Ichu watched his sister sleep. Elder Quilqi insisted she had gotten to Silluka in time, and had performed a complicated chayu consisting only of hand motions over her. He hadn’t caught the name of it, except that it had made the yellow light shining from his sister like a full moon wink out. Silluka had been deathly still as all the elders pleaded with Tiye Kwirpuyay, Entle Magic, to keep the ampuka from burning her up. Elder Quilqi hadn’t joined with them, instead focusing on Silluka, touching her temple and wrists every so often.

He'd watched her fly. What had the elder taught her? While Ichu’s body slowly lost its strength, his sister was performing impossible feats like one of the storm warriors. He’d always known she was special, seeing the extra care his parents put into teaching her skill she would need, as she was not suited to performing the chayu. Except now she could do that too. She’d brought the rest of the village, when the elders would have left them behind. Instead of all of them being lost in the earthquake, only one family and their sled had been lost. Others had looked out into the chasm before they resumed their flight, but there was nothing left but bubbling rock, far below. He could only hope the rent in the earth would slow the turtlemen down.

For now, Silluka slept, and Ichu watched. Tamaya and Waskar had come by once to check on her, but then had been sucked into helping the jakua handlers steer. Any able-bodied bodycasters were helping with clearing rocks, fast-growing plants, and other detritus from their path. Others were constantly making the signs of the gods—Entle Love and Aunt Healing to keep them comfortable, Uncle Sky and Uncle Earth to keep the weather clear, Aunt Sea to plead for the river to keep flowing, Aunt Harvest to keep the food stores from spoiling, and Entle Magic to keep their others chayus strong.

The sleds bumped along, pulled by the jakua. They were big enough to move around on, and even with the teams of animals pulling them, Ichu could jump down and keep pace with them easily. All the possessions and supplies were piled in the middle of each, and people stood or sat around the outside. The jakuas were inconsistent in pulling at best, and had to rest often. The handlers had stores of meat and fish to keep them fed, but the jakuas would only serve them for a limited time. Hopefully by that point they would have found a new Huaca, or they were going to have to push the sleds themselves.

The smaller sleds of the undesirables were keeping up or even outpacing them, and there was a palpable sense of relief and embarrassment in the air as families that would have been split up spoke with each other, neither side acknowledging how undesirables had been treated. Elder Quilqi had even pulled Elders Papaki and Sinchi aside in a discussion where voices raised above the slap and splash of the shallow river. Shortly after, the jakua handlers offered to split a few of the prowl off and pull the larger undesirable sleds. They were beginning to join up with each other, and Ichu guessed soon all the undesirable sleds would be joined together, except for the Allwiya conveyance and the turtle-sled. All thanks to Silluka.

Ichu watched the landscape get drier and drier the farther they went inland. He’d been concerned the river itself would dry up, after the earthquake, but even though the water upstream had cut off and the water level had dropped, the river still flowed. Now, though, sediment built in the channel so the jakua struggled to pull the sleds, half in water and half touching the riverbed.

This was the reason they hadn’t moved away from the coast, waiting until the rising mountains pushed the water inland. Now they had no choice. Fortunately, storms were following them from the coast for now. Many dissipated over the new chasm—likely the heat from the broken earth boiling them away—but it had rained for most of the last day. Ichu guessed they would soon be sliding along sand, however.

On the second day, he finally cornered Elder Quilqi on the side of the lead sled while the other elders were discussing which way to travel. She’d slipped away from him every chance she could, giving him plenty of time to stew over what had happened.

“What did my sister do?” he asked.

“Something very dangerous she’s not yet ready for,” came the curt answer. A far cry from agreeing to teach them techniques the Huaca had forgotten.

“Elder Quilqi, my sister flew. Like the storm warriors do. What did she do?” Ichu stood straight, chest out, as if he would block the elder’s path. He still wasn’t sure how strong she was.

