One mission and twenty-five essence-infused crystals. That was the price Tsia had finally managed to negotiate Nekelmû down to, in exchange for the use of the company’s special bag of holding. He had wanted more, of course - who wouldn’t - but Tsia was no novice in negotiations.

His initial demand for three missions and fifty crystals was, honestly, not that unreasonable. Tsia might even have agreed to it with relatively little squabbling if Nekelmû hadn’t underestimated her. Not wanting to blindly agree to take any and all missions, she had asked for a few details of what they wanted her to do and he had complied a little too well for his own good.

“A small group from one of the mountain tribes has migrated to the area recently and been giving us trouble. You know how they are,” he said perfunctorily.

Tsia nodded agreeably though, in fact, she had no idea what he was talking about.

“Anyways, they’ve been helping themselves to our merchandise occasionally, but mostly just food so we’ve been ignoring it. But a few weeks ago, they took something more valuable, something we want back. We’d like you to retrieve our merchandise and handle them."

She arched an eyebrow. "Handle them?"

He waved his impatiently. "Bloody their nose a bit, or kill them all - I don't really care. We just need them to think twice before they come after our caravans.”

Tsia wrinkled her nose, biting her lower lip coquettishly. “Why me? Surely you have more skilled warriors than I at your beck and call, even perhaps a few of the fire mages the Djinn are so famous far?”

And there Nekelmû made his blunder. “We can’t get to them,” he admitted ruefully. “The tribe carved a cave deep into the side of the cliffs overlooking Yarhab. Our Tsussîm can’t land there and, well, fire mages can’t fly. They can't even fall gracefully.”

“Now normally, we have a contractor from the royal guard that could handle the situation, but he got sent away on a mission to Kubarru. So, can you do the job?”

Tsia grinned. “Of course. I’ll do this mission, and then you’ll ferry our horses across the lake?”

Nekelmû’s brow creased. “No, that’s just the first mission. You’ll still need to do two more missions.”

She laughed lightly. “I think if you search your memory you’ll find we've discussed just the one mission. Unless, of course, you have some other wind mage to call upon?”

The man’s smile slipped. “Eight thousand gold coins is utterly out of the question as your payment for a single mission,” the steward snapped.

Tsia shrugged, standing up. “Oh well. In that case, I guess I’ll just have to take the boat to S̆addānu. Maybe, once I get there, I’ll do as you suggested and hire a tsussîm on the other side.” She winked at him. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

She made it out the door and partway down the hall before Nekelmû broke. “Wait,” his voice thundered from his office.

Tsia walked back, craning her head around the doorframe. “Yes,” she said sweetly.

The steward’s face was as red as a cherry tomato as he waved her back in. “Fine. One mission,” he agreed. “But I’ll need you to sweeten the deal. Fifty essence-infused crystals as well. You can give them to my men once you reach the capital.”

“Five,” she countered flatly, suppressing her smirk as the Djinn audibly groaned.

In the end, she was forced to bend a little. While Nekelmû was eager to regain whatever trifle the company had lost, there was a hard and fast limit to how low he was willing to go, and frankly, at a certain point, it wasn’t worth it to Tsia to try to wring water out of a stone. After all, she didn’t want Nekelmû to be incentivized to screw her over. So she eventually agreed to provide twenty-five of the crystals and the contract was forged.

“When can I leave?” she asked, as she signed her name with a flourish.

The steward took the contract back, perusing it with pursed lips, before filing it away. “Whenever you want.” His irritation ebbed slightly as he glanced back at the petite Corsythian. “Are you sure you can handle this by yourself, Lady Tsia? The mountain tribes are no pushovers. They are highly dangerous and must have at least one talented earth mage. While the company would like our merchandise back, I would prefer not to have your blood on my hands.”

Tsia suppressed the rumbles of her doubt in her stomach, flashing him a cheeky grin. “The only blood that will be spilled is theirs.”

