Gelland and Acacia walked up the streets towards the northeastern sector of Medina Gilt. Scarved and bundled, citizens shuffled over the hard, paved road, treading dust in the cool morning air. Gelland looked back, shielding her eyes to her left, face towards the south.

The sun peaked over the large wall that protected the city. People had started work on the outside of the bottom part of the wall to layer it in biotite, the durable black stone that chips were made of, so that no Breaker could weaken it. Yet it was a laborious process since you couldn't store biotite in chips, neither affect it at all with Densing.

She didn't know how they managed to change the state of it. Changing it into a liquid made it much easier to to smear on the outside until it hardened back. Was the liquid just broken down particles mixed into a goo, or was there something else to it? They were also forming a chasm around the city as an extra precaution. So much work to fortify the city from the large beasts that roamed the lands in the northern part of their country and potential invading densers. But who protected them from the inside?

It rose ten times higher than Aubury's. While it was getting cold fast here, it would still be warm there. The fishermen still hard at work, things would progress as normal. With several large exceptions.

"Gelland," Acacia said, looking down at her, "about what happened with that alley business..."

"I'm so glad you're alright. Is it too soon to be out? Are you nervous about seeing this guy, we can turn back?"

"No, it's not about that," Acacia paused. "I'm worried about us. About you. What's going to happen when they get you?"

"You make it sound like it's inevitable."

"Well, it may be. This government may be trash, but they know how to punish someone who doesn't keep their ideals."

"But you ran into Safit. That was different. He planned that and he knew you. These people actually have no idea who they're dealing with."

Acacia took her by the arm as they walked. She wore her new gold bracers that went up her forearms with Ytamar and Reia's names. "Gel," she whispered, "you may be a Metamorph, but you aren't untouchable. Unkillable. You and I. What is your plan, to keep intruding on and branding each Master of the government? Stealing who they consider their 'property'?"

Gelland frowned, "Pretty much. I have some measure of 'unkillability' for a minute, or so. And I'm not just wantonly breaking down the door. That last one, I surfaced that tunnel right next to the girls' door. Nice work, by the way. I got them out, then sped past the guards. I was so fast, that I didn't even have to take down the guards. I just put a brand to his forehead, and left a kindly worded note for him. Painless, ya know?"

"Well, the first could've been an isolated incident. Now it's a pattern. They'll plan for you. And if they take you on one of those assaults and kill you, or worse? What if you end up like one of them?"

"I'm already one of them."

"You know what I mean. What do the Hals mean to you?"

Gelland sighed out of her nose, "I used to make fun of them the same as everyone else. My father caught me once and lectured me for a whole hour. Lectures aside, I really didn't accept his teachings until I turned into one. You know about Tear Beach, right?"

"Yeah, when the Hals threatened to burn down the capitol, Veril Rissing's father sent a battalion to silence them," Acacia replied.

"Well, that's not the way my father told it. He said that the former Takutahn tried to sequester and exterminate the whole Hal population in Al Magza. You know what happened then?"

"That does sound more accurate to what I'd expect. So the Regem of Hazten was said to have instigated the Hals into violence."

"Again, those are lies. My father said that the Regem came down and saved all of them. He declared that, 'If you harm my people, I will bring swift destruction on this entire country.'"

"You make it seem like your father had a first hand account of this," she scoffed.

Gelland's blush heated her ears, despite the cool air. "It sounded true enough... he was a good man, I wish all of us had his perspective. But as a captain, he very well could have. It's not something I want to think about."

"I know that's hard. But are you saying that you're going to defect to Hazten?"

The Tecton War seemed like a stalemate, neither side having made much headway. Yet Veril Rissing had called for a mandatory conscription, which had taken effect at the beginning of Dag. It was apparent that the Takutahn had some sort of plan to break through, which also included fortifying Medina Gilt with biotite.

This was the second round of conscriptions this year, as they had started with larger families first. She had been relieved to find out that orphans were exempt, and she needed only to present her counterfeit identification to the conscriptors, which was a metal card that had been changed by Acacia to say "Bristel". She wouldn't let herself be caught up in fighting anyone's selfish war.

"No, of course not. It's better that we change our own country than to be invaded and slaughtered by savages." She paused. "Maybe that was an unfair thing to say. They're people, same as us."

"They say the Regem has a sword literally made from darkness and your worst fears. Try again." Acacia pressed.

"Okay, maybe not all are the same. And if that's true, I don't know why they haven't invaded. It's been about five and twenty years."

