by Jae Waller
The envoys left the next morning. It was a blessing to be outside after so many days in dim light and still air. Dunehein and Rikuja came by the Rin plank house that evening while I was washing a basket of brassroot. They spoke to Fendul away from the firepits before sitting with me.
“We decided something,” Dunehein said with a nervous smile at Rikuja. “We’re gonna join the Rin. The Okorebai-Rin just agreed.”
I dropped the roots in the dirt and flung my arms around him. He squeezed my ribs so tight I couldn’t breathe. “That’s never happened, has it?” I asked. “Coming back to a jouyen after marrying out of it?”
“Not in the Rin,” he said. “But we want our daughter to know what she came from. Someone’s gotta keep our traditions going.”
Rikuja kissed Sihaja’s thin hair. “Right now I can’t think about anything except how much I want to sleep, but the Rin will need help raising these children.”
By the time Airedain returned, half a month had passed. We talked by the ocean, watching waves throw fountains of spray against the stone pillars. He’d tracked Tiernan down and, with Rhonos’s help, persuaded him to hold off looking for Suriel. I wanted to tell Airedain about my relationship with Parr, but something in me curled into a tight ball every time I tried.
“I changed my mind,” he said as we headed back to the plank houses. “You Rin are weirder than the Haka if you thought waking some ancient fucking spirits was a good idea.”
It wasn’t even that funny, but it felt good to laugh.
•
On the trip north, I stopped at the battle site. People had taken to calling it the Blackbird Battle, two opposing sides with kinaru as their crests. The pyres had burned to almost nothing, just swaths of blackened earth with bits of bone and crumbling wood. I stripped the branches from a wind-thrown sapling and strung up my Iyo flag. The soot was smudged, but the dolphin, outstretched like the Rin kinaru, was still visible as the pale linen snapped in the wind.
By the time I reached Caladheå, it was raining. I kept my hood up, my tattoos hidden. People flowed around me like fish dodging a shark. Airedain had warned me that itherans still suspected viirelei of murdering one of their most well-liked councillors.
The first place I went was the Blackened Oak. Nhys said last he’d heard, Tiernan was at his cabin with Rhonos. The second place was the bookstore in the square, to buy a book to pass the time on my upcoming journey. The third was Natzo’s noodle shop.
For a moment I thought Iannah would punch me again. We went to the old Shawnaast docks and sat in an abandoned boathouse, dangling our bare feet in cold water cast greenish-black by the shadows. Rain drummed on salt-stained walls and bounced off tilted docks covered with barnacles.
“I got . . . inklings,” she said. “I’ve been at the Colonnium longer than Parr and never learned any of his secrets. That’s what made me suspicious.”
I pulled his crumpled note from my purse. “What does this part at the end say?”
She smoothed it out on her breeches and skimmed his bold, narrow writing. “It’s an old Ferish quote. From a poem. ‘I know not where this light leads me, only that the sea will hold me up until I arrive.’ It’s . . . I think it’s about finding love in unexpected places.”
“In Sverbian myth, there’s a torch on the ferry to the land of the dead. Tiernan named his sword after it.” I tore up the paper and dropped the scraps into the water. “I guess we can speak the same language and still say different things.”
Iannah tilted her head to look at me. “Airedain showed up at Natzo’s a month ago.”
“I asked him to find you. Tell you I was alive. But I wanted to apologize myself.”
“I’m sorry for punching you.” She fiddled with a rope tinted green by algae. “You were right. I hate it at the Colonnium. But I don’t want people like Parr running it unchecked.”
I kicked my feet through the water, watching weeds swirl in the murk. “You were right, too. I want to do better. Be better. I’m . . . leaving for a while.”
“Where?”
“Ingdanrad. The Okoreni-Iyo is leading a delegation to figure out what to do about Suriel. He asked me to come since I met Suriel directly.”
“There’s something else you can look into there.” She set down the rope. “I think I figured out who Nonil was. A Ferish soldier named Alesso Spariere resigned nine years ago, when he was seventeen. His former comrades said he was obsessed with mages. Envied their strength in battle. He was later spotted serving in Ingdanrad’s militia, probably in exchange for studying magic. He might’ve found Tiernan’s old work on rift magic and copied the methods.”