The elder sighed. “I’m not getting my nap this afternoon, am I? Where do you think the storm warriors get that ability from? It’s just a chayu, like the ones you perform. It’s simply a different way of thinking about it.”

Ichu cocked his head. “A different way? What is there to think about in a chayu? You do it, that’s all.”

Elder Quilqi waggled a finger in his face. “But you’ve already learned the stance can be changed for different effects, yes? Dusty deserts, boy, You think you know everything about the chayus? The best bodycaster in a backwater village on the coast?”

“Have you seen the other side of the desert?” Ichu asked, hoping the switch in topic might trip up the old woman. She’d acted as if the Huaca was just a small thing, when it was larger than any other single farm out on the coast. She was far too much a mystery, and almost never gave a straight answer. Where did she come from?

“I’ve seen more of this island, and this world, than you have, that’s for certain, boy. You’ll soon find the chayus you know are just a drop in the ocean of what’s out there.”

“And what is out there? You won’t say.”

Now the elder smiled. “That’s correct. I’d much rather see your face when you see for yourself. You know it takes time to perfect what you know. Learning too much now would do you no good.”

Ichu considered. “What of my practice? I’ve seen you bodycast, but the elders of our village stop performing all but the most necessary chayus before they’re your age. I’m already feeling the decline in my ability. Can you show me how to combat that?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Elder Quilqi only laughed. “My age, hmm? You’re not past what, your thirty fifth year? You’ve got plenty of time, boy.” She held up a hand as he opened his mouth. “I’ll show you some things, yes. In time. But stop worrying about that. It only dims your capacity in your mind’s eye.”

“What about those vials the turtleman used?” he pressed. “They were like concentrated power. How did they work? Lugopo won’t say. Do you think they might help me?”

The elder was suddenly very serious. “Do not meddle in what you don’t know. I’ve never seen those vials before, but I don’t have a good feeling from them. Whirling winds, boy, you want to put an unknown concoction from a different island in your body? Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought. Just as useful to stick an Allwiya tool in your brain.” She stomped off, and Ichu was left glowering, with nothing to do but watch the riverbank.

The third day, Silluka still slept, though she drank water when it was put to her mouth. Elder Quiqli checked her every few hours, and performed the chayu of hand motions once more over her when she thought no one was looking. None of the motions were from chayus he knew. They passed the mouth of a connecting river soon after, coming from the north and intersecting their slowing stream, renewing the river and giving them hope the water wouldn’t completely dry up. The elders decided to camp for the night there, let the jakuas rest, and see if the villagers could catch any fish in the river.

The next morning, Ichu awoke to cries from other members of the village, pointing up the connecting river. Ichu could just see the sled, though this one had sides turned up more than usual, and rather than being pulled by jaukas, the people in it had long sticks they pressed into the banks to propel them along.

Ichu had never seen people not from the Huaca, except for Elder Quilqi and the Allwiya. He had heard of far-flung farms where undesirables scratched out a living on the harsh land, but none had come to the Huaca in his lifetime. They couldn’t have had elders, as they were the ones to find the Huaca—the sacred places to the gods where they would answer prayers and protect people from the changing weather and earth. He pitied anyone not under the Huaca’s protection.

The small sled halted near their camp and Ichu could make out the people in it now. There were five people and another three Allwiya. The tentacled beings must have been the ones to alter the sled in such a manner.

Ichu went with Elder Quilqi and Elder Papaki, to meet the newcomers. An older man, who must have been the patriarch of his family, stood behind a harsh looking girl, even taller than Ichu, who was not short. Her hair seemed almost fixed in place it was so stiff. The planes of her face were like granite, though she was possibly as young as Silluka. Three others, two men and a woman, stood behind them.

“We wish passage with your group, we do,” the older man said. “I am Kallpa, and this is my family from our farm.” He paused to cough wetly into a piece of cloth, and the large girl patted his back, her eyes dark.

“You come from the north?” Elder Papaki asked. “We were not aware of any others that way. Surely the land is too unforgiving to live?

