Chapter Seven

Two days after joining the caravan, Lusya was satisfied that she had made the right decision. The group was moving at a satisfactory pace. They had caused her no trouble so far and the child seemed to enjoy the food. Some of their meals were even made using fresh ingredients, preserved using methods that would be impractical or impossible for Lusya to replicate with her current resources like storing them in cases of ice or pickling them in honey. The rest used components very much like Lusya’s dried foods, but prepared with enough skill to render them all but unrecognizable. Lusya may not have had a problem with what she had purchased, but she would not deny that this was better. She had also had concerns that the child’s distaste for their simple meals would cause problems later, which were allayed for the time being. Slight concerns, but none was still better.

On top of that, the child had befriended some of the other children. So long as they were kind to her, that would be a boon at best and a non-factor at worst to the child’s purity. Thus far, they seemed to be getting along.

As the caravan stopped for a midday meal, the child ran about with some of her new friends, playing some kind of game they had invented. Today, at last, the weather was appropriate for spring, though, Lusya knew it could dip back into winter in these early days, especially as she and the child headed farther north. For now, however, the sun shone overhead in a blue sky interrupted by a handful of wispy white clouds. Most of the snow here had melted, leaving just a few piles of dirty slush lying about, and much of the ground had even dried already.

The children kept, for the most part, to the gaps between the smaller groups people had sorted themselves into, though they would sometimes charge right through a group or weave between its members to evade a pursuer, drawing a rebuke in process.

The children shouted and screamed, but did not seem to be distressed. According to some of the caravan’s other members, the noises were signs that the children were enjoying themselves. Lusya was not sure she would be able to tell the difference between that and a scream of terror, but with her ability to sense and see Malice, it would not be a problem. The child’s small, stable seed would make any increase brought on by negative emotions obvious.

“Hey there,” Milean said as he sat down beside Lusya, holding a bowl of the same meat stew she ate.

Though she would admit it tasted better than what she had bought, she still could not comprehend the child’s prior reaction.

“Hello,” Lusya said.

Although her group was just two, she still sat with the other representatives. She knew that was not typical. The five others had been the leaders, at least in function, of already-large groups that had come together to form the caravan. Other small groups had joined along the way as well, and their members were counted as part of a larger group of their choice for most purposes.

“I guess the others are still taking care of their business,” he said, gesturing around where the others would sit.

She nodded. “I suppose so.”

At the moment, their places were unoccupied. They each had spouses, children, or other family to attend to, as well as the friends and acquaintances that had made up their groups before banding together. When all were counted together, the caravan was close to fifty people in total.

Milean took a few spoonfuls of his lunch, silent. Then, he sighed.

“I guess that’s good timing,” he said. “I know I said I wouldn’t pry, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least ask. What’s your relationship with Ariya? How did she end up in your care?”

So, that was it. She had suspected as much. She was included among the representatives because Milean, and perhaps the others, still found her a cause for wariness and wanted her close for observation. If there was anything she had done to earn such scrutiny, she was not aware of it. Lusya fixed him with her gaze. He flinched for a moment, though she had not meant to intimidate him, but then scowled and almost puffed himself up, as if to compensate for that moment of weakness.

“Looking at you, it’s obvious you’re not related,” he continued. “If she’s from around here, it’s unlikely a reltus would be a family friend or something either, no offense. On top of that, neither of you acts like you know each other very well. So I need to know what, exactly, is going on here.”

It seemed her simply being with the child was sufficient cause for concern. Lusya had worried about that. It was not lost on her that they were an unusual pair, even to those who mistook her for a reltus. The possibility that that unusual would become suspicious had not been lost on her, but she had hoped to be wrong.

“My father tasked me with finding someone with certain characteristics and escorting her to a particular location,” Lusya replied. “The child fit those characteristics well, so I informed her parents and brought her on my journey.”

He frowned and made a humming sound that Lusya had learned to recognize as skeptical. “That’s pretty vague.”

“I would prefer to avoid discussing the details,” she said. “It is a very sensitive matter.”

Milean’s gaze continued to bore into her, unrelenting. “I can understand that. So let me ask more directly: this isn’t a slave trade or anything like that, is it?”

She shook her head. “It is nothing of the sort. The child is with me of her own will. While the family was…reluctant, I did secure their cooperation as well.”

After another moment of him glaring at her in silence, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll take your word for it. But I won’t just stand by if I see any sign something untoward is going on here. Slavery and preying on children are two of the lowest depths anyone can sink to. And I don’t care what the law says about either.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Lusya said. “But I do not think you need to be concerned.”

She took another spoonful of her stew. It was quite good. The improvement from her purchase was not insignificant. Some in Father’s inner circle had spread rumors that she could not taste, feel pain, and other such ideas. They were not true, of course. She was simply better than most at tolerating unfavorable conditions. That did not mean she had no preference.

“Well,” Milean said, his eyes now following the children running about, “if nothing else, she seems happy and in good health. That’s a point in your favor.”

