They were almost back to Aos before Callan finished telling the two lud about what had happened to him over the hours—days?—since he fell into the hole. And that was with omitting most the details about Sevvir’s contracts and willcasting—both subjects better saved to talk over with Kivi in more detail privately.

  Instead, he focused on the core discoveries, from the secret forge chamber to Veritas’s revelation about Rym being his avatar. Both Kivi and Paeral were surprisingly calm when he told them.

  “That does explain much,” Kivi said, when he finished. “I did not spend time with Belinda’s errant son like you did, but everything you told me about the man always seemed suspicious. Though admittedly, I would have assumed he was another priest rather than Veritas themselves.”

  Her comment reminded Callan about the priest robes he’d found in Rym’s tent when laying him down for the last time. A flush of guilt ran through him, but before he could say anything, Paeral spoke up.

  “There is still something I do not understand, Avatar. If Rym was indeed the vessel of Veritas, then what happened to this Ulfa woman?”

  “Huh. Good point.” Had her disappearance been a coincidence? Callan doubted it. Still, there were few answers to be found here on the road.

  “I also see why you were so insistent about returning to Aos,” Kivi added. “Regardless of what happened, Belinda deserves to hear the fate of her child. If Rym were mine, I’d want to know, regardless of what occurred between us.”

  That statement surprised Callan. “Really? Including the whole ‘spent weeks trying to undermine your administration and ultimately almost killed you’ part? Or his part in everything that happened with Alyssa. Not exactly great news.”

  “Yet we are still making the journey to inform her,” Kivi said. It was not a question.

  “Yeah, we are. The truth might be bitter, but she still needs to hear. If it means further grieving, then she’ll grieve.”

  Also, we need to inform the yeth woman to fulfill the last of the duel contract, Xeph said. Given that her own freedom was bound up in that agreement, she may now enjoy the remainder of her days without worry that Veritas will return.

  “Somehow I doubt that’s really her biggest concern anymore,” Callan pointed out to his head-mate.

  “She is still a yeth, Avatar,” Kivi said matter-of-factly. “Likely she’ll be too busy plotting her return to power to care about something as inconsequential as the death of her own son.”

  Schemes and seams, Xeph muttered in agreement.

  Callan’s memory flashed back to the look on the former mayor’s face as she cradled her broken daughter in her arms. He started to say something, but at that moment they rounded a hill and almost crashed into a contingent of yeth headed the other direction. Torveld walked at their head.

  “Avatar! I wasn’t certain we would see you again.” He glanced past him at the priests, then back again. “Is everything alright? Is—”

  “Veritas is dead,” Callan said, and the yeth visibly relaxed. “What are all of you doing out here?”

  “Oh, well after your departure I held my first town meeting. We quickly reached a consensus about building several bridges to connect us to the surrounding plateaus. We’re on our way to begin construction on the first.”

  Boy oh boy. Belinda had to be absolutely thrilled about that prospect. Callan shook his head.

  Kind of ironic that he’d defeated the other avatar but failed to complete the goal that he’d been hired for in the first place.

  “Best of luck to you,” he said, patting Torveld gently on the shoulder. “We’ve got a little business to deal with in town, then we’re on our way back to our temple. Feel free to send a messenger if you ever need our services again.”

  “Of course, honored avatar.” Torveld’s tone made it clear that was a remote likelihood. Which suited Callan just fine. If they kept their faith, he had what he wanted.

  They set out walking again, and a few minutes later Aos came into view.

  Callan paused once they reached the edge of town. He actually wasn’t certain where Belinda would be now. She had been living in the tower during the siege, but that hardly seemed like a good long-term location. Which meant either her son or sister-in-law’s house were the most likely locations.

  Since it was the closest, they made for the town square first. Here they found the tower still standing—and likely to continue doing so for many years to come. A few children played up on the top level. He supposed that was as good a use for it now as anything.

  No Belinda, though.

  Across from the tower, Alyssa’s forge hunkered, dark and forgotten. Would any among the yeth take up working it? Would they entice an outsider to join their community? Surely it wouldn’t remain unused for long. A community like this would need tools built and repaired regularly. Alyssa had always seemed so busy, a backlog of work must be piling up already.

