When Yuki let Mumu know of Xefwen’s departure, she replied that the team was investigating the trail left by the Maltrans. Doing that work now would save Silasenei time later, speeding up the pursuit. Her instructions to me were to stay at the pool and call when the grandmaster arrived.

At first, the time passed interminably. I hid the silverlight we’d gathered earlier, then practiced some yoga to make sure my body stayed limber and meditated a while to center myself after the emotional buffeting I’d experienced. After that, I just tinkered a bit, carving a couple new thumb rings used in the hunters’ style of archery. They helped ease the strain on the thumb during the draw, but I found that they tended to expand and contract depending on the season. Having a variety on hand helped to make sure there was always one that fit perfectly.

One of the new thumb rings was going to be carved from an elk’s antler, the other from a kalesk’s jaw bone. I already owned a few made from leather, hickory, and oak. Not that a ring was required, but it eased the strain during extended practice sessions and during the Long Dark.

Eventually, I was able to focus on the work, and the time started to slip by in earnest. The trickiest part was getting just the right amount of lip on the ring for the bowstring to rest against during the draw.

After about three hours, Mumu and the others returned to the pool. They briefed me on what they’d found—constant vigilant retreat from the Maltrans, followed by a pause to reorient, and then further travel. During the pause, the Maltrans must’ve also treated their wounds, because there were no further blood signs afterward, and their tracks steadied. The new direction appeared to be more northerly. There was a lake up that way and some hills, west of a village called Voorheita.

That aligned with what I sensed from my Prey of the Hunter spell, and I kept tabs on their progress off and on until suddenly the magic just cut out. There was a kind of snap to the feeling, like the connection rebounded to smack me in the chest.

I’d been told that there was no range limitation on Prey of the Hunter, so the spell breaking must’ve been the Maltrans’ doing. They’d been stopped for a while when it happened, and I’d assumed it was to rest, but maybe it was for a ritual instead? Or they’d traveled to a cache with the tools they’d needed to dispel any tracking or divination magics that had been cast on them.

It was unfortunate news, but not terrible. Two of the best trackers in the region were present at the Glen—Mumu and me.

About an hour before dusk, Silasenei finally showed up, and not just her either—Land Knight Ithia was with her, along with a team of hunters and two teams of land soldiers. I’d heard a whisper from Leilu saying there were multiple strangers entering his territory, so we weren’t as surprised we would’ve been otherwise. Still, it was like a damn parade—all the high and mighty just coming to visit.

We bowed as the land knight strode into the Glen. Normally, any visitors were to be received at the shrine, but the Albei hunters wanted to examine the battle signs for themselves. Ithia and Silasenei didn’t budge either, overseeing the investigation directly. And man oh man, there was a righteous fury in both their eyes.

The one good thing was that Ithia didn’t use her influence on me. Don’t get me wrong; she grilled me good, prying as much detail out of me as she could, but she trusted me to tell the truth without coercion. No, what was interesting was Silasenei’s influence.

My Status had remained clear throughout the briefing, yet I noticed a telltale distortion—a feeling that was becoming increasingly familiar. In Silasenei’s case, her influence was even fainter and more subtle than Xefwen’s, but I did manage to pick up on… an eeriness. The more I focused on it, the more it felt sharp and observant, like the shadows themselves were watching me.

I supposed it wasn’t surprising given her talents:

> Silasenei the Grandmaster of the Hunter’s Lodge (Human, Silvered)

> Talents: Born Hunter, Knife Friend, Persistent Survivor, Ear for Trouble, Shadow-Touched, The Hidden Piece

> Nascent: Web of Shadows

May Theloc and his crew get everything they deserve, I thought.

Ithia and Silasenei only stayed for about half an hour. They’d pumped me for information, had their hunters read the signs closely, and then took off to the north, moving quickly. We’d offered to go with them, but they declined without giving us an explanation. Well, maybe the hunters with them could also be considered to be talented.

By unspoken agreement, my team and I waited until Leilu passed the word that they’d gone past his territory before sighing to the ground in the relief.

All of sudden, Snow appeared beside me, urging me to pet her, which I did vigorously. The scratches were therapeutic to the both of us.

Teila came over to add her own pets. She said, “Our grandmaster frightens me.”

“As well she should,” Tegen replied.

“That’s it then; there’s nothing else for us to do,” Haol added.

“We’ll stay the night, then head back to Voorhei in the morning,” Mumu said.

“Do you think we can watch a movie?” Teila asked me, looking up.

