The Patron Spirits of Kalish

{First 3 chapters only}

Note: This book is currently a first draft, as is this excerpt taken from it

The Traditional Kalishan Prayer To The Patrons

We offer our worship and praise to the Seventeen, the patron spirits of Kalish

Praise be to Kiaan, ruler of rulers

Praise be to Avanthi, humble and steadfast

Praise be to Nura, tender of our fields

Praise be to Mirin, slayer of all

Praise be to Jiyan, healer of all

Praise be to Lishelsin, who binds us together

Praise be to Aza, comfort to the lonely

Praise be to Zem, of loom and cauldron

Praise be to Fabra, shaper of earth

Praise be to Livit, who speaks of impulse

Praise be to Tivil, who speaks of reason

Praise be to Sorrow, witness of suffering

Praise be to Adwin, laughter of the festival

Praise be to Eada, exchanger of coin

Praise be to Teudus, light of art

Praise be to Phoenix, fire of rebirth

Praise be to Shamara, wind of compassion

The children of Kalish speak your names, and thank you for your service

Chapter 1: Chosen

Teo

The First Temple was, to be quite honest, a bit disappointing. I was scared to even think the thought, in case the patron spirits were watching me right now and peering into my mind. Ordinarily, that was a ridiculously self-important thought, but in this moment it wasn't implausible, though maybe not likely. The First Temple was a squat little stone structure in a T shape, the size of a cottage, clearly old and built to last, not to look grand. It almost seemed contemptuous of the colossal Spirit Palace, the outer walls of which were only a few feet behind it, which towered in shining stained glass and marble opulence, visible from any roof in Etalcion. But for all the First Temple's spiritual importance, supposedly being the birthplace of the first patron spirits hundreds of years ago, it was a place that people only really visited for one purpose. My purpose.

I stood a few feet from the temple's front archway. I glanced down at my left hand. On the back of it were seventeen black dots in a perfect circle. They hadn't faded at all since they'd appeared on my twentieth birthday two days ago. It was strange that I'd seen that symbol my whole life, I wore it around my neck, and yet it could mean so much more to me today. I tried to imagine what the symbol of each patron spirit would look like in it's place. Eada's slightly uneven scales, or Lishelsin's braided 8. None of them called to me though, any more than they had in the last two days. I'd thought maybe when I was actually at the temple I'd suddenly be sure or one of the patron spirits would speak to me, but I suppose that'd be against the rules, influencing my choice. Well then, my hand would bear the stylized crown of Kiaan. That was my choice, and I wasn't going to second-guess it or doubt it or waste any more time wondering if I would regret it.

I walked into the archway, awkwardly turning my hand so I was sure the priests within would see it and know what I was. The interior of the temple was dim, lit only by a few small square windows cut out into the stone of the walls. Most of the temple was the wide room I was in, which had seventeen small stone altars set up against the walls. A woman in robes was kneeling on the floor, facing away from the entrance. Her hair was mostly gray and I noticed there was a slim cushion under her knees. As I entered she rose with slow care, and set the cushion inside. Her eyes went to the symbol on my hand. "Ah." I was immediately worried. She didn't show the excitement or even the impassive recognition I had expected. Instead, she looked like someone preparing for an unpleasant chore they'd known was coming.

Unsure of what exactly I was supposed to say, I managed, "Hello, maron. I am, well, I'm not a champion yet but I'm here to become one. I am Teo. Teo Gorrion. That is, I don't expect you to have heard I was coming, but in case you needed my name for something." I took a breath and forced my right hand to stop nervously rubbing the circle on the back of my left.

The priestess smiled gently, and with something like pity. "Hello, child. I know why you are here, though I did not know you were coming. I expect you know what is traditionally done here but there will be... an irregularity this time."

Oh no. "Yes, maron?"

"As you may know, the Rebinding Ceremony is in a week. Traditionally, each patron spirit needs only one champion present at the ceremony, but this year, each spirit requires two. Every member of the pantheon has the necessary two champions, save one: Avanthi, praise be her name. She must participate in the ceremony equally with the others, and so, she needs a second champion. So, I am afraid you cannot choose your patron spirit to champion. You must take the honor of serving Avanthi."

I stood there, blinking. Avanthi. I didn't get to choose, I was going to serve Avanthi. Avanthi, "humble and steadfast". "I... see. And this is... that is to say, this is absolute? As in, I will be Avanthi's, and only Avanthi's, champion for the rest of my life?"

The priestess bowed her head. "I cannot speak for the patron spirits. I know only that you must pledge yourself to Avanthi now. You will have the honor of being able to ask her your other questions yourself. I can guide you in how to make the pledge."

I tried to get my thoughts together. I nodded slowly. "Alright. Thank you, maron." She gave me another sympathetic smile and gently took my shoulders, guiding me to one of the altars and then to kneel. The altar was just a stone tablet against the wall, with a tiny wooden table in front of it on which rested a bowl for offerings. At the top of the stone tablet was written the word "Avanthi" and then below that in slightly smaller text was her primary title, "Humble and Steadfast", and below that her symbol: a square, with a simple carrot arrow, only two lines, inside it, pointing up. Without a doubt the least detailed and easiest to draw of all the patron spirit symbols. The perimeter of the tablet was decorated with carved designs of ants. The perfect animal to represent the patron spirit of mundanity and simple work.