  He remembered her, standing in the guest house, in that frilly yellow dress of hers. A sharp pain tugged on his heart. Quickly, he glanced away from the smithy and increased his pace. The lud almost had to run to keep up.

  Millica answered the door after the first knock. The hungry smile faded from her face almost immediately upon seeing them. Then she brightened again. “Need traveling supplies, Avatar? My stock is still recovering but I have a few items—”

  “Just looking for Belinda, I’m afraid.”

  “Oh.” The woman chewed her lip as she considered him. Finally, she said. “I’d try over at her son’s house. If he hasn’t had enough of her yet and sent the old nag packing, that’s where she’ll be.”

  “Why would he do that?” Kivi asked. Millica’s gaze flicked towards the lud.

  “You’ll see. Now if you excuse me...” She shut the door before she even finished speaking.

  That was rude, Xeph said with a harumph. No way to treat a god at all!

  Callan glanced at Kivi, who simply shrugged. Turning, they made their way towards Radavan’s house.

  Here they had to knock several times before anyone answered. Callan was half beginning to suspect everyone might be out working the fields—certainly Radavan was finding himself short of labor after everything that transpired. But just before they turned away, the door opened a crack, and Pivale peered out at them.

  “Yes?”

  “Hey, Pivale, we’re looking for—” There was a crash from somewhere inside that sounded like breaking pottery. The yeth winced. “—Belinda,” Callan finished.

  “She’s here,” the woman whispered.

  “Whose at the door, Pivale?” Someone shouted angrily from further inside. “Tell them to piss off already and get back in here! I need a fresh jug!”

  “Sorry, Avatar, she’s not—” Pivale tried to close the door, but found Callan’s foot wedged in the crack. Gently, he pushed his way inside. The woman hurriedly stepped back, dropping her gaze.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Yes, she’s just... not taking the day well.”

  “Pivale! Get your ass back in here.”

  Callan held up a hand to keep the woman from scurrying off. Waving Kivi and Paeral back as well, he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen.

  There he found the place an utter mess. Broken crockery littered the floor near the entrance, as well as a few other pieces scattered about at random intervals. It seemed that the crash they’d heard wasn’t the first to happen.

  Seated at the table, face half hidden in shadows, was Belinda, former mayor of Aos. Not that you would have known by looking at the empty shell of a woman. Callan approached hesitantly. If the older woman noticed him, she gave no indication.

  “Belinda?” He tried, gently at first, and then with more force. When the woman didn’t respond, he stopped closer—and almost recoiled. The vapors wafting off the woman reminded him strongly of his uncle’s apartment, and not in a good way.

  That stench... Xeph shifted in Callan’s skull. Is the yeth woman drunk?

  “If she is, she’s using paint cleaner to do it,” Callan muttered.

  This, finally, got Belinda’s attention. She stared up bleary-eyed at him a moment before recognition came into them. Her expression soured.

  “Hmmph. Did that useless daughter-in-law of mine send you in here? Well, I hope you brought another jug with you.”

  “I didn’t,” Callan said, not bothering to comment on the first part. “What happened to you Belinda?”

  He paused, then added, “Is this about the bridge?”

  Ah, that would make sense. Seeing the entire reason that we were summoned to the village in the first place come to pass, and losing one’s position regardless, would push anyone to seek solace in drink. His head-mate sounded extremely self-satisfied at his conclusion. Callan, however, had his doubts.

  Those doubts were confirmed a moment later. “Bah. Let those fools build their bridge. Time will prove me right on my predictions. Though I doubt I’ll still be alive by then to gloat over it.”

  Belinda’s hands grasped around in the half-shadows, seeking another jug. Finding nothing, she sighed and settled back in the chair.

  “Then why are you sitting here in the dark pickling yourself?” Callan asked.

  “Don’t you dare judge me, boy. A woman is allowed to grieve however she wants. Especially one that’s been betrayed the way I have.”

  “Betrayed?”

  “Yes, betrayed!” Belinda slammed her fist down on the table. “I may have kept my share of secrets, but they harmed no one. Always my priority was to the safety and well-being of my people. And how do they repay me?”

