Further south and on the other side of Bradford’s city wall, Dwayne entered the Plague District’s largest koti house. Going straight to the table Akunna had indicted last night, he sat down under a shuttered window and watched the Wesen night shift mingle with the Vanurian day shift. While they mainly spoke Souran, there were other languages spoken too, including dialects Dwayne had thought he’d never hear again. All the fluted words and guttural syllables rattled the art that hung from the ceiling and lined the back wall of a stage, whic took up a quarter of the koti house.

“Excuse me.” A bald person in bleached white scarves sat down across from Dwayne. They blinked when they saw him. “Oh, it’s you.”

It took Dwayne a moment to recognize the healer who’d helped with his thaumaturgical deprivation. “Oh, hello, I…don’t know your name.”

They examined Dwayne. “Well, I suppose it’s good that you’re not reaching for words this time. As for my name, you don’t need it.”

“Don’t be rude, elder.” A woman with skin as dark as night and eyes that held stars slid into the seat next to Dwayne to the accompaniment of the rustling of her dark purple dress. “Akunna went out of her way to set this up.”

The healer scoffed. “She wants an audience.”

“An audience for what?”

The answer to Dwayne’s question became obvious as the koti house quieted down, and Akunna stepped onto the stage, dressed in a tunic covered in black, orange and red beads.

She bowed then said, “To someone who has no past, who wonders how Ri became unsurpassed, I say these five words: it starts with a Wish.

“My mother, her mother too, they told me back when geasts roamed Wesen, we were enslaved, but there were three and one, brothers and sister, who heard of the pool the enslavers had found.

“So they left on a journey to find it, and after long days and longer weeks, they found a hill, and in that hill, they found a cave, and, in that cave they found a pool, the wishing pool the enslavers had found.

“Seeing it, the eldest knelt and raised his voice.

“‘I wish for power, scorching, burning, relentless, enough to right our long borne transgress! I’ll banish the cold and call the sun and become of the flame, as the flame, and beyond all excess!’

“Hearing him, the pool rippled and ignited, but the next brother knelt and raised his voice.

“‘I wish for power, channeled, gathered, thundering, enough to strike our foes down to smoldering. I’ll rule the earth and call the storm and become of the bolt, as the bolt, no compromises!’

“Hearing him, the pool rippled and crackled, but the third brother knelt and raised his voice.

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“‘I wish for power, fervent, ardent, luminous, enough to make our allies envious. I’ll break the shadow and burnish the shine and become of the light, as the light, oh so glorious!

“Hearing him, the pool rippled and radiated, and so the three brothers stood up and nodding because for them that was enough. But there was one yet to speak, their sister, who’d listened to wishes of flame, of bolt, of light. She knelt, she opened her mouth, prepared her words.

“‘Stop,’ said the pool.

“‘Why should I?’ she asked. ‘We have pain too and grudges also. We have fought and lost, died and suffered. Don’t we deserve it?’

“‘Stop because when they call the flame, you’ll call the ice, when they call the bolt, you’ll call the steel, when they call the light, you call the shade and when they set roots to rule, you will go forth and conquer.’

“It starts with a wish, you-who-has-no-past, a wish to love, to live, to have vengeance, to have justice, to be seen, to be held, or maybe, just maybe, to be free.” Akunna smiled. “It starts with a wish.”

When she stepped off the stage, finger-snaps following her to Dwayne’s table.

“You’re improving,” said the woman, “and you look stunning. You must allow me to make a gift of that outfit.”

“No, Auntie, I won’t accept.” Akunna sat next to the healer. “It would be a crime not to wear it when it deserves to be worn.”

The woman tsked. “You and your silver tongue. I assume he,” she pointed to Dwayne, “is why we’re here?”

Akunna nodded. “Lord Dwayne Kalan, these are Amaru Granda,” she gestured to the healer, “whom you’ve already met, and-”

“Fatna Heddi, midwife, matchmaker, weaver.” Heddi examined Dwayne. “I must say you’re darker than I expected.”

Dwayne shrugged. “I’m Lord Kalan’s adoptive heir.”

“Still, I expected lighter skin.”

Dwayne shifted in his seat. “Are who I speak to about hiring laborers?”

Granda snorted. “No.”

Dwayne frowned. “Then why are-”

“Amaru here,” Akunna placed a hand on the healer’s arm, “knows everyone in Little Vanuria. If he says you’re good, the work crews will come to you. Auntie Heddi is the Wesen DayFace, who Sourans come to when they need contracts.”

“Not ‘the’ DayFace,” corrected Heddi. “There are others.”

“Who else, Auntie? Everyone comes to you.”

“True.” Heddi chuckled. “But still, there are others.”

“Just like,” Granda growled, “there are others who can smell a cheat?”

“Is that what you smell, elder?” Dwayne leaned forward. “Am I a cheat?”

“No,” Granda’s eyes narrowed, “you’re trouble.”

Heddi’s eyes gleamed. “Oh?”

“That is not a compliment,” insisted Granda.

“Isn’t it, though? Trouble gets stuff done.” Heddi reached up and opened the shutter behind Dwayne. “Look out there, young Kalan. What do you see?”

Through the window, a tower was climbing its way towards the sky.

“Is it a watchtower?” Dwayne asked.

“A watchtower watching what? Our tired returning home? Our young playing? Our lovers gazing up at the stars?” Heddi closed the shutter. “Whatever it is, some Souran is paying crap to have it built.”

“You can’t stop people from working there?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, young Kalan,” said Granda, “but winter is coming and we need food to fill the larder and coats to cover our backs.”

“They’re not just building,” said Akunna. “They’re also digging.”

Dwayne frowned. There was nothing down there. “Why?”

“No one knows. But they tried to hire children for it.”

“What?” When Vanurians hired children for mining, they were sent into small crevices. Too many times, they never returned. “I have to look into this.”

“See?” Heddi beamed at Granda. “I told you.”

The healer sighed. “He’s still trouble.”

Akunna smiled.

“What?” Dwayne asked.

“Lord Dwayne Kalan, you have a deal.”