Lusya followed his gaze. Lusya’s child, Ariya—Lusya had made a more conscious effort to keep the child’s name in mind to differentiate her from the others—was laughing as she ran from another girl. Ariya had avoided intruding upon gatherings after her first scolding, instead weaving between them and changing directions at random to stay ahead.

“I appreciate your assessment,” Lusya said.

He chuckled, though she did not think she had said anything funny. Perhaps he found the children amusing.

Aside from Ariya, there were half a dozen children participating. There were many more within the convoy, but they varied in age and not all of them associated with each other.

Among Ariya’s group were Milean’s and Leas’s sons, whose names Lusya had not memorized. Milean’s son was a perfect synthesis of his parents, with his mother’s hair and father’s eyes. At his age, it was hard to tell, but he seemed to be growing into his father’s bulky build as well.

Leas’s son, on the other hand, seemed to be taking after his mother. Lusya had met the woman, but had never learned her name. The boy had his father’s hair color, but he was short even for his age, had his mother’s eyes, and even his facial structure resembled her more.

She did not know any of the other children in any significant way. The other representatives all had children, but none of them would play in this group. Ivon’s daughter was an infant, Izcra had ten-year old twin boys who refused to mingle with the younger children, and Buro had a son who was already an adult and two daughters who were close.

“They look like they’re having fun, don’t they?” Byanka said as she approached from behind.

“I suppose,” Lusya said. “What is the game they are playing?”

She was familiar with a few children’s games. Indeed, though her memories of her time with her mother were hazy at best, Lusya was confident she had engaged in games like tag at least a few times. From what she had observed, the children were playing no game she knew of, though it did bear some resemblance to a few.

“I think Kalam’s boy, Jahn, came up with it,” Byanka replied. “It’s sort of like tag, but I can’t recall how it’s different.”

Lusya did not recall having met either a Kalam or a Jahn. Though it was possible she had and either had not learned their names or dismissed them as unimportant. Byanka had pointed to one of the children, but with them in constant motion at a distance, it was difficult to tell which. Regardless, their identities did not seem important to the matter at hand, so she nodded as if she had followed everything.

“I think it’s team-based,” Milean said. “You have an it-team and a not-it-team. Anyone on the latter who gets tagged joins the former. If the it-team gets everyone, they win.”

Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. That sounded a bit lopsided. “How does the other team win?”

“I remember now,” Byanka said. “It used to be that the it-team would hide something in the camp. The not-it team had to find it and bring it back to the start. Whoever was left in that team was considered the winner.” She seemed to sigh and laugh at the same time, somehow. “I’m sure you can imagine what a ruckus that was.”

“It sounds very disruptive,” Lusya said with a nod. The children were already causing some trouble with their current rules. A set that encouraged them to turn the camp upside-down in search of something must have been a disaster.

Milean nodded. “Sure was. Now they just ask one of the adults to time the games. If anyone’s left on the not-it team by the end of a few minutes, they win.” He shrugged. “The kids say it was more fun the other way, but they keep playing anyway.”

“I see.”

“Have you been traveling with little Ariya a long time?” Byanka asked.

Lusya shook her head. “It was only our second day together that we encountered you.”

“What luck,” Byanka said with a smile. “It must have been Lady Hilrusa’s guidance.”

So, they did belong to one of the Jiorjan faiths, a collection of religions that worshiped a singular deity they claimed had created the world. They were too different to be called a single faith. Some had polar opposite views. For instance, some held that Malice was a force outside their deity’s plan, a flaw in the world’s construction some primordial foe had sneaked in. Others believed their god had created Malice as a way to test the mortal races or to purge the sinful.

Wars had been fought over such differences in interpretation. This Hilrusa, however—while not having osmosed into general speech like the shadowlands—was an ancient saint all the Jiorjan faiths glorified as a pseudo-goddess of good fortune, so Lusya could not pinpoint which of the faiths Milean and Byanka might belong to.

“Careful, Byanka,” Milean said with a side-eyed glance at Lusya.

Byanka waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, hush, it’s pretty obvious she’s not the type to pick a fight over that.”

Few, if any, relti subscribed to the Jiorjan faiths. Many found them absurd or even heretical. Demons often resented them more than other religions as well, though most demons were inclined to resentment to begin with. Lusya felt they contained many obvious mischaracterizations of the nature of Malice and the Demon King cycle, but Byanka was correct that Lusya would not create conflict over it. It was doubtful it would have much effect on Lusya while she was with the caravan, and it would have been a tremendous waste of energy to confront a human every time they were wrong about something with so many present.

Lusya returned to observing the children. Ariya was laughing as she ran from Milean’s son, while Leas’s son passed in front of her, peeking over his shoulder as he fled from the girl who had been chasing Ariya before. Then, Leas’s son stumbled. His foot stretched back behind him as he struggled to keep his footing and Ariya tripped over it, flopping face-first to the ground with a yelp. A second later, Leas’s son lost his balance as well and toppled forward, though he managed to catch himself on his elbows and knees.

