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Includes "Fire-Eye #1"
"Once upon a happier time, he dwelled with his friends in the endless forest
known as the Forevergreen. Now he watches over the port town of Passage, a guardian
spirit to the children of that place. Humans call him FireóEye..."
GeóO'Ka and Ahn Lai cut each other's right hands and mesh their blood together in
a temple deep in the Forevergreen. They say, "We will be brothers forever."
Ahnn Li is a grown man with beard, leather tunic with shoulder points, sleeves. GeóO'Ka
arrives, his hair tied back in pig tail, long cape, and tights. Ge teases Ahnn about
what to call him even though he told him that all names from his lips mean "brother."
Ahnn Li teases back that he has his own dungeons now, even though Aramak and Door
are names from their past. Ge takes the hand of Ahnessah and spouts niceties. As
she leaves, he makes fun of her, saying she has the bottom of a...Ahnn ties to shhhh
him. Cam at the table of the castle tells Ge about his hold full of goose down on
a ship (Estane) that was lifted from the surface of the sea. A serving boy is picking
his nose. Another is pouring tea or some kind of liquid. Another is watching with
his hands behind his back. The Djun and the Impresat are there. Ahnessah and Ahnn
Li arrive. They discuss a canal that will link the Ocean Redmist with the Vastdeep,
locking the water into separate pools, "ship stairs". The men from Hearthstone
worry, their land is a brown land, they value their greenery, settlers will cut,
burn and breed. They fear for Ahnn Li's Forevergreen. Ahnn laughs. He tells them
to let the settlers come by the thousandsóóthe forest will never take note...the
Forevergreen is without end...he says. The boy tells FireóEye he never wants this
to end. Learning to hunt, track and forage has been the best time of his life. He
wants to stay with FireóEye forever. FireóEye says, "Uh huh. I know." The
boy takes off his clothes and jumps into water. Willowsnap pulls strands of FireóEye's
hair and FireóEye shuts his left eye, telling him he should be happy here now. FireóEye
tosses his slipper at him, "Pest! If you weren't so often right, I'd crush you!"
The cub calls him Jethel, asking if he is going to swim. Jethel jumps in on him,
splashing him. The boy giggles. A man, helping move logs into the creek, thinks it
is a shame. As a boy he used to go swimming here, skinny back, right after Lord Ahnn
Li led them out of the burned forest. Willowsnap tells the human boy that if he had
wings he could stay up out of water. Jethel surfaces and splashes him. Willowsnap
tells him that not funny. Jethel makes ear waves at him, "Ha! Depends on where
you're sitting, pest!" The naked boy asks, "Jethel...?! What's happening?"
The water vanishes from around their naked bodies. Willowsnap needs much wrap stuff
to make the fishies all over snugsafe. Jethel tells him to forget it for nowóóhis
High Thing may need his help. The boys dress. Jethel calls the boy Arro. Some pointy
ear elf is watching Jethel who means to make this water taking thing right since
he knows it is wrong to make the water go away. The elf watching from behind a tree
thinks him a little fool.Jethel blocks the workers, Willowsnap shoots web on one's
face. FireóEye says, "I am the land, and I say no!" He chases them away
after using the poles on a few. They run to alert the city. Jethel plans to scare
the humans. Arro holds himself, cold or afraid or both. Ahnn Li and his men are talking
about favorable interest rates, pensions, bribes, losing a few to animals, pressure
on the ship stairs. Cam is one of these men. Cam asks Ge if he has forgiven him for
all the sea's hardships he had to endure. Ge tells him, "Never old man. I had
no idea...even if it did presage all the successes to come." Cam tells him he
made it into his memoirs, "...the stunt with the puppy juice and the book's
grog..." The servant boy with Cam asks, "That was you?" Lord Kiral
of Junland shakes when the guard comes in and tells of the spirits, "If they're
half as dangerous as those of Junland..." A blond girl fears for Arro. Ahnn
Li tells him he has experience with the local spirits. Ge follows Ahnn, both realizing
it could be one of them after all this time, one of the ones they knew. Ge says,
"But...this is wonderful," putting his gloved finger to his lip. Ahnn asks,
"Is it, brother?" He was their friend 30 years ago. Ge says, "If it
is him, he may have good reasons." Ahnn says, "To the pits with his reasons...I
care about mine! Jethel will stand aside......or Jethel will die!" |