Weiss roused the next day when she heard a knock on the door and opened it, seeing a maid going to knock on Pyrrha’s. “I wouldn’t do that,” Weiss said. “The woman in there has been bereft of a bed and proper rest for only who knows how long.” It was probably best to just let Pyrrha rest for now. She hoped that she’d be able to get some good sleep. She would need to take care of Pyrrha today rather than getting a start on the archives. Hazelmere hadn’t seen an Illuminator of Lore for a decade or so at this point and she could only imagine the state the archives were in. The wards had to be dying. But the Illuminators had been strapped for members, so smaller towns like this had fallen to the wayside… For now, she was to be stationed in Hazelmere for the foreseeable future until they were back up to snuff and she could make a full, detailed list of all of their documents and reorganise them. It would be…quite the undertaking.

  She went back into her room and ran a towel over herself a few times to fully freshen up, dipping her head under the running water to wash out the last remaining dirt from the road. She had managed to get bathed pretty well, but she could still feel the chill of the road on her despite the warmth from the bed and the fire that had burned down to embers during the night. She did not like the cold… The capitol, Elentharis, sat in the southerly part of the country where it was warm year ‘round. Weiss had rarely ever seen snow, so this was an entirely new experience for her. She’d been traveling for a solid month and a half which definitely had been a rude awakening as she was so used to the warmth of the capitol.

  She changed into something more presentable, her golden Guild medallion hanging on her chest. She grabbed her message satchel and withdrew several letters, all addressed to the mayor of the town. She still wasn’t pleased with the guards. She understood it was their job to be wary and their passage was suspicious, but still… She had been cold, hungry, dirty, and she could only imagine how much worse Pyrrha felt. She had obviously been on the road for a while from the way her boots had been cracked and just how threadbare her clothes were. Not to mention her gaunt cheeks. She had to wonder just how thin Pyrrha was and why a pegasus knight was traveling alone, out of uniform and in such threadbare clothes. She had a lot of questions for Pyrrha, but she wasn’t about to go asking them when they had just met the night before.

  She made her way up to the mayor’s office but was stopped by a woman. Her red dress and orange cloak symbolised she was a follower of Vareya the Flamekeeper, no doubt meant to guard the mayor from violence. “I’m sorry; the mayor can’t meet with you right now—”

  Weiss took her amulet off and shoved it in the woman’s face. “Are you people truly so stupid as to not know the symbol of the Illuminator’s Guild? I was assigned here months ago and I arrived last night. I have every right to meet with the mayor right now because I’m the one that will get this town’s archives up and running,” she growled. She had zero tolerance for this sort of treatment. She was an Illuminator and from a very wealthy family. Normally, she was fine with following processes, but she had been assigned here. They had known for a very long time that she was coming. To be treated so roughly even in the mayor’s house… Asinine.

  The woman paled. “O-Oh-kay. P-Please, go in.”

  Weiss put her medallion on and opened the door to the office. A very fat man sat behind the desk, looking over papers. He didn’t even seem to notice her. She cleared her throat very loudly and he started. “What? Who are you? I don’t have an appointments—”

  “The Illuminator of Lore that the Guild sent. You should have gotten the message months ago.” She was less and less impressed with Hazelmere’s governance the more she saw of it. Elentharis could be highly inefficient, but the leaders were at least usually competent. This man didn’t seem to have a single competent bone in his body. No wonder the guards were so awful. She hoped this didn’t trickle down to the Sanctum. If it did, then she would definitely have to report to the central Sanctum authority that one of the larger outskirt Sanctums was being led inefficiently and would need to be shaped up. They would have several Zephyrwing doves at the Sanctum, so she’d keep an eye on it.

  “I… Yes. Weiss, correct?” The man paled a bit. As he ought to. The Schnee family was known for being unrelenting throughout its entire history. They were usually Illuminators, but sometimes, they could be touched by another deity and called into their service. But she had followed in her family’s normal’s footsteps and not much had changed that. She was just as competent as her mother and father and she was certain her older sister’s reputation had managed to float up from the capitol.