But I shook my head in reply. “It’s been a long, difficult day for our Ikfael. I don’t believe she’s up for it.”

All the hunters looked crestfallen at the news. Each one had gotten hooked on watching the water plays. The movies had developed quite a lot over the years, with Moonlight providing the backgrounds with his illusions and Leilu doing the sound. The last movie they’d done was an adaption of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, except we’d had to turn the protagonists into rebels fighting against the Paramount Empire of Conjuncted Maltra. There were no such thing as charming, roguish bandits in the villagers’ eyes, and the tensions between our two countries had ratcheted up enough that they made for easy villains.

Disappointed, the hunters grabbed their gear to retire to the guest rooms at the shrine. There were two that could be used by pilgrims or hunters staying overnight. Technically, there was also a shrine keeper’s room and an underground safe room too, but those were mostly used for storage these days. Care had been taken so that the recent additions looked like they’d always been a part of the shrine.

I saw my team off before retiring to the cave behind the waterfall. It’d also been built out over the years and was still the place I slept most comfortably. I thought I might toss and turn while, my thoughts whirling, but the sound of the falls could be heard even through the walls we’d built. They lulled me to sleep in no time.

###

In my dreams that night, Yuki and I reviewed our encounter with Maltrans, as well as the aftermath in its entirety. We went through the whole thing a couple times through, but didn’t notice anything new or different. Then, getting up in the morning, I saw that the dinner I’d left out by the pool had vanished overnight. Ikfael had grabbed her share.

The sun wasn’t quite up yet—the sky a rosy blush to the east. The air was brisk and damp; an early breeze chilling me and raising goosebumps along my arms. It was a perfect morning for a fire and a bowl of smoky grits with bacon and eggs on top.

The shrine had a stove I used sometimes, but for the smoky flavor I wanted, the grits needed to be cooked over a campfire. So, I got one started and waited a while for the flames to build. In the meantime, I caught sight of Haol moving around the perimeter to search for threats that might’ve moved into the area overnight. These days, the Glen was about as protected a spot as you’d find in the woods, but the hunters had their ways that they stuck to religiously.

Snow arrived to let me know that she hadn’t found anything during her own rounds, so I whistled an all clear, which Haol acknowledged with a wave. I signed that I was making breakfast, which he also noted before continuing his circuit, moving to the area above the cliff. From upstream of the waterfall, a wolf howled. There were no whispers from Leilu either. Their territory was also clear of threats this morning.

It had ended up being a quiet night. Hopefully, it’d be as quiet a day. The previous had been eventful enough.

When the grits were done, I ladled out a bowl for Ikfael, then covered it with chopped bacon and a raw egg. It sat steaming by the pool’s edge while I carried the rest of the pot to the shrine.

Haol must’ve returned from his patrol, because they’d left the gate open for me. Inside the small courtyard, the hunters were finishing their preparations to head to home. They trooped back inside the shrine for breakfast, though. The hunters grabbed their bowls and migrated to their favorite spots, sitting out in the main area in front of the wooden statue of Ikfael. A handful of colorful wildflowers lay at her feet.

The grits were good, if I do say so myself, and the mundanity of talking through the day’s plans with my team helped soothe the anxiety in my gut. We needed to figure out whether I was staying at the Glen or heading to Voorhei along with them. As of yesterday, there’d still been no word about where the race for Old Baxteiyel’s treasures would begin—no surprise given that the race’s organizer had just been here at the Glen.

Still, Aslishtei’s nieces expected our team to stick close by so that they could be ready for when the location was revealed. A delay of a few hours—the time it’d take me to hike from the Glen to Voorhei—should be okay though, since our goal wasn’t to actually win the race. That all made sense to me; the tricky part was somehow convincing Ikfael to also come along to Old Baxteiyel.

While trapped within the Gloominess of Forgotten Memories, Heleitia had said that Ikfael also needed to make the journey. Now, I wasn’t the stonewater serpent’s biggest fan at that moment, but she’d told me that as part of an exchange, an exchange specifically to help Ikfael. Whether we were arguing or not, I wouldn’t let that opportunity pass.

My team sensed my preoccupation and chatted around me, giving me the space needed to ponder in depth. They helped themselves to seconds, then cleaned up the dishware afterward, tidied the space, and swept the floors. When they were done, the shrine was ready for the next pilgrim’s use.

As for me, I figured I could rely on it being Heleitia’s advice to convince Ikfael to go with us. If that didn’t work, I’d ask for an exchange. Well, I’d probably have to do that either way. To date, the only freebie I’d ever received from Ikfael was when she’d saved my life from an assassin.

