In a rare stroke of good fortune, Mother and Smitta Farlin were invited to the Westerly house for supper that night. Mother was practically giddy as she got ready.
"Do you think formal dress would be too much?" she worried. "Father always preferred us to look our best. I haven't been invited to the house since before Theophana was born. Are you sure I was included in the invitation? Even the baby? What about Theophana? It seems a shame to leave her home alone…"
"I'll be fine, Mother," I reassured her as I finished my meal of porridge. "I'm not feeling well anyway."
Aunt Ellie was holding Devotion as Mother dressed. She smiled at me from the hallway, her eyes filled with pity.
"Farlin already went over with Grand Smitta Leen," my mother continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Am I keeping everyone waiting?"
"No, Eva," Aunt Ellie assured her. "You have plenty of time."
She rushed anyway.
"Go to bed early," she said as they went out the door. "Send word if you need anything."
"Yes, Mother."
They were gone in a flurry of motion, and I was glad for the quiet.
Min became visible as soon as it became certain that they wouldn't be returning. "What a commotion," he grumbled.
I made a sound of agreement but immediately set to work. I went into my mother's room, opening up her clothing trunk. I didn't have anything appropriate for climbing a mountain, so I just borrowed the darkest dress that Mother owned.
I tied a scarf around my head and found the thickest gloves that I could. I bundled up in layers, finishing off with Mother's winter coat.
"How far up the mountain are we going?" I asked the hoak. "If I'm gone too long, they'll find out."
"It'll be more than just the night," Min admitted. "I can cast a spell on your room to make it seem like you're in there, but only if they don't go to check."
I sighed quietly. "That would probably be enough."
We went into the kitchen, where I began filling a sack with food that would be easy to eat while walking. I avoided anything that would need to be cooked since I knew fires would be dangerous. I filled a waterskin, then strapped all my supplies to my back.
"Will I need any medical supplies?" I inquired.
Min shook his head. "Not the humankind."
"Let's get going, then," I said, anxious to begin.
We slipped out the front door, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. We were already in the eastern section of the village, so it was easy to sneak past the buildings and into the open fields. I suspected that Min used some of his magic to keep us out of sight, so we left the town without any issue.
As we climbed the foothills, Min reached down to pick up dead grass and flowers. He wove them into a bracelet and affixed it to my wrist.
"What are you doing?" I laughed.
"Hush," he scolded.
The hoak closed his rough hands around the bracelet, murmuring some quiet words that I couldn't quite hear. When he opened his fingers, I saw that the dead plants had been transformed into delicately carved stone. The leaves, once withered and broken, were now fully formed in green jade and carnelian.
"It's beautiful," I gasped.
"Doesn't matter how it looks," Min muttered roughly, although he looked pleased. "It's to help draw out some of that awful poison."
He made a second bracelet, placing it on my other wrist and transforming it in the same fashion.
"Don't take them off," he warned.
"I don't think that I can," I said with a grin, pointing out the lack of a clasp.
Mineral harrumphed at me, but he patted my arm gently. I could tell that he was worried, even though he tried to hide it. He stayed close, watching my movements with covert glances. He reached out every time that I stumbled, as if he could catch me if I fell.
It had been a long time since I'd been away from the village, so I hadn't realized how out of shape I'd gotten. Following the path out of the valley left me feeling winded—something that I had never experienced before.
I expected Min to tease me for my physical state, but his rock-like lips simply pressed into a thin line as we slowed our pace.
"What have you been doing for the past two years?" he asked quietly.
I gave a half-smile. "Oh, you know. I've been learning how to be a good human."
His eyes narrowed. "I want the real answer, Tiff."
"That is the real answer," I insisted. "Mother taught me all the skills of a useful household woman, although I don't know why. No one would ever want to marry a tainted person like me. Smitta Farlin teaches me what I have to do to save my soul."
Min looked displeased with my response. "I hope you don't believe anything you just said."
