Amdirlain’s PoV - East Wind’s Court

  The night proceeded with more lifetime explorations, and the flames of her sigil intensified with each layer of strands connecting nodes. As another memory faded, Amdirlain blinked to find Klipyl kneeling across from her. A Message globe hovered by Amdirlain’s shoulder; she parsed the details and dismissed the Spell even as she smiled at Klipyl.

  “Good morning, Am. It’s good to see you smiling. I take it that lifetime was nicer than the others you’d found?”

  “I found a lifetime that was what Orhêthurin had hoped for all along. A normal life with the highs and lows of motherhood to an overly energetic brood of children,” explained Amdirlain.

  “Did Sarah get to be the dad?”

  The smile flickered out. “I didn’t recognise anyone I’d believe to be her reincarnation.”

  A gentle touch came through their mental link. ‘I’ve had lifetimes where I didn’t recognise you either, and I have had plenty of experience with motherhood, even in this realm. I’m glad you found a lifetime with that experience, so no letting guilt steal that glow.’

  ‘Do you remember a lifetime with a bipedal species similar to a Meerkat but with technology?’ Amdirlain added memories of large family gatherings to the link.

  Laughter rippled through the link. ‘No, but that looks like fun.’

  Klipyl stepped close and enfolded her in a warm hug. “Kadaklan said you’d run into more unpleasant lives.”

  “Ori had a few nasty reincarnations so far, but I ran into an enjoyable life where I mothered a little clan. It was filled with the usual challenges and lots of love,” reassured Amdirlain.

  “You’re loved here, Sis. Please never forget it.”

  Amdirlain kissed her on the cheek. “Love you too, Klipyl.”

  Klipyl smiled at her, eyes glistening as her tears started to stream. “You made me cry.”

  “Let me cuddle you better.”

  They held each other in silence for a time; eventually, Amdirlain broke the silence. “Are you still worried about what classes to pick?”

  “No, I’m living a life of boundless possibilities. I will see how many classes I can unlock before I worry about picking more. The use of stillness to find yourself is a lesson from the tea ceremonies.”

  Amdirlain beamed at her. “Not choosing is a choice.”

  “Indeed.”

  The pair laughed until Klipyl released her and stepped back to release a large canvas on a stand from a storage device. The canvas depicted Amdirlain kneeling in darkness with her eyes closed, her phoenix sigil ablaze, and the white flames of her aura stretched upwards into flared wings. In the darkness beyond the light of her fire were figures fumbling about, heads tilted in anticipation towards the flames—looks of confusion tinged with hope.

  “Do you like it?” asked Klipyl, her voice jittering with nerves.

  “It’s marvellous. I’ve never had someone paint my portrait before,” gushed Amdirlain.

  Klipyl blushed and fidgeted, suddenly bashful. “I took a lot of lessons and then worked on it for six months while you were meditating. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”

  “Who’d you paint it for?”

  “For myself, I wanted to see if I could. I figured I’d give it to Sarah if you thought it was decent.” Her voice thickened with emotion, and Klipyl stopped to clear her throat.

  “It’s more than decent. It’s beautiful,” breathed Amdirlain. Stepping forward, she put a reassuring hand on Klipyl’s shoulder. “You’ve grown into such a wonderful being, Klipyl. Thanks for adopting me.”

  Klipyl sniffed. “You’re going to make me cry again.”

  Amdirlain tugged her closer. “It’s okay. I’ll hug you while your emotions run wild. Then you can tell me what you’ve been up to besides tea ceremonies and painting classes.”

  It was only when Klipyl needed to get ready for another meeting that they stopped catching up on the various arts Klipyl had been learning.

  As Klipyl excused herself to prepare, Amdirlain joined Cyrus in his reading room at the library.

  “I take it you didn’t let the librarians know?”

  Her mischievous smile was all the answer he needed. As he let out a sigh, Amdirlain sat across from him, looking over the assortment of books he had spread across the table. “Are you looking into more paths?”

  “A guide is only as good as his knowledge. The time spent helping you find techniques showed me I need to learn more.”

  “I’ve gotten my sigil to stage eight.”

  Cyrus moved slowly and precisely, placing a bookmark and gently closing the text while considering his words: “Most people look to solidify gains before moving onto the next stage.”

  “To me, the next stage is working on the healing technique. Do you mean I should continue to increase my sigil? There were hundreds of lifetimes, so I have good odds that the next won’t be Ori.”

