A Refreshing Excursion to the Wildlands (Tarot & Satu)

[Satu]

75th Day, Winter of 509 A.V
==========

The rhythmical beat of the horse’s hooves lulled Satu into a lazy state of mind. Her head bobbed in time to the palomino’s pace, causing locks of hair to escape the confines of the bun, knotted with bits of blue ribbon at the crown of her head. A few pale strands trailed in the breeze of her passage, their white color in stark contrast with the dark green of her hooded cloak. Riding in the early morning hours was a tremendous feeling; fresh air, green trees and the tender sounds of nature surrounded the Konti. A clear blue sky greeted Satu as it peered through the morning clouds and even the gentle crunch of snow under her mount felt restorative. All was peaceful.

Deeper into the Wildlands they went. The snow on the ground sparkled magically; bits of reflective ice teasing the eye. This little journey was the elixir she had needed for her worn nerves. The press of the crowds and the uncivilized nature of so many people living in close proximity had tired her HeartSense. But then she had managed far better in Syliras than she had dared hope. Being more than careful, she had ventured out of her lodgings during the least crowded hours of the day and night, and then only for short excursions.

She vowed never to be one of those HeartSeers, notorious for slipping out of a personal reality and into other peoples emotional ones. Those select Konti took the emotions too deeply into themselves. She had heard the whispered stories, and harbored no wish or desire to witness that tragic indignity. That was why she was here, to obtain relief from the constant barrage of feeling.

Her new friends had invited her for this ride outside the city gates and into the country for a picnic in the ruins. Foodstuffs bulged in their packs. Satu’s mount carried the wine and the fruits, while the others had divided the meats, cheeses and glasses between them. They would stop for an early lunch and be back to Syliras by afternoon. Promised peaceful country and safe roads, Satu could hardly decline. Her friends were happy, joyous sorts with easy smiles and shining eyes. Their Hearts glowed softy pink, with honesty and kindness. They were good natured folks and Satu felt warmed by their welcome. In their presence, the Konti smiled constantly and when it was time to depart from them, Satu always saddened.

Lost in thought, she rode behind. Her two friends had traveled this stretch of road many times in the past and were no longer concerned about its safety. So familiar were they with its winding ways, that they had even dismissed their servants for the day. Not knowing the area, Satu trusted them; they wouldn’t be gone long and they weren’t going far. The thought that the little group might be ill prepared for the Wildlands never crossed Satu’s mind.

[Tarot]

The winter was nearly past Mizahar this year and the flowers of spring would soon pierce the thinning layers of snow as the world prepared to bloom once more with colors and life. It was, all in all, too beautiful a sight to miss out, which really excused Satu's carelessness on this particular day. It would turn out to have many unexpected consequences, though.

Throughout her stay in the city, Satu had occasionally felt someone's attention upon her. It probably went all but unnoticed given the large amount of emotion radiating from even small crowds at any given time. A good Seer learned to filter out the most useless information, if nothing else for the sake of her sanity. Whoever had been watching the Konti, they apparently knew how to spy one without arousing her suspicions. Carefully hidden just beyond the far limit of her supernatural senses, someone had spun a delicate web around the Konti. Today was simply the culmination of the plan, when the spider stung its prey.

With something sharp and shiny. It was little more than a needle which embedded itself at the base of her neck. It felt like a pinprick, if that much, but her vision quickly blurred as a deep sleep embraced every fiber of her being. It almost seemed to Satu that she could hear the soft cry of the goddess Avalis for the shortest moment as she was cast into oblivion. Her companions were riding past a minor elevation in the terrain ahead of her, meaning that she was outside their line of sight. By the time they realized she was no longer following them, she would already be gone.

***

When she came to, Satu was lying on a cold, hard surface. Her world was still dizzy and confused, but she could instinctively tell that she had been captured and was being held in a cell. The place was small and dark, a square with just enough room to stretch her legs. Behind her was a wet brick wall, and iron bars surrounded the other three sides. To the left and right were other cells. A pile of straw was all they had given her for purposes that could very well be imagined.

Satu's sixth sense hit her in full force (if a little too late). Somehow she knew she was far, far away from Syliras - and Mura, for that matter.

There was someone in the next cell. The figure seemed weak, a female dressed in filthy rags. Satu could not really see her face in the poor lighting, but surprise hovered colorfully around the fellow prisoner's form as she scrambled to her knees and grabbed the bars that divided their cells. "Hey, you still alive?" came the harsh whisper, sounding like the voice of a young human woman.