I shrugged. "It's what they believe."
"That doesn't make them right."
My attempts at levity dropped away. "Mother really thinks she's doing what's best. She thinks that I'll go on living in the village, just like everyone else there."
"Does she ever let you go to the forest?"
"No," I admitted. "She says it's not safe."
"Not safe?" Min sputtered. "You grew up there, and she says it's not safe?"
"Shin was coming during the warm months to teach Tsuki," I explained, "so that led to rumors in the village about monsters in the forest."
The hoak made a sound of disgust.
"I tried to explain it to her," I went on, "but it didn't make a difference. I was afraid that if I said too much Smitta Farlin would get involved."
Min nodded in agreement. "That's probably for the best, but doesn't she understand how important it is for you to spend time there?"
"I doubt it," I muttered, kicking at the dirt in our path.
"Keeping a tiernan from their source is like starving them," Min exclaimed. "Your mother should know that."
I heavy silence settled over me.
Did she know that? Did my mother understand the repercussions of her decisions on my behalf? I wanted to believe that she just thought she was doing what was best for me, but I couldn't help but wonder. How much did she know about tiernan? How much had she learned from my father? She'd never been clear on the subject.
Was she ignorant about certain things? Or was she willfully trying to change them?
Sometimes it seemed like she wanted to believe that her determination to make me completely human would make it happen. As if her stubborn rejection of my tiernan side might eventually make it disappear.
I almost laughed at the thought, even though I wasn't amused.
"I guess it's a good thing that I'm half-human," I murmured, "otherwise, I would've died long ago."
Min reached up and squeezed my hand. "Humans are not always wise when they think they are right."
We continued walking quietly, breathing in the pure night air and feeling the moonlight on our skin. I felt so much relief being with Mineral, I couldn't put it into words. Being with him, away from the confines of the village, I felt like I could finally exist again.
I hadn't realized how constricting my life had become until that moment. I knew that it was confining, but I didn't remember the feeling of my life before. It had happened bit by bit, day by day. I had slowly suffocated without recalling how deeply I used to be able to breathe.
I suddenly wanted to run and yell and cry all at once.
I could feel the world alive all around me. It was so beautiful and vibrant. I felt the urge to lie down on the withered grass and drink it all in.
Min seemed to sense the change in me. He grinned up at me, sharing in my rapture.
Even with our moderate speed, we reached the foot of the mountain in good time. I saw the river encircling the base was low due to the time of year. That would make crossing easier.
"I wonder if the river creature will talk to us," I mused aloud.
Min didn't ask for clarification. He simply shook his head. "Anything that is able to leave will flee before long."
The crease in my forehead deepened. "Is it really that bad?"
He nodded. "The mountain will burn before the humans will be satisfied."
My eyes swept the surrounding area. "Where are they?" I asked. "The soldiers?"
The hoak pointed up the slope. "The Grand Smitta brought some with him from the city, but most of them were sent by the local lord. I would guess there are at least a hundred of them."
My jaw dropped. "A hundred?"
He nodded grimly.
"How are there so many?"
"Lord Yubran keeps soldiers in his castle at all times," Min explained. "They live there with him."
I felt a little foolish that I'd never thought about that before. "I guess that makes sense," I murmured.
"Come on," he encouraged, easing himself down to cross the river. "We have a long climb ahead. Budding and Wake are waiting for us."
"They're together?" I asked in surprise.
He nodded. "All of the tiernan who have stayed neutral in the conflict ended up keeping close to each other."
I climbed down into the river, finding rocks to step on. I didn't want to get my boots wet if I could avoid it. I had to focus on each of my steps, so when I looked up again, Min was already in the trees on the mountain. I scrambled up the steep slope, breathing heavily as I pulled myself up.
"Borrow strength from the trees," Min advised. "They have plenty to spare."
"I don't remember how," I admitted.
He sighed. "I wish Budding was here."