Saving my life had cost her something tremendous, her spirit diminishing to a frightening degree. It hadn’t been until she’d later made her own exchange with Leilu that things truly started to recover. The great egret had somehow “healed” the wound that had been inflicted by Ikfael’s unbalanced action.

So, I planned to stay in the Glen to reconcile with my dear friend and to convince her to journey with us to Old Baxteiyel. Yet, little did I know, the stars were already in motion.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

As my team and I passed through the shrine’s gate, we caught sight of one of the biggest moose I’d ever seen. The cow was over six feet tall and surely weighed close to fifteen hundred pounds. Her fur was patchy from molting her winter coat, which was why I didn’t catch on right away that some of the stuff hanging from her body was dead moss. Tufts of green were starting to grow along with the new coat. Oh damn.

Mumu and the others caught on just I did. They promptly bowed and so did I, triggering my Status camera as I bent over.

> Aetheleita (Spirit of the Land, Dawn)

> Talents: One With the Trees, Nature’s Protector, Strong Back, Hard-Won Insight

The spirit paused briefly to examine us before continuing on away from the Glen; she seemed to be circling the shrine to look it over. Her territory was supposed to be to the north and east, so she’d likely head that way afterward. Assuming that things were normal, which they clearly weren’t.

“Why is Aetheleita here?”

I must’ve spoken the question aloud, because Mumu whispered, “The Maltran threat must be greater than we assumed.”

We held our bow until the moose was out of sight. From Ikfael, I’d heard that she was friendly but protective. That I should be respectful if I should ever happen to meet her. Of course, I’d passed that tip along to my team too. We rarely traveled through her territory, but for a hunter information was life, and we did our best to make room for “just in case.”

It looked like Aetheleita had come from the direction of the pool, so once she was gone, I dashed that way with the rest of the team behind me. There, at the pool’s edge, we found Leilu consulting with Ikfael, the two spirits looking like they’d just come out of an important business meeting. They appeared to be just finishing up.

These days, my team was relatively informal with Ikfael and Leilu—we ate and watched movies together—but since we’d just bowed to Aetheleita, it would’ve been incredibly rude not to bow to them too.

Leilu gave us an acknowledging nod before winging away to the west where his wolves denned. After a moment’s consideration, Ikfael waved us closer.

“Did something happen overnight?” I asked her, worried. She looked healthy, almost rosy even, but the only other time I’d seen the three spirits of the land together was in my dreams. For them to actually come together in real life, the situation must be even more serious than I’d thought.

“The spirits Leiluminwei, Aetheleita, and I have entered into a joint exchange,” Ikfael signed. “The others will watch over and protect my territory while I am away.”

My heart felt like it stopped. A pit started to open in my belly. “Y—you’re leaving?”

“To go with you,” Ikfael signed, including the whole team in her gestures.

The pit closed, and my heart started beating again. I needed a breath or two to find my words again

In the meantime, Mumu said, “We’re honored, of course, but you don’t need to travel with us to go to Voorhei. You’re welcome there anytime.”

“Not just to Voorhei,” Ikfael signed. “To Old Baxteiyel.”

The reply surprised Mumu. “Like when you came with us to hunt Borba the Murderer? Can I ask why?”

“That information is not available for exchange,” Ikfael signed, “but your Eight knows the reason. He can tell you it benefits everyone involved; there is no hidden price.”

My teammates turned to look at me, their expressions alert and tense. That time when Ikfael had joined our team to hunt Borba? She’d come because she’d feared for my life. It was reasonable, therefore, to interpret her coming along as a signal of increased danger. They knew the risks, obviously, but they likely wondered if she knew something they didn’t.

“This… this matter touches upon several preexisting exchanges,” I said. “One of which requires a measure of privacy and secrecy. Not mine, but I know of it. What I can tell you is that visiting Old Baxteiyel will help our Ikfael.”

“Ah, that’s excellent,” Mumu said, smiling. “When one grows, those around them also flourish. But tell me, you know this for certain?”

“As much as the future can be known, yes,” I replied.

Ikfael went to stand before Mumu. “In addition to my aid on the expedition, your Eight will be given Leilu’s, the wolves’, and my shares of the silverlight from the Maltrans. The price for this exchange is first choice of the treasures found. I will also take a five-fold share of everything else.”

‘Woah,’ Yuki commented in the back of my head. ‘She’s not joking around today.’