  She held up her fingers. “First, my son goes behind my back to support the bridge faction. My daughter goes even further and sides with the enemy! Then, instead of offering me support, the town turns wholesale against me, as if my years of service and sacrifice count for nothing. Nothing! So what’s left for me, Avatar, truly? What’s left, but to sit here and try to drink away my problems?”

  Callan hesitated. He couldn’t help but notice there had been no mention of her other son. “It’s just, I’d have thought you would have more of a problem with someone seeking to chase away their pain like this.”

  Hmm, yes, Xeph said in agreement. That is rather hypocritical of her, isn’t it?

  “Why in the name of the moons would—Oh.” The old woman glared at him. “You heard about that, did you?”

  “I mean, yeah. As you noticed, secrets have a way of coming out around here.”

  “Never was much of a secret, really. And Rym made his choices. He chose to poison the very well this town was built on. If it had merely been his addiction, I could have overlooked it, but the things he did when he was desperate for his next fix? When he could no longer afford to pay the merchants who were supplying him?” Belinda shook her head. “That’s all in the past. Rym is dead, or gone, or both. He doesn’t matter anymore.”

  She’s in for a bit of a surprise, isn’t she, Xeph noted with a chuckle.

  Right. Callan decided to get back to the topic at hand. “I wanted to let you know that I defeated Veritas. You don’t have to worry about him returning for vengeance.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Yippee,” the woman said. She slumped in her chair.

  “I thought you’d be happier about that.”

  “Oh, I am, believe me. It’s just...” She shrugged. “I find vengeance doesn’t taste as sweet any more. After Alyssa died I wanted it so badly, but now...” She shrugged again.

  “There’s more. The avatar wasn’t Ulfa, it was—”

  “I know.”

  “You do?” Callan frowned in confusion.

  “Workers clearing away the rubble over at the trading post found her body this morning. Seems she must have died during that cave-in stunt of yours.”

  Right. He’d mostly forgotten about collapsing the floor of the trading post. That went a long way towards explaining Millica’s attitude towards them. Even if she’d agreed to it, they had left quite a mess behind. Not that Callan felt inclined to return and help with the cleanup. But they should probably have at least apologized.

  “Still doesn’t change much,” Belinda continued, and Callan refocused his attention on her. “She was still a priestess of Veritas. I still spent years putting my faith in someone else who betrayed me. What a waste.”

  “I agree. This whole situation sucks. You didn’t deserve any of what happened to you, Belinda,” Callan said, doing his best to try and assuage her.

  Well, that’s not entirely true. The yeth did a phenomenal job of setting herself up for failure with the way she mishandled the situation, Xeph countered, and not for the first time Callan was glad he was the only one who could hear the stone god. He continued on.

  “I—” he started, but Belinda held up a hand.

  “Don’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “You were about to tell me who the avatar of Veritas was. I don’t want to know. If they’re dead, it doesn’t matter anymore, just like none of this matters anymore.” She gestured around her. “I’ve had enough betrayal for one lifetime. I don’t need to add anything further into the mix. So if that’s all you came here for, Avatar, please go. I have my own work to attend to.”

  Is her work consuming all of the alcohol in the village? Xeph grumbled. Because she seems well on her way to doing just that.

  “Oh, hush.” Callan reached inside his pockets and pulled out the trinkets he’d taken from Rym’s tent. A worn book, several feathers, a stuffed animal that looked like a rabbit—no, a jackran—and finally a small box carved from wood. One by one he set them on the table.

  “Rym wanted me to give these to you after he... well anyway, here they are.” With that, he turned and hurried from the room.

  Why did you lie about those objects? Xeph asked as they made their way down the hall. She just finished telling us she didn’t care about her estranged son. Also, you didn’t tell her the truth about the avatar. Isn’t that what we came here for?

  Callan turned and looked back the way he’d come. It was difficult to see into the shadowy room, but he thought that Belinda had picked up the toy jackran and was holding it close. A soft sniffle trailed its way down the hall.

  “The answer to both those questions is the same, Xeph.”

  That doesn’t make any sense.

  He shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s get going, we’re done here.”

  Outside, they found Kivi waiting for them. Callan glanced about. “Where’s Paeral?”

