CHAPTER 21 -- THE FASTNESS
Somi never heard the sound of the animals approaching amid the tumultuous thunder. He ran to Kehyo, who was gesturing and mouthing something that was drowned out in the chaos. In an instant, several riders burst through the gap and were upon them, circling round in the narrow space between the cliffs. The beasts blocked their escape. Cloaked figures sat atop them wielding wicked looking lances. Their faces were covered. Only their eyes could be seen. The men spoke a foreign tongue. Their mounts were animals unknown to either Somi or Kehyo. They pranced and sidestepped upon graceful legs that stamped the earth. The beasts’ necks were powerful and capped with a ridge of hair. Their heads were massive and without horns. Wide lips worked a piece of metal in their mouths and blew snorts of misty breath into the air. Father and son had no choice but to submit. They were trapped.
As Ryela ran, there was a sudden flash of motion to her left. A net flew out from a hidden passage. She rolled away out of instinct, but was too late. The net dropped heavily all around her. She did not struggle. Instead, she went limp. She tranced to slow down her breathing and to simulate death.
A cloaked figure approached cautiously, and then picked up the net as if it knew that the animal within it still lived. The man called back down the path toward the others, waving to them and motioning them in his direction. Several of the horsemen dismounted and four of them took both Kehyo and Somi by the arms and led them down the track and into the fissure at its end.
The ground dropped steadily as they came within the dark opening, it was jagged, like a deformed and menacing jaw. To Kehyo’s surprise, the space within was lit with torches, which smoked and guttered in the wind, but did not go out. Kehyo saw it as a long winding room, but it was no work of human hands. This was a cave, and it wound on, deep into the mountain. Their captors said nothing. The space around them was alive with echoing feet and the whispers of many voices. The cave was damp, and an earthy smell hung in the close air.
Presently the men stopped, and Somi and Kehyo were made to stand in a kind of alcove lit by torchlight. The men held their hands behind their backs while a third searched their garments for hidden weapons. They found Kehyo’s sand breather and his bone handled knife and set these aside on a wooden table. The coin, resting flat against his skin, was hidden by the voluminous folds of his gahl.
Encouraged by their luck, the captors sifted through the contents of Kehyo’s pack. Satisfied that they held nothing but clothing they turned to searching Somi. Their diligence paid off. They found a long dagger in his boot, a claw-like metal device in the folds of his oket, and the fire stick they had used by the lakeside. All these were placed on the same wooden table. Low stools were produced and the travelers were induced to sit. Ryela, still in the mesh net, was unceremoniously dumped at their feet.
After a few moments an elderly man approached them. He was dressed in long robes of coarsely woven fabric. To Kehyo’s eyes the cloth appeared green or grey in the dim light. His hair was long and nearly white. The man’s nose was broad and his skin was bronzed and heavily lined.
Beside him walked a shorter figure, dressed in the garb of a rider. The dark eyes were all that could be seen. They looked over the items on the table for few moments and the younger man seemed intrigued with the fire stick. He pulled it out and popped it shut, repeatedly. He held it for the elder man to see and then carried it over to where Somi and Kehyo stood. He glanced at the mesh bag and spoke to Somi in slow and stilted Undaati. A thick Sanangan accent made him hard to understand. The older man stood by, watching them intently.
Why you have this?” The man held up the fire stick in front of Somi. Not wanting to answer, he shrugged.
“You not know?” The cloaked man made a sound of exasperation. “What …here…is your business?” he said.
“We were merely passing through,” Somi answered.
“Not passing here! This closed. You go around!” The man spoke very forcefully and waved his arm at the stone walls.
“We came upon the path to this place by chance.” Somi replied.
“This animal… why it is with you?”
“She…it is traveling in our party. It is a dweller of the southern forests.”
“You know where you are?”
“No, we do not.”
“Where you are traveling to? This, Sanang land!” He thumped his chest, and Somi looked worried.
“We are aware of that. Our business takes us into these lands.”
“What business…you many leagues from the Traders’ road.”
“As I said, we chanced upon this place by accident.”
“Why you are traveling in the mountains?”
“We were looking for a road north.”
“There no roads here! You lost. Where your big animal?”
“Animal?”
“Animal you ride. Undaati not cross desert on foot! A fool am I?”
“Our beshri was startled by the thunder and ran.”
