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Chapters (102)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. DRAMATIS PERSONAE
  6. BOOKI
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. BOOKII
  30. 1
  31. 2
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 5
  35. 6
  36. 7
  37. 8
  38. 9
  39. 10
  40. 11
  41. 12
  42. 13
  43. 14
  44. 15
  45. 16
  46. 17
  47. 18
  48. 19
  49. BOOKIII
  50. 1
  51. 2
  52. 3
  53. 4
  54. 5
  55. 6
  56. 7
  57. 8
  58. 9
  59. 10
  60. 11
  61. 12
  62. 13
  63. 14
  64. 15
  65. 16
  66. 17
  67. BOOKIV
  68. 1
  69. 2
  70. 3
  71. 4
  72. 5
  73. 6
  74. 7
  75. 8
  76. 9
  77. 10
  78. 11
  79. BOOKV
  80. 1
  81. 2
  82. 3
  83. 4
  84. 5
  85. 6
  86. 7
  87. 8
  88. 9
  89. 10
  90. 11
  91. 12
  92. 13
  93. 14
  94. 15
  95. 16
  96. 17
  97. 18
  98. Glossary
  99. Acknowledgments
  100. Also by Andrea Hairston
  101. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  102. Newsletter Sign-up

“We shall see if we’re better at surviving than Kahartans are.” Isra gripped Yari’s waist. “You should be glad I didn’t go and sent Garden Sprites with you instead.”

“Why?” Yari drank a long draught of honey wine.

“I would have stopped you giving away our goats.” Isra took the wine and drank a swallow. “I’d have let shadow warriors shoot our enemies and not waste fire arrows on air. I wouldn’t have risked our children for news of an old lover.”

Awa would soon be fifteen, a child no more. None of the Sprites were.

“It was your idea to take them with the scouts,” Yari countered.

“Today the crossroads gods smile on you.” Isra emptied the wine jug. “But I know these people. I’m one of them.” Isra grew up around the Golden Gulf and raided villages and enclaves until Yari persuaded vie to run away to the Elders. “Change is unlikely.”

“You changed.” Yari grinned. “Or are you still a tight-hearted demon?”

“You can’t charm everyone.”

“I don’t need to. I have you to protect me.” Yari squeezed plump Isra and sang an untranslatable Lahesh love song.

Isra groaned. “When I’m not there and you dance into danger and charm fails?”

“Do you plan to leave me?”

“The gods of the crossroads laugh at our plans.”

“We can laugh too!”

Isra drew Yari into their tent to finish arguing on the bed.

Everyone retired except Awa and Bal, who sat watching the sliver of moon rise. It had grown a little fatter. The wild dog rested his big gray head in Awa’s lap, chewing the last of the feast scraps. Bal balanced on one arm, legs swaying. Awa knocked her over. They wrestled with the dog, then settled into a furry heap, toes in the warm ashes.

“What would you have done?” Bal asked. “Killed our enemies or not?”

“I don’t know,” Awa said. “I’m not brave like Yari, to risk dancing for the enemy…”

Bal stroked a tight curl at Awa’s neck. “You’d have come up with a good story, I’m sure.”

“You always say that.”

“Well”—Bal touched the snake mark on Awa’s forehead, eyes full of sloppy sentiment—“we always need a good map for our days.”

Awa took secret pleasure in Bal’s faith.

4

A Snake in the House

Amplify now

Every yesterday lives in today

We have many futures and each changes the past

Many possibilities get lost to the void

Imagine freedom and it is yours

“Fatazz!” Chanting verses from Amplify Now wasn’t mastering Xhalan Xhala. Djola sipped a potent cathedral seed and cloud-silk potion. Tremors coursed through his body. “Xhalan Xhala changes all that might be into a single what is. Other possibilities turn into void-smoke.”