  “I would recommend that you practice your powers or cycle to become more familiar with the impact of your sigil on restoring your Ki. The more Ki flow you cause, the sturdier the expanded connections will be.”

  Amdirlain sighed. “I don’t feel any fragility in them, though they’re currently encased in the headband's material. I’d hoped to try out the Soul healing to ensure I’d found a suitable approach. Then we can move onto the South Wind’s Court so Kadaklan won’t be constantly uncomfortable.”

  “Perhaps a sparring session?”

  “That sounds like an idea,” Amdirlain grinned. “How badly should we scare the locals?”

  “I’ll restrain myself. What you do is up to you,” replied Cyrus. “Why don’t we visit the Martial Pavilion training ground Jinfeng has been frequenting?”

  “True, after they see what she’s had to endure, they might stop challenging her.”

  Cyrus started to collect the books. “Or it will have the opposite effect.”

  “I’ll see you there.”

  The Martial Pavilion’s southern training ground had an open courtyard at the front with a grid of 100 marked-off areas for technique drills, and behind that grid stood three sparring arenas. Heavy-duty wards enclosed the arenas, but the seating was a simple arrangement of bamboo scaffolding supporting bare plank seats. All the training spots and most of the main arena seats were occupied, but the other two arenas were empty.

  Do they think plain wood encourages humility?

  As Amdirlain headed to the clerk at the main desk, the youngster looked ready to vanish into the bamboo supports behind him. His black queue slid from his shoulder as he swallowed his nerves and bowed awkwardly, mentally cursing himself for not rising. “Lady Am. Are you here to observe Master Lu?”

  “I’d like to secure an arena for myself and Master Cyrus.”

  “How long would you like it for?”

  “Just for a brief sparring session, six hours is fine.”

  “We can manage two hours before other reservations occur.”

  Do I expand the space they have available?

  Amdirlain restrained her snort. “That’s fine.”

  ‘Cyrus and I are having some playtime at Jinfeng’s favourite spot.’

  ‘I’ll be there shortly,’ returned Sarah. ‘Have you expanded the arena yet?’

  ‘I decided it was a bad idea. Don’t take too long.’

  ‘Let me guess, you didn’t go to a Demi-Plane so you could help others?’

  Amdirlain laughter echoed across their link as she headed into the arena to wait for Master Cyrus. As the first person took a seat, Amdirlain created an illusion of a gleaming Diamond Dragon to reserve a seat for Sarah.

  A few minutes later, Cyrus showed up and eyed the reservation marker with amusement before he took a position on the opposite side of the arena.

  “How much time do we have?” asked Cyrus.

  “They could only give us a two-hour window.”

  “Are you looking to place pressure on your Ki Pool or teach?”

  “Isn’t every occasion a teaching opportunity?” Amdirlain motioned at the wards, and an additional dome sprung into existence. “Now we don’t have to hold back as much.”

  Cyrus blurred towards her, Amdirlain deflected each strike in the flurry of blows by the thinnest of margins to minimise the effort required. Every motion from both of them carried enough force to generate a shockwave. Throughout it all, Amdirlain projected key points into the audience’s minds so they could understand what was happening.

  When Sarah arrived, her cute placeholder waved her over, then the psionic construct curled in her lap; the clash of energy-infused blows drowned out its loud rumble.

  At that session’s end, the trio returned to their accommodation, and Klipyl greeted them, excitedly waving a scroll. “A royal message for you, Sis.”

  “Someone else wanting a royal favour?” asked Sarah as she headed for the sideboard that held the drinks.

  “No, it’s from Li Jing. I caught its arrival while I was sparring with Master Cyrus.” Amdirlain took the scroll from Klipyl and stored it away. “He wants to discuss his son’s situation and pay reparations.”

  “Nezha’s father wants to pay reparations?” questioned Cyrus. “I’d suspect it’s more about him hoping you’ll punish his son further. He’s with the Jade Court, and I didn’t expect you to meet him.”

  Sarah stopped with a glass in hand. “They’ve got a close relationship?”

  “I’m unsure what to do if he asks for further punishment, Sifu. Nezha already triggered my scheme by travelling to Atonement. Then he discovered he’d seriously underestimated how angry I was with him.”

  “His curiosity finally lured him in.” Sarah returned to pouring herself a drink.

  “What did you do?” asked Cyrus, a gleam of amusement peeking through his composure.

