“The world grants us no easy answers. ‘Aivur’ is the formal word historians use for a people who look very like us humans, but who have powers and enchantment beyond what is commonly human. It’s true many believe the aivur came out of the Desolation seventy years ago. It’s also true that the raids of the Sea Wolves and the attacks of the Blood Wolves and their giant spiders in the east only started after the appearance of the Desolation. But it’s not clear whether they came out of the Desolation itself, or only seem to have done so. The Desolation was just one of many signs of changes in the land, like famine or plague or a shockingly destructive earthquake, as in the reign of the Orchid Emperor.”

“Like the rising of the Pall itself,” Elen said. “Although the rising happened about thirty years before the Desolation appeared.”

“That’s my point. Older chronicles suggest the aivur have always been here, living in their own homelands, apart from humans. In the vast southern forest, for example, a mysterious and rarely seen population of aivur have lived deep in the wild wood for generations. Something about the rising of the Pall caused the aivur to turn their attention to us.”

“Are they human, or not?” Elen pressed.

Luviara smiled, amused at the question. “Do you think I know?”

“I wish to hear your learned opinion, Your Worthiness.”

“Ah. Well, then. Of the intelligent peoples of the world, the aivur are more easily mistaken for human than are swalter or gagast or fregir. Or dragons, obviously. But it is my considered opinion that, like the other four, they are not human. Indeed, they do not speak of themselves as human. We must never make the mistake of thinking they are like us, or wish to live in harmonious community with us, no matter how much they may look like us, or the charm of their smiles, and by charm I mean sorcery.”

“Sorcery? I thought we agreed the practice of sorcery has been eradicated by the order of the emperor. Or, going by the poem in The Last Flower Withers, was erased from the world after the fall of the sorcerer-kings, long ago.”

“So we must hope,” Luviara agreed mildly. “This is more than I like to say, but humans cannot wield sorcery without sacrificing their own life force to do so.”

“But theurgists need not do so, with their magic?”

“You have a lot of questions, Deputy Courier. But you are not an acolyte of the Heart Temple, to be granted answers. Ah, here we are. The food smells so appetizing.”

A custodian held up a lamp beside an open door. It led into a lovely wood-paneled chamber with a warm brick oven and a long table set with platters.