The weeks flew by and fall faded into the first grips of winter. After such a wild and event-filled welcome to the Wind Bones, Kellen appreciated a routine developing in his life. The shadow of the totem's curse, as it was known still loomed over all of them. Rumors ran rampant about the events surrounding the cavern opening and the appearance of the Storm Horse herself. But when the totem failed to collapse or any other apocalyptic signs failed to materialize, life in the gathering resumed a somewhat normal pace, at least to Kellen, who had never know a difference.

The regular attacks by wild Mana Beasts, the unpredictable storms and other minor dangers were apparently new to the Wind Bones. Now that the Great Horse Totem no longer exuded its mana aura in the surrounding lands, the rain, wind and snow seemed to hit harder and the wild Mana Beasts grew bolder, even with the large number of Beastcallers patrolling the vast perimeter of the congregated camps.

Following the stir, Tama had little choice but to enter Gray Dawn into the service of the Goroshu Tribe. Whether it was out of pity or another unexplained motive, Watanee still agreed to sheltering Gray Dawn even after the events of the cavern branded them as trouble. Shani, Kellen, Vex, and Inferi were put to work on patrol duty.

It was either that or face the chance of being driven off from the Wind Bones entirely. Word had gotten around about Kiypu, Shani and Kellen, including their oddities, from Kiypu being dead, to Shani's Mana Beast having a different mana attunement, and the general mystique of Kellen, the spirit traveler Beastcaller. Whenever they went out, Kiypu wore the hood over his poncho and had purchased a mask in the market area to cover his face. Kellen also wore his hood up, though it didn't stop the stares and whispering. Many seemed to think the trio had caused the entire failing of the totem, even though the initial storm occurred weeks before they ever arrived.

No more wild Mana Beasts had come out of the cavern beneath the totem. Eventually, the Storm Horse Elders grew bold enough to enter the cavern. Only rumors persisted about what they’d found but all agreed that mysterious veil across the cavern weakened a Beastcaller’s power. However, the weaker the Beastcaller, the slower the effect, they discovered. Groups of Guardians and Chieftains soon entered the tower in exploration parties. What they found inside, according to secondhand accounts and hearsay, was a complicated maze of mana traps, puzzles, obstacles and various wild Mana Beasts ascending higher and higher into the Great Horse totem, just as Coyote Lady predicted.

The totem, or at least the bottom levels of the totem climbing up the horse’s legs, were divided into levels or planes as the explorers called them. Through defeating the totem’s hostile inhabitants and other methods, the climbers had passed through three such levels. No one knew how many there were in total or how difficult the higher areas might be.

The rewards were rare Mana Beast remains, powerful artifacts and more. Each tribe or band lucky enough to have a climber or climbers enter the totem received a small fortune if they came back out. And it was “if”. Several Beastcallers and Mana Beasts had been killed in the attempts to explore the totem, often out of nowhere from surprise attacks or traps.

When he learned about the Storm Horse Beastcallers entering the totem, Kellen felt a mix of regret and relief. On one hand, it seemed he had indeed thrown away his only chance of entering the totem, as he and Shani were at the bottom of the barrel among the Storm Horse Beastcallers in terms of renown and favor. Kellen doubted Watanee wanted him, Kiypu or Shani anywhere near the totem even if they had been strong enough to contribute.

He couldn’t help but wonder what opportunities he and Vex might have missed out on by passing on the primeval’s offer.

The totem entrance remained under heavy guard, though, and only those selected by the Elders were allowed inside. When he and Shani had gone to watch a group of Beastcallers enter, the guards had immediately caught sight of them and hadn’t taken their eyes off them the whole time they’d watched the party enter the cavern.

Once things had calmed down, the Paragons Onaka and Winoyah summoned Kiypu several times, always alone. Kiypu returned from these visits frustrated and irritable. After one such interrogation, Kellen, Vex, Shani and Inferi returned from patrol duty and learned that Kiypu had apparently buried himself in the ground in his tent and refused to speak with anyone or come out.

“I do not know what the Paragons hope to gain from him, but I think he will break before he gives it to them—if he even knows the answers they seek,” Nokom said.

“It is time you told him what happened in the tomb,” Ira said to Kellen. “It may not help but he should know.”

Kellen nodded, knowing the flying coyote was right. Since the events around the totem and Coyote Lady’s offer, he’d thrown himself into his training whenever he wasn’t on patrol work for the Goroshu Tribe. It’d been an easy escape to avoid the situation with Kiypu.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Shani asked.