Lusya put aside her food and hurried over to Ariya, covering the distance in less than a second. Lusya knelt beside Ariya, while Ariya groaned and pushed herself up to a kneeling position.

“Are you well?” Lusya asked.

Ariya blinked, as if just realizing Lusya was there. “Huh? Lusya? Yeah, I’m fine. It didn’t really hurt at all.”

“I see. That is good.” Lusya turned her attention on Leas’s son, who was standing to dust himself off. “I trust that was unintentional.”

“You accusing my boy of something?” Leas asked, his entire face scrunched in a deep scowl. He was just approaching from one of the carriages. The other children had all stopped and gathered around as well.

Lusya stood, keeping her gaze on his son. “I am not accusing. I am merely confirming that I need not punish him.”

“I can discipline my own kid,” Leas said with a derisive snort. She was not sure why he said that, as she had neither questioned his capability nor given any indication she would object if he meted out a fitting punishment instead. He looked down at his son. “So? What happened Arek?”

“It wasn’t on purpose, I swear,” his son replied. “I wasn’t watching where I was going so I tripped over that rock…” he pointed to a stone on the ground, around the size of a grown man’s fist. “…and while I was trying to keep my balance, I kind of tripped Ariya too. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s true,” Milean’s son said. “I saw the whole thing.”

“Me too,” the girl who had been chasing Leas’s son said.

“See?” Milean said as he walked up. “Nothing to be upset over.”

“Really, Lusya,” Ariya said, “I’m fine.”

She did not display any signs of increasing Malice, so it must have been true that the fall had been neither painful nor harmful to any appreciable degree. Next time, however, it might be.

“That is good,” Lusya said. She turned her gaze on Ariya and gave the slightest hint of a frown. “However, you are at fault as well. You were not paying sufficient attention to your surroundings. If we are to complete our duty, you must avoid harming yourself.”

Ariya hung her head. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Lusya,” Milean cut in before Lusya could say anything, “mind if I talk to you a bit, over there?”

He gestured toward where they had been sitting earlier. Lusya did not know what he could want, but she could guess it had something to do with the current issue.

“Very well,” she said with a nod. “Child, stay put.”

Ariya nodded. “Okay…”

Lusya followed Milean back to the eating area, out of Ariya’s earshot so long as they kept their voices down. He sighed.

“I’m going to give you some advice, since you’re obviously new to taking care of children,” he said. “Okay?”

Lusya nodded. “I will not object to advice from someone more experienced.”

He smiled. “Good, that’s smart. It’s pretty simple: you don’t need to scold or punish Ariya. Definitely not more than you already did. You were going to, weren’t you?”

Lusya blinked. How had he known? People usually struggled to read her intentions. “I was.”

“That’s not going to do anything but make both your lives harder,” Milean said. “I’m sure falling hurt at least a little bit, no matter what Ariya says. I’m sure she is smart enough to know it’s something she should avoid. Plus, it was an accident. She didn’t really do anything wrong. Nobody did.”

Lusya cocked her head. “So your reasoning is that because her actions were unintentional and she already understands that they should not be repeated, I do not need to reinforce that fact.”

“Right,” Milean said. He chuckled and scratched at his head. “It’s not always so simple, of course, but Ariya seems like a good kid. In this case, I think you can leave things as they are.”

“I see. I appreciate your advice. I will take it under consideration.”

He smiled and nodded. “No problem. Not like I’ve never made a mistake. Might as well use that experience to help you.”

Lusya took that as the end of their conversation and returned to Ariya. The child had done as she was told and was still standing in the same spot as before, eyes glued to the ground.

The other children were some ways away, discussing something. Every now and then, one of them would glance at Ariya. Lusya caught bits of what they were saying, including “trouble,” “scary lady,” and “meanie.” But she did not care to pay attention to their conversation as she approached Ariya.

“You may go play with them,” Lusya said.

Ariya looked up with an unusual expression, eyes wide and wet, but not quite crying, her lower lip protruding. It was somewhere between sad and fearful, but not the kind of face one made when in genuine danger. The boy had made a similar face earlier. Perhaps that was the expression of a child anticipating a scolding. This incident had been a learning experience, if nothing else.

“Are you sure?” Ariya asked. “You’re not mad?”

“I am not angry with you,” Lusya said. It was the truth. Anger was a fleeting thing with her, unusual as that was for a demon. She had seldom known it to last long or have any particular sway over her actions. Even her intent to punish the child had been born out of the simple belief that it was the best way to avoid a repeat of this incident. “I urge you to be more cautious in the future, but that is all.”

Ariya’s expression shifted into a smile and she gave a series of rapid nods. “I promise I’ll be more careful.” She whirled and sprinted to the other children. “Guys, Lusya says I can keep playing!”