Imstay, Healing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, mid repast – Foskos time
“Sit next to me, Holy One, and we can talk,” I told the Holy Rakkalbos while smiling and looking sociable. “Oh, what’s this?” I looked at the plates the servers set down around Cousin Lisaykos’s dining table. Was that rice?
“Whatever it is, Imstay King, it smells wonderful,” Rakkalbos said with one of her rare smiles. “I sometimes think we should have every Convocation meeting at the Healing Shrine because the food just gets better and better.”
“Alas, we must wait, lovely lady, for everyone to join us." Aylem and Thuorfosi had not yet appeared, and both Senlyosart and Mieth were still struggling with their crutches on the stairs. "Why don't we step into my cousin's study for a moment?" I gently took her elbow and guided her through the door. Her outburst this morning concerned me. Her Shrine's work was too important to be led by someone who treated the other races like livestock. Ironically, I used to think the same way myself not too long ago.
I debated whether to wake the sleeping griffin in the corner of the room and decided not to. Even if he overheard us, the Blessed Asgotl knew how to keep his beak shut. I sat at the lounge nearest Lisaykos’s work table and waited for Rakkalbos to do the same.
“So, what do you wish to say, Imstay King?” Rakkalbos didn’t waste time on small talk.
“I was disturbed by your words today, Holy One,” I said, "and I find myself confused. How could you write such a wonderful open letter to holders and crafters about the economic virtues of employment for the Coyn when your words today suggested that you do not value the Coyn."
Rakkalbos frowned at me and took a moment to reply.
“The economic advantage of Coyn labor in endeavors suited to their stature is undeniable, Imstay King. That's just a fact, supported by simple math and common sense. And we do need to find employment for the excess spoot slaves. I fear they will overwhelm the workhouses and drain the granaries without contributing back to the expense of their care."
“Holy One, we managed to feed all our Coyn before now," I pointed out. "We should be able to do so in the future, especially with adding new crops like the purple wet weed and rose hip tea to replace chatea in the Cold and Planting seasons. We can continue to house and feed our Coyn even if we don't have new employment for the spoot slaves yet."
“While that is true, Imstay King, it is still an economic drain on the kingdom. Coyn are not as productive as Cosm. Idling hundreds of thousands of Coyn slaves makes them even less productive. Given a war and two years of sub-optimal grain harvests, can we afford to support that much unproductive labor?"
“We did so this year, and they won’t stay unemployed for long if we can resettle them across the Great Cracks and in the Naver and Prong valleys.”
“Imstay King, that may be true for Foskan Coyn, but now we must consider what to do with the Coyn of Impotu and Jutu, who are even worse off than our Coyn.”
“Coyn farm workers double to triple crop yields for non-grain crops," I countered. "I know you know this. The Coyn will feed themselves if we provide them with enough farmland."
"But they don't run the holdings now, and I'm not sure they have the intelligence or education to do so independently."
“Ah! So you believe the Coyn lack the intelligence to be good farmers without supervision?”
“Imstay King, most Coyn are not like the Prophet Emily. She is a special creation. Compared to Emily and any Cosm, the average Coyn does not measure up. Most Foskan Coyn cannot read, write, or do sums. They can't plow a field without help. They are uneducated and lack any sense of culture. They are small, slow, and weak. I see this every day in the workhouses, the training schools, and the care houses run by my Shrine. I started my vocation as a teacher and have taught Coyn in our training schools. I have seen this firsthand. I fear for the Coyn without the Cosm to protect and guide them. They are not capable, and they are not our equal."
“Holy One, you sound like me two years ago,” I had to sigh. “About what you said today...”
“I admit I could have phrased my surprise more tactfully,” she said, looking thoughtful.
“Surprise? Is that what you call it?” I could not hide my vexation.
“To be frank, I was appalled," she said with a hint of vitriol. "The loss of one unskilled spoot slave is not the same as losing a Cosm laborer who can move ten times the dirt. No Coyn will ever have the value of a single nohair Cosm. The comparison is even more stark if the Cosm has magic. Yes, I was appalled that Sister Lisaykos would summon the Convocation for the sake of an uneducated, unskilled Coyn. It's simply a question of comparable value. It was my mistake to express myself poorly, but I was really shocked. I am not a bigot, Imstay King. The Coyn contribute when gainfully employed, but they will never be our equals."
