Not caring to demonstrate my skills in front of someone who might later use the knowledge against me, I planned to spend the next few days with the uekisheile hidden by the waterfall. We needed to study the blynx’s bones anyway, so the time would be useful.
Otwei’s presence in the Glen remained a barb under my skin, but then I had a barb under hers as well. Only, she didn’t know it.
After half a day, she grew bored—so incredibly, out-of-her-skull numb with boredom—and decided to enter the Glen directly to look around. The uekisheile within her alerted us, so we merged to watch her sneak among our things. We experienced the dizzying flow of qi that produced the Camouflage spell, as well as the mental constructs required for Scentless Hunter.
Observing her casting her spells was a revelation.
First, the flow of qi for Camouflage was dramatically different from Dog’s Agility, seemingly much more chaotic and influencing a much wider range of the body. Scentless Hunter was harder to pick up, since our ability to read thoughts depended on qi as an intermediary. Still, we glimpsed flashes of images, enough to know that the spell depended on nature mana and runes built from a sequence of loops.
We were hungry to learn. The impulse drove us, and our recent experiences had only whet our appetite for more. While Ollie/Eight had doubts about the rightness of spying on Otwei, there was no denying it was an incredible learning opportunity. Our presence within her had transformed Otwei from bane to boon.
The Hunter’s Lodge forbade its members from teaching spells. It didn’t matter who or why; the spells could only be earned. However, there was nothing to stop hunters from learning spells on their own. In fact, they were encouraged to experiment and find new ones—learning from the plants and animals they hunted.
This encouragement wasn’t meant to apply to people—we were taking advantage of a loophole—but we set Ollie/Eight’s guilt aside. Who knew when an opportunity like this would come again? We needed all the tools we could get to protect our new family.
Over the next several days, the uekisheile and I moved our attention back and forth between the blynx’s bones and Otwei, depending on whether she was using her spells or not. We learned:
The Blink spell was a complicated combination of processes operating at once, and it involved the blynx’s skull, sternum, and at least one other structure. Whether that structure was physical or not was unclear.
One of the patterns underlying the spell felt familiar to the uekisheile and resembled the transformation from their physical body to their qi body. The rest of the spell’s patterns were incomplete, though, and would require a great deal of extrapolation and trial and error to complete.
Otwei used both Camouflage and Scentless Hunter when tracking me during the few times I left to fish or take care of business. I didn’t much care for her watching me squat in the woods, but she paid for it each time—even if she didn’t know it. With each cast of her spells, the uekisheile observed the flow of qi and the mental gymnastics required to cast her spells.
Her qi capacity was about half of mine; my qi was also more concentrated than hers.
Moving slowly, Otwei could maintain both Camouflage and Scentless Hunter for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. Moving quickly, the spells only lasted two minutes before she ran out of qi and mana.
With the uekisheile’s help, I was able to cast a crude version of Camouflage almost immediately. Seeing the flow of qi in another person was hugely instructive.
It took us longer to learn Scentless Hunter—and I don’t know if we would’ve gotten it on our own—but as the days drew out, Otwei partially eased her boredom by practicing her skills. That included sketching the runes required for Scentless Hunter in the dirt as a test of her memory.
For me, when I experimented with Camouflage, I learned that it lasted almost forty-five minutes when sitting still. While doing calisthenics, the spell lasted nine minutes. That was relying on my qi capacity alone. If the uekisheile contributed their qi, we could extend the spell’s duration even longer.
As for Scentless Hunter, it lasted only twenty-five minutes and five minutes respectively due to me having less mana to work with.
Another disappointment was that Camouflage only extended to my skin. My clothes weren’t covered by the spell. That would come later as my and the uekisheile’s skill with the spell improved. I had learned that at the Hunter’s Lodge, talking with Inleio about qi-magic in general.