"Place your left hand upon the symbol of Avanthi." the priestess instructed. I did so. "Now, repeat after me: 'I pledge myself to you, great Avanthi'."

I put my hand onto the symbol. Those seventeen dots stared back at me. I kept my voice steady and tried to hide any hesitancy or despair. "I pledge myself to you, great Avanthi."

"'I', and then you say your name, 'swear to serve you loyally as your champion'."

"I, Teo Gorrion, swear to serve you loyally as your champion."

"'I hereby give myself over to you, body, soul, and mind'."

"I hereby give myself over to you, body, soul, and mind." The stone began to hum under my hand. I saw the symbol of Avanthi begin to glow, then the dots on the back of my hand begin to glow with the same light. My whole body jerked, but I couldn't tear my hand away from the stone. I was aware of something vast approaching me, like seeing the shadow of a tidal wave before you turn around to behold the wave itself. Then my vision went dark.

I was standing in what looked like a small living room. There were wide windows letting in sunlight, and a few comfortable chairs, but generally the details were fuzzy. I sort of felt like I was seeing it myself, and at the same time felt like I was viewing it from above. I realized that this was a dream, or something close to it. It didn't feel entirely like a dream; my mind was a little too clear for that.

There was a woman sitting in one of the chairs, and she rose to greet me. She was... unremarkable. Common clothes that didn't do much to indicate class or profession, and a face that seemed like it had seen a lot of sunlight, but told nothing else. "Hello there, Teo Gorrion, it's a pleasure to meet you." Nothing unusual about the voice either. She held out a hand. I clasped it and bowed slightly to indicate respect, and unexpectedly she bowed just as low in response.

"Hello," I said, cautiously, "Are you... Avanthi?"

"Yes I am." Avanthi gave a small smile. "Though, this is just the vision of me in your mind right now." I'd heard stories about when champions received their first visions from their patron spirits. I'd heard a story that a champion of Lishelsin had seen him manifest as an immense rainbow spiderweb that thrummed with power when it spoke, and Kiaan was known to appear as a figure on a high throne, their features obscured by a glowing purple crown atop their head. But of course this was how Avanthi manifested.

The patron spirit adopted an expression of going about uncomfortable but necessary business, a little like the one the priestess had worn. "I know you didn't get to choose me, and that you weren't going to. I'm sorry about that, but there's nothing that can be done about it. I need to have two champions for the Rebinding Ceremony, and it wasn't my choice to put that rule in place. I'm popular, but not for champions."

That made sense. I had certainly prayed to Avanthi plenty times in my life. Avanthi, please let me get to class on time, Avanthi, please let me get some sleep tonight, Avanthi, please guide my feet through darkness to not hit that damned table and stub my toe again. But Avanthi hadn't even been in the running when I had been considering patron spirits to serve as champion. Jiyan would have given me the ability to heal wounds; Kiaan would have granted me status and important work. Even Zem would have granted me significant skill in different crafts. Who wanted the gifts and duties of the patron spirit of mundane needs?

I didn't say any of that though. I clasped my hand into a fist and put it over my heart. "It is an honor to serve you, your divinity."

Avanthi gave a bit of a tired smirk. "You don't have to pretend. Humble is literally in my primary title; there's no need to spare my pride. Neither of us chose this, but we can make the best of it."

I nodded and carefully considered how to phrase my next words. I was fairly confident Avanthi wouldn't smite me, but I wasn't sure that if I made a bad first impression she wouldn't condemn me to a life of pointless menial work, and that might be worse. "From what I know, it seems that you won't have much use for me after the rebinding ceremony. Do you think it would be possible for me to, ah, be released from your service and be able to choose which patron spirit to serve? I mean no disrespect, of course."

Avanthi tilted her head, considering it. "It's not physically impossible, but it would be an exception to the rules. I'd have to know if next year's ceremony would also require two champions. I'll ask about that. But changing patrons would probably require the approval of whichever patron spirit you pick, and none of the other spirits would have to raise a fuss about it, which isn't a given. But for now, let's go with the assumption that you are going to be my champion from here on out."

Alright, that certainly wasn't the worst answer that I could get. "Thank you, your divinity."

"Just call me Avanthi. Or 'my lady' if you want to be more formal. You definitely have to stay in Etalcion until the Rebinding Ceremony, and after that we can talk about where you'd like to live. Do you have somewhere to stay in the city?"

I'd been living at college in Sorcia, but had dropped out when the champion mark manifested. All of my possessions, not an impressive collection, were in a cheap inn room in Etalcion that I had to move out by the end of the day. Moving back to my mother's home was definitely not an option. "I do not, my lady."

"You can say at my High Temple then. My other champion and Speaker, Bhagath, is there, he can help get you settled, both as a resident and champion. You may stay there as long as you like. I can help you find it."

"Thank you, my lady."

Avanthi nodded. "Of course. Is there anything else?"

"No, my lady." I had questions, but I'd save them for the other champion of Avanthi. I'd be a little less nervous talking to them than to Avanthi. Even in this humble manifestation, I could somehow feel how vast she was, more powerful than any mortal, stretching across the entirety of Kalish, one of the very oldest patron spirits.

