There were mountains, and then there were mountains. The Vatam range was an expanse of jagged, ebony mountains whose peaks were so tall that the clouds shielded them from view. In the stormy morning, they looked downright ominous as they loomed closer.
“And we’re going to pass through those?” Mono asked.
Vivian nodded in confirmation. “Otherwise, we’d have to add an extra month to our trip. If you haven’t been through them before, there are a few things you should know. Firstly, the range has several staggered layers of peaks with a trail...”
Mono continued to study the mountains as Vivian spoke. He hadn’t paid much attention to them before, but now that he knew that they had to go through them, it was different. If there was ever a time to insert conflict in a story, Mono mused, it would be in a setting like that. Fortunately, they wouldn’t be in the range long since the wagon covered ground quickly. Granted, it wasn’t as fast as a car, but it was a lot faster than a horse drawn vehicle.
Vivian was still talking. “And, of course, we’re going to have to charter some horses to draw the wagon. There’s a small town near the start of the range that will—”
“What?”
She stopped to look at Mono. “What part confused you?”
“Why do we need to get horses?” Mono asked.
“Well, this cart was designed by Atlatl under the theory of aether, right?”
He didn’t know that, but it was about what he expected. “Right.”
“And since it runs on ambient aether in the air,” she continued, “it won’t function at higher elevations on the trail, where aether is particularly thin.”
Mono saw where this was going. “Doesn’t that mean word-weaving won’t work either?”
“Only internal applications,” Vivian confirmed.
Fantastic. A foreboding setting at a time when they would be more vulnerable than normal.
Mono sighed. “Is that it?”
“No, there’s a portion of the trail that freezes over five out of every ten days, so we have to make sure to pass that section within the given time.”
Of course there was a time limit too. Mono knew enough about death flags to know where this was heading. Maybe he should tell the Weavers that he had changed his mind and wanted to go back to the outpost.
Vivian noticed the look on Mono’s face. “Hey, it’s not that bad. It only takes three days to go through that part of the trail. Ad and I have done this dozens of times. Nothing will go wrong.”
And there it was. “Don’t say that,” Mono said.
“Say what?”
“‘Nothing will go wrong.’ Didn’t I explain the concept of death flags to you?”
She laughed. “Mono, this isn’t one of your stories; we will be fine. There’s plenty of things we have on hand in case of emergencies and we’ll also be travelling with other people. You need to stop worrying.”
“I guess.” Mono rested his head on one of his arms. Being in a world with magic had begun to blur the line for him between stories and reality. He needed to be more logical and have a little faith in his friends. The siblings had done this trip plenty of times before, and both of them were capable people. “You were saying something about a small town?”
“Yes, there’s a small town in front of the range where we will be staying tonight. Once we get a few horses, we’ll leave in the morning and pass through the mountains in less than five days.”
“How long until we reach it?”
“Oh, we’ll get there just before nightfall.”
“Alright.”
The time passed as the two had some small talk, but Mono wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. With the mountains growing closer, growing in height and menace, he was unable to do anything but worry about them. It was illogical, but he couldn’t help it. There was a familiar tightness in his chest, the first time he felt it since he had awoken in the outpost.
He didn’t even really register that they had entered the town, passing through several wooden buildings, until Vivian stopped the cart and said “We’re here.”
Immediately, Mono jumped out. It felt good to stretch his legs. He looked at the building they had ended up in front of. Taller than its neighbors, with columns of wood to support the alcove in front of the entrance, the inn had a sign with a piece of fabric and a knife painted on it.
“Listen, Vivian, I’m sorry about before.”
Mono turned to see that Adamas had woken up and was talking to his sister.
“It’s alright,” she assured her brother.
“It’s not. I shouldn’t have made an issue over something you’re not a part of. To make it up to you, how about I put the cart away and get the horses? You and Mono can go inside and get some food.”
Vivian smiled. “Fine, but only because you insisted.”
With a gesture from her, Vivian and Mono entered the building. The interior was surprisingly similar to Emre’s inn, with light fixtures, a sofa, and a bar to the side. The only differences were the patrons, some of whom had weapons visible on their person, and the bar, which seemed to double as the kitchen. The two made their way to the bar, where a young woman was cutting opt roots to add to a dish.
