Few minutes later, Urmead pushed them into his house. He was eager to get off the streets as soon as possible. Panic twisted his face. His fear was so dense others could almost taste it.

Schnew laughed and said, “You seem a bit startled. No need to fret. We will protect you. You are probably afraid that someone is coming to revenge a little boy.”

Urmead smiled uncomfortably and replied, “No one will come to revenge a little thief. He is just a little fish. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have to pickpocket people on the streets.

“I am afraid that someone will come to take your money. You careless strangers are flashing it around like money isn’t exact thing that kill more people than everything else combined. Forget love, jealousy, envy… Money is the thing people care most about. It makes them blind, insane, they want their cut of it. Money carries a promise of the good life. It is the materialized dream. Security is money’s other name and security is the greatest of all luxuries. Security gives you peaceful dream and life without worries.

“Money has incredible power of shape shifting. It can turn into the house, social position, fair women, and full stomach after weeks of starvation. At the same time all of that fits in a pocket. Money was best invention world ever saw, and most evil invention at the same time. It is evil because people made him that way. Btaris wouldn’t have any value except maybe esthetical if everything wasn’t for sale. And when I say everything I really mean everything, from bones of dead parents to first born child, from honor to fatherland. Everything…”

“You have a point. I learned the same thing about money when I was in the woods.”

Everything inside Urmead’s house was made of same white material: boxes for clothes, tables and chairs, even beds. He offered them to sit behind the table. Then he introduced them to his family consisted of three wives and eleven children.

“You have so many children and wives! They are probably taking most of your day and night. Do you have a time to do anything else?”

“Schnew, my friend this is a common family in this part of the world. I have seen many families triple the size of my own. And yes, I am working as a painter. How many wives and children do you have?”

“We on Ulan have only one wife, but I decided to have none for the time being. I love my freedom.”

Subito added, “We were trying to put a saddle on him, so to say. But he is like a dog which always stays wild. He can’t tolerate a rider.”

Schnew interrupted, “Girls like wild dogs. I think it’s about the adventure. To be the first one who will tame untamable beast, it is a great feeling.”

“Everyone should leave something behind them. I would like to have many children with Miratur. Our host says he is a painter?”

“They call me famous in this city. And there are a lot of artists in my city. Inhabitants enjoy going to theatres, reading poems and novels and admiring paintings. We enjoy the culture. That is a beautiful face of my city but he has ugly one too. Criminal is on a high levels.

“Simplified, Hul Termians don’t like manual labor. They are either artists or thugs or slave owners. There is at least triple number of citizens in slaves. Manual labor is reserved for them. I have some too at my working place.” Lillium was eagerly writing down everything he said. You could see the embers in her eyes. She found something new and strange and couldn’t get enough of it.

She said, “I hope you don’t mind that I am writing down your words. Your culture is new to me. I have found something that intrigues me, which is casting away boredom. It is giving me something to play with, to hold my attention. I really hate boredom. Being bored is worse than being hungry or thirsty.

“When I am bored, I just sit in the corner, motionless, waiting for torture to be over. At night when I lay in my sleeping chamber, I twist for a long time. Sometimes I don’t even sleep at all. Next to me are always a quill and paper if I feel need to write something down.

“When I get an idea and not immediately write it down, I feel as I am falling into the abyss. Tomorrow idea will be forgotten and I can almost physically feel the pain. I feel like I have wasted enormous fortune. Hundreds of ideas are rushing into my head every night. All these amazing things I could do instead to sleep. I always hated to sleep. When I sleep I feel like I am being robbed, like someone is taking half of my life. It was my goal to fill my day, not to leave even a moment of empty time. I have these, as I call them 'projects' - to write and study everything connected with magic, history, culture…”

“I feel the same way when the inspiration hits me. I can’t sleep or eat. All I am interested in is to make another line, apply another color. My work is all about capturing the character. I can see you have a personality full of life. You are always ready to explore, to be amused by colorful pictures of life changing in front of your eyes. Very similar to the little child, you are quickly amused, but even quicker at loosing attention and crossing on to the next task.”

Subito said, “In our religion gods are same as humans. I believe they felt the same inspiration while they had shaped shards of Singularity in the world as we know it. The greatest works of gods were humans. Greatest work of any man is a child. My father told me the story about our ancestor.