  “He finally dropped in to check it last night and found he stuck his foot in my bear trap. He cannot leave Atonement now until I let him out. I gave him the rules for the processing of the dammed souls. However, I didn’t tell him the rules of the Plane itself. Those prevent anyone but a Celestial Slime, going to pilot a control station or a cleaned Soul from leaving without my permission, and no one can send messages out.” Amdirlain tapped her temple. “That won’t change until I get the headband off, so he’s potentially my permanent guest. Best case, by the time that happens, he might better appreciate Judge Po’s role.”

  Cyrus’s chuckles blended with Sarah’s laughter as it progressed to the volume of a ruckus.

  “Isn’t everything there grey and boring? He seemed like the type of fellow that would go mental in dull surroundings,” Klipyl frowned. “I’m not sure if I should send him a Message to let him know he deserves every grey moment or a bright picture to emphasise how dull everything else is. With the torture he inflicted on you, I’m very unhappy with him.”

  “He’s not worth your time, Klipyl. Are you and Kadaklan going for your afternoon stroll shortly?” asked Amdirlain.

  “Do you want us to drop an official reply to Li Jing with the Duty Pavilion?” asked Klipyl.

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  “Just let me know when you have it ready. Are you going to meet anyone tonight?”

  “No, I plan to spend the evening composing and emptying my Ki Pool into Foundry’s core.” Amdirlain bounced the siphon crystal on her palm and stored it again. “Do you want to tell Eb she could siphon Ki into her domain’s wellspring?”

  Klipyl snorted. “You know, the residents of the domain still talk about the effect your Ki entering the wellspring had.”

  “Yeah, but does she want to try it out?”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “I’ll ask.”

  “If she doesn’t want it, I can always use it for my projects,” advised Sarah.

  Amdirlain raised an eyebrow. “You got the crystals from my meditation session to go with the other Ki stockpiled.”

  “And?”

  “Greedy Dragon,” Amdirlain huffed playfully.

  “Kiss my scales,” heckled Sarah.

  “Take it to the bedroom,” Klipyl jabbed a hand towards their room.

  “Being sent to bed without dinner is your fault,” noted Amdirlain.

  Sarah gave her a sultry smile; the heat in her gaze caused Amdirlain to blush.

  “Anyway. I will spend some time emptying and refilling my Ki Pool; hopefully, that helps reinforce my spiritual net’s connections.”

  “Try not to do too many things simultaneously,” cautioned Cyrus. “For a bit, just focusing on cycling to refill your Ki Pool is the best approach.”

  Amdirlain handed Klipyl a scroll and took Sarah’s hand. “Bye. We’ll be out later.”

  “Much later,” declared Sarah.

  The following five days were a whirlwind of activity. While the others tidied off matters to travel to the South Wind’s Court, Amdirlain proceeded with her own preparations. She visited with members of the court, composed, and meditated during the evening. A hundred million Ki points flowed into Foundry’s core daily before continuing to the wellspring of Lerina’s Domain. Her idle mind caught on Lethe’s situation, and she considered the possibility of the Thought Form Power to give her the option of an external existence. Though the Power increased, the fleeting musings vanished amidst the swirling Ki.

  A confirmation from Li Jing arrived among the subsequent days' activities, accepting the first meeting time Amdirlain had offered him.

  On the day, Amdirlain caught his approach a polite amount of time before their meeting. He wore loose Mandarin robes of red and gold with a wide jade green sash around his waist.

  “A certain visitor is approaching the front door,” announced Amdirlain.

  “I’ll handle greeting them.” Klipyl set her brush aside and disappeared.

  As Amdirlain followed the smooth exchange of courtesies downstairs, she cleared the room of everything except the tea service on a low side table. Li Jing politely greeted Klipyl by name, drawing a surprised but pleased reaction.

  Klipyl led him to the living space and slid the doors open to either side. “Announcing His Majesty Li Jing, I’d like to introduce you to Lady Am.”

  “It is an honour to meet you, Lady Am.” With that, Li Jing bowed almost to the complete ninety degrees.

  “Please come in, your majesty. I hope you’ll join me for some tea,” said Amdirlain, motioning to a spot before her.

  “That would be most generous of you. Please, just call me by name.”

  As Ji Long settled smoothly onto a cushioned spot, Klipyl poured the tea for them and set it on a plate beside them. Though she didn’t go through the tea ceremony, Amdirlain caught the smooth precision in her motions.

  She didn’t include studying the tea ceremony among her art studies. I should ask how she sees the rituals around it now.

  After they’d each taken a sip of tea, Li Jing spoke again. “I appreciate you fitting me into your schedule so promptly. I’m sure there are many seeking a word with you.”

