A Reading from the Kin of Aethan, After the Great Wasting
Five and ten years after his vision of the plague, the people of Aethan were well in spirit. Their prayers were to Reas, for the rains, and to Terro, to bring great gusts of wind to sweep the insects away.
My sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters, we must never forget that we are but mere mortals on this earth. The Elements, Aether, Terro, Kote, Reas, and Obith are powerful and forever. They will not yield to our needs and do not hear our quarrels. We must live in harmony with them and remember to praise them, love them and follow them. The holy spirits of the Unmarked Ones are here to guide us in this path. Through prayer and devotion we shall find the way, though we must sacrifice much and suffering we will join with the Unmarked Ones in the afterlife and then may we know true peace.
The people rejoiced and they loved one another as they would their own kin. Because it was not through riches and glory, but through poverty and grace that the people found their faith and the power of belief.
Chapter 46
Aneh
I trembled as I walked up the steps in the Citadel to the room where the Saans sometimes received commoners. Mouse and Mole had snuck me over here at the first of the day, before the inner city was open, to present myself to the Saans and ask for their help. I hated to be so bold, but it was the only way to see Olei without relying completely on chance.
Mouse and Mole had helped me rehearse what to say so that I wouldn't reveal who I was, or my intentions.
There was a short line when I arrived which only made me shakier. The longer I was out of the Keep, the better the chance that someone would take notice and force me back to work, with no meals for a day and a half. Worse yet, the more time that passed the more worried I became thinking of what Olei might say.
Finally, I was before them. I crossed my arms over my chest and bowed my head. The Five gave slight bows in return. SaanKote looked fearful and uncomfortable, like he was expecting me to do something rash.
"Oh Holiest Ones, I come to beg of SaanKote his grace and generosity," I said.
"Tell me your request, dear child," SaanKote replied. The rest of the Saans looked uninterested already, paying no mind to the similarity in height, color or accent between myself and their new Saan.
"I traveled here to pay homage to you, to worship the Saans and show my faith. But in my travels I lost many things. I was hoping you could give me guidance on how to find it again." Olei’s expression was hard to read.
"I had a great strap of leather for it was hardy and strong, it was for binding things so that they would stay together, forever.
"Soft cotton of green, to comfort my loved ones and keep them safe with a gentle, tender touch.
"Wool, for warmth in the wet and cold.
"And most precious, a silvery chain to help guide me when I cannot understand the heavens, when I lose my way on earth."
Olei answered right away. He didn't blink, his voice was curt, "I cannot help you, dear coyotie, but I thank you for your faith and your journey. What you have lost is lost, though it once was with you and precious, you must let go the physical for it is not something you can take with you into the next life. It has no meaning.”
My heart sank as he spoke the words.
"If you are truly at a loss, find yourself some new items. The people of Saansanti are crafty and may sell wares to your liking. But if you are strong, you will learn to live without these things, for it is in your suffering that you will be rewarded in the next life."
Olei spoke his secret message as loud and clear as the words that came out of his mouth. I understood it perfectly. I understood him perfectly.
My broken heart was a damp heavy sadness in my chest and an unrelenting queasiness. I busied myself with making a new doll for Dottir out of whatever I could find, a tiny tin button, some reddish yarn, old cloths knotted together, a lone gilded string. I had voluntarily become her sole cell cleaner and as so far as I could tell, sole caretaker. The same sleepy, drugged guard was there when I came every time, barely conscious enough to hand me the key or notice when I brought it back. I snuck dried fruits and candied nuts to her.
Though Dottir had somewhat warmed to my presence, I was very very careful not to anger her. When she spoke it was of Mothers, mostly. I don't know if it was her mother, or if she was the mother to her dolls.
Dottir shied away when I brought her the doll, but it wasn’t long before she began to busy herself with its care, babbling to it and hugging it against her. Her happiness, despite her dismal surroundings, was rare and precious. It sent pangs of sadness through my heart.
I decided then that when it was time for me to leave, I would take Dottir with me. I couldn't bear to say goodbye another person that I had come to love so unexpectedly. She might be lumbering, unpredictable, and smelly, but she was my friend and I did not want to leave her behind if I could take her to a better place.
Chapter 47
Yossinda
Clear evenings were rare, and this one was especially beautiful. Rays from the setting sun highlighted the edges of the clouds to the west, as though I was looking into the afterlife. The clouds to the east were shades of pink, the sky behind it the dark blue of the Saans robes. The windy season was nearly over, Reas’ season would be returning soon.
In the dimming light the grime of the city wasn't as obvious, in fact, the city almost looked clean. If it weren't for the awful smells coming from the side of the road, I might think I was in a different place, one where they didn't throw their gray water into the street.
As I turned the corner toward my father’s house I was met by my little brother, playing in the street by himself. His sickness seemed to have gone away for a while. It was foolish to pretend that it was gone for good, but for now I let it be.
"Yossy!" He cried, the sweetness tugged at my heart, "Yossy I made friends today and we went down to the river and looked at the river eels. They are very long and brown and ugly."
"Did you catch one for dinner?"
"No! I don't want to eat something that is ugly."