“Who you cross with?”
“No one. We are all together.”
“Where is others…traders?”
“We left a large group of Traders only two days past. They were bound for the coastal towns.”
“Why you didn’t stay with them?”
“Because our business is not the same as theirs.”
“You no Traders! Easy to see that. Trader not let pretty animal go free!”
“The animal is our companion.”
“What this com-pan-yon you speak of?”
“A friend.”
“Friend,” the man repeated the word to himself, and Kehyo got the impression that he was saying it to remember it for a later time. “Does boy not speak?”
“He can. He is allowing his elder the honor.”
“Elder is you?”
“I am called Somi.”
“Who is Elder?”
“I am an elder, an adult…a ‘big man’?”
“You not so big!” The man laughed. He eyed Kehyo, and then thrust his hooded chin toward him as he spoke to Somi.
“Who is this?”
“My son.”
“Son?”
“My child.” Somi was growing impatient. “What are you going to do with us?” he asked.
“That for us to decide,” the small man said, gesturing at the older man and himself.
“Are we to go free?”
“You already free! We keep no slave.” The man sounded suddenly very sober.
“If we are not captives, then I would like to know your names.” The man laughed at Somi’s brashness, but answered proudly, “I am Go-Rin, Captain of City Guard. This, Master Tash-Hashur. Lord Protector.” He gestured to the man beside him, who bowed deeply from the waist.
Somi, not wanting to offend, stood and returned the gesture. This seemed to amuse the small man and he laughed again. The older man gave him a sidelong look and the laughter stopped. Tash-Hashur stepped forward and knelt suddenly beside the mesh bag. He peered at Ryela, who had made herself as small as possible by rolling into a ball. The man spoke quietly a word or two and Ryela unfolded herself to see who it was. A smile spread across Tash-Hashur’s sober face, which drew the lines around his eyes into stark relief and brought a twinkle to his grey eyes. Then he lifted the net, stood once more, and turned to his companion. To their astonishment, the man spoke in perfect Undaati.
“This, Go-Rin, is a qeegog, a magical creature of ancient legend! Its pelt is worth more than your horse!” He took the fire stick from his companion and examined it in the light of the torches. “These are men to be reckoned with!”
There was a nervous pause as Somi looked quickly to Kehyo, and Tash walked once slowly around them. They tried desperately to trance speak and devise an escape plan, but the pressure was too much and Kehyo could not maintain contact.
Then, against all logic, Tash smiled, and turning to them, he said: “Come, we are not your enemies. All are friends here. It is now perfectly clear that you are not spies for Lord Feng. You are, all of you, most welcome. We have little, but what we have we will gladly share with those who travel with a qeegog!”
Apparently, his suspicious behavior and Go-Rin’s rude questioning had been a kind of test, and Tash was satisfied that they were no threat.
Kehyo was stunned. He turned to Somi, who was equally flabbergasted. They had thought these people were Sanangan by the style of their dress, and even more so when hearing the man, Go-Rin, speak; but Tash-Hashur’s manner of speech could pass for a Councilor of Orbacha. They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Go-Rin pulled off the face covering and the heavy cloak. They were shocked. “He“ was a woman! Her shiny black hair was pulled back in a braid that framed her smiling face and almond shaped eyes. She was not as dark-skinned as Tash-Hashur but her smooth face was radiant. Her eyes did not shift from their gaze. She was used to power.
She wore a crimson tunic of finely spun cloth, and upon her chest was embroidered a golden serpent devouring its own tail.
At the sight of the symbol on her chest, Kehyo stifled a gasp, and then coughed to cover it. They wear the King’s own sign! He looked down at the rock floor and saw Somi shift his sandaled feet, nervously.
They were led to an alcove of the cave and their possessions were returned to them. Then they were given food and water. Ryela kept her distance from her captors, and washed their smell from her fur. Tash-Hashur and Go-Rin came to them once more. Curious onlookers, who whispered and pointed at their odd garments and their even odder accents, soon surrounded them. Ignoring the many staring eyes, Somi asked the old man the question that had been burning in his mind.
“Who are you?”
“Our culture is called Megris. We are related to both the Undaati and the Sanang. Here there are children born of the union of former slave and former slave owner. Not all such unions have been the product of force. Here in the City of the Free, Love has proved more powerful than hate.”
