| |
THEY MADE THEIR WAY back through the house, and found Memfis and Aria sitting at a table in what must have been the kitchen. Aria visibly brightened when she saw Aven. “Oh, you’re awake! And look at you! You look wonderful!”
Aven smiled slightly, feeling self-conscious. He looked down at himself. The fire mice had distracted him from his new clothes, but now he was very aware of the trousers. “I’m not really comfortable with them,” he said. “I mean, how can I change like this?”
“There’s not going to be much swimming where we’re going,” Memfis said, echoing Owyn’s statement from earlier. “We’ve a plan. Owyn, I want you to poke holes in it.”
“All right,” Owyn said, sitting down at the table. “Aven needs to eat. Can he eat oat porridge, Mem?”
“He can. And there’s more cold roast, and some eggs.” Memfis got up and went across the room, came back with a heavily laden plate and a full bowl. “Here you go. Oh, before I forget–” He went back across the room, came back with a jar. “Keep that with you, Aven. It’s full of sea salt. You’ll need it.”
Aven nodded, taking the jar and putting it into his bag. He picked up a spoon and started to eat the contents of the bowl. “This is the porridge?”
“Yes.”
“It’s good.”
Owyn reached across the table and took a smaller bowl, pushed it in front of Aven. “More salt. You probably want it. Mem, is there tea?”
“The kettle is still hot. Now, the Council is going to meet tonight. We’ll be presenting you to them as Heir, Aria.” Memfis glanced over at Owyn, who had gone to the stove. “Pour for me, Mouse?”
“Already was.” Owyn came back with three mugs, setting them all on the table. He passed one to Memfis, one to Aven, and took the third for himself. “Trinket likes Aven, Mem.”
Memfis looked startled for a moment. Then he leaned back in his chair and looked beneath the table. “You took him to the forge?” he asked. “With bare feet?”
“He asked,” Owyn answered. “I swept the cobbles clean before we closed it yesterday. And we didn’t go in very far. And he thought you calling me Fire Mouse was an insult. I wanted him to know it wasn’t.”
Memfis nodded slowly. “Don’t make a habit of it. Bare feet in the forge is a good way to lose toes.”
“Yes, sir,” Aven said. He finished his porridge and picked up one of the eggs.
“What’s a Trinket?” Aria asked. Owyn grinned and took the fire mouse out of his shirt pocket, setting her on the table. Aria looked delighted.
“It’s so small!” she gasped, leaning closer. Memfis smiled, then turned toward Aven.
“Aria’s been telling me about herself. I’m going to start training her in smoke dancing—”
“She’s a Dancer, too?” Owyn interrupted. Then he sank into his seat a little as Memfis looked at him.
“Untrained, yes. We’ll need to focus that talent.” He looked at Aven. “What of you? Are you a healer, like Jehan?”
“Not as strong as Fa,” Aven answered. “He said I was a good basic healer, but he didn’t think I had the strength of gift to go further than second level.”
Memfis nodded. “He went back for more training, after... after everything. What level did he end up? He was third when he was with us.”
“He told me that he was a Fifth level healer,” Aven answered.
“Fifth?” Memfis looked stunned. “And they let him leave the healing center?”
Aven blinked, growing tired of being confused all the time. “How many levels are there?” he asked.
“Five,” Memfis answered. “And from what I remember, Fifth level healers are rare. They usually stay in the Healing Centers to teach.” He sniffed. “Fifth level. I never would have expected it from him. But then again... he had reason to apply himself.” He looked at Aven. “You don’t know any of this, do you? You’re looking exceptionally confused.”
“Because I am.” Aven looked down at his empty bowl and plate. “My parents told me nothing. I didn’t know who they were before until we found Aria. I didn’t know my father was related to Mannon until yesterday. Yesterday? Aria?” He looked at Aria, who looked up from the fire mouse when Aven said her name. “Was it yesterday? No, the day before.” When she nodded, he sighed. “I don’t know anything about any of the other tribes. About living on land. I don’t know what I can and can’t eat here. I’m more a hindrance than a help.”
“You’ll learn,” Owyn said. “And we’ll help you.”
Aven smiled and reached out to touch Owyn’s hand. “Thank you.” He looked at Memfis. “I’m going to have to learn, and quickly. So what’s the plan?”
“The Council will meet tonight, and we’ll be presenting Aria to them as Heir to the Firstborn. You’ll be by her side, as her Water companion. Which means you should start wearing your gem.” He looked down at the table. “Bring them out? It’s been a long time.”
