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rainbowfic2024-10-31 09:31 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-10-31 09:31 pm
Beet Red #11; Light Black #6 [Starfall]
Name: we are searchlights, we can see in the dark
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #11 (Call it a day); Light Black #6 (rise)
Supplies and Styles: Mural + Pastels (also forlyricaltitles bingo square "First line of a song" - P!nk, What About Us?) + Graffiti - October Challenge (Fictober prompt #5 "It's a new day, let's go.")
Word Count: 11,062
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Eollan Barra, Yita Pollens, Seahra Jadinor, Diyela Eseray, Osmer Nivyrn, Iyana Valerno, Arna Valerno, Hunell Ivonde, Nin Valerno, Arnan Valerno, Jousine Aubrieto, Sazi etc. (This piece was an exercise in world-building that was supposed to be, quite literally, ten times shorter than this, so I'm really sorry about it, although it did end up doing some linking plot work as well.)
Summary: A day in the life.
5th Month (Greening), 21st Day, 1313
[7th Hour—Viyony]
She started with Laon. Laon was of the light, so it was the correct way to begin any morning observance. These last few weeks Viyony had become far more regular in her daily observances to the Powers than she had been in years. Maybe it was defiance at Portcallan's disregard for such things, or self-defence against rising, unnameable unease.
Viyony held the small piece of lightstone in her hand, sitting upright on the bed with her robe pulled on over her nightshirt. The stone had once been her father's, smoothed out through many years of usage. It glowed faintly in her palm. She lifted her head, positioned so she could also watch the faint light out of the window grow stronger as the sun rose behind the building. Relax, she told herself, frowning over the effort to remember to breathe in and out slowly. She never had been any good at this part. She didn't need visions as well as dreams—all she ever hoped for was that the lightstone would have the decency to remain blank.
She made herself sit there for two more minutes, and then let the lightstone fall from her fingers. Her gaze roamed away over Portcallan's rooftops as they sloped downwards to the sea. A faint echo of waves murmured in her mind. The lightstone glowed softly. Viyony refused to pick it up and look. She knew what she would see inside it—white cracks of light that were supposed to symbolise acting against one's soul.
"I know what I'm doing," Viyony told it. She jumped up, glad to have that over, and moved onto her remaining observances. She crossed over to the water basin, and touched its surface lightly before dipping her hands in to wipe the water over her face, to honour Shara.
For some, her efforts were more perfunctory than others. No one was obliged to honour all the Powers equally, not all of the time. Everyone leaned more to one or two than the rest. Besides, the spring festival was barely over, which meant that Aliah had been honoured by everyone lately anyway—and, like most North Easterners, Viyony inclined first to Shara, while her personal choices after that were Enna and Imora.
Imora was the keeper of secrets and giver of wealth—the lightstone did double duty as a reminder of her as well as of Laon. Viyony retrieved the discarded gem. She said nothing, her secrets buried deep in her heart, and closed her fingers around the stone so tightly it left a red indent on her palm. "Imora, keep it till the day."
Her face cleared as she turned to her observance for Enna. She fetched a shirt that needed a button sewing back onto it, and hummed under her breath as she stitched, to honour Poll at the same time. And never more to see the waters so bright, went the refrain round her head. Enna was the practical one. She would approve.
Viyony ended the session by closing her eyes for a minute to remember the Empty one, the Other, the Untransformed. That was what Portcallan leaned to, and she must never fail to honour that while she remained in the city.
She sat by the window afterwards, watching sea birds congregating on the rooftop of the house opposite. It was too early to venture downstairs for breakfast yet, so she had nothing to do but wait, planning the day ahead.
[8th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony had come close to falling asleep again, lying on her bed while listening out for the mechanical clock downstairs to announce the hour in faint, ethereal chimes. In Eseray, they had an ancient waterclock that rang a louder, more sombre bell everyone could hear, even if it dealt out the hours with less accuracy.
As soon as the clock sounded, she sat up and straightened her dressing robe and then retrieved her slippers from under the bed. Satisfied that she was now respectable, she headed down the stairs at a light run.
Aolla Gerro, the first of Aunt Diyela's two partners, was already in the dining area. She nodded at Viyony with a smile, and pushed the plate of maurzima, or morning-bread, towards her. Aolla then returned to spooning preserved apricots on hers as she sat at the workbench on a stool. Viyony had grown accustomed to the thick squares of maurzima, milky and uncomfortably cake-like, but she drew the line at adding anything sweeter on top. She opened up the larder and retrieved a large jar of spiced root-zolifen, which was at least a savoury accompaniment—a mix of fish pieces and sliced vegetable roots in a dark, hot sauce that had been new to her when she'd first arrived, but which she'd grown to like.
"There's ohlflower or clearwater," said Aolla, gesturing at the steaming pots of tea in the middle of the workbench. She took a bite of her maurzima and apricot as she scoured the latest news journal, leaving Viyony to help herself to a hot drink.
Viyony carried her plate and mug over to the smaller dining table, where she found Diel, her great-aunt's youngest son. He nodded at her, his mouth too full for talking, and then turned back to study the Coastal News. He lived further south, in Westhaven, but he travelled back and forth on a regular basis. Viyony had grown used to finding him here at odd times.
"Is Kizen with you?" she asked Diel, of his daughter.
He shook his head. Once he had swallowed his food, he added, "Can't always bring her. Interferes with her schoolwork and the like."
"Of course," said Viyony, and settled down to enjoy her more or less acceptable breakfast, her mind turning to work. She had some letters she had better get out of the way before she did anything else.
[9th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony returned downstairs from having washed and dressed herself. She had picked out a grey jacket and trousers, both trimmed with dark purple edges, and a pale lavender shirt underneath. She paused at the bottom stair, framed there in the hall mirror, and reviewed the results. She gave her reflection a quick nod and then paused to pick a stray pale thread from the jacket before heading into the study.
Vin Lorras, Aunt Diyela's other partner, was inside, rifling through the large upright cabinet one handed; in the other he held a bundle of papers. He straightened up as she entered.
"Morning, Viyony," he said. He glowered one last time at the cabinet, then sighed and locked it. "You're going over to the other side now, yes?"
Viyony gathered up the neat pile of paper she had left ready yesterday, and nodded. "I am, don't worry. I only came in for this."
She headed out of the study, making her way down the hall to the adjoining door that led to the other half of the Gerro house, where her cousin Ivina and her partner, Zennison, lived. She passed through into a tiny corridor, and made her way to the small spare office. They were usually out during the day, although Ivina had more irregular hours and occasionally popped in and out. It was comfortingly silent. Viyony breathed out, and settled herself at the desk, arranging her papers and pen in front of her, ready to write letters—to her family first, business matters second. She put her head down and set to work.
[9th Hour—Leion]
He turned over, blinking at the ceiling. It was much lighter than it ought to be. He screwed up his face and sat up, giving the little timepiece beside his bed a wary look. Further squinting proved that it had got stuck again. He reached out for it—a squat, iron-framed clock—and shook it hard.
"Cursed thing," he muttered. It had belonged to the father who had left him little else than the Sola name he'd never used, and too few memories. Those he had were of a man who had been often absent, but had always come home with treats for them—little bags of roast elquid, or sweets. He had taken them for walks out to the beacon, or on a fishing trip from Lower Portcallan. The clock worked most of the time; it merely went through sticking phases every ten months or so, and Leion kept it, even if he regretted it on mornings like this. It had only one bad habit, and he'd borne with worse from an otherwise reliable old friend.
He scrambled up, out of the bed, hunting around for shirt, trousers, underthings, and then leant his head out of the window to see if he could gauge what time it was from the activity in the street. The stationers' shop opposite was already open and there was a steady stream of traffic out there. He screwed up his face and withdrew back into the room. He was too late. He shrugged to himself and set about washing and dressing in a less frantic fashion.
He had planned to go down to the Old Quay, if he had been up on time. He often did—if he ran down early, he could catch the fishing crews coming back in, and there'd be spare ends of fish and other sea food going spare, or grab some of the 'mess' the fish-sellers made out of yesterday's leftovers from the markets. It made for an easy, cheap breakfast, and he could pick up food for the cats, and fresh news from up and down the local coast along with it.
Since that was now out of the question, he tramped downstairs to his office. He hadn't tugged the door fully opened before Fern and the kittens started up a pitiful chorus of mews that suggested they'd never been fed before in their lives. Luckily for the four-legged contingent of this household, he had enough suitable scraps in the little icestone cupboard for them.
"Hang on," he said, leaning in through the half-open doorway. "Be right back."
He fed them, and then hunted around the tiny kitchen area in the back room without much enthusiasm. He pulled out a last piece of bland alionrel-bake and retrieved a slightly squashed solitary orange from where it had fallen beside the empty fruit bowl. "Could be worse," he concluded. He flipped loose the catch on the top of the boiler that dropped the heating strip down inside it and made bitter raspberry tea.
He carried the cup in one hand, the orange in the other, and the cake in his mouth into the office, where he retrieved a barely used plate from under a pile of paper. He polished it off while scowling over his notes from yesterday, only raising his head from time to time to keep an eye on the kittens, who were engaged in attempting to mount an escape out of their box.
"I don't know what you're complaining about," he told them. "At least you lot had a sensible breakfast."
[10th hour—Leion]
Leion emerged from his office shrugging on his jacket, not yet caught up with himself. He set off down Zindelen Road at a run, heading for the bridge, and on through the hinterland of the docks where smaller streets of high, narrow houses interspersed with workshops and sheds were overshadowed by large warehouses with the tops of ships' masts occasionally visible beyond them.
He skidded to a halt at the top of Sea Way, outside the Old Harbour Hotel. He paused to study his murky reflection in the nearest window and pulled his mouth down at the sight. He straightened his jacket and ran a quick hand through his hair. The day was already growing warm, despite the best efforts of a sea breeze blowing briskly in from the west.
Leion knocked on the hotel's side door. It opened a crack, enough to allow a pale-skinned woman with short dark auburn hair to peer out.
"Leion! I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you." The proprietor softened her words with a smile as she hefted the unwilling door further open. "She's in my sitting room. Be gentle."
He raised his eyebrows. "Jousine! I'm not the authorities, am I?"
"Sometimes I'm not so sure," said Jousine. "Oh, well, come on in. She needs someone's help, and this one is beyond me." She set off at a pace, leading the way down a narrow side corridor that led to her private quarters on the ground floor. "Sazi, my dear, this is Imai Valerno."
"Leion," he said as he followed Jousine into the room.
He crossed over to crouch down by the girl's chair. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, but she was hunched up, dark brown hair obscuring half of her face. She sniffed from somewhere underneath it, and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand.
Jousine shook her head, and passed the girl a handkerchief. "Tell him everything you told me," she advised Sazi. "Leion will help you, if he can. Promise."
Leion glanced around, and then seized the nearest portable chair and dragged it forward. He sat on the side of it, one hand resting on the back. "I'll try, anyway. Come on. How bad is it?"
Sazi lifted her head, revealing unusual grey-gold eyes in a light, sand-brown face, currently swollen and reddened. She sniffed again, scrunching the unused cloth in her fist. "We went to my aunt's." She swallowed. "I was—I don't know. I went out into the new bit of the house they'd just finished, and that was when it happened. The walls went all soft and dusty when I touched them, and the floorboards turned rotten. I'm dangerous, Imai Valerno! There's nothing anyone can do. Imai Jousine is kind, but—I should just go away on a ship and never come back!"
"I wouldn't do that," said Leion. He forcibly bit down on instant amusement at the idea of taking that specific brand of trouble on board a ship, of all things. "You're not dangerous. It's not like that." He met her gaze and held out his hand to her.
She shook her head. "No—oh, no."
"The chair seems all right," Leion observed lightly. "The hotel, too." He persisted, his hand remaining in place until she relented and took it. He pressed his fingers around hers, hoping to be reassuring, before letting go. Sazi flopped back into the chair. Her mouth quivered.
Leion gave her a half smile. "There you are. Now, don't be afraid. If it was going to happen here, it would have done. I don't really know much more about it than you, but I do know that much. Now, tell me everything again—every detail—if anything at all like this ever happened before—and I'll see what else I can I can find out for you."
[10th Hour & 11th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony strode along Riverside after having delivered her letters to the postal office for despatch. It was a fine day and even her light spring coat was beginning to prove unnecessary in the unaccustomed southern sun. She removed thin gloves and unfastened the coat's topmost buttons. A fresh breeze whipped down from the sea as she passed under the shadow of Chamber Square. She breathed it in and stopped to lean over the railings, gazing down over the Calla River and the lower half of Portcallan stretching away before her. She folded her arms on the upper bar of the railings, letting her chin rest on top. A salty, rotten smell of seaweed from the rivermouth wafted over her, marring the moment. She screwed up her face, and then laughed. She'd been down on the beach yesterday and there had been piles of it everywhere, washed in on the spring tide.
"Hey!"
Viyony straightened up and turned to see Eollan Barra bearing down on her at a run. He halted in front of her, breathing hard.
"Saw you from the window of the family place," he said. "May I walk with you?"
She hesitated, thinking of more work she should return to, but she was supposed to be taking some holiday time while she was here, too. "Of course. I wasn't going anywhere in particular, though—only along Riverside and back."
"Would you like to go somewhere particular?"
Viyony smiled. "I might—it depends what you have in mind."
He nodded, falling into step beside her. "Since we're heading eastwards, have you ever been to the Copperstar Palace?"
"I've never even heard of it."
"Probably because there's not much of it left, but you can still see one wing that's been built into the next house, and there's a tiny museum attached. How about I show you and you can tell me what you think?"
Viyony moved with Eollan in nearer to the side of the street, their slower pace hindering passers-by with somewhere to be. "Why not?"
