A sharp slap and Mairek came to, blinking rapidly, vision a blur slowly redefining to reveal Afur hovering above him. Bulbous nose inches away from his face. The bodyguard leaned down and placed his lips on Mairek's mouth, pushing air from his lungs into Mairek who struggled to shove him off.

  "He is awake Afur! Gods damn it he is awake!" Lam said, standing behind Afur.

  Afur pulled back and peered down into Mairek's eyes, he shook his head from side to side then lowered his mouth onto Mairek once more. Lam and Sagal had to pull Afur off Mairek and the short soldier fought them and lost.

  Tok gripped Mairek by the arm and raised him off the ground. Mairek rose, turning to find the whole tavern crowded around him. The whores gave him worried, curious glances but the revelers had their eyes on Tok and the porch of coins strapped to his side. "Are you okay?" Tok asked.

  "What happened?" Mairek spoke, finding his voice a dry croak. He coughed and spoke again. "What happened?"

  "Well," Sagal said. "The lady was singing then you rose out of your chair and staggered to her with your hand raised before you, then you touched her and the both of you collapsed."

  Mairek suddenly remembered Saive. He turned his head, peering at the crowd around him, struggling to spot her features. He saw her then, at the far end of the tavern, perched on a table. A crowd of her own partially obscuring her from sight. She was smiling, jug of ale in hand. Tilting it and emptying its contents before snorting with laughter at something one of the whores around her said. For a brief moment, their eyes met and he felt as if he was standing before a Telinete Rhino preparing to charge. She looked away then, as indifferent to him as the weather is to the prayers of a farmer.

  "She passed out too?" Mairek asked Tok.

  The tall man answered with nod. "But she rose before you, started screaming something along the lines of, 'Tip the siren a drink until she can sing no more! You don't freaking hit her!' She's a raving lunatic to be honest, it was her belief that you struck her senseless and put an end to her song. The whole tavern was set on lynching you for it. I had to pay a hefty fee to ease their rage."

  Mairek nodded. Understanding. Saive wasn't there, in the domain of the Goddess of Love, she did not know the deal he'd struck neither did he pretend to know of it himself. Something was different, the clarity with which he'd observed things, the sheen of blue and the purple ropes with pink lights were all gone. No. Not gone, but hidden. There was a separation in the will of time and love, it was as if time was unaware of Saive in relation to Mairek and he found with all the powers of his perception, he could not perceive her as he did everything else.

  "I must speak to her." Mairek said. Taking a step towards Saive but Tok held him back.

  "Is she what you were expecting? The moment you ran for?" Mairek nodded. "What then is your aim here?"

  "I do not know."

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  "What do you wish to say to her?" Tok pressed.

  "I do not know."

  "Don't you think it wise to step away from her, let her be, abandon all that you've deduced concerning her?" Mairek did find it wise. If he could just walk away, he'd be free of the game being played between two deities. He'd be able to go back to his solitary room, to keep up his solitary vigil, free of any obligation or expectation. Yet, he found he did not desire such a fate, without her there was nothing. He'd find more solace walking off a cliff than being without her.

  He thought he knew what love was when he'd met Jesnah, the woman whose features he could not recall regardless of how hard he tried. Now, looking over at Saive, he saw the folly in his belief regarding what love was. Her every movement was song, when she moved he was moved. Her motion under his perception could not be defined by all that he saw. There was more, so much more. And a word coalesced within him, bubbling to the brim of his conscience. Unforgettable.

  "I love her." Mairek declared to Tok and he found no truer words have ever left his lips. Tok flinched as if the word was a sword's lunge. Then he let go of Mairek and nodded his assent.

  Mairek returned the nod and slowly made his way towards Saive, stepping through the crowd. Like a fish swimming against the tide he edged closer to her. Eyes resting on her. His heart lurching in his chest, threatening to break free of his ribcage and into her palm where he knew it belonged.

  She saw him, looked away, turned a glance to him, saw him still coming and turned fully to face him. She raised the jug to her lips, half full of ale and started draining it. When he came to a stop before her, she lowered an empty jug. She let out a very unlady like burp and tapped her belly with wooden ring studded fingers. "Well that was almost worth the abuse I've endured to get the drink." Saive said, eyes resting on Mairek with the lazy gleam common to drunks.

  Mairek mastered his voice, owning it under the mantra that he was after all the Champion of the Talisi, a mere woman should not deter his resolve. " Forgive me," His voice came out as anything but mastered. He sounded like an infant girl. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Forgive me."

  Saive arched a brow. "Forgive you? For assaulting me? Me? The Siren!" Those around her muttered their outrage, as if forgiveness wasn't deserving of one who'd assaulted The Siren. As if Mairek's only hope for forgiveness came at the cost of his life.

  Mairek wanted to point out that he hadn't assaulted her, that he simply touched her and it flung him into a domain he did not think existed. And that what resulted of the touch was purely divine, something the mortal mind could only translate as an assault when it was the furthest thing. A domain forged of what he felt for her. But words, he realized, would do little to quench the fiery hatred dancing underneath the woman's eyes. But words were all he could offer. "I am sorry, Tiyayo."

  Tiyayo? The word was foreign to his tongue, to his mind. He did not know from whence it came from or why he'd said it. But he knew that it held meaning, profound meaning judging from the way hatred receded from her features to allow for shock.

  "What did you just call me?" Saive asked. The temporary shock giving way to rage once more.

  Mairek opened his mouth to speak but found a presence beside him taking over. "Forgive the Champion of the Talisi, Saive." Tok intoned. Gasps followed his words, all around attention shifted to Mairek and whispers of 'Champion' sounded throughout the tavern. "He channels a God, what all of us see doesn't appear so to him. He was moved by your song, moved to the point where the blessing of a God heightened through his every action and resulted in your assault that I have paid for, handsomely." Tok smiled. Mairek wondered whether it was wise of the bodyguard to disclose such details. But Saive's rage gave way to curiosity and he found the soft pout of her lip as she regarded him to be extremely adorable and the shift of emotions so clearly defined on her face to be as beautiful as the Goddess Nyawe was.

  "Champion is he?" Saive asked. "I want nothing to do with the powers ruling Talisi nor its politics. You're forgiven, now leave me alone." She turned to those around her, seeking to continue conversation and Mairek felt a pang of pain.

  Tok as if having seen Mairek's expression, pressed on. "The Champion of the Talisi would like you to perform at the palace, for the pleasure of King Mogich. On the second day from now." Mairek raised his brows at that. "For a fee of, a hundred gold vigons?"

  Three whores collapsed. The barman dropped a mug of ale he was in the process of passing. Saive's mouth hang open, small white teeth flashing.

  "Yes." Mairek took over from Tok. "Do we have a deal?" And he held out his outstretched hand. Not knowing how he was going to get a hundred gold vigons or how he was going to get the King to play along to Tok's suggestion. Saive lifted her own hand and pressed her palm to Mairek's and the feeling he felt was one he never thought existed.

  "Yes." She spoke as their hands lingered in a soft grip. "We have a deal."

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