After lunch, I picked up the knives from the weapon shop. My young master disguise didn’t let me string them across my chest, so Agath had to carry them for me, including the bone stilettos. The new hilts looked great, by the way, the artisans having used Ikfael’s figurine as a model.

It felt weird not to be armed, so after a couple of blocks, I reclaimed one of the new hunting knives to hang it from my belt. Given the rough nature of the city, that seemed appropriate enough.

After that, we made our way to Taakta, which was the financial and business district. Obviously, there were shops and artisans operating in the city’s other areas, for example the weapon shop in Geista, but Taakta was where the real money was made. The flow in animal and plant parts moved through the merchant families who resided there. Some were immediately turned into finished goods, while others were shipped to other cities where demand for animal and plant exotic parts was high.

The Alchemist’s Lodge was located south of the city’s pyramid, at the edge of the park adjacent to the land knight’s castle. The building was an imposing four floors tall and as wide as a warehouse. The roof was dotted with more chimneys than I could count from the street. Smoke streamed from them, but there was only a faint medicinal scent in the air.

From the stories I’d heard, I expected the smell to be much worse, but apparently the alchemists used magic to reduce the danger of pollutants reacting with each other, which in turn helped with not stinking up the neighborhood.

A couple of large double doors stood open, and inside it felt like a train station with a wide-open lobby complete with polished tile floor, wood paneling on the walls, and stained-glass windows. A bank of clerks was set to one side, and people queued in lines to talk to them.

Uncle Kila met us by the entrance, and walked us to another set of doors at the far end of the lobby. My ‘guards’ and I drew some looks as we went, but it wasn’t anything more than idle curiosity at seeing a wealthy customer getting special service.

And it was indeed special—the next room had rich carpets on the floor, silk-covered cushions, colorful paintings on the walls, and a pot of tea smelling of spiced walnuts steaming in the corner. A young man in white-and-gold robes had me sit, but asked for Agath and Moon to wait out in the lobby.

The attendant faded back, but only for the few minutes it took for my team to join me in the reception room. Then, the attendant left to announce our arrival. Kila had already arranged things, so all we had to do was enjoy the tea while we waited for the lodge’s representative. Meanwhile, the rest of my guards and the other hunters remained outside to keep an eye on the surrounding streets.

The tea tasted exactly like it smelled. The paintings were portraits of men and women in gold and white robes. I showed off my new knife, and Teila expressed interest in seeing Goost and Pleik’s weapon shop for herself. She’d been outside the whole time I’d been shopping.

In all, the wait was about half an hour—and our patience was running thin—when the door to the lodge’s interior finally revealed a woman in alchemists’ robes. She was in her thirties, with a heart-shaped face and bushy eyebrows. A thin stream of yellow spirit energy wove around her like a snake made of smoke.

Ereinwa the Alchemist (Human)

Talents: Her Chemical Romance, Sensitive Senses, Tolerant, Hidden Wastrel

Before I had a chance to think about her talents, Ereinwa plopped down a cushion. “I’m sorry for the delay, but the analysis took longer than expected.”

Uncle Kila took her informality in stride. “You have good news, I hope.”

“Yes and no,” she said. Her eyes were distracted as she glanced at the rest of us. “There is a treatment available that’s almost assured to work, but it requires a series of three different elixirs, each of which whose ingredients are rare and expensive.”

Mumu couldn’t help asking, “How rare and how expensive?”

Ereinwa looked apologetic. “Very and very.”

“Numbers please,” Kila said.

“Seven antaak per person for the full course of treatment.” Ereinwa massaged her knuckles, not seeming to realize she was doing it.

“Need I remind you,” Kila said, “that our Mulallamu here is the one who supplies the alchemists with eilesheile? If she is no longer able to safely traverse the wilderness...”

Ereinwa said, “We, of course, value highly this relationship. The eilesheile has been a great boon, and so we are willing to reduce the cost to six and half antaak per person.”

“What if were to source the ingredients ourselves?” I asked.

She frowned. “We'd never allow it. The formulations of the elixirs are secret.”