I sat at the base of a pine, leaning against its rough trunk. I rested my cheek on the bark, taking in the texture. I tried to recall Budding's teaching about how to use magic, but her words eluded me. I couldn't connect to the surrounding plants, drawing from the golden threads invisible to the physical eyes.
My stomach was hurting, even though I hadn't had any of the green pellets that day.
I wrapped my arms around the tree and closed my eyes. There had been a time when I had felt just as strong and solid. There had been days when I had been unbothered by the outside world.
I wished I still felt that way.
Tears sprung to my eyes, streaming down my face before I was aware of them.
So much had changed over the past few years. How long had it been since Mother and I had been on a picnic? When was the last time I had run through the forest without wearing shoes?
I hadn't done anything that I loved in such a long time. I hadn't felt like myself for as long as I could remember.
I continued to hug the tree and cry.
Min came over to sit next to me. He didn't say anything. He simply rested his head against me, patting my knee with a gentle hand.
I suddenly remembered a song that Aunt Theophana used to sing to me. It was a mystery how I could possibly recall anything from that young age, but somehow I did. The words rose up from the depths of my memory, and I started to sing them as well.
I am the daughter of wise ones,
The daughter of Earth,
The daughter of queens,
The daughter of royal birth.
My coming was told
Long ago in the stars,
My destiny has been sung
By both those near and far.
The men of this age
Hide the words of my fate.
They take for themselves
And they say I must wait.
They know not the power
That grows in my breast,
It waits for no man or beast
It withstands all tests.
I am the daughter of wise ones,
The daughter of Earth,
The daughter of queens,
The daughter of royal birth.
I stopped because I couldn't remember the next verse. My throat was strained because it had been so long since I'd last sung, but the pain in my stomach had disappeared and my limbs felt stronger.
Min smiled at me proudly. "Beautiful magic," he complimented.
A grin spread across my face. I'd forgotten that music was a form of magic. "I feel better," I told him.
He nodded. "The more magic you use, the more poison will be driven from your body."
I got to my feet, ready to begin climbing the mountain. "Let's go."
Min walked next to me, even though I knew that he could travel more efficiently. I appreciated his support since I was still weaker than I used to be. I used every handhold available, crawling whenever necessary.
I remembered that the first stretch of the mountain was the steepest, so I didn't allow myself to get discouraged. Once we passed that first section, I stood upright and began walking at a faster pace.
"Where are Budding and Wake?" I asked.
Min continued to monitor me with concern in his crystal eyes. "They're at Wake's river," he answered, trotting to keep up with me.
"Is that where Budding's trees are as well?"
He shook his head. "Her trees are farther up the mountain, but not by much. It's close enough that she isn't bothered by the distance."
"Was it hard for her to be away from them when she came to teach me?" I inquired.
Min reached out to steady my step when a stone rolled underneath my boot. "It's always hard for a tiernan to be away from their original source, but they can adapt to a new environment. As long as they are being properly nourished, they can survive. This is how wanderers are created."
I frowned. "I thought that wanderers were rare, though."
"They are," he agreed. "It takes a lot of mental and emotional fortitude. The longer they are away, the harder it is for a tiernan. Budding was glad to return after her summer with you, even though she was happy to teach you."
"That makes sense," I admitted.
"Budding has to stay with Wake right now, though," Min told me.
I pursed my lips. "Why?"
"Wake can't leave her river, and the mountain is especially dangerous," he explained. "Not just because of the soldiers, but also because of the conflict between the tiernan factions."
I was feeling increasingly uneasy. The mountain sounded like a war zone. How many fights were going on at once?
I stumbled over an old tree branch lying on the ground. Mineral grabbed my arm to help me recover, but he wasn't very strong. I appreciated his efforts anyway.
"Why can't Wake leave her river?"
Min cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "She's, uh, in the process of reproducing."
I stopped short. "What?"
"Wake is pregnant."