  “There are, but I’m selective about who I speak with. I would say the contents of your letter took me by surprise.”

  Li Jing nodded in understanding. “I’m sure you expected me to demand his release. I spoke to the East Wind while you were meditating. After you started socialising, he advised me you were preparing to travel onwards, and I wanted to ensure I met with you.”

  “You couldn’t wait until I found the Jade Court?”

  “You might yet meet the Jade Emperor, but the Jade Court is not a place you can enter given your planar axis. However, while its Mortal echo is the Imperial palace of Zhōngguó, the Jade Emperor doesn’t sit upon that throne. Some sources hint at it, but it's actually a trap for arrogant Mortal practitioners, and the guards protecting Zhōngguó’s sitting emperor kill them.” Li Jing smiled warily. “The path to meet the Jade Emperor is one of discernment. If one can’t understand the truth of oneself, he will remain unnoticed, even if you stare right at him.”

  “I appreciate the information. Your message made me a touch curious,” asked Amdirlain.

  “Please accept my sincere apologies for my failure to raise my son to be an honourable man.”

  “If the tales I’ve read are even partly true, I think you were up against an insurmountable challenge to raise him. What was it like to have a child with the strength of a deity?”

  Li Jing paused. “Nazha was a troublesome child growing up—too much energy, combined with the durability and strength of a God. My wife and I were only Mortal. Since we could not discipline him, we couldn’t properly raise him, and my wife aggravated it by indulging him. Together, we failed him. His situation is beside the point. I should have instilled principles in him. What he did to you is unforgivable, and it is the second time he has grievously hurt another without cause. It is only right to make amends and share in his punishment.”

  “What does your wife say?”

  Li Jing’s jaw clenched, and he let out a slow breath before he replied. “The vision must have a reason, and you should simply endure it. I know visions can also show avoidable disasters, and one shouldn’t chase their results foolishly to avoid courting ruin.”

  “You sound like you’ve had experience with the latter.” Amdirlain listened to the sorrow in his theme. “I hope this situation hasn’t opened old wounds.”

  “It was a fate suffered by one I counted as a friend in our old realm. An idiot Shen who once received a vision of the woman he loved no longer by his side, and he blurted out that he would always find her. If something isn’t lost, there is no need to find it.”

  “That doesn’t sound good. Did you get caught up in the mess?”

  “Only in helping him deal with the demonic attacks on the villages in his care. The Demon King came to learn of his oath, and she suffered kidnap and torture before the Shen found her. She died in his arms, and the Demon King’s lackeys took his head. He spent a century being punished by Judge Po for slipping from his Dao in his frenzy to find her, and she had no memory of him in her next life. He was the target, and if he hadn’t sworn the oath, the Demon King wouldn’t have gone after her.”

  “I can see why you're wary of visions.” Amdirlain took a deliberate sip of the tea as she considered the implications for answers to her next question. “Did your wife encourage your son to deliver the headband?”

  “No, but she feels her precious boy can do no wrong.” Li Jing’s jaw tightened again, frustration lining his face.

  “You talked about reparations, but what outcome do you seek, Li Jing?”

  “I ask how I can make amends, not for you to lessen his punishment but to restore my honour. It is with the greatest shame I admit I couldn’t get him to learn from the Qinglong’s son. What can I do? How can I assist you? You set him work. Should I share in his punishment to aid that cause?”

  Amdirlain mentally tossed about options before she decided for clarity. “You don’t know the full extent of my planned punishment. While I told him my terms and the location he’d need to go to, he didn’t ask for details about the Plane I called Atonement. As you did not condone the deed, I can’t in good conscience allow you to share the punishment without full disclosure.”

  Ji Leng ruefully shook his head. “What did he blindly leap into?”

  “Nazha swore an oath, as witnessed by Eleftherios, to protect and care for the souls being tended on my Plane. I provided him with a crystal to allow him to travel there, but the crystal also had other effects. By using the crystal to travel to the Plane, he gave my song implicit permission to take effect.”

  Li Jing clapped. “Please tell me you stripped his immortality.”

  No grudge at all here.

  “No. He bound me, so I bound him to another Plane, and the moment he went there, he became trapped. If I get free from the headband, I’ll release him as his reward. I’ve learned enough of the courts to know what I did effectively locks him there. The rules also prevent outside communication unless I allow it. I’ve since learnt that only after Judge Po’s ruling can an Immortal or Primordial of the courts restore themselves to the flesh. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well. If he dies there, he will wander the place as an incorporeal essence, unable to venture to Judge Po. He would need enough strength to break the Plane to escape, and that would harm those he promised to protect. The warning I gave him told him of this situation. Eleftherios will act if he breaks his vow, so attacking the Plane boundary will see Nazha dead forever. Immortality isn’t ‘you will live forever’ here; it's more ‘tough to destroy’, but hard isn’t impossible.”