Avanthi nodded. "I look forward to working you, Teo Gorrion." Then the vision ended and I was once again kneeling in the First Temple, my hand on the symbol of Avanthi. Except, now, the back of my hand also had the symbol of Avanthi on it, instead of the dot circle of all the patron spirits. But something else was different. I could still feel that same vastness, in the corner of my mind. It was like an incredibly heavy object pressing against me, but that wasn't resting its weight on me. I hadn't even noticed when it had first come to be there, but now that I had, it was hard to not focus on it. I didn't know how to process it in any of the bodily senses I was familiar with.

Avanthi? I asked, mentally.

I am here, came a reply. It didn't come from my ears, it arrived directly in my mind, and yet it was still somehow in the same voice I'd heard Avanthi speak in when I'd had that vision.

Can you hear my thoughts? I was alarmed at the thought I'd think some heresy that Avanthi would catch.

I can hear what you want me to, and I can search through your mind with conscious effort if I wish, though so early in our partnership I will not do so, out of respect for your privacy. Although I assure you, there is nothing you could think or no secret you could hold that I have not seen many many times before.

I see. Thank you, my lady. I realized I was still kneeling. I rose to face the priestess, still patiently standing there.

I bowed my head to her and said, "Thank you for your help, maron."

She bowed her head in return. "It is an honor to serve the patron spirits, melos." I blinked, as I realized that it was me she was using that term of address for. I was officially a champion now, even if it was for the most boring of the patron spirits. I winced a little bit, hoping Avanthi hadn't heard that.

The priestess smiled at me and said, "Be well, melos Gorrion."

"To you as well, maron."

I stepped out of the temple, blinking in the sunlight. Well, no sense standing around. I went back to my cheap inn room, trying to hide the disappointment dragging at my body in case Avanthi could see it.

I collected my belongings, all of which could fit in two large bags I swung over my shoulders. As I walked out onto the street, I focused on the presence of Avanthi in my mind and asked, In which direction is your High Temple, my lady?

Left. I nodded and set off. Avanthi continued to give my directions as I made my way to the temple. It wasn't too far away, only a twenty minute walk. When I arrived, a figure in plain clothes was standing just outside the temple doors, looking around eagerly.

My other champion, Bhagath, Avanthi explained, Oh, and he uses both masculine and feminine pronouns. Bhagath's face lit up when she saw me. "Ah, there's my fellow champion! I haven't had a peer for years, I'm so glad to meet you. I'm Bhagath, though I expect Avanthi has already introduced me." He extended a hand for me to shake. I awkwardly navigated around the bag I was carrying to take it.

"Yes, she has, very nice to meet you." Bhagath looked to be in her 60's, with gray hair that was tied back and more than a few wrinkles around her face, though there was nothing slow or unsteady about how she moved. The symbol of Avanthi was clear on the back of his left hand, the simple six thick lines looking no more faded than mine. She wore common clothes though, not the finery or robes I would have expected. I suppose that made sense for a servant of Avanthi.

"Let me help you with your bags." Bhagath hefted them off me and set them down with ease, even though they weren't light bags. I realized it should have been more difficult for me to carry them all this way, and I rubbed at my shoulder curiously. Bhagath smiled at that. "Ah, that's one of Avanthi's gifts: a bit more strength and endurance, to make simple physical labor easier. At my age, the appeal really starts to become clear."

"Oh, that's useful," I said. Although lifting the bags was still hardly effortless, so it couldn't be that powerful of a strength boon. "What other powers does Avanthi grant?"

Bhagath took one of my bags and started to head inside, so I followed him carrying the other. "As you can imagine, we don't get anything fancy like Teudus's light shows or Sorrow's creepy pain magic, but I think the blessings we get are a fair bit better than what many other champions have. We're a bit luckier than average, we can blend in with crowds easily, the extra strength I mentioned earlier, and we get over injuries and sicknesses faster. Oh, and we get along with ants, them being a symbol of Avanthi. That doesn't come in handy often, but more often than you'd think. The big bonus for any champion is that we can talk directly to our patron spirit."

All those gifts sounded profoundly underwhelming to me, but I just smiled and said, "I see, thank you."

As she talked, Bhagath led me through the High Temple of Avanthi. It was much larger than the First Temple, but that was a given. The First Temple was built to endure, and many temples in Kalish, especially Etalcion, were built to be things of opulence and beauty, but Avanthi's temple was built for function. It was made from smooth warm brown stone. There was a medium-sized nave before a pulpit, various side chambers with altars to Avanthi, a small library of Avanthian literature, a kitchen and dining area which were some of the largest rooms in the building, and quarters in the back for those living at the temple, including one free room for me.

Bhagath set one of my bags down inside, and I put the other down next to it. I took stock of the room. It was larger than the cheap in room I'd stayed in, though that wasn't saying much, and it was smaller than my dormitory room at university had been, though that had been shared by four students. It had a bed with simple sheets and a pillow, a writing desk, a wardrobe, and a couple cabinets. Live everything else in the temple, it was clean and not unwelcoming, but lacking in frill or decoration beyond that.

"I hope that this will be to your liking," said Bhagath. "You are free to stay here as long as you wish, and use all of the temple faculties. We only ask that, while you do stay here, you help with some of the temple maintenance. It's nothing too difficult, and I or someone else will show you how to do everything."

"I understand. Thank you very much."