“Then why do your soldiers dress as Sanang? We mistook you for them!”
“We are in hiding,” said Tash-Hashur. “This is a Fastness, a stronghold of the mountains founded by Rem-Hanshun, our great leader. He escaped from his Sanang owners, and coming here at great need, found this cave and hid himself. The soldiers of the King could not discover him, and so we, Rem’s followers and descendants, have built a city here, a hidden place of freedom within The Kingdom of the Sanang. We are ‘Free-made’ and ‘Free-born ‘ yet we are all your kin. Escapees make their way here from all over The Kingdom.”
“But this is impossible!” Somi said. “How were you not found?”
“There are miles of this cave system we have explored, and many more miles yet uncharted. Soldiers rarely come here to the edge of the desert. When they do, they are captured and killed. That is where we get our livery. No Sanang soldier or scout has ever returned with word of this place. We are safe, protected by the walls and the guards of our city, who wear the Serpent, the King’s own sign. Those born here are referred to as Poheti. We call this place Pohé, the city of Hope.” Kehyo felt a satisfying thrill of adrenaline course through him. His eyes watered and he choked and fell into a fit of coughing.
They said my name in this secret place! He thought.
#
Suddenly, Go-Rin was at Kehyo’s side offering him water from a short horn cup. It tasted like The Milk of Asu to him just then. He asked for more and drained the second cup in a few seconds. Once Kehyo had stopped coughing, and was settled on a wooden stool, Somi asked him what had caused such a start.
“That name…I have heard it before,” said Kehyo.
“Where, my son?” asked Tash. Kehyo looked sheepishly at Somi, as if he wasn’t sure he should answer. Somi nodded to him to continue.
“From my Elder Mother, but, surely, she could not know of this place?”
“No, that she could not,” Tash said. “Pohé is not an Undaati name. It is from Megriol, our language; it is a mix of Undaati and Sanangan. Many in the city have never heard Undaati spoken, and I myself use it rarely, for there is no need, but I have taught Go-Rin and others as much as I could. Tell me, how did she use the word?”
“She gave me my Name of Power, Pohé Terenal.”
At the name, all within hearing gasped, even Somi.
“My son, you honor us with your full name!” said Tash-Hashur.
“That name should have been kept secret!” Somi warned him.
“It will be safe here in the Fastness. You have my promise,” Tash assured Somi. “Pohé Terenal…” he said to himself.
“It is a name from our lore books. ‘A blessed one will come,’ it is said, ‘bearing the name of the city, and he will come in the time of conflict and doubt.’ I always thought it meant Our Father, Rem-Hanshun, for he was also called Pohé! It is not uncommon for our boys to be given the name of the city in hope of a life of good fortune, but I have never heard of a child of the Undaati with that name!”
“I am filled with wonder,” said Somi to Kehyo, “for your mother never told me your true name.”
“Means ‘eternal hope’,” Go-Rin said, quietly. “Name of great promise!”
“Alas, a promise yet to be fulfilled,” Somi said.
Go-Rin stepped forward and looked at Kehyo. “Where is mother?” she asked.
“She was taken from us,” Somi said, “taken by Sanang soldiers, abducted from our Temple. She was our Priestess, but we have had none since.”
“What is ‘Priestess’?” Go-Rin asked.
“A Keeper of The Way. The Way is our, …our Fastness, if you like,” said Somi.
“It is my mother whom we seek,” said Kehyo, turning to those assembled. “That is why we are here, in your mountains. We are lost and need guidance.”
“Lost...or found! No, you have come to us and we are glad of it!” Tash-Hashur said. “Do not lose hope. The Circle holds all.”
Kehyo thought of the golden circle safely hidden beneath his gahl, but said nothing.
Tash continued: “The Great Wheel turns and soon all will be rejoined. So say the Sages!”
At that, all assembled nodded agreement, and as if given some signal they departed, leaving the travelers alone. Go-Rin was the last to leave. She leaned in toward Kehyo, kissed his cheek quickly, and was gone.
#
That night, Kehyo dreamed. The wide streets were lined with people who stood and watched the procession as it snaked its way through the city. Many thousands were in attendance. The city was made of stone, its walls were built of massive blocks, roughly cut, and its streets were paved with flagstones fitted together with great skill. Somi was there and Ryela. There was no sound, only flashes of images. Bright banners flapping in a stiff wind; the upturned faces of children, women, and men, all weeping; the slow march of the black coats in front of him; the somber grey sky.