Almost a whole week passed, lost in an intense, qi-and-mana-soaked blur of studying and training. The days ran together and the nights too, as I gave the uekisheile permission to focus my dreams on training the new spells.
The day before the solstice, Ikfael rousted me from my experiments with a smack to the back of the head. The Glen needed to be cleaned up for visitors, and she wanted to stay out of Otwei’s sight, which meant the work fell on me to return the Glen to a pristine state. That in turn finally gave Otwei something to watch.
I made a broom from a stripped branch, a collection of twigs, and a length of rope. The construction wasn’t the best, but I could sweep the ground with it well enough. The only exceptions to the Glen’s scouring were the walls the kids and I had assembled inside the cave. Those would’ve been too much work to take down and put back up again, and Ikfael grudgingly gave permission for them to stay. I also stored the cookware and tools in the cave, as well as the various projects I had left half-finished.
Then, that night, under cover of darkness, I became one with the land and joined with the uekisheile. We put our new spells to use—Camouflage and Scentless Hunter—along with the land and every bit of understanding of the Stealth skill we’d gathered, then snuck out of the Glen.
Naked as a jaybird, we went north at first, just in case she spotted us. We had stashed a bundle of clothes and gear there—making it look like part of cleaning up the Glen—and we paused in our dressing to check on the portion of us inside Otwei.
There was only this evening and tomorrow morning left to retrieve the bodies, and she was alert and watching carefully. Her qi was flavored with relief that her time in the Glen was almost finished, and she also felt disdain for the boy who never left his cave and anger for making her wait.
Well, she’d wait even longer. We blew a silent raspberry in her direction and slipped through the night toward the Lion’s Cave.
The rest of the evening went smoothly. Because of the bags, I was able to bring the bodies out two at a time on the travois. The only challenge was the narrow path from the entrance of the Lion’s Cave up to the top of the escarpment. Slow, methodical care was the answer, and over the course of the next few hours I made three trips between the Glen and the escarpment. Two trips to retrieve the bodies of Woldec and his family, and one to retrieve the bandit equipment I’d hidden away.
Back near the Glen, I undressed and slipped back into my home cave, only to re-dress and walk boldly to where I’d left the bodies and gear. It was almost 3:00 AM, but Otwei was still awake and alert. She, of course, followed me, but all she saw was me walking a hundred yards north of the Glen, putting on the harness for the travois, and transporting a handful of bags to the Glen for safe, overnight storage.
I could only imagine Otwei’s rage. No, I could do more than that, couldn’t I? Merging with the uekisheile, we peeked and found…
Fury. Her qi was awash with the emotion. She’d thoroughly searched the Glen and its surroundings, but had somehow managed to miss the simply camouflaged bags nearby. How was that even possible? If she’d only found them earlier, then she wouldn’t have had to waste a week waiting in the woods. And there was no sign of the bloody treasure, the eilesheile.
The intention to scream arose, but she squashed it, along with the rage that had been building. She compressed the feeling down, so that it didn’t blind her. The emotion didn’t die though, only smoldered, a marble of resentment.
The next morning, I recovered from the exertions of the night before, napping on and off in the cave while Ikfael sat nearby and the uekisheile kept an eye on Otwei. Neither of the two non-humans needed to sleep, which was a real blessing to someone who needed to rest and couldn’t always keep watch for predators.
Ikfael fidgeted like a kid on Christmas day, anxiously awaiting the moment when she’d be allowed to open her presents. I mean, she tried to play it cool, but I saw how her ears swiveled.
As for Otwei, she stewed in her miserable anger the whole time. The uekisheile was rather smug about it, and… well, so was I. Even though I continued to be uneasy about the situation, I felt a smile tugging at my lips. Mischief well managed was just so satisfying.
Around noon, Ikfael turned to stare toward the Glen’s eastern boundary. I figured our guests must’ve arrived, so I picked myself up and dusted off my pants. They were a pair that I’d purchased from Bihei. I wore one of her shirts too.