Misery was rising inside me and I tried to stamp it down. I think Bhagath caught some of that, because he put his hands together and sighed. "I know that Avanthi is not the spirit you would have liked to have picked, and it is unfair that the choice was taken from you. I know why Avanthi isn't a popular choice as a spirit to champion. Our lady isn't glamorous or exciting and people think she isn't 'important'."

The look on Bhagath's face told me exactly what she thought of those people. "But the work this church does is important. We help facilitate mutual aid, volunteer organization, and we help the other churches with their community service. Avanthi isn't just patron to anyone who wants relief from the little inconveniences of life, Avanthi is patron to all who do work that is necessary but unnoticed."

You don't have to serve my church though, came Avanthi's voice in my mind. From Bhagath's expression, I could tell she heard it too. I need only one champion to anchor me and to serve as my Speaker and mouthpiece, a role Bhagath has loyally served me as for twenty years. All I require of you is to attend the Rebinding Ceremony with Bhagath in one week, and potentially future Rebinding Ceremonies beyond that if they continue to require two champions.

Bhagath added, "Although I do encourage you to try working for the church; it's quite rewarding. But it's your choice of course. And maybe you'll be able to switch to some other patron spirit I just... don't want you to dismiss this opportunity out-of-hand. Avanthi is a good patron spirit and I'm honored to call her a friend."

Thank you, Bhagath.

Bhagath smiled. "One of the perks of serving a patron spirit with so few champions- and no stick up their ass, unlike some others- is that she always has time for us. Although, sometimes she is a little distracted and doesn't hear us calling out, but there's an old invocation ritual of hers we can do to give her a little extra kick. You just have to wipe a bit of sweat onto her symbol." Bhagath demonstrated by wiping the symbol on the back of her hand across her forehead, though she wasn't actually sweating right now.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm not really sure of a decision yet. I'll think about it." I felt guilty about it now, but I still didn't think there was any way this was right for me. Avanthi seemed nice and I didn't doubt her church did good work, but I had bigger plans.

Bhagath nodded. "Of course. You've had a long day, I'm sure. Let me know if you need any help unpacking." And with that, he left the room.

Avanthi? I asked in my mind.

Yes?

I really don't mean to offend you in any way, but would it be possible for you to not observe me or my thoughts for a little bit?

Of course. If you consciously reach out to me, I will sense it, but unless you do so, I promise to turn my attention away from you for the rest of the day. And you don't need to worry about me peeking; being trustworthy is one of my defining traits.

I felt her presence recede. I sat down on the edge of the bed, put my head in my hands, and whispered, "Fuck."

Chapter 2: Leaving The Nest

Navi

I kept my hands folded behind my back, running the thumb of my right hand across the back of my left. I tried to keep my back more or less straight. Perhaps I would have stared directly forward, but my eyes weren't as easy to track as a human's and I let them wander. The stone walls, ceiling, and floor of every room in the Seer Hall was decorated with multicolored braiding patterns, but they varied across the large building. In this room, the braids were primarily blue and green and brown against the gray stone, and kept to thin strands that twined from floor to ceiling, moving back and forth but rarely intersecting with other braids. A few of the braids did converge at a spot on the floor though, on top of which was a wide table where five figures sat, assessing me.

None of them had spoken to me yet, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. We were seers, after all, assessing was what we did. The more senior a seer became, the longer it would take them to do anything. It was unfortunate then that meetings such as this one were conducted by quite senior seers.

One eventually spoke. "Navi." Her name was Callmorna Sharptin. Like most of them, I didn't know her very well, so I didn't know what bird to assign her. I got the sense she would have a large one though. "You have been chosen for the mission in Kalish."

"Oh, goodness," I said. I'd thought it was odd that they'd call me into a meeting just to tell me I didn't get the assignment, but the alternative had seemed much more unlikely. "Why?"

Another one of the seers, Solas Orr, also birdless, spoke up. "You expressed interest in the mission, you have a good track record in field missions, and you are skilled at our craft."

"I'd heard I wasn't going to be picked because Kalish didn't like ska'ols." I hadn't technically heard it officially, but still.

Solas's face indicated that was very close to true, but he didn't want to admit it. "Kalish has a difficult history, but ska'ols have equal rights under modern Kalishan law-"

"Mostly equal," chimed in the seer Braska Izeth.

"Mostly equal rights under modern Kalishan law, and Kalish has a tradition of not letting seers into their nation either, and now they invite us, alongside a foreign mage. It seems it is a new day for Kalish, so a ska'ol seer should be perfectly acceptable. Just don't cause any problems."

"I shall try my best." I was pretty good at not causing problems. Discomfort, yes, but problems, no. I still didn't understand why they'd picked me for this mission. The seer at the right end of the table, Tasi, smiled at me. I knew Tasi well, better than I knew any other seer, and the seagull I saw on his shoulder bobbed its head at me cordially. I was certain this lot wouldn't have made the decision to pick me without Tasi, but even so.

The last of the five, Losuli Orson, spoke. "You leave in four days. We have not yet settled on the details of transportation, but the Kalishan government and the church of the pantheon have been very clear that you will arrive on, in the continental calendar, the second of Cleardawn, you will witness the ceremony on the night of the third, and you will leave on the fourth. The mage who will accompany you has already been selected by the mage council of Skoltice: the promising young Morgana Bran."