When he woke he felt strangely peaceful, as if the dream had met some deep need within him. He turned on the cot and watched the flickering light of torches dance against the cave walls. The alcove was quiet. He sat up. Somi still slumbered. Ryela was gone. He stepped down onto the cold stone floor and slipped on his boots. He wrapped himself in his gahl and went looking for Ryela.
The cave was a labyrinth of passages and ‘rooms’, each one filled with stores, or sleeping people. He crept slowly past their sleeping pallets and wondered at how they lived underground all year. He already missed the sky, and the wind. He wanted a taste of fresh air, but which way to turn? As if in answer, he saw a familiar figure walk toward him through a side passage. Go-Rin held a small oil light and smiled at him as she approached.
“Master Pohé,” she said and bowed. Kehyo was flattered and embarrassed all at once.
“Please, just call me Kehyo,” he said.
“As you wish,” she replied, her eyes twinkling playfully.
“I wondered where I might find the qeegog?” Kehyo said.
“She sit with Master Hashur. Come, I take you.”
Kehyo followed closely as Go-Rin took many turnings to arrive at a small room filled with books and wall hangings. When she saw that the door was open, she bowed low and took her leave of Kehyo.
#
A shaft of pale sunlight from the ceiling illuminated Ryela and the old man as they sat together. Tash-Hashur was drinking tea. Ryela was sitting on a wooden crate pulled up near to him. Kehyo cleared his throat and the old Master spoke without turning.
“Come, Kehyo. Your teacher has consented to demonstrate her skill!”
Kehyo found a low seat with a tattered cushion that had once been a real treasure. The red and gold thread was broken in many places and badly worn. Still, the effect was impressive. He discerned a faint design of winged beasts amid a fire-streaked sky.
Tash-Hashur noticed his interest.
“That, my boy, was once a footstool in the King’s own sitting room! Imagine putting muddy boots upon such fine embroidery!”
“It is a marvel, Master.”
“You need not call me Master, Kehyo. I am simply ‘Tash’ to my friends!”
“Thank you, Mas…Tash,” Kehyo said with difficulty. “Forgive me, I am used to showing respect to my elders.”
“You show me respect by sitting with me. Now let us watch a real Master!” He pointed to Ryela.
What The Lord Protector expected to see was unclear. Ryela had just begun to drift into Trance. She reached out her thought to contact the man and met only an emptiness that confused and surprised her. It was as if he were not now present, yet she could hear his subtle, slightly labored breathing, and smell his scent. She called his name, but there was nothing. She opened her eyes and stared at him.
He is empty! she said to Kehyo.
Perhaps he is not able? Kehyo asked.
Your kind is a mystery, the qeegog answered. She sat quietly, watching the humans.
“Well,” said Tash to Kehyo, “what did I miss?”
“She tried to speak with you,” he replied.
“I heard nothing.” He looked at Ryela thoughtfully. “It may be that I am immune to her magic.”
“I have an uncle like that. My Elder Mother said he was never ‘awakened’.”
“What did she mean by ‘awakened’?”
“We believe that one is asleep to The Way, our ‘magic’ you called it, until an adept ‘awakens’ you to your own inborn power. It is often likened to waking from a dream.”
“From what your teacher has told me it sounds more like ‘awakening’ to a dream!”
“How are you able to communicate with her?” Kehyo asked.
“I have no need, she speaks to Go-Rin and my daughter then speaks to me!”
“Your daughter? Is Go-Rin your daughter?”
“Yes, Kehyo, though she would have few know it. Pride and propriety keep it a secret. However, you are one who shared his name with us. I cannot keep secrets from you!”
“Why is it prudent to hide this fact?”
“There are some, my son, who would find it unfair that I gave my daughter the post of Captain of the Guard!”
“I see the problem now,” Kehyo said with a slight trace of amusement. “But I am confused. How is it that Go-Rin can trance?”
“She was trained for a time by dear friend of mine, a Sage of The Gate of Mystery.”
“I have not heard of that before.”
“It is a Sanangan practice of the ancient days,” Tash said. “It is outlawed now by the Church of the Dominion.”
“Why?”
