29

Lyra slept in the temple again that night. She could see the gray moon through the skylight, and the bright specks of faraway stars, and despite her injuries, it was the most peaceful she had felt since she got here. The only other night that came close was the night they spent camping, but the security of sleeping inside solid walls made this night even better.

If there was no hope of getting home, she thought she wouldn't mind staying here. She didn't think she would want to live in Towr's temple, thought, not even if the guest chamber had windows. She felt as if she had learned enough about the gods over the past week to be confident in her belief that Towr's theft of her language hadn't been malicious, but the shock and violation of the loss had damaged her relationship with the god forever.

Saofoth, on the other hand… While she wasn't stupid enough to trust the bright-eyed god completely, they seemed to genuinely care for Galin, and wanting to save his life was a human enough desire that it made Saofoth feel relatable. The temple orchard was peaceful, and if she stayed here, at least she would be useful. She could keep helping Galin adjust to his new life and help the locals communicate with their god… and hopefully avoid something like this fiasco happening again.

But Kel and Cora both seemed to think there was a chance she could go home, and the hope burned like an ember in her chest. As long as that hope was there, she couldn't let it go. She couldn't settle down and try to make the best of her new life in this unfamiliar world. She had to keep trying.

She woke in the morning to a knock at the guesthouse door. She croaked, "Come in," in a voice that was still rusty with sleep.

She knew it wouldn't be Kel, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Galin. He carried a tray with a plate of eggs, fried potatoes, and thinly sliced strips of beef, and a glass of clear water, which he set down on the desk before turning to give her a shallow bow.

"Good morning, priestess. Kel sent me to wake you. He wishes to begin your journey soon." He hesitated. "My mother says you should take your time eating your breakfast and making sure you are fully rested and prepared before you go. They both scare me when they get mad, so I don't know who you should listen to first."

"Thanks, Galin," she said. "How are you feeling? Is there anything else you need me to talk to Saofoth about before I go?"

He shook his head. "I dreamed of the god last night. It wasn't very clear, but I think they will be able to communicate with me if they need to."

"And Yarra? It can't be easy to share your body with your little sister."

He gave a dejected shrug. "We agreed to take turns controlling my body, but I get more time because she doesn't want to do chores, so I guess it's okay for now. I don't know how I'm going to live like this forever, but… she's happy to be alive again. I don't think she really understands what she lost yet. My mother keeps crying, and my father will barely look at me, but they both said they want me to stay in Lokokami, so that's good, I guess."

"How's your father doing? I know the god in the cave attacked him. I only saw the bandages on his face, but it looked pretty bad."

"My mother says the injury will scar, and she doesn't know if he will be able to see out of his injured eye, but he'll live. I have a lot to atone for. I never wanted other people to get hurt."

"I don't have any advice to give you," she admitted. "Just… I don't think you should ever trust the gods to do the right thing. They don't seem to have the same ideas of right and wrong as people like you and I do."

"Even Saofoth?"

"Even Saofoth. Do what you have to do for your devotion to him, but no more."

He nodded, thanked her for the advice, then left, shutting the temple door briskly behind him. She got out of bed and stretched, then made her way over to the desk to eat, barely even jumping when Saofoth appeared in the corner of the guesthouse between one blink and the next.

"You truly wish to leave? There is nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?"

"I want to get home. I don't think you can do that. It's not within your lιən or whatever."

"No, it is not. I hope you find what you are looking for, priestess. You have helped more than you know. The village is grateful to you, as am I. Would you allow me to give you my blessing?"

She hesitated in reaching for one of the fried strips of meat. "That's right, Towr gave me one, but I never actually figured out what it does. There's no cost to it? You won't want anything in return?"

"You have already earned it, priestess. I do not need to ask, but I know you are wary of the gods, and rightfully so. I do not wish to be yet another deity who causes harm to you."

The god's words were surprisingly touching. "Well, in that case, go ahead."

Saofoth smiled and grew, somehow, until they were as tall as she was. They leaned forward and pressed their lips to her forehead. She felt a rush of warmth and the strong scent and taste of peaches, then nothing. The next moment, the god had resumed their usual form.

"I have given you my Blessing of Daily Fruit. My orchard will never be far from you, priestess. And you will always have a place in my temple, if one day you wish to return."

Saofoth vanished after that, and once again she didn't get a chance to ask what the blessing actually did, but she was less perturbed this time. She finished her breakfast and got ready to go, packing what few belongings she had into her backpack. Someone had washed all of her clothes, not just her tunic, and had reorganized her things, but they had left the device from her home alone, the one that was so important to her even though she had forgotten what it was called. Nothing was missing, but she hadn't exactly expected it to be.

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Maybe she was getting too used to special treatment, but it seemed hard to imagine that any of these people would steal from her after all of this.

After getting dressed in clean clothes and her repaired tunic – the place where the gods' claws tore through it was noticeable, but the repair was neat and tidy, and from a distance, the tunic looked almost as good as new – she took the time to make the bed and sweep out the guesthouse before she left. On her way out, she paused to pet the white cat, who was sunbathing in a wheelbarrow next to the crypt. Saofoth hadn't asked her to name it, but she figured Galin could handle that if it was something the god wanted.

Kel was waiting for her just past the temple gate, leaning against one of the peach trees near Aeliana, who was contentedly munching apple slices that Galin handed her one by one. Perra had just finished tying shut one of the saddlebags when she spotted Lyra. She rushed over to open the gate for her, then pulled her into a tight hug that made Lyra miss her own mother fiercely.