Braska jumped a little bit like she'd just remembered something important. "Oh, and we have heard rumors that the Order of Siltrai has agents in Kalish now. They would be fools to attack a guest of the patron spirits, but this is the Order of Siltrai we're talking about. Keep an eye out."

I nodded. "I see. Well, thank you all very much for this unexpected gift of an assignment. I shall bring back very thorough notes."

"That will be all, Navi. Make your preparations."

I gave a bow and left the room. Well well, I was going to Kalish. I didn't bother finding anyone to brag about it to. The news would get around on its own soon; seers weren't known for being tight-lipped. And I didn't even know who I'd be doing the bragging to. Usually it was Tasi I'd go to with that kind of thing, and in this case Tasi obviously already knew. I was sure he'd seek me out soon to talk to me, so I went to wait by one of the sculptures where he knew to find me.

I believe their technical name was the "examinable arcane complexes", but nearly everyone called them the sculptures. Some of them were impressive to guests, but they were mesmerizing to seers. Each sculpture was a low power but quite complex sustained spell. Seers would practice our craft by coming to the sculptures and examining their nature. Once any seer reached a moderate level of skill, it no longer became a challenge to understand a new sculpture in its entirety after a few minutes, but it was still a helpful exercise for the mind.

I entered the wide hall, filled with circles drawn onto the marble that contained floating magical oddities and a small scattering of seers standing next to them, admiring them. The braid designs on the walls of this room were kept to a minimum. I went to my favorite and sat on the bench before it. None of the sculptures had names, but this one was a slowly undulating ribbon of fire. When I had first seen it, the ribbon had been wider and moved faster, and had been a different shade of orange, and it had gone through a hundred other even more minor changes as well. The sculptures were always updated, to help keep the exercise of their observation fresh. I could sense that the fire that the naked eye could see was in actuality an intangible illusion. There was real fire in the spell circle, but it was invisible. And yet, the illusory fire had actually been designed to mirror the movements of the real, invisible fire, which was only a centimeter to its left. The illusory ribbon of fire rolled up into a wheel and began to spin quickly, whereas the real fire did the same, but spun in the opposite direction. That was new, it must have been added recently. I could tell that it had been added by a different mage than the rest of the sculpture was created by.

I saw something else too, that I knew was false, but was not part of the illusion. A pair of falcons fluttered around inside the circle, following the flame's dance. One was a lined forest falcon, and I was used to seeing it at this sculpture. It represented the touch of Telai, the mage who I knew did most of the enchanting of this sculpture. The other falcon was a slaty-backed forest falcon, with a face that was more yellow-brown than orange and without the other's characteristic lined patterns on the breast. The second falcon represented the newer mage's work on the spell. Their work made up a smaller portion of the sculpture, and the slaty-backed bird looked smaller and younger as a result. Depending on how much I focuses on them, the birds could either be so transparent I hardly saw them, or so opaque they looked entirely real.

I heard the familiar cry of a gull and turned my head to see Tasi approach, a dozen feet or so away. He smiled. "Even for a seer, you are quite hard to sneak up on."

"You may be trying to be quiet, but your bird doesn't know when to shut up." I stood and gently ran a couple of fingers down the back of the seagull on Tasi's shoulder. I was aware I was just touching air, but I felt its stiff feathers beneath my fingertips. It had an elegant contrast between the dark gray feathers of its wings and the bright white of its body, a beautiful Velairan gull.

Tasi was looking into the blank space past me at well, eyes tracking something that wasn't there. He'd told me that he saw me as a flying fish. swimming through the air beside me. I saw his eyes unfocus though and watched him stare into space for a few seconds. Then he shook his head as he came back to himself, and I stepped back.

"Come with me," said Tasi. He took me to his apartments in the Seer Hall. As one of the senior seers, he got one of the larger apartments, with a little living room for us to sit down in.

"So," I began, "Why did they accept me? The Kalishans won't be thrilled to have a ska'ol, and I'm not particularly well-liked here." I knew I wasn't disliked, but after twenty years as a seer, I still don't think I'd made much of an impression on anybody in the order. I was sure most of them just thought of me as "The seer with the lizard head".

"The Kalishans need to get over themselves." Tasi gave a mischievous smile, deepening the lines of his face that had started to appear in the last few years. "And, well, I may have told them that I'd had a vision that you would be the one to Kalish and that you would bear crucial witness to their ceremony."

"And is that true?"

"Well, it seems you are going to Kalish, and I have no doubt you will do an excellent job as witness, so does it really matter if I actually had a vision or not?"

"It's really not fair to take advantage of your seniority like that, you know. You undermine the dignity of your gift." Tasi knew me well enough to know I was only teasing.

"Well, if they don't figure it out before I can transcend to be a far-seer, it's not really my problem then, is it?"

I considered faking a smile or laugh at that, but knew I wasn't good enough to fool Tasi. I knew that Tasi was close to being a far-seer. His mind had been wandering more. He was better at our craft than I was, but there was a cost to our gift. The weaving of magic could not be understood by any mortal or immortal mind, so the closer one came to understanding it, the more their mind had to change its shape. The far-seers rested in the center of the Seer Hall, semi-catatonic, their vision wandering across time and space to behold the infinite mysteries of the arcane. They were just almost never coherent enough to share those insights.

"Are you scared?" I asked. "To join the far-seers?"