“No,” he said. “Accident or not, we caused this. We should be the ones to speak with him.”

“Maybe just walk by a few times,” Vex added. “Just in case he’s trying to suck out our memories.”

They made their way to Kiypu’s tent, which of course was also Kellen, Vex, and Professor Gates’s tent. Kellen paused outside. “Hello?”

Nobody answered. Since settling into a more normal role, the professor had spent all the time he could at the market, listening to whoever would talk to him about the most mundane aspects of life from whatever nations happened to be around and willing to indulge him. To Kellen’s disappointment, neither he nor the professor had been able to speak with the Vinderlings. They’d left as soon as the wild Mana Beasts attacked from beneath the totem and didn’t seem likely to return.

After waiting a few more moments, Kellen pulled back the tent flap, allowing Vex inside before he followed. The floor was empty of anything but their personal items, save for a slightly mounded area that might have been a freshly dug grave. Shakraa sat on top, pecking at the dirt. When she saw them, she let out a welcoming caw.

“Friends!”

A moment later, the ground trembled and Kiypu’s tasseled hat appeared, following by the rest of his upper body. He sat like this, hands above the ground as if he were chilling in a hot tub, rubbing dirt out of his ruby eyes.

“Greetings, little brother,” the mummy said. “Back from patrol so soon?”

“Yep.” Kellen hesitated, then pushed on when Kiypu didn’t offer further conversation. “Nokom told me you weren’t talking to anyone.”

“I came back to do some thinking,” Kiypu said, nestling down in the ground a bit more and putting his hands behind his head to recline against. “I have done enough talking. That is all anyone wants to do is talk.”

Kellen was tempted to excuse himself and leave the mummy alone to some peace and quiet. He forced himself to stay where he was, knowing it wasn’t fair to put this off any longer.

“Kiypu, there’s something we need to tell you,” Kellen began.

“Before you awakened in the tomb we accidentally found a mana stone and accidentally exploded it and all of the mana escaped which was probably what caused you to wake up but it was also the mana stone with all of your stored memories in it and we’re sorry.”

Kellen turned, wide-eyed to Vex, who’d just blurted the whole thing out like a forced confession.

“That… that about sums it up,” he said. “We really are sorry. We never meant to destroy it.”

Kiypu stared at the far wall of the tipi for a long moment while Shakraa flapped her wings and cawed in irritation. “Idiots!”

Kellen was starting to get worried that they really might be in for a brain leeching when the mummy spoke. “Doesn’t matter, little brother.”

“Say what?” Vex asked.

“It does matter,” Kellen said, no feeling relieved at all. “You’ve been struggling this whole time, and it’s our fault.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kiypu repeated. “In fact, I probably owe you my thanks. If you hadn’t broken that mana stone, I may have never reawakened. And if I hadn’t, I couldn’t have guided you to the cultist chamber or have taken Shakraa back from that slaver.”

“Huh,” Vex said. “Those are valid points. So basically, we’re heroes?”

“I would say you are lucky fools but the results are the same,” Kiypu said. “There are many things I don’t know: why I was able to come back to life, how Shakraa could be stolen after I’d died, why I was in that chamber and many, many more things about my past. My mind is like a blanket rotted from age and full of holes. But the one thing I am certain of is this: there is a purpose I have to yet to fulfill for the Wild Mother. A task I must accomplish. So no, there is nothing to forgive.”

Kellen felt a little better. The chat had gone better than he’d possibly imagined but it still didn’t wash away his guilt. “What do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces of many things,” Kiypu said. “I was married, I think. I do not know if we had children. I remember being sent away from the Earth Badger Empire for a time in my youth—somewhere to train as a Beastcaller, I think. The mana workings are all instinct that has come back to me much like walking and talking. I am not certain how I speak the same tongue as these Storm Horse people, what they called the trader language. In the back of my mind, I know there is something important waiting for me. If only I could…”

“Missing!” Shakraa added.

The mummy trailed off with a shake of his head. “And then there is the fear that I cannot tell what is true in my own mind. The Paragons and Watanee think I am keeping some great secret about the totem but from the time I was surrounded by the sphere of storm mana until I awakened in the cavern, everything is black. Even Shakraa can recall nothing.”

“Empty!” Shakraa croaked. “Mystery!”

“And she doesn’t believe you,” Kellen concluded.

“There is much unknown among the Storm Horse right now,” Kiypu said. “The unknown breeds fear. What is happening with this totem, I cannot tell, though I think this is far from the end of surprises, little brother. Far from the end.”