As I headed out, Ikfael gave me a hard stare. “Don’t embarrass me,” she signed.
I just shook my head and walked out from behind the waterfall into the Glen. She wasn’t very honest with her feelings, our Ikfael. She’d made a big deal about being annoyed by the extra visitors this year, but looking at her now I saw how she was clearly the one who anticipated this visit the most.
Mumu popped out of the woods first, scouting ahead of the team like she usually did. She gave a friendly wave and looked around the Glen. It was spotless.
“How goes it, Eight? Everything all right?”
“Mostly,” I said. “Ikfael is ready, but there’s something I want to talk to you about later. Save some time for me, okay?”
She laughed. “What? More questions?”
I shook my head. “No, I want to report on something, but it’ll have to wait.”
Tegen opened the path for Sheedi to walk through, followed by Inleio, Teila, and Haol. Then it was Ghitha and his band of merry adventurers: Banan, Kuros, Agath, and Moon. And…. just out of the corner of my eye: Otwei melted out of the woods behind them. I didn’t miss her meaningful glance toward Banan. It said, “We need to talk.”
They’d have to wait too, because Sheedi took charge straight away. She placed a gray-and-blue-striped blanket at the edge of the pool, and had everyone empty their backpacks onto it.
Berries, fava beans, peppers, squash, eggs, milk, acorn flour, corn meal, bags of salt and maple sugar, smoked salmon and trout, venison jerky, a silver knife, and a gold spoon—the goods piled up high, and I could only imagine how wide our dear otter’s eyes were bugging out at that moment.
In years past, the village’s offering had consisted of enough food to last a week, but this was at least thirty days’ worth, not to mention the metal goods. The world speaker had taken my advice seriously and made her best effort to bribe her way into Ikfael’s heart.
That wasn’t enough, though. Oh no, not for Sheedi. She knelt to arrange the offerings into an order that pleased the eye: the food on one side with every berry in its place, and metal on the other, the surfaces gleaming in the sun. And then she pulled a bag from her belt and spilled large silver coins onto the blanket, at least a dozen eltaak.
Once she was sure everyone else was kneeling behind her, including me, she spoke: “We come in gratitude. The clean water of Ikfael sustains our village; it nourishes our people, our crops, and our animals. Without Ikfael, Voorhei would not be the village that it is, and we apologize for how long it has taken us to realize this.” She bowed with her hands over her heart.
The rest of us bowed at the same time, and we stayed that way until we heard the sound of water rising from the pool.
Ikfael hadn’t told me what would happen. She’d wanted the ceremony to be a surprise. Mostly, I think she wanted me to be impressed, and I was. A ten-foot-tall otter made of water rose from the pool. The figure was dignified and had the bearing of a wise elder. Her head nodded, graciously accepting the offering presented by the village.
“Your beneficence knows no bounds. As does our gratitude,” Sheedi said. “That is why we also wish to build you a shrine, a place for us to make more frequent offerings. You are a blessing to Voorhei, and we wish for you to be treated as one.”
Ikfael’s avatar gestured, prompting Sheedi to explain her proposition.
“We ask for permission to place a small, fortified building, out of the pool’s view but within the boundaries of this Glen. It will be built by the finest artisans, the work carved with images of you. We do not wish it to be an eyesore to this beautiful place, and the shrine will fit the land it is meant to honor.”
Ikfael motioned for Sheedi to continue.
Oh Ikfael, I thought. She was hooked. I could tell from the way the water statue’s borders blurred. She’s so excited.
Well, Sheedi’s plan wouldn’t be bad for the Glen. Her goal was simply the prestige of having a shrine near Voorhei, which she could then use as leverage for more influence with the world speakers in the surrounding villages.
As for a shrine attendant, that’d be me. I had Ikfael’s Blessing and was already living here. Sheedi even offered compensation: an eltaak every week for cleaning the shrine and carrying offerings between Voorhei and the Glen. It was a win-win as far as I was concerned.