“There are two new clans that were made from separated parts of Lux clan. Both are the results of my ancestor’s unrestrained love for women. Baliad, that was his name, had twelve children with his wife. He had few dozens more with multiple mistresses, and he kept them all in a clan. He always demanded from his children to have at least three children each.

“When clan grows in numbers baron and assembly of warriors can decide to separate part of clan and form the new clan. Oldest son inherits father’s position in the old clan, while his younger brother becomes baron of the new clan. At his death bed Baliad ordered his children to separate two new clans from the old one. He also determined two new barons, his son who had ten children and daughter who had nine. They were the ones with most children. Older brothers and sisters complained, and one asked, 'Mine three are noisy enough. Why would I need ten children?' Old man answered, 'If you lose one you will have nine more.' And that was the end of it.”

Schnew nodded and said, “Subito, are you still talking about that? This time you almost changed my mind. Maybe I just never found right woman to tame me. I thought I did, but she was too busy with insignificant things to give me a chance.” He crossed hands on his chest fixing his eyes on Lillium.

She blushed and addressed one of Urmead’s wives, “How do you make your houses and furniture?”

“We make it out of surturi plants.”

Lillium’s eyebrow jumped. She had many questions and was impatient to get the answers.

“When you say we you mean women or all of you?”

“Women…”

“What is a surturi plant?”

Woman stood up and went into the corner seeking for something. She was annoyed. This stranger is coming to her house, bringing hundreds of questions as an unwanted gift. Lillium eyed her. She was a lot fatter than Ulan women. She didn’t have to train every day or to hunt. Most of her life she spends indoors laying around and giving birth to children.

Somehow, she settled with a fact that Hul Termians have no hair. They were a little strange to look at, but she was already accommodated to it. On the other hand, she still found it strange that their women have no hair either.

Woman placed two plants in front of Lillium: one was fresh, another one dried. “That’s surturi. It grows on trees as a parasite. We harvest it and dry for at least a year. When dried we take of bark and get these.”

She spread the pile of white material over the table. Lillium touched it. It was like a wool.

“We make tread out of it and nit everything we need. For clothes and beds we soften it in gathered rain.”

Then woman explained the way they nit. Lillium carefully copied patterns of their knots. Hosts presented them with meals. Every meal was carefully wrapped in eatable leaves in the form of the small square packages. Meal consisted of grained vegetables and grained meat. Those packages were placed in a dent that was in the middle of the table. Each of them would just take one package at the time and eat it like a cookie. There were no plates, knives, forks or spoons. All around the dent in the table were containers made of two leaves glued together. In those containers were tasty beverages.

Goodman taught them how to use it. He had bitten off the top of the container and sucked the liquid out of it. Finale of the meal was some sticky substance rolled around a stick. It was sweet and hard to chew. Remaining long time in mouths it slowly discharged a few different shades of sweet. Alma was in paradise. Utrikats were really fond of sweet. She belched rubbing her belly. Then she hissed on children amused by the fear they had of her. Poor children hide under the table all pale and shimmering. Their parents pulled them out smiling. They attempted to reassure them there is no reason to be afraid. Their fake smiles revealed they not really know what to think about the ’monster’. Children can feel the lie and some of them couldn’t hold their tears any longer. They had to be excused from the table. Alma was a bit ashamed, especially when Miratur gave her look full of accusations.

Host offered, “I will take you to my studio. In the meanwhile children will calm down.”

Lillium accepted, “I want to know as much as possible about this city."

Schnew said, “We do have a mission: to find out what brought us here.”

“It will take just a small amount of our time. Mission can wait.” They had to accept since there was no point arguing with Lillium.

Studio and the house were on the same tree. There were five slaves tied up with ropes woven from surturi plant. Alma looked at them with grief. Her people were also enslaved, but they never had to wear any chains and were treated as house members. Slaves were making paints out of plants and minerals. Lillium stood in front of a canvas.

She asked, “Who are the people on this painting?”

“Those are the gods, three of them actually. We have many gods. First one is Or Ulk goddess of stars and alchemy. We believe all humans have descended from the stars. I tried to depict light of the stars and mystique in her eyes. She is dressed in tattered black gown adorned with pearls, which represents the night sky.”

“Then she is my goddess too.”

“Why?”

“I am practicing magic.”

“Beautiful women never stop to surprise me. Then we are colleagues in a way, since magic is a form of art.”

