Kaiato Bakeh followed Shifra as she directed him to the room set aside for him. She bore a frown of concentration.

He smiled, remembering how her cheeks had reddened when he’d kissed her hand. It had been rougher than he expected. This was a girl who’d handled a weapon. What would Revin think? It was obvious Revin liked her from the way he talked about her, but Kaiato wondered if she felt the same. Revin seemed to think so, but Kaiato was better at reading women than most. And he was unsure.

Kaiato chuckled to himself. His sister was the true flirt, men fell at her feet. One of the perks of being a famous carnofighter.

Kaiato paused. What would Johuto think? Flirting with an Ateyan noblewoman? She wouldn’t approve. She’d be yelling in his ears, driving him to do his duty, not court a foreigner. She was different than the Koyejian women, and that lent her an exotic air. But surely Johuto would approve of a woman trained in the arts of war, like herself?

He rubbed his eyes. He needed to change his clothes, but he needed a moment to center himself. He locked the door, sat cross-legged, and focused on his breathing. His heartbeat slowed. The choppy sea of his thoughts slowly calmed into a peaceful ebb and flow.

Let go of what you cannot control. Accept what is. Change what you must.

As he meditated the sounds of a city moving to night came muffled through his window, but they didn’t bother him. The noise of a city could be just as relaxing as a breeze, a bird, or a waterfall. If one let the sounds wash over them, flow past them, then many distractions could be ignored.

With eyes still closed, he heard a whisper of something moving and then a soft click on the floor.

He opened his eyes.

A crumpled note sat on the ground just in front of the window. He cocked his head, stood, and grabbed it. He looked out the window, searching, his sniper’s eyes hunting for anything out of the ordinary. He focused on every person’s body language, looking for someone acting odd. People walked about, saurians walked or were ridden, but not a single soul looked out of place. None peeking around a corner to verify he’d grabbed the paper.

He looked at the note and noticed that it wasn’t crumpled, it was expertly folded into a sphere. A Koyejian folding technique.

He opened it slowly.

Inside was a note written in Koyejian.

Sharpshooter,

It is good to see you are doing well. Meet me behind the accountants’ tower in thirty minutes, we have important matters to discuss. If you are not there, I will attempt again.

It wasn’t signed.

Kaiato looked up. Who could be reaching out here? Was it Johuto? Would she reach out this way? She said she’d try to find him in the northern forests in two years, after things had settled. Maybe she had come sooner?

His heart leaped at the thought, but it was unlikely. Johuto smuggling him out of the country would have looked far more obvious if she left suddenly.

He found a washing basin and dropped the note in. He let it sit until it was dripping wet. He slowly tore it to pieces, dropping them one at a time into the toilet in the corner of his room. Ateyan plumbing was impressive.

Should I go? he thought.

As he tore the last few pieces and dropped them into the bucket, he still didn’t know what he should do. It could be a trap, someone out for revenge for the death of the high lord. But no one knew he had gone. No one except for his sister, Johuto. For a split second, he wondered if it had been Johuto. But no, that wasn’t her handwriting, nor did she practice paper-folding. Could it have been someone she sent? His path home?

But… He was in the middle of something here. Something to change the fate of the world. If he could make a difference… That would be worth his chance to get home. But the Ateyan’s needed his help. Revin wasn’t Ateyan, and he was here to protect his home. Should Kaiato do the same?

He still had some time to decide. For now, he would meet Shifra and Revin in the garden.

Perhaps he could make an excuse later. Disappearing without a word would look suspicious. Talking to the messenger wasn’t committing to a decision. After he spoke to them, he could make his own choice.

✦✦✦

Shifra read from the Shevidaron in a small lounge.

The words weren’t connecting with her today. They felt so… empty. Archaic phrases. Old stories she’d heard a hundred times. Nothing. Nothing to answer the question burning in her mind. A question that was more like a feeling. A pit of guilt, of shame.

She’d fought, and it had felt… amazing. Her first real battle. But at what cost? Qadi. Qadi might be the cost.

She should have fled at the first sign of trouble. But she’d tried to help .

Is that really what you were doing?

She shoved the voice inside away. That nagging ache. Qadi was on her way back to the capital. To home. She was recovering, slowly, but still hadn’t woken. Shifra could find out, if she went with her.

But that would mean abandoning my father… More, it would mean failing what she had told Senator Thersha she had set out to do.

But she had already failed at that. Her father knew so much of the plight of the people already, far more than he let on.

And Qadi… could Shifra face her father? He’d said it was too dangerous. Stay away from battles.

I shouldn’t have let her come… Shifra thought, It’s my fault. She rubbed her moist eyes with her left hand.

Something red and white dropped onto her book.

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She jumped in surprise and looked up. Kaiato stood next to her, a relaxed smile on his face.

“I’ve heard Ateyan ladies are partial to flowers,” Kaiato said, “is this true?”

