The third day of lectures had passed like a breeze for everyone except Meredith. Her wax tablet had been full the day before and slacking off on her transcription of notes, she had to rely on notes scribbled on borrowed paper. After stashing her entire stack at the dormitory, the three were off to the merchant’s district of the city. With the third day of lectures done, not just the rest of that day but the coming one too would belong to them, but Carryl had to admit that she did not look forward to Theresa’s dry get-together. 

Nannade led them down the slope of the scholar’s district towards the temple district. To reach the amerchant’s district, they would have to cross the river at either of the two bridges, either in the temple district or just at the campus gates, but the latter would lead them to the harbour district first, a place the girls in the robes of students wished to avoid. 

In the temple district, Meredith insisted on speaking a prayer and placing an offering at the temple of Her Holy Radiance first. In front of the temple, pointing south, stood a tall statue of a female angel raising a sword to the sky. It was the gnomon of the sundial that was the plaza, patterned with tiles of polished granite in tones of grey and red. Before the temple entrance, Nannade suddenly stopped.  

Meredith turned around. “Aren’t you coming inside?” 

Nannade shook her head. “It is not my place to enter the place of the choirs unless bidden. It is one of the rules placed upon me as a seeress. Speak your prayers and I will be waiting here.” 

Meredith seemed disappointed, but then walked on. Carryl saw on the ground that the many thousand glass facets of the dome were in fact lenses. They focussed the light from above in circles and smooth spots at different angles, forming a pattern of mathematical beauty. Like rays of the sun, they were lengthened into ovals, becoming clearer and clearer towards the centre of the dome: a circular altar from which a priest would give sermons but now, where many people knelt and prayed, after dropping coins inside the circle, where they sparkled in the focussed light. 

Meredith too dropped a coin and spoke a few simple words silently. When she turned around, she looked expectantly at Carryl. “Are you not praying?” 

Carryl had to look away out of shame. “Well...you see.” She suppressed words her father had once said. Belief is for the people lacking the knowledge to remake the world; our bloodline must rely on real strength and solid stone, not promises by impotent preachers. She admitted that not all could be as sure of themselves as Maoldonaich of House Dwyllaigh, King and Grand Magus of all of Cyrrgwarth. “I never made many offerings, our House did it for all of us, but I guess I ought to start some day.” She pulled a coin out of her purse and dropped it inside the altar, at which Meredith’s eyes grew wide and scared. 

“Carolinia! That was a Communion Silver!” She seemed shocked, afraid at the prospect. 

“Do you think it was too much?” Carryl just now remembered that a single one of those coins were four ounces of pure silver. 

“No, it’s the coin of another church!” 

“Oh that. I forgot.” She looked at Meredith and saw a face that spoke of hurt and offense. Was the commoner truly that invested in the faith? “Should I retrieve it?” 

Meredith’s face did not grow better. “You mean leaning into the altar and taking something out? In the light of the holy sun? Carolinia, no, that is not” her voice had grown loud for the vast hall that was the temple, she leaned in and whispered. “... that’s not something I would ever have suspected of you. Let us just go back for now, we shouldn’t make Nannade wait.” Meredith grabbed Carryl’s wrist and pulled her along like an angry mother would a misbehaving child. 

Nannade smiled at them when they returned. “Are you ready to move on? Let us go.” They were on their way when Nannade smirked at Meredith and put an impish twist on her voice. “What did Carolinia do wrong?” 

“Oh? Yes. She offered a Communion Silver to Her Holy Radiance!” 

Nannade kept her impish twist. “So much? Oh my.” 

“No, Nannade, you don’t understand it’s-“ 

“-another cult’s sacred symbol, I know. I know of both the large and the small transgressions. Do not be harsh on her. The nobility worships differently.” 

Carryl could tell Nannade was choosing these words with the same impish thought as her voice. The sudden turn of Nannade from shy crolachan in a strange place to a flippant talker was again a sight to behold. 

They arrived at the northern bridge across the river, which led from the temple district to sentinel island in the middle of the harbour and from there a second one further. The foundation of the city was built up so high that even sail ships could pass underneath the arching bridges with ease. From the lower terraces of the harbour, cranes on rails along the terrace’s edges lifted wares and people, operated by young mages standing next to the contraptions, called to machinators. Surely, they were paid well and immensely trained, using their own bodies as conduits of the energies needed to lift dozens of tons each day, but still, Carryl knew it was only for the lowest of mages, for even a famulus served in a powerful household. 