“You don’t have yours anymore?” Aven asked. He pulled his bag into his lap and reached inside, into the hidden pocket in the lining. “Ama and Fa have theirs. Fa wears his. Ama’s was put away. She didn’t wear it.” He laid the Diadem on the table, and the four gems. Memfis picked up the Fire gem and looked at it.
“It’s different from mine. Probably because it’s not mine. Mine... mine is gone.” He stopped, laid the gem back down on the table with an audible click. “I... had a dark time of it, about three years back. Just before I found my Mouse here. I found myself alone, and I couldn’t see clearly.” He paused. Frowned. Stared down at his hands. “I drank too much in those days. Far too much. To drown out the memories. That night... oh, fuck it. It was Milon’s naming day. I was missing him, and I said things to the night and to the Mother that I probably should never have said. And in my darkness, I smashed my gem on my anvil.”
“Memfis!” Aria gasped.
“I regretted it in the morning, once I could think clearly again. It was my last link to my Milon, and I’d destroyed it.” Memfis shook his head. “That morning, I got rid of every drop of alcohol in the house. And I closed the shop, took my smoke blades, and I went into the mountain. I went into the vents, where we learn to dance the smoke. And I went looking for a reason to keep going.” He looked up. “I danced the smoke, for the first time in years. I had... a handful of visions. Clearest ones I’d had in ages. The first one led me to you, Owyn.”
“Mem,” Owyn’s voice was soft and solemn. “I never knew. I didn’t know any of this.”
“There was no reason to burden you with it,” Memfis replied. “That was the first vision. Finding my Fire Mouse. Which led to other visions.”
“Oh,” Aria breathed. “And... you’re going to teach me to do this? To control the visions?”
Memfis snorted. “No one controls visions, Aria. They come when they will, and they either make sense immediately, or you’re smacking your head once you’re finally past it and you understand what the vision meant in the first place.” He smiled. “What I will teach you is the discipline that you need so that they don’t sneak up on you.” He frowned. “You have visions. I know you said that already, but have you always, or just recently?”
“Fifteen years. I was ten when they started.”
Memfis nodded slowly. “That’s about right. Later, when we’re alone, I want to know what the first thing you saw was.”
Aria frowned. “Why?”
“Because it’s the curse of the Smoke Dancers. The first thing we ever see is how we’re going to die.” Memfis shook his head. “So later, I want to hear what you saw. Or, you can tell me to mind my own business.”
“We’re meeting the Council tonight,” Aven said. “And then what?”
“Then? We’ll be leaving Forge. It’s past time I left here anyway. This city...” He looked around. “We’re waiting for the mountain to explode. It’ll be soon, I think.”
“You mean, really?” Owyn interrupted. “You really think that’s going to happen? It’s not just the street preachers telling tales for coin?”
Memfis sighed. “We’ve gone over this, Owyn. The world is out of balance. Adavar isn’t happy with what’s happened to His children, and the Mother less so. The longer Mannon is in power, the more they’re going to make that displeasure known.”
“Fa said the same thing,” Aven said. “He said the storms were like what an oyster does, to make a pearl. Mannon is the grit inside.”
Memfis looked thoughtful. “Your father said that?” he asked. “That’s something I’d have expected from Aleia.” He shook his head. “Never mind. A good part of the city is empty. People have gotten themselves out of range. Those that are left either stay to help those who can’t leave, or they follow Mannon and don’t believe anything will happen.”
“Then why was Mannon going to burn the city?” Aria asked.
“Because he thinks we’re a hotbed of revolution,” Memfis answered. “Which Forge is not. But the Council knows where the hotbed is located, and that’s where we’re going once we leave here. So, we’ll spend the rest of the day preparing, and tonight, we’ll go before the Council. Aria, you’ll wear the Diadem. Aven, you should get used to wearing your gem, too.”
Aven nodded, and saw Aria looking at him. She smiled, glancing at Owyn. Aven grinned in response and Aria turned to Memfis.
“Then should Owyn get used to wearing his as well?” she asked.
“Wearing mine?” Owyn asked. “Wearing my... wait. Wait, did you just... no. No, you’re not serious?” He bolted out his chair, moving so fast that the chair clattered to the floor. By the time he stopped moving, he was halfway across the kitchen. “You... you’re not serious?” he repeated. “Me? A... a Companion? Me? But...” He stopped, crumpled to the ground, and burst into tears.
Aven was out of his chair in a heartbeat, but Aria still beat him to Owyn’s side. She went to her knees next to him, pulling him into her arms. “Owyn, it’s all right,” she said. “Yes, you.”