"Come on, then—this way! It's uphill from here, but that'll be nothing to you, will it?"
For the pride of Eseray and the whole Eister Ranges, Viyony could not disagree with him. "Lead on," she said, and took his arm.
[11th & 12th Hour—Leion]
Leion headed back towards the area of Portcallan where his office was located, too busy frowning over Sazi's problems to take proper note of his progress, until halfway through Little Market Street when enticing smells from nearby stalls and the covered market stole his attention. He took a step over to a seller offering roasted and spiced squares of various root vegetables, but then drew back. He was on his way to Yita's bookshop and he would pick up something later at the adjoining eatery there.
He marched on until he reached the narrow passageway leading to the courtyard and the Pollens establishment within. He turned down the alley, striding along it and right into the bookshop.
"Yita?" he called. When no one answered, he leant over the counter. "Do you still have that book on Eisterlander Powers, the one I was in two minds about the other day?"
Yita Pollens emerged from the back room. "Leio. You here again?" When Leion confirmed that it was, indeed, him again, and repeated his question, Yita wearily edged towards the section that held books on and from High Eisterland. "Look, whatever you say, it's twelve starflowers, no discounts."
"Yes, fine," said Leion. "I've decided it'll be a worthwhile investment. I've got nine starflowers on me now and I'll come round tomorrow with the rest. Just let me have it, please."
Yita folded his arms. "The whole amount first, Leio! I have a business to run."
"I only meant, if I pay you that now, can I take it upstairs and consult it?" said Leion. "And then you can keep it under the desk for me until I come back."
Yita's glanced flickered towards the stairwell and back to Leion. "Fine, fine, but if you're eating -"
"I shall be careful with the book," said Leion. "Aren't I always? Besides, it'll be three fourths mine, and if I get soup on it that's my lookout."
Yita winced. "Don't tell me. Hand over the money, and I'll fetch the thing. I won't rise to your jokes." He disappeared further into the dark depths between bookcases and emerged a few moments later with a large and battered fabric-bound hardback. He scooped up the coins and note Leion had deposited on the counter, and pushed the volume over to him. "Isn't it a little early for lunch?"
"I know," said Leion, "but I'll have to go up to Chamber Square after, and I'd rather eat here."
Yita nodded. "Ah, well, Imenna will be happy to see you. I'll let her know and she'll sort something out for you."
"You're a star," Leion said. He climbed the steep wooden stairs, navigating the sharp turn with practised ease, and threw himself down in the nearest chair to leaf through it. It was rather dated, but a former standard work on Eisterland Powers, covering all their extra named Powers, semi-Powers, demi-Powers and even a scattering of local Guardians and the like, few of which were known in Emoyra. He turned to the back, but it had no index. "Wonderful," he muttered, and set it out on the table. He'd have to page through the entire thing until he found what he was after.
Leion settled himself down with one elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand, and with the other hand he worked his way through it, only stopping to order soup with noodles when one of the large Pollens family came in to ask, until Imenna herself arrived with the resulting lunch on a tray.
"Yita says to keep it well away from the books," she said, and grinned at him as she put it down in front of him.
Leion laughed. He pushed the volume away to the side. "Tell him not to worry. I need a break." He ate the soup, idly gazing around the bookshelves that filled the upper room, his mind full of different kinds of Powers and their legends.
Once he'd finished the meal, he returned to doggedly ploughing through the book until he finally stumbled over a Power that seemed to match Sazi's odd affinity. Ulad, the decayer, the fertiliser of the earth, it called them. Category, Bolannic. That, Leion knew, meant Ulad was considered a lesser Power, or semi power, related to Bolah. Leion sighed. He was sure he'd passed by an entry on Bolah many pages ago. He must have missed the likeness. He pulled out a pencil and his notebook, and set to work on taking a few notes on both. It was dry, basic stuff, but it was somewhere to start.
[12th Hour—Viyony]
The Copperstar Palace was, as Eollan had warned her, no longer extant. Standing in a small museum in the remaining fragment of the building, Viyony peered at a sketch of its exterior in its former state of glory. "Was part of it made of lightstone, or is that glow just the artist getting carried away?"
"Lightstone," said Eollan. "Everything the most extravagant Copperfort imor could have, the Sedda family wanted here, too. And once they sold up, the next owner was even worse—turned it into the notorious public attraction you're looking at."
There was still starstone in the walls. Viyony could feel the faint hum of it through her being. She turned. "Can we go? It is fascinating, but I'd much rather admire it from outside, if that's all right."
"Because you sense things, don't you?" he said, lowering his voice. "I know you don't like talking about your dreams—but you are remarkable. You should realise that."
Viyony laughed. "Oh, I know. Unfortunately!"
Eollan shook his head, but he gestured towards the entrance, and she walked out, emerging onto the street with a sigh of relief.
"What sorts of things have you tried? To control or amplify the dreams, I mean."
Viyony lifted her eyes skywards, before turning back to look at him. "Only everything Grandmother could think of for years. Everyone wanted me to stop. I talked to every visiting Pollean priest that came anywhere near Eseray. I meditated with lightstone. Father came up with all kinds of concoctions to help. Nothing ever made any difference. I just had to accept it. Standing around in rooms built of starstone isn't going to change that. It just sets my teeth on edge."
"That still doesn't sound as if anyone has ever really tried to understand your abilities." He headed back down the path alongside her. "I picked up a few things on my travels. I might be able to help."
She held up a hand. "No! Please. The dreams just arrive. They're not my dreams, really—they come and they go as they please, no matter what I do."
"Which is why you're so unusual, and you ought to explore it more," said Eollan. "You're not seeing vague reflections of your state of mind in lightstone or some misty part of your future like the rest of us who see anything at all."
"Oh, so you know more than all the Pollean priests?" said Viyony. "How silly of me. Why didn't I realise I needed to ask a soldier?"
Eollan shrugged, unruffled. "We were stationed all over the place—the Eister Ranges, Starfall Mountains, the Wastelands, the more remote parts of Central. I kept my eyes open for this sort of thing. It's what I've been getting into now I'm finally out—trying to bring some of those spiritual aids back to Portcallan."
"And I wish you luck with your business venture," said Viyony, "but I'm not buying a lump of starstone and trying to open myself up to more dreams, worse headaches, and even more people being terrified of me."
"Understanding what you have—what you are—is vital."
Viyony shrugged. She always shied away from anything to do with her affinity, let alone the idea of strengthening it. Perhaps that looked like a waste to someone like Eollan, but he didn't have to suffer through warnings of death and doom in the middle of the night. "Even if I did try to see more than I do—people don't listen."
"Fools."
"No," said Viyony. "Nobody wants to know the future, not really."
Eollan looked at her. "Sorry. I won't nag you again. I'm just fascinated by the whole thing, and you are so unusual, I can't help -" He cut himself short. "Well. Shall I buy you lunch to make up for it?"
"Thank you, but my aunt is expecting me back."
"Another day, then," said Eollan. "I'll walk with you as far as Riverside, and I promise not to mention it again."
[13th hour—Leion]
"Leio, I'm afraid I don't have time right now."
"It's nice to see you, too," Leion said, and leant in to kiss Seahra on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not here to pester you. If I was, I'd have made an appointment—a lowly clerk like me, daring to approach the Deputy Steward to the Chamber -"
Seahra punched him on the arm. "Spare me. What do you want?"
"A permission slip to use the library. I can't find Tana anywhere and Imor Uffenden is in a meeting. So, I thought, well, what's the use of having a sister in high places if she can't write me the odd official permission slip when I need one?"
She rolled her eyes, but crossed over to her desk, pulled out a slip of paper, on which she scribbled a hasty sentence of permission and stamped it with the mark of the Chamber Steward's Office. "I take it you won't use it for nefarious purposes?"
"I have only the very purest intent. Spiritual, in fact. I need to find out about some of the more obscure Powers, and my own resources are pretty limited."
Seahra signed her name and held it out to him.
"You're well?" he asked, more quietly. She didn't have any visible scars remaining from the attack during the annual opening of the High Chambers, but firestone was nasty stuff, and he couldn't help a discreet flickered glance over her features, double checking yet again.
She stared back, uncomprehending. Then her face cleared, and she patted his arm. "I'm fine. It was weeks ago. Now, scram! I have a whole list of requisitions to get through, as well as preparing for a tricky negotiation with the stationers in the morning."
"Not the dreaded stationers," said Leion. "The battles you fight on our behalf to keep this country running."
Seahra grabbed the nearest book and held it up, as if to throw it at him. He grinned and hastily backed out the door before she could try.
The High Chamber Library was situated in the block between the District and High Chambers. Leion worked for a few hours a week in the High Council archives, but that a separate affair, hidden away in the back end of the High Chamber building itself. The library was open freely to all Councillors, Governors and senior staff, and to all other staff, District Councillors and visitors with a permission slip like the one Leio had just cadged from Seahra.
The central point of the main reading room rose to a series of rounded glass windows set in a high ceiling, shelves of books two storeys tall around it. Leion claimed a seat in an alcove, and then headed up a flight to the small Starfall Collection.
Half an hour later, he was frowning over two open books on the desk, not much the wiser. All the books kept trailing away into telling stories or arguing over the origins of myths or whether or not they were myths. None of them had much practical advice for a girl who was rotting things by accident. Leion sighed. What he really needed was an expert, not a book.
[13th & 14th Hour—Viyony]
Having left Eollan near to the Barra House on Riverside, Viyony was half-tempted to cross the river and see if Leion was in his office. He had promised to take her to meet a property agent who might be able to help her find a warehouse to rent, but they had never arranged an actual date. She also needed to speak to some shipping firms, since the family were looking into making a change from the one they currently used in Portcallan. Leion would no doubt have advice about where to start with that, too.
But she had told her aunt that she would have lunch with her at home, and Grandmother had sent her some figures that she had not fully checked through—plus, she was going to have dinner with Arna and Hunell Valerno this evening and Leion might well be there too.
Viyony made her way up the steep incline along High Aymer Lane towards Great Western Street, turning off into tiny, quiet Orchard Grove, where the Gerro House lay. Back inside, she helped herself to a cold drink of mintwater. Aunt Diyela didn't seem to be around, so Viyony slipped over into the empty half of the house to work on Grandmother's shipping figures.
Midway through tallying up a column, Aunt Diyela rapped on the door, and then breezed in. "Viyony! You work too hard."
Viyony dropped her pencil, and rose to greet her great-aunt with a hug. "I don't. I spent half the morning sightseeing with Eollan Barra, and I'm going out to the Valernos this evening. But I've got to get started on finding warehouse space, and I need to double check a few things first."
"Hmm," said Aunt Diyela. "Eollan Barra?"
"Yes. He took me to the Copperstar Palace. It sounds as if it was remarkable in its day, but there wasn't much of it left."
Aunt Diyela laughed. "I suppose remarkable is one word for it. Well, dear? Are you going to have lunch with us?"
"Of course—let me finish this one sum first."
"Make sure it is only one," Aunt Diyela told her tartly, but left her to it.
[14th & 15th hour—Leion]
"Curse it," Leion said, standing outside yet another anonymous office in High Chamber Buildings. He sagged back against the wall. He had been wandering around for what felt like hours, ever since he left the library, trying to find whoever was currently acting as the speaker for Starfall Manor.
The official he was waiting for emerged in time to catch Leion's language, a wince crossing his face, despite its mildness. He was a wan-faced, gingery-haired muddle of a man, in a green and grey robe so shabby it would have got him thrown out of several dining halls that Leion frequented. "Yes?" the man said, sniffing. When Leion explained his purpose, his brow wrinkled even further. "Starfall Manor?" he echoed, as if he had never heard of it.
"I'm acting on behalf of Imai Veldiner and Imor Uffenden," Leion said. "It is important."
The official drew back. "You're Imor Valerno's son, aren't you?"
"Does that make a difference?"
He shrugged. "Not really. If you want someone from Starfall, you need to go back down two floors, over to the department of science and artifice, and ask for Haj Zindelen's office."
Leion, having tramped down two flights of stairs, and found someone to ask where exactly he would find the office of Imai Haj Zindelen, and then had to backtrack around one of the longest corridors in the building, finally knocked on yet another wood-panelled door. This didn't seem to be getting him anywhere. Maybe he should come back tomorrow when Tana would be around. She was always extremely efficient at navigating officialdom, far better than he was.
A voice called out, "Come in!"
Entering, Leion first blinked in the sudden light, after spending so much time lost in windowless corridors. He moved towards the figure seated at the desk, and was surprised to discover the speaker was much younger than he had sounded. He had a thin, pale face dominated by a long nose. "Yes?" the man said, raising his head from the book he had been reading. "If you want Imai Zindelen, his office is temporarily -"
"No, no. It's you I'm after," said Leion, leaning over and holding out his hand. "At least, I desperately hope so. You are the Starfall rep, aren't you?"
The man stood abruptly, and squeezed Leion's hand in return. "I'm not the speaker from Starfall, if that's what you mean, but I am one of the scholars." He was taller than Leion, a narrow frame accentuating his height. "Very junior, though. Imai Zindelen is away in Lighthaven for a week."
"A scholar?" said Leion. He took the chair on the opposite side of the desk and dropped himself down into it. "Perfect! Exactly what I need. I think what I'm looking for is information about Bolannic affinity? If that's a thing."
Amusement gleamed in the other's eyes. He sat back down. "Bolannic affinity? In what respect?"
"I've got someone—a client—who's been inadvertently causing things to rot," said Leion. "And I'm acting in the matter under Imai Veldiner. From what I read earlier, I think that's supposed to relate to Ulad, or Bolah?"