"But eels are very tasty did you know? They are like fish."
Raini made a face and laughed, "No they're not. They taste like wastewater!"
"I'll catch you one and cook it for you one day, and you'll say 'Mmmm! Yossy this is the best meal of my life!' And I'll never tell you it was eel."
"Yossy can I tell you something?" Raini tugged at my arm. I kneeled to see him better.
He cupped his hands over my ear and whispered, "Yeidi is really sick. She didn't move all day even when I asked her to play. Then when I touched her hair she hit me."
Saans save us.
"Did she hurt you little brother?"
"No. I mean yes a little. I didn't cry. It hurt when she hit me right here," He lifted up his tunic a little to show me a budding blue bruise on his rib.
"Oh, how strong you are Raini. Let's put a cloth on it. I learned about some plants today that are good for hurts like that. I think we may have some in the cupboard."
Together, Raini and I walked through the door to the house. Quietly so as not to wake Yeidi I rustled in the cupboards and found some dried herbs. They weren't the right ones, but they wouldn't hurt Raini any more and it would make him feel better to think he was being taken care of. I set him to work with a mortar and pestle while I propped the door open. I meant to talk to my father before he walked through the door.
My timing couldn't have been better. As I turned my father came sauntering down the street, whistling. If he was in a good mood, this would be the best time to talk.
"Papa," I greeted him at the front path with a smile.
"Yossy," He greeted me with an embrace, "Are we all home tonight?"
"Yes, well, mostly."
"What do you mean mostly? There can't be part of one of us here.”
"Father, please don’t joke. I mean Yeidi." He looked away from me and groaned a little.
"Yossy, not now.
We don't need to talk about this now," he said dismissively.
"But Papa, you never want to talk about it. Listen, please, listen to me. You can't possibly believe that she is sick. Do you think she is sick?”
"I think she has what Raini had, though my boy is much better now. She'll get over it."
"No! No she won't! It is not the same thing. She is stoned all the time Papa, just eating the Tinea. If she is sick, it's because of the drugs and it's all her doing," I was starting to raise my voice. "She hit Raini today. Hit and bruised him! I don't think she moved at all except for that. She is drugged and we have to do something. She won't listen to me, she hates me. You have to do something Papa. Papa, please!"
He shook his head and moved to the door. Standing there like an impatient ghost was Yeidi, hair stuck to her head, red boils weeping from the nape of her neck. She looked horrible, hardly recognizable as the flirtatious, healthy girl of just a year ago.
"I hit him because he had stolen something, and that's not the kind of child we want him to be. You should thank me, Yossinda, before you accuse me," she said coldly.
My father shrugged. He walked through the doorway, putting his hand on Yeidi's lower neck like he meant to comfort her. I watched his hand avoid the festering sores and give her bony shoulder a squeeze.
I stood in despair and disbelief as he went in.
If Yeidi kept using she would die. If my Father didn't get his head out of the sand, then he would lose another family member. How foolish of him to think this family could handle another loss.
Chapter 48
Aneh
"Mouse," Mole grumbled, "Stop moving and admit that we're lost."
"Nonsense Mole, nonsense. I know right where we are," Mouse replied.
We had taken an alternate route back from the Princess’ quarters after a false labor during which both she and her brother managed to smash many precious things. Tensions were unbearably palpable in the Domi chambers since the Queen had now been injured and gone nearly ten days. The baby would come sometime this season and no one, not even the King, was allowed to see the Queen.
At one point in our return we passed a small window that peered into the west courtyard, giving Mouse confidence, "Yes, yes I know right where we are!" He said, his voice excited. But Mouse was wrong and Mole was increasingly irritable. When we stopped, they began to quarrel.
"Mole, you're just an overgrown toad with no sense of direction."
"Mouse it has been hours. Hours! I'm tired, it smells, and I've nearly fallen on my face twice."
"What do you want me to do? Make a magical door to your bed? To the kitchen so you can eat some more? I'm surprised that you can even fit through some of these passage ways you've become so fat."
"I just want you to admit that you are lost. That's all."
"I'm not lost. You want to go back to work? This is a holiday I'm giving us. A walking holiday from work."
In the middle of their spat I leaned hard against a wall, too hard it seemed, as the wall itself moved making a great scraping sound. Suddenly all eyes were on me. I stood, astonished.
Too curious for good judgment, we all gathered quickly to push on the wall some more. We emerged in a dimly lit room – seemingly a storage room in the Citadel. Old books, broken vials, vats and other dusty materials lined the shelves and crowded the floor.
"Oh, I know where we are now!" Mouse exclaimed with excitement.
"Right," added Mole sarcastically. Mouse, the great eye roller, didn't bother to retort, knowing he was indeed right. We proceeded towards what was hopefully an exit, moving carefully through shelves with empty glasses and giant earthen clay tubs and coils of metal wire, like rings for a giant. It was hard not to touch anything though we were all intensely curious.
"Secrets of the Saans, all right here," Mole said dully, "Here's the secrets of the stars Aneh. They use these big pots and these wires and things to make the Houses glow like you're out under the night sky."
“I wondered how they could make light…I thought maybe they had put little firebugs in the ceiling.”