They entered the merchant’s district, where the majority of the wares that flow into Halonnes were either sold or worked. Cafés, boutiques, stores for all kinds of curiosities could be found, as well as the storefronts of the stores of workshops that worked materials from silk to ivory. Of course, many people on the smoothly cobbled roads appraised their wares and a few even came up close. A bookbinder ran up to the girls in the robes of students to sell them empty tomes to write their first spellbooks, paper, inks, quills, wax tablets and Meredith and Carryl halted for a moment before being urged on by Nannade, who was beset by a woman praising her fur and offering her beautifully adorned brushes and combs to take care of it even better. 

They finally arrived at a small plaza of just a handful of stores, one of which was a tea house washed in rosy tones. Right behind the doors, two maids greeted the new arrivals. 

“Be greeted, Charges of the Exalted.” 

They recognized Nannade and directed them to a seat by the window, which was stained in the colour of rosebushes. As soon as the girl had sat down, the maids brought them trays of tiny cups with dozens of blends of tea, along with biscuits. Cocoa and vanilla, cinnamon, berry jam, oat and rye, all manners of baked morsels were presented before them. Nannade, while still impressed herself, made an offering gesture before taking the first cup. “Madame Susanna-Bellia has offered this all and more to you to show you the richness of her establishment in wares. Please enjoy.” 

Carryl tried a first small cup and tried to take in the aroma, Meredith began her chatter before the first sip. 

“So, Nannade, do tell, what does this Madame actually do?” 

“Well, she owns and runs several establishments around the city. The small theatre not far from here, for example. The Cuisine du Radiance in the temple district, too.” 

“Ah, but what does she do for you? Carolinia’s brother said she’s your patron? What does that mean?” 

“Oh, she pays my tuition.” 

Meredith, taking her first sip, raised her eyebrow. “Why?” 

“She’s an old friend of the witch that trained me in Sturreland. When it was decided that I should graduate from Halonnes University, my stay with her was an obvious decision.” 

Carryl suddenly noticed the opportunity to find out more about her past and what led her to be here or in Sturreland in the first place. “A decision by whom?” 

Nannade glanced away for a moment, her eyes returned to Carryl’s as if by conscious effort, her hand short to her neck and scratched underneath that blue bow. “Various people, I have little say in any of that. Births with the mystic gift are rare enough, even in Sturreland. It was either this or the deep mysteries of the oracles of Sturreland.” 

Meredith had a look of pity on her face. “You can’t decide for yourself?” 

A sombre smile appeared on Nannade’s face. “Us born with the mystic gift are never born truly free, we drift on the currents along the veil, but that makes it even more important to also be confined in the ways we live. I guess of the three of us here, you are the most free, Meredith. You come from nothing and have a unique opportunity that there is little expected of you.” 

“That’s not true! I swore an oath when I accepted that scholarship, to serve the people of Cyrrgwarth. That’s why I will become an Erutor, to help and rescue people in need.” 

Nannade smiled more happily this time. “And with that oath came power and privilege, did it not? You can go here of all the academies on the continent, rather than having your parents go into debt just to attend Laeddun instead. I had the choice between uprooting myself before I ever formed a true connection to the land or be confined for the rest of my life. If the witch that trained me would leave, she would see her powers dwindle, even with her familiar at her side, her happiness diminish. She has been there for so long, it would pain her heart. Even I longue for the forests covering the hills and dells like a soft pelt on a warm bed.” She closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to drift away from the little café for a while. 

“Will you return there then? In the future? Or where else will you go?” 

The journey that Nannade’s mind had been on ended and she appeared to be saddened. Her head hung low and her look darted away again. “There are many things expected of me. I will go where I am needed. Once you serve in a group that has sworn itself to the lives of others, maybe you will understand, Meredith. I hope your future as an Erutor brings you joy.” 

Meredith seemed confused at the sudden well-wishes. “Th-thank you, Nannade. But what brings you joy? What is your wish? Does it really matter if someone else has control? Wouldn’t it be better if you voice your plans?” 

Nannade again looked away and scratched her neck. “It’s complicated, I’d rather not say, can we leave it at that?” 