"That is unusual," said the Starfall scholar. "But non-Emoyran Powers are something I'm interested in." He shot another obscurely amused glance at Leion. "I'm from High Eisterland myself—and, yes, we do think Bolah was a thing, and Ulad, for that matter."
"Then you see just how badly I'm in need of someone who knows what they're talking about," Leion said with an apologetic smile. "If you can advise me, I'll be all ears—and forever in your debt." He paused. Oh, I am sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Leion Valerno."
"Osmer Nivyrn," said the other. He leapt up out of his chair and crossed to the nearby bookshelves, running long fingers over the spines, before twisting round. "I make no promises, but I shall do my best. Hmm, now, what was the book you mentioned?"
Leion rose. "Qomeis's Complete Account of the Powers. I know it's outdated, but it was all I had to hand to start with. I went to the library here afterwards, but mostly I gave myself a headache over academic articles that didn't seem to relate to anything practical."
"Outdated?" said Osmer. "Archaic, I'd say! Not much more than a retelling of all the hoariest old legends."
"I'd gathered that," said Leion. "What I need is some practical advice on how to prevent my client from rotting things she doesn't want to, not debates on what does and doesn't exist."
Osmer lowered his hands from the bookshelves and turned around. "Yes. I see. You know—I am a scholar, but I'm also a Pathwalker."
"A Pathwalker?"
Osmer raised his eyebrows. "Yes. Do you not know what that means?"
"Only vaguely," said Leion. He had the worrying feeling that in some way the tide had swept in while he was paddling in the waves and it was now carrying him well out of his depth.
Osmer gestured for Leion to sit again. He perched on the edge of the desk, and tilted his head to one side, birdlike. "It means I have affinity too—and I've had to learn some measure of how to use it. It's not the same across the board by any means. The nature of the Powers themselves varies; so does the shape of our affinity. But I'll tell you something of what they taught me, and we'll move on from there."
[15th hour—Viyony]
After lunch, Viyony stayed on Aunt Diyela's side of the Gerro house and helped her sort through a large batch of returned laundry.
"Where did you get this?" Viyony held up a light green skirt. "It certainly can't be one of ours. That colour has faded horribly—or should I blame the laundry?"
Aunt Diyela snatched the garment out of her grasp. "Not every item of fabric in this house comes from Eseray. You needn't make remarks. It's Aolla's, and none of your business. Besides, it was only to wear indoors."
"Shoddy work, though," said Viyony, as she set to work on separating the large pile of linen and towels into smaller ones for the washroom, the bedchambers, and kitchen. "I wouldn't buy anything from wherever it was again."
"Hmph," said Aunt Diyela, smoothing down the folds of the household robe she had donned for the afternoon tasks. "Don't you have to go and get ready for your evening out?"
Viyony nearly dropped three neatly folded towels. "That's not for hours yet!"
"Oh?" said Aunt Diyela with a vague wave of her fingers. "Then perhaps you ought to finish those sums of yours after all. Although, dear, be careful—don't give yourself another headache."
Viyony lowered her head, biting back laughter. "Sorry. I'll take these upstairs and leave you in peace, shall I?"
"It might be for the best. Sometimes you are very like your grandmother," said Aunt Diyela. "I love Laiyna dearly, but we get on far better from a distance. Now go!"
[16th hour—Leion]
"I hope you've found something," was how Jousine greeted him when he arrived back at the Old Harbour Hotel.
Leion nodded. "Sazi is still here?"
"Yes, no need to worry. Do you want to come through and speak to her?"
The three of them regrouped in Jousine's sitting room. The other two looked up at Leion with expectant eyes as he pulled out his notebook. He shifted on the edge of the chair he'd perched on, sidelong.
"Can you make it go away?" Sazi asked.
"Not as such," he said. "There are things you can do about it, though." He leant forward and set about explaining to her what he had found—affinity was usually linked to a particular Power, and that made it a blessing not a curse, even if an awkward one sometimes. "I spoke to a scholar from Starfall—I've got his details, so you can see him or write to him there, if you like."
Sazi was still frowning at him. He cleared his throat.
"But what should I do?" she asked.
Leion glanced from one to the other. "I have a list. Mostly from Osmer—the scholar. I asked him to come and see you, so he could explain it himself, but he couldn't, not today. The most important thing is not to panic. It's very rare that it will happen like it did the other day anyway. If it does, it's to do with the place, not you. You channel something already there, usually in response to a need in the place.
"So, first—learn about the Powers you have affinity with, and if you practise observance, you should honour them. There are signs you can look out for that'll help you tell if somewhere you visit is likely to affect you. Hang on. Let me give you that list." Leion fished in his pockets with no success, and then leafed through the notebook until a sheet of paper fell out. "Aha!" He passed it over. "There. Warning signs, so you can leave before anything gets out of hand, and steps to keep calm. If it comes to it, you can use Dead Dust to stop it, but you'd have to see a medic about that."
Sazi folded up the sheet of paper and then unfolded it. "But I don't want any of it! It was horrible. It's no good you telling me all this—you don't know what it feels like!"
"No," agreed Leion. "But you're all right here for now, aren't you? And Imai Nivyrn can come and talk to you tomorrow, if you want him to—he'll answer your questions properly. The thing is, it isn't you. Really. It has its uses, too. Plenty of farmers would love a visit from you!"
Jousine turned her head. "Leion," she said in warning.
Sazi swallowed. She folded the paper and stuffed it into her pocket. "Who is he, your scholar?"
"An expert, all the way from Starfall and High Eisterland," said Leion. "How about it?"
Sazi looked to Jousine and at the older woman's nod, she leant forward. "I suppose I could see him, couldn't I?"
On the way out, Leion paused to touch Jousine's arm. "You have to make sure she goes home," he said in an undertone. "Her affinity is too unusual—it sounds pretty strong, too. You wouldn't want the wrong people to notice."
"I can't force her," said Jousine. "You bring your expert round in the morning, yes? Leion—she's already less scared. That's a start." She gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Don't fuss. She's not going to run—she and I will work out where she goes next once she's got her head around things. You go on and enjoy that party of yours."
[16th & 17th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony opened the closet door. The narrow glass set into it reflected the scowl that grew on her face as she rifled through her clothes. What would be most appropriate for her evening at Arna and Hunell Valerno's? It was supposed to be informal, but she didn't know them very well, and Arna was a recorder for the High Council and Hunell a Councillor, neither of which were lowly positions. And Leion might be there.
Not, of course, that that mattered, or made any difference what she should choose to wear. Viyony closed the door again, and sighed, pressing her forehead against its cool wood as weariness washed over her. Who was she lying to, alone in her room?
She crossed back to the bed and slumped down onto it. "Me," she said under her breath. That was the most important deception of all. She eased off her shoes, then lay down. Closing her eyes, she thought of starstone and seaweed, of Barras and Valernos, and then of nothing at all.
She was standing at the highest point in Portcallan, outside Chamber Hall, and looking westwards, towards the sea. Heavy grey and violet clouds clustered on the horizon and moved in on the city, swamping it, until they melted into pale mist below her, as if she was looking down at the ravine from Eseray. The ground trembled under her feet, and alionrel vines broke through it, winding their way around the pillars of Chamber Hall, ready to pull it down.
Eseray's doom was coming for her, no matter where she went.
Viyony jolted awake. She was lying in her cream-walled bedchamber in Aunt Diyela's house, still warmed by sunlight. She pressed her fingers to her head, and swallowed. Her heart was beating fast and she shivered. As if she needed a reminder of what was at stake!
She hugged her arms in against herself. "I know," she told unseen Powers that might be listening. "Even if I did let something happen with Leion—if he even wants it – it would only be one last affair, like Mother said. I haven't forgotten Eseray."
A rap on the door made her jump.
"My dear," said her great-aunt, poking her head into the room, "aren't you supposed to be at the Valerno's in half an hour?"
[17th Hour—Leion]
Leion ran most of the way back to his office. His sister didn't dine late, not with young children around, and he had left himself little time to wash and change. He let himself in, mulling over both Sazi's problem and which jacket he should wear, and started violently on finding his mother standing in front of him in the hallway.
"Ah, Leio, there you are," she said, ignoring his overreaction. She leaned in and kissed his cheek briefly. Her gaze flickered over him. "What have you been up to? I hope you're going to change before you go to Arna's!"
He drew back. "Mother. What are you doing here?"
"Tam was minding your little friends," she told him. "He had to go, so I've been standing in for him for the last half hour. They're endearing company, but it will be good when you've homed them."
Leion crouched down to collar one of the grey kittens from making a run for it into the hall, and held it against him, wriggling, tiny claws latching into the thick fabric of his outer jacket. "Yes, but it won't be for a few weeks yet, I'm afraid. Thank you for stepping in."
"Not at all," said Iyana. She moved towards the door. "Give Arna and Hu and the rest my love, will you? And Leion?"
He unhooked the kitten's claw from his sleeve. "Hmm?"
"Is that great-niece of Diyela's going to be there?"
Leion stiffened. "Why do you ask?"
"I brought an article for Diyela—I thought you could give it to her to pass on, if she was. It's over there, on your desk."
"Yes, then," said Leion. "Of course."
"Did you think I was going to scold you?" said Iyana. "Well, if you need me to say it, Leio, then be careful. I may not approve of making a business out of a marriage, but Imai Eseray has a contract to deliver on at the end of the summer. You may like to spend your life waiting for the impossible, but I think she is a good deal too practical for that. Now, hurry up and change. You don't want to be late—and don't forget that article!"
Leion blinked. "Mother! You can't just—Mother, don't walk out!"
"I don't want to argue," said Iyana, turning around. "It's none of my business, but I don't want to lose Diyela's friendship at this late stage merely because you were needlessly careless with her niece's feelings."
Leion put down the still-protesting kitten. "You won't. I'm helping Viyony with business and trying to keep her out of danger. I know you don't think this is a proper job, but it's what I do, and it's put me in her way. If there was anything else, it wouldn't be your affair anyway—but there isn't!"
"I'm glad to hear it," said Iyana. "Although given the way you had some nonsensical argument and spent two weeks cutting her dead, I'm not entirely sure I believe you. Poor Diyela was quite distressed. But this is what I keep telling you—you don't think, and it's long past time you did."
"I'll tell you what it's long past time for," Leion told her, ushering her out of the office door and into the corridor. "You to stop passing judgment on me without hearing the evidence—and for me to get dressed and go to Arna's!"
[18th Hour—Viyony & Leion]
They collided at the corner where Poll Street turned into Lower Winden Street, walking in opposite directions. Leion pulled to an abrupt halt, while Viyony had to put a hand on a nearby wall to keep from overbalancing.
"Good evening," said Leion, recovering first. He held out his hand, and as she took it, his gaze travelled over her. "You look rather more sombre than I hope the occasion warrants."
Viyony didn't bother to glance down. She had been in a severe mood when she had pulled out the grey jacket and grey trousers. They were perfectly smart, though, with dark, Rosfallen blue embroidery to match the colour of the shirt she'd chosen to accompany them. She raised her chin. "Well, if we're going to talk about clothes, you shouldn't have picked that light jacket, not if you were going to wrangle the cats before you left."
Leion cursed under his breath, and brushed the jacket down, to little effect. He raised his gaze back to meet hers, and his mouth twitched. "I'm sorry. Shall we start over and then go on in?"
Viyony held her ground. "Yes, although—would you walk with me, just a little way, first?"
"Of course," said Leion. They fell into step with each other, as they walked along Upper Winden Street, passing Arna's home in a few short lengths. The light was fading; the sky shaded with pink and streaked with cloud streamers of indigo and grey. "Not nervous, surely? They won't eat you, I promise."
"I'm sorry. I had the old dream about Eseray again, and I need a little more time to shake it off." Viyony gestured ahead and they continued uphill for a few moments. She pulled a face. "If only I could bring the wedding forwards."
Leion slowed, and they halted on the corner where the street met Araland Way and Lower Winden Street, pausing under an unlit lightstone lamp. "If only," he agreed politely. "Then you would be safely out of Portcallan and my life would get a lot less troublesome."
"You're not helping," she complained. "Anyway, the thing is, I was out with Eollan earlier -"
"Oh, did you? No wonder you're having nightmares. Perfectly understandable if you've been wandering around with a Barra!"
Viyony choked back a laugh. "You would say that. It's only that he was talking about and my dreams and affinity to the Powers, that kind of thing. We visited the Copperstar Palace, and I never like being around that much starstone, either. But Eollan was very nice about it, so you needn't make comments."
"Not much of a sightseeing trip," said Leion. "There's barely anything there any more. Mind, I doubt you'd have approved of it if there were."
Her momentary good humour faded. "Yes, yes, I'm terribly dull. You needn't tell me again."
Leion patted her arm. "I didn't mean that. I probably wouldn't have either. I don't like extortion and types who think they can get away with everything just because they have money, and that place was the epitome of that sort of thing. Did you see the sketches of it in its former glory? Pretty tasteless, weren't they?"
"Yes." Viyony relaxed. "But, Leion, Eollan said I should learn more about my dreams—to try and control them, or maybe grow more powerful. That's exactly what you warned me about, isn't it? I do listen, no matter what you think. But I was wondering—should I agree? Find out if he's genuine or not."
Leion moved sharply. "No! Clearly you don't listen to me at all! Yes, I want whoever's been experimenting with affinity to get what they deserve, but first and foremost, I don't want them to hurt anyone else. That's why I warned you."
"If he's genuine," said Viyony, "he might be right. I hate the dreams so much—I don't want to do anything with them. I could see they scared everyone else, too, even Grandmother. I never have tried much, save ways to stop it, not properly. I never really listened to what all the visiting priests said about it—I just didn't want to know."
"Poor thing." Leion patted her arm. "Well, I expect Eollan is probably all right anyway. He was never like Atino or Kadia, even before he went away. But if you want help, go to someone a lot more reliable than a Barra."