The patriarch tried to speak, then coughed again into the rag, doubling over. The young woman took over. “My father has run our farm for many years, he has, supporting our small family, helpers, and the Allwiya who live with us. We sustain ourselves.” Her voice was rough, as if she’d been breathing ash. “A volcano grew up, it did, near the farm when the island came close, and Eztli Mecatl began to invade. We had to escape, but my father was caught near an eruption and breathed the fumes for too long. Our Allwiya friends made us masks, but they were too late to help him.”

“Eztli Mecatl?” Elder Quilqi leaned forward, peering at the young woman. “Is that what the invaders call themselves? How do you know?”

The hard young woman looked surprised for a moment, but her father stood from his coughing fit and gripped her arm. “They are known to us, they are. A few have stealthily landed to the north in the past—enough to learn a bit of their language.”

“How did they brave the waters between the islands? They are certain death to enter,” Elder Papaki asked.

“The Eztli Mecatl are a strong people.” The girl replied, puffing out her chest. “They can survive even the maelstrom between the islands, yes? They have taught us ways of their power to survive with our small farm.”

“Peace, Cosquella.” Kallpa tucked the rag away and patted her arm. The girl’s face went stony for a moment, her dark eyes almost glowing from underneath her brows, then she bowed her head.

“Of course, father.”

“So you see we have knowledge you lack, do you,” Kallpa continued. “We would gladly share the weakness of the Eztli Mecatl in exchange for the protection of your Huaca, food, and medical attention.” He paused to cough again, sharp and wet. “I was not the only one caught in the eruption. My nephew was with me at the time, he was.”

Elder Papaki looked ready to argue, but Elder Quilqi silenced him with a look. “We’d be happy to have your help. Do you know Flower Sends Out Pollen? Elder Sinchi is quite proficient in its use. It may help your lungs. Do you know where you are traveling to?”

“We are escaping the collision between the islands, and the Ezlti Mecatl have turned against us,” Cosquella blurted. “They killed the rest of our family—”

“Cosquella.” Kallpa’s voice was sharp, and he collapsed into a coughing fit after. The girl held him up as he hacked into his rag again. A young man behind him started coughing as well, and the other woman patted him on his back.

“I’ve heard enough,” Elder Quilqi said. “Papaki, can you alert the other elders as to Kallpa’s and his nephew’s condition?”

“I’ll take the girl the main sled,” Ichu volunteered. The Allwiya will likely want to meet their folk as well.” Maybe he could get a little more information from her without her rather around.

“A good idea,” Elder Quilqi said.

“I must stay with my father,” Cosquella objected. “He’s sick, and I—”

“Can’t do anything but get in the way, girl.” Elder Quilqi’s face looked as sharp as the girl’s. “Flooding rivers, do you want your father to get better or not?”

Cosquella looked shocked into silence for the first time since Ichu had seen her. He chuckled and guided her across the bank to where the main sled was tied up, while Elder Papaki took Kallpa and his nephew to another sled. The remainder of the family gathered their possessions, signing to the Allwiya with them.

“The elder will do that to you,” he said. “But don’t worry. The Huaca has the ear of Tiya Qhalikay, and Aunt Healing can fix any disease. My sister is sick too, but we think the Aunt is guiding her to health.”

He stopped Cosquella at the part of the sled where he’d dropped his meager belonging, and where Silluka lay, pale and unmoving.

“This is your sister?” Cosquella asked. Her hard face softened for a moment, looking down. Ichu saw her eyes rest on Silluka’s right arm for a moment.

“It is. She…well, she saved over half our village, a few days ago, and she’s been asleep since then. She used too much bodycasting.”

Ichu still wouldn’t have believed that part if he hadn’t seen it himself. Silluka, bodycasting too much. Bodycasting at all. He was about to ask if Cosquella knew many chayus, when Silluka’s eyes fluttered open. They locked on Cosquella’s.

“Are you a goddess?” she asked.