"So what are you trying to say? You aren't the Regem either. You don't have an army. You just have me. I fell to two mediocre thieves. We aren't going to be enough to overthrow a government."

"I'm not looking at overthrowing them at this moment. I just want to take a stand where there's been silence on this matter. I owe it to the people I mocked."

"So you're doing this out of guilt? Gelland, you've done more than most. Neither they nor your god could blame you if you wanted to pull back. They would understand."

"They would understand just like a starving man understands that he will die without someone to feed him. My pain has taught me to look at others' pain as my own."

"I thought your god was your teacher."

"I don't know that there is a difference."

Acacia shook her head. "Please, just consider our positions in this. I'm with you, you don't have to worry about that. You may be willing to lose your life, but I don't know how I'll be if I lose you. You're my light, Gelland."

Gelland nodded, "I hope I'm not. But okay. I'll consider."

She and Acacia kept walking arm in arm towards the "kidnapper's" house. They hadn't come to a consensus on how to approach him. Voices started growing louder as they neared what Acacia noted was their destination. Rounding a corner, they ran into a crowd of people haggling over wares, shouting to and at one another. Craftsmen's tents had been pulled out into the street, and as the two walked through, sellers stepped out in front of them.

They raised hands, "No, not today's" and "I'm fine, thank you's" were abundant. The smell of perfume and spices mixed in a dizzying swirl of a sensation. Sweat glistened off the dark skin of the sellers and hagglers, which reminded her of Deirdan, and she smiled. The smile surprised her.

Acacia pointed out the building of the two-voiced man. They stepped over to the other side of the street to inspect it from behind one of the tents. The bottom floors of these buildings were much like the coffee shop Ferti owned, a normal residential with a metal pull-up door leading into the shop on the bottom level. One could get up to the higher levels through an alley that cut through the buildings leading to flights of stairs. The old man sat out in front of his shop behind a table filled with red pottery. 

"So that's what I smelled in the house," Acacia said. "I came out on the bottom level, around the corner from where he's sitting."

"He must carry that red clay with him everywhere in the house," Gelland said. "Living in the same place as you work must be a pain. And he has to cut the space in half for both." 

Acacia turned to a woman approaching them about shoes. The thin red pair had their tips arcing upwards, an old fashion that used to mark one as royalty. These were cheap allusions. "That shop over there, do you know the man?"

"Oh yes, strange man. Sells pottery he makes by hand. Bad business. Others make better. But these are good, you'll want these," she proffered the shoes towards Acacia.

"And does the man have a name?"

The woman's smile turned to disgust as she turned from the two, walking in the way of another passerby.

"Rude," Acacia said.

Gelland tapped quickly on Acacia's shoulder, and pointed. The potter had stood up, looking around. We're a half block away, there's no chance he can hear us. He rounded his table, spinning to the left, facing towards them. His leathery face drooped slightly around the lip and brow edges. He beckoned to them with his hand, turning to place his stool back into the shop entrance.

Gelland turned to Acacia, "Looks like we're not sneaking in." Towing Acacia by the arm back out into the street, and together they walked up to the pottery table. Peeking in, they found him sitting alone in the workshop, arm resting on his desk. Tools, neatly configured, lined his desk, with a spinning wheel set behind him. Paintings also lined the walls. He looked up at them and smiled, his gray hairs combed to one side. 

"How did you know?" Gelland asked.

"I was surprised as well. I will let him answer," the man said, his lips having trouble shaping the words.

"I saw... something. A sign, but I did not truly know," said another voice from the man. His lips now moved more deftly, and seemed to sag less as well as his brows. He looked like a younger man than she had guessed. "Can anyone truly know anything?"

"Of course," Gelland answered. "The sun and Kahton pass in the sky every day, without fail. We know this."

"And if, one day, they did not? If not eternal, is it true?"

"What kind of questions are these?" Acacia said. "We're not here to debate philosophy. I want to know who you are and what you are."

"I've been telling him about our people," he said in what was assumed to be the regular man's voice. "We go around with these powers, always expecting for everything to shape to our wills in an instant. You're too impatient, young lady."

Gelland chuckled, "You're probably right. But we do need to know who you are."

The strange voice said, "And if I didn't give it to you, would you starve? You want my name. But I will give you ours. The man you see, he is called Yarden. He operates this shop."

"Nice to meet you, Yarden. And the other's name?" Gelland said.