“Vivian, good to see you again. How was your time at Atlatl?” The woman deftly swept the roots onto a plate with a knife. Mono watched as the blade began to melt, reshaping into the shape of a ladle with which the cook used to stir a nearby pot while gradually adding in the roots with her other hand.
“You weren’t kidding about the campus, Aliyah. There were so many things to see and I’m pretty sure I still haven’t gone everywhere even after a year there.”
“Make sure to make the most of it.” Aliyah took a sip of the soup before turning back towards Vivian. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
Mono cut in before the Weaver could respond. “Of course! Vivian, this is Aliyah. Aliyah, this is Vivian.”
While Vivian called out his name in response to his flippancy, the cook laughed. “Oh, I like you.” Aliyah gestured to two empty chairs. “Have a seat while I get you each a bowl. On the house.”
The stew Aliyah served them was darker than the one Mono had eaten before. There were also chunks of meat in it. He took several moments to just view the soup, looking at its rich color and smelling its even richer aroma.
Aliyah was still talking to Vivian. “I put extra effort into making sure your usual two rooms were available, and you didn’t even have the grace to show up on time. You’re late!”
“Sorry, we got sidetracked. It’s a long story.”
“Tell me all about it.” The cook looked at Mono, who had just taken the first sip of the broth. “Good, right?”
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“Awesome.” Mono scooped up a piece of meat. “What is this?”
“Kiegato.”
The word carried a brief image of a feathered lizard into Mono’s mind. Before he could ask more about it, however, Aliyah had already resumed her conversation with Vivian. With a shrug, he took a bite. It tasted like chicken… glad to see some things didn’t change.
Several minutes passed as Mono ate, listening to the conversation Vivian had with Aliyah as the cook continued to prepare other dishes.
“Aliyah, I’m here to pay the tab,” a new voice said. Its owner was a tall man, about as old as Adamas, if Mono had to guess. He was also as well built. Unlike the elder Weaver, though, the man carried several knives on his waist instead of a sword. Taking a step forward, he deposited several diems onto the counter.
“Kai, is that you?” Vivian asked.
The man tensed up. “Do I know you?”
“It’s me, Vivian! Adamas’ sister?”
There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he broke out into an uneasy smile. “Right. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, I got into Atlatl like I said I would. Where have you been? It’s been at least four years!”
“Oh, here and there. I’m currently on my way to Davenport.” Kai looked around. “Is your brother with you?” There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.
“Yes, he’s currently getting some horses for the trip through Vatam. Oh, right!” Vivian took a moment to introduce Kai to Mono. “Kai is an old friend of Adamas’. They used to travel together while training.”
“Not anymore,” he added. “We had... a bit of a dispute the last time we were together.”
“Over what?” Mono asked.
Kai paused for several seconds. “Just a dispute.”
“Well, whatever it was, I’m sure Adamas is over it by now,” Vivian said. “Speaking of which, Ad! We’re over here!”
Vivian waved at her brother, who had just walked through the entrance. Hearing her call over the din of the patrons, he smiled and began to walk over. Upon seeing Kai, however, he stopped smiling. Mono saw his face begin to harden into the usual solemn one he had around strangers. There was more to it this time, however, a smoldering anger behind the normally emotionless mask.
Adamas completely ignored Kai as he looked at his sister and Mono. “The horses are ready. We can leave first thing tomorrow.”
“Good, then let’s all make sure to be well rested.” Vivian pointed at Kai. “Ad, it’s Kai!”
He barely even made an effort to look. “So it is.” Adamas turned towards the hallway that led to the rooms. “I’m going to go to my room, I assume it’s the same one as before?”
Aliyah nodded in confirmation.
“What, that’s all you have to say?” Vivian demanded. “Ad, you and Kai used to be the best of friends, I don’t understand why you’re treating him like this over a simple dispute.”
Adamas gave a dry laugh, a chuckle with no mirth. “Is that what he calls it? A dispute? That’s one way to describe it. I don’t have anything to say to him.”
“Ad,” Kai began.