Lillium smiled pleased with his statement.

He waited for her smile to settle and continued, “Next to her are her children. Her son Or Skan is the one dressed in flames. He is the god of fire, death and underworld. Forest fires are his work. He kills old trees in order for the new ones to grow from the ashes. No one calls him evil, despite the fact that he is bringing death. Common people don’t do it because of fear. Scholars because they believe he is maintaining the balance between our world and underworld. If those two worlds would collide, both of them would disappear. They would merge recreating the old world, which was broken by creation of time.”

Subito mumbled absently, “That could be a good thing. Time is no more than shackles on our hands.”

“It could be so. Sometimes shackles are good. They stop us from going to dangerous places we don’t know. The fear has same purpose.”

“I would prefer to be destroyed as a free man, than to exist peacefully with shackles on my hands. I am not afraid of your god. And I don’t need his protection.”

Urmead nodded politely and said, “Anyway, the third figure is his sister Or Kama. She is the goddess of fortune. Traders and thieves are her most devoted worshipers. Her main trait is greed. She wants all humans to worship her. For that purpose she made btaris, gems and precious metals. Her plan is working perfectly well, since modern man worships money above all. Look how obese she is. Thick golden chain is around her waist. Her private parts are covered in woodpecker’s feathers. This bird digs for worms in the trees, same as the people dig in mountains to find hidden treasures of Or Kama. She is the true ruler of this city.”

Lillium was delighted to write down everything he said, next to raw drawings of the gods she made. Schnew was bored to death.

“I would like to make a portrait of your group, if you allow me? You have awakened great inspiration in me.”

Lillium pinched Schnew, who was about to say something and nodded.

Urmead pulled his fingers through Lillium’s hair. He said, “Those fur hats on your heads are very beautiful and soft.”

“No it’s not a fur. It’s my hair. Don’t you ever meet outsiders, in trade or something?”

“Interesting, you have hair just like animals. Sorry, for my rudeness,” he chuckled, “it wasn’t meant to be an insult. We don’t trade with others. There is saying in Hul Term: ’We have everything we need.’ There is no need to ever leave our trees.”

He positioned them, touching Lillium whenever he got a chance.

Schnew grinned in his face and said, “Does he have any limits? He already has three women. I could cut his throat like that.” He snapped his fingers.

Not understanding a word painter smiled back.

Lillium pushed him back, saying, “Do I feel jealousy in your voice?”

“You know you have a special place in my heart.”

“Let the man work.”

Urmead was painting. His slow motions and distanced gaze made him look like he is in trance. Calmness transferred from him to his models. Soon, they were all surrounded by some warm tingling wrapper. It was separating them from the noisy world in an oasis of silence and giving them the blessings of distance. When you look from a distance everything look smaller, especially the problems. After he has applied the first layer of color artist searched for the message of his work in composition.

“Subito will ride his dog with scythe erected high in his hands. He will be in the center of composition. Light falls on him to show that he is the warrior of truth. Erected scythe is the symbol of potency and strength.

“Miratur will lean on her bow smelling rose bud showing her childish purity. Miratur will be on the Subito’s right side, under the protection of his scythe. Schnew will be next on the left, wielding two swords under the same light as Subito, light of justice and heroism.”

Schnew waved to interrupt him and said, “I don’t want a lie. When I was a renegade I used to lie a lot, but only to save my life. I learned to save my lies only for times when they are necessary. When you say I am a warrior of light that implies warriors on the other side are warriors of the dark. That is simply not the truth. What you perceive as light and what as dark depends on your point of view.

“I am sure warriors on the other side have many good reasons to see themselves as warriors of the light. That what is light for them is dark for me. I don’t, as most humans do, need an excuse to kill my enemies.

“When I say excuse, I am talking about the human need to depersonalize their opponents, making the monsters out of them. I will kill my enemy tomorrow, but I don’t have to offend him. Offending your opponents is for drunkards in bar brawls, not for knights in the war. Knight need to show his virtue by defeating worthy opponents. Knight who offends his enemy ends up offending himself.

“I think the main reason for degrading your enemies is fear. Fear of death and inability to accept that anything else but a monster could take your life. When I was in the woods I had no tomorrow. I was already dead. Every night I was sleeping next to killers. Every one of them was ready to kill his mother for a btari piece. I learned two things. First, I can trust only my knife, he is my best friend. Second, my life is worth only how much I am ready to protect it.

