“Oh, Father God,” Revin said, kneeling, his head bowed, “bless this morning that my body may renew in the sunlight, that my spirit may renew in your light, and bless this day that I may use my strength to do your will, and that I may have faith to grant me peace in trials.”

  Kaiato looked quizzical. “No ceremonial robes? No candles? No tea?”

  Revin shook his head. “What are you talking about?” Revin stretched his arms out, enjoying a tiny bit of morning sun. “That’s the Day Blessing.”

  “I may not be of the Holy Church of Shevidaro, but even I know you did it wrong.”

  Revin paused his stretch, glancing at Kaiato. “Wait, did you just say, Sephitaro?”

  “No,” Kaiato said. “I said Shevidaro.”

  Revin frowned in confusion. “First I’m doing my ritual wrong, then you say the name of God different. You seem to know a lot about the Hiriv, are you sure you’ve never heard of it?”

  Kaiato frowned in confusion. “Very sure. It’s just everyone says it that way, the Ateyans, the Mirhadens, the Velkites.”

  Revin’s memory interrupted him. His father and the other masters… they’d said something about the eastern lands rejecting the truth…

  “Wait a minute,” Revin said with a laugh. “You have a splinter faith here!”

  Kaiato raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not the splinter faith?”

  Revin frowned. “Our texts go back thousands of years, with an unbroken line of prophets.”

  “Impressive, but I don’t see how that proves your point.”

  “We’ve been around longer! I’d just have to show these people, I’m sure they’ll come around once I explain.”

  Kaiato shrugged. “Calling the Holy Church of Shevidaro a splinter faith in front of Ateyans is a good way to get killed.”

  Revin tried to repeat it. “So, wait, what does this church have to do with the Ateyans?”

  “It’s the state-approved religion of Ateya.”

  Kaiato furrowed his brow. “You’re either mad, a fool, or you really aren’t from around here.”

  “I promise it’s the third,” Revin said. “I wonder who I’d have to show my records to convince them.”

  Kaiato frowned. “You don’t know anything about them, yet you’re so fast to condemn their faith? You have a lot more in common with them than you might think. Honestly, I don’t really care how it’s pronounced.”

  “Why?” Revin said.

  Kaiato let out a sigh. “You are a persistent one.”

  “Call me curious,” Revin said. “I haven’t heard which faith you belong to.”

  Kaiato spoke firmly. “Have you considered how that might have been intentional?”

  “I don’t know why. I know plenty about religion. I could probably teach you a lot!” Revin spoke in as helpful a tone as he could.

  Kaiato’s face turned grim, and he took a swift step toward Revin, hand tightened into a fist at his side. Revin flinched. “Respect. Do you know the word?” Kaiato snapped, his face turning into an angry frown. “My religion is about respect. And it is disrespectful to debate what you can’t prove.”

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  Kaiato’s physical proximity made Revin’s heart skip a beat. Something primal within him wanted to flee at the prospect of violence. Several of his compies hissed at Kaiato and one even nipped at his pant leg.

  Revin raised his hands to the air. “Hey! Sorry to pry.”

  Kaiato huffed. “Speaking this language feels like I’m talking to an Ateyan. And, around Ateyans, I prefer to keep my beliefs to myself.”

  They were quiet for a time, until Revin gathered the courage to speak again. “If you don’t want to tell me what you believe, that’s fine. But could you tell me why?”

  Kaiato closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. “It’s fine,” he said in a tone that implied anything but. “It’s because it’s illegal to practice anything other than Shevidarism in Ateya.”

  Revin shook himself out of his stupor. “The law controls your religion?”

  “Why do you think I’m wandering the wilderness rather than living in a city?” Kaiato said.

  “And if I disobey?” Revin said. “I’m not changing religions because of some law.”

  “First you’ll be fined. If you persist, maybe they’ll whip you. If you continue despite their punishments, they will only escalate. Bound in the stocks, branded, imprisoned, and finally, if you don’t yield, public execution,” Kaiato said. “High Judge Yishai Abaddon thinks only Shevidarism can make the people moral, so that’s what he enforces.”

  Revin’s jaw dropped. This all sounded insane. “We’ve never punished or arrested anyone for not being a member of our faith.”

  Kaiato gave a sarcastic smile and bowed. “Welcome to Ateya.”

  Revin shook his head. “Do you have such laws where you’re from?”

  “No.” Kaiato’s face turned sad. “My homeland merely encourages.”

  “If it’s so dangerous for you here, then why don’t you go back?” Revin said.

  Kaiato was silent for a moment. “Because I can’t.”

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “Don’t ask again,” Kaiato added firmly, then he turned and walked off. Leaving Revin behind to ponder the mystery of this stranger.

  #

  After nearly a week they made camp about a day’s journey from a town. Revin excused himself and brought a few compies with him as he went to relieve himself in the forest.

  Revin relieved himself and tied his pants. He felt a sudden pressure in his skull and put his hand on his head. Every beat of his heart brought a new rush of heaviness. He stumbled, as if a heavy load were on his scalp.

  “You think to reject my offer of returning home safely? I said you will not interfere with this war, whether by your actions, or mine.”

  Revin froze in place. He looked around the forest. The trees and branches were dark and shadowed. At first, he wondered if he imagined the words. But a pair of glowing turquoise eyes peered at him from the darkness. Motionless.

  A lump formed in his throat.

  “You would do well to obey me,” Narazoth said in Revin’s mind.

  Revin looked at the thing, his eyes adjusting somewhat to the darkness to see its outline. It didn’t move. Its eyes locked on him.

  The compies felt his fear, one tugging on his pant leg to get him to move.

  “I work for a Lord who will save the world from itself. He is the only one wise enough to rule, mankind is weak. Now, let us waste no more time. What is your choice?”

  Revin cursed himself. He’d left his mastersuit back at the camp! His heart thundered in his chest. Where was he? Revin couldn’t pin down a direction.

  “No response… I didn’t want to have to kill you, boy.”

  A weapon clicked and leaves rustled. The metal man slowly approached.

  Is this the only one? Revin thought in panic, glancing around. It seemed there were no more. Revin turned and ran. The weapon fired. A tree to his left exploded, shooting out scraps of bark. He flinched too late as frozen wood struck him, one nearly missing his eye.

  He didn’t look back, running as far as he could. He had some of his compies glance back, and when he felt he’d finally lost it, he stopped running, collapsing to the ground.

  Memories of running before overwhelmed him. Tripping through trees. Moments of death. Tungol. Blackfire. Ismander. A spear. Explosions of blood. The sad eyes. Red blood on white snow.

  The world spun again, and it was harder to think. He rubbed his face, hard. Trying to push the images away.

  When he finally started to slow down, a phrase came unbidden to his mind. Something Narazoth had repeated.

  You will not interfere with this war.

  Why would he say that? Why did he care if Revin stuck around or died in the wilderness? He had a massive army and flying ships.

  Similar potential. His father’s words.

  Revin’s eyes widened in understanding. Narazoth was afraid of him.

  There’s something that I can do that makes him want me to leave. Makes him want Ismander dead… Makes him want me dead or gone. But if he were so afraid of me, why didn’t he just kill me?

  Revin stood. He tightened his fists until his knuckles turned white. He tightened his lips and furrowed his brow in determination. He looked to his compies around him. His new allies. One cocked its head at him in curiosity, an expression that depressingly reminded him of Blackfire. The others stood nearby, keeping watch, feet dancing with anticipation.

  He would make Narazoth pay.

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