"Like you?" she said, tilting her head.
"Stars, no. I don't have a clue. I spent all of today chasing around trying to find out the most basic things on that front. But I saw a scholar from Starfall earlier. He seemed like a decent sort, and knew his stuff. I'm sure he'd talk to you."
Viyony pulled down her mouth. "I don't know. But—oh, dear—I'm sorry—we'd better go inside or we'll be late!"
"I think we already are," said Leion.
She put her hand to her mouth, stifling a sudden desire to laugh.
"What?" Leion shot a glance at her as he led her towards the house.
"Well, Eollan says he knows all about starstone and affinity, and you've been trying to learn more about it—you two ought to work together. You could figure out his motives while you were at it."
"Ha," said Leion. "Although my record on working out when a Barra is up to no good is pretty abysmal."
"You've still never explained about that."
Leion led her up to the door of his sister's house. "No, well, it's an unedifying story. In the meantime, you've got a far more terrifying ordeal to get through first—dinner with a whole host of Valernos. I warn you—prepare for the worst!"
[19th Hour—Viyony & Leion]
Viyony had been in Portcallan long enough to know that meals were often much more communal than she was used to, but she had still expected something more private and formal from a High Councillor's household. Instead, Arna ushered Leion and Viyony right through the house into the large shared courtyard, where a whole crowd of the family, guests and neighbours were gathered round the square hotstone where the food was cooking. Viyony spotted Leily and Nin, Arna's two eldest children. Nin waved at her. Leion broke into a smile and pulled Viyony over towards them, and introduced her to the youngest three, whom she had not yet met—Ivonna, Sesie, and little Arnan, who was only five—before they ran away to play with the neighbours' children.
"Leio," said a sturdy man of middle age, brown-skinned, his black hair grizzled and silver-threaded. He clapped Leion on the shoulder, and then turned to bestow a welcoming grin on Viyony. He held out a warm hand to grasp hers. "And you must be Imai Eseray. I'm Hunell Ivonde. Come on, let's get you some food before this flock of gannets gobbles up the lot."
Hunell handed them a plate each, and when one of the other guests drew Leion aside, Hunell took Viyony under his wing, guiding her the dishes lying ready on warmed ledges at the side of the hotstone. With his assistance, Viyony helped herself to a mixture of roasted vegetables, fish in a light sauce, and a small helping of various preserves along with soft, warm pan-wraps. He then passed her deftly along to Kytisse Mlonza, a neighbour, an official at the Vionnic Hospital to the north of the city. Kytisse, an older woman of a similar colouring to Hunell, greeted Viyony with interest and passed her a glass of white wine. Viyony perched next to them on a bench and ate her food with a fork. Kytisse and her partner Pardo kept her company. Pardo was apparently some sort of grand gardener, and Viyony's question as to the herbs in the fish sauce led to a long conversation about various such plants, and which might also do well in the Eister Ranges, as she was keen to buy some for Grandmother while she was here.
Leion crossed over partway through, in time to hand Viyony her dessert—flaky pastry with nuts, honey and cream—but turned up his nose at the herbal interrogation and wandered off to talk to someone Kytisse said was called Qozinder Iltense, who had a son and daughter close in age to Ivonna and Sesie Valerno.
Viyony was polishing off the last of the dessert when Nin marched up to her.
"Imai Eseray," she said. "Come with me. I'll show you what I did for my project on North Eastern. You can see my room, too."
Viyony wiped cream from her face with a napkin, and nodded. "That would be lovely."
[20th Hour—Leion & Viyony]
"Time for bed," Arna said, advancing on Arnan, her youngest child as he pulled on Leion's arm. She held out her hand. "Come on."
Arnan shook his head. "I'm talking to Uncle Leio! It's not fair, you can't make just me go."
"Sesie will be following you up very shortly," said Arna. "Now, what did I make you promise if I let you stay up a little longer for this party?"
Arnan screwed up his face and wriggled further back against Leion. "Don't remember."
"Hmm," said Arna. "I wonder why that could be. Now, I suppose, if you ask nicely, your uncle might take you up. How about that?"
Arnan looked from his uncle to his mother, and sighed. "Please? Oh, and I've got a boat. I'll show you. It's got a soldier and a sailor on it and a horse."
"Well, then, of course, we must go up at once," said Leion, lifting him into his arms. "Oof. You're getting heavier every time, you know. What's the boat carrying?"
"Treasure!"
Leion deposited his smallest nibling at the foot of the stairs and let him lead the way up, thumping onto each step like a baby elephant.
"Treasure?" he said. "No wonder they need a soldier and a sailor and a horse to guard it all."
Arna trailed after them. She whistled, causing them both to stop. "Washed, undressed and into bed first, sparkle—boats and treasure after. Dada is upstairs waiting, so no messing around! Go on. Leio—one moment!"
Leion took two steps back down, one hand resting on the bannister. "Yes?"
"Viyony," said Arna.
"Now don't you start!"
Arna raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry? It's only that Nin's been monopolising her for the past half hour. She says she doesn't mind, but you know how Nin is. Should I rescue her?"
"Oh," said Leion. "No. Viyony likes Nin and Leily. She's got younger siblings herself—probably misses them."
Arna gave a short nod. "Good. Go on, then—Imai Impatience will start yelling if you're not ready when he is. Although, Leio—what did you think I meant?"
"Nothing. Mother was lecturing me earlier, that's all—stupid reasons, not important." He grinned. "Certainly not as important as a boatload of treasure!"
"Oh, dear. What have you done this time?"
Leion tapped the bannister with his fingers, slow to answer. "Shirking my responsibilities, not chasing a proper career—the usual. Possibly causing trouble with Imai Diyela. You know Mother."
"Talking of shirking your responsibilities," said Arna, as a loud yell emanated from one of the rooms above: "Uncle Leio!" Arna winced. "Really, the volume one small soul can possess."
Leion hurried away to answer the call.
[21st Hour—Viyony & Leion]
Leion seemed to have disappeared completely after a while. Viyony took the opportunity to leave without him, unsure she wanted him to offer to escort her home. The afternoon's dream hovered in the back of her mind like the lowering headache it was threatening to become, and she didn't want to tempt fate, or herself, by wandering around Portcallan streets at this hour with Leion. She headed down towards Riverside, seeking the longer way back, glad of the cool night air against her skin.
"I thought you said you listened to me." Leion arrived at her side, out of breath, waving his jacket in his hand. "I tell you and tell you there could be danger for someone with your kind of affinity, and you just head out into the dark alone!"
Viyony turned, gesturing with one hand at the other people passing by. "What do you mean, alone?"
"I know where my duty lies," said Leion. He gave her a sidelong glance. "If you've had your fill of us Valernos for one evening, I can keep my distance, but I'm seeing you home regardless. Besides, we still haven't made a date for that warehouse hunting trip, and I have someone ready to meet you—and you never said whether or not you might want to meet my Starfall scholar."
Viyony bit back a smile, giving him instead her stiffest and most gracious nod. "If you insist, Imai Valerno, then you may."
"Thank you."
"I don't know if I do want to see someone from Starfall," said Viyony. "You and Eollan are probably right, but I'll have to think about it. I'll let you know. Maybe when we look at the warehouse—and can we do that as soon as possible, please?"
"If you like. I can't do tomorrow—but the day after would be fine. Come to my office at about half past ten and I'll take you over."
Viyony agreed, and they walked on, taking the turn upwards from Riverside, towards the Gerro house. "I liked the rest of your family," she said. "I enjoyed myself a lot."
"Ah, it is only me you dislike, then," he said.
She looked up at him for a moment. "Yes," she said, with solemnity. "Only you, Leion."
[22nd Hour—Leion]
Leion shut and bolted the door behind a neighbour who had been cat-sitting for him. He headed back into the office to inform Fern and her kittens that they were all a lot of nuisances. Five sleeping balls of fluff ignored him, while Fern deigned only to raise her gaze the minimum needed to display her disdain.
"Goodnight to you," he said as he crossed to his desk. He picked up the notes he had written earlier, and perched on the corner of the desk, scanning down the list of names he hardly even knew. His gaze lighted on the earliest Powers—the pre-Starfall lot that people like Osmer called Proto-Powers.
His day had been full of talk of Starfall's legacy—from Sazi's weird abilities, through the books he'd been reading, Osmer, and Viyony telling him he should ask Eollan about it. He snorted and shook his head at the memory of the last, and let the papers drop back down onto the desk. It was too late for any of this now.
He ambled on up the stairs and out onto the roof. He perched near the edge, gazing lazily up at the stars. His mind drifted from one thing to another—he bet you could see the stars so much more clearly from a place like Eseray. Perhaps, growing up so close to the Eisterland border, Viyony already knew about all these extra Powers. And if they were all real, or as real as any Power was, what about the most ancient ones? Did they feel neglected? Relegated to dusty books while the rest were honoured every now and then somewhere in the world.
His mouth turned up at one corner, as another thought struck him. What sort of observances would a person make for the original group of Powers? Leion sprang up, setting off on a hunt over the house, returning a few minutes later with an armful of oddments.
He placed a chip of icestone on his palm, numbing his skin until he had to put it down—that was for Alyn, the lady of the snow. He offered only apologies to Kan, who had affinity with animals. He had been honouring him quite enough lately and he wasn't going to disturb Fern and the kittens again tonight. For Deolu, the warrior, he brought a knife from the kitchen, pressing its point against his thumb until a bead of blood formed under it. It stung.
"Leion," he muttered, "you are an idiot."
They called Cyro the builder, so Leion sat down at the walled edge of the flat portion of the roof and studied the metropolis, out as far as he could see from here. It was a clear night. Northwards he could make out the looming line of buildings further up towards the river, the most distinctive of which was the tall, square tower of the city archives. In the other direction, he saw mainly more rooftops, on more of a level with his own, all ghostly shades of grey and black in the moonlight. Not quite the architectural glories of upper Portcallan, but ordinary places to live were important too. Leion rested his chin on his fist and contemplated his city. He put his other hand, palm down, flat on the wall, against the brick. It was cool to his touch; the warmth of the spring sunshine had long gone by this hour.
The last two were Olny, the dreamer, and Sia, who they said had created the moon with her longing, the enabler of impossible wishes. His mind strayed again to Viyony, reliving the walk home—limned in lamplight as she brushed back a loose strand of midnight hair behind her ear, giving him quizzical looks, and the way that she'd forget her solemnity sometimes, and the unexpected mischievous light in her face when she did.
At other moments, though, even right by his side, she was three hundredlengths or more away from him in her mind, most likely at Eseray. It was the dreams that carried her away—Olny's dreams, perhaps. Maybe these Powers weren't as neglected as he thought, if they were working through Viyony.
Leion sighed. He saluted the moon, picked up the knife, and failed to retrieve the tiny icestone chip. He walked down the stairs. Maybe when he paid up and finally took that book home, he'd find out there were already formal devotions for the proto-Powers set down long ago. But it was the thought of Viyony that followed him down the stairs, not the Powers.
"If she does have that last minute fling," he told the empty apartment, "it had better be with me and not Eollan Barra!"
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #11 (Call it a day); Light Black #6 (rise)
Supplies and Styles: Mural + Pastels (also for
lyricaltitles bingo square "First line of a song" - P!nk, What About Us?) + Graffiti - October Challenge (Fictober prompt #5 "It's a new day, let's go.")Word Count: 11,062
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: Portcallan, 1313; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Eollan Barra, Yita Pollens, Seahra Jadinor, Diyela Eseray, Osmer Nivyrn, Iyana Valerno, Arna Valerno, Hunell Ivonde, Nin Valerno, Arnan Valerno, Jousine Aubrieto, Sazi etc. (This piece was an exercise in world-building that was supposed to be, quite literally, ten times shorter than this, so I'm really sorry about it, although it did end up doing some linking plot work as well.)
Summary: A day in the life.
5th Month (Greening), 21st Day, 1313
[7th Hour—Viyony]
She started with Laon. Laon was of the light, so it was the correct way to begin any morning observance. These last few weeks Viyony had become far more regular in her daily observances to the Powers than she had been in years. Maybe it was defiance at Portcallan's disregard for such things, or self-defence against rising, unnameable unease.
Viyony held the small piece of lightstone in her hand, sitting upright on the bed with her robe pulled on over her nightshirt. The stone had once been her father's, smoothed out through many years of usage. It glowed faintly in her palm. She lifted her head, positioned so she could also watch the faint light out of the window grow stronger as the sun rose behind the building. Relax, she told herself, frowning over the effort to remember to breathe in and out slowly. She never had been any good at this part. She didn't need visions as well as dreams—all she ever hoped for was that the lightstone would have the decency to remain blank.
She made herself sit there for two more minutes, and then let the lightstone fall from her fingers. Her gaze roamed away over Portcallan's rooftops as they sloped downwards to the sea. A faint echo of waves murmured in her mind. The lightstone glowed softly. Viyony refused to pick it up and look. She knew what she would see inside it—white cracks of light that were supposed to symbolise acting against one's soul.
"I know what I'm doing," Viyony told it. She jumped up, glad to have that over, and moved onto her remaining observances. She crossed over to the water basin, and touched its surface lightly before dipping her hands in to wipe the water over her face, to honour Shara.
For some, her efforts were more perfunctory than others. No one was obliged to honour all the Powers equally, not all of the time. Everyone leaned more to one or two than the rest. Besides, the spring festival was barely over, which meant that Aliah had been honoured by everyone lately anyway—and, like most North Easterners, Viyony inclined first to Shara, while her personal choices after that were Enna and Imora.
