My grandmother returned in the morning to help with Mother’s confinement. Aunt Ellie was delighted to have her there. (I assumed that my mother felt the same, although I didn’t have the chance to see for myself.) It didn’t make much difference to me, since she stubbornly ignored my existence. That is, unless she was showing her distaste for my presence. 

After several pointed sniffs of disdain, I decided it would be best if I left the house. Keeping Smitta Farlin’s words in mind, I donned all of my coverings.

My dress was gray (the only color I was allowed to wear anymore), with long sleeves and a high collar. Matching gloves covered my hands and a bonnet with a veil hid my face. I thought it made me look like some sort of specter, but Smitta Farlin insisted that it was modest and considerate.

Even my grandmother seemed less perturbed when I passed through the living room in that garb.

“Where are you going?” Aunt Ellie asked, eyeing my outfit.

“I don’t have lessons today,” I explained. “I’m going to run some errands.”

She nodded, giving me a cheerful smile. “Be careful,” she advised.

Her suggestion was unnecessary, but I agreed anyway. Ellie seemed to have become accustomed to my yellow skin and crescent eyes, so she never appeared uncomfortable around me anymore. Sometimes I thought that she didn’t even notice that I looked different from everyone else. She was always mindful of my safety, though.

I’d grown to love her just as much as I loved Mother. She was kind and understanding, with an easygoing temperament. Her married home was also in the village, but she was rarely there. She always found excuses to come visit us, and I was grateful for an outsider to act as a buffer between me and Farlin.

I waved at her as I walked out the door, stepping into the crisp outdoors.

I took a deep breath, unintentionally bringing the veil closer to my face. The fresh air was a relief, but the approach of winter weighed heavy on my heart. Smitta Farlin was at home more during the winter, which meant it was almost impossible to avoid him. Mother’s constant insistence that I ‘give him a chance’ only increased the forced proximity of the cold months.

The first winter I’d kept my spirits up with the hope that I’d see Budding in the spring. But, of course, that hadn’t happened. The second winter I’d tried to visit Tsuki’s family as much as possible, but Farlin had told me that it wasn’t appropriate for a young woman to be away from home so often.

This would be our third winter together.

My whole body started to tense as I thought about it. I could already imagine what it would be like. Mother would be busy with the baby, leaving me completely under Smitta Farlin’s control. He would come up with a study plan for me, forcing every teaching of the Followers of Purity down my throat. I wouldn’t be allowed to eat or sleep until I completed each lesson to his satisfaction.

I wouldn’t even have Aunt Ellie to intervene on my behalf, since she was going to be giving birth soon.

I closed my eyes, tipping my face toward the sky. The click of my shoes sounded loud on the recently laid stone path. Each step was slow and heavy. I didn’t even pay attention to any of the people who passed me by.

I eventually made my way to the cobbler’s shop. Whenever I said I had errands to run, that is where I went. I couldn’t visit frequently, lest I be lectured on the propriety of it, but it was the only remaining sanctuary for me.

I didn’t go through the front entrance where actual customers would be found. Instead, I walked around to the back. The workshop window was always unlocked for me.

I stepped up on a conveniently placed crate, pulled open the wooden window frame, and slipped inside. I landed lightly on the floor, pulling the window closed behind me. My vision quickly adjusted, as the room was well-lit.

Tsuki was sitting at his workbench, cutting pieces of leather. The sunshine reflected off his glossy black hair, giving him the appearance of a halo. He looked up at my entrance, smiling behind his wooden mask.

He’d become insufferably tall over the past two years. He always towered over me with a cheeky grin. He’d grown into some of his features—such as his wide jaw and prominent cheekbones—but others had grown with him. His black eyes were still large and his nose was still long. Those days it wasn’t difficult to see how handsome he was, even when he was wearing a mask. His shoulders had become broad, just like his father’s, and his physique was more defined than one would expect from an apprentice cobbler.