  “Yes.” She took the fistful of messages and dropped them onto the mayor’s desk. She sat in one of the chairs and they had a very long conversation about what her duties would be, what was expected of her, and more. There was a house set up for Illuminators which, thankfully, was still taken care of by non-Diviners from the Sanctum, though it had been ten years. Apparently, though, the mayor hadn’t told anybody to stock it with food or wood which didn’t impress her. She would definitely be reporting the mayor’s lack of attention to…anything, really, to the capitol. It would take a bit of time for the Zephyrwings to get to the capitol. They were known to be able to outspeed even a peregrine falcon, but it still took time to get messages from one city to another.

  “I heard you arrived with a companion? I received no word that you would be traveling with somebody.”

  “Is this a problem you have?” Her tone was pure ice, her eyes flecks of it as well.

  The mayor paled again. “I-I just was wondering who she was.”

  “Somebody that needed help. I will be taking her with me to the Illuminator’s house. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” She didn’t trust this man. She was pretty sure he’d turn Pyrrha back out of the town and into the wilds. She wasn’t sure how much longer Pyrrha would survive, honestly. She was so thin and gaunt as was Nendia. Neither deserved to starve in the wilderness. “Niru themselves sent me to her.” That would hopefully stop any argument. If the gods themselves had intervened, then there wasn’t much anybody could do about it.

  “I… Okay.”

  “I’ll stay here until she wakes up, then I’ll head over to the house. You better send a message to the Sanctum to get the house stocked with food and wood and it better be up to snuff when I get there. Or else you will be feeding dragons with bare hands.” There would be consequences if the house wasn’t set up for her. He had had months of notice. Why hadn’t he bothered? She didn’t like this man or his ruling style. She would be sending notice back to Elentharis about this. He was completely incompetent and needed to be sacked.

  “Okay.” At least he was learning his place.

  “I’m going to go get breakfast.” With that done, she headed downstairs to the kitchens where she spoke pleasantly with the staff. They seemed well organised and on top of everything in contrast to the mayor. She sat at a small nook and later received a meal of warm, fresh cloudfluff bread, starfruit compote, eggs of dawn, and a skyberry medley. It was the best breakfast she had had in weeks, considering the fact she had left in the dead of winter. The only provisions she had had were hardtack, dried meat, dried fruit, and hard cheese. Compared to that, this was absolutely heavenly. She savored every bite and practically licked the plates it was served on.

  One of the servants chuckled softly but then tensed. “O-Oh, forgive me, ma’am! I shouldn’t have—”

  “It’s all right; it’s all right. I’m not upset. It’s just…been quite a while since I’ve had a meal this good. I did stop by Sanctums for meals on the way, but the more easterly and northern I got, the more spread out they became. And most small towns between Elentharis and here are wary of travelers. Understandably so, but wary nonetheless. I haven’t had a good meal in some weeks at this point.” She let out a pleased sigh. She was so glad to have something warm and fresh, not just the road provisions.

  The lady nodded. “Okay. Well, if you’re ever in need of a fresh, hot meal, you’re welcome to join us.” She smiled pleasantly and whisked the plates away.

  Weiss sighed. She didn’t want to wake Pyrrha up, but at the same time, she really did need to get everything figured out. Pyrrha definitely needed a good meal in her before they headed to the Sanctum. It was well after dawn at this point and she needed to head over to the house. It would probably take time for Pyrrha to find all she needed at the Sanctuary of Second Blessing, so it was better to head there now rather than wait until after noon.

  She made her way up to the guest wing of the house, then went to Pyrrha’s room. She sighed before knocking on the door. “Pyrrha, you should get up. We should start heading out for the day.” She couldn’t let go of the gnawing sense of guilt of waking up the bone-weary pegasus knight, but Weiss did have a job she needed to do. Granted, extra time would give the servants at the Illuminator house additional time to stock the home with everything they needed. Wood and extra food would be hard to come by this time of year, but there wasn’t much Weiss could do about it; they needed the food and wood too.