It took Tasi a second to respond, and I suspected that it wasn't because he was unsure of the answer, it was because he had been seeing something else and had to reground himself in the physical moment. "No. I've been visiting them a lot recently. Sometimes I help their caretakers feed or clean them. And they seem happy. Not really the same type of happy as you or I, but I suspect if any of them could talk clearly, they'd say they didn't regret it. I've very much enjoyed this life so far, but I'll still be happy to live the rest of it outside my body, in that great sea..." He trailed off, and for a moment I was worried he'd transcended in front of me, but he shook his head and was back in his body again.

"I thought about promising to visit you, but I think I'd prefer not to. I'm glad you'll be happy, but it would hurt to see you like that. And it's not like you'd notice if I visited anyway."

Tasi just nodded. Someone else might have been offended, but not Tasi. "Of course, Navi. I will miss you. I'm not worried about myself, but I am about you. I know-" Tasi clearly considered finding some delicate way to phrase something, then clearly decided against it. "I know I am your only friend here. And I do not want you to be alone. I don't care if they're another seer, or if they're a member of the staff, or if they live in the city outside the hall, or even if you manage to get stationed somewhere across the world and they live there. I just want you to have a friend. Someone who is near you, not back in Velaire. And ideally more than one, but let's start small."

I looked away. I remembered what my first couple months at the Seer Hall had been like, before I'd befriended Tasi. I was good at being alone but after long enough it could start to drive you insane faster than the seer craft ever could. I'd only become Tasi's friend because we were the only two seers there from Velaire and he didn't mind my... me-ness. "I'm not sure, but I'll try. I'll figure something out."

Tasi clapped me on the shoulder. "I know you will. You may even make friends with one of the patron spirits while you're there. I mean, there will be the octopus. Got to be careful about the rising whalefall though."

"What?" I turned to Tasi. He was talking in marine life terms, which was how he perceived magic. His face had gone slack and his eyes unfocused. I shook him a bit and after a second, he came back to me.

"Oh, ah, sorry. Drifted off there."

"You sounded like you were foretelling something. Do you remember what it was?"

"No clue, I'm afraid. Did it sound dramatic and portentous?"

"A bit. But I'll find out what it was soon enough."

Chapter 3: Arrival

Morgana

I stepped off the teleportation circle still sizzling with magic. "Hello," I greeted the mage operating it, "Has a seer arrived via this circle recently?" Not many had access to these circles, and I wouldn't be surprised if the seer and I were the only two to use this one today.

"Yes ma'am, they arrived a few minutes ago. They are waiting outside for you." I exited the small dome building that contained the teleportation circle and blinked in the sunlight. Sure enough, standing in the street not far away, was the seer I was supposed to meet. Navi Steatornis wasn't hard to recognize from a description. Heavyset ska'ol with a lizard head in cream-colored robes. I noted that they wore their two rings that marked them as a seer on a chain around their neck. It was a bit hard to tell, but they looked to be middle-aged. Navi was always looking towards me, like they'd expected me before I'd opened the door. Their reptilian face wasn't easy to read, but the astonishment was plain. I'd been prepared for this. I met their eyes. Seers may have a talent for seeing magic, but they had no defense against it. Navi went still as a glamour overcame them.

"Follow me, silently," I ordered, and headed off. Navi trailed behind me. I let them into an alley. With a twist of my hand, the shadows wrapped around us to block us from any passerby's sight. I looked back into Navi's eyes, using that connection to touch their mind. I threaded power through my words as I said, "Navi Steatornis, I place this glamour upon you: you will not perceive or acknowledge that I am half-fae. You will not believe I am anything other than human. You will believe that all magic I perform is of wizardly origin and without faery influence. You will not notice the illusion over my eyes. You will never say or imply that I am half-fae. You will not realize I have cast an enchantment upon you, and you will not remember this." Navi nodded, slowly. I could tell the glamour was securely placed upon them. I dragged them out of the alley, still holding their eye contact, then stepped away and broke their gaze.

Navi blinked, a translucent membrane sliding over their eyes and then back. They rubbed their head, and then seemed to see me in front of them for the first time. I extended a hand. "Seer Steatornis, I presume?"

They took it. The skin of their hand was gray and rough, but not scaly and could perhaps pass for human. "You are the mage, Morgana Bran?"

"That I am. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I look forward to working with you. Now, I believe we have a train to catch." Navi nodded. Both of our bags had been sent ahead and were waiting for us in Kalish, so we were unburdened except for our train tickets. Our train wasn't supposed to leave for an hour and we weren't far from the train station of Brambill, the city we'd just teleported into.

As we walked, Navi didn't say anything but just kept on looking me up and down. I worried it was somehow caused by the glamour, that they were trying to figure out why my magic showed up as a dead spot to them or something, but I had to remember that this was a seer that I was dealing with. I'd never met one before, but I'd been warned about them: minds that had been warped by seeing into the truth of magic like eyes that were damaged from staring into the sun. Harmless, but with a flexible grasp on what was real, an unreliable attention span, and an ability to be eerily insightful.