Mumu must’ve felt that way too. She looked troubled as she said, “I’m sorry, but that’s not an exchange I can make. You remember Anya and Weni? They’re the ones who hired us for the race. It would be their decision to accept it.”

“Then take me to them,” Ikfael signed authoritatively. She pulled a small, otter-shaped figurine from her Hoarder’s Pocket. The piece was made of fine-grained black basalt—only about five inches long, but the lines were clean and beautiful.

Once the figurine was in her paw, though, Ikfael hesitated. She looked at Mumu, yet when she reached out to hand it over, the figurine came toward me. “Only because you know what to do,” she signed.

“But I don’t,” I replied. “I’m at a loss for how to mend our argument. Unless you mean that we fight well together?”

Ikfael nodded. “That will do for now.”

###

One of my old teachers back in Portland, Karmia, used to say that confusion was a friend to any good seeker. According to her, the uncertainty that came with it was a state of potential.

There was this one time when the class had been resting in savasana after a particularly rigorous session, all of us laying on the ground with our eyes closed as Karmia had wandered between our mats. “If you ever find yourself confused,” she’d said, “let yourself linger there. Don’t rush to find answers. Instead, dig through the questions that arise, and keep digging until you find the roots of them. Once you’ve found the roots, they’ll lead you to better places. Confusion isn’t your enemy, it’s a sign that there’s more to be learned, that there’s wisdom to be unearthed.”

It was good advice then and now, although it didn’t exactly feel good to be in that worried-concerned-uncertain state about what was happening with Ikfael. She knew something that she wasn’t telling me—the spirits of the land had had a meeting, and I wondered quite anxiously about whether it had been Heleitia that had called them together.

Why else would Aetheleita suddenly show up? As far as I knew, neither Ikfael nor Leilu possessed a way to communicate over long distances. Heleitia might, though, since almost all of the local forest was actually her territory. The other spirits of the land were effectively subletting, the stonewater serpent delegating the land to them.

Had Heleitia called the meeting? If so, it was likely she who had arranged the exchange. And it must’ve been relatively complicated too for it to include four spirits of the land, as well as something as seemingly random as me getting that silverlight. Was that piece of it a sweetening of the pot, or did she foresee me needing to be Level 9 for the expedition?

Just what was Heleitia’s connection to Old Baxteiyel—her true purpose in suddenly becoming more active and becoming involved in these events? Thinking about it, there was probably more than one reason. There was a saying that the gods gave gifts with ten hands; just how many hands did a greater spirit of the land like Heleitia have?

At one point on the hike back to Voorhei, when my mind wouldn’t stop swirling from the questions I was facing, Yuki popped up with a thought. ‘Do you remember what Albert said after that yoga class?’

Karmia’s husband?

‘Mmhmm, yes,’ Yuki said. ‘You don’t remember this part well, because you were chugging a bottle of water at the time. Albert was behind you talking to someone else. He said, ‘Confusion is fine up until the feces hits the fan. Then you gotta decide who you are and what you believe in. When it comes time to act, act.’ ’

It’s not that time yet, though, is it?

‘No,’ Yuki replied, ‘but it’s an interesting point.’

Are you trying to tell me something? I asked.

Their qi shook to indicate a negative. We’re just helping to keep you in balance.

Ah, thank you. There was a difference between dwelling in uncertainty and paralysis. One served while the other risked your life—at least on Diaksha it did.

###

Once we were back in Voorhei, Ikfael had me carry her to the pyramid so that she could take up residence there. A room had been set aside for her for official visits. Technically it was available to any of the spirits of the land, but in practice, it was only Ikfael who’d used it two, no three times previously.

Word got out as soon as she was settled in, and a stream of visitors made their way to her—the village’s leadership came running over, as did all the new hunters who’d joined our lodge in hopes of one day receiving her boon. There were also supplicants making use of the opportunity to exchange with her without having to risk traveling to her shrine. All in all, a real queue; there were so many people, we had to switch to one of the pyramid’s meeting rooms.

My family came too, and all the other villagers were kicked out for that visit. Ikfael emerged from her Knight Otter form in order to greet and chat with them more personally. I’d already told the family about the attack on the Glen, so partway through Bihei and her boyfriend Aluk took me aside to get more details on the Maltrans. The three of us talked while the kids fussed over Ikfael.

###

Wensatsu and Krenya hadn’t shown up until the afternoon—about 3:30 pm according to the phone in my head. Word was that they’d taken their bodyguards to investigate some of the local wildlife, so there’d been no insult intended for appearing late nor was any taken by Ikfael.