  It was a minute or two until she heard a response from the other side of the door. “…Okay. But I need some time to fully clean myself. Can I do that?” Pyrrha’s voice was quiet and crackly. How long had it been since she’d last spoken to people? For her voice to be in such a state of disuse… Weiss had no idea. And with how thin she was… A pegasus knight ought to be fuller and well muscled due their long years of intense training. But Pyrrha’s face was completely gaunt as if she hadn’t eaten for only who knew how long. Same with Nendia… In the limited light, she’d seen the pegasus was incredibly thin as well. She had no idea how to handle any of this information.

  “I’ll be waiting in the room next to yours then, okay? Come and get me when you’re ready to leave.” Weiss knew that Pyrrha needed a good meal and a good bath. She wondered if Pyrrha had bathed or anything the previous night. But that wasn’t her place to ask. So she just left and went back to the room she was currently staying in. Might as well start drafting that letter back to Elentharis about the mayor’s complete lack of competence…

  ≈

  Pyrrha hadn’t expected to be woken up that morning, but she supposed it only made sense. She was bone weary from the road and all the travel she’d been through. She still wasn’t sure what month it was, but winter had seemed to be releasing its icy grip to some degree. The temperatures had risen a bit and Nendia had had a bit more pep in her step. Nights were still extremely cold, of course, but she had sensed the winds of change in the air. But she was glad to be in a house again… She was afraid this had all been some terrible, terrible nightmare of getting somewhere and that she’d be in the cold muck and mire again.

  She went into the bathroom and set up a full bath, warmer than the lukewarm one she had used last night. She had just been worried about sending her body into shock from having been in the cold so long and going to warmth. She sank into the tub up to her chin and sighed. It’d been… She really had no idea how long she’d been on the road. It had been fall and she had been in the northern hold of the pegasus knights, not Elentharis. She still wasn’t entirely certain where she was. Weiss had mentioned Hazelmere but she wasn’t sure where that was. She had no map and hadn’t been offered one when she’d left.

  She set about taking care of the remaining nastiness in her hair and on her body, turning the water brown. She set another tub of water and repeated the process several times until she was happy she was fully clean. Her heart grew heavy as she thought about Nendia. The awful shape she was in. The pegasus was absolutely filthy and here she was in a nice, warm bath, exorcising the mud from her body. She would have to give Nendia a very good rub down when she got the chance. It’d probably take a good couple of hours to bring out her natural blue dun coat again. But Nendia would be worth it. The pegasus had been her faithful companion since the Rite of Bonding when she’d become a full-fledged squire from a page. She hoped that Nendia had received good grain upon arrival or at least that morning… Pyrrha had just been far, far too tired to be able to take care of her faithful companion.

  She dried herself as best she could, though her hair remained damp. It was going to be a very cold ride to where they were going, but her hair was just so nasty that she couldn’t justify letting it remain dirty. She also dressed in the clothes the servant had given her. They hung limply off her frame, but they were warm and thick. They weren’t her threadbare last outfit. Granted, she still had her old, cracked boots that barely hung on by a thread. She would hopefully be able to get some new boots from the Sanctuary of Second Blessings. She still didn’t want to go, but it was the best place to get much-needed clothes fast without having to wait for a tailor.

  She made a pile of towels in the bathroom for the maid to take care of, then folded the nightgown and left it on the counter. She left the room and knocked on the door to where Weiss was staying. The Illuminator smiled at her warmly, blue eyes soft. “Feeling better?”

  “Much.”

  “How about we get you a good meal now?”

  Pyrrha frowned. “I doubt I’ll be able to eat much honestly…” She hadn’t eaten much since she’d left. It had been mid fall. The only reason she’d gotten anything to eat was because Nendia knew so much about foraging and keeping things together. But as winter had gotten on, food had become scarcer and scarcer… Only the rare winter-growing plants had managed to keep them alive. With as little as she’d eaten, she doubted her body would really allow her to take in too much.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Well, they made skyborn breakfast feast for me… Do you think you could handle some of that?”