Whatever Navi read in me, they were apparently finished with all the interesting parts, because they turned their head away and instead started looking up, swiveling their head this way and that. Before long, their head stopped swiveling and they stopped in place. It took me a few seconds to realize what they were looking at. A bird. A rather unremarkable black bird, in my opinion. Navi drew a notebook and pencil from their pocket and flipped it open to write something down. They spoke aloud as they wrote. "Probably an Orenikan crow... maybe an eastern crow... spotted in Brambill, Orenika, second of Cleardawn." They closed their book and just stared at it for a few seconds, and I tried not to be offended that it seemed about as interesting to them as I had been. My mother had liked crows, though if I remembered correctly hers were larger. Navi turned and continued after me.

We had to stop a couple more times for Navi to note more rather dull looking birds. They got some stares from passersby, but I stood far enough away that it didn't seem obvious I was with them and was mostly ignored. On the third stop, I considered glamoring Navi to make them stop looking at the birds, but I didn't. I wasn't a perfect woman, but I had to draw a line at mind-controlling people out of trivial irritation. Particularly if I was already mind-controlling said person to hide important secrets. Glamor was one of those quite useful faery tricks humans had never quite mastered, but overusing it was just asking for trouble. I didn't say anything to Navi either. The seers might be aggravating at times, but they possessed an influence they had earned and I didn't need to end up offending one of them who might speak to my fellow mages about it.

We arrived at the gate to the train station with time to spare. I got our tickets checked and we were let in to wait with the small crowd at the platform by the tracks. This was one of the few train routes into Kalish. Their patron spirit of travel, Eada, and their patron spirit of metalworking, Fabra, were apparently having some dispute about whose churches had what responsibilities regarding the rails.

I had done research into Kalishan history in preparation for this mission. The current government of Kalish supposedly functioned independently to the pantheon and the Kalishan churches had no stated ability to influence it. But everyone both within and outside Kalish knew that when the patron spirits spoke, the people listened. Of course they did, most of the patron spirits were older than the current state of Kalish. Five hundred years ago, Kalish had purged its dragons, its faeries, its mages, and anyone or anything else that held magic. They'd been fools if they thought that would last. Chop down magic, and it just grew back up in a different shape. In Kalish, a century after the purge, it had taken the shape of the patron spirits. The land fractured with war for about two hundred years, then unified into the Kalishan Empire under the tyrannical patron spirit Elmira, who proceeded to order the invasion of everyone they could reach. When the empire and Elmira were put down, the outlying territories were shed, leaving only the newly formed modern nation of Kalish, peaceful and with no more patron spirit tyrants. Just still wildly afraid of all magic that didn't come from their own pantheon or exist in service to it. They had no teleportation circles, and wouldn't even accept me and Navi teleporting into the country under my own power. Instead we had to take a train ride that'd cost most of the day.

"I've taken three train rides before," I heard Navi's voice say, snapping me out of my internal history review. "For missions. Seers get access to the teleportation circles, but sometimes they don't go to places that the train does. What about you?"

"I never have," I confessed, "I don't travel as much and when I must go somewhere that is far from a teleportation circle, I can transport myself there under my own power."

"This will be good experience for you then." I looked sideways over at Navi. I tried to judge whether that was supposed to have been a veiled insult. I didn't think so, they didn't seem like the type. They were hard to read though, and not just because of the reptilian face.

The train thundered into the station. I hadn't anticipated that it would be so damned loud, but I didn't let how startled I was show on my face. It screeched to a stop, and I winced. I also hadn't known how ugly the thing would look. "Marvelous," breathed Navi. "I think this is a newer design than the last one I was on. It can pull more cars I think, and the passenger cabins look more solidly built." People began to climb aboard. I hesitated as I approached the great metal beast. I hadn't realized how much of the thing was made with iron. Faeries didn't like iron. It wouldn't burn me to touch like it would a full-blooded fae, but it could counteract my magic. I kept a careful eye on Navi as they boarded the train. They stopped and tilted their head when they stepped aboard, but after a moment, they kept on going. I reached out towards their mind with my own. My glamour was still firmly on them. I delicately stepped aboard, trying to touch as little iron as possible.

We found seats, mine right behind Navi's. After a few minutes, the train let out a bellow that was unnecessarily loud in my opinion and started off. The rattling and lurching of the train set me on edge, but it smoothed out after a few minutes. Navi was glued to the window, staring in amazement at the landscape passing us by, the closest ground a blur. I was used to moving fast, and had moved far faster than this through a variety of means. It wasn't as fun when you couldn't feel the wind whipping against you and the momentum pushing you forward.

Navi turned around in their seat and began to ramble on and on to me about all of the birds that they looked forward to seeing in Kalish. With a subtle twist of magic, I bent the sound around us so that the sound of their talking was a little more muted for the other passengers. I couldn't spare myself in the same way, lest I miss something important Navi said, so I put on a polite smile and half-listened to their chirping. I noticed Navi didn't ask any questions of me or wait for any response, just continued on. In fact, they weren't even really looking at me, like they were having a conversation with themself and had graciously decided to include me. I decided that I did not like Navi. That was fine, I only had to tolerate them for a couple days, and I was optimistic that if they embarrassed themself, it wouldn't be to a degree that would reflect poorly on me. I'd keep an eye out to keep them away from causing any particularly terrible messes.