“We both recognized you,” Aven added, sitting down on Owyn’s other side. “We both knew it was you, from the minute we saw you.”
Owyn shook his head and hiccupped. “You... not me. Not me! No one wants me. ‘Cept Mem.” He hiccupped again, and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Nobody ever came for me, ever looked for me. Nobody ever wanted me.”
“You’re wanted now,” Aria said, her voice firm. “Aven, will you get it?”
Aven got to his feet and went to the table, picking up the fire gem. He brought it back to Aria, then sat back down on the floor, his shoulder pressed against Owyn’s.
Aria took Owyn’s hand and pried his fingers open, then laid the gem in his palm. “This is yours,” she said. “If you’ll have it. If you’ll have me.” She looked up a nd met Aven’s eyes. “Have us,” she corrected. “Stand with us, Owyn. As Nerris stood with Abin and Axia.”
Owyn sniffed, looked down at the stone in his hand. He gave a watery laugh. “Does... does this mean I need to learn to make roses?” he asked. “Nerris made roses of silver and gold. I’ve never learned to work in precious metals. I work in iron and bronze.”
Aria giggled. “If you want to make a rose of iron and bronze, it would be perfect,” she said. “Honestly, I’ll be happy if you give me a flower that you picked from the side of the road.” She touched Owyn’s cheek, then turned his head and kissed him. Owyn made a muffled sound of surprise, then responded eagerly, turning and pulling Aria close. Aven shifted so that he was kneeling behind Owyn, putting his arms around them both. When Aria broke the kiss, she looked at Aven and giggled.
“I kissed him first,” she teased.
“No, you didn’t,” Aven answered, laughing. “I kissed him upstairs.”
Aria giggled again, then jumped as Memfis cleared his throat. He hadn’t moved from the table, and had an amused look on his face.
“Owyn, two things.”
Owyn blinked, shook his head, then looked at Memfis. “Yes, Mem?”
“First? Not on the kitchen floor.” Memfis’ voice was very matter-of-fact. “I’m sure you can find a better place. Second, you’ll all want to wash up before we go to the Council, so take them to the baths.”
Owyn looked at Aria, then back over his shoulder at Aven. He turned slightly pink and ducked his head. “I....”
“I remember how it was, Mouse,” Memfis said. “I remember what it was like. So I’m changing the plans. I’ll do the preparations. I’ve already done most of it — there are benefits to being a seer, after all. There will be clothes and weapons ready when it’s time to go.”
“And shoes,” Owyn added. “Aven needs shoes.”
“And shoes.” Memfis smiled, scooped Trinket up in his hand, then got up and left the kitchen.
Owyn watched as Memfis left, but he didn’t move. For a long moment, he sat with his head still bowed, looking down at the stone in his hand. Finally, he sighed and asked, “Aria, why me?”
Aria looked at Aven, then back at Owyn. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I don’t know if anyone knows. All I know is that I knew you were my Fire from the moment I saw you.”
“I knew you, too,” Aven added. “And I knew Aria, even before I knew she was there. I knew there was something in that ship that I needed, and I had to find it. Find her.”
Owyn looked back at Aven. “Really? Was that what it was?” he asked. “And here I thought it was just that you were pretty. I mean, you are, but I thought that was why I wanted you. You both, I mean. Not just Aven.”
Aria reached up and touched Owyn’s face again. “You’re ours now. And we’re yours.”
“And I don’t have a bed big enough for all of us,” Owyn said softly. “I don’t want to choose between you. Not for the first time. We should all be together.”
“Considering that we haven’t had a first time yet, either?” Aven asked. Owyn stared at him.
“You haven’t? No, you said you hadn’t. You said you weren’t paired. But why not?”
“There’s no privacy on a canoe,” Aria answered. She sounded exceedingly grumpy about it, and Aven bit down a laugh.
“And there was no time before we left our island,” he added. “So... no, we haven’t.”
“So out of the three of us, I’m the only one who’s not a virgin?” Owyn asked slowly. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. Never thought that part of my life would be useful. Okay . We’re not. Not yet. Not until we all know each other better. I don’t want there to be any regrets.”
Aven sat down, his shoulder against Owyn’s back. “Fa said that they were together almost a year before he and Ama and the others shared beds. I didn’t think that we’d wait that long. Why regrets?”
“I don’t think I could regret anything to do with either of you,” Aria murmured.
Owyn shook his head. “We’re not taking the chance. I’m the expert, so I say we’re going slow. We go slow, no one gets hurt.” He twisted to look at Aven. “All right?”