Imora was the keeper of secrets and giver of wealth—the lightstone did double duty as a reminder of her as well as of Laon. Viyony retrieved the discarded gem. She said nothing, her secrets buried deep in her heart, and closed her fingers around the stone so tightly it left a red indent on her palm. "Imora, keep it till the day."
Her face cleared as she turned to her observance for Enna. She fetched a shirt that needed a button sewing back onto it, and hummed under her breath as she stitched, to honour Poll at the same time. And never more to see the waters so bright, went the refrain round her head. Enna was the practical one. She would approve.
Viyony ended the session by closing her eyes for a minute to remember the Empty one, the Other, the Untransformed. That was what Portcallan leaned to, and she must never fail to honour that while she remained in the city.
She sat by the window afterwards, watching sea birds congregating on the rooftop of the house opposite. It was too early to venture downstairs for breakfast yet, so she had nothing to do but wait, planning the day ahead.
[8th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony had come close to falling asleep again, lying on her bed while listening out for the mechanical clock downstairs to announce the hour in faint, ethereal chimes. In Eseray, they had an ancient waterclock that rang a louder, more sombre bell everyone could hear, even if it dealt out the hours with less accuracy.
As soon as the clock sounded, she sat up and straightened her dressing robe and then retrieved her slippers from under the bed. Satisfied that she was now respectable, she headed down the stairs at a light run.
Aolla Gerro, the first of Aunt Diyela's two partners, was already in the dining area. She nodded at Viyony with a smile, and pushed the plate of maurzima, or morning-bread, towards her. Aolla then returned to spooning preserved apricots on hers as she sat at the workbench on a stool. Viyony had grown accustomed to the thick squares of maurzima, milky and uncomfortably cake-like, but she drew the line at adding anything sweeter on top. She opened up the larder and retrieved a large jar of spiced root-zolifen, which was at least a savoury accompaniment—a mix of fish pieces and sliced vegetable roots in a dark, hot sauce that had been new to her when she'd first arrived, but which she'd grown to like.
"There's ohlflower or clearwater," said Aolla, gesturing at the steaming pots of tea in the middle of the workbench. She took a bite of her maurzima and apricot as she scoured the latest news journal, leaving Viyony to help herself to a hot drink.
Viyony carried her plate and mug over to the smaller dining table, where she found Diel, her great-aunt's youngest son. He nodded at her, his mouth too full for talking, and then turned back to study the Coastal News. He lived further south, in Westhaven, but he travelled back and forth on a regular basis. Viyony had grown used to finding him here at odd times.
"Is Kizen with you?" she asked Diel, of his daughter.
He shook his head. Once he had swallowed his food, he added, "Can't always bring her. Interferes with her schoolwork and the like."
"Of course," said Viyony, and settled down to enjoy her more or less acceptable breakfast, her mind turning to work. She had some letters she had better get out of the way before she did anything else.
[9th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony returned downstairs from having washed and dressed herself. She had picked out a grey jacket and trousers, both trimmed with dark purple edges, and a pale lavender shirt underneath. She paused at the bottom stair, framed there in the hall mirror, and reviewed the results. She gave her reflection a quick nod and then paused to pick a stray pale thread from the jacket before heading into the study.
Vin Lorras, Aunt Diyela's other partner, was inside, rifling through the large upright cabinet one handed; in the other he held a bundle of papers. He straightened up as she entered.
"Morning, Viyony," he said. He glowered one last time at the cabinet, then sighed and locked it. "You're going over to the other side now, yes?"
Viyony gathered up the neat pile of paper she had left ready yesterday, and nodded. "I am, don't worry. I only came in for this."
She headed out of the study, making her way down the hall to the adjoining door that led to the other half of the Gerro house, where her cousin Ivina and her partner, Zennison, lived. She passed through into a tiny corridor, and made her way to the small spare office. They were usually out during the day, although Ivina had more irregular hours and occasionally popped in and out. It was comfortingly silent. Viyony breathed out, and settled herself at the desk, arranging her papers and pen in front of her, ready to write letters—to her family first, business matters second. She put her head down and set to work.
[9th Hour—Leion]
He turned over, blinking at the ceiling. It was much lighter than it ought to be. He screwed up his face and sat up, giving the little timepiece beside his bed a wary look. Further squinting proved that it had got stuck again. He reached out for it—a squat, iron-framed clock—and shook it hard.
"Cursed thing," he muttered. It had belonged to the father who had left him little else than the Sola name he'd never used, and too few memories. Those he had were of a man who had been often absent, but had always come home with treats for them—little bags of roast elquid, or sweets. He had taken them for walks out to the beacon, or on a fishing trip from Lower Portcallan. The clock worked most of the time; it merely went through sticking phases every ten months or so, and Leion kept it, even if he regretted it on mornings like this. It had only one bad habit, and he'd borne with worse from an otherwise reliable old friend.
He scrambled up, out of the bed, hunting around for shirt, trousers, underthings, and then leant his head out of the window to see if he could gauge what time it was from the activity in the street. The stationers' shop opposite was already open and there was a steady stream of traffic out there. He screwed up his face and withdrew back into the room. He was too late. He shrugged to himself and set about washing and dressing in a less frantic fashion.
He had planned to go down to the Old Quay, if he had been up on time. He often did—if he ran down early, he could catch the fishing crews coming back in, and there'd be spare ends of fish and other sea food going spare, or grab some of the 'mess' the fish-sellers made out of yesterday's leftovers from the markets. It made for an easy, cheap breakfast, and he could pick up food for the cats, and fresh news from up and down the local coast along with it.
Since that was now out of the question, he tramped downstairs to his office. He hadn't tugged the door fully opened before Fern and the kittens started up a pitiful chorus of mews that suggested they'd never been fed before in their lives. Luckily for the four-legged contingent of this household, he had enough suitable scraps in the little icestone cupboard for them.
"Hang on," he said, leaning in through the half-open doorway. "Be right back."
He fed them, and then hunted around the tiny kitchen area in the back room without much enthusiasm. He pulled out a last piece of bland alionrel-bake and retrieved a slightly squashed solitary orange from where it had fallen beside the empty fruit bowl. "Could be worse," he concluded. He flipped loose the catch on the top of the boiler that dropped the heating strip down inside it and made bitter raspberry tea.
He carried the cup in one hand, the orange in the other, and the cake in his mouth into the office, where he retrieved a barely used plate from under a pile of paper. He polished it off while scowling over his notes from yesterday, only raising his head from time to time to keep an eye on the kittens, who were engaged in attempting to mount an escape out of their box.
"I don't know what you're complaining about," he told them. "At least you lot had a sensible breakfast."
[10th hour—Leion]
Leion emerged from his office shrugging on his jacket, not yet caught up with himself. He set off down Zindelen Road at a run, heading for the bridge, and on through the hinterland of the docks where smaller streets of high, narrow houses interspersed with workshops and sheds were overshadowed by large warehouses with the tops of ships' masts occasionally visible beyond them.
He skidded to a halt at the top of Sea Way, outside the Old Harbour Hotel. He paused to study his murky reflection in the nearest window and pulled his mouth down at the sight. He straightened his jacket and ran a quick hand through his hair. The day was already growing warm, despite the best efforts of a sea breeze blowing briskly in from the west.
Leion knocked on the hotel's side door. It opened a crack, enough to allow a pale-skinned woman with short dark auburn hair to peer out.
"Leion! I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you." The proprietor softened her words with a smile as she hefted the unwilling door further open. "She's in my sitting room. Be gentle."
He raised his eyebrows. "Jousine! I'm not the authorities, am I?"
"Sometimes I'm not so sure," said Jousine. "Oh, well, come on in. She needs someone's help, and this one is beyond me." She set off at a pace, leading the way down a narrow side corridor that led to her private quarters on the ground floor. "Sazi, my dear, this is Imai Valerno."
"Leion," he said as he followed Jousine into the room.
He crossed over to crouch down by the girl's chair. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, but she was hunched up, dark brown hair obscuring half of her face. She sniffed from somewhere underneath it, and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand.
Jousine shook her head, and passed the girl a handkerchief. "Tell him everything you told me," she advised Sazi. "Leion will help you, if he can. Promise."
Leion glanced around, and then seized the nearest portable chair and dragged it forward. He sat on the side of it, one hand resting on the back. "I'll try, anyway. Come on. How bad is it?"
Sazi lifted her head, revealing unusual grey-gold eyes in a light, sand-brown face, currently swollen and reddened. She sniffed again, scrunching the unused cloth in her fist. "We went to my aunt's." She swallowed. "I was—I don't know. I went out into the new bit of the house they'd just finished, and that was when it happened. The walls went all soft and dusty when I touched them, and the floorboards turned rotten. I'm dangerous, Imai Valerno! There's nothing anyone can do. Imai Jousine is kind, but—I should just go away on a ship and never come back!"
"I wouldn't do that," said Leion. He forcibly bit down on instant amusement at the idea of taking that specific brand of trouble on board a ship, of all things. "You're not dangerous. It's not like that." He met her gaze and held out his hand to her.
She shook her head. "No—oh, no."
"The chair seems all right," Leion observed lightly. "The hotel, too." He persisted, his hand remaining in place until she relented and took it. He pressed his fingers around hers, hoping to be reassuring, before letting go. Sazi flopped back into the chair. Her mouth quivered.
Leion gave her a half smile. "There you are. Now, don't be afraid. If it was going to happen here, it would have done. I don't really know much more about it than you, but I do know that much. Now, tell me everything again—every detail—if anything at all like this ever happened before—and I'll see what else I can I can find out for you."
[10th Hour & 11th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony strode along Riverside after having delivered her letters to the postal office for despatch. It was a fine day and even her light spring coat was beginning to prove unnecessary in the unaccustomed southern sun. She removed thin gloves and unfastened the coat's topmost buttons. A fresh breeze whipped down from the sea as she passed under the shadow of Chamber Square. She breathed it in and stopped to lean over the railings, gazing down over the Calla River and the lower half of Portcallan stretching away before her. She folded her arms on the upper bar of the railings, letting her chin rest on top. A salty, rotten smell of seaweed from the rivermouth wafted over her, marring the moment. She screwed up her face, and then laughed. She'd been down on the beach yesterday and there had been piles of it everywhere, washed in on the spring tide.
"Hey!"
Viyony straightened up and turned to see Eollan Barra bearing down on her at a run. He halted in front of her, breathing hard.
"Saw you from the window of the family place," he said. "May I walk with you?"
She hesitated, thinking of more work she should return to, but she was supposed to be taking some holiday time while she was here, too. "Of course. I wasn't going anywhere in particular, though—only along Riverside and back."
"Would you like to go somewhere particular?"
Viyony smiled. "I might—it depends what you have in mind."
He nodded, falling into step beside her. "Since we're heading eastwards, have you ever been to the Copperstar Palace?"
"I've never even heard of it."
"Probably because there's not much of it left, but you can still see one wing that's been built into the next house, and there's a tiny museum attached. How about I show you and you can tell me what you think?"
Viyony moved with Eollan in nearer to the side of the street, their slower pace hindering passers-by with somewhere to be. "Why not?"
"Come on, then—this way! It's uphill from here, but that'll be nothing to you, will it?"
For the pride of Eseray and the whole Eister Ranges, Viyony could not disagree with him. "Lead on," she said, and took his arm.
[11th & 12th Hour—Leion]
Leion headed back towards the area of Portcallan where his office was located, too busy frowning over Sazi's problems to take proper note of his progress, until halfway through Little Market Street when enticing smells from nearby stalls and the covered market stole his attention. He took a step over to a seller offering roasted and spiced squares of various root vegetables, but then drew back. He was on his way to Yita's bookshop and he would pick up something later at the adjoining eatery there.
He marched on until he reached the narrow passageway leading to the courtyard and the Pollens establishment within. He turned down the alley, striding along it and right into the bookshop.
"Yita?" he called. When no one answered, he leant over the counter. "Do you still have that book on Eisterlander Powers, the one I was in two minds about the other day?"
Yita Pollens emerged from the back room. "Leio. You here again?" When Leion confirmed that it was, indeed, him again, and repeated his question, Yita wearily edged towards the section that held books on and from High Eisterland. "Look, whatever you say, it's twelve starflowers, no discounts."
"Yes, fine," said Leion. "I've decided it'll be a worthwhile investment. I've got nine starflowers on me now and I'll come round tomorrow with the rest. Just let me have it, please."
Yita folded his arms. "The whole amount first, Leio! I have a business to run."
"I only meant, if I pay you that now, can I take it upstairs and consult it?" said Leion. "And then you can keep it under the desk for me until I come back."
Yita's glanced flickered towards the stairwell and back to Leion. "Fine, fine, but if you're eating -"
"I shall be careful with the book," said Leion. "Aren't I always? Besides, it'll be three fourths mine, and if I get soup on it that's my lookout."
Yita winced. "Don't tell me. Hand over the money, and I'll fetch the thing. I won't rise to your jokes." He disappeared further into the dark depths between bookcases and emerged a few moments later with a large and battered fabric-bound hardback. He scooped up the coins and note Leion had deposited on the counter, and pushed the volume over to him. "Isn't it a little early for lunch?"
"I know," said Leion, "but I'll have to go up to Chamber Square after, and I'd rather eat here."
Yita nodded. "Ah, well, Imenna will be happy to see you. I'll let her know and she'll sort something out for you."
"You're a star," Leion said. He climbed the steep wooden stairs, navigating the sharp turn with practised ease, and threw himself down in the nearest chair to leaf through it. It was rather dated, but a former standard work on Eisterland Powers, covering all their extra named Powers, semi-Powers, demi-Powers and even a scattering of local Guardians and the like, few of which were known in Emoyra. He turned to the back, but it had no index. "Wonderful," he muttered, and set it out on the table. He'd have to page through the entire thing until he found what he was after.
