Jupiter found Maggie on the upper floor. The large room had large window alcoves set into the sloped roof. The bright setting sun painted the walls a red-gold that still outshone the glow globes that hung from the ceiling.

‘The penthouse suite,’ Jupiter said. ’That old manisaur insisted we take these rooms according to Tamm.’

The pitched roof had many small beams to hold up what looked to be panels of the felted fur-feather material. It made the room warm, with a quiet relaxing hush. No drafts came from the well sealed windows that had an inner and outer pane that opened and sealed separately.

‘It must get cold up here on the tops of the mountain.’

‘There’s a vent that blows hot air in.’ Maggie pointed to a pipe next to the door. ‘We’ll be warm enough.’

‘And they’re used to humans. We’ve got real chairs, and beds.’

‘Look.’ Maggie stood at the eastern window.

The window formed by arcing the roof up to form an eyebrow. The resulting oval shaped window had a view across the wooden shakes of the roof to the mountain ridge beyond.

Jupiter looked into the darkening eastern sky. The path led in an undulating wave away from the wayhouse in a curve to the north. Three gharumal trudged along, spaced some one hundred metres from one another. They towed two small skyships, and one skycutter. This last flew an Imperial banner barely visible in the dimming light. Glow-globes along the flanks of the gharumal lit the way.

’They’ll be here soon. We should tell the others.’ Jupiter moved to the door, but just as he opened and stepped into the corridor Vilakmat met him. A young woman smiled shyly at his side. Jupiter stepped back through the door next to Maggie. The old man and the woman entered but did not shut the door.

‘I hope you like the rooms.’

‘Yes. I think your old manisaur… quevantaq…’

‘Valluruqo is a… particular old-bird.’

‘They persuaded Tamm to rent the best rooms.’

‘They did. But there were few options.’

‘Unless you wanted the barn accommodations for the beast herders.’ The woman said with a grin.

Jupiter smiled at the young woman. He saw that she was probably not much older than him. Perhaps Maggie’s age.’

‘My niece. Ruvilaikara - Silver Star.’

‘Ruka. People call me Ruka.’

For a heartbeat Vilakmat stared at her before continuing. ‘Your servant, Tamm bargained…’

‘Oh, he’s not…’ Jupiter started to explain but realized that it was better for them to keep their assumptions. ‘A servant. He’s more of a family… um….’

‘Vishvasha - retainer?’

‘Kind of.’ Jupiter nodded thankful for a way out. ‘He insists on calling me Dhakara, but it is more of a family joke.’

‘I see. In any case, your vishvasha Tamm drove a good bargain. The best rooms but for a goodly price.’

‘How many guests are arriving in the caravan?’ Jupiter stepped to the window. The caravan had drawn close and he could almost imagine he heard the moaning groans of the gharumal eager to rest and eat.

‘It will be a full hall for the meal. Do not delay long at your bath. I would go early to get a table by the fire.’

‘We will.’

‘Perhaps they can sit at our table uncle?’ Ruka said.

Vilakmat considered his words then nodded. ‘Your vishvasha said you would need clothes.’ He said this carefully as if sensing this might be a delicate topic. ‘That you left in… you left your bags at your last port perhaps?’

‘Do you have… I mean.’ Maggie stepped closer to Ruka. ‘I would love to get a change of clothes.’

‘Come with me.’ Ruka smiled, took Maggie’s hand, and drew her away.

Jupiter and the varaqayumi eyed one another.

‘I am no friend of the Empire young Dhakara. But not all would travel so openly with a rebel and a turned blade.’

‘It’s that obvious?’

‘Indeed. I have spoken already with your vishvasha. I will provide you all with a change of clothing. And the officer need not pay. At least not with his coin.’

‘With what then?’

‘I will speak on this later. First, if you would go to the bathhouse next door, I will provide you with clothing.’

Vilakmat spoke in a rush as if once he had made up his mind he was in a hurry to move things along to a resolution. ‘Your… skin suit apparel… is too strange and obvious to wear in the common hall.’