I’d never encountered the word for formulations before, but the meaning was obvious from context. And honestly, I understood the need for trade secrets. It was just that six and half gold coins was a lot. Doable, but a lot.

“We heard that golden slumber might help,” I said.

“I can’t comment on that,” Ereinwa said. Meanwhile, the thread of yellow surrounding her spirit contracted.

Haol leaned forward. “What about the time needed for the treatments? How long would it take?”

Ereinwa nodded. “A sensible question. We estimate five weeks to source the ingredients, and another two for the creation of the elixirs. Once the first is drunk, you must wait a week before the second, then two weeks before the third.”

“That’s ten weeks total,” Tegen said. “A hundred days. The Long Dark will have come and gone.”

“Will we be able to cast spells partway through the treatment?” Mumu asked. “If so, then we can still manage—”

Ereinwa shook her head. “Any active qi use before the treatment is done will cause the elixirs to ignite, damaging the meridians further. Perhaps irreparably.”

Damn it. There was another unknown word. I gestured to Teila, asking for help with the definition.

Then, the team asked about pausing the treatment partway, about options for speeding it up, about anything that might help restore Mumu and Tegen’s spellcasting before the Long Dark, but there were only roadblocks in response to each question.

It was, of course, good news that their meridians could be healed, but the timing was horrible. The village was especially counting on Mumu for the Long Dark. She had access to some powerful area-affect spells now that she was lodge master, but those spells depended on her being able to use both mana and qi.

We were in the lodge’s fancy reception room for a good while longer, with Uncle Kila steadily whittling down the cost of the treatments. He got it down to five and half antaak each, which Mumu could certainly afford. Tegen too, although it’d wipe out the bounties he’d earned from both the kalihchi bear and golden slumber.

Speaking of which, it was impossible not to notice how the yellow thread woven around Ereinwa’s spirit resembled the slumber’s influence. The faintest whiff of honey and ginger emanated from it.

She had the Sensitive Senses talent, so maybe she was vulnerable? Tolerant probably offered some resistance, but what about Her Chemical Romance and Hidden Wastrel? Did they help or hurt in this situation?

“Um, about the golden slumber—” I began.

Once again, the snake-like thread contracted around Ereinwa. “As I said before, I can’t comment on its usefulness.”

“I understand that. No, what I was wondering was when you'll finish processing it.”

“Four more days, maybe five.”

“We’d heard before that it was supposed to be three days,” I said.

Ereinwa looked aside. “These things often take longer than expected. If it’s the money you’re worried about, then we know enough now to set a valuation for the refined slumber components.”

“Actually, I was thinking we should sell the processed slumber elsewhere. I’m sure we can find a better price at one of the coastal cities.”

We were thinking no such thing, but Ereinwa didn’t know that. Her attention drilled into me, while the snake around her spirit constricted strongly. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Eight, a hunter of the Voorhei Hunter’s Lodge and apprentice to Mulallamu. I was the one who found the golden slumber, and have a triple share stake in it.”

“I see.” Ereinwa rubbed at her knuckles, and I noticed her eyes dilate slightly. “Our lodges are allied, but business is business, eh? It would be a shame if one affected the other.”

“That’s not my intent at all,” I said. “What I want to know is how much you crave the slumber.”

“Crave? That’s a strange word to use.”

“Not from what I can see,” I said.

Ereinwa frowned. “Are you suggesting I don’t know my craft?”

“I’ve experienced the power of the golden slumber’s addictiveness first hand, and know how even the slightest touch can be debilitating.” I reached over and gently moved her hands apart. There was a slight discoloration on the left’s middle knuckle. To my spirit eyes, it shimmered honey-gold.

“Hunters should focus on hunting,” Ereinwa said. “There’s nothing accidental in what I do.”

“So you purposefully exposed yourself to the slumber?” I asked, disbelieving. That stuff was just too powerful-horrifying-delicious... under its influence the effect on my attributes had been—ah, it’d boosted some, hadn’t it? And if there was a way to control the negative effects...

“We must test as part of the refinement process, and I’m the best at it in the whole lodge. My talents are unrivaled in that regard. You may not know it, but I have four and am not even dawn yet.”