  “A bit… Maybe some cloudfluff bread and starfruit compote…”

  “Let’s go then.” Weiss smiled at her and started on the way down to the kitchens. She expected a barrage of questions from Weiss, but they didn’t come. Well, that was definitely a surprise… It wasn’t everyday one met a disgraced pegasus knight on the edge of death. Honestly, she wished Weiss would’ve just left her out to die. It would’ve been easier…and she would’ve been able to give Heshia a piece of her mind. She still didn’t understand why the deity had outright abandoned her like that. Why? Why had Heshia abandoned and forsaken her? Was she not good enough?

  She felt her throat grow thick and she swallowed hard. No, now wasn’t the time to get emotional about what had happened to her. She had thought winter’s chill had completely hardened her heart, but no, apparently she could still feel. She hated it. She hated all of this. She wished she had never been sent to join the pegasus knights. It was all she had known. She had no idea how to navigate the world outside of the knights.

  They headed down to the kitchen and sat in a small nook. Weiss chatted with the servants a little bit and told them what Pyrrha had said. They came back with a loaf of cloudfluff bread and some starfruit compote. Despite herself, her mouth watered and she put some compote onto the fluffy loaf and bit into it. Despite the simplicity, it was the best thing she’d had in…far, far too long. She really had missed getting three hot meals a day. Having nothing but cold vegetables and plants for so long was hard on her. She had tried to fish and trap where she could, but she really wasn’t trained in survival. It was only Nendia’s natural skills that had allowed her to survive through the winter.

  She ate a few slices of the bread before she could feel her belly twisting in revolt at taking in more than a little bit. She was right… She couldn’t take in too much right now. It was beyond frustrating because she was literally starving, but there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it. She ate what she could and it’d just be time until she could really take in a good meal. She hoped that it wouldn’t take too long for that, though… She really wanted to be able to take in a full meal. She missed eating and this was the first real food she’d had in far, far too long.

  “Ready to head out, then?” Weiss asked.

  Pyrrha nodded. “Yeah.” She felt bad for wasting food, but she could only take in so much when her body refused to take in too much.

  “Let’s go then.” However, Weiss paused as she stood. “Do you think Nendia will be able to handle some trips…?”

  Pyrrha sighed. “She’s lasted this long and she hopefully got some grain and hay this morning or last night…” Even that little bit would give Nendia energy to hopefully make the trips they needed to. The pegasus was probably unable to really fly right now. Pyrrha had kept Nendia grounded for months at this point, not wanting to exhaust her energy more than necessary. That and she hadn’t really ridden her unless necessary either. Last night had been a necessity because Weiss’ mount definitely wouldn’t have been able to carry two fully grown women and Pyrrha definitely wouldn’t have had the energy to try to keep up with a horse even if it was at a walk.

  “I’ll see if we can’t borrow a mount then. I’ll bring it back to the mayor after we’re done.” Pyrrha frowned but nodded at Weiss’ words. This was probably the best idea, but still… It would feel wrong to ride any mount but Nendia but…she did need to think about the pegasus’ health as well. It would be best if she rode another mount. However, she hadn’t ridden a normal horse…ever really. She was used to the incredible intelligence of pegasi and how easily they responded to their rider’s emotions and words. A normal horse…was none of that. They were still good beasts, of course, but that didn’t mean she really understood how to handle a normal horse. It was for the best, but still…

  “All right. Let’s go then.”

  They headed out to the barn and Weiss talked to a stablehand about borrowing a mount. She wandered away while Weiss talked and found Nendia tucked up into a stall. Normally, pegasi hated being stall bound, but in this case, she knew Nendia wouldn’t complain because it was warm in here and she would get fed. Unfortunately, it looked like nobody had taken care of the pegasus’ muddy coat. She would need to give Nendia a very, very thorough rubdown when they got to their final destination. Her tack was at least nearby and it wouldn’t be hard to get it on her.

