Eight 4

We met in the ritual room under the lodge. The space was circular, and it hadn’t changed much over the years. The same, worn tapestries hung from the walls. They portrayed the woods around Voorhei and the creatures inhabiting them.

There was also a tapestry featuring a disguised Ikfael at the Glen. Not as Knight Otter—no, this was older and from the time before she’d created the sculpture based on Emma Peel from the Avengers. In those old days, she’d appeared to the villagers simply as a giant otter made of water.

Other spirits of the land also appeared in the tapestries, but they were hidden among the trees and brush: Aetheleita, a moose with moss running down her sides; Leiluminwei, an egret with silver wings and a crescent moon subtly stitched into the background behind him; and the stonewater serpent, she had stars in her eyes.

Behind each of the tapestries were the black walnut cabinets containing the tools and necessities of the lodge. They were full to bursting at the moment, and the lodge had also rented space in some of the nearby homes and businesses to store the goods from our bounties.

Where we were going to store the bodies of nearly thirty kalesks, I had no idea. That was a problem for Tegen, and I wished him much luck solving it! It’d been a smart move on Mumu’s part to hand over the lodge’s administrative duties to him.

The other change to the ritual room was that the sconces had all been updated. Every one of them now included candle stones in addition to the tallow candles traditionally used.

The place had become familiar to me. Like an old leather jacket, I felt comfortable with it around me. The same was even more true of my team. Time had a habit of doing that, wearing away the rough edges between people. Assuming they got along that is, and my team and I certainly did. We still had our arguments, of course, but each of us was a bit older and wiser now.

I watched as Mumu prepared tea with deft hands, the tiny scars on them barely visible. The one on her face, running from the top of her left eyebrow down to her cheek, had also faded. You’d think it would’ve marred her beauty, but I knew that scar’s history and the kalihchi bear who’d given it to her. To me, the scar helped to make our Mumu shine even more brilliantly.

My Status camera showed just how far she’d come:

Mulallamu the Lodge Master (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Scout-Born, Tracker, Wild Sense, Invested, Strategist

Nascent: Leader of the Pack

Mumu was thirty-one years old and a Level 7 Wild Walker. Her Money Lover talent had evolved into Invested when she’d become dawn, and Hunter’s Shield changed into Strategist. On the whole, time had treated our Mumu well.

She’d filled out some—giving birth to three children will do that to anyone—and she’d only gotten stronger and more talented as she’d aged. There had been instances when I’d caught Haol sneaking glances at her, as if he was some love-addled teenager instead of her husband.

He was also in his prime—thirty-three years old and Level 5.

Haoleise the Spellbow Hunter (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Keen-Eyed, Natural Archer, Ardent Bowman, Empowered Sniper

Nascent: Bow Friend

His love of archery had only grown deeper, so much so that Bow Friend was now a nascent talent. That was a big deal—a kind of shortcut to the World Spirit. The last person with a friend-based talent in the village had been Inleio, the former lodge master.

Tegen was the oldest among us at forty-two, while Teila was seventeen. Speaking of which:

Teila the Verdant Ranger (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Wood-Wise, Stealthy, True Hunter

Nascent: Seasoned Meridians, Bountiful Qi

Gods, Teila was already Level 5 and a True Hunter to boot. My understanding was that it was a talent equivalent to being Hunter Born, and she’d gained tremendous boosts to both her Stealth skill and to her qi recovery rate from it.

There had been more than a few families who’d gnashed their teeth when her engagement to Billisha and Aluali had been announced. Thankfully, the three of them were okay with waiting to get married. They were all much too young in my eyes. Still, the three kids were sweet together; I sometimes felt my teeth ache being around them.

Huh, since I checked my team, I might as well also look at:

Krenya Cleidetsdaughter (Human, Peltwei)

Talents: Mana Blossom, Thirsty for Knowledge, The Curious Sort

Nascent: Insightful, Ritualist

Wensatsu Cleidetsdaughter (Human, Peltwei)

Talents: Magic is as Magic Does, The Responsible One, Solution-Oriented

Nascent: Lucent

The peltwei had bodies like any other human but with crows’ heads—their feathers shiny and inky. In Wensatsu’s case, though, a streak of silver also ran along the right side of her face, almost like war paint. The effect was quite striking.