“You think that’s more likely than Nonil being Parr’s son?”
“Officially, Nerio Parr left to serve in Ferland’s military six years ago. Not sure if that’s true. But if Nerio was at the Blackbird Battle, Parr would’ve done whatever it took to protect him.”
I gazed out at white sails in the harbour, blurry through the rain. “There’s still so much we don’t know. But at least with Nonil dead and Suriel quiet, we might get a break.”
“Maybe.” Iannah leaned back on her hands. “The military’s been finding empty camps in the mountains. I think Nonil pulled out most of the Corvittai to send against you. People will hear about the Rin-jouyen now.”
“Ai, that reminds me.” I took something from my purse and set it on the crumbling planks. “It’s supposed to go on a mantelpiece to ward off spirits, but I got a Rin carver to make it small enough for you to wear.”
Iannah picked up the thumbnail-sized kinaru, carved from the red wood of an alder, the same colour as her hair. Its wings were spread, a leather cord laced through its straight neck. She put the makiri over her head and tucked it under her coat. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be back in Caladheå. I should stay away for a while, in case anyone connects me to Parr.”
She nodded. “You know where to find me.”
•
The rain faded as I rode into North Iyun. I found fireweed growing in a patch of sunlight, each stem as long as my arm. Tall and proud, the flower of warriors like in my tattoo. I gathered a handful of purple blossoms and scattered them on the creek where we sent Marijka off. The fireweed would be losing its flowers by the time I returned from Ingdanrad, the cottonwoods turning yellow, the first frost not long after that.
I made sure the clearing around Tiernan’s cabin was empty before stepping out from the trees. There were bootprints in the mud and boards nailed over the workshop door. I lay in the wet grass, blades tickling my shoulders, and held up a hand. Afternoon sunlight bled through my skin. When I pressed my palms to my face, the burning man was seared inside my eyelids.
It was hard to drag myself up, but he could be back any time. I climbed the porch steps and pushed the door open. Dried mud crunched under my feet. The cabin was as sparse as always. Tiernan’s and Rhonos’s cloaks on nails, books on the shelves, a few pots on the wall. The shutters were closed, casting stripes of yellow light across the floor.
I placed a folded letter on the table. Iannah had guided my spelling while I scrawled words in shaky handwriting and smudged ink. I set Marijka’s wedding ring on the paper. The gold etching looked dull in the dim light.
Everything in the cabin spoke of Tiernan. I heard his voice in the still air. I ran my finger along the fireplace and came away with a smear of black soot, breathing the scent of woodsmoke and winter nights. Outside, I scraped at my carvings on the porch railing until the sun, wolf, and roof were gone, leaving just a dip in the wood. Sawdust drifted away and settled in the grass.
Anwea was grazing, brushing away flies with her tail. I put her in the stable and brushed the sweat and muck from her brown coat until it shone. “It really is goodbye this time, Anwea.” I stood on my toes to kiss the white patch on her forehead. “Tiernan will look after you. This is t
he best place I can leave you.”
She nickered and bumped her head against mine. I hoped that meant she understood.
I left as a wolf, darting between huge auburn pillars cloaked in brilliant moss and lichen, bounding off the carpet of scaly rioden needles. The sun was near the horizon by the time I made it to my old campsite. I’d stowed my book there with a cloth bundle, wanting a few hours alone before spending days in a canoe fleet with the Iyo.
I stripped off my clothes and wrapped my kinaru shawl around my body, curling my toes into the cool grass. The soft cottonspun felt like wings folding around me. I gazed at white sails silhouetted against orange sky. The sun sank until it kissed the ocean, never to truly meet.
Iren kohal. Rivers keep flowing. I’d travelled all the way from the mountains to the sea, but I’d just been drifting, caught in a current and barely keeping my head above water.
It was time to learn how to sail.
EPILOGUE
Tiernan,
I wanted to say this in person, but it’s probably better this way.