Meredith and Carryl looked at each other. They knew that finding the right questions with Nannade would be more difficult and dangerous than walking barefoot over a floor of broken glass in the dark. To Carryl, it was baffling to see the previously playful and sharp girl disappear not just behind shyness and reservation, but behind fear. 

There was a silence between them for a while, eating and tasting cookies, discussing the different tastes and blends. Meredith commented on almost every single one and Carryl had to admit that most of them she knew not. The sweet and elegant bakery of Étuse was far more refined than anything that craggy Cyrrgwarth had ever brought forth. Eventually, Meredith tried Nannade with anther difficult question. 

“The professor told us to not engage with spirits, but what exactly are they? Nobody has ever told me but I am afraid I wouldn’t even be able to tell when I meet one, y’know?” 

Nannade sighed. “That’s a difficult question. I can’t answer you right now but I’ll try, maybe an idea how to tell you will come to me.” 

At least the question had not made her visibly uncomfortable. 

Nannade smelled a few of the cups, took a last sip from one and said “I think I will get this one. Do you want to go into the city? I can’t fill my stomach on biscuits alone.” 

“Oh, lovely!” Meredith clapped her hand together. “I want to try what they got to eat here!” 

They were appropriately wished farewell by the staff and then went out into the streets. At the edge of the merchant’s district to the water, they found plenty of stores and stands offering morsels and bites. Some seemed familiar, like breaded sausages on a stick or grilled meat skewers, but others neither Carryl nor Meredith had ever seen. At every stall, Meredith threw an anxious glance into her purse, counting the few coins inside until Carryl put her hand on it. 

“You stop worrying about money when out with friends. Let us just enjoy ourselves.” Then she drew another silver coin roughly two inches across, more of a bullion really. “If you want to become part of noble society, you have to acquire some sense for extravagance. It is expected.” 

Meredith’s eyes went wide when Carrly said that, but she was not looking at the coin at all but rather Carryl directly. “You’d call mem friend?” 

Carryl herself was taken aback and needed a moment to process her own words. “...yes. Yes I guess I do.” 

“Oh then you have to call me Merry, I insist!” 

“Very well then, Merry. You can call me Carryl, getting Siangwen to stop calling me that is difficult enough either way.” 

Merry turned to Nannade. “And you too, you call me Merry, too. What do we call you? Nanna? Naddy?” 

Nannade smiled but shook her head. “My name is Nannade, nothing else will do. But thank you for your offer, Merry.” 

Merry fell around each of their necks and hugged them so tightly and giggled so brightly that even Carryl could not withdraw from it and had to smile. Eventually, they got back to food and decided on fish breaded with dough of cinnamon and vanilla with whipped cream along with a pitcher of wine, true to Carryl’s demands of extravagance. They found a spot on the low wall before the harbour step, where it was a few dozen feet down to the harbour basin. Carryl could see through the gate outside the salt pans on an artificial island that sat just in front. She remembered the stories her siblings had told her. 

“The salt pans over there, they’re built on a low stone reef. After the Great Sundering, there was nothing here, just a small fishing town shortly after the survivors of the Pliranti cities migrated. Then they started raking salt from the ocean, which brought much trade here and soon, it had grown to a town and then to a city. The island also blocks entry to the harbour if the helmsman does not know exactly how to navigate around it, guarding the harbour from attacks.” 

Merry followed Carryl’s words closely, but Nannade looked down at her dangling feet and the waters below. Carryl followed her gaze as if it would help her look for something.  

“What is down there?” 

“Well.” Nannade pointed down. “I was thinking. See that puddle in the stone down there? And the sand?” 

There was in the bedrock the harbour walls were built on indeed a puddle where water from high tide had remained and inside some sand, in the familiar ripple pattern. 

“What about it?” Merry leaned in closely as well. 

“You asked me what spirits are. I guess you can compare them to that sand. The tide has deposited that sand there and the waves have shaped it. Anywhere you go, on any beach, you find those ripple patterns. I don’t know why, I can’t explain, but they always do that, every movement of the water moves maybe just one or two grains of sand, but when the pattern arises, it stays that way, even after the water retreats. Well, if the water’s surface is the veil between our world and the world beyond, then the spirits are those patterns. When a fox is somewhere, it moves just a few grains of sand in the manner of a fox. If many foxes are there over long periods of time, the fox’ ripples form. If it gets chased away by a wolf, the pattern changes to wolf ripples. This is all on the other side of the veil, but we can still see them through the water.... or at least us seers can.” 