Elsewise, Aslishtei’s nieces appeared to be like any other healthy, young women. Maybe even more so, since both Wensatsu and Krenya glowed with the kind of vitality I’d come to expect from magic users.

The lodge had come to know them as Anya and Weni, but I continued to call them by their proper names. And the sad thing was… the two of them completely understood why. The tension between their aunt and me wasn’t exactly a secret.

In any case, they were as talented as you’d expect from Aslishtei’s family. As a Level 3 Practical Magician, Wensatsu belonged to the Soldier’s Lodge, while Krenya had joined the philosophers. The two of them had made a great team—devoting the past few years to furthering Krenya’s studies.

As I’d been glancing between my team and its guests, they’d all been catching up. We hadn’t seen Wensatsu and Krenya since the previous autumn’s Tournament of Masks where they’d both done decently well. Wensatsu, in particular, had made it to the fourth round.

Then the tea was ready, and Mumu poured for our guests. That was actually considered an honor, coming as it was from the lodge master. It should’ve been Teila or me who did it, but Mumu clearly wanted to show her appreciation to Wensatsu and Krenya. Not just for the gift of the kalesks, either.

Every spring, the two peltwei young women had come to visit Voorhei. They’d tagged along on our lodge’s hunts and helped us to improve our magic skills. Well, that first year it might’ve been because they’d been bored out of their minds, stuck in a remote village like ours, but once they’d gotten a taste of the hunt and its rewards, there’d been no going back.

We chatted through the first pot of tea and well into the second. With every moment’s passing, Krenya had become more and more animated, her black eyes shining as the excitement within her spirit built and built. My team’s amusement at watching her was hidden behind their eyes, but it was there. I swear… Mumu even drew out the conversation as a way to tease Krenya.

A third pot of tea was left to steep before our lodge master finally took pity on the young woman. Mumu cleared her throat and said, “My heart is gladdened to hear how your family prospers, but we should discuss the expedition you’ve brought to our lodge.”

Krenya’s hands fluttered. “Finally! You are too mean, Mumu; you know how important this task is to me.”

The smiles my team had been hiding came out into the open. Even the edges of Wensatsu’s beak curled up.

She reached over to tap her sister’s knee. “No doubt, this is the price for filling Mumu’s ear with nonsense earlier.”

“It wasn’t nonsense,” Krenya complained. “The history of Old Baxteiyel is important to share.”

Wensatsu clacked her beak, the equivalent of her pursing her lips. “The history, yes, but you filled the lodge master’s morning with fables.”

“I… well, yes, but for good reason.” Krenya glanced aside, clearly embarrassed. “The stories are so interesting. And they may be important too—fables are like cousins to the truth.”

Wensatsu scoffed. “Distant cousins perhaps.”

“It’s family all the same,” Krenya argued back, “and with a lost city like Old Baxteiyel, there’s more fable than history. No one knows what’s true and what’s not.”

“Why don’t you tell us what this is about,” I said, interrupting. “From the beginning.”

That was all Krenya needed to jump at the chance to explain. “Listen, you won’t believe the opportunity that’s arisen. The hierophant of Albei has announced a race—a grand contest to delve the ruins of Old Baxteiyel.”

“Previously, the lost city has been off limits to all but the world speaker’s people,” Wensatsu added, “but none of them have been able to find a way inside the pyramid. That’s the goal.”

“And the prize is a hierophant from the treasure—” Krenya caught herself. “A treasure from the hierophant!”

“He’s silvered, isn’t he?” I asked. “How has anything stopped him from getting inside?”

“How much do you know about Old Baxteiyel?” Krenya asked in return, her eyes shining.

“Just that it’s the remains of a city about three- or four-days travel to the southeast,” I said. “The place is supposed to be haunted, and oh… there’s something about a winged kalesk too.”

“An ancient, silvered winged kalesk,” Krenya clarified. “The legends say his mate is trapped within Old Baxteiyel’s pyramid. That’s supposedly why he protects the city, unable to leave it and his mate behind.”

“Don’t forget the treasure,” Wensatsu added. “Legends tell of a fabulous treasure inside the pyramid too.”