  There wasn’t so much a hint of Nazha’s attention at her use of his name.

  Li Jing beamed at Amdirlain. “Then he received a fraction of what he deserves and a better lesson than he has previously experienced.”

  “I didn’t expect you to be so accepting of it.”

  “You’ve set him a task he can’t treat with the same disregard as past dishonours. My wife arranged for a replacement body to be made when the East Wind killed him and set him to wander as a spirit. That cut short the lesson he should have learnt from slaying his son. I take it she won’t convince you to free him?”

  “She’s wasting her time to try. It's time he grows up. I told him I’d allow him to choose his punishment, and he picked the first one I offered.”

  Amdirlain raised an eyebrow at his immediate kowtow. “Thank you, Lady Am. Thank you for disciplining my son when I could not. The ability to kill him is in my hands, but death teaches him nothing. I would join his punishment if you’d allow it.”

  “If you joined his punishment, it would lessen it by providing him company.”

  “Could you leave him there after you’re free of the headband? A reward doesn’t need to be given immediately.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that? You also won’t be able to come and go. If you kill him there, he might get drawn into the same processing the souls go through, as it's currently his only Home Plane. I designed that process for those deemed irredeemably dammed, and it rips memories out beyond recovery, even if they later become enlightened.”

  “The East Wind’s son hadn’t achieved immortality, and he didn’t know his father when he was reborn. He didn’t achieve enlightenment before we left the realm. You said Nazha knows that Atonement is now his Home Plane?”

  Amdirlain nodded firmly. “He would have known his arrival anchored him to the Plane even before he received my warning.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him to kill himself, believing he could still escape. Best that I share the punishment that I can make it clear death could be his end, not a release from the punishment.”

  “Very well. I’ll send you to join him, but if you die, I’ll permit you to go to Judge Po—a safeguard in case he does something monumentally stupid. However, I will not send you back again if you die.”

  “If there isn’t enough to keep him busy, I’ll spar with him to burn his energy off. That might lessen his tendency towards stupidity,” said Li Jing.

  “I had planned to expand the facilities once free of my curse, but I’ll sort out some of that today, so there is more to do.”

  Li Jing laid out an ornate set of wushu robes with mithril thread in the pattern of coiling dragons. “The enchantment within these resized them to the wearer, and the attuned wearer’s affinities allow them to adapt to energies. I hope you’ll accept them as a token of my profound regret for my son’s attack on you. I had intended these as partial reparations before your explanation.”

  Analysis confirmed his words, and Amdirlain took in the smooth melody within the cloth. “Presenting them to me is reparation enough. The enchantment is unique and foreign to this realm.”

  “Yes, the master who made them didn’t travel with us,” said Li Jing, his brows lifted in puzzlement.

  “Now that I’ve sensed them, I can make my own.” Amdirlain smiled. “While they don’t add protection, not worrying about ending up naked is very useful. When would you like to travel to Atonement?”

  Li Jing kowtowed again. “I can depart immediately. I wanted to be available for whatever task you assigned me.”

  “Then let's get started.”

  Without further prompting, Li Jing stood. Amdirlain scooped up the robes and stood, offering them to him. “Thank you for letting me sense their beauty.”

  He nodded and reclaimed them from her. Li Jing bowed politely to Klipyl. “My thanks for the tea. I apologise that the meeting gave us little time to enjoy it.”

  Klipyl smiled at him and motioned to a painting of Quan Yin walking on a spring mountainside. “Would you like to take that with you? Atonement is very grey, and you deserve some colour. Kadaklan and I can paint another.”

  “Your gift humbles me. Tales I’ve heard of you don’t do you justice, Lady Klipyl.”

  She smiled at him and retrieved it from the wall. “I’m not technically a Lady.”

  “You are Lady Am’s sister, are you not?”

  “You’ve got better information sources than your son,” smirked Klipyl.

  Once his hands were free, Amdirlain offered a memory crystal. “The details in this crystal are how Atonement works and the tasks souls are assigned to. While the main foes they were warring against for a time have been crippled, there are still places to clean up and foes to combat in the Abyss.”

  “Thank you, Lady Am.”