[Satu]

The horse snorted violently in cold, billowy puffs and shook his large head. In the crisp air his tack jingled like sleighing bells and Satu held onto the reins tightly, until something bit her neck. Unconsciously her hand loosened the reins and reached to sooth the irritation with her fingertips. But her lovely hand felt heavy and the luminous fingers wavered in the air. The HeartSeer’s eyes rolled up in her head, while the muscles appeared to have abandoned her body in that instant. She wilted, sliding to the ground. Satu’s horse sidestepped and whinnied in confusion. The Konti landed in a puff of crystalline snow, a fallen angel amid the fluttering, white flakes.

___________

She was cold. In her body and in her bones, the cold filled her. Shivering, her thoughts repeated the word again. Cold. Letting go of the word was difficult, her mind had latched onto it. Satu struggled to move past it, but instead was trapped in its indifferent fog. Lost, she tried to find her way. Turning her head brought a wave of dizziness, and she squeezed her eyes shut tighter. But the Konti had for the briefest moment felt the hardness underneath her and it was a pathway out of her thoughts.

An odd confusion within made remembering the recent past an impossible task, and with her Konti sensitivity, she knew this was not right. Though, she couldn’t exactly say how. Had she fallen and injured her head? Satu attempted again to remember, but nothing came to mind. Palms flat, her fingers traced the hard, cold surface she laid upon, searching for the known.

Unable to find an answer, the Konti rolled to her side suddenly and stood. The need for understanding was paramount in her mind. But the floor moved confusingly and she staggered. Reaching out a hand in the dimness to find purchase, her fingers collided with an iron bar. Her eyes instantly opened and her other hand flew up to grip the cold surface of another bar. Panicking, Satu’s hands followed the line of bars all the way around the little square she was in. Bar after bar, her hands fluttered along.

Panic filled her. This was not right! It couldn’t be! Her Heart pounded within her chest, filling her with a wild pressure. It beat louder, and her mind scattered, unable to focus. She tried to remember but could not. Satu’s breath came fast and she was scared. Upon the last turn of the bars, the Konti put a hand out and touched a brick wall. Wet with something unnameable, Satu snatched her hand away. A very small “oh” escaped from her lips. She almost slipped in the straw strewn on the floor in her haste to be away from the wet surface.

No, no, no! Tears welled up in her eyes, she was Konti, this was not where she belonged. She belonged in Mura where it was safe and peaceful! With Avalis and Laviku! Her Heart threatened to explode and its pounding was all she could hear. Turning around, and around she looked for something, anything that would show the way to safety.

Satu heard movement in the next cell and froze. While it was difficult for her eyes to see, her talent had no such limits on “reading” emotions. The colourful display of surprise registered first, as it momentarily overcame the woman’s underlying feeling of weakness. The woman sounded young as she spoke to Satu.

Rushing over the short distance to where the woman knelt on the opposite side of the bars, Satu threw herself down on the cold floor and clutched the iron also. She found herself whispering, the primitive need of the captive to feel unnoticed, “There’s been some mistake…,” she whispered, unable to stop the flow of speech in her panic, “I shouldn’t be here, I have done nothing wrong!” Choking as a lump in her throat threatened speech, she continued, “My friends will be looking for me! Where is this place…, how do we get out?”

[Tarot]

The cell was small and claustrophobic. The walls also seemed old and sturdy, very different from the stone making up Syliras' Stronghold. She had certainly traveled a long way during her sleep, though she couldn't tell how, or where to. Most importantly, she was trapped. A Konti lived a life of powerful emotions, both positive and negative. Being confined in such a cage could easily cause one to lose her grip on sanity over time.

"Get out?" the woman whispered, and probably shook her head - Satu couldn't be sure. "I wouldn't be here if I had an answer to that, now would I?" A sad resignation took over the girl as her colors turned gloomy and dull. She shifted and sat down on the floor of her cell. "There is no mistake, they got you all right just like they got me. Yesterday, I think, or the day before. Pretty hard to keep track of time down here."