“No one knows what it is,” Krenya said. “All the legends say is that it has the power to split the heavens.”

I hadn’t heard any of that before—and certainly nothing about a treasure. I pinged Yuki to get their attention. It took only a breath for us to merge, get a read on the situation, and separate.

‘Inleio didn’t share any stories about Old Baxteiyel,’ they said. ‘In hindsight, it seems odd, like there’s an intentional gap in his description of the areas surrounding Albei.’

I turned to Teila. “Do you know these legends?”

She shook her head. “It’s the first time I’ve heard them.”

Tegen cleared his throat. “There’s a saying among the master hunters of our lodge… Old Baxteiyel is where the dawn go to die.”

A statement like that I couldn’t let go. “What?”

Yep, that was me—master of the interrogative—but I was genuinely surprised. I’d thought the lodge would make sure its members knew about all the dangers around us.

“Think of our spell library, Little Pot.” Tegen said, gesturing to the tapestry of Ikfael and, by implication, the cabinet behind it. “Our brothers and sisters must prove themselves before they can get access. This knowledge is like that.”

Mumu expression was wry as she took over the explanation. “There was a time when our dear Inleio hid the legends of Old Baxteiyel from me, fearing that my desire for taak would lead me into unnecessary danger. It’s happened before—the lost city has eaten many who’ve been greedy for its treasures.”

Tegen nodded. “The newly dawn are almost always overconfident. That’s why the legends are never told among us, at least until the hunters have proven themselves steady.”

“And I’m not steady?” I asked, a touch peeved.

But as soon as the words were out of my mouth, the room broke into laugher. Even normally staid Tegen had to hold his belly from laughing so hard. At least Wensatsu’s and Krenya’s beaks clacked gently as they tried to be polite.

“Oh, our Eight,” Mumu managed to get out. “You are like the storms you love so much—wherever you go, you are fully present, but chaos also follows in your wake.”

Well, there was no denying things in Voorhei had changed for the better because of me, and the way Mumu had described me had sounded cool. I felt myself preen under the attention, so I took a breath to let my chest deflate from its puffed-out state.

Mumu gave me an approving wink before gesturing to the others and saying, “Now, now, that’s enough. We have business to discuss.”

Krenya said, “According to my aunt, Albei’s hierophant has sought to pry open Old Baxteiyel’s secrets for years. He is a silvered master diviner, so whatever is hidden there, it must truly be a treasure worth pursuing. Yet, in all that time, no one has been able to find a way inside the main pyramid.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said. “A man like him has access to resources way beyond villagers like us. If the doors are locked, then break them down. If the winged kalesk gets in the way, kill it.”

“The pyramid’s doors are locked and enchanted to a minimum of Level 5,” Krenya said. “The walls too; it must’ve taken an astounding amount of light.”

Wensatsu ran her fingers through the silvered portion of her feathers. “The pyramid doors can be broken, but that will require an intense, sustained effort, which isn’t feasible because of the winged kalesk. People call him Asiik the Army of Sorrow, and he kills or harasses anyone attempting to breach the pyramid.”

Krenya raised her hand to halt my interruption. “Before you ask, yes, there’s a bounty on Asiik, but no one has been able to claim it. When a fight goes against him, the kalesk retreats, only to return carrying large rocks which he drops on the attackers from high, high above.”

“His name comes from a story of how an army was once decimated that way,” Wensatsu said. “In the story, there was a land knight of Sugrusu Hakei who’d sent his land soldiers to kill the winged kalesk and claim the lost city’s treasure. But only a handful of them returned.”

“Do we know the creature’s level?” I asked.

“If not twenty, then close to it,” Mumu said.

I’d been holding my tea cup, avidly listening, but nearly dropped it at hearing her reply. “That’s… that’s suicide.”

Grimly, Mumu nodded. “Which is why we say Old Baxteiyel is where the dawn go to die.”

“And why we won’t even try to fight Asiik,” Wensatsu said. “That’s where you hunters come in. You’ll sneak us into the city instead.”