“It’s Adamas.” With his back still turned, the elder Weaver began to take a few more steps away.
Mono felt a brief shift in the air, not unlike when Vivian started Weaving, and saw Kai blink forward to rest a hand on Adamas’ shoulder.
“It’s been four years,” Kai pleaded. “Can’t we talk?”
“You knew how much that tournament meant to me, but you still did that. We have nothing to talk about. Let go of me.”
“Four years,” he repeated, Kai’s tone now insistent. “Don’t be myopic.”
“Myopic?” Adamas snarled as he violently swivelled around, his face breaking into an expression of rage. The hilt of his sword began to glow as the painted Weavings flared bright green.
In response, Kai blinked backwards, disappearing in one spot and reappearing several feet away, with his hands hovering over the knives at his side.
A hush fell over the diners as everyone turned to watch.
Neither of the two made any obvious movements, but Mono could see subtle changes as each made tiny adjustments to their posture. A shift of a foot, a turning of the hand, it was like watching springs coil tighter, and tighter, and tighter.
“Hey, take this outside!” Aliyah called.
Her words fell on deaf ears as both continued to glare at each other. In an instant, Kai reached for his knife as Adamas moved to —
A new person casually walked in between the two. Wearing a blindfold, he was blissfully eating a piece of bread, seemingly unaware of the situation he had sauntered into.
“Move,” Adamas said.
“Why should I?” The stranger asked. “I need to pay for the meal, because that’s what I’m here for: to get some food and some rest, before passing through the range. What are you two here for?” He continued to munch on the bread as he placed several diems on the bar.
Adamas watched the man for several moments before sighing and loosening his stance. As he relaxed his posture, the glow from his sword began to fade away.
“You’re right,” he said, nodding his head. “You’re absolutely right, we need to get some rest.” With a single, smooth movement, Adamas slammed some of his own diems onto the counter. “Which is why we will be staying here an extra night.”
“If we do that, we’ll have one less day to safely pass through the glacial part of the range,” Vivian protested.
“It’s fine, there will still be plenty of time. And I’d rather be rushing through the mountains with the frost on my heels than with him,” Adamas jabbed a finger in Kai’s direction, “behind me.”
Everyone watched as the elder Weaver began to walk away, only stopping for a moment to deliver one final shot.
“You know, I think it’s fitting that we ended up meeting here, Kai. What better place than The Cloak and Dagger? While Fate may have found it entertaining to reunite us, I pray that he doesn’t find humor in the same thing twice. Ever.”
“Ad!” Vivian yelled, but her brother ignored her as he left, entering the hallway and into one of the rooms.
Seeing that a fight wasn’t going to break out, the patrons lost interest and conversations resumed.
Vivian turned to Kai. “I’m sorry, Kai, but you know Ad isn’t normally like this. You said you were going to Davenport, right? If you stay there an extra day so that we can catch up, I’ll make sure my brother will talk to you then.”
Kai gave a strained smile. “It’s alright. I probably deserve this treatment, anyways. I had hoped that he would be able to talk after four years, but he still can’t stand the sight of me. I’ll take you up on the offer, but there’s no pressure to deliver.”
“I’ll make sure he talks to you,” Vivian promised. “Mono, let’s go. We need to have a chat with my brother.”
“Okay,” Mono followed her, observing the blindfolded man as he left. The man had ordered another bowl of soup and was casually walking back to his table. He seemed more preoccupied with the food than with the fact that he had walked in between two trained combatants. Had he even cared that he could have been caught in the crossfire? What a strange guy.
Vivian had reached the door of Adamas’ room and gave several heavy thumps. “Ad, open up!”
“I’m tired, Vivian. How about we talk tomorrow?” Came the reply.
“No, it has to be now.”
There was no response.
She looked at Mono but he shrugged, he really had no idea why he was here for this.
After a moment of thinking, Vivian smiled and crossed her arms. “If you don’t open this door, I’m going to start singing all of those annoying songs about your name.”
“No you won’t, you hate singing.”
“Adamas for unbreaking, ad amas for unshaking,” she began in the Weaver’s language. “Oh, how the one of water—”
The door flew open.
“What did you want to talk about?” Adamas asked.
