“How awful,” Nira said.

“The Designate’s successor, when finally chosen, ruled under a cloud of doubt for ninety years. The sterile Designate who should have become Mage-Imperator remained an adviser in the Prism Palace for the rest of his years and never chose to be castrated, as was his right.”

Below, one-eyed Cir’gh finally defeated his opponent, and the other knight raised his shield, conceding. The crowd roared. Jora’h stood to applaud as the brilliant spotlights increased the illumination inside the arena, dazzling Nira.

“You have a strange but compellingly beautiful history, Jora’h,” Nira said.

His face seemed to diffuse with warmth upon hearing her say that. “I hope you continue to think so, Nira, as you learn more about us.”

72: ESTARRA

72ESTARRA

Father Idriss and Mother Alexa were surprised, then disappointed, when Beneto announced his intention to leave Theroc and devote himself to the backwater colony of Corvus Landing. They had anticipated much greater things for their second son, perhaps a primary position or a leadership role among the green priests.

But in the end, they bowed to the wishes of the worldforest. When Alexa finally realized that this was truly what her son wanted, she embraced him and announced that she would host a grand farewell celebration, complete with a full performance from the most skilled treedancers from the largest tree cities. Beneto smiled graciously, though he would have preferred no fuss whatsoever. Alexa was doing this more to fulfill her own needs than her son’s, so he accepted the planned banquet with good grace.

Upon hearing of her brother’s imminent departure, Estarra was deeply hurt. With a sad expression, Beneto gave her the news directly, rather than letting her learn from her parents or from gossip. She would miss the times she had spent with him out in the forests, talking about native plants and towering worldtrees and any other thoughts that came into her head. But she could see in Beneto’s face that this volunteer assignment was truly a dream that had captured his heart.

“I’ll think about you often, Beneto,” she said, already lonely. “Maybe someday I’ll be able to travel and see you on Corvus Landing.”

He laughed. “From what I can tell, there isn’t much of a tourist industry, but old Talbun seems to enjoy living there. I look forward to taking his place, so that he can move on.”

On the day of the farewell celebration, Estarra wanted to contribute in a way that would make her brother proud. She considered helping with the banquet preparations, but decided instead to gather Beneto’s favorite delicacy: slices of the tender outer skin of the reef fungus, found only at the topmost, uninhabitable layers of their city.