He gave her an uncertain look, but she didn’t falter. With a shrug, he dismissed. “Very well, then. Good hunting.”

As they left the stables’ offices, Tsia could feel the silent pillar of disapproval walking beside her. “What?” She asked, an accusatory note in her voice.

“You know what,” Nēs̆u responded calmly. “I was more than happy to help you clear out a few missions, but taking a job where I cannot watch over you was foolish and impulsive.”

“I couldn’t afford to pay him 8,000 coins, Nēs̆u, and I didn’t want to stick around for weeks on end to do a few jobs. Who knows how long Jasper will stay at the palace? If he leaves before I get there, I might never get the chance to see my mother again. It was really the only option.”

“We could have taken the boat.”

She ground her teeth, unable to dispute his point. “Fine, you’re right, but did you really think I was going to pass up the chance to finally ride a tsussîm?” She glanced up at him appealingly, and Nēs̆u’s resistance crumbled up.

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“No,” he admitted with a sigh. “When you were younger, I held out hope that one day you would become less impossible, but it seems you have too much of your mother in you to ever be that reasonable.” He smiled as she begin to scowl. “Thankfully, you’ve also inherited many of her better attributes as well. Just promise me one thing, Tsia.”

“What?” She asked suspiciously.

“Before you go, promise that you’ll try again to speak to Vaya.”

She wanted to say no, the words already on her lips, but they died unspoken as she saw the genuine light of worry in his deeds. “Fine,” she conceded begrudgingly. “I will try again tonight, and then I will go.”

Relief washed across his face. “Good, good. I will feel much better knowing the goddess is watching over you.”

But he won’t be, she thought glumly.

They found a tavern near the edge of the bluffs to stable their horses. It was a charming little establishment, with an open-air pavilion that offered its guests stunning views of the lake while they dined. As the heat of the day cooled, and the haze over the lake lifted, Tsia could even see, far off in the distance, a dim glow on the horizon that the tavern owner explained came from the lights of the capital city.

She ate quickly though, tearing through her meal with the speed of a ravenous wolf, not wanting to delay the inevitable any longer than necessary. As the maid cleared away her dishes, she stood to leave and Nēs̆u, though not done with his meal, rose to accompany her, but grabbing him by the shoulder, she pushed him back.

“No, I should go myself.”

The warrior shook his head. “I’m coming with you,” he insisted. “I may not be able to follow you into the caves, but what if you get injured?”

Tsia’s unruly locks tumbled into her face as she shook her head. “No. If I have any hope of hearing Vāya, I need to be alone.”

He hesitated, clearly torn, but she had targeted his soft spot. She knew he’d cave. “Fine. May Vaya watch over you tonight.”

Tsia waited until she was facing away from him before rolling her eyes. Such a worrywart.

Once she’d left the city’s walls behind her, she’d made a beeline for the spot Nemelkû had marked on the map he’d given her. It was only a few miles away, so she reached it well before the final rays of the sun had slipped beneath the mountains. And then, she’d sat down to meditate.

She knew it was pointless, but Tsia had promised Nēs̆u and, whatever other flaws she might possess, she was a woman of her word. But it was hopeless.

Despite being blessed with a talent for wind, Tsia had never been able to communicate with Vaya - not once. The god of the wind was a favorite among the Sicyan sailors Nēs̆u had grown up with, and though Nēs̆u had not even a spark of magical talent, he had always insisted that Lady Vāya spoke to him through the wind.

It was not just some idle boast either. When her father rode out to war against Stryn, Nēs̆u was one of the soldiers that went with him. The man had risen fast through the ranks in large part due to his uncanny ability to sniff out hidden dangers and unseen threats, dangers he claimed the wind had told him off. Indeed, it was because of Nēs̆u’s well-known connection to Vaya that she had been placed as his ward when she manifested her unexpected abilities.