“About the way you treated Kai.”
“What’s there to discuss?”
“You can’t treat friends like that,” she asserted.
“He’s not a friend.”
“Why? You guys used to be so close.”
“Not anymore.”
Mono listened as the two went back and forth. Vivian kept trying to push for Adamas to explain himself while the elder Weaver kept deflecting a proper explanation. With each exchange, both became more exasperated by the other.
“You know, Adam,” Mono cut in, “it might be good to actually tell us what happened. Being vague with the past isn’t going to help anyone.”
“Oh, like what you do?” Adamas snapped. “I don’t want to hear it from someone who’s unable to even face his own family. Stay out of this.”
Mono flinched at the words. They stung, a lot more than he thought they could.
“Don’t talk to Mono like that, he’s just trying to help.”
“He should mind his own business,” Adamas retorted.
Vivian threw her hands into the air. “Fine, you win. We’ll talk tomorrow.” In a huff, she stormed off to her room.
“Good!” Adamas called after her. He took a deep breath to calm down before noticing that Mono hadn’t left. “Why are you still here?”
“I’m supposed to stay in this room with you.”
“Don’t you have your own?”
“The only rooms available were the two Aliyah had saved for you guys. If you’re not willing, I guess I could stay with Viv—”
“Absolutely not.” Adamas took a step back from the doorway. “You can come in, but don’t expect me to talk to you.”
“Okay.” Mono took several steps inside and noticed that there were two beds inside the candlelit room. “If these rooms can accommodate two people, why did you guys have another room saved?”
“I wanted Vivian to have her privacy,” Adamas replied curtly. He moved to one of the beds, set his sword at the end of it along with his boots, and unceremoniously laid down with his back turned towards Mono. “Goodnight.”
Mono stared at the Weaver for a moment. Adamas had ended up napping for most of the day, and now he was trying to sleep through the night as well. Did he really hate the idea of talking about Kai that much?
Whatever, Mono thought, it wasn’t his problem if Adamas didn’t want to open up about it.
Taking a few steps to the other bed, he recalled what Adamas had said to him. How did the Weaver know about his issues? Mono hadn’t made a single mention of his family or his relationship with them. As he was about to lay down and go to sleep himself, he recalled that he had left Emre’s bow in the wagon.
The innkeeper had drilled the importance into Mono about keeping it close to him and regulating its exposure to different temperatures. He guessed he would have to go bother Vivian to get the bow.
“Mono, are you awake?” Adamas asked.
Mono wanted to point out that it had been less than two minutes since Adamas had said goodnight, but there was a hesitancy in the Weaver’s tone that made him just give a confirmation. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry about what I said to you, it was uncalled for.”
“You know, apologizing is supposed to mean that you won’t do it again. You apologized to Vivian before, but ended up doing the same thing less than an hour later.”
There was a minute of silence before Adamas spoke again. “I know that I’m in the wrong here, but I can’t help it. Seeing Kai reminded me of what he did and, when he called me Myopic, I just got so angry.”
“Adam, I don't know what happened between you two, so I can’t say anything. If this issue has been weighing on you for four years and you’re still upset about it, maybe it’s time to talk it out. It doesn’t have to be with Vivian or Kai, but externalizing it might be what you need to move on.”
Adamas didn’t respond.
Mono turned to see that the Weaver’s breathing had become a lot deeper. Perhaps he had fallen asleep.
That would be just as good, Mono thought. Why had he said that? Externalizing an issue to move on? What a hypocritical piece of advice. He moved to the door. Best to get out of this awkward situation and go get the—
“Alright,” Adamas said.
“‘Alright,’ what?” Mono asked.
“I’ll tell you about everything, but it’s a long story.”
Oh, Adamas was actually going to open up; Mono couldn’t just walk away now. As the Weaver sat up to face him, Mono moved back to the other bed and took a seat himself. “I mean, we have time, right? Tonight and all day tomorrow.”
Adamas gave a strained smile. “It won’t take that long.”
Mono watched as Adamas stared into the candle’s flame for a moment, trying to find where to begin and the words to express it. After a minute, the Weaver looked back up at him, and began to tell his story.