Mole shook his head, chuckling at my naivety, "It's some very good science."
Mouse meanwhile, was narrating the uses of some of the less interesting features of the storeroom. He stopped by a cache of ratty long feathers, their tips all covered in black. He shook his head.
"I miss this Mole. I do, I do. I miss the feel of the quill in my hands. I miss numbers. I miss using my mind." I patted Mouse gently on the back in effort to comfort him before noticing a heavy wooden door to the back of the storeroom propped slightly open. From in between the cracks poured that creepy blue light made by the Saans. We crept closer.
Mole and Mouse took turns peeking through the thumb wide crack in the door. Mouse narrated quietly to me, careful not to draw attention, “There are some Underlings inside...tending to something interesting. But I can’t tell what it is, it looks like a glass box filled with water.”
I leaned up against a wall and listened. The footsteps of the Underlings mingled with the echo of running water.
“Once they leave we should have a look,” Mouse whispered.
I was reluctant to enter, recalling what had happened the last time I ventured through a forbidden doorway. My tongue felt the naked gum where a tooth used to be. The soft spot a reminder of Bridge’s vengeful mallet. But Mouse and Mole were persistent and tip-toed in when the room appeared to be clear.
A giant glass box filled with water stood in the middle of the room. Inside was a body, held upright by thin metal bands at her waist and neck. The Queen's hair floated away from her pale face. Her clothes moved like grasses in a light breeze. She looked pure and beautiful.
We all stood, paralyzed by the sight.
"Good Great Reas. You built your city on water, truly," Mouse said, never averting his eyes.
"I've seen a lot of the Saans’ tricks, but this is by far the most impressive," Mole added.
"Is she alive?" I asked.
"Oh, she's alive. Look at what these sneaky sons of Saans have done," Mole pointed to some fine glass tubing that went into her mouth and came out behind her.
"Unmarked Ones save us," Mouse whispered.
I squinted at her face, wondering what sort of pain she was in, where her mind was. Little bubbles escaped from her mouth so often, and littler bubbles covered her nose and collected on her eyelashes.
Mouse and Mole were already poking and prodding around. Behind the great tank water was coming out of the rocks itself--a spring. I had heard that somewhere in the Keep was the source of all of our water, nearly everyone in the city depended on it. It filled our baths and our water pitchers. It cleaned our messes and it pooled deep in the mines. The water spilled out of its earthen source, churning a great water wheel before diving into the city's water system.
"Oh. Oh, no," Mole said solemnly, having discovered something else. He stood by a great vat that was slowly dripping a grayish sludge, into the water. He shook his head, "The bastards...They're stoning us all."
Mouse put his head in his hands. For the first time I could remember, he was at a loss for words.
The Queen was receiving a heavy dose of the poison-drug. Her nose and ears were caked with wax, her mouth sewn shut around her glass breathing piece. Tinea — the filthy rock I had been mining was being used to drug everyone in the city. I remembered the poisoned fish in Koyote, and the water, black and fetid.
"What do we do?" I worried aloud. "We have to do something."
I was back at the glass, looking at the Queen when suddenly, she opened her eyes with a jolt.
What else could I do but shriek?
Afraid that my scream alerted the Citadel of our presence, we hustled into the store room and up the stairs.
For the rest of the day all I could see when I closed my eyes was the watery grave and the queen in there, half alive. I could hear her scream as she opened her eyes. It was me that was trapped in the glass case, and me that waited to die.
Chapter 49
Yossinda
Though Raini was recovering and hard to hold still, Yeidi had given up completely. She smelled. Her teeth were rotten and my eyes watered when I looked at them. It was not Yeidi's choice anymore. I had to get her help.
I left my father’s house early and made my way to the servants’ quarters. I searched the sick ward, the kitchen commons and even braved my way to Katrine’s quarters. But she was nowhere to be found.
Her absence made the urgency of the matter more pressing. My knowledge of tinctures and herbs was still limited. All I could do was take care of the Queen's bath. As for remedies for Tinea, I hadn't learned any of that yet from the Saans.
Frustrated, I went to servants' House of the Saans to collect my thoughts. In strolled a relaxed Saan Gerric.
“Saan Gerric,” As I bowed I wondered if I could ask him for a Tinea antidote, but it didn’t feel appropriate to my station. “Do you perhaps know where Katrine is?”
“She was just here but left for the Citadel. I believe she is in the solar of SaanObith,” he finished.
“Well I need to find her. Good Morning, and thank you.”
My heart pounded with the rush of imminent help. I nearly ran through the courtyards into the commons before passing though the guard towers. Once in the Citadel I slowed my pace to a more controlled walk. My skin was growing damp from the exertion
The Citadel was quieter at this time of day. For a while the only sounds in the stair well leading up the sky tower were my footsteps echoing off the stone steps.
The door to SaanObith’s solar was slightly ajar, enough that I didn’t pause before entering. I wish that I had at least knocked.
Katrine stood kissing SaanObith in the most irreverent of ways. His hands were grasped around her waist, her hands cupping the back of his head. They continued passionately. Aghast, I stepped backwards into the door. They looked up, startled.