  She grabbed the tack and put it on Nendia. The pegasus wickered softly and nibbled at her sleeve. “I won’t be riding you today, girl, but we need to have your tack brought with us. I only strapped it tight enough that it won’t come loose.” Nendia bobbed her head a bit.

  “That’s why it’s so loose. But you not riding me…? It feels wrong.”

  “I know, girl, but it’s best for your health.” Despite the layers and layers of mud, it was clear just how thin Nendia was. Pyrrha was pretty sure that her own face gave away just how thin she was. She felt like a stiff breeze could blow her over at this point. Same with Nendia. They really needed new tack, too… The old tack was coated and caked with mud and she hadn’t had any oil to keep it up with. And Nendia’s feet too… She really needed those to get back on track as well. So much to do. It felt so overwhelming.

  Nendia’s ears twitched and Pyrrha turned around. Weiss led her own horse and the stablehand led a gorgeous buckskin up. She frowned when she saw the bit in both of their mouths. She had forgotten that normal horses used bits quite often. A pegasus was so sensitive that it was seen as incredibly cruel to put anything in their mouths. All they needed were reins and a halter. There were no bits in the pegasus knights. She really had forgotten that normal horses weren’t as sensitive as pegasi…

  “Hey, Pyrrha. This is Poppy. You can ride her to the Sanctuary of Second Blessings, then we can go to the Illuminator’s home. I’ll bring her back when we’re done with our errands.” Weiss smiled.

  Pyrrha nodded a bit. “Okay.” She looked at Nendia. “You can follow us.” The pegasus bobbed her head. Pyrrha led her out of the stall then they headed out of the barn. Weiss and Pyrrha mounted. The saddle was much, much heavier and wider on a normal horse than on a pegasus. Pegasi needed to be as light and mobile as possible, so there really wasn’t much to the saddle; it was really just enough to keep someone in it. The reins were also thicker and heavier. There was so much more leather here than she was used to. The bit still bugged her, but there wasn’t a lot she could do about it.

  “Let’s go.” Weiss smiled and clucked, a sound very strange to Pyrrha. But she didn’t comment on it and the followed Weiss away from the mayor’s house and into the village.

  ?

  The morning proved to be relatively normal for Yang as she woke up and went through her usual morning routine and rites as normal. However, she did notice that Lumesong, one of the pyrelars she cared for, seemed on edge. Their large outdoor aviary sat next to that of the auroraswifts and she could see Lumesong sitting anxiously near the walk-through opening. There was a two-stage opening to all aviaries like this with a holding pen just in case any of the birds got out, but it didn’t always work. A bird that was bound and determined to get out definitely could if they were stubborn enough. Pyrelarks and auroraswifts were definitely intelligent birds that could easily get out if they were so inclined. Lumesong was clearly intent on getting out… Why, she truly had no idea.

  She went into the holding area and bent down. “Lumesong.” The copper-colored bird hopped over and started twittering madly. “Calm down, calm down; I can hear you. But I can’t understand you. Tell me, what’s bothering you?”

  “You need to go to the Sanctuary of Second Blessings and take me with you. Vareya herself told me that I’m needed there.” Yang blinked. She hadn’t been assigned to the Sanctuary that day, but there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it either.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not assigned there today.”

  The bird fluffed up and twittered madly again until she spoke coherently. “Well, don’t be upset when I get out then!”

  Yang sighed. “Fine, fine, we can go.” She opened the second door to the large aviary, then held her hand out for Lumesong. This had to be important if one of their sacred birds was so upset. She wasn’t sure how or what would lead to Lumesong being so upset. Vareya had left a message to the bird? That was incredibly rare. Though the birds were sacred to Vareya with auroraswifts being sacred to Rhyza, it was rare one of them got a message directly from the gods themselves. So it must be important, whatever it was. She just felt bad because she would be intruding on the people actually assigned there. She was mainly dedicated to Vareya the Flamekeeper, but she also doubled as a light for Rhyza the Bringer of Dawn. She was dressed in her green dress for Vareya whose signature flames burned a bright green color.