In short, he’d become the object of every village girl’s dreams. Even I, who viewed him like a brother, had to admit that he was exceptionally good-looking. Curse that kag blood, I occasionally joked.

He was still quiet around others, preferring to observe from the sidelines. He also didn’t participate in any of Smitta Farlin’s lessons or activities. This made the local girls view him as mysterious and rebellious.

I thought it was hilarious.

“I have bad news,” I said without preamble.

Tsuki set down his tools. “You’re here for a long visit?” he teased.

I nodded solemnly. “I may never leave.”

He laughed. “I guess I could live with that. Master Heele will put you to work, though.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” I agreed immediately. “I think I would be an excellent cobbler.”

Tsuki scoffed. “With your clumsy hands?”

I removed my gloves, wiggling my fingers at him. “They are full of grace and dexterity.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You know I’ve seen your sculptures, right?”

I took off my bonnet and tossed it at him, sticking out my tongue. “I’m still learning!”

Tsuki chuckled, setting my headwear on a clean corner of the workbench. “You’re getting much better,” he admitted. “I’m now able to tell the difference between your animals and plants.”

I grinned. “You just have no artistic eye.”

“True,” he acknowledged, even though we both knew that it wasn’t.

Tsuki pulled out one of the chairs and motioned for me to sit. “Do you actually have bad news?”

“No,” I answered. “Well, not really.”

He looked at me expectantly.

“My mother gave birth last night,” I told him.

A smile scrunched his eyes. “That’s wonderful! Is it a boy or a girl?”

I sat on the chair, folding my legs beneath me. “He’s a boy. They named him Devotion.”

“Hmmm,” Tsuki mused. “That seems…unusual for this region.”

“It’s terrible,” I groaned. “How could they do that to him?”

“I’m sure they meant well,” my friend consoled me. “In Navon, it’s common for parents to express hopes for their children through their names.”

“What does your name mean?” I inquired.

“The general meaning is ‘the power that comes through serenity,’” he explained. “It’s a combination of words.”

“What about Hoshi?”

Tsuki’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t remember exactly. It’s something like, ‘giving guidance’ or ‘lighting a dark path.’”

I propped my elbow on the workbench, resting my chin on my palm. “Those are pretty. I like them.”

“I’m sure that many people will think Devotion is a nice name,” he assured me.

I wasn’t convinced, but it wasn’t worth arguing over. 

“He’s so tiny,” I told my friend. “He has the sweetest face, just like Mother’s. But...”

Tsuki cocked his head to the side. “But?”

I sighed, poking at some leather shavings with my finger. “Smitta Farlin told me that I should stay away from the baby and Mother.”

“What?”

I tried to shrug it off, but my lower lip started to tremble.

Tsuki looked bewildered. “Why would he separate you from the rest of the family?”

I wagged a finger at him. “Oh, but you see, I’m not part of the family. Mother is Farlin’s wife and Devotion is Farlin’s son. I am not related to him, so I’m an outsider.”

He scowled. “That’s not how family works.”

“You go argue with Smitta Farlin, if you think he’ll listen,” I muttered.

Tsuki reached over and took my hand. He held it gently, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “I’m sorry, Tiff. That’s a terrible thing for him to say.”

I nodded, swallowing the tears that were starting to form. “It doesn’t matter,” I insisted, even though neither of us believed it. “In a few years, I’ll be old enough to live on my own.”

“I still think you should live with Ama and Hoshi,” he said. “There’s nothing improper about you living with the two of them. Afa won’t be home for several months.”

“It reflects poorly on our family,” I imitated Farlin’s lecturing voice. “People will think that I’m not treated well at home.”

“You aren’t,” Tsuki pointed out.

I gave a fake smile. “Well, we can’t have others finding out about that.”

“No one would be surprised,” he snorted.

“It’s for my own good,” I agreed sarcastically. “You know what they say, ‘Even cream must be beaten to make butter.’”

Tsuki’s grip on my hand tightened. “He hasn’t hit you, has he?”

