By the time he had finished, all of those near him but Evvy had moved away and were using their forearms to put as much flesh as they could between their ears and his thundering voice as it echoed in the pass. Evvy was crying. “You don’t have to do this,” she told the creature who had made her feel safe in those ugly hours after she fled her torturers. “You don’t have to leave your only home.”
Luvo turned his head knob up to her. “I have seen how your education goes, Evumeimei,” he said quietly. “It is well enough, but I can teach you other things. And I do not wish to sleep eternity away. I wish to see more. You and Briar and Rosethorn, and your friends, among you I have felt more awake than I have felt since the first humans came to Gyongxe. I wish to stay awake with you.”
“Well, if that’s settled, we still need to go.” Rosethorn opened a bag on one of the horses and pulled out some of the scarves the God-King had given them. “Will you ride a packhorse or with Evvy?”
“I will ride with Evumeimei for a time,” Luvo said.
Rosethorn and Briar quickly wound scarves around Evvy and Luvo until the living stone was tucked and secure in front of the girl.
Jimut handed Evvy the reins. “Give my greetings to the river goddess when you reach Kombanpur,” he told Briar. They clasped hands.
“I will,” Briar said. He bowed to Parahan and Souda and rode to Rosethorn, taking the lead rein for their string of packhorses from her.
Evvy waved as the twins and Jimut turned to gallop back to the main road to Garmashing. She waited until they were out of her view before she leaned over and spat on the earth of Gyongxe. “Pass that on to Yanjing, if you’d be so good,” she whispered to the gods of the realm. “I know at least a couple of you are listening.” She looked ahead. “C’mon, Luvo. Any place that gave us Briar and Rosethorn has to be interesting.”
“I look forward to it,” the heart of the mountain said.
“I look forward to going home,” Briar said. “Home! My sisters, and Lark, and a city where winter means rain and wool clothes, not furs!”
“Our garden,” Rosethorn added. “Winding Circle temple. The sea.”
“I have not been near the sea in a long time,” Luvo said. “It must have changed very much.”
“You will have to tell us,” Briar replied. “And the Kanpoja River will take us there.”
They set off at a trot, the road clear ahead of them.
Glossary
abatis(es) ∼ branch(es) or X-shaped log structure(s) set in ditches with sharpened point facing outward; an obstacle
Alion ∼ province where Winter Palace is located
bag(s) ∼ Briar’s slang, moneybag(s)
baita ∼ home-away-from-home, a Yanjingyi temple in a foreign land
Banpuri ∼ language of Kombanpur and its neighbors
bleat-brain ∼ Imperial slang for someone stupid
caravansary ∼ an inn with a large courtyard that provides accommodation for caravans
cave snake ∼ a creation of the mountains from human bone in the beginning: a skull with a body that is all vertebrae; they now breed on their own
Chammur ∼ Evvy’s most recent home in eastern Sotat
Chammuri ∼ dialect of Chammur
chetu ∼ toad spit in tiyon
company ∼ (of soldiers) 100 fighters
cuirass ∼ piece of armor that protects the chest and back
damohi ∼ homosexual in Trader-talk
deep runner ∼ a creation of the mountains, horse-like, with an eagle’s head, golden beak, thin legs, and metal hooves
Drimbakangs ∼ tallest mountains in the world
Lho ∼ longer arm of Drimbakang mountains south of Gyongxe
Sharlog ∼ arm of Drimbakang mountains in southeast of Gyongxe
Zugu ∼ “finger” of Drimbakang mountains, reaching from Lho around Garmashing
emchi ∼ mage in Gyongxin
flank ∼ the right or left side of a military formation
fluorite ∼ a transparent crystal that comes in many colors, in this case clear, dark green, and purple
frog ∼ braid loop-and-knot fastening
Garmashing ∼ capital of Gyongxe
get ∼ child
gilav ∼ head of Trader caravan
greaves ∼ leg armor worn below each knee
halberd ∼ long spear with a broad blade that can be used to chop as well as stab
Hanjian ∼ port city on Storm Dragons Ocean, southeastern Yanjing
Heibei ∼ Yanjingyi god of luck
Imperial ∼ language common to the countries around the Pebbled Sea, all part of the Kurchal empire before its fall; home language for Briar and Rosethorn
infantry ∼ foot soldiers
Inxia ∼ kingdom to immediate north of Yanjing
Kajura ∼ nation to south and west of Kombanpur
Kanzan ∼ Yanjingyi goddess of healing
kaq ∼ Trader-talk slang, someone useless, non-Trader; an obscene term
knap ∼ to chip stone with sharp blows, as when shaping flint or obsidian to form an edge
Kombanpur ∼ Parahan’s home in the Realms of the Sun, to the south and west of Gyongxe and Yanjing
Lailan ∼ Chammuran goddess of water, mercy, and healing
Lakik ∼ Briar’s trickster god
La Ni Ma ∼ southern Gyongxe sun goddess
Ganas Rigyal Po, Snow King (southeast husband)
Ganas Gazig Rigyal Po, Snow Leopard King (west)
Kangri Skad Po, Talking Snow Mountain King (middle)
lathe ∼ the arch or bow part of a crossbow
Long ∼ present ruling dynasty of Yanjing, also Yanjingyi term for dragon
lugshai ∼ craftspeople, Trader-talk
mage ∼ someone who has received formal training in the use of magic at a school or through a succession of teachers who are trained by schools
midday ∼ lunch
Mila ∼ Living Circle goddess of the earth and growing things
mimander ∼ Trader mage
Mohun ∼ Chammuran god of silence, stone, dark and secret places
momo ∼ Gyongxin dumpling with various stuffings
nanshur ∼ mage in tiyon
neb ∼ Briar’s slang for “nose”
Ningzhou ∼ language of Yanjingyi imperial court
numia ∼ Banpuri for “little sister”
pahan ∼ Chammuri for “teacher,” “mage”
palanquin ∼ covered and enclosed platform chair with cushions, set on rods front and back, used to carry people