Shifra looked down, eager to finish wiping the last remnants of tears, and picked up the item. It was made of two pieces of paper, one pink, the other white. They were combined to resemble a flower. The skill was incredible. She closed her book. “Sometimes.” She said with a smile that didn’t require too much effort.

“I’ll have to remember,” Kaiato said. He looked at her book. “What are you reading, if I may ask?”

“The Shevidaron,” Shifra said, showing him the cover.

“Ah,” Kaiato said. “You know, I was never any good at reading your language.”

Shifra smiled, “Do Koyejian sharpshooters read or write at all?”

Kaiato raised an eyebrow. “Do you think we just shoot our rifles and chant at the dead?”

Shifra shook her head quickly. “Oh no! I didn’t mean that, I meant-”

“Peace, Shifra,” he said with a laugh. “We often write when attempting to woo a...” He paused and looked up, as if looking for a word. “ Mate? Is that the word?”

She let out a small chuckle. “It works.” Her heartbeat surged and her fingers tingled. She pushed her hair off her ear.

He nodded, “I was never good at writing, even in my own language. But that is the kurlakt .”

“I don’t know that word, kurlakt? What is it?”

“That which you’re most interested in seeking, you’re least capable to get. It means the nature of the world, the nature of life and consequences, the... generally negative way of things…” Kaiato mumbled, then paused, “It’s hard to describe.”

Shifra nodded, “I think I understand.”

“Like Omrai trying to fight Jebuthar,” Kaiato said, “Like ants against a vareshu.”

Shifra thought back to the battle, of Qadi and her injury. She hoped her friend was recovering. She’d never see out of that eye again, and only time would tell what further damage had happened. The men that had been brought back from the battlefield had smashed legs and a lot of wounds.

“Why would Shevidaro let this happen?” Shifra said, mostly to herself.

“What an interesting religion you have,” Kaiato said, “Blaming everything on a god, or is it two? Shevidaro and another?”

“Well, Father God is the God, and Shevidaro is a god.”

“Seems complicated,” Kaiato said.

“Complicated?” Shifra said, “Don’t you have a dozen gods?”

“Six dozen, actually,” Kaiato said. Shifra couldn’t tell if he was joking.

“Doesn’t that make obeying them complicated?”

Kaiato shook his head. “You obey the god whose blessing you want.”

“Well, we don’t get to choose to obey whichever god we want,” Shifra said, “Yishai forces the choice on us.”

“Well,” Kaiato said, “what would your gods think about his leadership?”

“I don’t know,” Shifra said.

“He is trying to protect his people, isn’t he? Keep them from doing wrong?”

Shifra sighed. “Yes, a leader is supposed to discourage wrongdoing, and priests should encourage righteousness, but freedom is important too…”

Shifra closed her eyes and shook her head as if trying to get rid of a headache.

“Revin believes your priests have gone astray.”

“And what do you believe?”

Kaiato frowned slightly, touching his chin. “It seems hard to rely on your gods when their words seem so inconsistent. You have so many words to interpret.”

She tapped the open page of the Shevidaron in her lap. “Well, none are helping me right now. It doesn’t tell me how a government should be run…” Or how I can atone for what I’ve done to Qadi...

“In Koyeji, the lower men serve the lords, the lords serve the gods, and the priests heed the gods and advise the lords. It works for us.” Kaiato shrugged.

Shifra smiled. “I don’t see that working here. Besides, Omrai seems to care more about this war.”

“Can you blame him?” Kaiato said, “If Jebuthar wins, there won’t be a government to change. You’ll be in a rebellion.”

“I know, I know,” Shifra said, “It’s just… there’s always another war. We can’t wait for peace to change our country. He can’t just ignore our problems when there’s another enemy to fight.”

“Maybe you’re being too forceful,” Kaiato said. “Take smaller steps, plant the seeds. Especially during a war which threatens to destroy the government you already have. Distractions at this point could be, dangerous. You don’t want your father to start a war of words while a war of weapons is being fought. Small steps.”

Shifra nodded. “That… actually, makes sense.”

“Speaking of distractions in a time of war,” Kaiato said, “I can see Revin is interested in courting you.”

Shifra fumbled the paper flower, almost dropping it. She looked at Kaiato, who bore a look of calm amusement. His eyes were dark. His jawline well-defined. He’s a Koyejian… I shouldn’t even be alone with him. Then she remembered his question. “Um…” Shifra said, “Maybe he is.”

“So, what do you think?”

“You Koyejians aren’t much for subtlety, are you?” Shifra said. She appreciated it.

Kaiato smiled. “No, we’re not. If a venture is a waste of time, we like to know sooner rather than later.”

They were quiet for a moment, Shifra considering how to respond. “I wouldn’t say this venture is a waste of time.”

Kaiato smiled.