Leion settled himself down with one elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand, and with the other hand he worked his way through it, only stopping to order soup with noodles when one of the large Pollens family came in to ask, until Imenna herself arrived with the resulting lunch on a tray.
"Yita says to keep it well away from the books," she said, and grinned at him as she put it down in front of him.
Leion laughed. He pushed the volume away to the side. "Tell him not to worry. I need a break." He ate the soup, idly gazing around the bookshelves that filled the upper room, his mind full of different kinds of Powers and their legends.
Once he'd finished the meal, he returned to doggedly ploughing through the book until he finally stumbled over a Power that seemed to match Sazi's odd affinity. Ulad, the decayer, the fertiliser of the earth, it called them. Category, Bolannic. That, Leion knew, meant Ulad was considered a lesser Power, or semi power, related to Bolah. Leion sighed. He was sure he'd passed by an entry on Bolah many pages ago. He must have missed the likeness. He pulled out a pencil and his notebook, and set to work on taking a few notes on both. It was dry, basic stuff, but it was somewhere to start.
[12th Hour—Viyony]
The Copperstar Palace was, as Eollan had warned her, no longer extant. Standing in a small museum in the remaining fragment of the building, Viyony peered at a sketch of its exterior in its former state of glory. "Was part of it made of lightstone, or is that glow just the artist getting carried away?"
"Lightstone," said Eollan. "Everything the most extravagant Copperfort imor could have, the Sedda family wanted here, too. And once they sold up, the next owner was even worse—turned it into the notorious public attraction you're looking at."
There was still starstone in the walls. Viyony could feel the faint hum of it through her being. She turned. "Can we go? It is fascinating, but I'd much rather admire it from outside, if that's all right."
"Because you sense things, don't you?" he said, lowering his voice. "I know you don't like talking about your dreams—but you are remarkable. You should realise that."
Viyony laughed. "Oh, I know. Unfortunately!"
Eollan shook his head, but he gestured towards the entrance, and she walked out, emerging onto the street with a sigh of relief.
"What sorts of things have you tried? To control or amplify the dreams, I mean."
Viyony lifted her eyes skywards, before turning back to look at him. "Only everything Grandmother could think of for years. Everyone wanted me to stop. I talked to every visiting Pollean priest that came anywhere near Eseray. I meditated with lightstone. Father came up with all kinds of concoctions to help. Nothing ever made any difference. I just had to accept it. Standing around in rooms built of starstone isn't going to change that. It just sets my teeth on edge."
"That still doesn't sound as if anyone has ever really tried to understand your abilities." He headed back down the path alongside her. "I picked up a few things on my travels. I might be able to help."
She held up a hand. "No! Please. The dreams just arrive. They're not my dreams, really—they come and they go as they please, no matter what I do."
"Which is why you're so unusual, and you ought to explore it more," said Eollan. "You're not seeing vague reflections of your state of mind in lightstone or some misty part of your future like the rest of us who see anything at all."
"Oh, so you know more than all the Pollean priests?" said Viyony. "How silly of me. Why didn't I realise I needed to ask a soldier?"
Eollan shrugged, unruffled. "We were stationed all over the place—the Eister Ranges, Starfall Mountains, the Wastelands, the more remote parts of Central. I kept my eyes open for this sort of thing. It's what I've been getting into now I'm finally out—trying to bring some of those spiritual aids back to Portcallan."
"And I wish you luck with your business venture," said Viyony, "but I'm not buying a lump of starstone and trying to open myself up to more dreams, worse headaches, and even more people being terrified of me."
"Understanding what you have—what you are—is vital."
Viyony shrugged. She always shied away from anything to do with her affinity, let alone the idea of strengthening it. Perhaps that looked like a waste to someone like Eollan, but he didn't have to suffer through warnings of death and doom in the middle of the night. "Even if I did try to see more than I do—people don't listen."
"Fools."
"No," said Viyony. "Nobody wants to know the future, not really."
Eollan looked at her. "Sorry. I won't nag you again. I'm just fascinated by the whole thing, and you are so unusual, I can't help -" He cut himself short. "Well. Shall I buy you lunch to make up for it?"
"Thank you, but my aunt is expecting me back."
"Another day, then," said Eollan. "I'll walk with you as far as Riverside, and I promise not to mention it again."
[13th hour—Leion]
"Leio, I'm afraid I don't have time right now."
"It's nice to see you, too," Leion said, and leant in to kiss Seahra on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not here to pester you. If I was, I'd have made an appointment—a lowly clerk like me, daring to approach the Deputy Steward to the Chamber -"
Seahra punched him on the arm. "Spare me. What do you want?"
"A permission slip to use the library. I can't find Tana anywhere and Imor Uffenden is in a meeting. So, I thought, well, what's the use of having a sister in high places if she can't write me the odd official permission slip when I need one?"
She rolled her eyes, but crossed over to her desk, pulled out a slip of paper, on which she scribbled a hasty sentence of permission and stamped it with the mark of the Chamber Steward's Office. "I take it you won't use it for nefarious purposes?"
"I have only the very purest intent. Spiritual, in fact. I need to find out about some of the more obscure Powers, and my own resources are pretty limited."
Seahra signed her name and held it out to him.
"You're well?" he asked, more quietly. She didn't have any visible scars remaining from the attack during the annual opening of the High Chambers, but firestone was nasty stuff, and he couldn't help a discreet flickered glance over her features, double checking yet again.
She stared back, uncomprehending. Then her face cleared, and she patted his arm. "I'm fine. It was weeks ago. Now, scram! I have a whole list of requisitions to get through, as well as preparing for a tricky negotiation with the stationers in the morning."
"Not the dreaded stationers," said Leion. "The battles you fight on our behalf to keep this country running."
Seahra grabbed the nearest book and held it up, as if to throw it at him. He grinned and hastily backed out the door before she could try.
The High Chamber Library was situated in the block between the District and High Chambers. Leion worked for a few hours a week in the High Council archives, but that a separate affair, hidden away in the back end of the High Chamber building itself. The library was open freely to all Councillors, Governors and senior staff, and to all other staff, District Councillors and visitors with a permission slip like the one Leio had just cadged from Seahra.
The central point of the main reading room rose to a series of rounded glass windows set in a high ceiling, shelves of books two storeys tall around it. Leion claimed a seat in an alcove, and then headed up a flight to the small Starfall Collection.
Half an hour later, he was frowning over two open books on the desk, not much the wiser. All the books kept trailing away into telling stories or arguing over the origins of myths or whether or not they were myths. None of them had much practical advice for a girl who was rotting things by accident. Leion sighed. What he really needed was an expert, not a book.
[13th & 14th Hour—Viyony]
Having left Eollan near to the Barra House on Riverside, Viyony was half-tempted to cross the river and see if Leion was in his office. He had promised to take her to meet a property agent who might be able to help her find a warehouse to rent, but they had never arranged an actual date. She also needed to speak to some shipping firms, since the family were looking into making a change from the one they currently used in Portcallan. Leion would no doubt have advice about where to start with that, too.
But she had told her aunt that she would have lunch with her at home, and Grandmother had sent her some figures that she had not fully checked through—plus, she was going to have dinner with Arna and Hunell Valerno this evening and Leion might well be there too.
Viyony made her way up the steep incline along High Aymer Lane towards Great Western Street, turning off into tiny, quiet Orchard Grove, where the Gerro House lay. Back inside, she helped herself to a cold drink of mintwater. Aunt Diyela didn't seem to be around, so Viyony slipped over into the empty half of the house to work on Grandmother's shipping figures.
Midway through tallying up a column, Aunt Diyela rapped on the door, and then breezed in. "Viyony! You work too hard."
Viyony dropped her pencil, and rose to greet her great-aunt with a hug. "I don't. I spent half the morning sightseeing with Eollan Barra, and I'm going out to the Valernos this evening. But I've got to get started on finding warehouse space, and I need to double check a few things first."
"Hmm," said Aunt Diyela. "Eollan Barra?"
"Yes. He took me to the Copperstar Palace. It sounds as if it was remarkable in its day, but there wasn't much of it left."
Aunt Diyela laughed. "I suppose remarkable is one word for it. Well, dear? Are you going to have lunch with us?"
"Of course—let me finish this one sum first."
"Make sure it is only one," Aunt Diyela told her tartly, but left her to it.
[14th & 15th hour—Leion]
"Curse it," Leion said, standing outside yet another anonymous office in High Chamber Buildings. He sagged back against the wall. He had been wandering around for what felt like hours, ever since he left the library, trying to find whoever was currently acting as the speaker for Starfall Manor.
The official he was waiting for emerged in time to catch Leion's language, a wince crossing his face, despite its mildness. He was a wan-faced, gingery-haired muddle of a man, in a green and grey robe so shabby it would have got him thrown out of several dining halls that Leion frequented. "Yes?" the man said, sniffing. When Leion explained his purpose, his brow wrinkled even further. "Starfall Manor?" he echoed, as if he had never heard of it.
"I'm acting on behalf of Imai Veldiner and Imor Uffenden," Leion said. "It is important."
The official drew back. "You're Imor Valerno's son, aren't you?"
"Does that make a difference?"
He shrugged. "Not really. If you want someone from Starfall, you need to go back down two floors, over to the department of science and artifice, and ask for Haj Zindelen's office."
Leion, having tramped down two flights of stairs, and found someone to ask where exactly he would find the office of Imai Haj Zindelen, and then had to backtrack around one of the longest corridors in the building, finally knocked on yet another wood-panelled door. This didn't seem to be getting him anywhere. Maybe he should come back tomorrow when Tana would be around. She was always extremely efficient at navigating officialdom, far better than he was.
A voice called out, "Come in!"
Entering, Leion first blinked in the sudden light, after spending so much time lost in windowless corridors. He moved towards the figure seated at the desk, and was surprised to discover the speaker was much younger than he had sounded. He had a thin, pale face dominated by a long nose. "Yes?" the man said, raising his head from the book he had been reading. "If you want Imai Zindelen, his office is temporarily -"
"No, no. It's you I'm after," said Leion, leaning over and holding out his hand. "At least, I desperately hope so. You are the Starfall rep, aren't you?"
The man stood abruptly, and squeezed Leion's hand in return. "I'm not the speaker from Starfall, if that's what you mean, but I am one of the scholars." He was taller than Leion, a narrow frame accentuating his height. "Very junior, though. Imai Zindelen is away in Lighthaven for a week."
"A scholar?" said Leion. He took the chair on the opposite side of the desk and dropped himself down into it. "Perfect! Exactly what I need. I think what I'm looking for is information about Bolannic affinity? If that's a thing."
Amusement gleamed in the other's eyes. He sat back down. "Bolannic affinity? In what respect?"
"I've got someone—a client—who's been inadvertently causing things to rot," said Leion. "And I'm acting in the matter under Imai Veldiner. From what I read earlier, I think that's supposed to relate to Ulad, or Bolah?"
"That is unusual," said the Starfall scholar. "But non-Emoyran Powers are something I'm interested in." He shot another obscurely amused glance at Leion. "I'm from High Eisterland myself—and, yes, we do think Bolah was a thing, and Ulad, for that matter."
"Then you see just how badly I'm in need of someone who knows what they're talking about," Leion said with an apologetic smile. "If you can advise me, I'll be all ears—and forever in your debt." He paused. Oh, I am sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Leion Valerno."
"Osmer Nivyrn," said the other. He leapt up out of his chair and crossed to the nearby bookshelves, running long fingers over the spines, before twisting round. "I make no promises, but I shall do my best. Hmm, now, what was the book you mentioned?"
Leion rose. "Qomeis's Complete Account of the Powers. I know it's outdated, but it was all I had to hand to start with. I went to the library here afterwards, but mostly I gave myself a headache over academic articles that didn't seem to relate to anything practical."
"Outdated?" said Osmer. "Archaic, I'd say! Not much more than a retelling of all the hoariest old legends."
"I'd gathered that," said Leion. "What I need is some practical advice on how to prevent my client from rotting things she doesn't want to, not debates on what does and doesn't exist."
Osmer lowered his hands from the bookshelves and turned around. "Yes. I see. You know—I am a scholar, but I'm also a Pathwalker."
"A Pathwalker?"
Osmer raised his eyebrows. "Yes. Do you not know what that means?"
"Only vaguely," said Leion. He had the worrying feeling that in some way the tide had swept in while he was paddling in the waves and it was now carrying him well out of his depth.
Osmer gestured for Leion to sit again. He perched on the edge of the desk, and tilted his head to one side, birdlike. "It means I have affinity too—and I've had to learn some measure of how to use it. It's not the same across the board by any means. The nature of the Powers themselves varies; so does the shape of our affinity. But I'll tell you something of what they taught me, and we'll move on from there."
[15th hour—Viyony]
After lunch, Viyony stayed on Aunt Diyela's side of the Gerro house and helped her sort through a large batch of returned laundry.
"Where did you get this?" Viyony held up a light green skirt. "It certainly can't be one of ours. That colour has faded horribly—or should I blame the laundry?"
Aunt Diyela snatched the garment out of her grasp. "Not every item of fabric in this house comes from Eseray. You needn't make remarks. It's Aolla's, and none of your business. Besides, it was only to wear indoors."
"Shoddy work, though," said Viyony, as she set to work on separating the large pile of linen and towels into smaller ones for the washroom, the bedchambers, and kitchen. "I wouldn't buy anything from wherever it was again."
"Hmph," said Aunt Diyela, smoothing down the folds of the household robe she had donned for the afternoon tasks. "Don't you have to go and get ready for your evening out?"
Viyony nearly dropped three neatly folded towels. "That's not for hours yet!"