“Mid repast is now on the table, and we are waiting for you two," my Aylem said, leaning against the frame of the dining room door. Aylem frowned, pursed her lips, and studied Rakkalbos. "If you always assess worth using size, strength, and magic as your measuring sticks, then, of course, no other race will equal us. The gods made us this way so we would have the power to rule the other races. It's all in the revelation of Tiki to Uskya. But the Scripture of the Trial tells us that the gods value the lives of all six races equally. This is why I believe your valuation of the Coyn is wrong, Sister Rakkalbos. Just because I have the power to dominate and oppress the other races doesn't make me a better person. It just makes me a bully. Come and eat now, you two. You're holding up mid repast, and I am hungry."
I took my seat to the right of Lisaykos and studied the strange dish in front of me with the enticing smell. The slices of spit-roasted goose in pear sauce were a standard item, but the rice didn’t look like anything I had seen before. It had been browned somehow and had chopped-up vegetables and cooked egg.
We had raided the kitchen stores in the half-burnt summer palace in Kipgapshegar. We found a fortune in rice, which was grown in Mattamesscontess. It was a luxury food on this side of the continent. I gifted a generous amount to every Shrine in Foskos and Impotu. Now, I was glad that I had.
“What is this, cousin?” I asked Lisaykos. I could tell from the smile in her eyes that she was amused.
“It's called fried rice, Cousin Imstay. Emily told my cooks about it, and your recent gift of rice made it possible to cook some."
“Can I send my cooks down to learn the recipe?” I asked after inhaling several spoonfuls. “This is tasty.”
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Aylem, Healing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, mid repast – Foskos time
Mid repast was almost over. I had just finished my ice cream when Raoleer came over and sat in the chair that Imstay had just vacated.
“Well, Great One, what do you think this might be?" She put a glass bottle in front of me with a rubber top that ended in a nipple shape. She beamed with anticipation at my reaction. I didn't want to ruin her fun, so I picked up the bottle and inspected it. I popped the top off and examined the tapered hole leading to the nipple.
“It’s for feeding babies, yes?” I asked, hoping I sounded sincere.
Her face fell, “You figured it out.”
“The cap on the bottle is very suggestive,” I pointed out. Raoleer snickered
“Have you tested it?” I asked.
“The ladies at my Shrine are very enthusiastic about this,” Raoleer’s smile returned. “One of the priestess artificers working on the rubber project came up with it and it caught on immediately. You can take that one home with you. You’ll want these,” she put down several more caps. “The channels in these are different sizes to allow different flow rates. The smaller channels are for very young infants, and the larger ones are for when babies get bigger and want more. I sometimes wonder how we managed before the introduction of rubber. Thank you, Galt, for your revelation!"
“We managed just fine without rubber until now," I noted dryly.
“But Great One, this is much better than a baby feeder made from a cattle horn. There's hardly any mess. Please, take it home and try it. Then let me know if it worked for you."
“I will do that," I said, trying not to laugh. So, the artificers of the Building Shrine had just discovered rubber-topped baby bottles. What would they come up with next?
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Lisaykos, Healing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, afternoon – Foskos time
Aylem pulled me aside before I reentered the Well of Mugash to convey the gist of the conversation between Imstay and Rakkalbos. As a result, I targeted Rakkalbos’s objection over summoning Convocation in my opening statement after mid repast.
"Sisters, it has been my intention to discuss the forbidden charm of unraveling time since last year. Given the more urgent matters of the war with Impotu and the unrest here at home, I let the matter slide so we could address more immediate issues, like the slave riots up north in Kas and Surd and the destruction of a fifth of the buildings here in this city in last year’s riot.
“I did not summon you because of an unskilled Coyn laborer. The poisoning of the Coyn Jost in Pinisla yesterday was simply an opportunity to raise the subject. Regardless, I would be happy if we could resolve this issue in time to save his life. I am a healer, and saving lives is my sacred vocation.
“The first person to benefit from the unraveling time charm could have been anyone, an eagle or a Chem. It may be apropos that the victim in this instance is a Coyn because saving his life would underscore one of the central messages from the Scripture of the Trial, namely that the gods value the lives of the six races equally. It should not matter that the laborer Jost is a Coyn. It could have been Heir Kayseo or Lord Bobbo haup Pinisla who benefitted from this charm instead."
Then I feigned a look of surprise, “Ah! But wait! They already have benefited from this forbidden charm.”
Imstay sat up and gave me a probing look, “Dear cousin, did I just hear you use sarcasm?”
