Vessia
Shula gave everyone a part to play in the dance.
Everyone had a role—except Vessia. Vio hadn't expected her to be there. He didn't like loose ends.
"Your job," he told her, "is to watch the Looking Bowl very closely. Remember everything, in case the rest of us miss something while dancing."
Vio would dance Purple.
Shula—Blue.
Vumo—Green.
Danumoro—Yellow.
Obran—Orange.
Finna—Red.
Vessia had to stand outside the circle. The others clasped hands and began to move around the bowl, skipping and swaying.
The water in the Looking Bowl changed. It turned from clear to milky. Then, all at once, it shone white like polished shell.
After that, the water turned clear again—but now it showed another world beneath the surface.
People moved inside the bowl.
Everyone could see the images, but Vessia stared the hardest, just like she had been told.
She saw a man sitting on a high seat, his back to them. He wore a mask and a costume made of bones. He played a flute.
Vessia knew at once: That's the Bone Whistler.
The room behind him was wide, with high windows. The bone seat sat on a raised platform. Below him, six people danced.
But they were not dancing by choice.
The Bone Whistler's flute forced them to move like puppets. Their bodies jerked and twitched in time with the awful tune.
Vio and Vumo were there. So were Shula, Danumoro, Finna, and Obran.
Finna still had her round belly.
A flash of light passed across the bowl's surface. The vision shifted.
For a moment, they saw a huge crowd in a public square. Then a baby cried.
Suddenly, a bright being filled the vision.
It was not human. It had six rainbow-colored wings. It flew with power and grace—a fae being.
The Bone Whistler honked his flute in panic, but the tune had no effect. He could not control the rainbow fae.
The fae flew toward him.
A burst of light washed over everything—
When the glow faded, the Bone Whistler lay dead on the ground, just below his dancing platform.
Then the water turned normal again.
The Vision was over.
"That wasn't as helpful as I'd hoped," said Vio.
"I'll say," muttered Vumo. He kicked the bowl. Water splashed out. "We spend years trying to make this thing work, and when it finally does, it tells us what we already knew. Only an Aelfae can kill him. The White Lady is the only one left."
"I was hoping we'd see how to find her," said Vio. "Or how to convince her to help us."
"Let's do it again," said Vumo.
"We can't," said Shula. "That spell can only be used once by the same water seer."
"Wonderful."
"We're out of time anyway," said Vio. "Nangi and Gidio will return soon."
"What now?" Vumo asked.
"They don't know the Bone Whistler ordered me to take the tribehold, no matter what happened at the parley," Vio said. "I'll tell them a runner came, calling me back to the Labyrinth. All of you can 'escape' before I go. I'll pretend to chase after you and come back empty-handed. I'll say Vumo and I killed you all."
"No," said Shula. "We all have to stay with you. Except Vessia. Let her go."
"Are you mad?" Vio shouted. "Shula, the Bone Whistler knows your face. You must escape now. If you return to the Labyrinth, not even I can protect you. He has other Zavaedies besides me."
Shula held her ground. "We all saw the Vision. We were all in it. If any of us is missing, maybe it won't come true."
Vio frowned.
"You know I'm right," she said.
He lowered his head. "I cannot ask anyone to take that risk."
"I choose to stay," Shula said. She looked at Finna and Obran.
Finna held her belly. "My baby… will it survive?" She hesitated. "I heard a baby cry in the Vision…"
"We can't be sure the Vision will come true," said Vio. "The Looking Bowl only shows a possible path."
"But the Bone Whistler's terror will destroy everything," said Obran. "If we don't stop him now, the Yellow Bear tribe will fall. The Green Woods will be next. We have to act while we still have the chance."
Finna nodded. "If you need us, we're with you."
"Let me join too," said Danumoro.
"Me too," said Vessia.
"No, not you," said Vio at once. "You don't need to come. You don't need to risk your life."
"I want to come."
"I don't care what you want. You're not coming."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you aren't."
"Yes. I am."
"Excuse me?" said Vumo. "Big brother? We're out of time."
Vio sighed. Then he glared at Vessia. "Fine. You can come—if you let me protect you as my wife."
Everyone fell silent.
Danumoro clenched his hands in his lap. His fingers turned white.
"Vio, are you sure about this?" asked Vumo quickly. "You don't have to marry a captive just because you shared a cup with her."
"Spoken like a true minion of the Bone Whistler," said Shula.
Vumo turned red.
"I'll be with you as your wife," Vessia said, lifting her chin. "Just like last night."
"It's a bargain," said Vio. His voice was sober.