The ska'ol, did occasionally stop to rest their throat and admire the countryside. About an hour into the ride, I'd stopped listening entirely, letting their voice become a background hum. Navi suddenly stopped speaking though, and whipped their head around like they'd heard something I hadn't. I was facing forward, and I noticed a couple seconds after they did. Coming into view was a tall stone, carved with intricate designs. The largest pattern however, was a circle of seventeen dots. One of the boundary stones of Kalish, that marked not only the borders of the state, but also of the patron spirits' domain. Navi made an "ooh" sound, like a child at a carnival.

"There are eagles perched on the stone," they said excitedly. I squinted, but I saw no birds on the boundary stone.

"I don't see them."

"Oh, not real eagles." And then the boundary stone was past us. I frowned. Usually when I was the in presence of someone hallucinating things, I was the one making them do the hallucinating. It was odd for it to be for reasons entirely unrelated to me.

Navi was holding their hand up in the air like they were feeling something. If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could feel a slight tingle. "They're watching us." said Navi. I frowned and opened my eyes.

"Who are?" I knew seers saw things, but I was hoping I hadn't been stuck with one who was paranoid too.

"The patron spirits. They were waiting for us to enter Kalish, I think." Well, that was a little creepy. "I doubt it's all of them." said Navi, as if that was supposed to be particularly comforting.

"Well, thank you for informing me."

Navi was silent for a little bit after that, but they were back to their chattering again before long. I blocked them out. Our train stopped a few times, to drop or pick up passengers to refuel. One of the stops was long enough to allow me and Navi to head into the nearby town, purchase some food, and return. I paid with Kalishan carelos, little coins stamped with intricate designs, on one side ringed by the seventeen-dot circle of the patron spirits. Some coins were old enough to have only fourteen dots. I paid for both myself and Navi, as they hadn't prepared and gotten the right currency.

We had to hurry back onto the train to eat. We'd gotten pieces of meat and vegetables skewered on a stick. I was cautious of splinters as I ate. It was more liberal with spices than I was used too and so a bit much for me, but it settled my hunger. Navi ate with great excitement, but I noted they did stop and tilt their head occasionally, seeming to consider and analyze the taste of it.

By the time we arrived in our destination, the city of Etalcion, it was late afternoon, and I was quite ready to be on my feet again and out of this metal monster. But we were meeting a priest of Kiaan outside the train station, and I needed to be sure I looked presentable. I called up an illusion so that the other passengers wouldn't see me doing anything out of the ordinary. As I did so, Navi turned back to eye the illusion. That was fine, the other passengers were probably used to Navi doing odd things by now, but some of them might not be used to a woman casually doing magic in front of them. I willed an oval of air to become hard and reflective like a mirror, and made it float in front of me so I could check my reflection. The illusion was still up over my eyes to make them appear brown instead of their naturally unnatural vivid indigo. Many of my peers knew I wore an illusion, but they assumed I did it to look younger, not knowing the faery blood in me was what slowed my aging. My shirt and vest looked good, though I had to magic away a small stain on my pants. There was another illusion on my bracers, to make them appear to be made of ordinary black leather and not silver inscribed with complex arcane sigils. I combed my hair with my fingers to make it a bit nicer, and dismissed both mirror and the concealing illusion around me.

We began to screech to a halt, and I was out of my seat before the train even stopped. Navi followed me as I disembarked and walked to the train station's gates. Just beyond them, there stood a man in purple and beige robes marked with the symbol of Kiaan. "Mastern Navi and mistress Morgana?"

I inclined my head respectfully. "Indeed. It is an honor to be a guest in your lands, maron." He seemed pleased that I had referred to him by the proper term of address for a priest.

"The honor is mine. Allow me to welcome you on behalf of the patron spirits. If you would just follow me, I can lead you to the inn that you will be staying in, where your luggage is waiting for you."

"Most kind." I followed the priest as he turned and began to walk away. Navi did as well, though their head was rapidly turning this way and that, trying to take in all the sights around us. At one point, they stopped to record a bird and I cleared my throat and gave them a meaningful head jerk. They seemed to get the message, sighed, and put their book away.

It hadn't been as bad in the shade of the train, but the bright sun shone directly down onto us now, and I was reminded that I was wearing dark, layered, tight clothes, not the much looser attire of the locals. I had known this though, and would be able to dress down a little when I was in my room at the inn.

I didn't gawk as much or as obviously as Navi, but I did take a moment to appreciate the fact that I was a foreign wizard permitted being permitted to walk in Kalish. Not just Kalish, but Etalcion. It wasn't the country's capital, but it was the site of the Spirit Palace and center of the patron spirits' power, which in some ways made it more important. The buildings here were mostly made from a pale stone found less in the rest of the continent, though often painted with vibrant colors. I admired the well-made and clean stone streets beneath my feet.

I brought my mind back to the priest we were following. "The Rebinding Ceremony will be tomorrow night, correct?"

"Yes. The ceremony itself will take place at sunset, but guests arrive well before then. You will be sent for and guided to the House of Rebinding tomorrow afternoon. Until then, feel free to explore the city. For your safety, there are members of the Etalcion city watch staying at the inn who will escort you anywhere you wish to go. Oh, and we do ask that you refrain from magic while you are here."

"Of course," I replied smoothly. "We are here merely to observe and record the events of the ceremony, an honor we do not take lightly."

"It is appreciated."

The illusion magic I wore probably qualified as a violation of that rule, but I wasn't going to bring that up. I was already committing a far more serious crime under Kalishan law by walking in their country with faery blood in my veins.