It’s true that Parr killed Marijka. He admitted it to my face. He came to warn us the Corvittai were looking for us, but he and Marijka argued instead, mostly because he wouldn’t name his Corvittai source. He claimed he didn’t mean to kill her.
I’m sorry for so many things. For causing your fight with Marijka, dealing with Suriel behind your back, and trusting Parr. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I should’ve listened to you. Parr betrayed me, too, but I can’t say anything else in case the wrong person reads this.
Don’t be mad at Marijka. Wherever she is, she still loves you.
Please don’t go after Suriel. I don’t think he had anything to do with Marijka’s death or the Blackbird Battle. I’m going to get help. Maybe there’s a way out of all this. Take care of Anwea for me.
Thank you for everything. I wish I could explain how much our time together meant to me. I know you don’t want to see me again, so I have to break my promise. I won’t come back this time.
— K
GLOSSARY
Etymology: A: Aikoto, F: Ferish, S: Sverbian
aeldu: spirits of the dead in Aikoto mythology
Aeldu-yan: land of the dead in Aikoto mythology
antayul: [A. anta water, -yul caller] viirelei who have learned to control water
attuning: shapeshifting into an animal; a rite of passage for viirelei adolescents
bloodweed: semi-poisonous leaves used as birth control by viirelei
bogmoss: moss used for dressing wounds; antiseptic and highly absorbent
Bøkkai: a god in the Sverbian pantheon who steals souls
Bøkkhem: [S. Bøkkai, hem flatlands] a barren land in Sverbian mythology
brånnvin: [S. brånn burn, vin wine] several varieties of clear rye liquor, including vodka
Coast Trader: a pidgin trade language derived from Aikoto, Sverbian, Ferish, and others
Corvittai: [F. corvide blackbird, S. vittai ghost] Suriel’s human soldiers
duck potato: underwater root of arrowhead plants; ground up for flour by viirelei
Elken Wars: a series of wars fought between Ferish colonists and a Sverbian-Aikoto alliance for control of the coast and its natural resources
Hafelús: [S. hafe ocean, lús light] Tiernan’s sword, named after the mythical lantern on the ferry to the land of the dead
irumoi: a wooden rod covered with glowing blue mushrooms, used as a light source
itheran: [S. ithera “out there”] viirelei term for foreign colonists
Jinben: [A. jin sun, benro meet] Aikoto summer solstice festival
jinrayul: [A. jinra fire, -yul caller] mages who have learned to control fire
jouyen: viirelei tribe(s) typically belonging to a confederacy
kinaru: giant waterfowl sacred to tel-saidu and the Rin-jouyen
makiri: Aikoto charms carved in the shape of animals that protect a home from cruel spirits
needlemint: evergreen-scented leaves native to Sverba; used as numbing painkiller
Nurivel: [A. “shimmer of light on water”] Kateiko’s throwing dagger
okorebai: political, spiritual, and military leader of a jouyen
okoreni: successor to an okorebai, typically passed from parent to child
pann: a denomination of the sovereign currency; 100 pann to 1 sovereign
plank house: a large building and social unit of the Aikoto, housing up to ten families
rioden: massive auburn conifer trees used for dugout canoes, buildings, bark weaving, etc.