There was a slight pause. "Name's Danna. I am a bodyguard, or a mercenary… it depends on how you look at it. It's even more shameful for me to be here of all people. My employers hire me to keep these things from happening to them, after all. These guys are pretty good, though. They must have been spying on me for some time before they struck. A man was here earlier, brought some food and water, but he was quite tight-lipped about the whole thing. All he said was, 'You're here because she can use your talents.'"

Danna brought her face very close to the bars, and Satu could see she had short blond hair and an oval face with something like a scar running down her cheek. "Maybe it's the same for you, too. I don't know. One thing is for sure, though, your friends ain't going to save you from this one. Life isn't fair and neither are our captors. So, what's your name and what have you got that could interest them?" Curiosity surfaced from Danna's mind as a natural defense against her fear and uncertainty. She, too, had to kill some time talking or risk going crazy.

[Satu]

Sitting on the hard floor, Satu watched as Danna’s Heart colors became dull and gloomy, and the heavy fog of emotion slowly encased the woman’s body. Satu felt herself go numb at the thought of keeping time in a place such as this. Casting her gaze around the darkened room, her eyes rose upwards towards the ceiling. No windows. No light. No fresh air. No life, excepting for poor Danna next to her. She was thankful to have the other woman near, though Satu felt guilty at the thought.

The Konti thought of her own impossible scenario. “The past few days…” Satu said, trancelike, “I felt at times a presence, like a watching. Not once was it an overpowering feeling, so I dismissed it. But now, I see that I was in error...” She dropped her head and felt her ribboned hair slipping to the side. "I forget the rest…”

“Two days, Danna?” She lifted her head again to look at the blonde woman and shuddered to think of the time lost in this place. “But… you are a mercenary?” She paused, her mind constructing question upon question, “Are you talented then? Is this why they would use you, to make you one of their own?” Satu asked unhappily, searching the other woman’s scarred face. She did not understand what compelled a person to pursue such a career. Mercenaries were not known for their kindnesses or compassions. She saddened to think of the poor Hearts slain by their hungry blades. “Have you killed for riches, or imprisoned people in this same way? Danna, do you wish to join them?”

The HeartSeer was silent and when she finally spoke, said, “I am called Satu. I am Konti,” as if that answered everything. “They want Avalis’ gifts...” Her eyes became sad as she looked into Danna’s through the bars, for she knew the truth of it. Stories abounded on the White Isle of missing Konti and the people that would use Avalis’ talents for dishonourable purposes, ultimately perverting the Konti Seers for individual gain.

She stood up suddenly, shaking, “I will not share Her with them…” she whispered to the walls and the bars surrounding her. “I will not.” Already her legs were stiff from the chill in the floor and she moved in circles, unable to rest. The confines of the small space became more and more evident the longer she was awake.

A whisper of anxiety was planted within Satu as she thought about being separate from her goddess. To be without Her was to be truly confined within oneself. The imagined quiet was deafening and it weighed heavily on her spirit. She lifted her palm to the wet wall as if to stop it from closing in around her. Pressing against the dampness, she could hear the silence already, and already it sounded unnatural to her ears. Never had it been this empty in Mura or Syliras, or the woodland areas near her home. Even between the small pauses in conversation, Satu could feel the silence surround her like a shroud ready to smother her.

“Do you know what is out there, past our cells?” The Konti asked pointing with her free hand outside the bars, though Danna could probably not see the gesture. Letting her hand fall from the stone wall, she moved slowly to the end of her cell and searched for the doorway. Her fingers fumbled in the poor light as she expanded her search for the lock that held the door closed. Satu knew it would be locked, but she felt the need to check anyway. She was so very far from home and her heart felt empty and lost. It was difficult to stay focused, but she needed to know where she was in relation to the world, or at least in relation to the room she was in. What lay outside the confines of her little cell in the room or the hall beyond?

[Tarot]

No windows, no light, no fresh air, though Satu could perceive life well beyond the walls of her prison. Elsewhere in this place, life most certainly continued as usual. The knowledge did little to brighten her day, though. On her part, Danna seemed surprised and perhaps a little peeved at Satu's quick judgmental questions. "I don't know where you've lived till now, girl, but the real world isn't anything like that," she spoke back, "am I talented? Why, yes, I like to think it's not blind luck that I'm still alive to this day. Is this why they want me? Maybe, maybe not. Have I killed? You betcha. I killed my first man at fifteen. Bastard wanted to rape me. For riches? It's a job like any other."