It started to make sense to Carryl and she had to go after it asking. “So the spirits are the ripples, not the grains of sand?” 

“Yes, a single spirit represents hundreds, thousands even of actions, thoughts and even breaths by an entity of that pattern. Generations of wisdom can be read from the pattern. It is up to the seer to inspect every grain of sand and its placement in the pattern.” 

“So, what about human spirits, are they like ghosts? Or gods?” 

Nannade sighed deeply. “Even animals can make more than one pattern. Any animal can be angry and make angry ripples, any predator can make predatory ripples, any scared animal can make scared ripples. But humans, they have not just emotions, but thoughts, plans, hopes, contemplations that are all so different and ethereal, to compare them to simple ripples in the sand does not make them justice.” She kept looking at her feet. “I hope that answers your question, Merry.” 

“It sort of does, I guess. I wish I could see one. A spirit, that is.” 

“Well, you can see Ssil, right?” Nannade smiled and extended her arm, out of the sleeve of which crawled the snake. “And if that fails.... maybe I can take you to a place of power of Sturreland one day. The inner sanctums of temples such as the ones here remain sealed off to anyone but the priesthood, but during festivities in Sturreland, the people bring their hopes and prayers to the spirits in the sacred glades and groves. When the seers call the spirits and they congregate, they can actually manifest in the trees, among the grasses, in the dancing streams and brooks. You might not be able to look them directly in the face or converse with them, but maybe, from the corner of your eyes, you’ll notice them.” 

“Oh, going to Sturreland, why not? I always wanted to travel, I like looking at the ships that crossed the sea, asking my dad how it was to sail across the oceans.” Merry paused for a moment and looked behind them, westward. “I want to see a sunset at sea again. I miss my favourite spot on Aeoldonys. A rock that pointed directly west. I could see the sky and ocean turn to fire. But here the walls block everything and even outside the houses just stretch everywhere, I’m afraid I’d get lost just walking in a straight line.” 

Carryl had to smirk. “I know a place where we can see the sundown, but we would have to go back to the dormitory.” 

They made their way back with a stiff gait to get to the dormitory before the sun hit the ocean, taking the shorter route through the harbour district, but when they rounded a corner, they saw themselves with a dirty appearance that made them halt in their tracks. Before them stood a man, bearded, unkempt and layered in clothes that had accumulated a stench that reached them even where they stood. Most notably, on his forehead, blades in cruel and crude strokes a disgusting red symbol: the brand of the sinner. 

The sinner before them grinned and looked straight at them, as if anticipating them around the corners. He giggled to himself as he saw them. The dirt road was wide enough for a handful of people, but he stood there as if to block them. From the mere sight, revulsions and disgust filled Carryl. He looked them in the eyes and grinned even wider, then made a mockery of a bow. “Your majesty, such an honour.”, following up the loathsome utterance with another giggle. It shot an icy lance down Carryl’s spine and even Nannade seemed afraid. But Merry took strong strides towards the man. 

Arriving before him, she threw open her arms as if to block him with a wide and stable stance and spoke with a voice as loud as Carryl had not yet heard of her. “STEP AWAY, SINNER! AWAY!” Her posture was imposing, as if to block his path towards the others. “AWAY SINNER! RETURN TO YOUR WRETCHED LIFE!” She stood as if rooted and although the sinner did shrink a step backwards, he did not move aside. Instead, he ducked and bowed his head as if repeating his fake reverence. 

“Let... let me pay my respects, pretty girl.” He took a step towards the other two. “Your majesty, please.” 

Merry took another step forward and yelled even louder, drawing attention from the everyday bustle around them. “AWAY FILTH! AWAY!” Her voice was full of rage at that moment. 

The sinner slouched and stepped away, but his eyes remained on the girls, grinning as if licking his lips without a tongue. The girls walked on and Carryl and Nannade looked at Merry. Carryl had to speak up. “That was quite the determination, I would have just walked around him. Like we should have walked around the entire harbour district to begin with.” 

Looking ahead, Merry said nothing for a moment. “Let’s just get to that spot of yours, Carryl.” Then she hastened her steps.