"Dear cousin," I answered with solemnity, "I would never stoop so low as to employ sarcasm."
He blinked and then grinned, “Really?”
“Peace, cousin,” I held him a warning look. “As I was saying, healing the Coyn Jost is a convenient means to achieve a goal that I have pondered now for a year. My aim is not just to heal an insignificant Coyn – it is to heal anyone of any race on the edge of death whose life might be saved by this banned magic. Please remember that the first oath a healer swears on the Great Crystal of Mugash is to heal everyone who comes to us regardless of race. Mugash has never made any distinction between races. For a healing mage, healing an eagle or a Coyn is just as important as healing a Cosm.
“I will ask you first to consider petitioning the gods to amend the Revelation of Tiki to Paldoys. If we agree that we will petition the gods, we need to discuss which gods we want to petition to allow healers to use this charm to save lives, and what conditions the gods should impose to prevent a repeat of the Cult of Gantree. Sister Foyuna, will you please poll whether we want to proceed with a petition before we decide on further details?”
I was surprised that the vote was unanimous, including the three Impotuans. Of course, Aylem could not vote; her only ability was to veto any decree of the King, Convocation, or Council of Lord Holders. Though she had obstructed both the King and Council of Lord Holders in the past, she had never blocked any of the actions of the Convocation.
After the first vote, my sisters debated whether the petition prayer should be addressed to Tiki, Mugash, or both. In the end, we decided to petition Mugash because the only acceptable use of the forbidden charm would be to heal. We then took another break so Foyuna could create the petition's text. We also asked Imstay King and our three other guests to leave the Well. According to the scriptures, only the avatars of the gods can participate in the rite of intercession.
While we refreshed ourselves with nibbles, hot tea, beer, and ale in the first-floor reception room, where I usually held my staff meetings, I was surprised when Fassex asked, “I wonder if prophets could also participate in the petition rite. After all, don’t eleven god marks place a prophet at a higher position than a High Priestess with a mere triple blessing as an avatar?”
I was even more surprised when Alyem laughed, "Fassex, dear, Emily, as a prophet, has no reason to bother with a rite of intercession. Why should she when she talks to the gods whenever she feels like it?"
Fassex thought about it for a moment and then shook her head, "Foolish me. Of course, she does. And some of us here have felt it when the gods have spoken to her. I just wish...”
“What?” I wanted to know. “What do you wish for, sister?”
"I wish the Prophet Emily would be a little more reverent."
Given the nods I saw around the Well, it was one thing we could all agree on. No one could ever accuse Emily of being either reverent or pious.
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Aylem, Healing Shrine, Harvest Season, 6th rot., 4th day, mid repast – Foskos time
I could feel Foyuna's apprehension as she entered the Well with the petition prayer in her best calligraphy written with red ink on vellum. As the authority on the scriptures for the Shrines, it was her task to craft prayers and ceremonies on behalf of the Convocation. It was her first time doing so since she became a High Priestess six years ago. She was both the youngest and the newest member of the Convocation.
High Priestesses of Tiki always had some haup Foskos blood in their pedigree. One only had to look at Foyuna to know she was from the royal house. She had the eyes, nose, height, and sturdy build that ran in the haup Foskos bloodline. She was luckier than Lisaykos in that her nose wasn’t as prominent.
I could tell the rest of the High Priestesses were just as nervous as Foyuna, including Lisaykos. If the rite of intercession was successful, the gods would give us some kind of physical sign that they granted what we asked of them. One or more gods could even manifest inside the Well. Mugash or Tiki was likeliest to appear since the petition prayer concerned both Tiki's revelation and Mugash's patronage of healing magic.
I felt a little jittery myself because the thought of facing Mugash scared me down to my toes. What she did two years ago to punish me had left me in fear of her. I could hardly believe that we used to talk frequently when I still lived here at the Healing Shrine.
Foyuna placed the Revelation of Tiki to Paldoys at the foot of the Throne. Then she knelt, put her praying hands together against her forehead, and bowed to the floor. The rest of us, arrayed in a semi-circle behind her, did the same.
Foyuna began the rite, reading from the petition prayer off the vellum in front of her on the floor. “Hear us, Mugash the Merciful, god of healing, we beseech you to grant—“
“My daughters,” Mugash said, appearing on the Throne of Judgment, “Tiki and I have agreed to allow the charm of unraveling time as a remedy of last resort to save a life on the lip of death.”