I quickly shook my head. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”

His eyes narrowed again. “I’m not sure about that.”

I forced a laugh. “He doesn’t believe in using physical force. He says it’s uncivilized.”

“That doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t use it,” Tsuki replied, “only that he’d be angry about it.”

“He has plenty of green pellets to use first,” I shrugged.

Tsuki used his other hand to fiddle with his mask. “I worry about those pills,” he admitted. “I wonder if I can get one to see what herbs are used.”

I didn’t have a chance to answer. The door between the shop and the workroom opened, admitting Master Heele’s familiar frame. Tsuki hurriedly let go of my hand and stood up to acknowledge his teacher. 

Master Heele had grown thinner over the past year and his movements were slower. He relied more on Tsuki than he had in the past, which suited both of them just fine. They often joked about Master Heele’s impending retirement, but everyone in the village knew that it would be several more years before he was willing to step down.

“Ah, Miss Tiff,” the cobbler greeted me with a smile. “I thought I heard your voice. How is Miss Eva?”

He never remembered to use Mother’s married name.

“She’s doing well,” I told him. “The baby was born last night.”

Master Heele clasped his hands together. “Wonderful, wonderful! She must be very pleased.”

I nodded. “She seems happy. My grandmother has even visited twice since last night.”

His thick eyebrows climbed higher. “Truly? Mistress Westerly has gone to visit Miss Eva? What a lovely surprise!”

I tried to match my expression to his, but I didn’t know if I was successful. Tsuki, at least, wasn’t convinced. I could tell by the curve of his eyebrows that he was entertained by my attempt.

My friend cleared his throat. “I’m almost finished cutting the leather, Master Heele. May I leave after I’m done?”

The cobbler chuckled. “Of course, of course. I know you children don’t get to see each other much these days.”

Tsuki and I shared a grin. We wouldn’t be able to go to the forest like we used to, but we could find a quiet place to sit and talk. Maybe we could even play a game of yoso. As long as we weren’t seen by anyone likely to report us to Smitta Farlin, it didn’t matter what we did.

There wasn’t much that I could do to help Tsuki finish his work, but I stood next to him and handed him tools. I could never remember what the tools were called, so I’d given them names instead. Somehow, the system worked for us.

“No, not Hillard. Hand me Josephine.”

“I thought Hillard was for making the small holes.”

“Yes, but only when I’ve also been using Willard. Remember? Hillard and Willard always go together.”

“Are you saying that Hillard has no individual worth?” I teased.

Tsuki smiled, but his eyes were still fixed on his task. “They are co-dependent.”

I handed him the tool I’d named Josephine (Tsuki had even gone to the trouble of etching each name in the handles). He continued working with the ease that came from years of practice. I did a little dance as I watched him finish the piece.

“Playtime,” I sang.

He laughed. “You’re lucky I have time to play with you. Normally, I’d be in the forest with Shin.”

The happiness drained from my face. “You’re still having lessons?”

Tsuki immediately recognized his mistake. “Only sometimes,” he said with forced indifference. “He’s only here during the warm months anyway. Last week he told me he was going back to his homeland since it’s turning cold.”

“Has he mentioned Budding or Min?” I asked casually as I busied myself with putting on my gloves and bonnet.

He shook his head. “They don’t cross paths normally.”

I decided to change the subject. “Where do you want to go today? Should we visit Imi Hana and Hoshi?”

“Sure,” he smiled, putting on his coat.

We walked out through the shop because Tsuki was too big to fit through the window. He respectfully greeted the patron conversing with Master Heele, while I did my best to be unnoticed. It was one of the field workers’ wives, and I knew that she harbored a deep dislike for me.

I sidled over to the door, exiting without pause. Tsuki joined me less than a minute later.

We started walking down the street, which had been paved along with all of the others. The village had grown since Smitta Farlin’s arrival. Newcomers had settled into the houses being built and several other improvement projects had been funded by the local lord. In truth, it had become a proper town, but I still called it a village in my mind.