“Back up, back up,” I said. “Let’s start from the beginning. There’s a race sponsored by the hierophant…”

Krenya bopped in her seat, her voice bright as she said, “Every expedition he’s sent has failed. Can you imagine—a master diviner not being able to determine the path to victory? That must be why he’s given up and is trying something completely different—”

Wensatsu put a hand on her sister’s elbow and said, “If you tell it like that, we’ll only go around in circles again. Let me.” Then she paused a moment to gather her thoughts. “Xefwen is the hierophant—a silvered, Earth-Touched master diviner and the leader of Albei’s world speakers. After decades of failed expeditions to Old Baxteiyel, he claims that the World Spirit has recently revealed to him a path to success. That revelation entails a race, a competition between teams, to find a way into the lost city’s pyramid and claim its treasures.”

“But then what does he get out of it?” I asked. “The teams competing will want to keep any light and treasure they find.”

“A good question,” Wensatsu said. “The prizes are two-fold. If Asiik is killed, then Xefwen will take the kalesk’s light for double its value. The same is true for any treasures found—anything he takes will also be exchanged for double.”

“He wants what he wants,” Tegen said, thinking, “but at least he’s willing to pay for it.”

“But why’s he willing to pay so much for Asiik’s light?” I asked. “Is it revenge for having been obstructed all those years?”

Tegen made a so-so gesture. “Perhaps, but there’s also the truth that the light of powerful creatures often contains insights the high-leveled value.”

“Hmm… okay, I can see that,” I said. “And he clearly wants the heaven-splitting treasure for himself, if it exists.”

“A given,” Tegen said.

“And the race’s details?” I asked. “How is it going to work?”

Wensatsu signed her desire to speak and said, “In twenty-eight days’ time, the race will begin; it’s apparently the most fortuitous day as revealed by his divinations. What’s unclear, however, is the location of the race’s starting point. That will be revealed later.” She shrugged. “What people are saying is that Xefwen is taking no chances. How the teams are structured, where they start from, if they have to carry chili peppers stuffed with minced frogs’ legs—from the practical to the ridiculous, whatever his divinations demand, the hierophant will do in order to capture Asiik’s light and Old Baxteiyel’s treasures. And we’ll have to too if we want to participate.”

“Except we’re not going to!” Krenya said, excited and unable to hold back any longer.

I’d known her for years now, and yet it still struck me strange sometimes to hear such a clear voice from a crow’s head. That brightness, the intelligence behind it… what was Krenya’s goal in bringing the race to us? Connections formed between what I knew and what I’d just learned.

“The race is just a distraction,” I said. “You’re after something else inside Old Baxteiyel.”

Krenya laughed and clapped her hands. “This is why you’re so shiny, Eight! Yes! Think of it—with so many people hunting Asiik, it’ll be the perfect cover for anyone wanting to explore the rest of the city.”

And knowing these two, it’d have to be… “Magic,” I said aloud.

“Not just any magic,” Krenya said, smiling, “the magic of an ancient people who’d once ruled this land. This is an opportunity for us to study their hidden wisdom directly.”

“Hidden? Is there even such a thing?” I asked, wondering. “The World Spirit collects every advance in skill and knowledge, and shares it freely with anyone who works for it.”

Krenya nodded. “This is a truth, but some knowledge is… esoteric. To gain access from the World Spirit would take decades of meditation and experimentation. Instead, if we can study the ancients’ records directly, we would learn so much faster! There is a thing called the Arc of Knowledge—”

Haol blinked in surprise. “Arc, like the curve of a bow?”

“Yes, that’s it,” Krenya replied. “The Arc describes a series of five buildings inside Old Baxteiyel. When you draw a line through them, they form a semicircle. The philosophers believe the structures to be temples, each one enchanted enough to survive time’s grasp, and inside each… inside each is a wall of runes.” Her expression took on a faraway look. “I’ve seen reproductions, but how shiny would it be to experience them directly, to see them myself and feel the magic with my own senses?”

Wensatsu nodded and said, “Some of what’s contained in the Arc is well understood—they are components of spells in common use—but much of what’s on those walls is a mystery.”

“Philosophers have studied them for hundreds of years,” Krenya said, “yet they continue to be an enigma. Then… then… I had a thought. What if, like me, all those philosophers only had the reproductions to study? What if, to unlock the secrets of the Arc of Knowledge, some kind of direct connection was required?”