The meeting’s participants were arrayed around the table. Knight Otter sat in the spot usually occupied by the village’s world speaker, with me on the water sculpture’s right and Mumu on the left. Across the table were Wensatsu and Krenya.

When they’d sat down, the peltwei had curiously examined Knight Otter, clearly wondering why they’d been summoned. They would’ve come on their own—that would’ve been the respectful thing to do—but as soon as they’d walked through the village’s gate, they’d been met by a messenger to let them know they were wanted at the pyramid.

They’d already done the bowing-and-greeting thing. The small talk had died. All that was left was for Ikfael to propose her exchange, and yet she’d let the silence grow long. Inside Knight Otter, I saw her spirit gazing pensively at the peltwei. Had she changed her mind about going to Old Baxteiyel?

Mumu caught my eye. Via Yuki, she asked, ‘What’s going on? What does our Ikfael intend?’

I subtly shook my head to signal that I didn’t know, Yuki confirming to her my confusion about Ikfael’s behavior.

Knight Otter stirred, as if taking a deep breath. From the Hoarder’s Pocket, she removed a mug and a carafe, one after the other, then poured herself a cup of steaming coffee. A look of annoyance passed across her face, though.

Ikfael wouldn’t be able to drink the coffee while one with the water that Knight Otter was made from, so she made the sculpture go away, the water disappearing into the Hoarder’s Pocket in a rush. A simple otter was left in the knight’s place.

Mumu had stood in sudden surprise, and I found myself standing too, also shocked. Ikfael had never showed her true avatar’s self to anyone who wasn’t a good friend before. Did this mean that she had reason to trust Wensatsu and Krenya?

Ikfael carefully took the mug with both paws and sipped at the coffee. She sighed in satisfaction, appreciating the flavor. Then she glanced aside to see both Mumu and I staring at her.

The otter placed the mug down to sign, “Sit down already. The two of you are towering over me.”

At the other end of the table, confusion clouded over Wensatsu’s and Krenya’s spirits, but the two of them were clever enough to recognize they were being honored. They both bowed again, hands over their hearts, their beaks touching the table’s surface.

“What does this mean?” I asked, the words said on their own.

“I must stop hiding,” Ikfael signed. “My merits are my own; they belong to me and not a puppet I’ve created.”

“So this isn’t a gesture of trust?” I clarified.

Ikfael turned to look back down the table. Aslishtei’s nieces still had their heads bowed, but their attention was focused on us, following our conversation.

“We will be facing danger together,” Ikfael signed. “If I don’t trust them now, how will I trust them later? Better that they see me here, than in the future when it may be a surprise. What is that phrase you like so much? ‘Just in case.’ ”

Ah, okay, that makes more sense. Personally, I would’ve waited until after the exchange, but whatever… there’s no harm done. There’s no reason why people can’t see Ikfael’s avatar. She’s perfectly impressive on her own; the wizard doesn’t need to hide behind the curtain.

Always quick on the uptake, Krenya said, “We’re honored to be among the first to see Ikfael as she truly is.”

Then Wensatsu followed up with, “Very much so, but if I can ask for clarification, what do you mean by ‘facing danger together?’ ”

Ikfael signed, “I offer an exchange. In return for my aid in your upcoming expedition to Old Baxteiyel, I will receive first choice among the treasures found as well as a five-fold share of everything else. This exchange also includes my boon for you two sisters, one before the expedition and one after. If you accept, you should also know that there will be an ancillary beneficiary. This Eight will receive a sum of silverlight, approximately nine hundred kuthas’ worth.”

The peltwei girls had listened intently to Ikfael’s offer, but then they both jolted at hearing about the boon. Forty-five hundred silverlight was obviously a lot, but they completely glossed over it. Instead, at the prospect of receiving Ikfael’s Boon, they’d looked like their seats had been wired and electricity run through them.

“Yes—” Krenya began, but her sister reached over to put a steadying hand on her beak.

“We cannot agree to this exchange,” Wensatsu said.

Ikfael quirked her head in confusion. “You think it unbalanced?”

“Not at all,” Wensatsu replied. “We simply don’t have the authority. The expedition is ours to lead, but it’s our family that sponsors it. We would need permission from our family head to accept.”

“Aslishtei,” I said.

“Our aunt, yes,” Wensatsu said. “But everyone in Albei recognizes the value of Honored Ikfael’s Boon. Surely getting her permission will be a simple formality.”

She said that, but I grimaced and thought, As if anything having to do with Aslishtei is simple.