Danna said it like it was nothing. This was Mizahar after the Valterrian, and those with a peaceful upbringing like the Konti in Mura were the exception, not the rule. "Have I imprisoned people? Not that I remember. Do I want to join them?" She gave a nervous laugh. "Those pieces of shyke? Not a chance." Satu could not discern any intent to lie in her voice. She was telling the truth, or at least, she believed it.

"A Konti? I see now. It makes sense," the mercenary murmured, "of course you would be appalled at what I do. You'd be appalled at a lot of things. Maybe that will change as you see more of the world. They say violence lurks even in the kindest of souls. I believe it's true, too. Don't tell me you don't feel even a little hate for those bastards who snatched us away and into these gods-damn cells."

There was some silence as Satu explored the small confines of her cell. Short of magic or superhuman strength, there was no apparent way out of her prison. "I have my theories," Danna answered her question in a whisper. "I wasn't completely unconscious when they captured me. I saw bright lights… a gateway of sorts. I don't think we are on Mizahar anymore, Satu. We are - elsewhere. This place doesn't feel like home, does it? Even I can feel it. It's alien. The air is different, unknown, hostile. We're screwed real bad, girl."

Satu felt it a second or two before they both heard the footsteps. A group of guards walked down a staircase and a heavy door creaked open. They were carrying torches which cast light upon the dungeon for the very first time. The Konti caught a glimpse of Danna's fit body and scarred face. The men, five in total, stopped in front of their cells. They all emanated dull colors of total obedience. They were unquestioningly loyal to their cause. They wore light armor and longswords at their sides. One seemed to hold a higher rank, as hinted by his ornate breastplate. He had a sharp face with a feral smile, short brown hair and a thin goatee.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies. 'She' is here and can see you now." The man chuckled at the idea, "Welcome to Opportunity, where we build a better future."

[Satu]

Turning around, Satu leaned against the iron bars of the cell, the rods were chilly and she felt two or three of the columns press coldly into her back and spine. She heard Danna murmur, “Violence lurks even in the kindest of souls… Don’t tell me you don’t feel even a little hate for those bastards who snatched us away…”

The Konti turned her gaze inward and thought about how she felt. No one knew better than a HeartSeer how violence had a way of coiling into the base of the Heart, unknown to its host vessel, ever ready to strike, vicious and deadly. Since leaving Mura, the level of violence Satu sensed had been growing steadily, but she could not deceive herself; it was also there at home in peaceful Mura.

She realized now, there had always been a dark cruelty riding within the beautiful Matalla, and also a magical kind of aggression within her friend, Kamalia. And when she was with them, those feelings came to rest in her own Heart, to call whispering and powerfully to her as well. The HeartSeer believed naively that she was separate somehow, and that violence would never fly forth so readily from her own hands as it did with others. Her mind refused to consider just how easily a matching rage had grown within her during that fateful day at the Pavilion.

Satu looked hopelessly around the empty cell once more, of course she was scared and frightened, but hate? Could she indeed hate the people who had done this? “No Danna,” she shook her head, “I don’t hate them. I wasn’t even hurt! I am terribly afraid though, and I do feel a sadness and a pity for them that they felt compelled to do this monstrous thing for whatever reason…, but I can not hate them.”

The moments passed and Danna was whispering again. The Konti did not understand what she was trying to tell her. Whispering back, Satu asked, “If we’re not on Mizahar, where could we possibly be?” Her mind was preoccupied and still a little dizzy, but then as she listened to the feeling of the world, she did feel a sense of otherness, of differentness all around them. And then Danna added, “We’re screwed real bad, girl.”

Danna scared her with talk of “elsewhere” and the state of their current situation. They were in an alarming spot, Satu’s senses even told her this, but at the same time, she had trouble believing their circumstances to be quite as severe as the mercenary said. Satu did not want to offend her, but perhaps Danna exaggerated. Surely the situation could be resolved somehow! The thought never crossed Satu’s mind that she herself did not have enough life experience outside of Konti Isle to properly assess the situation.

“Shhh… someone comes,” she whispered to the next cell as her HeartSense reached, unbidden to touch upon the men. In the torchlight, her face fell and her Heart dropped as she sensed only dim Hearts entering the room. She had hoped for guardians with more life and colour to them then the flat obedience these men carried. With their arrival, the dungeon lit up with torch glow and the now unaccustomed brightness caused Satu’s hand to fly quickly up to shield her blinking eyes as the men approached the cell. Moving gracefully, she quickly back away from the bars, though there was little space in which to move.