“Surely, others will have had this insight,” Tegen said.

“Yes, yes.” Krenya waved her hand. “My teeth are not strong enough to chew rocks; I understand that I am not the best at all things. What I’m saying is that even if other philosophers have had the same thought, the number of them with the ability and opportunity to take action on it have been incredibly small.”

“Because of Asiik,” I said.

“Exactly,” Krenya said, pointing to me. “Because of the winged kalesk, the fruit remains ripe for us to pick.”

The room momentarily went silent. Mumu swirled her tea as she watched us consider the idea. She’d already heard the proposal and was gauging our reactions to it.

She said, “Our mission, if we accept it, will be to escort Wensatsu and Krenya safely in and out of the city.”

“And the reward?” Teila asked. She’d been quiet up until that point.

Mumu replied, “Five antaak per hunter and extra shares on any bounties and light gathered. More importantly, our friends have agreed to share any magical knowledge they discover with us.”

Now that’s interesting, I thought. We weren’t exactly hurting for money these days. We’d paid off the last of our debts, and the Tournament of Masks was pulling in an easy thirty-two antaak a year for the lodge. Not as much as we’d expected, but a healthy amount all the same.

No, for us to attempt something as potentially risky as what Krenya and Wensatsu described, we’d need a more compelling incentive than just taak.

Tegen raised his hand and said, “There are two things I would like to understand better. How likely are you to learn anything useful, and why is it that it is you sisters attempting it rather than the elders in your family?”

Krenya must’ve expected the questions, because she had answers ready: “There’s no certainty we’ll learn anything, but this will likely be the best attempt at doing so in who knows how many years. Also, I am a Magic Scholar, and my talents lend themselves to discovering new knowledge.” She took a moment to straighten her feathers. They didn’t seem to need it, but she did it anyway. “As for why us, perhaps it’s better to ask why we chose you and your team.”

Tegen raised an eyebrow at that, then a moment later his face cleared in understanding.

Krenya nodded. “You are all dawn and experienced hunters. Each of you is well versed in both qi and mana magics, and perhaps most importantly, among you is a hunter with Wild Sense and another who can see the dead. That is a potent combination of skills and abilities—one that is particularly appropriate for a place like Old Baxteiyel. The rest is… awkward…”

“What my sister is trying to say,” Wensatsu interrupted, “is that you would disregard a request like this from anyone else from our family.”

“So you’re using your relationship with us to get what you want,” I said.

“Yes,” Wensatsu said. “Because we want to go. This is our chance to test ourselves and do something special.”

“And Aslishtei is just going to let you?” I asked. “From what you’ve described, this is going to be an incredibly dangerous expedition, and… no offense… I’m not sure either of you is ready for it, even with our protection. You’ve helped during our lodge’s hunts, but this is something else entirely.”

“We can only go… the expedition is only approved if you agree,” Krenya said softly, looking at me.

“What?” I exclaimed.

Wensatsu sighed. “Obviously, your team must also agree, but our aunt made everything contingent on your approval.”

“What’s Aslishtei playing at this time?” I demanded.

“This is no game,” Wensatsu said, shaking her head. “Our aunt was very serious. At the end of our family’s discussions about the expedition, she held us close and told us, ‘The only way for me to be assured of your safety is to put you into that young man’s hands.’ And so here we are, hoping you’ll agree.”

“Your family won’t make the attempt otherwise?” Haol asked, his curiosity plain to see.

“Our family’s magics are too obvious,” Wensatsu said. “Asiik would need no help in finding us.”

“And what if by chance…well, you know anything can happen, right? What if we do find a way into the pyramid and find Old Baxteiyel’s treasure? What happens then?”

Wensatsu smiled first, and then a beat later Krenya caught on. After all, if I’d thought that far ahead, then I was likely already on board.

And I was, probably. I’d need to consider the proposal more deeply. There was danger for sure, a ridiculous amount, but there was also the promise of new magic and… a certain romance too.

I really should think about it more. And I would, but I’d read so many stories when I was younger—how could I turn down an adventure through the ruins of a lost and forgotten city?