“Please, put me in shadow. I am a man of shadow not the light. I never saw the pure light and I don’t believe anyone ever had. I don’t even believe pure light exists.”

“Shadow it is. On your left side will be Alma looking at Subito with love.”

Alma blushed looking at the ground.

Subito said, “I am sure he was talking about motherly love. No need to feel uncomfortable”

Painter looked at them uncertainly and said, “Yes of course, motherly love. On the other side of the picture next to the Miratur would be Lillium with the same motherly look. She will ride her dog exposing her breasts as a sign of her motherhood and beauty.”

Schnew hissed, “I will eat the eyes of this pestilence and rape him in the holes. He just doesn’t give up.” Broad smile on his face assured the others he was just joking.

Lillium had a prepared answer, “Don’t worry. I will not expose my breasts.”

“In that case I will have to imagine them.” Painter sighed.

A hour later, group of soldiers marched into the studio.

Their leader announced in a strong voice, “We are envoys from the mayor. We are here to call you to his residence for negotiations.”

“Why would we need to negotiate with a mayor?”

“Your arrival here was not by lucky chance. The mayor and Wind Wizards decided to bring you here. We need help to resolve the gang problem in our town.”

Lillium’s gaze froze him in place. “You are the ones responsible for frightening us to death and setting us off our course?”

He mumbled, “You will be richly rewarded if…”

She interrupted him, “Our elders decided to give you an ultimatum. You will let us out of the twister or we will attack your city in a week.”

“There is no way I could persuade you to reconsider our offer?”

Schnew added, “Part about the award sounds good to me.”

“No! Decision was made. We need to go to war, not to waste our time collecting rewards.”

“We apologize for the inconvenience. You are free to continue your travel at any point. We never considered you to be our prisoners.” Confused and blushing, he backed out through the doors.

Lillium leaned to Urmead pushing few more btaris into his willing hands. “What can you tell me about weapons they wield?”

“I will tell you since I can’t say no to such a beauty. Your money is welcome in these hard times. I hope you will find me worthy of some position of rule, if our incompetent mayor forces your army to take the town.”

She nodded.

“Main weapons are scimitars and nets they throw on enemies. You saw iron ball attached on leather string hanging from their helmet. They use it as a mace by violently jerking it with swift movements of their head. Range weapons are bows made of wild deer antlers. In case of need those bows can also be used as slashing weapon when strings are removed. Cutting edges are of course strengthened with iron.”

“Dusk is near. We should go to our camp. Is your painting done?”

“It is half way done. I can paint the rest from my memory. I am sorry to say I will not do it tonight. Like any artist I am a hedonist. You provided me with the money. I think the best use for it will be found in most exquisite gambling houses and brothels this town has to offer.”

Schnew’s eyes shone. “Gamble houses and brothels you say? In that case I will have to ask you to be my guide. Lillium don’t look me like that. I will not go to brothels. I promise.”

“Why would I care where you go?” She went out and others followed her.

Schnew hugged the painter and said, “I think we will be very good friends.”

***

Melessar rode young dog down the muddy road. Rain soaked his clothes making them heavy. Every few minutes dog would shake the water off his fur. In the woods surrounding the road, leafs whispered softly.

He was alone on the road, but he felt like he is all alone in the world. His sword brother was somewhere out there and terrified. They could always feel fear and pain of each other.

Where to now? He already visited over eighty clan houses and more than a hundred and fifty stone readers. Still, he wasn’t one step closer to the solution than when he started this journey. On the backs of his dog there was already basket full of carved sticks, but he wasn’t able to read any of them. Black and white, one after the other, he even dreamed in black and white. He already spent all money Hremo gave him, and most of the money given by his uncle. Last night he had spent in the Lux clan house, and his uncle put few more coins in his hands. He was grateful, but it was enough to keep him on the road just for a couple more weeks.

Soon he will have to return to his job as a priest and leave his researches for spare time and holidays. I can visit at least seven or eight clan houses more during this month. If I only had enough patience not to start my research till winter, I could find all clan houses in one place, in the Gathering. With first signs of spring they are scattered all over the island.

New Gathering will come, I just need to wait a year. Maybe the snow will come earlier this year. Waiting is terrible. It’s like a death. You need to stop everything and do nothing, motionless, bored. I could take something new to work on, but I will lose focus on ancient alphabet and it will be even harder to resume work on it later.