But try as she might - and she had tried many, many times over the years - Tsia’s attempts to communicate with the wind had always gone unanswered. The ever-fickle lord of the air simply paid no heed to her.

She sat down near the edge of the cliff, closing her eyes as she let the world sink away. The winds were wild along the rim. From the north, a cold, damp breeze from the ice-encrusted mountains battled with the dry warmth of the south, the gusts pushing back and forth as they fought for dominance. She let herself drift, her essence leaking slightly into the winds, bolstering them to new heights of fury. The grass bent and swayed around her, even the trees groaning beneath the weight of the wind.

But Vaya was not there. He never was.

With a sigh, Tsia finally opened her eyes, giving up. Night had crept up on her while she meditated, and her eyes were drawn to the fulsome light of the moon above. Its radiance danced across the gentle waves of the lake, driving the darkness away. She drank in its beauty, feeling a peace wash over her as the rays of her mother’s goddess crowned her head. Well, I tried, Nēs̆u. One of these days you’re going to learn I just can't do it.

Tsia nearly screamed, leaping to her feet like a startled jackrabbit, as a soft, frigid hand fell on her shoulder.

“Peace, child. Sit.” A calm voice echoed behind her, and she spun around to face her assailant, her essence already racing toward her fingers.

But the essence ceased to obey her as the cold hand patted her cheeks. “Peace,” the woman repeated.

Tall and pale, with locks as black as endless night and pale eyes that glimmered with the light of the stars, Tsia instantly recognized the pair of uneven horns that crested high above her head and fell to her knees. “Lady Selene.”

The goddess smiled down at her, patting her cheek again. Then she sat down on the cliff ledge, dragging Tsia down beside her. The two sat there, their legs dangling in the air as Tsia gazed at the light of the moon that sat by her, unsure what she was supposed to say.

A lock of hair tumbled free, swaying back and forth between her eyes, and Tsia nearly shrunk back when the goddess reached out, and tucked it back in place. “Tell me, child, why do you seek Lord Vaya’s favor?”

Tsia shook her head sadly. “What sort of a wind mage am I when the god of the air won’t even acknowledge me?”

Selene cocked her head to the side inquisitively. “Do you feel you are lacking in power?”

“Well, no-o,” Tsia responded. “Not exactly. I’ve always been able to hold my own. Except for flying,” she glanced uncertainly over the edge of the cliff, forced to confront her own uncertainty about her ability to complete the mission she had undertaken. “I’ve never really gotten the knack for that down.” She glanced up at the moon. “Why won’t Vaya respond to me? Nēs̆u isn’t even a mage, yet the goddess favors him.”

The goddess bent close to her, so close that her lips were nearly grazing Tsia’s ear. “Maybe,” she whispered, “it’s because you aren’t summoning his wind.”

Tsia whirled to face her. “I’m not summoning his-” Her words died as she saw the space was empty. “What does that even mean?” she muttered. As she stood up, a piece of paper fluttered from her robe. A gust of wind snatched it away, carrying it out of her reach and above the lake. But all it took was a simple twitch of her fingers, as, with a strand of essence, she willed it back to herself.

Her hands shook as she tore at the sealed waxed edges of the letter, not sure what she expected to find in it. Selene left it, didn't she?

After a brief resistance, the wax crumbled beneath her fingers, and the paper flopped open. It was no letter at all, just a single word scrawled across the parchment.

Imḫullu.

The name meant nothing to her, not even sparking so much as a hint of familiarity. "Imḫullu?" She whispered. A ripple of warmth spread across her chest as she muttered the word and eddies of wind, unprompted by her, swirled at her feet. No voice whispered in her ear, but as she repeated the name to herself, Tsia felt a growing certainty that she had attracted the god's or goddess' attention. Selene’s grace, she murmured, bowing her head reverently towards the moon.

And then, unable to put the task off any longer, Tsia turned her eyes to the cliff. Somewhere below lurked the entrance to the cave. Hopefully, she’d actually be able to get there.