  “I sent him back to our camp to gather up any remaining supplies. Is your business in town complete?”

  “Almost, just one more stop.”

  Kivi considered him a moment. “In that case, can I meet you on the edge of town? I thought of a bit of business to attend to myself.”

  “Sure, fine by me.” Callan waved goodbye, promising to meet her at the edge of town in a half hour. He set off towards the fields.

  At first, the walk was a quiet one. Callan was wrapped in his thoughts, and Xeph was... doing whatever the god did to occupy his time. Navel gazing, probably.

  Finally, Callan broke the silence. “Did I mistake a mistake, coming here?”

  I don’t understand what you mean, mortal.

  Callan paused in the middle of the road and pressed a hand to his face. “Was it a mistake, coming here to Aos? We spent so much time and effort helping these people. It cost us... a lot. And we have hardly anything to show for it.”

  Fifty additional followers is hardly nothing.

  “You know what I mean. We could have spent that time recruiting elsewhere. Could have just come to an agreement with Veritas to stay out of each other’s way. Part of me can’t help but feel like this whole trip was a waste of time.”

  Hmm. Xeph was silent for a moment. Even putting aside the additional faith, there are many other benefits that were gained from this endeavor. You would never have learned how to sense the presence of enemy priests for instance. Nor would you have gained mastery over Wurmchain so quickly. That is not even considering some of the more esoteric gains, such as trade relations and potential for future growth in this area.

  Leave it to his head-mate to reduce the entire ordeal to a series of bullet-points. Callan struggled with a way to explain his internal dilemma.

  However, the god continued, I think I understand the difficulty you are having. This entire matter quickly spiraled out of our control, leaving us with an untenable position—either we struggled forward, despite diminishing gains, or we abandoned it entirely, potentially leaving a worse situation than we had found. Faced with that choice... no, I do not feel that you made a mistake, human. You used what knowledge you had and acted accordingly. Fate does not always favor us the way we wish it might, and in the end, regrets are merely us looking back and seeing the cost we could not while walking forward. You may try to act with more wisdom in the future, but you should never regret the choices made in the past. They were made by your best self—the one that lived in that moment.

  “Huh. That’s... actually rather insightful,” Callan admitted.

  Of course it is, mortal! I have had years to accumulate wisdom that you could only hope to achieve during your pitiful lifetime.

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  They began walking again. After a moment, Xeph said, Though if I am being truly honest, there is one aspect of this whole adventure which continues to vex at me.

  Callan knew immediately he was going to regret asking, but he did anyway. “And what’s that?”

  Your attitude towards these yeth was far too lax! You are the embodiment of a god and need to stop forgetting that fact! Instead of negotiating with all who come before us, you should simply demand what is ours by right! It happened with the lud, but has only grown to be more of a problem since negotiating with these yeth. Had you simply forced them to give their faith in the first place, much of this could have been avoided.

  “You really think that, huh?” Callan chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think that would have gone as smoothly as you believe.”

  Bah. We are the mighty Xeph-Zul-Karatl! Thousands once begged for the opportunity to worship at our feet. Now our avatar lives off scraps and thinks we should be grateful for that much. It is an indignity, human.

  “Tell you what, buddy. We get to the point where we actually have people begging to worship you, I’ll start being more hard line in negotiations.”

  Promise?

  Callan rolled his eyes. Entirely for his own benefit, but he didn’t care. “Yep, promise.”

  They arrived at the edge of Radavan’s fields. He quickly spotted the yeth man and his son working through a patch of adle. They stopped and watched as he approached.

  “Thought I might find you out here,” Callan said.

  “Avatar. What news?”

  As succinctly as he could, he told Radavan about his brother and what had happened to him. By the time he’d finished there was a hard set to the man’s jaw, but he nodded nonetheless.

  “Thank you for telling me this, Avatar. Rym may have caused untold trouble for our village, but he was still my brother. I’ll miss him.”

  “He’s really dead?” Lisson asked.

  “Afraid so,” Callan said. “At least I can say he seemed at peace in his last moments.”

  “May all of us be so lucky when our time comes.” Radavan shook his head. “Well, safe travels to you, Avatar. May your way be safe and your nights be moonless.”