Aven smiled. “You’re the expert.” He leaned in and kissed Owyn quickly. “What are the baths?”
“Oh, the bath house.” Owyn answered. “It’s across the back alley. Mem does their metal repair, so we get to use it whenever we want, even when it’s closed for Respite. And we won’t be seen going in that way. So it’s safe to go have a bath and a soak in the springs.”
“A soak... Owyn, are these hot springs?” Aria asked. When Owyn nodded, Aria jumped to her feet. “A hot bath! Yes, please! Can we go now?”
“A hot spring?” Aven got up slowly, then held his hand out to Owyn. “What makes them hot?”
“Being on the Smoking Mountain,” Owyn answered as he got off the floor. “The heat from the volcano heats the water. It’s a little warmer than blood temperature, Mem says.”
“Is it salt?”
Owyn frowned. “You mean, like sea salt? No. There are minerals in it, from the mountain. Why?”
“Will it trigger the change?” Aria asked. Aven shook his head.
“I don’t know. We’ll find out, I guess.” He held one hand out to Owyn, the other to Aria. “Which way?”
“Wait.” Aria went to the table and picked up the Water gem. “You should be wearing this.”
“In the bath?” Owyn said. “No, Aria. We’ll put them on after. I don’t want to damage mine, not when I just got it.”
They put the gems and the Diadem back into the carry-bag, and Aven took it back down to the hidden room. Then Owyn picked up a lantern and led them out the back of the kitchen and across to another building. He took a key from his pocket and opened the door, letting them inside, where they waited in the dim light until Owyn lit the lamps. He led them down the hall to a pair of doors that faced each other.
“Changing rooms,” he said. “Aria, the women’s changing room is that way. Aven, this is the men’s. There’s a stair leading down on the far side of the room. That takes you down to the springs.”
“And I’m to go here, while you go there?” Aria asked. “And where do I leave my clothes?”
“There are places to put them inside, and towels. Bring a few towels with you.” Owyn frowned. “There are robes, too. But they won’t fit you. You can wrap a towel around yourself, if you don’t want to walk around naked. See you in the water.”
Aven laughed as he followed Owyn into the changing room. “You just got these clothes on me.”
“And now I’m getting those clothes off you,” Owyn said. “And not in a happy fun way. We’re going to get clean.” He looked thoughtful. “How do you take a bath, out in the ocean?”
“On our island, we had a sweet water spring, and it spilled into a bathing pool. When we were out in the canoe, we were in the water a lot,” Aven said. “I’ve never been in a hot bath before.”
Owyn nodded. “Because how would you have heated the water, on a wooden canoe in the middle of the ocean. You’ll either like this or hate it.”
Aven blinked. “That’s usually how it works, isn’t it?” He took off the scarf and his shirt, then stripped off his trousers. “I’m supposed to wear a robe?”
“It’s polite,” Owyn answered. “There, that stack. Put it on and go on downstairs. Take a lamp. I’ll be right with you.”
Aven picked up a robe made from soft, thin cloth, slipping it on, then taking towels and a lamp and going down the stairs. This wasn’t anything like any cave he’d ever seen, and he was glad of it. He could smell the water long before he saw it, and the air was humid and warm. And the spring, when he finally could see it, was a deep, tiled pool, gently steaming in the dim light from his lamp. He set the lamp down on a shelf, stripped off his robe, and knelt to test the water.
“How is it?”
“Hotter than I’m used to,” Aven answered, looking up to see Aria had followed Owyn’s advice, and wrapped herself in a towel. “You’ve done this before?”
“Oh, yes,” Aria answered. She laid the towel aside and dipped one foot into the water. “Oh, that’s lovely.” She sat down, swung her legs into the water, then slipped in. The water came up over her breasts, and she dunked herself to her chin, then spread her wings wide. Aven followed her into the water, feeling a little silly at his trepidation. He was a creature of water — what did he have to fear from it?
The water was hotter than it had felt on his hand, and he gasped as he sank into it. But once he was used to it, it did feel good. He found there were benches on the far side of the pool, and he sat down there.
“What do you think?” Owyn called as he came down the last stairs.
“I like it,” Aven answered. “Do you just soak?”
“Well, once we’re all wrinkly, there’s another room with soap and rinse water. Then we can come back here to soak some more.” Owyn took off his robe and laid it with Aven’s, then got into the pool. He dunked himself completely underneath, coming up shaking his head to that water sprayed everywhere. Aria splashed him in response, and he turned toward her.
His back was a mass of scars — thin, silvery stripes mingled with twisted, raised ridges turning fiercely red in the heat.