I tried to look at her. The sight of her beneficent and loving face left me dizzy from fright. I didn’t try to look back up after that.
“I will amend the conditions you have suggested," Mugash continued. "The charm may be used only by a healer whom I have blessed and who has the strength to invoke it. It may be used anywhere there is a need. Should anyone use this charm for any other purpose, Tiki will smite them with fire and burn them to ash. There, my beloved children, it is done. Your prayer has been granted. You have my leave to depart, all except for my dearest Aylem, with whom I wish to speak."
I heard the rest of the Convocation leave the Well. As for me, I was shaking, frozen on my knees with my face pressed to the floor. Lisaykos touched my shoulder, and she whispered, "Courage, dear heart." Then she was gone, leaving me trapped in the Well with the god who had tortured me.
“Please sit up, child,” Mugash said.
I couldn't move. My ears were ringing, and the room was spinning. When I next opened my eyes, I was on my side on the floor with Mugash sitting cross-legged next to me.
“I have put this off for too long,” Mugash sighed. "I intended to teach you empathy and understanding for those beneath you. We made you so well that you had forgotten the burdens of fright and fatigue that plague lesser beings. In my foolishness, I taught you fear of me as well.”
I felt her hand on my back, and suddenly, I felt at peace. The god then helped me sit up. Care and love were written on her face. I had missed the feeling of Mugash’s love that I had once enjoyed before I had committed so many sins by bullying others.
"I have hurt you, my beloved Aylem," Mugash said sorrowfully. "I have cast the charm of peace upon you so that you may hear what I must say to you without the impediment of your fear. I am here, Aylem, to apologize and to ask your forgiveness for destroying your peace.
“I will leave you now, dearest Aylem, and will refrain from appearing before you without your invitation unless compelled for reasons of divine intervention. I do miss you, Aylem. I hope you can forgive me someday. I will be waiting, if you wish, to rebuild the relationship we once had, though I understand that you may not want that. If we do not speak again, know I will find you in Gertzpul's gardens when you pass, beloved."
When I next opened my eyes, I was in Lisaykos’s bed. As I sat up, I heard footsteps running. Lisaykos appeared in the doorway. She came and sat on the edge of the bed next to me.
"Are you yourself again, dear heart?" Lisaykos asked me, concern written across her face. "We found you sitting on the floor of the Well in a daze. Your eyes were open, but you neither saw nor heard us. The piece of vellum with the petition prayer was gone, by the way. Instead, you held a rose crystal plaque in your hands with the god’s conditions for using the charm carved into it. Until I can have an ark made for it, the plaque will remain on the Throne of Judgment. So, Aylem dearest, how are you feeling?”
“Empty,” I said without thinking, still detached from reality.
“What happened in the Well, love, between you and the god?”
“You may not believe me,” I said in wonder, “but Mugash apologized to me for how she chose to punish me two years ago.”
Lisaykos surprised and shocked me when she said, "Well, it was about time she did so. I wonder why it took her so long." She studied me and touched my forehead with a quick healing probe. "Ah, you have not yet completely recovered. Are you up for dinner? The others are all concerned for you; frankly, so am I."
“Mugash cast a charm of peace on me,” I said. “I believe I am still under its influence, for I feel rather detached and lethargic. I haven’t experienced a charm of peace for more than two and half decades. The feeling is both strange and nostalgic.”
“I believe that you may want to visit the bathing chamber,” Lisaykos looked sympathetic, “to milk the girls before they start hurting from engorgement. And now I am torn between Imstay taking you home, because I do not know if it is safe for you to fly in your current state, or having Lyappis fly down with the twins so you can stay for a night or two.”
“I should go home to my babies,” I said. “Just belt and strap me to my saddle, and Asgotl can take me home."
“We should consult with Imstay first. He's currently in my study, pacing a hole in my carpets worrying about you. Do you need a hand out of bed? I want to make sure you can stand without falling over. I carried you up the stairs from the Well. I want to avoid doing that again if I can. My ancient back is already talking to me about it."
After a quick dinner, Imstay and I decided to fly home, following the dark ribbons of the Salt and Ark’kos rivers guiding us back to Is’syal after the sun went down.
Before we reached the palace, I realized I had forgotten to ask Lisaykos about the odd thing she had said. Why did she imply that she knew Mugash would apologize to me?
One other thing bothered me. Mugash, a god with knowledge and power beyond my comprehension, just apologized to me. Since when did gods apologize to mere mortals?