  Lumesong landed on her hand, twittering incoherently. She shook her head and exited the aviary. She could see some of the other pyrelarks looking for Lumesong, but it was what the bird had wanted. She hoped that being away from the flock wouldn’t upset her too much… But if Vareya had spoken to her, then who was she to judge?

  She headed to the Sanctuary of Second Blessings a bit before noon and Liam greeted her. “Good morning, Yang. I didn’t think you were assigned to the Sanctuary today. It wasn’t on the schedule.”

  Yang held up Lumesong. “This one was insistent on me coming and bringing her here. I hope you don’t mind me coming in and helping today.” Her normal duties were that of a pyrelark keeper, but sometimes she got assigned to the Sanctuary due to the fact she was just so good with people. Those down on their luck and struggling to make ends meet… She had a sensitivity to them due to her own backstory. She couldn’t remember the woman that had given birth to her, but Summer had kept alive the story of the woman that had given birth to Yang and she wouldn’t let that woman’s memory die easily.

  Liam shook his head. “No, not at all. Is there something in specific you want to do?”

  She sighed. “I really don’t know. I normally do a bit of everything, but I just don’t know what to do today.”

  “The Hall of Offerings could use some more help with people finding things.”

  “All right then.” Yang smiled and put Lumesong on her shoulder. For a while, people came and went like normal, but eventually, Lumesong started tweeting loudly. Yang blinked and fought hard to keep the little bird on her shoulder. She came to a pair of young women she’d never seen before. One was tall but very thin and gaunt, her green eyes extremely haunted and hollow. Her hair reminded Yang of Vareya herself a lot. Though it was obvious that she hadn’t really cleaned herself well or anything like that. She obviously had seen far better days at one point. The clothes hung off her frame in a telltale way. How long she’d been without consistent food, Yang had no idea, but it was clear it had been quite a while.

  The other young woman was obviously of noble background. Her clothes were incredibly fine and the dyes spoke to that. Most clothes were pale when it came to dyes, but these were incredibly bright and vibrant. A gold medallion of some sort sat on her chest, sparkling brightly in the light of the afternoon sun. She was part of some sort of Guild, likely from Elentharis, the capitol. Very few people wore medallions of pure gold like that. Guilds only passed through every so often, considering they were on the border.

  It was then that Lumesong launched off of Yang’s shoulder and flew over to the redhead. The woman looked incredibly spooked. “What…? What is this?” She looked around wildly.

  Yang approached. “I’m sorry about that. Lumesong means no harm; she just told me to come to the Sanctuary today.” Well, this had to be it, the reason she wanted to come to the Sanctuary so badly. This woman could definitely use some rest and recuperation and warmth and kindness. Her eyes were so utterly haunted that Yang could barely look away. “I’m guessing Vareya wanted her to be your companion.”

  The redhead frowned. “I don’t want a bird.”

  “Unfortunately, once auroraswifts and pyrelarks get it into their heads that they need to bond with someone, it’s nearly impossible to get them away from that person.” It was sadly true. The birds would often bond with their handlers, but they were usually flock birds. However, a flock bird could still get it in their head that they needed someone to bond with. Especially if that came from the gods themselves. In this case… Yeah, Vareya herself had told Lumesong to come.

  The frown remained etched on the woman’s face. “But—”

  “I can stay with you to help you take care of her.” Yang smiled. “My name is Yang Xiao Long.”

  The woman sighed. “Pyrrha.”

  “And I’m Weiss, the new Illuminator of Lore,” the white-haired woman said.

  Yang blinked. “Wow, we haven’t had an Illuminator in quite some time.”

  Weiss nodded. “Yeah. The Guild thought it’d been far too long, so they sent me. I know I’m young, probably around your age, but I’m one of the best they’ve had in a long time.”

  Yang smiled. “Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’re skilled.” She looked at them. “So which of you is in need of the Sanctuary’s blessings?”