That may have been true, but I’d met enough functioning addicts to recognize the signs, even without the peek at her spirit.

“I believe you, but just in case it’s ever helpful, there’s a spirit of the land near Voorhei who can perform a cleansing ritual. She was the one who cleared the golden slumber from my meridians.”

“That won’t be required.” Ereinwa waved my words away. “Now, if we can be serious, let’s arrange for the slumber’s sale, as well as the treatments for your Mulallamu and Integnei. We are all busy people.”

Well, I’d tried. A seed had at least been planted. Maybe she’d take advantage of the offer one day.

Leaning back, I listened as Uncle Kila negotiated the final price for the golden slumber. He really was quite good—always friendly but not afraid to reference my earlier threat of taking the sale elsewhere. The only hitch in the negotiations was my demand to keep the core, or at least the silverlight portion. I couldn’t actually afford to buy both the dark and silver.

The alchemists estimated the core to contain almost two thousand points of silverlight and over eight thousand darklight. The amounts shocked me, and represented a good chunk of the slumber’s overall value.

In the end, the total bounty was forty-four antaak. That was for everything except the golden slumber’s silverlight. Minus Kila’s cut, it came to thirty-one antaak for ten people, of which my share was about seven and a half antaak. None of which I’d get to keep.

The slumber’s silverlight was going to cost me nine antaak, effectively wiping out the bounty and everything I had on me. At least this time I didn’t have to borrow too much from my teammates—just a handful of eltaak to make up the difference.

“When will the silverlight be ready?” I asked.

“The core’s been stabilized for weeks,” Ereinwa said. “I can get it for you now.”

After she'd left, I passed over all of my money to Mumu, including the antaak I had strapped to my back. I felt a bit naked afterward, but the money was being put to good use.

While we waited, Mumu and Tegen debated the treatment for their perforated meridians. The timing was thorny, and they sounded like they were seriously considering Yuki as a solution. I hoped so anyway.

Ereinwa came back about twenty minutes later carrying a wooden bowl. Inside were four walnut-sized pieces of shimmering silveright. The color looked a bit duller than usual, but she assured me it was the result of the stabilization process and wouldn’t impact the silverlight’s efficacy.

That was another new word. Efficacy.

My stomach fluttered as I gazed at the silverlight. I was a bit nervous about what I’d experience from the golden slumber, but there was so much potential present in the silverlight—I felt the desire for it in my belly and in my bones.

I licked my lips and glanced around the circle of people watching. My teammates looked excited on my behalf. Even Ereinwa watched with interest.

“I’ve never seen so much absorbed at once,” Tegen said.

“Just the last time with the kalihchi bear’s core,” Mumu said.

Teila practically vibrated. “What are you waiting for? Go on! Go on!”

“Here goes—” But before I touched the first piece, the silverlight dissolved into a vapor that streamed into my hand.

###

All around me was a desolate plain. The sky was tobacco-tan and hemmed along the bottom by mountains, like a wide skirt. A dry breeze swirled my hair.

I smelled the color green, and turned to see a field of grass behind me. Slowly, as if time didn’t exist in the place, the field expanded inch by inch. As I stood there watching, I thought that maybe in a year or two, it’d likely reach where I stood.

Walking toward the grass, I noted the pale, bleached bones embedded in the ground. Somehow, I knew they were catalysts for the field’s growth, their essence leached to feed its expansion.

The ground dimmed as a cloud passed overhead, the whole valley going dark. It wasn’t a cloud, however. Looking up, I saw the underside of the Deer God as he passed, disinterested as always.

There was the feeling of eternity all around me. Of the cycle of life and death. Of lingering in the world long enough to see through both.

###

I opened my eyes and found Mumu looking down at me with concern. “Everything all right?”

My meridians felt like scalding water was running through them, and Yuki was casting Cold Snap just to get the air-aspected mana running through me to cool them down. My skin cycled between frosting and defrosting.

The two of us worked together to brake the mana and qi flowing through my meridians, which helped too. It took a good ten minutes, though, before I felt mostly normal again.