  With that provided, Amdirlain opened a Gate to the top of a grey tower near Nazha. As soon as Li Jing stepped through, she closed it up.

  “It looks like I have some singing ahead of me; otherwise, the supervision won’t occupy the two of them.”

  “How many levels will that gain you?” asked Klipyl.

  “Too many, but I’ll only level Songbird and my species with it. I’ll keep the experience out of my other classes and improve them during the trip through the Abyss. I need to evolve my Mana Mastery to unlock better Wizard variants.”

  Amdirlain opened a Gate and started singing. Devices to create weapons and treat souls sprung into existence within complexes for hundreds of kilometres around it.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  Lerina’s PoV (Ebusuku) - Plane: Laurelin

  Far from the Plane’s first city, a circle of fifty alabaster-skinned angels rose from a distant wellspring, their vibrant multi-hued wings spread out in a blanket of colour. Pants and loose jackets of silvery-cloth clothed their feminine forms; there was no trace of insignia. As the first Angel started to sing, more rose from the ground nearby, and the circle expanded until nearly two choirs, each a hundred thousand strong, sang as one. The music echoed across the Plane, pulsing regularly. Their vocalising was a tender sound that washed gently over those listening, and the simple True Song spread wildflowers before it. The song had continued for a day when Lerina brought Farhad and Erwarth to see them.

  “Do we tell Amdirlain or save it as a surprise once she’s free of the curse?” asked Lerina. “Their existence would be a grand surprise, but I feel too many people are keeping secrets from her.”

  Farhad smiled. “I think this Plane has one key law: things change.”

  Lerina turned to Erwarth, who stood near the pair, watching the angels sing. “What do you make of it, Erwarth?”

  “It’s True Song. My first thought is that Amdirlain’s Soul wants a replacement for the Lóm? and Anar, despite the aspects already taking up their duties. Are there more forming?”

  “The wellspring is far stronger than before I poured her Ki into it, but no more of these angels are rising from it.”

  “My immediate worry is what might happen if one of them fell,” said Erwarth. “I’ve still not gotten past my paranoia of what might become of me if I fall.”

  “There is a link between the song and their species. If they fall, that link would break, and the ability to sing wouldn’t survive.”

  The tension within Erwarth eased, and Lerina smiled.

  “The Lóm? should have lost True Song and gained normal elven lifespans when we stopped working for the Titan. It might have pruned the arrogance and pride that father says still infects them.”

  “Might we talk?” asked Lerina, her words carrying across the singers’ awareness.

  The first fifty raised their hands, long azure hair swaying in the breeze. When those conductors dropped their arms as one, the song cut off.

  Lerina felt their minds entwined, but she deliberately didn’t intrude. She caught the sense of mutual agreement, and the fifty conductors all appeared before Lerina.

  “What do you need of us, Goddess Lerina?” The words came synchronised from all fifty, but Lerina realised it was a deliberate choice, not a need. Variations in their beauty, composure and stances were apparent, making it clear they weren’t a hive mind.

  Are they pranking me?

  “Do you know your purpose?”

  “We’re to create, grow stronger, and wait. However, that purpose comes more from our discussion than explicit instructions. Would you like anything made while we practise?”

  “That’s hard to say without knowing what you can do. Can you see your profiles?”

  “You want to know our classes and skills?” When Lerina nodded, they spoke as one again. “The important ones to note are our primary Class and three powers: Glinnel, Advanced Telepathy, Resonance, and True Song. They have far to go.”

  Erwarth turned to Lerina. “Do you want to ask Gail to come home? I can teach those who sing in the Lóm? octaves.”

  Half the group looked at her, and the synchronised words came from that half. “You would be our Noltar?”

  “If you’d have me,” replied Erwarth.

  One of them smiled and spoke alone. “If you would let us call you Noltar, or teacher, a name meaning betrayer doesn’t suit you. We recognise your essence’s melody.”

  “How do you know it?”

  “Gideon told us we are the Enyali?.”

  “Memory,” blurted Erwarth. “Why don’t you wear any insignia?”

  Their leader again spoke alone. “Mother doesn’t have one. She created us while considering how to free another, so we’ll wait for her to decide what it should be.”

  “What’s your mother’s name?” asked Lerina.

  The lot giggled joyously before the leader replied. “Amdirlain. Who else did you think I would mean, Auntie?”

  A thread of Lerina’s attention reached out.

  On Veht?, the news had Klipyl struggling to restrain her laughter as Amdirlain worked on Atonement.