‘Day 10: A First Shell woman bearing striped skin came to the castle this morning with her daughter. The girl, Muna, turned fourteen three suns ago.

  Muna was snarling, frothing at the mouth, and her eyes moved independently of one another. It took everything the woman had just to keep her under control, so I assisted in binding her arms and legs.

  When I asked what had happened, the woman explained that Muna’s symptoms had worsened throughout the week. Attempts to escape, violent outbursts, crazed expressions. As an experienced [Dark Priest], Muna’s mother attempted every tincture and Spell she knew. Nothing had worked.

  No, that is incorrect to say. Nothing had an effect on the girl. Sleep potions, paralyzing agents, pain-relieving elixirs; none of it had any effect.

  Muna remains in my care. I shall monitor this girl closely and record my findings.’

  -Excerpt from Magni’s Memories

  “Saoirse bestows her favor on her chosen when we entreat her assistance. We find ourselves blessed by her light during prayer, through the sincere assistance of others, or by warding away evil.”

  Cannoli stood with Sister Cecilia in the armory, clutching the golden scepter between both hands while letting the ornate head rest in her lap. Sister Cecilia held her own personal sapphire-adorned staff in one hand, gesturing freely with the other.

  A half-dozen ideas of how to befriend Rozalyn and Muzhira spun around at dizzying speeds in Cannoli’s head.

  “Our goddess’s favor is what grants us the ability to utilize our Skills. Each Skill or Spell you invoke as a [Priest] will utilize a portion of Saoirse’s gift to you,” Cecilia continued.

  How was she supposed to convince Rozalyn that she wasn’t moments away from pulling a knife on another initiate? Or persuade Muzhira that her involvement on Ichi Island had little to do with Cailu’s decision to slay Magni?

  “Your very dedication and reverence of her will affect your healing powers, and each sigil Sister Madeline teaches you will require Saoirse’s favor to enact effectively.”

  If she wasn’t successful in bringing her group together, would Sister Allegra take back the sapphire?

  “Are you listening to me, Cannoli?” Cecilia asked.

  Cannoli snapped to attention with a quick shake of her head. “I’m sorry, Sister Cecilia. I…” What could possibly be a good enough excuse? She had to focus on every word her teachers spoke. Sapphires wouldn’t save her from expulsion. “I’m sorry.”

  “Hm.” Cecilia stepped forward and touched the tiny blue gemstone in Cannoli’s hair. “You said that Sister Allegra gifted you this sapphire, correct?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Sister Cecilia frowned and dropped her hand. “Were you gifted a difficult undertaking alongside it?”

  Cannoli blinked. Did each sapphire come with its own task? She blushed and looked down at her weapon. “I-I don’t know if I would call it ‘difficult’…”

  “You are very forgiving, Cannoli.” Cecilia chuckled softly. “Sister Allegra does not grant sapphires easily. Only to those she deems worthy of an assignment.”

  “I see…” Cannoli’s excitement dimmed. Do I even deserve this?

  The dismay must have been evident on her face, as Cecilia was quick to follow up her statement. “Not to say you didn’t earn it.” She reached for Cannoli’s chin and tipped her eyes upward. “My apologies, my words were too brash. Sister Allegra witnessed something in you that deserves Saoirse’s attention. That much is clear.”

  “T-thank you, my lady.” Cannoli’s grip tightened around the sapphire. She swallowed her disappointment and forced her gaze to remain with Cecilia’s.

  “In addition to your proven efforts, Sister Allegra invites many of her initiates to take their reward a step further.” Cecilia let her hand fall to her side. “My initial intention was to find out if such a task was what distracted you from our lesson.”

  Cannoli licked her lips. “I shouldn’t have let it distract me, Sister Cecilia. Truly, I–”

  “Please, don’t apologize.” Cecilia shook her head. “What is it she asked of you?”

  “Rozalyn and Muzhira…” Cannoli hesitated. She rehearsed her words a few times in her head before she opened her mouth again. “Cora and I are very close. However, Rozalyn and Muzhira don’t usually speak with us. Not while we’re in class, not while we’re out of class, and not while we prepare dinner. Sister Allegra wishes for me to fix this. To bring us all together.”

  “Is it foolish of me to assume that you simply have not approached them?”

  Cannoli chewed her lower lip, her gaze flickering to the carefully drawn [Sigil of Purity] decorating the wall. She couldn’t tell Cecilia how she’d ruined her opportunity with Rozalyn. And blaming Muzhira without mentioning Rozalyn would appear suspicious. “Maybe I just haven’t said the right things.”

  Cecilia turned and moved toward the remaining two weapons hanging on the wall. She touched the hammer’s handle and sighed. “I fear that inspiring companions is far more difficult than casting a Spell. Success does not always come when the correct words are spoken.” She shook her head and moved to the scepter. “We equip ourselves as skillfully as we can, Cannoli, but there are times when it is not enough. It is a difficult part of life we all must accept at one time or another.”

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  A renewed sting struck Cannoli’s chest, and she lowered her gaze to the floor. “Is there nothing I can do?”

  “You must forgive me. I have let my words run away with me a second time.” Cecilia turned and smiled. “If Sister Allegra believes you capable, then you truly are the proper initiate for the task. I recall receiving my first sapphire and the weight that came with it. The fear of not living up to my lady’s expectations. The terror of losing it.”

  The sting abated, and Cannoli looked up. “I don’t want to lose it, Sister Cecilia.”

  Cecilia’s expression grew somber. “I know. And regardless of your results, you will not lose your sapphire. All that matters is that you try.”

  Cannoli nodded. “Thank you.” The turbulent tangle of ideas and emotions that had consumed her shortly before dulled, and she took a deep breath. “O-oh. Please…let me apologize for interrupting our lesson, Sister Cecilia. You are very kind to help me, but I never want you to feel like we’re wasting time.”