I had a couple of notifications, but first, I had to reassure my team. “That was intense. There was even a hallucination, but I’m all right now.”

Mumu helped me sit up. “That can happen, or so I’ve heard. It’s particularly true if there’s a relationship between the hunter and the hunted.”

“Ah, you’ve mentioned it before: light is more effective when it’s absorbed by the person who killed the beast.”

“Because their souls are linked,” Mumu said.

“Well,” Haol interrupted. “Don’t keep us waiting. Did you gain anything?”

The two notifications read as follows:

2,151 silverlight gathered. 1,936 absorbed.

Poison Arts increased from 4 to 5.

I now had 5,844 total silverlight, and only needed 906 more to reach Level 5. In fact, if I had just another five antaak, I could buy my way into becoming dawn. Or I could go on another big hunt. That’d be much more satisfying; there was nothing else quite like the slow, patient chase and the thrill at the end. I sighed at the thought, and my breath misted in the air.

There were additional changes besides the ones listed in the notifications. When I checked my Status, I saw:

Strength 9/10

Constitution 10

Agility 10

Intelligence 15

Wisdom 15

Spirit 16

Charm 11

Luck 13/14

My Spirit had been 15/16, but absorbing the silverlight had helped the attribute complete its growth to 16. And my Luck was now 13/14, meaning I was on my way to gaining a new point in the attribute.

I’d never had that happen from absorbing silverlight before, but I knew it was possible. Just like with skills, if the path was paved with hard work, light could trigger an extra push.

The news thrilled my team. Teila danced, and the rest sang for me, clapping along with the words. Even amidst the lodge's troubles, we continued to grow.

###

That night, I gifted Ikfael with the two stilettos I’d purchased from Goost and Pleik’s weapon shop. I thought it was a nice touch that we both now had two each, and her spirit glowed as a result. Not as much as I hoped or expected, though, and it was becoming clear to me that one person’s gifts weren’t enough. The whole village might need to contribute.

I cooked dinner for her—a frittata with mushrooms, greens, and venison sausage—and watched her wolf it down. I shared in the meal too, just to keep her company. My belly was full, though, from an earlier celebration with my team.

They also watched Ikfael eat, although much more wide-eyed than me. The otter had gotten used to having them around while she was in the figurine, and told them not to bother with making other sleeping arrangements.

Mumu was already a regular visitor to the Glen, and the others had all proven helpful or interesting in one way or another. Honestly, I also wondered if she’d just gotten bored, and wanted additional company.

So we stayed up late talking and telling stories. Mumu and Haol even danced, which we sang along to. I didn’t know the words, but they were simple enough to remember after hearing them a couple of times. That led to more songs, and it warmed my heart to see my friends all getting along. Ikfael especially seemed to find something special in the camaraderie. It was really sweet to see.

Now, if only they’d accept Yuki, everything would be perfect.

###

It was late by the time the adults fell asleep. And even though Ikfael had snoozed all day inside the figurine, she was tuckered out by the impromptu party and managed to sleep some more. It was only Teila and I awake at end. The day’s excitement hadn’t quite let us go.

Teila rolled over and, fingers twisting around each other, she asked, “Eight, would you like to try kissing?”

She was nine, and would be turning ten after the Long Dark. That was how ages worked in this world: everyone was considered a year older after surviving it. Still, we were too young, and I told her so.

“Then when?” she asked. “What’s the right age?”

I thought back to my kids and the troubles Helen and I had weathered when they were teens. Confidently, I answered. “Twenty-five.”

“That’s so old!” Teila protested.

I shook my head. “Not as much as you think.”

“Mumu’s kissing, and she’s only twenty-three.”

“Mumu’s also the lodge master. Will you be the lodge master at that age?”

“Don’t say such a thing. It would mean our Mumu was dead.”

“Sorry, I was just trying to make a point.”

“Well, point elsewhere,” Teila said, “not at Mumu.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

“So, when—”

“There’s lots of time before that question needs to be answered.”

I was counting on it. My body was young enough that I didn’t need to worry about puberty yet, thank the gods. The day would come, though. I’d also have to eventually think about marrying again.

