Dinner was an extravagant affair, pompous, and ceremonious. Dish after dish was brought to Rae, carefully cut and then artfully arranged by Talon on his plate. There were more drinks than he could count, too, sipped first by Talon and then by him, and only after specific morsels. He didn’t taste anything.

The food was good, but Rae ate mechanically. Chew, swallow, and repeat, the cycle broken only by a sip of wine every now and then. Around him, some of the attendants were feeding their charges. Talon had offered to do that for him, but he declined, uncomfortable. Images of Lynx being carried away swindled in his mind, taking up all of his focus.

Amidst the drinking and the eating, amidst the constant chatter of people enjoying themselves, Rae seemed to be the only one put on edge by everyone's cheerfulness. Attendants sat behind their charges, head bowed, hands resting in their laps, demure, still as statues, as the trees around them. They were unnaturally quiet. In little pockets among the revelry, some masked would be taken away, swooped on by a pair of another two masked before carried off somewhere. This couldn’t be spotted unless one was looking for it - Rae was.

There was no violence. No kicking or punching, no crying or yelling. The air still seemed charged with brutality. After the dinner, a small stage was set up in the middle of the courtyard, tables moved around to clear the area in front of it. Rae expected the unmasked to get up and dance, but instead they sent their attendants to take up positions in front of the stage. Dancers’ charges watched from the outskirts, chatting with each other and clapping. Some gestured to draw their masked’s attention, then would start twirling and moving their fingers, and the masked would dance along.

Those not participating in the dance mingled, moving from table to table and flitting from conversation to conversation like birds hopping from branch to branch, never settling down. As much as they moved around now that the eating was over for the majority – there were two banquet tables lining opposite walls of the courtyard where dinner was still served and people flocked for more – the seats around Rae remained empty.

“They’re all staying away,” he commented, struggling to mask his dejection.

“Would you like me to signal that you’re available for conversation?” Talon asked.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“When the Promems wish to signal that they may be approached, their Servlacs will stand.” At Rae’s confused face, she clarified, “The ones with the masks are called Servlacs – not all, but the majority. The people they are attending to are the Promems, the Rememberers.”

Rae hadn’t noticed it, but now that Talon pointed it out, he could see that all of the conversing Promems had their attendants standing up behind them. He shrugged. “If you think that it will help, then go ahead, people.”

It didn’t.

In fact, things were even worse now. Whereas before Rae at least drew some curious glances, everyone avoided looking at him now, averting their eyes and turning their backs on him.

“How long will the banquet go on for?” he asked. “You promised me explanations, and I don’t think there’s anything left for me to do here.”

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“Vey well,” Talon said. “Follow me.”

The trees watched them as she led the way back to his room. Talon made no comment about the way they were taking, but it seemed like it was a different one all together. Rae was certain the trees of these hallways were not the same ones they passed by the first time. The lights inside them seemed somehow muted, but not dim, and the alcoves were gone. He fought against the urge to turn around and look behind him, convinced that they were changing right behind his back. Rather, he focused on counting the steps and turns in an attempt to make a map of the place.

“Where do you want me to start?” she asked once they were inside and the door had closed behind her.

“The beginning. What am I doing here – why? What is this place?”

“To answer your first question, you were found by one of our search parties. They found you delirious, half dead from dehydration and hunger, mad from the Sun. They brought you here and we’ve been taking care of you ever since.”

“How long ago did they find me?” he asked.

“Three days since you were brought here. Four since they found you lost.”

More memories rushed back, overwhelming him. Rae gasped. “I was supposed to look for help. The crew! They had – have – no more supplies. I was supposed to help them, they have injured, and- and-“

“Please,” Talon said, “don’t work yourself up. Peace. Your people will be found. You talked a lot in your sleep on the way here. Luckily, you were coherent enough that the party managed to understand what you were trying to say. After they dropped you off, they stocked up on supplies then rode out to look for your crew. They will have found them by now. They’ll be back soon enough, do not worry."

“Wills, thank you, thank you! Could you let me know when they arrive?”

“Of course.”

Rae remained silent, grinning and dizzy with relief. He sat down on the bed, head spinning. “I’m still confused about something. You said I was found half dead, but I feel fine. How is this possible?”

“To answer both this and your other question, it’s a part of this temple. It’s what we do. We help people,” Talon said.

The pitcher on the bed stand floated over to him. She sat down on the floor, arms braced, and the liquid flowed out. It streamed through the air, undulating like a snake. Rae didn’t even notice the jug drop onto the bed, transfixed by the sight of the floating liquid. Streams of water broke off the main one; it was a water-fountain display right in front of his eyes, droplets that remained suspended and frozen increasing with the number of ‘splashes’ made by the jet of water.

“This is amazing,” Rae breathed out, afraid to disrupt the spectacle.

Talon inclined her head. Hands formed out of some of the streams, caressing his face. Each left a sensation that was hot, yet cold, over his skin. Rae raised his hand up towards his face but the liquid retreated back in the pitcher, which then floated over to the bed stand, retaking its place. It looked like it had never moved.

The invigorating feeling remained, spreading to his fingers and hand when he touched his cheek. “Wills! This has to be magic! How did you do that? I’ve never seen this before, it’s amazing!”

He’d never been one to rely strongly upon the Wills. His belief was casual by Kijah standards - he wasn’t by any means engaged in the religion, and he knew just the bare minimum required of his position. But this... when Rae looked to Talon, beseeching her to teach him, there was a light in his eyes, an excitement at all the possibilities, the paths that lay before him. He could see it all so clearly...

“Please, can you teach me?” he asked earnestly.

So clearly, that he hadn’t even thought rejection would be possible. It was simple, it was fast, and it was unapologetically brutal: “No.”

She held up a hand, forestalling his dismayed comments. “This is enough for today. You might be better, but you still need rest. I shall leave you to it; now that you are mostly healed we are confident enough that you don’t need constant supervision. If you need anything, however, please, just call out. We will hear.”

With that, she retreated from the room, door closing behind her. Rae laid down, legs dangling over the side of the bed, arms stretched up over his head. “It has to be magic,” he whispered again, closing his eyes. He tried to go over the images in his memory, but already they were fading fast, now just blurry traces of water threads dancing in the air to keep the sense of awe, wonder, and melancholy company. “Magic...”