  “Actually, not so fast, Radavan.” The man paused in turning back to his work and frowned. Callan gestured back at the town. “The people of Aos have all sworn themselves to Xeph now. Someone needs to keep an eye on them and make sure that doesn’t change.”

  “I suggest you send a priest along, then. We should have the guest house rebuilt soon, or at least the lud one.”

  Callan shook his head. “I was actually thinking it would be better to leave someone here who was already a member of the village. Someone I know I can trust.”

  “You...” Radavan blinked. “You don’t mean me, do you, Avatar? I have no interest in being a priest.”

  “Never said anything about making you a priest. Though you’re right. Might be better if everyone thinks you are. Gives a little extra threat behind your words. Feel free to tell them I inducted you.”

  “And why would I do that?” the yeth said with a smirk. He slashed at a nearby stalk.

  “Because of my hostage.” When Radavan turned and frowned at him, Callan said, “I’m taking your son.”

  “What?”

  What? Xeph spluttered in his head. Mortal, we talked about this! The boy is too young to be inducted as a member of our congregation!

  Callan waved the god’s arguments away. He held the farmer’s gaze. “I’m taking your son and holding him at our temple on condition of this village’s good behavior. So it would be in your interest to ensure that every else here remains loyal.”

  “You... you can’t. He’s just a boy!”

  Callan glanced past, to where Lisson was listening. His eyes were so wide they looked like they might pop out. He gave the boy a quick wink.

  Immediately, a look of understanding passed over Lisson’s face. He grabbed at Radvan’s shirt. “Don’t let them take me, father! Please!”

  Mortal, are you certain this is a wise idea? Xeph asked. Callan kept his face neutral but whispered out the corner of his mouth.

  “You were just telling me I needed to ask less and demand more, Xeph. Well, you’re getting your wish.”

  Hmmph. That’s—hmmph.

  “Come on, Lisson,” he said. “We’ll gather your things and say goodbye to your mother, but then we’ve got to go. Plenty of miles to cover.”

  “Wait. Just a moment, please.” Radavan took his son by the shoulder and led him a short distance away. Callan couldn’t hear what was said, but he saw the man drop to one knee and embrace his son. They held like that for a long time.

  Soon enough, they returned. The farmer had an angry look in his face, but wisely he held it in check. “If anything should happen to him...”

  “He’ll be fine. If nobody breaks faith here over the next year, I’ll send him back home safe and sound. Fair?” Callan didn’t wait to see if the farmer agreed or not. It didn’t really matter if he did, anyway. Instead, he turned and headed back towards town.

  “That was actually easier than I thought it would be,” he said as the boy caught up.

  “Am I really going to live with you at the temple? Are you going to make me a priest?”

  “Yes to the first, no to the second.” Seeing the look of disappointment, Callan added, “At least not yet. Once you’re old enough, we can talk about it again. Agreed?”

  “Sure!”

  “Great. Now, let’s go see that mother of yours. Something tells me she might be harder to convince than your father.”

  Surprisingly, Kivi wasn’t waiting for them at the edge of the village when they arrived. She appeared a short time later, a large sack strung over one shoulder.

  “Negotiated supplies for our trip home,” she said on seeing Callan’s questioning look. Then she glanced at Lisson curiously.

  “I’ll explain later,” Callan said, not wanting to tell the story twice. They set off to find Paeral.

  They found the old lud headed back towards them about halfway back to Rym’s old camp. He carried their packs slung over one shoulder, along with a bundle in his arms.

  As they all stopped next to the side of the road, Callan noticed the lengthening shadows around them.

  “It seems we won’t be escaping the plateau tonight. Shall we make camp?” he asked.

  “A wise decision.” Kivi glanced at Paeral. “Did you remember to deactivate the temple before departing our campsite?”

  “He did,” Callan said before the man could respond. He’d received the message about a temple being lost sometime while they were in the village. It had given him a moment of panic before he remembered the temporary shrine Kivi had established while they were out waiting for Veritas to appear.

  “Very good.” Kivi took the bundle of cloth from Paeral. She made a cooing noise into it.