It was something my friends back in Portland had regularly nudged me about. I’d even gone on a few dates, but it’d been difficult finding someone I’d love as much as Helen. A part of me had known that I wasn’t giving the process a real chance, that it was unrealistic to expect the same level of connection on a first date as a lifetime of marriage. There was nothing fair about matters of the heart, though. I’d just assumed I’d be a bachelor widower for the rest of my life, and that exactly what had happened.

But could I stay that way for a whole second life? Even surrounded by family and loved ones, it’d be a long time to be without a partner and best friend.

What do you think, Yuki?

We know you. Your heart is big enough for us all, but Ollie/Eight will need to find someone eventually.

It just feels weird; the whole idea does.

Teila scooted closer to peer into my eyes. “You’re talking to Yuki, aren’t you?” When I nodded, she then asked, “Do you think I can say hello?”

“But you’re not supposed to take Yuki in,” I said. “No one on the team is; that’s why Mumu and Tegen are in a bind, after all. Unless you’re thinking of testing it out for them...”

Teila shrugged. “A little, but I’m also curious. I can see you having fun with Yuki. Sometimes you smile for no reason, or look deep in thought, your brows wrinkling like an old man.” She giggled.

The problem was that Mumu and Kesa had made it clear that it’d be best for Yuki to stick to my family alone. If news got out, people might worry, especially if the uekisheile appeared to be spreading.

Yuki had been, of course, disappointed, but by then they’d gone through enough of the books and movies in my head to understand the fear of being mind controlled. They were as fond of my team as I was, but willing to settle for interacting with them using me as an intermediary.

If Teila wanted to go against the lodge leaders’ decision, then she’d best do it when she had a better understanding of the consequences.

Maybe one day, I thought.

We hope so, Yuki answered.

“Not yet,” I said aloud.

“Too young again?” Teila asked, looking let down.

“Yes and no,” I said, and took the time to explain more: about how a decision as big as this one required adult sensibilities, about the potential perception problem, and the lack of privacy inherent with having Yuki in your body. Throughout, she remained interested-curious-attentive.

Afterward, she said, “It makes me sad to wait to meet someone so important to you and your family, but I will.”

“I appreciate—”

“But there’s nothing in what you said about not kissing.”

“That’s different—”

“And I’ve seen others our age, a little older, kissing. It’s not just Mumu and Haol.”

“I’m sure you have—”

“So we should, just to see what it’s like. Aren’t you interested? You’re the most curious person I know; I can’t imagine that you’re not. Unless you’re already kissing someone else in the village?”

“You’re very stubborn,” I said.

“I have to be,” Teila said, “to get what I want. And you haven’t answered my question.”

I shook my head in disbelief. There were assassins after me, the lodge was in trouble, we had injured members on our team, and this was the conversation I was having. “I’m not kissing anyone.”

“I thought so.”

Her spirit was open and mostly easy to read. The professed curiosity was visible, as was a certain playfulness, but folded underneath was a sense of... obligation.

“Where is this coming from?” I asked.

She asked back, “Can’t I just be curious? Mumu looks like she enjoys kissing.”

I grinned. “She does, doesn’t she? But it seems to be more than that.”

Teila sighed. “Your eyes are a blessing, but they make it hard to hide things.”

“You’re my hunt sister. You don’t need to hide anything from me, do you?”

“Only not to burden you,” Teila said. “My parents want us to marry.”

“Ah.”

“And I thought... I don’t know what I thought. Just that Mumu and Haol like to kiss, so I thought we could try it, and maybe we’d like it too.”

“I see.”

“Are you mad?” Teila asked. “I know you don’t like to think about marriage. Bee and Ali have worked hard to keep the other children in line so that they don’t bother you.”

“Who? What?”

Teila’s spirit brightened. “Billisha and Aluali, and they call me Tei. They are our names for each other.”

“And they’ve been dissuading the other village kids from pursuing me as a marriage prospect?”

“I’ve helped too. There were a couple of stubborn ones that needed extra pressure.” Teila snickered. “That’s how Bee described it.”

