Aili let out a sigh as the ship disappeared. The cheer of the crowd was immediately followed by hushed conversations asking where it had come from.

“Koidan be thanked,” a fisher said.

Aili nodded her agreement along with some others, but for different reasons. What they had witnessed could only be the work of a god, maybe Koidan, maybe someone else. It was the second time he helped them after his speech at the temple, the first being healing Loriem. Both times, Saia wasn't present when the problem had been solved, and the ship had been removed only after she’d learned about its existence, even though it had been anchored in the bay since dawn for everyone to see. She needed to have a conversation with her, later.

Someone tapped on her shoulder. Liraira was standing behind her, dressed in black, hair tied in a tight bun.

Aili smiled.

“Hi. Can I help you?”

Liraira nodded and handed her an envelope.

“It's for Milvia's boyfriend.”

Aili took it.

“Does he know about her?”

Liraira pressed her lips together.

“That is none of your business.”

“No, sorry, you’re right. I’ll deliver it.”

Liraira reached for the leather belt around her waist and opened a small purse.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Two vissins.”

Aili took them from her hand and put them into one of her pants’ pockets.

“Just in time,” she said, hoping to lighten the conversation. “I’m going to Narumi, today. I'll stop at Anbem’s house.”

Liraira looked at her sideways.

“How do you know his name?”

Aili straightened her back.

“Mili told me.”

“You weren't close, though.”

“No, but I knew her enough to say that she was an amazing person.”

Liraira nodded, her eyes wandering toward the horizon. She tilted her neck in a way that made Aili think about a heron.

“Have you or your friend done something to make the ship go away?”

Aili thought about Saia. Whatever she had done, it was clearly a secret.

“No, not at all. Why?”

Liraira's temples bulged a bit.

“So Koidan isn't that busy, after all. He just decided that Mili wasn't worth saving. Good to know.”

She nodded as a way of greeting and turned to leave. Aili reached out with a hand to stop her, but she didn't know what to say. After Liraira had disappeared into a side alley, she looked at the envelope and recognized her calligraphy in the address. She'd sent Koidan knew how many letters to Mili in the years Aili had worked as a letter carrier.

She’d left her bag at the post office, so she headed there. She had other things to deliver and the ship’s problem had been resolved, so she could leave immediately and be back before evening.

She expected to find Saia there, but the door was still locked. She crossed the room and climbed the stairs behind the counter, up to the first floor. The bag was on the table: she put Liraira's letter inside it and wrote Saia a note about dusting the furniture when she had some time to spare.

She left, bag dangling at her side, and headed down the road that led to Izgos, and from there to Narumi. She stopped before crossing the line of white stones and took a deep breath, surveying the small area between Koidan’s and Mivion’s territories. To her right, there were grass and rocks for half a towerlength, before the trees of the internal forest started, a bit higher up than the road. To the left, a small descent led to a cluster of big rocks constantly hit by sea waves. It was one of the safest neutral areas between the villages, open enough to make potential dangers easy to spot. Still, leaving a god’s protection, even if that god wasn’t protecting his people all that much, always made her a bit anxious.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

She took a deep breath and stepped forward. She tried to pay attention to the trees at her right as well as to the creepy cloud that floated alone above the mountain, but her thoughts returned to Saia and her connection to Koidan. She silently listed all of the theories that were rolling through her head: that Saia was Koidan; that she was the other god, the evil one that had appeared some weeks before; that she was just human, but somewhat able to fight the evil deity, giving Koidan the time to focus on the village for a bit.

She stroked her forehead. Without more information, she could only think in circles and exhaust herself. The heat didn't help.

She thought about the trip she had to make around Narumi instead, in order to deliver the letters in the shortest amount of time. She wondered what Mairi had written to her sister: maybe something about the trip she was planning with her husband. And what name had Vonem and his wife decided for their future child? Certainly he had included it in the letter to his mother.

She stopped in front of the line of white stones that traced Mivion’s territory. There was also Liraira's letter to Anbem. Aili had given him an envelope from Orver just the day before. Whatever his daughter wanted to add, it was personal enough not to be included in the official condolence letter.

She stared at the stones, gripping her bag. She glanced at the grass to her right, then at the trees above. The forest looked scary, but as long as she stood close to the border and paid attention to her surroundings she wouldn’t have been in any danger.

