had pushed the wagons so that they were shielded from the view of the other Llandrians. Those that weren't performing sat to the side while Posilo and Eldis walked to the center, hand in hand, presumably a couple. Then Jaufre began to strum his lute and Faila her harp, and the two girls nearly tripped over themselves to jump on the makeshift stage. They wore golden wigs and painted wings and danced around Posilo as he walked with Eldis. They were very good dancers, Nikolas thought, watching the two girls twirled and giggled and held out their hands to Posilo.

From his seat with Erwing, he could see why it appealed to Ainnar and Maera. They were wearing pretty costumes, and all eyes were on them, this was their time to shine. It was like back home how Viola and Sanne had shown off their duets and solos at dinner. But then his heart froze when Faila started singing.

Little sister, dear sister

I have searched for you

Over the mountains

Where the wind whispers

There was something about Faila's music, Nikolas thought, breathing hard. Maera's face began to blur and he thought he could see Ada's reddish hair and toothy smile. Then Felie was there, and it was she that held out a hand to Aldeim and— he took in a breath, as Aldeim took her hand smiling. She was, had always been too short to dance with him so he would prop her up on a chair or take her into his arms or put her feet on his. Then the house would be filled with her ringing laugh, and everyone, even Nikolas in his corner had to laugh too because who could not resist felicity?

Of a girl with golden hair

And a bright smile

O sister, I have been looking

For such a long while

It was just not his father and sisters. Aldeim passed Felie to Richan to pick up Ada. Richan was throwing his head back in a laugh, winking at Felie before doing a kozachok with her. It was helped by Lianne who joined them, a lute one hand, pulling along Viola who held Sanna's hand with the other. Diasa and Guigo tumbled in, laughing, taking both of Brytha's hands to spur her into an impromptu troika. Aldeim turned his head, and looked directly at Nikolas and he smiled and beckoned a hand at him, the hand that wasn't holding Ada. He had to join them. He got up shakily to his feet and made to walk towards his family, it was all he ever wanted—

"Nikolas! Nikolas!"

Someone was slapping him, none to gently and when he opened his eyes again he saw Erwing and Faila both staring, both with concern and bemusement.

"I apologize!" Faila began, "I didn't know you would have such a strong reaction!"

"What wrong with Nikas?" Maera said as she shoved past the adults to look at Nikolas. "Nikas?"

"Don't crowd him!" Erwing said sternly. "Come on, get up, there's a lad. We'll go get some water and you can have an early lie in—"

"But I want to—" Nikolas blinked furiously. He could swear he saw Ada, and Felie, and... and his entire family!

"I suppose you can't play your vely song with Nikolas around here," said Jaufre and while he gave Nikolas a very sympathetic look, he was jubilant as he declared, "The Tsar Lutenist it is!"

There were comforting hands on his shoulder, Eldis, Nikolas thought, maybe even Owall but he shook them off. "But I saw them!"

"I said back off you hardheads! I'll talk to him, now be off!"

Erwing steered Nikolas into the bigger wagon, the men's wagon and made him sit down. There was a strong smell of tobacco and soap, as well as a flowery, fruity sort of perfume. Every available spot was occupied, even the ceiling of the wagon had hammocks swinging from it. Nikolas rubbed his eyes and blinked away the tears. He had seen them, hadn't he? He had seen them happy.

"What did you see lad?"

"What?"

Erwing had lite a lantern and the lines on his face was set in a very kind smile. "Everyone sees something the first time they hear a vely song. It's a pale imitation of the real one but Faila's the best singer I have ever known."

"That was a vely song?"

"Aye, were you not... convinced?"

Nikolas gulped, and accepted the water skin that Erwing handed to him. "I saw my family. I saw... I saw everyone. Why?"

He knew what the vely did, knew that they enticed you with the things you wanted, but it was just Posilo with Eldis and Faila's daughters. Didn't the vely only tempt you with love? Hadn't Posilo and Eldis been playing a couple? Why... He choked back a sob, and tried to pull away when Erwing threw an arm around Nikolas.

"Love comes in many forms," said Erwing softly. His head was close to Nikolas's and when he stared into the eyes of the older man he knew he must not be the only one that would be seeing things.

"I have never seen this!" Nikolas declared, jerking out of Erwing's grasp to point towards the door and where the troupe sat outside. "Why did I see it? Why was it so real?"

"Some people are prone to suggestion—"

"I'm not a fool!"

"I wasn't saying you were boy! I was saying, you had an imagination that Faila's song tapped into."

"What?"

"Faila sings and her song plays on whatever the audience dreams of. The bigger the crowd and the more imaginative an audience, the better her song."

"You're saying I see visions," Nikolas sneered, unconvinced.

"You are a very stubborn boy," Erwing remarked. He crossed his arms, looked up at the wagon ceiling and then back down at Nikolas. When he next spoke his tone was soft and soothing, "It was a searching song, Nikolas, it was a song that asked the audience who it was they were searching for. Posilo and Eldis merely served as the audience surrogate. If you are a man, you see yourself in Posilo, if you are a woman, Eldis. They were dancing with both of the girls, and you just happened to focus more on Posilo." There was a long, solemn pause, "It reminded you of something."

"Yes," Nikolas said flatly, and refused to look at Erwing. He took in a great heaving breath and closed his eyes.

They were so close, his family, but now their faces were gone, vanished just as the song's notes had.