‘You have baths?’

‘Of course. We cater to humans along this fork. The lake town of Jhalivara to the west is more human than quevantaqi. More so than ever in these days.’

Jupiter followed Vilakmat down the stairs and along an open walled corridor to a wooden building that billowed steam. Inside the bathhouse glowed in the warm colors that match the heat from the pools.

‘Sukhiaraq has prepared zhavaqiko. It is a good counter to the relaxing heat of the waters.’

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Jupiter felt instantly warmer just thinking of the hot chocolaty drink.

Vilakmat drew nearer and his voice dropped. ‘I would speak to you of your vishvasha — retainer. You are from some remote place. That is clear, but you almost seem to me as nuvra.’

Jupiter shrugged. ‘Yes. That’s true. We’re not from around here.’

‘So I warn you now. Do not trust your vishvasha.’

‘Tamm? Why not? He’s a good guy. What’s not to trust?’

Vilakmat looked at him as if he did not understand. ‘He is sejrat’sha. And turned blades have double edges.’

‘How can you tell he is sejrat’sha?’

‘Quevantaqi that have been recently imprinted have a way, they seem distracted, and yet always close to and observing of their master.’

‘Yeah. I know what you mean.’

‘But few humans will stay with sejrat’sha. The loyalty can turn to violence as the quevantaq part of their mind struggles to break the imprint. It can be dangerous to both parties. How did this happen?’

‘I saved him from drowning. He had stopped breathing, and I…’

‘Brought him back to life? From drowning?’ Vilakmat did not seem to quite believe him.

‘Yeah. And after that he called me master, and Dhakara, and similar things.’

Vilakmat fell quiet. ‘Your sejrat’sha will turn on you. And if I am right, he was an imperial officer. The cut of his webbing is clear.’ Vilakmat reached out and held Jupiter’s shoulder. ‘An officer that has been turned will be all the more violent when the imprint fades.’

‘I think I will be fine. He is loyal still.’

‘Until the imprint breaks completely? I can not say. No one can. That is why you must leave them.’

‘I can hardly convince him to let me out of his sight… but he has got better recently.’

‘Soon then.’ Vilakmat stepped back. ‘You are a child yet. A warrior quevantaq will destroy you in his rage when the time comes.’

Jupiter hung his head. He really didn’t want to think one of his closest friends could change like that.

It’s there in the name - turned blade I guess.

‘There is no way to know which way the blade will point when it is finally turned.’

Jupiter stared at the human. Tamm had turned already. At least that is what he had thought. That the imprint had gone. But this human saw it still.

How can I truly know?

‘Bathe first,’ Vilakmat said. ‘We will speak of this later. But do not soak in the waters long. I will place a change of clothing in the bathhouse for you.’

The old man turned and left Jupiter in the cloud of steam that puffed from the open door. ‘And be settled at table before the caravan gets in.’

Ruka led Maggie down a set of stairs set into solid rock. Low ceilinged storerooms opened to either side. The cool basement of the wayhouse chilled her,

Maggie shivered. ’Where are we going?’

‘To my room,’ said Ruka.

‘You live underground?’

‘No.’ The girl laughed. ‘In here.’

They entered through a doorway into a low wood panelled entry way. But a step onto the polished stone floor beyond opened up to a wide expansive space. A long window stretched across the north wall and beyond…

‘Oh my goodness. What a view.’

Away to her left the sun had set the sky ablaze with reds and oranges. To the north the mountains purpled into the distance and Maggie could almost imagine she saw the end of the world. Beyond would lie the northern seas she and Jupiter had sailed across to get here. In the west stars had already begun to wink on.

‘You can see Zhuram Shulara - The End of Days, the western mountains on a clear day. ’

Maggie stepped close to the window. The centre panes were diamond shaped, each as wide as her shoulders. The window bulged out as if the ceiling had squashed down towards the floor. She looked down. The cliff dropped away below and she stepped back suddenly afraid of the height.