"He has a problem with questions about himself. He has told me some things, but at other times he forgets certain aspects about himself. But he has told me that he was referred to as Quoi," Yarden said.

"I do remember this name at this moment," Quoi said. 

Acacia and Gelland shared a look. "So what are you?" Acacia said.

"Please," Yarden said, standing to his feet. "Let us move inside. I do not think anyone would like our conversation to be overheard. Help a poor old man put away his things, alright?" The two helped put away the red pottery from in front and placed the table inside, pulling down the metal door. He led them through the wooden door covered with clay handprints at the back of the room.

"Do you know our names already?" Acacia asked.

"No, I never learned this. It seems once I understand a thing from this side, I will not lose it as I lose from the other," Quoi said. His strange accent seemed to linger on certain vowels such as "O" and leave off "R" sounds in favor of an "Ooo" sound.

"I am Acacia and my friend is named Bristel."

"Do you have what's called dementia?" Gelland asked. "I have heard of people losing their memories before. Some that I knew were very young, but then taking on a very different personality. Probably to make up for what they lost." She said this as carefully as she could, not wanting to upset the man, but needing to get to the point. "Do you think this is the case?"

Yarden led them to a kitchen to the left, gesturing for them to sit and placed a fruit basket on the table before taking a seat himself. He laughed, "I see how they treat you, my friend. Truly these people do not understand your condition, they see what you people call an 'old, feeble man'. I still don't understand it." Quoi said.

"It's true, friend. But I do not blame them, the condition is rare," Yarden rested his elbows on the table and looked at them. "You see my face sags, yes? These aren't wrinkles."

"Then what are they?" Gelland asked.

"I have had seizures my whole life. My body has been through immense pain, and I had lost much function of my limbs. My speech slurred, and my face lost most feeling. I was near to being paralyzed. You see an old man, and so do others. But I am merely eight and forty."

"You're that young?" Acacia asked.

"You were near to being paralyzed. What changed with your condition?" Gelland asked.

"Nothing with the condition. But a certain strange voice called to me one day in my pain, and asked, 'Would you like me to take over?'. I was in so deep, and just wanted release. I said yes."

"As you can see, I did not take over," Quoi said. "I fled away from... something. I cannot remember this. I thought to have this man's body. It seems he tricked me, the 'old man' still has fight left in him."

"Shut up," Yarden said, chuckling. "So you see, these sags were much worse. Then we joined together in this one body, and it started healing. I doubt I am finished, as it has been only a month, or so."

Gelland's eyes grew wide, placing her fidgeting hands in her lap. "So you're a ghost?"

"You make him sound scary. I prefer the term spirit, which he calls ysbryd."

Gelland's mind spun, trying to handle this new information. If I believe them, then... "Do you know of other ysbryds like yourself, trying to inhabit humans?"

"Cannot remember this either... But we were called ysbrydion, in total."

"You had said that others had been sent on a task of some sort. You refused. And that you were in trouble," Yarden reminded him.

"I remember something along these lines. But not with other ysbrydion, like me. No, another."

"So do ysbrydion split bodies like this every time? The reason I'm asking is that I may have seen this before." She paused, concerned about what she may be revealing about herself. "Do you know who I am? How did you know where I was just now and where I would be from before? The blind man told me that I was expected by you."

"I had not heard this name, Bristel. But I did see you, or rather, a reminder of who you were connected to. I used a name that seemed to fit Him, The One Who Sees. But I call Him, 'The Name'."

"What name?"

"No, that is what I call Him. None do know His name, or perhaps He is forgotten by man. Yarden did not recall any of this, either. He only hears of this 'Zil'. But I saw a pink smoke along the roads. I followed the trail, as no one else seemed to notice. The smoke led to colorful eyes in the blind's sockets, though I knew there were none.

"I believed you to be connected to The Name, and I waited. Those who know Him, speak of Him. I don't know why they do, but I had heard that The Name does marvelous things. I told the man you would come to tell him. When you approached just now, I saw the smoke in my doorway. Even now, it peeks out from under your sleeves." He nodded to Acacia.

"Marvelous things..." Acacia looked ponderously at her hands, turning her arms over to search them. They had no such smoke, as far as Gelland could see.

"You're so right. He does strange things, and I cannot fathom them." Gelland smiled. She finally had someone else who shared her outlook. She had wondered if she was the only one. There was also Acacia, but she felt she was tolerated by her in that, though she did think about the things Gelland said. "I'd like to tell you a story about a girl named Gelland."