Eventually, Ikfael’s avatar sighed, as if to say, “Well, if you must.” Then she nodded, giving permission for the shrine to be built.
Sheedi bowed again, as did the crowd. A moment later, she shuffled back, and I could see a triumphant smile on her face. Then Inleio went forward, bringing with him a seven-foot-long pole wrapped in cloth.
“I honor Ikfael. I am known as Inneioleia, and I come to ask for a boon for the Hunter’s Lodge of Voorhei. Your blessed, Eight, has demonstrated to us a healing spell of your teaching, and I ask for the same grace for our lodge. The woods are forever dangerous, but with your protection our hunters can walk the Path to Perfection more safely.”
Inleio paused to unwrap the cloth to reveal a spear. The wood was dark, like ebony, and the spearhead glinted silver gray. The light gathered all along the haft and danced. Kuros, kneeling nearby, let out a gasp.
“I offer my heart in exchange; this spear, named Bearbane, was made by my grandfather and fed the silverlight of a hundred bears. I offer it in exchange for the protection of my people. Please allow Eight to teach us the healing spell.”
Ikfael’s avatar froze, the moment lasting long enough for the congregation to get antsy and wonder if Inleio had somehow offended the spirit. I just shook my head. No doubt the hidden otter was lost gazing at the beautiful weapon, saliva dripping from her mouth.
The water avatar shuddered into motion. With a gesture, a pseudopod of water rose from the pool and grabbed the spear to pull it in, likely before Inleio could change his mind. Then the avatar started to fall apart, only remembering to nod to the lodge master at the end.
Inleio turned to Sheedi, confused. “Was that a yes? Did she give her permission?”
Sheedi, in turn, looked at me.
“Yes, Ikfael gave her permission. I’ll teach you the spell.”
Inleio smiled, but it somehow felt hollow. As he replied to me, I noticed how his eyes glanced toward the water, to where the spear had disappeared. “We have done a good thing today. You should be proud, Eight. So many of our brothers and sisters will live thanks to this spell.”
We weren’t quite done, though. Ghitha stood up and gestured for the Albei hunters to rise as well. “I believe it is now time for me to receive my family’s remains.”
“Yes, of course. Just a moment.” I ran inside the cave and carefully brought out each bag. They’d gotten a little squishy thanks to being jostled during the move, but there weren’t any leaks.
Ghitha held a cloth to his nose, but he seemed genuinely grateful to receive the bags. His eyes were shining. “I thank you. You have fulfilled your part, so I will buy the goods you have to sell. My people—” He looked over to where Otwei whispered into Banan’s ear. The frown on Banan’s face must’ve worried him, because he abruptly stopped mid-speech and left to go talk to them.
Well, if he could consult with his allies, so could I. I waved Mumu over and filled her in on Otwei’s presence in the Glen. I didn’t mention anything about stealing her spells, but I did let her know about the Albei team’s interest in finding Woldec’s treasure.
Mumu stared at me long and hard. “Your little nose has a knack for finding things. Do you know where this treasure is?”
I didn’t mind lies of omission, but I didn’t want to actively lie to Mumu. So, I just kept quiet.
“Fifty-fifty,” she said, “and I’ll help you.”
I raised my eyebrows at her.
“All right, we’ll skip the haggling and go straight to seventy-thirty.”
I started to walk away.
“Damn you, Little Pot. Eighty-twenty, and you’d better accept. If Grunthen was telling even half the truth, the treasure is worth a dangerous amount of taak. You need me.”
Did I? I wasn’t sure, though it’d be good to have another person to watch my back—someone who knew how this society operated. And we were already working together.
“We have a deal,” I said.
Mumu laughed and roughly rubbed my head. “Bindeise’s treasure and this? We’re going to be so rich.”
I smiled back, while across the Glen, Ghitha and his hired hunters scowled at each other.