‘Sometimes to shaiyvaq — the east, we can see the lights from skyships on Qhawadha — the Great Way. But thusuqarun - the north wind has brought haze and mist from the warm seas.’

‘This is wonderful… to have such a view.’

‘It is a legacy of the days when the varunaraqayu — wayhouse also worked as a sentinel watch tower. But it has been generations since the qhayuvaki — sentinels had to keep watch to the north.’

Ruka activated a glow-globe and carried it into a corridor next to the entry way. Maggie followed on her thick felted socks. She slipped a little on the polished stone floor, it appeared to be made from a single piece of stone. But the floor extended without a seam, and she saw it had been carved from the rock of the mountain. The surface of the floor undulated a little, Maggie wobbled and she steadied her hand on the wooden walls. It felt almost as if she flew again on The Jupiter.

A small room opened from the corridor and it too had a window onto the world, or rather a doorway. A balcony beyond ran along the room’s northern side.

‘You’re about my size,’ Ruka held up a light blouse and rummaged for a pair of soft gray pants. ‘But you’ll need a coat for outside.’

‘Are you sure you can spare them?’

Ruka just smiled shyly. ‘I don’t get to share clothes very often. I would love to see you in them.’

‘So there are not many people, I mean humans… not many qvaziri here?’

‘No. Just a few of us that work in the wayhouse. My uncle, and aunt, and a few others. There used to be more… but…’

‘What happened?’

‘The varunaraqayu has been run by my family for as long as anyone can remember.’ Ruka’s voice took on a wary tone. ‘But we had to give that over when the Emperor ordered all qvaziri away.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘How could you not know?’

‘We come from a land far away.’

‘Vayankari? You and Upariqami — Joopahtah… you’re not of the Empire?’

‘No,’ Maggie said. ‘Your ways are strange. Tell me. Where did the humans… Where did all the qvaziri go?’

‘If you will tell me of your land, a place with no Empire, and where qvaziri are free to live where they will.’ Ruka said. ‘It must be wonderful.’

Maggie held Ruka’s gift of clothing in her lap as they sat in the window on soft fur-feather padded stools.

‘You see. We stay here only because Valluruqo — that old quevantaq you met. Because he has been a faithful friend to my family. He acts as the owner for the Imperials…’ Ruka sighed. ’And he lets us stay. Otherwise we too would be sent to Jhalivara. The lake town further along the way. The town is reserved for humans and any quevantaqi who wish to live there. Many do. The Imperials are not liked by all.’

‘And you? What do you think of the Emperor?’

‘I should not say. But we will help you. It is best though you go to Jhalivara. It is safer there.’

‘We travel to Naz’naska — the moon temple in the mountains.’

‘But that is in the far south. It is forbidden for we qvaziri to travel there.’

‘I guess we’ll just have to risk that forbidden place.’

‘But why would you do such a thing? Risk so much?’

Maggie looked out the window. The sky had darkened and only the shattered reflection of the room could be seen.

‘Call it a pilgrimage. We have come so far now. I wish to return home.’

‘Then do not risk this pilgrimage to the south. Return home.’

‘Our way home goes through Naz’naska.’

They were both quiet a time. Then Maggie stood. ‘I need that bath. Can you show me the way?’

‘You will not survive the journey south. Stay safe. Stay here, or in Jhalivara’

‘Do or die.’

They walked from Ruka’s quarters, under the wayhouse, and out into the night. Maggie looked up to the stars that now flung their light across the heavens. A bitter wind chilled her and she held Ruka’s cloak close to her chest.

‘There is more danger than in just the journey,’ Ruka said. ‘The skyships that arrive tonight. Be careful what you say. Do not speak of your travels. Tell them you are from Jhalivara and return there tomorrow.’

‘Why? ’

‘If they learn the truth, you will likely be taken. Or die.’