Tsuki’s family still lived in the sod houses by the farming fields. They couldn’t afford to buy one of the new houses closer to town. They had been living there for three years, but the villagers still treated them like outsiders. The use of the wooden masks set them apart, as well as their refusal to participate in Smitta Farlin’s lessons. They were called strange—foreign—in hushed voices, even when Hana and Hoshi’s labors were readily accepted.

We were just reaching the northern section of town when we heard the voices of a crowd gathering. Tsuki and I paused, eyeing the situation warily.

“Should we go a different way?” he suggested.

“What’s happening?” I asked no one in particular.

We spotted an ornate carriage coming up the street, surrounded by excited villagers. I suddenly remembered Smitta Farlin’s warning from the night before and I felt a surge of panic.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” I blurted.

Tsuki reacted before asking questions. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me down an alley between two shops. We hurried through the back paths, only stopping when we were a safe distance away. 

We paused for breath, even though neither of us winded easily.

“Do you know who that was?” my friend inquired.

I shook my head. “Not really. It’s Smitta Farlin’s superior. He said that he was coming for a visit and told me to stay out of sight.”

Normally, Tsuki would’ve teased me for my lazy grammar, but he was too concerned to take note. “Let’s take you home, then. I’m sure your mother will let me stay for a visit there.”

We began walking back in the direction of Smitta Farlin’s house. We started to avoid the town square, but I was drawn to the sound of applause. I peeked around the corner of a shop, straining to hear the words being spoken.

Chief Westerly was standing on the platform used for festivals. He was gesturing broadly, like some sort of street performer. I stifled a giggle at the thought. Smitta Farlin stood next to him, in his usual green robes. Then, on the far end, stood an unfamiliar man in white robes with green accents. His hair was steel gray but his face didn’t seem much older than Farlin’s. He wore thick, round spectacles, which might have slid down his nose if it weren’t lifted so high in the air.

The man stepped forward after Chief Westerly finished the introduction. He surveyed the crowd like a farmer would look over his livestock. I immediately disliked him.

“I am grateful for your warm welcome,” he said in a surprisingly deep voice. “As Chief Westerly said, I am Grand Smitta Leen. I have traveled here from the capital with the glorious purpose of the Followers of Purity, and I look forward to sharing that purpose with you.”

The villagers applauded politely.

“The Kingdom of Talva may be at peace with its neighbors,” he went on loudly, “but there is a great battle we must fight for the souls of humankind!”

The audience perked up, staring at him with renewed interest.

“How can we live in true peace when there is evil among us?” Grand Smitta Leen demanded. “How can we keep our children safe when predators are waiting to snatch away their salvation?”

Several heads nodded in agreement.

“We may not be soldiers in the king’s army, but we are warriors for the Light of Truth,” he shouted. “Evil cannot stand against those who fight for Purity!”

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

I reached over to grasp Tsuki’s hand. My stomach was starting to churn with anxiety. 

“Smitta Farlin has worked hard to lay the foundation in this beautiful town,” he said with a proud smile, “and I can see the resulting glow from each of your faces. You have embraced the Light and are striving to live pure lives.”

I could see the villagers square their shoulders, standing up a little straighter.

Grand Smitta Leen did the same. “I am here to light the fire that has been prepared,” he declared. “We will purge this area of evil and stand as an example to all the surrounding towns of what can be done with enough faith!”

Tsuki put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me away. However, I could still hear the cheers of the crowd as we retreated.

I was stunned. It took me a moment to form the words to speak. “Is he...saying what I think he’s saying?” I asked.

I looked up at Tsuki and could see the disgust in his eyes. “Yes.”

“Is he declaring war on non-humans?”

“Yes.”

I pointed back at the direction we’d come from. “And are they cheering about that?”

Tsuki took a deep breath. I could see that he was clenching his jaw, even behind his wooden mask.

“Yes.”