  “Me.” Pyrrha’s tone was flat and her voice very quiet. It sounded like she hadn’t spoken in a long time… Combined with her physique, it seemed to make sense. This was no woman that was attempting to swindle anybody. Her eyes were so haunted… Yang couldn’t get over it.

  “Would you like some help finding things and with sizing?” Yang asked.

  “That…would be appreciated.”

  “Let’s go then.” Yang smiled but mentally shook her head as she saw Lumesong perched on Pyrrha’s head. She knew these birds and knew Lumesong wasn’t about to let Pyrrha go, not very easily. Thankfully, Yang knew her way around the Sanctuary very well by this point, having spent probably thousands of hours in there. Pyrrha wore what looked like normal servant’s clothes, some nondescript clothes that would allow her to blend in and not really be perceived by people around her. She helped Pyrrha pick out clothes that would fit her, but she frowned when she saw Pyrrha’s boots. “You’re not going to get far with those… They should’ve been thrown out a long time ago.”

  “Better than frostbite” was Pyrrha’s flat response. Yang winced. Yeah, that would definitely be better… She led Pyrrha over to the shoe section. It was a small selection, mostly mess ups on the cobbler’s behalf. Thankfully, they did manage to find two pairs that fit pretty well. Maybe not perfectly, but it was better than muck, mire, and ice-cold water seeping into her feet.

  When they were all done, Pyrrha had about ten days’ worth of clothes. “Well, that’s a good start,” Yang said with a smile. “And I can get those boots burned too.”

  “I…would appreciate it.”

  “Would you like to go to the Circle of Gratitude to say your thanks to Rhyza?” Yang asked. Pyrrha’s reaction was as sour as one could ever imagine. So she dropped the subject. “How about I come with you to take care of Lumesong?”

  Weiss sighed. “That bird isn’t going to leave her alone, is it?”

  Yang shook her head. “She said that Vareya herself told her to come here. I wasn’t scheduled to come into the Sanctuary at all today.” There was no real way around it. Birds and other animals like these weren’t the types to easily leave a calling from the gods themselves behind. She just couldn’t get Lumesong to step away from Pyrrha.

  “Well, you’ll probably need time to pack, then… To my knowledge, the Illuminator’s home is decently large and can hold up to ten people…if nobody’s sharing rooms,” Weiss said.

  Yang nodded. “I will. I know where the house is, so I’ll meet up with you there in a while. For now, go on and do what you need to.” She would need to get her own mount, but for now, she could deal with packing and getting released from her calling for a while. Pyrrha could clearly use some friends and guidance in her life. Though that guidance probably wouldn’t be religious… She didn’t know who Pyrrha was, but to be so sour against the gods… Something bad must have happened to her. Then again, it was pretty plain in her physique. Yang would probably need to get into contact with the Belladonna family to give Pyrrha a checkover and some tinctures in order to help facilitated her physical healing. Mental, though… Yang wasn’t sure how to handle that.

  “All right then. We’ll see you later.” Weiss smiled and waved. Yang smiled and waved back as the pair left. Lumesong remained on Pyrrha’s head, though.

  After they were out of sight, Yang sighed. “Well, this is going to be a headache…” She looked at Liam. “How am I supposed to explain this to Frederick?” He was the head priest of the Vareya sect. Yang was no Diviner, but she was still seen as important to the daily workings of the Sanctum. The birdkeepers were few and far between. Only those with a calling from the gods themselves were seen as worthy to keep track of the birds.

  “Tell him you need to give guidance to someone in desperate need of it. Vareya herself told Lumesong to come here and she needs someone that knows how to take care of her. Otherwise, she’ll wither and die. You of all people should know how delicate birds are.”

  Yang nodded. “Yeah, I do…” She’d seen so many birds die from various issues… She couldn’t allow Lumesong to die. She wouldn’t be in trouble but… “It’s a calling from Vareya herself.” That was the best thing to think of it as. “I’ll go talk to Frederick, then go get packed. Not sure when I’ll see you again, Liam.”

  He smiled. “Go live your life.” Yang nodded and, with that, headed to go talk to Frederick.