"Oh?" said Aunt Diyela with a vague wave of her fingers. "Then perhaps you ought to finish those sums of yours after all. Although, dear, be careful—don't give yourself another headache."
Viyony lowered her head, biting back laughter. "Sorry. I'll take these upstairs and leave you in peace, shall I?"
"It might be for the best. Sometimes you are very like your grandmother," said Aunt Diyela. "I love Laiyna dearly, but we get on far better from a distance. Now go!"
[16th hour—Leion]
"I hope you've found something," was how Jousine greeted him when he arrived back at the Old Harbour Hotel.
Leion nodded. "Sazi is still here?"
"Yes, no need to worry. Do you want to come through and speak to her?"
The three of them regrouped in Jousine's sitting room. The other two looked up at Leion with expectant eyes as he pulled out his notebook. He shifted on the edge of the chair he'd perched on, sidelong.
"Can you make it go away?" Sazi asked.
"Not as such," he said. "There are things you can do about it, though." He leant forward and set about explaining to her what he had found—affinity was usually linked to a particular Power, and that made it a blessing not a curse, even if an awkward one sometimes. "I spoke to a scholar from Starfall—I've got his details, so you can see him or write to him there, if you like."
Sazi was still frowning at him. He cleared his throat.
"But what should I do?" she asked.
Leion glanced from one to the other. "I have a list. Mostly from Osmer—the scholar. I asked him to come and see you, so he could explain it himself, but he couldn't, not today. The most important thing is not to panic. It's very rare that it will happen like it did the other day anyway. If it does, it's to do with the place, not you. You channel something already there, usually in response to a need in the place.
"So, first—learn about the Powers you have affinity with, and if you practise observance, you should honour them. There are signs you can look out for that'll help you tell if somewhere you visit is likely to affect you. Hang on. Let me give you that list." Leion fished in his pockets with no success, and then leafed through the notebook until a sheet of paper fell out. "Aha!" He passed it over. "There. Warning signs, so you can leave before anything gets out of hand, and steps to keep calm. If it comes to it, you can use Dead Dust to stop it, but you'd have to see a medic about that."
Sazi folded up the sheet of paper and then unfolded it. "But I don't want any of it! It was horrible. It's no good you telling me all this—you don't know what it feels like!"
"No," agreed Leion. "But you're all right here for now, aren't you? And Imai Nivyrn can come and talk to you tomorrow, if you want him to—he'll answer your questions properly. The thing is, it isn't you. Really. It has its uses, too. Plenty of farmers would love a visit from you!"
Jousine turned her head. "Leion," she said in warning.
Sazi swallowed. She folded the paper and stuffed it into her pocket. "Who is he, your scholar?"
"An expert, all the way from Starfall and High Eisterland," said Leion. "How about it?"
Sazi looked to Jousine and at the older woman's nod, she leant forward. "I suppose I could see him, couldn't I?"
On the way out, Leion paused to touch Jousine's arm. "You have to make sure she goes home," he said in an undertone. "Her affinity is too unusual—it sounds pretty strong, too. You wouldn't want the wrong people to notice."
"I can't force her," said Jousine. "You bring your expert round in the morning, yes? Leion—she's already less scared. That's a start." She gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Don't fuss. She's not going to run—she and I will work out where she goes next once she's got her head around things. You go on and enjoy that party of yours."
[16th & 17th Hour—Viyony]
Viyony opened the closet door. The narrow glass set into it reflected the scowl that grew on her face as she rifled through her clothes. What would be most appropriate for her evening at Arna and Hunell Valerno's? It was supposed to be informal, but she didn't know them very well, and Arna was a recorder for the High Council and Hunell a Councillor, neither of which were lowly positions. And Leion might be there.
Not, of course, that that mattered, or made any difference what she should choose to wear. Viyony closed the door again, and sighed, pressing her forehead against its cool wood as weariness washed over her. Who was she lying to, alone in her room?
She crossed back to the bed and slumped down onto it. "Me," she said under her breath. That was the most important deception of all. She eased off her shoes, then lay down. Closing her eyes, she thought of starstone and seaweed, of Barras and Valernos, and then of nothing at all.
She was standing at the highest point in Portcallan, outside Chamber Hall, and looking westwards, towards the sea. Heavy grey and violet clouds clustered on the horizon and moved in on the city, swamping it, until they melted into pale mist below her, as if she was looking down at the ravine from Eseray. The ground trembled under her feet, and alionrel vines broke through it, winding their way around the pillars of Chamber Hall, ready to pull it down.
Eseray's doom was coming for her, no matter where she went.
Viyony jolted awake. She was lying in her cream-walled bedchamber in Aunt Diyela's house, still warmed by sunlight. She pressed her fingers to her head, and swallowed. Her heart was beating fast and she shivered. As if she needed a reminder of what was at stake!
She hugged her arms in against herself. "I know," she told unseen Powers that might be listening. "Even if I did let something happen with Leion—if he even wants it – it would only be one last affair, like Mother said. I haven't forgotten Eseray."
A rap on the door made her jump.
"My dear," said her great-aunt, poking her head into the room, "aren't you supposed to be at the Valerno's in half an hour?"
[17th Hour—Leion]
Leion ran most of the way back to his office. His sister didn't dine late, not with young children around, and he had left himself little time to wash and change. He let himself in, mulling over both Sazi's problem and which jacket he should wear, and started violently on finding his mother standing in front of him in the hallway.
"Ah, Leio, there you are," she said, ignoring his overreaction. She leaned in and kissed his cheek briefly. Her gaze flickered over him. "What have you been up to? I hope you're going to change before you go to Arna's!"
He drew back. "Mother. What are you doing here?"
"Tam was minding your little friends," she told him. "He had to go, so I've been standing in for him for the last half hour. They're endearing company, but it will be good when you've homed them."
Leion crouched down to collar one of the grey kittens from making a run for it into the hall, and held it against him, wriggling, tiny claws latching into the thick fabric of his outer jacket. "Yes, but it won't be for a few weeks yet, I'm afraid. Thank you for stepping in."
"Not at all," said Iyana. She moved towards the door. "Give Arna and Hu and the rest my love, will you? And Leion?"
He unhooked the kitten's claw from his sleeve. "Hmm?"
"Is that great-niece of Diyela's going to be there?"
Leion stiffened. "Why do you ask?"
"I brought an article for Diyela—I thought you could give it to her to pass on, if she was. It's over there, on your desk."
"Yes, then," said Leion. "Of course."
"Did you think I was going to scold you?" said Iyana. "Well, if you need me to say it, Leio, then be careful. I may not approve of making a business out of a marriage, but Imai Eseray has a contract to deliver on at the end of the summer. You may like to spend your life waiting for the impossible, but I think she is a good deal too practical for that. Now, hurry up and change. You don't want to be late—and don't forget that article!"
Leion blinked. "Mother! You can't just—Mother, don't walk out!"
"I don't want to argue," said Iyana, turning around. "It's none of my business, but I don't want to lose Diyela's friendship at this late stage merely because you were needlessly careless with her niece's feelings."
Leion put down the still-protesting kitten. "You won't. I'm helping Viyony with business and trying to keep her out of danger. I know you don't think this is a proper job, but it's what I do, and it's put me in her way. If there was anything else, it wouldn't be your affair anyway—but there isn't!"
"I'm glad to hear it," said Iyana. "Although given the way you had some nonsensical argument and spent two weeks cutting her dead, I'm not entirely sure I believe you. Poor Diyela was quite distressed. But this is what I keep telling you—you don't think, and it's long past time you did."
"I'll tell you what it's long past time for," Leion told her, ushering her out of the office door and into the corridor. "You to stop passing judgment on me without hearing the evidence—and for me to get dressed and go to Arna's!"
[18th Hour—Viyony & Leion]
They collided at the corner where Poll Street turned into Lower Winden Street, walking in opposite directions. Leion pulled to an abrupt halt, while Viyony had to put a hand on a nearby wall to keep from overbalancing.
"Good evening," said Leion, recovering first. He held out his hand, and as she took it, his gaze travelled over her. "You look rather more sombre than I hope the occasion warrants."
Viyony didn't bother to glance down. She had been in a severe mood when she had pulled out the grey jacket and grey trousers. They were perfectly smart, though, with dark, Rosfallen blue embroidery to match the colour of the shirt she'd chosen to accompany them. She raised her chin. "Well, if we're going to talk about clothes, you shouldn't have picked that light jacket, not if you were going to wrangle the cats before you left."
Leion cursed under his breath, and brushed the jacket down, to little effect. He raised his gaze back to meet hers, and his mouth twitched. "I'm sorry. Shall we start over and then go on in?"
Viyony held her ground. "Yes, although—would you walk with me, just a little way, first?"
"Of course," said Leion. They fell into step with each other, as they walked along Upper Winden Street, passing Arna's home in a few short lengths. The light was fading; the sky shaded with pink and streaked with cloud streamers of indigo and grey. "Not nervous, surely? They won't eat you, I promise."
"I'm sorry. I had the old dream about Eseray again, and I need a little more time to shake it off." Viyony gestured ahead and they continued uphill for a few moments. She pulled a face. "If only I could bring the wedding forwards."
Leion slowed, and they halted on the corner where the street met Araland Way and Lower Winden Street, pausing under an unlit lightstone lamp. "If only," he agreed politely. "Then you would be safely out of Portcallan and my life would get a lot less troublesome."
"You're not helping," she complained. "Anyway, the thing is, I was out with Eollan earlier -"
"Oh, did you? No wonder you're having nightmares. Perfectly understandable if you've been wandering around with a Barra!"
Viyony choked back a laugh. "You would say that. It's only that he was talking about and my dreams and affinity to the Powers, that kind of thing. We visited the Copperstar Palace, and I never like being around that much starstone, either. But Eollan was very nice about it, so you needn't make comments."
"Not much of a sightseeing trip," said Leion. "There's barely anything there any more. Mind, I doubt you'd have approved of it if there were."
Her momentary good humour faded. "Yes, yes, I'm terribly dull. You needn't tell me again."
Leion patted her arm. "I didn't mean that. I probably wouldn't have either. I don't like extortion and types who think they can get away with everything just because they have money, and that place was the epitome of that sort of thing. Did you see the sketches of it in its former glory? Pretty tasteless, weren't they?"
"Yes." Viyony relaxed. "But, Leion, Eollan said I should learn more about my dreams—to try and control them, or maybe grow more powerful. That's exactly what you warned me about, isn't it? I do listen, no matter what you think. But I was wondering—should I agree? Find out if he's genuine or not."
Leion moved sharply. "No! Clearly you don't listen to me at all! Yes, I want whoever's been experimenting with affinity to get what they deserve, but first and foremost, I don't want them to hurt anyone else. That's why I warned you."
"If he's genuine," said Viyony, "he might be right. I hate the dreams so much—I don't want to do anything with them. I could see they scared everyone else, too, even Grandmother. I never have tried much, save ways to stop it, not properly. I never really listened to what all the visiting priests said about it—I just didn't want to know."
"Poor thing." Leion patted her arm. "Well, I expect Eollan is probably all right anyway. He was never like Atino or Kadia, even before he went away. But if you want help, go to someone a lot more reliable than a Barra."
"Like you?" she said, tilting her head.
"Stars, no. I don't have a clue. I spent all of today chasing around trying to find out the most basic things on that front. But I saw a scholar from Starfall earlier. He seemed like a decent sort, and knew his stuff. I'm sure he'd talk to you."
Viyony pulled down her mouth. "I don't know. But—oh, dear—I'm sorry—we'd better go inside or we'll be late!"
"I think we already are," said Leion.
She put her hand to her mouth, stifling a sudden desire to laugh.
"What?" Leion shot a glance at her as he led her towards the house.
"Well, Eollan says he knows all about starstone and affinity, and you've been trying to learn more about it—you two ought to work together. You could figure out his motives while you were at it."
"Ha," said Leion. "Although my record on working out when a Barra is up to no good is pretty abysmal."
"You've still never explained about that."
Leion led her up to the door of his sister's house. "No, well, it's an unedifying story. In the meantime, you've got a far more terrifying ordeal to get through first—dinner with a whole host of Valernos. I warn you—prepare for the worst!"
[19th Hour—Viyony & Leion]
Viyony had been in Portcallan long enough to know that meals were often much more communal than she was used to, but she had still expected something more private and formal from a High Councillor's household. Instead, Arna ushered Leion and Viyony right through the house into the large shared courtyard, where a whole crowd of the family, guests and neighbours were gathered round the square hotstone where the food was cooking. Viyony spotted Leily and Nin, Arna's two eldest children. Nin waved at her. Leion broke into a smile and pulled Viyony over towards them, and introduced her to the youngest three, whom she had not yet met—Ivonna, Sesie, and little Arnan, who was only five—before they ran away to play with the neighbours' children.
"Leio," said a sturdy man of middle age, brown-skinned, his black hair grizzled and silver-threaded. He clapped Leion on the shoulder, and then turned to bestow a welcoming grin on Viyony. He held out a warm hand to grasp hers. "And you must be Imai Eseray. I'm Hunell Ivonde. Come on, let's get you some food before this flock of gannets gobbles up the lot."
Hunell handed them a plate each, and when one of the other guests drew Leion aside, Hunell took Viyony under his wing, guiding her the dishes lying ready on warmed ledges at the side of the hotstone. With his assistance, Viyony helped herself to a mixture of roasted vegetables, fish in a light sauce, and a small helping of various preserves along with soft, warm pan-wraps. He then passed her deftly along to Kytisse Mlonza, a neighbour, an official at the Vionnic Hospital to the north of the city. Kytisse, an older woman of a similar colouring to Hunell, greeted Viyony with interest and passed her a glass of white wine. Viyony perched next to them on a bench and ate her food with a fork. Kytisse and her partner Pardo kept her company. Pardo was apparently some sort of grand gardener, and Viyony's question as to the herbs in the fish sauce led to a long conversation about various such plants, and which might also do well in the Eister Ranges, as she was keen to buy some for Grandmother while she was here.