"I don't want to hear another vely song again," Nikolas said shakily, "How do I tell Faila? It's her—"

"We'll make certain you are not there to hear it," Erwing agreed and Nikolas sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"You were going to tell me how to ask questions," Nikolas said suddenly, desperate from something else to think about.

To his relief, Erwing was more than happy to humor him. He gestured for Nikolas to come to the leftmost corner where Erwing stored his things. Nikolas supposed he should have guessed, there was a tin of tobacco and a pipe, along with unfinished carvings and a battered looking leather file. Erwing flipped it open to show Nikolas a series of wooden carvings that came tumbling out of the pockets.

"You see, these are all very recognizable stories."

"They are," Nikolas said dubiously.

The carvings were very small, and Nikolas could see that they all depicted scenes from some sort of story. The Tsar Lutenist he could recognize, that was the story Jaufre had gone on and on about. The carving of it depicted a handsome youth playing a lute to a wizened crone.

"The Tsar Lutenist," Nikolas pointed. He frowned at the ink on the surface of the carvings. "Are you... are you using them as stamps?"

"No, sometimes one passes out pretty stories for children," said Erwing. Then he smiled, "But other times. Well, no one ever looks closely at a child's story. What question," here he picked out a series of drawings.

The first depicted a man looking at three crossroads, the second a man on a horse with a full belly, the second a dead man on a horse and the third a man with a full stomach riding a horse.

"You know this story?"

"It is the quest of the three sons," said Nikolas proudly because he remembered that one. Richan had particularly loved that one when Guigo was born because that meant they were three sons.

He hadn't counted on Guigo throwing a tantrum when he was cajoled into recreating the story.

"Right, but you see, this man has three choices he is making," said Erwing. He pointed again to the three pictures. "For a merchant wanting to find the best route, how does one go about cautioning her?"

"So?" Nikolas furrowed his brows, staring at the pictures again. It was less embarrassing endeavor than understanding letters, but still he couldn't quite make out what Erwing meant to say.

"The man," Erwing began, and Nikolas expected him to slow his voice, and speak in the tone of someone explaining to a dullard. But he didn't and he merely continued, "the man takes three roads. Who is to say the order in which he takes them is the same in the story she reads?"

"Oh!" Nikolas knew his eyes were very wide, and he probably looked like the fish heads near the docks. But there was a spark of understanding, a spark that he hadn't felt in years. "Oh, so you arrange them to answer her question and—" he laughed, delighted. "That is brilliant!"

"I know," Erwing was smug.

"Can I look at your carvings?"

"Why not?"

Nikolas took a breath and let it out. "You won't mind if I don't come out? I don't... I don't know what to say."

"Everyone has an odd experience with a vely song when they first hear it," Erwing said wisely. "Consider yourself ordinary, Nikolas."

"Have you met anyone who hadn't?"

"That is a rather interesting question," said Erwing, and he stared at the carvings in front of Nikolas before rearranging them into a certain pattern. "I'll leave you to it then," he said with a wink. "Don't go running off to the harbor now. I don't think Jaufre will think fondly of you when the wagon door flies open and you subject him to the cold.

"I won't," Nikolas agreed.

This puzzle held more interest to him, after all and he barely noticed when Erwing left. There was a pot of ink next to it, and what looked like a rectangular inkwell, perfect for using the carvings as stamps. Jozin loves puzzles, he thought, delighted. This would be a brilliant way of sending letters without the hassle. Though, he supposed, he must start with a rather simple one. There were many stories of little boys he thought, and them going on great journeys. Perhaps he should start with that one.

His thoughts were interrupted by a pop, and a sort of chirp-meow. Nikolas spun around wildly, searching for the source of the noise. Then he let out an astonished breath for perching on one of the hammocks was the little cat-bird, a kotek. It blinked at him with its purple-blue eyes and dropped to the floor with a thud, before fluttering over and settling on his shoulder.

"Meow?" said the kotek, and then, "Ko-tik, kooo-tik!"

"Are you... are you wanting to deliver a letter?"

"Kooo-tik!" the kotek purred, and started grooming its paw.

Nikolas carefully maneuvered himself to access his own things, and pulled out Brytha's small book of notes to him. There were empty pages, because she thought ahead, so he carefully cut out a page with a small knife and made his way back to the carvings. After a moment of thought he also took some dried meat with him as well. The kotek gave a curious sniff from his shoulder at this, so he considered it a very well chosen bribe.

"Right," he decided, and picked a carving he recognized.

There was a boy and a girl, and a vela carrying a mirror. He knew very well the vela would shatter the mirror and the result of said shattering, but it would do for now as what he wanted to say to Jozin. Carefully he dipped it in the ink and placed it on the paper, then signing it with a hasty sort of scrawl with his own name.

It was a simple message he wanted to convey, and he dearly hoped Jozin would understand.

Our friendship started here. I hope to write to you more.

He waved the letter around to dry the ink and looked at the cat who stared back, head tilted to the side.

"Do you think," he said, very slowly and enunciating each word, holding out the dried meat as payment. "Do you think you can deliver this to Jozin? Jozin in Skapina?"

The kotek let out a purr. It held out its tail and Nikolas tied the missive to it, careful of the tightness of the knot. Then with a flutter of wings and another pop it was gone. But not entirely. It left behind a singular violet-blue feather.