They looked like soldiers to the Konti maiden, with their armour, swords and stock expressions. The leader of the guards smiled, a feral, primitive expression covering his face, and Satu wondered again what she had unwittingly gotten involved in. Opportunity and a better future? What did that mean? And who was this She the men belonged to? She said simply and honestly, “I do not understand,” while her gaze flickered quickly over to Danna, before it settled once again on the goateed leader.

It was a small comfort to know that these men answered to a woman, and that with a woman reviewing their situation, perhaps there was more hope for them than the mercenary originally thought. Satu stood straighter, lifted her chin and ignored the hair that was coming loose from its wrapping on the top of her head. “Do not cry,” she begged herself, “Do not cry.” And she vowed to represent her sisters in the best possible light under the circumstances. Her exotic beauty was all but out of place in the dirty cell. Trying to ignore the chill and her travel worn, dusty clothes, Satu waited. Inwardly nervous and frightened, but to outside eyes she appeared one of the radiant and graceful Konti women.

[Tarot]

Danna merely shook her head and said nothing more. There was little point in even maintaining the conversation with a girl obviously too shaken and way too deep in denial to have a decent understanding of the situation. Later, maybe. For now, it seemed like their captors had finally shown up and were checking on them. The man with the goatee seemed to be in charge of the small group of guards.

"You don't have to understand, Konti," the man smirked, "we don't expect you to do anything but obey her. You heard right, this place is called Opportunity. It's where we pave the way for a bright tomorrow for the whole of Mizahar. A future without war and poverty… a future that's well worth a little harshness in the here and now." The man gestured for his subordinates to open Danna's cell, which they did right away.

As the guards stepped into the cell, the mercenary stood all of a sudden and threw herself at the nearest soldier, knocking him down with an animalistic roar. Then, she kicked wildly at the second, pushing him back while she reached towards the fallen man's belt to retrieve his sword. Grinning as the blade slid out of the sheath, Danna leapt towards the man with the goatee, seeking to skewer him where he stood.

She was obviously a very skilled fighter, but it didn't work. The man extended his hand, and Danna was thrown back with violence by an invisible force. The swirling red rage around her form turned to pain and surprise as her body slammed into the wall of her cell. "This place may be called Opportunity, but that does not mean an opportunity to escape. Seize her." The two guards got back on their feet and proceeded to shackle Danna, handcuffing her behind her back as they dragged her out of the cell. Her lip was bleeding from the impact with the wall, and she looked more confused than anything.

"I hope you are not going to be as troublesome as this lady, Konti," the man with the goatee said, and the guards began to turn the key of Satu's cell. It was as if they had been brainwashed, drained of any individual belief. Even the men Danna had knocked down were standing calmly, as if nothing had happened. "There will be rewards for you if do as you are asked. She is a strict leader, but a generous one. Questions?"

The cell opened with a slow, creaking noise. If Satu had it in her to try to flee her captors, this was the time… though Danna's precedent was less than encouraging.

[Satu]

"No, Danna, don’t!” Satu pleaded seconds before the mercenary attacked the nearest guard. She had sensed the sudden action and helplessly stepped forward, grasping the iron bars separating the cells. There was nothing she could do from the confines of her locked cage.

Five men stood between Danna and her freedom, and Satu watched in rapt attention as the girl fought ferociously. To a Konti, trained in the Art of the Suvai, it appeared Danna’s methods were more “rough and tumble” than the beautiful movements of combat she was passionate about. But somehow, Danna appeared to use the spinning rage inside and turn it to her advantage. Even the animalistic roar was used to good effect. Satu had to admit, the mercenary was effective, even acquiring a sword in the process which she looked quite prepared to use.

The Konti held her breath and willed her thoughts towards Danna, “Not now…, this is not the time! Do not antagonize them…” but she had no control over such whispery things as thoughts, and the mercenary instead focused on doing the most harm to their captors in the fastest method possible. As the words left her mind, the leader of the group lifted his hand and so rapidly did the tables turn on poor Danna, that Satu was taken by surprise. Suddenly Danna flew backwards, violently forced into the wall behind her. Her Heartcolours swirled after, only to end just as forcefully with the sudden impact with stone.