Leion crossed over partway through, in time to hand Viyony her dessert—flaky pastry with nuts, honey and cream—but turned up his nose at the herbal interrogation and wandered off to talk to someone Kytisse said was called Qozinder Iltense, who had a son and daughter close in age to Ivonna and Sesie Valerno.
Viyony was polishing off the last of the dessert when Nin marched up to her.
"Imai Eseray," she said. "Come with me. I'll show you what I did for my project on North Eastern. You can see my room, too."
Viyony wiped cream from her face with a napkin, and nodded. "That would be lovely."
[20th Hour—Leion & Viyony]
"Time for bed," Arna said, advancing on Arnan, her youngest child as he pulled on Leion's arm. She held out her hand. "Come on."
Arnan shook his head. "I'm talking to Uncle Leio! It's not fair, you can't make just me go."
"Sesie will be following you up very shortly," said Arna. "Now, what did I make you promise if I let you stay up a little longer for this party?"
Arnan screwed up his face and wriggled further back against Leion. "Don't remember."
"Hmm," said Arna. "I wonder why that could be. Now, I suppose, if you ask nicely, your uncle might take you up. How about that?"
Arnan looked from his uncle to his mother, and sighed. "Please? Oh, and I've got a boat. I'll show you. It's got a soldier and a sailor on it and a horse."
"Well, then, of course, we must go up at once," said Leion, lifting him into his arms. "Oof. You're getting heavier every time, you know. What's the boat carrying?"
"Treasure!"
Leion deposited his smallest nibling at the foot of the stairs and let him lead the way up, thumping onto each step like a baby elephant.
"Treasure?" he said. "No wonder they need a soldier and a sailor and a horse to guard it all."
Arna trailed after them. She whistled, causing them both to stop. "Washed, undressed and into bed first, sparkle—boats and treasure after. Dada is upstairs waiting, so no messing around! Go on. Leio—one moment!"
Leion took two steps back down, one hand resting on the bannister. "Yes?"
"Viyony," said Arna.
"Now don't you start!"
Arna raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry? It's only that Nin's been monopolising her for the past half hour. She says she doesn't mind, but you know how Nin is. Should I rescue her?"
"Oh," said Leion. "No. Viyony likes Nin and Leily. She's got younger siblings herself—probably misses them."
Arna gave a short nod. "Good. Go on, then—Imai Impatience will start yelling if you're not ready when he is. Although, Leio—what did you think I meant?"
"Nothing. Mother was lecturing me earlier, that's all—stupid reasons, not important." He grinned. "Certainly not as important as a boatload of treasure!"
"Oh, dear. What have you done this time?"
Leion tapped the bannister with his fingers, slow to answer. "Shirking my responsibilities, not chasing a proper career—the usual. Possibly causing trouble with Imai Diyela. You know Mother."
"Talking of shirking your responsibilities," said Arna, as a loud yell emanated from one of the rooms above: "Uncle Leio!" Arna winced. "Really, the volume one small soul can possess."
Leion hurried away to answer the call.
[21st Hour—Viyony & Leion]
Leion seemed to have disappeared completely after a while. Viyony took the opportunity to leave without him, unsure she wanted him to offer to escort her home. The afternoon's dream hovered in the back of her mind like the lowering headache it was threatening to become, and she didn't want to tempt fate, or herself, by wandering around Portcallan streets at this hour with Leion. She headed down towards Riverside, seeking the longer way back, glad of the cool night air against her skin.
"I thought you said you listened to me." Leion arrived at her side, out of breath, waving his jacket in his hand. "I tell you and tell you there could be danger for someone with your kind of affinity, and you just head out into the dark alone!"
Viyony turned, gesturing with one hand at the other people passing by. "What do you mean, alone?"
"I know where my duty lies," said Leion. He gave her a sidelong glance. "If you've had your fill of us Valernos for one evening, I can keep my distance, but I'm seeing you home regardless. Besides, we still haven't made a date for that warehouse hunting trip, and I have someone ready to meet you—and you never said whether or not you might want to meet my Starfall scholar."
Viyony bit back a smile, giving him instead her stiffest and most gracious nod. "If you insist, Imai Valerno, then you may."
"Thank you."
"I don't know if I do want to see someone from Starfall," said Viyony. "You and Eollan are probably right, but I'll have to think about it. I'll let you know. Maybe when we look at the warehouse—and can we do that as soon as possible, please?"
"If you like. I can't do tomorrow—but the day after would be fine. Come to my office at about half past ten and I'll take you over."
Viyony agreed, and they walked on, taking the turn upwards from Riverside, towards the Gerro house. "I liked the rest of your family," she said. "I enjoyed myself a lot."
"Ah, it is only me you dislike, then," he said.
She looked up at him for a moment. "Yes," she said, with solemnity. "Only you, Leion."
[22nd Hour—Leion]
Leion shut and bolted the door behind a neighbour who had been cat-sitting for him. He headed back into the office to inform Fern and her kittens that they were all a lot of nuisances. Five sleeping balls of fluff ignored him, while Fern deigned only to raise her gaze the minimum needed to display her disdain.
"Goodnight to you," he said as he crossed to his desk. He picked up the notes he had written earlier, and perched on the corner of the desk, scanning down the list of names he hardly even knew. His gaze lighted on the earliest Powers—the pre-Starfall lot that people like Osmer called Proto-Powers.
His day had been full of talk of Starfall's legacy—from Sazi's weird abilities, through the books he'd been reading, Osmer, and Viyony telling him he should ask Eollan about it. He snorted and shook his head at the memory of the last, and let the papers drop back down onto the desk. It was too late for any of this now.
He ambled on up the stairs and out onto the roof. He perched near the edge, gazing lazily up at the stars. His mind drifted from one thing to another—he bet you could see the stars so much more clearly from a place like Eseray. Perhaps, growing up so close to the Eisterland border, Viyony already knew about all these extra Powers. And if they were all real, or as real as any Power was, what about the most ancient ones? Did they feel neglected? Relegated to dusty books while the rest were honoured every now and then somewhere in the world.
His mouth turned up at one corner, as another thought struck him. What sort of observances would a person make for the original group of Powers? Leion sprang up, setting off on a hunt over the house, returning a few minutes later with an armful of oddments.
He placed a chip of icestone on his palm, numbing his skin until he had to put it down—that was for Alyn, the lady of the snow. He offered only apologies to Kan, who had affinity with animals. He had been honouring him quite enough lately and he wasn't going to disturb Fern and the kittens again tonight. For Deolu, the warrior, he brought a knife from the kitchen, pressing its point against his thumb until a bead of blood formed under it. It stung.
"Leion," he muttered, "you are an idiot."
They called Cyro the builder, so Leion sat down at the walled edge of the flat portion of the roof and studied the metropolis, out as far as he could see from here. It was a clear night. Northwards he could make out the looming line of buildings further up towards the river, the most distinctive of which was the tall, square tower of the city archives. In the other direction, he saw mainly more rooftops, on more of a level with his own, all ghostly shades of grey and black in the moonlight. Not quite the architectural glories of upper Portcallan, but ordinary places to live were important too. Leion rested his chin on his fist and contemplated his city. He put his other hand, palm down, flat on the wall, against the brick. It was cool to his touch; the warmth of the spring sunshine had long gone by this hour.
The last two were Olny, the dreamer, and Sia, who they said had created the moon with her longing, the enabler of impossible wishes. His mind strayed again to Viyony, reliving the walk home—limned in lamplight as she brushed back a loose strand of midnight hair behind her ear, giving him quizzical looks, and the way that she'd forget her solemnity sometimes, and the unexpected mischievous light in her face when she did.
At other moments, though, even right by his side, she was three hundredlengths or more away from him in her mind, most likely at Eseray. It was the dreams that carried her away—Olny's dreams, perhaps. Maybe these Powers weren't as neglected as he thought, if they were working through Viyony.
Leion sighed. He saluted the moon, picked up the knife, and failed to retrieve the tiny icestone chip. He walked down the stairs. Maybe when he paid up and finally took that book home, he'd find out there were already formal devotions for the proto-Powers set down long ago. But it was the thought of Viyony that followed him down the stairs, not the Powers.
"If she does have that last minute fling," he told the empty apartment, "it had better be with me and not Eollan Barra!"
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Books need connective tissue as well as bones. It's good stuff.
None of them had much practical advice for a girl who was rotting things by accident.
(My uneducated-in-proto-Powers suggestion is that she should stop speeding up the time in them.)
If it does, it's to do with the place, not you. You channel something already there, usually in response to a need in the place.
Yay.
"Oh, did you? No wonder you're having nightmares. Perfectly understandable if you've been wandering around with a Barra!"
I've just been reading Dick Francis' Break In (1985), so I heard all of Leion's dialogue in this scene in tones of Fieldings or Allardecks.
I like the re-crossing of the streams with Starfall Manor, too.
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I've just been reading Dick Francis' Break In (1985), so I heard all of Leion's dialogue in this scene in tones of Fieldings or Allardecks.
Ha, I've actually even read that one! And, lol, nobody's getting Dick Francis-level of beat-up here. (Well, okay, maybe Osmer, but only in about four years time, and not on a regular basis.) XD
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Oh, this was very interesting, I actually really like all of the worldbuilding details. A couple things, though:
Should be "He had been honouring him", probably.
Probably this is just me being unfamiliar with your story, but Eseray seems to be both Viyony's last name and also a placename, which is somewhat confusing. Also, I can see that Imai and Imor are titles, but I'm not sure what the distinction is between them - it doesn't seem to be gender.
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Typo is corrected, thanks! And, yes, I've been writing this a while (2 years?), and this arc has been going for about a year now.
Anyway: Eseray is Viyony's name and her home - it is a very tiny place in the mountains that is basically her family's estate and their dyeworks business and the village that's built up around it, so the family are named after the place/the place is named after the family.
The Imai/Imor thing doesn't have any helpful context in this particular piece at all, but the distinction is that Imai is a general title used for most people, as with Mr/Ms etc in English etc, while Imor is an archaic word for ruler/lord and only used for people in a position of authority.
I am partway through doing a character/info post for it and keep not really working on it, but I really must get on with that, which would be helpful now that I've been going a while with it.
Anyway, thanks so much for reading & commenting!
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Seriously?
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♥
(It was 11k! People have lives! XD)
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It said "worldbuilding", so I had to click, haha. It honestly did not feel like 11k words, it went very quickly. It was a lot of names for a first-time read, but I actually didn't really have trouble keeping track of who was who.
Thank you for the clarification on the names and titles!
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A lot of them. The last story I did for RaTs or
Only Osmer seems to be James Maxwell, and I think maybe the hotel proprietor is the landlady from Public Eye. (See, I sort of pay attention to your old TV posts!)
Ha, you do pay attention! I'm impressed. JM is hard to hide, but it's been a long time since I went on about Public Eye! Although, it's true that I did go on about it a LOT, oh dear. *cough* And I did make her a seaside landlady again... (See above re. jokes, ill-advised. XD)
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Your zillion novelty beads are incoming.
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Also THANK YOU and SORRY re. the zillion novelty beads. It was so long that when I realised it was finally done and would also fit in beautifully with the challenge, I did hesitate over whether or not that might be a bit much! But, hey, can't have too many beads, right?? <3
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1) https://41.media.tumblr.com/3e06f6527e18c0a4627b14b33f82aba7/tumblr_na7zoq0xza1sn75h6o1_1280.jpg
2) pure muscle
3) http://25.media.tumblr.com/285ea6369dab120717fc0f750b895fcc/tumblr_mjrf09gJBH1r2wqy4o2_500.gif
4) https://66.media.tumblr.com/dfc6871e09e30c37537faeb75cd1bb79/tumblr_oa01d86uPS1s1vn29o4_1280.jpg
5) watch
6) "When everything is said and done I won’t have one thing left" - Ticket to Heaven, 3 Doors Down
7) 500 words
8) wimp
9) https://64.media.tumblr.com/b0154d692b62b11ac8acd4a1b254709c/8af8ad3052f1f7da-80/s540x810/f5b19ff6e5e96a1a4f83c66a05321e3dead5ce46.jpg
10) https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ab/46/ce/ab46ce95e1fadb89b6dc115694ad04ea.jpg
11) flash flood
12) high spirits
13) gravity
14) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/3b/c4/433bc4bad7c4acf09c28006a135277ea.gif
15) http://25.media.tumblr.com/0a90dbc55fcf5313e8e387ce9fb45f3a/tumblr_miahrzSZHN1qhzxtto1_250.gif
16) pressing on
17) http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpcsp6WAzd1qcpzou.gif
18) smoke
19) https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fa/71/7a/fa717aa574bf04fae2470c7e927e09ea.jpg
20) https://64.media.tumblr.com/a5c0ff29ded2e6b4b74c12ab34cac989/d550aed15a94ca8f-d1/s540x810/4e4667c2c7f584ee6ec57c200383aebf45f0683a.jpg
21) “Follow your weird.” -Clive Barker
22) https://45.media.tumblr.com/a61c630f99b4bcf1dd39a3f6045a3499/tumblr_o07yg1plYg1rl5dkdo3_500.gif
23) http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1rmtnIpKh1qdzjvr.jpg
24) "Did I make you nervous?/Did I ask for too much?/Was I not deserving one second of your touch?" - One Of These Days, Michelle Branch
25) hate
26) "But she's so sweet, she's so pretty/Does she mean you forgot about me?" - Happier, Olivia Rodrigo
27) more complicated than it should be