  “This is far from wasting time, Cannoli. You are here to learn.” Cecilia’s soft smile returned. “Whether that means Saoirse’s Decrees, your duties as a [Priest], or how best to approach situations with tact and light. Do you feel that you have gained knowledge or reassurance through this discussion?”

  “I… Yes. Yes, I do.”

  “Then we have not wasted time.” Cecilia clasped her hands around her staff and rolled it between her palms. “Now, can you tell me the necessity of Saoirse’s favor?”

  Cannoli’s deep blush returned. She’d heard Cecilia’s voice behind her worries, but struggled to connect the shards left in her memory. For everything? She feared mocking Cecilia’s patience. “Can we please review it one more time?”

  Cecilia nodded, her smile widening. “Yes. Of course.”

  The hour of prayer that followed Sister Cecilia’s tutelage reiterated the oddly fitting hymn for the day. By the light of our goddess, we are united. By the strength of our trust, we may succeed. Our joined devotion to her will lead us to our truth.

  Cannoli was certain of Rozalyn’s devotion, but Muzhira was difficult to read. There had been talk in Rājadhānī of many First and Second Shell girls abandoning their homes and escaping the city the instant Magni fell to Cailu. Was Saoirse’s Temple simply a [Sanctuary] for Muzhira?

  However, that wasn’t a question that would spark friendship. It already felt like she was dancing on a blade’s edge with the woman—one wrong word could earn her an equal or greater threat than the stunt she’d pulled before.

  The four of them gathered in the kitchen to begin dinner, and Cannoli’s heart pounded. Everyone was quiet and avoided the others’ gazes, even Cora. She quietly took her place beside Cannoli as they gathered carrots from nearby crates and began cutting them into small, even circles. The mirrors in Sister Allegra’s dark room seemed to have left a lasting impression on all of them.

  Sister Allegra had advised them to console one another. The easiest path out would have been to just ask Cora. Quietly share their visions together. But that wasn’t what Cannoli had been tasked with.

  “I…think we should talk about what we saw today,” Cannoli said carefully. “There are only four of us in our class, and we…” She swallowed hard against the building lump in her throat. “We should face this together.”

  Muzhira made a noise between a snort and a groan. “Oh? Are you going to tell us about the spiders you found in the mirror?”

  “No. I…” Sweat trickled down her spine. Expecting one to divulge such delicate information would’ve been rude without first offering what she saw. That’s how friendships worked, right? “I saw my mom.”

  “Was she telling you to be careful of Defiled?” Mizhura spat. “Or stroking your tail when you scratched your knee?”

  “Let her talk,” Rozalyn snapped.

  Cora stepped closer and clasped her shaking hand around Cannoli’s. “What did you see?”

  Tears burned behind Cannoli’s eyes. She blinked them away. “When I was l-little, my mother fell in love with a man.” Her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes. “In the mirror, she said it w-was my fault.”

  “Cannoli…” Cora murmured.

  Cannoli shook her head. “Before that, I saw my friends. Bleeding and dying on Ichi Island—”

  “You goddess-damned liar!” Muzhira snapped. “Out to make our king a villain. Invading our city, chasing us from our homes, and destroying our lives. And for what?”

  “I was there helping Matt! He didn’t want to hurt anyone.” Anger bubbled up in Cannoli’s chest, and she turned to face the red-eyed woman. “It wasn’t his decision to kill your king, and it wasn’t his weapon that did it.”

  “Shirking responsibility, are we? How convenient.” Muzhira pointed at Cannoli’s hair. “Did that little sapphire suddenly turn you into a prophet? Are you here to lie and cajole us into believing you actually give a damn?”

  “I do give a damn!” Cannoli snapped back. “I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone. Saoirse guided me there, and now she’s guided me here. I wish to find peace and understanding just as much as you do, Muzhira.”

  Muzhira narrowed her gaze. “Oh? Is that why you threatened me?”

  “I’m sorry for that. Truly. Six months of traveling over every island suggested that weapons were my only option if I hoped for a friendly resolution. I was wrong. All of it is so very wrong.” Cannoli brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen into her face. “I want Shi Island to be rid of its Defiled, San Island to house its children, and Ichi Island to prosper beneath its new man.” She clasped her hands in her lap and bowed deeply. “So please, allow me a second chance to learn more about you.”

  The only sound that overlaid their silence was the crackling fires in the ovens. Cora turned and moved to stand beside Cannoli, then snaked her hand into Cannoli’s left.

  Rozalyn looked between Muzhira and Cannoli before slowly making her way to Cannoli’s right and taking her free hand. “Cannoli’s right. Saoirse would want us to face this together.”

  Muzhira gaped and looked between each of the three initiates. “You’re all fools.”

  “If that’s what you think, then you’re in the wrong place,” Rozalyn replied.

  “Yeah! Stop being so mean!” Cora said, then stuck out her tongue.

  Muzhira shook her head and returned to cutting the pile of nyapples, muttering words that Cannoli couldn’t hear.

  Rozalyn looked at Cannoli and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  “No, I am. I’m so sorry, Rozalyn.” Cannoli’s heart raced. “Can we start over?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we can.” She grinned. “I’m Rozalyn.”

  “Nice to meet you, Rozalyn. I’m Cannoli.” Cannoli returned her smile. “Do you like nyapple pie?”

  “I think pawmegranate pie is my favorite. But the nyapple pies here aren’t bad.”

  Cora clapped her hands. “Why don’t we make them together?”

  “Sure. Maybe I can make my new favorite pie,” Rozalyn said.

  Joy, relief, and excitement welled up in Cannoli’s chest and throat, bringing new tears to her eyes as they moved to the table together.

  All that matters is if I try.

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