I knew that my kids had become pack leaders to some of the village children, but this was news me.

They didn’t want to bother you with it, Yuki said.

So you kept it from me too?

At their request. It seemed the right thing to do—what you’d do in our situation: keep people’s secrets as long they don’t hurt anyone. Otherwise, the people we love may not want us in them.

I— Well, that was a lot to process at once: apparently, I hadn’t been as in the know as I’d thought. Which was annoying, but also normal. Even after they’d become adults, Alex and Daniel hadn’t shared everything they’d done or gone through when they were teens.

No matter how much you want to protect your kids, it was just something you had to live with as a parent. It was impossible to know or control everything. Your kids had their own desires and agendas. You could do your best to make sure they had solid foundations—that they knew right from wrong and how to navigate through life—but in the end, their choices were their own.

And Billisha and Aluali’s efforts had helped. It was nice not to be pestered about marriage every time I went for a walk in the village.

There was something else though. Now that I was looking, Teila’s spirit shimmered whenever she talked about... Bee and Ali, was it? The nicknames didn’t feel right for me. There was closeness to them that seemed reserved for the three kids.

“You like Billisha and Aluali,” I said to Teila.

She blushed and looked away, but didn’t deny it.

“But you still asked to kiss me.” I sighed, and shook my head. “You’re a good daughter, Teila, but you don’t need to be that good. Don’t let your parents’ goals overwhelm your own.”

A hope glimmered from deep within her spirit. “You wouldn’t be opposed to me courting Bee and Ali?”

Because I’d adopted them, I’d considered my kids siblings to each other, but that wasn’t how society viewed them. There was a separate family category for non-blood relations—

“Wait, you want to marry both?”

“Mmm.” Teila nodded. Then, she braced her spirit like she was getting ready to face a lion. “And I’d be willing to join your family. I wouldn’t steal them from you.”

Oh gods, her parents wouldn’t like that—not one bit. Teila was the rising star of their family. For her to abandon them for mine would be... dramatic. The talk of the village for years.

The implications rolled through my mind until I got to a part that hung me up. “My kids like each other in that way?”

They do, Yuki responded.

“They always have,” Teila said. “Even before they were captured by bandits.”

“How did I not know that?”

Teila shrugged, but Yuki said, You have expectations for how a family behaves, and the kids want to please you.

Why didn’t you tell me? I understand about keeping secrets, but this—this could’ve hurt them.

Yuki’s qi sank. They wouldn’t let me. We explained and explained how we knew you’d understand, but they were desperate not to distract you from your hunts, your training, everything.

But they would’ve told me eventually, right? It was just a matter of timing?

Yuki hesitated. Maybe.

Damn, damn, and damn. Thank the gods I’d learned of the situation before it was too late. I needed to talk with Billisha and Aluali, but... I should slow down. This isn’t an emergency, no matter how much it feels like one. A talk could wait until I got back to the village, so that it’d be face-to-face.

“Eight, are you well?”

I roused from my thoughts to see Teila looking worried. “Yes. It’s just you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“You’re not upset with me?”

“No, of course not. A hunter prizes truth above all things, and that’s what you’ve given me.”

“I’m relieved,” she said with a sigh.

“Did... did you have this—” I gestured broadly “—did you have this all in mind when you asked about kissing?”

Teila ducked her head, hiding it under her arms. “My parents have been pushing, my mother asking how things are going. I felt... I was confused, but also needed to know.”

“And now you do. When the time comes, I’ll let the three of you pursue a relationship.”

“I’m glad,” Teila said, the relief spreading through her spirit.

“You do realize, though, that you’ll need to wait until you’re older.”

The relief halted. “Until when?”

“Twenty-five,” I said, resolute.

“That’s forever from now.”

“It’ll only feel that way.”

“I’ll be so old,” she said.

“Not as old as you think,” I said.

“Can’t we talk about this? You like talking, right?”

“Nope, I’ve made up my mind.” I turned over, and showed her my back. “Good night, Teila. Have a good rest.”

“We’re not done talking,” she said. “Eight? Eight!”