“Because it contradicts the tenants of that religion,” Tash replied. “The official Church teaches that the earth is ours to use as we desire, but The Gate of Mystery teaches that all things are interdependent. Change one thing too much, and the balance will be destroyed.”
“It sounds like The Way to me. Could you describe it more?”
“It is difficult to describe, but easier for those trained, to show you. Until then, I have a book. It is the most succinct treatise on the practice. It was written by Rem-Hanshun, the man who founded the sect. It is titled, ‘The Gate of Mystery’. It is very old and somewhat hard to decipher. But my friend, Mai-Wan, will be able to help you to read it.”
“I would very much like to see it!” Kehyo said.
Tash stood slowly, crossed to a bookshelf, and removed a small volume bound in black cloth with a golden circle on the cover. As Tash handed it to Kehyo, the boy noticed strange symbols that marched across the top of the cover. He also saw that the golden circle was not quite complete, as he had previously believed. The line of the circle varied from thin to thick, to thin again, as it circled from right to left and back again. As the circle neared completion, one end bent outward slightly, as if about to overlap, like a link in a chain that has been left open just a bit. Kehyo ran his finger over the cover.
“You may have it,” Tash-Hashur said. “I have difficulty reading much these days…because of my eyesight” he said, and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Kehyo replied.
“It is simply one among many as you can see.” As Tash spoke, he moved his arm to include the shelves packed with books and scrolls all about them.
“Who is this Mai-Wan?”
“A friend, a hermit whose dwelling is not far.”
“Is he Sanang?”
“Yes, she is! She keeps a qeegog as a Familiar. I saw it once. Would you like to meet her? She may be able to help you!”
Ask him when I can meet this ‘Famil-yar’! Ryela said, fairly shouting in Trance speech.
“I did not know that you could understand our spoken language!” Kehyo said aloud to Ryela.
I can. Ryela answered. Also, I can read thoughts, and our host is waiting!
“Forgive me, I was conversing with my teacher,” Kehyo said to Tash.
“It is most unnerving,” said Tash. “It is fascinating, but it will take some getting used to!” Tash laughed good-naturedly at himself, and Kehyo felt warmth for this patient and serious man. He reminded him somehow of Nene.
Ask him! Ryela prodded once more.
“My teacher would very much like to meet this other qeegog. I would likewise welcome the company and counsel of your friend. Of course I must check with my father, but can it be arranged?”
“I will send word to her, if you wish?”
Kehyo looked at Ryela but answered Tash quickly, before she could become too agitated.
“That would be most agreeable. Thank You.”
“It is my pleasure,” Tash assured him.
They left the sunlit room, and Kehyo felt his mood grow heavier. The close air and the crowded nature of the cave made him uneasy. On the return walk to their sleeping chamber, Tash was their guide. He took time to explain all that they saw so that Kehyo took more notice of his surroundings. The cave had occasional spots of natural light where long shafts had been cut into the rock clear to the outside. These shafts were placed on a steep angle toward the southern sky so that they would catch the most light all year, but would keep out the rain and snow. They also provided much needed air vents. Kehyo was amazed at the variety of goods stored in the cave’s small “rooms” and was informed that these were communal storage spaces for the whole of the ‘city’. Every need was met by the artisans of Pohé. Their skill at working clay and stone was especially impressive. The storage rooms buzzed with activity now that the morning meal was over.
Somi found Kehyo, Tash, and Ryela talking in a room near to their sleeping chamber. At once Kehyo asked him about the possibility of meeting with this “hermit” friend of their host. Somi agreed to their outing in principle, but felt that it was too soon to be leaving the safety of the Fastness. He wanted to stay within the city for a time to have some days of rest and the council of those who had escaped from the very place they were blithely heading toward; he reasoned that they ought to learn about the Sanang, their King, and the ways of the city of Dahru. They agreed to meet with Tash’s friend a few days hence. When Somi mentioned his need for something to eat Kehyo realized that his stomach was grumbling. Somi asked Tash if they might be sent something and Tash showed them a room off to the side of the main chamber. It was filled with fruits and vegetables, sacks of grain, and hanging meats. He directed them to a woman who looked as old as any Kehyo had yet seen.
“This is Lin-Gao, she will see to your hunger!”
The old woman bowed low and placed her hands over her heart.
“I will return after your meal and we shall tour the city, but I must make ‘arrangements’ for your safety first.” Tash bowed and left them.