"Thank you so much, priestess. I wish she could stay longer, but I know you have an important journey ahead of you. Write to us when you get to the city, if you get the chance. It will do my heart good to know that you made it. Take care, and watch out for your own safety. I know you're traveling with Kel, but what happened to his sister proves that there are more dangers out there than a sentinel or even a paladin is prepared to deal with."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kel flinch, then push away from the tree to take the horse's reins from Galin and look her tack over in a clear effort to distract himself. Perra either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I'll be careful," Lyra promised. "I'm sorry about how things turned out with Galin and Yarra. I wish I could have done more."

"That you were able to help at all is a miracle. The entire village agrees. No matter how they feel about the situation, they know it could have been much worse. Dalton is angry, but he and my husband have been friends for a long time, and my husband will deal with it. I know some of the others wish to see you off, but I did not think you would want so much fanfare. Farewell, and I hope you make it to the city in time for God's Day."

One last hug, and Perra stepped back. Galin didn't give her an extended goodbye – they'd already said what they needed to say that morning – but he bowed to her, and then his face changed, and he gave a more childish wave. She waved back, saying farewell to Yarra.

She would probably never see these people again, but she wished them well.

"Do you require help getting into the saddle?" Kel asked once Galin and Perra gave them some space.

She eyed the horse, who eyed her back. One of Aeliana's golden ears flicked, and she had the distinct sense that the horse was judging her.

"Yeah, I think I do," she admitted. She would have liked to blame it on her injury, but she didn't think she would have been able to get into the saddle by herself even if she wasn't injured – not gracefully, anyway. She might be able to manage once she'd seen how it was done and practiced a few times, but she didn't want the last thing Galin and his mother saw before she left to be her flailing and struggling to climb on top of the horse they had gifted her.

He tossed the reins over the mare's head and walked around to the horse's left side. Aeliana stayed put, not moving so much as a hoof out of place. At least she seemed well-trained, because Lyra was about as novice as they came.

Kel knelt down on one knee and interlaced his fingers over it. "Step here," he explained. "I'll boost you into the saddle. Grab onto the pommel or the poleys to pull yourself up and swing your other leg over. I will help you adjust the stirrups."

She took a moment to examine the saddle and other tack. Her blanket and hammock were rolled up and tied securely behind the saddle on top of the horse's rump, and there were saddlebags on each side, both of which were stuffed full of supplies. The horse was carrying a lot more gear than she and Kel had been able to carry alone.

The saddle didn't look like the kind she was used to seeing while watching entertainment at home. It didn't have a horn, but had a sort of steep arch at the front and two stiff, raised flaps that looked like they would be helpful if the horse was going down a hill and she started sliding forward.

She was more nervous at the prospect of riding the horse than she expected, but she forced herself to move toward Kel, and tried to calm her breathing as she did so. Horses could smell fear, couldn't they? Or was that dogs? Either way, she was pretty sure the mare could sense how nervous she was because Aeliana snorted and shifted in place slightly as Lyra got closer. She didn't move away from Kel, though, and he was still waiting patiently for her to use his interlaced fingers as a stepping stool the horse.

She set her booted foot into his hand and grabbed onto the front part of the saddle. She was a little worried about hurting him, but it turned out she didn't need to be; he propelled her effortlessly up into the saddle, and she barely had time to swing her leg over and grab on before she slid off the other side. The motion pulled at her injury, and she let out a pained hiss. Aeliana's ears flicked back toward her briefly, and she shifted again. The feeling of sitting on an animal that was moving was going to take some getting used to. Even though the horse hadn't taken so much as a single step yet, she was convinced she was about to fall off at any moment. All she could do was sit there and cling to the saddle, at least until Kel tapped her knee to get her attention and helped guide her foot into the stirrup. He spent a moment fiddling with the straps until the stirrup sat high enough that her leg was slightly bent.

"Keep the stirrup under the ball of your foot and your heel pointed down," he directed her. "If your foot slips through the stirrup and you fall off the horse, you will be dragged until the horse stops."

That was all the warning she needed to be hyper-aware of the placement of her foot. Kel went around to the other side and adjusted that stirrup too, and once she was able to use her feet to balance a little better, she began to feel more stable, though she kept clinging tightly to the front of the saddle. Kel lifted the leather reins off the horse's neck and held them up for her to take. She gave him a wide-eyed look.

"Can you lead her? If I let go, I'm going to fall off."

"You won't fall," he said with admirable patience. "I could lead the horse, but you must learn to ride eventually, and there is no reason you should not start now. Sit straight in the saddle, don't hunch over like that, and hold onto the horse with your legs. Take the reins in your hands like so." He pried her fingers off the saddle to slip the reins into her grasp instead. "You will have more control this way."

"What do I do if I want her to stop? I just pull back?"

"A well-trained horse should respond to the way you are sitting and the shift of your body weight. For now, pull back gently if you wish her to stop. She will also listen to your voice. A 'whoa' should suffice."

"All right, that seems simple enough. If I want her to go faster, I kick her with my heels?"

"A gentle tap at most, unless you wish her to take off at a run. Clicking your tongue should also work. Try it now. Click your tongue and shift your weight forward slightly."

Lyra did as he said, and to her utter shock, Aeliana began plodding forward at a sedate pace. She grinned at Kel, who was walking along beside her. He gave her a rather unconvincing smile back, so she turned to smile at Galin instead, who beamed and waved at her as they moved away down the road.

His encouragement was much more satisfying, but she was starting to lose her balance, so she looked forward again after a few seconds.

If this was all there was to horse riding, then she had been nervous for nothing. This was a piece of cake, and it was a hell of a lot easier than walking.