Page 49 of Invocation

Chapter 10

Novikke, Aruna, Neiryn, and Kadaki separated from the soldiers and went their own way—for good this time, she hoped. None of them were eager to test the tenuous truce that the avatar of Ravi had forced on them. Novikke had suggested to Vissarion that they should gather the rest of their people and escape Kuda Varai quickly while they still could, before the forest grew stronger and started misdirecting them again. Judging by the nervous looks the soldiers exchanged, they didn’t disagree with her reasoning.

Kadaki had decided to come with the three of them. For her and Novikke, there was no going back to the army. But they could probably avoid arrest if they didn’t draw attention to themselves. They could hide in the massive crowd that was the population of Ardani.

Novikke guessed that Kadaki would have come along even if that hadn’t been the case, though. She was fairly sure that she and Neiryn would not be separating any time soon.

The trees were full and tall and healthy again. Taller than before, even. It was quieter than it had been when she’d first come to the forest. There were fewer birds singing and fewer crickets chirping. But Kuda Varai was coming back to life, slowly but surely.

After several days, they were nearly to the edge of Kuda Varai. Aruna said they’d reach it by that evening.

“What are you going to do when we get to Ardani?” Novikke asked Aruna.

“I’m going to find a bath,” Neiryn said immediately. He tilted his head up curiously. “Do you have hot springs in Ardani? Please tell me you do.”

“In the North, maybe,” Novikke guessed.

“North as in Uulantaava, not Ardani,” Kadaki said. “I don’t think there is enough geothermal activity here for hot springs. I suppose there are some advantages to living next to a volcano.”

“There certainly are. I’ll take you to Ysura someday, Kadaki. I know you’d love it.”

Kadaki glanced up at him, her face turning slightly pink.

“Are there regular baths, at least?” Neiryn asked.

“Are you really asking whether Ardanians have baths?” Novikke said. “Is that a serious question? You think humans don’t know how to wash themselves?”

“Bathing and washing are two different things. The Varai don’t do baths, I hear, due to the short supply of water in Vondh Rav. There’s more sponging and less soaking involved. It sounds wholly unpleasant.”

Novikke looked up at Aruna to gauge his opinion on this statement, but he didn’t seem to have heard. He was walking some distance ahead of them, rarely joining the conversation. He’d been even quieter than usual that day.

“I just hope we come out of the forest somewhere near an inn,” Neiryn went on. “I’m tired of being outdoors. And I haven’t slept for two days. I keep having nightmares about that shadow woman.”

“Nightmares?” Novikke said. “You found her frightening?”

“Of course I did. She was a massive demon goddess made of pure darkness. She could have killed us all with a wave of one of those giant hands, I’m sure of it.”

“But she didn’t.”

“No. She didn’t.”

“I thought she was beautiful.”

He gave her a sideways glance. “I suppose you wouldn’t fear her, would you? You became a part of each other for a while.” He looked down at her left hand. “You’ve still got that... thing, haven’t you? What if it never goes away?”

Black stained her skin from her fingertips to halfway up her forearm. Beneath the black marks on her hand was the faint scar Zaiur had put in her palm.

She flexed her fingers, and she could have sworn she saw a few wisps of black vapor trailing from them.

“I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t,” she said.

“You don’t mind having marks from the goddess of night on you?” Neiryn said skeptically.

“You know, some theological scholars think that Aevyr and Ravi are both actually aspects of Astra,” Kadaki said.

“They would,” Neiryn muttered. “Humans always find a way to make everything about themselves. They’ll reframe anything to fit their view of things.”

“Astra and Ravi are aspects of Aevyr, then,” Kadaki said. “Whichever version doesn’t hurt your delicate feelings.”

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