Somi asked for fruit, smoked meat, and a draft of cood to wash it all down. Then the old woman looked Kehyo up and down.
“What you eat, young Master?” she asked in a croaking voice.
“We,” he said, and moved to the side to reveal Ryela sitting on the floor beside him. “We will have just fruit for my friend here, and some bread and cheese for me, if you have it.”
“We have Otili cheese, made from milk of otili. Is all right?”
Kehyo looked at Somi, who shrugged his shoulders. “I will eat it,” Kehyo answered.
Lin-Gao brought all three plates at one time. She set them on a long, low table and backed away. Somi’s plate was heaped with shaved meats and the deep red orbs of an unknown fruit. Kehyo’s plate had a large chunk of off-white cheese, which smelled a bit strong, and a handsome little loaf of dark bread. Ryela’s plate was a mound of fruit in various colors and shapes, all glistening with juice. Ryela jumped nimbly onto the table and began by sniffing the strange fruits one by one. She settled on a particularly garish orange colored star. She put it to her lips and licked it. Then, apparently satisfied that it was edible, she proceeded to suck the juice from it with great relish. Kehyo eyed the slightly runny cheese on his plate and opted instead for the bread and some fruit. Whatever Otili cheese was, it was probably an acquired taste.
They finished eating and thanked their host. Lin-Gao looked amazed to see that Ryela had emptied her plate. When she saw Kehyo’s platter, she shook her head at the sight of the untouched cheese. He began to explain, but gave up as she waved his words aside.
“Otili is King’s food. We eat simple. No worry.”
Kehyo ignored the unspoken criticism toward him, and both he and Somi were highly amused when the old woman looked at Ryela and nodded her approval.
“Thank you,” was all Kehyo could say. Lin-Gao bowed low again, and the men reciprocated. She left them standing amid the hanging meats. Ryela eyed them with disgust.
Tash appeared in the low opening, as he had promised, and motioned them to follow. He was accompanied by Go-Rin and a group of young people, both men and women, clad in crimson tunics with the sign of the serpent upon their chests. They carried the long lances of the riders, and their hair was pulled back in long braids at the neck. Tash told them that they had better pack their gear. They would be starting their tour from their sleeping chamber and would stop it at the other end of the city, close to the gate to the “outside”, as Tash called it. It took them only a few minutes to gather their things. Then Kehyo slipped the thin black book Tash had given him into his pack and they set off at a slow pace.
As they were led along through the winding ways, they got a first hand look at the scale of the underground city. They saw sleeping chambers and storerooms, kitchens, workrooms, potteries, and a library of over a thousand scrolls. Seeing the dusty shelves lined with the precious knowledge of this people, Kehyo had a sudden desire to know what they said, but all were in Megriol, the language of the Poheti. Writing had never held much interest for Kehyo; he had always preferred to be doing. He could barely read the marks his own people used.
Kehyo had seen only a handful of bound books, all on his Elder Mother’s small shelf. He remembered her in the lamplight then, seated at her desk, copying down some story with her steady hand, the thin, curling, Undaati script flowing effortlessly from her quill.
Their tour took them on a path with many turnings, and this caused Kehyo to wonder how the people kept their bearings. He asked Tash about this and was told that they followed the ‘signs’ painted on the walls. When they came to the next turning he stopped, and pointed out the sign. Kehyo was surprised that he had not noticed them before. Small, dark symbols were etched and painted about eye level on the left hand side of the wall at each turning. There were many of them and all were different.
“What do they say?” Kehyo asked.
“They are Mon-Taki, spirit symbols from the Megris religion. Each figure is a number. The Sun God, Ohn, is the first, followed by her children: Avar, Adoi, Sui, Ensu, Enan, Rehm… and so on. We know the names and numbers by heart; it is a family line. The cave makes a kind of tree form. The main chamber is Ohn, the branching rooms to either side are the branches of her family, and so we know where we are by remembering the line of the Sun God.”
“What is the winged beast that I saw embroidered on the footstool in your chamber? I saw it again many times while we have been walking.”
“That is Ohn as well, the God of the sky in her earthly form. She eats fire and burns like the sun. She is the Mother of All, and the most powerful. There is a story, very old, of how Ohn came to rule the sky. Would you care to hear it?”
“Yes, very much,” Kehyo replied.