She walked past the trees and found a small area on the ground hidden by bushes. She sat there, back against a trunk, and looked around to be sure she wasn't visible from the road. She put the bag on her crossed legs and opened it. The letters looked all the same from above, aligned as they were in order of destination. She lifted the first one and checked the recipient: it was an old woman who raised donkeys and rented some room in her old house. She let it fall back into the heap of letters and looked at the next.

It was Mairi’s. She barely looked at the seal before breaking it. Her handwriting was even more chaotic than usual. Aili only had to read the first two sentences to feel all of her excitement for the upcoming trip. She smiled wider as Mairi described the places she wanted to visit: Elgen and Narumi’s temples, to begin with, then the tulip field and the famous teardrop lake.

She folded the letter, slid it into the envelope and put it back in the right spot. This time, she picked the letter that interested her the most. She took some instants to admire the albatross depicted on the seal before breaking it.

Anbem,

there's one good thing about Mili’s death: I can stop pretending to tolerate you. First of all, I suggest you find a new job, because I asked my father to fire you. Second, I've heard that your house belongs to a really nice lady. So nice I think she'll gladly throw you out on the street if I ask her politely and give her a hundred vissins. I haven't spoken to her yet, so maybe you don't have to worry about this right now.

Since you lack any sort of self-awareness, you're probably wondering why I'm doing this. Well, I want you to stop and think for a second about where you were the day Mili was killed. Or the day before, or really every single day before that for the last two years. Do you want a clue? Not. With. Her.

I'm not saying you could have done anything useful, like getting killed in her place, because we both know what kind of lazy scum you are. But you could have at least had the decency not to stay with her after you got your job from my father. Because that was the only thing you wanted, right?

The letter continued for two more pages, but Aili had to stop to take a deep breath. She could feel Liraira's hate seep through every word. She couldn’t even imagine Anbem's reaction in receiving that letter so soon after his girlfriend’s death.

She jumped at the sound of a broken branch. She shoved the letter into the bag and leaned forward to peer through the bushes: someone wearing a gray tunic was walking next to the white stones, on Mivion’s side. A hood covered the stranger’s head, and the clothes were loose enough that she couldn’t guess anything about the person that was wearing them. They were headed roughly in her direction, but from the way they brushed aside a branch without caring about the noise they were making, they didn't seem to mind being noticed.

“Letter carrier?” they called with a low feminine voice. “Where are you?”

Aili gripped the strap of her bag. She didn't know what was more alarming: the fact she didn't recognize that voice, or that the stranger didn’t know her name. She cursed herself for leaving the protection of the gods.

She waited, eyes fixed on the hooded woman. She stopped, looked around, then stepped forward among the trees until she walked past the area where Aili was sitting. She waited for her to be far enough, then closed the bag, hung it across her shoulder and left, walking fast from tree to tree to remain hidden. As soon as she was out of the forest, she started running toward the road. She glanced one last time behind her before crossing the line of white stones with the calm attitude of a regular visitor.

“Good morning, Aili,” Mivion’s voice said in her ears. “You seem scared, what happened?”

Aili forced a smile.

“My respects, goddess. I had to…” She glanced back again. “I slept in.”

She opened the bag without waiting for the goddess to ask about it.

“Everything seems fine, thank you. I'm surprised Koidan only opened two letters, today.”

Aili closed the bag.

“Maybe he was busier than usual. Or less paranoid.”

She promised herself she'd double her weekly prayer for that.

“Good,” the goddess said. “You can go on. Have a nice day.”

Aili thanked her with a smile and resumed walking. After three steps, the goddess called her again.

“I’m sorry, but there's a…” The voice stopped for an instant. “A person who wants to talk to you.”

Aili turned: the woman in gray was walking toward her. She made some steps backwards, but her back bumped into something invisible. A wall of air.

“I’m sorry,” Mivion said, “but you have to talk to her. I won't allow you to escape. I promise she’s not dangerous.”

Aili looked up, as if she could see the goddess’s face, then lowered her eyes on the stranger. She was taking off the hood, revealing black hair tied in parallel rows, a tall brown forehead glistening with sweat, and gentle black eyes that were smiling along with her lips, as if she was genuinely happy to see Aili for some reason. She was clearly older than her, at least forty years old, but her aura of calm confidence made her quite attractive.

Aili felt her fear evaporate, replaced with curiosity. She let go of the bag’s strap and waited for the stranger to approach her.