  Callan stared. Inside his head, he could feel Xeph concern mirroring his own. Has something happened to our high priestess? If she has fallen ill during our time here...

  The lud girl looked up and noticed the expression on Callan’s face. She smiled at him, then held out the cloth. Callan approached cautiously.

  Inside was a small creature, its skin so wrinkly he could hardly make out one end from the other. Then a pair of pure black eyes opened, staring directly into his own. Recognition hit him like a thunderclap.

  “Is that a baby dvorak?”

  “We found him in the wreckage of Veritas’s camp,” Kivi said. “At first, I thought it best to simply leave him, but the poor thing wouldn’t stop following me. We initially kept him penned in one of the buildings for safety, but if we’re departing this plateau for good...”

  She trailed off and went back to cooing over the creature. Callan watched her for a moment, then turned to Paeral.

  “Anything else you haven’t filled me in on yet? Got a pet dveorg in your pocket or anything?”

  “Avatar?” The old man looked at him in confusion. “No?”

  “Good, good.” Callan shook his head. He motioned them off the road. “Let’s make camp, then.”

  “I’ll go gather firewood!” Lisson said eagerly. He took off into the trees.

  Callan settled down next to Kivi, while Paeral settled on a log nearby. The old lud glanced after Lisson curiously, then turned back.

  “Why is the boy—?” he began.

  “Insurance,” Callan said. The two lud just looked at him curiously.

  Interesting, Xeph said. That word does not have a parallel in Urslang Common. Even the meaning inside your mind is obscured. How very strange...

  “Please tell me you didn’t make me emit a weird screech again, Xeph.”

  When the god didn’t respond, Callan pressed a hand to his face. “Great.”

  He gave a brief explanation to the other two about the conditions he’d set upon Radavan. By the time he was done, Kivi was nodding appreciatively. “That was wisely done, Avatar. These yeth cannot be trusted to keep their promises. Having someone behind to hold them accountable was a sensible decision.”

  Callan didn’t actually care about that. He’d just wanted to provide Lisson with an avenue for escaping. Inside his head, Xeph rumbled.

  This is a good point, and one I hadn’t considered. Perhaps there is hope for you yet, mortal. One must scheme like a yeth if one wishes to keep them in line.

  “You know, I think you’re being too quick to judge the yeth, High Priestess.” The words slipped out of their own accord.

  “Oh? What do you mean, Avatar?”

  Well, he was committed now. Callan sat back. He met Kivi’s gaze. “All of you keep calling the yeth calculating and emotionless. But the more I see, the more that just doesn’t hold up. I think they simply have a different way of showing their emotions, is all. If they didn’t, then Belinda wouldn’t be falling to pieces over her daughter. Radavan wouldn’t care that we’re taking his son. And Veritas wouldn’t have been able to manipulate the villagers, if they didn’t have emotions to manipulate.”

  He thought to himself for a moment. “You know, I asked Xeph earlier if we made a mistake coming here. But really, the only mistake we made was not treating the yeth like people. We let our prejudices dictate how we treated this situation from the beginning, and it only got worse any time it seemed like those beliefs proved to be true. If we had, maybe we might have turned them against Veritas earlier. There’d have been no need for all those battles, or the contest, or—”

  “—Or for my brother to die,” Paeral added. He looked at the ground.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Callan said quickly. “Veritas still would have struck against us. Xeph told me earlier that we can’t regret the choices we made, because we made them with the knowledge we had at the time. But I’d like to be better going forward, and part of that is recognizing that the yeth might view the world differently than us, but that doesn’t make them any less than us.”

  This is true, Xeph said in agreement. My siblings and I made all of the elevated races to be equal. Some might be suited for certain tasks and situations more than others, but none of them are truly lesser. Thank you for reminding me of that fact, mortal.

  Callan glanced at Kivi. She wore an expression like she wanted to argue the point with him, but in the end she kept her words to herself. Well, that was alright. Prejudices were hard things to let go of. He didn’t expect to convince her from a single argument. There was time.

  And luckily, they would have a perfect candidate for the task around the temple now. Lisson chose that moment to return with an armload of firewood. “I wasn’t too slow, was I?”

  “Nope,” Callan said with a smile, “You’re right on time.”