Rúonbattai: [S. rúon rain, battai guard] radical Sverbian militant group who swore to drive off the Ferish, but mysteriously vanished several years after the Third Elken War
saidu: spirits that control the weather and maintain balance in nature
anta-saidu (water), edim-saidu (earth and plants), jinra-saidu (fire), tel-saidu (air)
sancte: Ferish holy building
shoirdryge: [S. shoird shard, ryge realm] parallel world that splintered off from other worlds
Skaarnaht: [S. skaar red, naht night] Sverbian new year festival
sovereign: a form of currency introduced by the Sverbian monarchy
stavehall: Sverbian holy building
stjolvehl: [S. stjolv shield, -ehl female] Sverbian bride’s guardian
stjolvind: [S. stjolv shield, -ind male] Sverbian groom’s guardian
Thaerijmur: land of the dead in Sverbian mythology
tulanta: hallucinogenic painkiller made from tularem leaves; used by viirelei
viirelei: [A. vii they, rel of, leiga west] colonists’ term for coastal indigenous people, including the Aikoto, Nuthalha, and Kowichelk confederaries
War of the Wind: war between Eremur’s army and Suriel, fought for control of border lands
Yanben: [A. yan world, benro meet] Aikoto winter solstice festival when the worlds of the living and dead unite
PHRASES, SLANG, PROFANITY
akesida, akesidal: Aikoto terms for “young woman,” “young man”
Antlers: slang for Colonnium guards
Elkhounds: slang for Caladheå city guards
hanekei: [A. “it is the first time we meet”] formal Aikoto greeting
hijke: casual Sverbian greeting
ikken naeja: [S. ikken enough, naeja lacking] protest slogan, lit. “not enough”
iren kohal: [A. iren river, koro flow] Kateiko’s mantra, lit. “rivers keep flowing”
kaid: any insult to the aeldu, used as strong profanity by the Aikoto
kujinna kobairen: [A. kujinna today, kii we, obairo “to fly”] Rin battle cry, lit. “today we fly”
någva: [S. “to fuck”] highly versatile Sverbian profanity; adjective form is någvakt
pigeon: slur for itherans
rettai: shapeshifting spirits in Sverbian mythology; slur for viirelei
takuran: [A. taku shit] highly offensive slur alluding to Aikoto burial rites, referencing someone so foul the must be buried in shit because dirt rejects their blood
tema: Aikoto affectionate term for “mother”
temal: Aikoto affectionate term for “father”
wood witch: slur for viirelei, referencing their shapeshifting abilities
yan taku: [A. yan world, taku shit] profanity with religious connotations
CULTURES
Aikoto: [A. ainu mountain, ko flow, toel coast] A confederacy of seven (formerly eight) jouyen occupying a large region of coastal rainforest.
Ferish: Colonists from Ferland who landed on the west coast of the Aikoto’s continent. Later, a mass exodus from Ferland of famine victims caused a population boom in Aikoto lands.
INDUSTRIES: wheat farming, manufacturing, naval trading.
RELIGION: monotheist.
Kowic
helk: A confederacy of jouyen in the rainforest south of the Aikoto. Largely wiped out from disease brought by foreign colonists.
Nuthalha: A confederacy of jouyen in the tundra north of the Aikoto. Largely isolated.
Sverbians: Settlers from Sverba who landed on the east coast of the Aikoto’s continent, migrated west, and later allied with the Aikoto against the Ferish.
INDUSTRIES: rye farming, goat herding, logging.
RELIGION: polytheist.
AIKOTO JOUYEN: NORTH
Beru-jouyen: “People of the sea.” Live in Meira Dael on the coast of Nokun Bel.
CREST: grey whale.
INDUSTRIES: whaling, soapstone carving.
Dona-jouyen: “Nomad people.” Lived in Anwen Bel. Formed when members of the Rin and Iyo split off. Wiped out in a recent war with the Rin.
CREST: white seagull.
INDUSTRIES: none.
Haka-jouyen: “People of the frost.” Live inland in Nokun Bel.
CREST: brown grizzly bear.
INDUSTRIES: fur trapping, tanning.
Rin-jouyen: “People of the lakeshore.” Live in Aeti Ginu in central Anwen Bel. Oldest jouyen in the Aikoto. Large in territory and influence, but small in population these days.
CREST: white or black kinaru.
INDUSTRIES: woodcarving, embroidery, fur trapping.
Tamu-jouyen: “People of the peninsulas.” Live in Tamun Dael on the coast of Anwen Bel.
CREST: orange shark.
INDUSTRIES: fishing, boatcraft.
AIKOTO JOUYEN: SOUTH
Iyo-jouyen: “People of the surrounds.” Live in Toel Ginu and Caladheå on the coast of Iyun Bel. Largest and most powerful jouyen in the Aikoto. Historic allies with the Rin.