Maybe I need some distance for a new approach. Focus on today and leave tomorrow for the next day. Today I am going to visit clan Tugika and that is what I am going to think about.

It was hard to do. He had no idea what to think about Tugika clan after such a long time. He hasn’t traveled this road often. Clan Peltreo hunting grounds were in the woods north of this road and west of Clan Lux hunting grounds. Some fifty years ago Melessar’s grandfather killed cousin of the leader of Peltreo clan. According to the stories he was caught hunting in Lux Clan hunting grounds and refused to surrender his prey.

Actually he was chasing the game in Yellow creek woods, and those were disputed lands between two clans since migration. Melessar researched the case in Temple libraries. Peltreo clan claimed these woods upon settling, but the king gave them to the leader of the Lux clan for his accomplishments in war against Utrikats. Soon enough disputes grown into the clan war. In those days Lux clan was much larger and they easily defeated Peltreo, but Peltreo never discarded their claim on Yellow creek woods Occasional skirmishes and murders continued. After the murder, his grandfather hid for some time amongst Hoz clans. He caught fever there and died. Blood was still between two clans.

That was the reason most members of Lux clan avoided this road. Melessar pulled on his hooded cape made of straw. There was a whole day of riding in front of him and rain had no intention to stop. Drop after drop she was hitting him. He almost dozed off when at the edge of his eye, he caught thin pillar of smoke rising toward the skies. Rising up on his dog he determined there has to be clan house in the valley not more than few hundred feet north of the road. There was too much of the smoke for traveler group or hunting party. Only clan house in this spot could belong to Peltreo clan.

He almost gave his dog a heel when one thought stopped him. I have to visit every clan, including Peltreo. Why not today? This way I can do two clans in one day, or die. He hasn’t even noticed when he turned his dog toward a smoke. Two guards emerged from the thicket after he made just a few steps, it seemed as they watched him for a long time. His stump of a hand was carefully hidden in his belt. In the other hand, he waved king’s order his uncle gave him.

“I want to see your baron! At once!”

“And who are you?”

“I am a man with a king’s order. Hurry up, now!”

One of them ran off toward the clan house, hidden in a valley overgrown with trees. Melessar was silently praying:

“Mindshifter...

“Awakened one amongst the sleepers. To be what I am, I had to escape nightmare of multitude. I can see trough the illusion of the mirror. It is broken. Shards look at eachother and see themselves but they think that they see something else.

“I am Voice from the Crowd. Hear me and you will know that you are a part of the Singularity. Understand me and you will remember that you are the Singularity."

Awkward silence between Melessar and other sentinel was not long. Arrival of baron Zanagahar and two warriors riding dogs has put an end to it. Melessar removed his hood.

“You…!”

Melessar waved king’s order. His life rested on that piece of parchment.

“I don’t like being here either, but king’s orders had to be respected.”

Zangahar squinted at the parchment for some time and then returned it to Melessar.

“You have the balls. I will admit you that. What do you want?”

Stone fell of Melessar’s heart, his little scam worked.

“I want to see the portrait of your ancestor.” Zangahar winked to one of his guardsmen. Melessar added, “And this document states I have the right to take fresh dog and meal in every clan house I visit.” Now he was admiring the size of his own balls.

Zangahar measured him up, “Bring him that too.” He stressed to his guard never moving eyes of the priest. “To eat our food will make you immune to our revenge. It is forbiden to kill a man you shared the bread with. Rest assured this will not save your cousins if I get my hands on them.”

“I know.” Melessar nodded.

They were silent till the guard returned. Melessar copied pattern of the scythe depicted on the painting. Then he exchanged his young dog for an old bitch, they brought for him and a package of food. He knew he got cheated for a dog, but he was not willing to push Zangahar any further. Let him have his little malice.

“I am done, thank you for your precious time.”

Zangahar smiled and turned to go home, but Melessar stopped him. “Just one more thing, do you happen to know the name of your ancestor?”

Zangahar was surprised by the question: “No I don’t. But only two names were given to boys in our family since anyone can remember. First is Zangahar and second one Musiul.”

After those words Melessar rode off down the road. After he make sure they can’t see him anymore, he jumped to the ground to piss behind the tree. He had to release his fear and tension.