“Magic!” Satu let her pent up breath escape with the word, and spun to look at the goateed man, questioningly. She had not sensed it as he cast the spell and she was surprised not to have felt the hypnotic rapture she had felt with Kamalia’s use of magic.

Satu’s hand covered her mouth, trying to hold in a sorrowful exclamation for her stunned companion. But the damage was done, and Danna was already bound and handcuffed. In the Konti’s mind, violence should only be used as a last resort, if even then. Never should it to be used firstly. One needed only to look to upon the other races to see the troubles violence and bloodshed cost, while the Konti women lived on in peacefulness.

While Danna’s outburst had startled Satu, it did not surprise her. What truly shocked the suvai fighter most was the manner of the guards. Their Hearts did not feel as anyone had in her past. Violence, she had witnessed before, and would have understood and almost welcomed compared to this. The guards feelings were dulled, their emotions muted. She could not understand this oddity, and thought it must be akin to experiencing death. It was a scary prospect to a HeartSeer who relied heavily on other people’s emotions to guide her through life.

“I wish to cause no trouble here,”Satu replied quickly, bringing herself back from inner worries as the cell door opened. “But what is your leader’s name? If I am to meet her, I must call her something. And this place…., if I may ask, where are we?”

[Tarot]

The guards did a thorough job of handcuffing Satu just like they had Danna - indeed, the mercenary was still snarling and jerking, trying to break free out of desperation. "Let me go, you bastards! You pieces of steamy shyke!" Those were among the gentler epithets she threw at the captor before delving into their genealogy and the professions most commonly encountered in their family trees.

One of the men pushed the Konti out of the cell, and it took two more to get the mercenary woman going. The man with the goatee grinned at the questions. "We know her name, but we are not worthy of speaking it. There is power in a name, Konti, and some are not to be spoken lightly. One day, however, she will be recognized as the great benefactor of mankind. With a little luck, that will happen within our lifetime." They led Satu and her unwilling companion up a flight of stairs that ended with a sturdy iron door.

When a guard opened the door, fresh air slapped the Konti in the face. It was a welcome change from the stale environment of the prison. She found herself in a long corridor. The place looked like the interior of a large stone structure, and a well-planned one. Corridors neatly intersected one another, doors were lined up at regular intervals, and there were even signs on the walls providing directions and arrows to those lost. Many of these signs pointed to 'labs' and 'dorms', though of course the arrow pointing back at the prison read 'Holding cells 1-8'.

It felt like the first section or two were underground, but after some more stairs they emerged above ground level, as windows came to replace torches on the walls. The outside scenery was very different from the Syliran wilderness she had left behind; instead of the rolling plains of the wildlands, there were sharp, hostile mountains all around. Either this was Kalea, or no place on Mizahar at all.

As they ventured further, Satu would begin to notice that the place had a 'work in progress' feel to it. Some sections were interrupted, new wings were being constructed, and it seemed like someone was remodeling an older military or scientific outpost after a long time of abandonment.

After a while, they arrived in front of a large door. "Your questions are answered beyond this door," the goateed man said cryptically, and the guards pushed it open, quickly forcing the two handcuffed women through the doorway.

It slammed close behind them before they could do anything about it.

They were in a large room indeed, square and with windows on three sides. It looked like some kind of laboratory, with shelves packed full with bottles and colored jars, books, mechanical devices and other trinkets. There were several circles painted on the floor in the middle of the room, with unknown symbols of certain magical significance.

Sitting in the largest circle and hugging her knees, was a black-robed figure. It pulled down the hood and revealed the visage of a young woman. She had dark hair and eyes and a distant beauty, though her expression was distinctly… off. Even Danna thought there was something strange about her, and her spiritual colors changed accordingly.

That was exactly why her appearance was so incredible for Satu. She had seen all kinds of hearts in her life, bright and dull, yellow and red and green and blue, flat or vibrant, light and dark.

"Greetings," the woman said, her her smile was off in the same way as the rest of her.

She had no color whatsoever. For the first time in her life, Satu had met someone who triggered absolutely nothing in her Heartsense. The Konti could not read the woman any more than she could read a piece of clockwork. Her soul, if she had one, was bare and hollowed.

"I am called Drainira," she said, clasping her fingers together. She seemed unwilling to stand on her feet for the two guests. "Though the probability of either of you knowing the name is negligible. Welcome to Opportunity."