The wood up north was the good kind. The type that made working with it easy. Plus it smelled good, as so I kept being told by everyone.

Oplar snickered as Nessa walked out of earshot. The young human woman, Oplar’s mailroom attendant from Telmik, who I wasn’t really sure why was here to be honest, had come over to deliver some drinks and while doing so had made a loud mention on the nice smell of freshly sawed and cut wood. Considering Oplar had made the comment first thing this morning, and so did Sap when I had gone back to camp to have breakfast with Renn… I was starting to both see a pattern, and connect the dots.

I think I had overheard a few other mentions of smells and such during breakfast too, though hadn’t paid any attention to them… and considering Renn had groaned and hid her face with a blush at Sap’s comment this morning, I could only assume that everyone was teasing us. Or well, teasing Renn if but through me.

Was it because of her comment last night over the fact I didn’t sweat much even when working laboriously…? Or had she maybe said or done something else, I wonder?

“Maybe I’m getting old, Vim,” Oplar then said as she handed me some nails.

“Hm?” I didn’t glance at her to see what she meant as I readied one of the nails to be hammered. We were finishing up the main roof supports and brackets, and honestly I was glad we were making such good progress. I’d told Renn it might take a few weeks to really finish up but I might not need even that long at this pace, even with Oplar leaving soon and me thus going to be down a helping hand.

It did help though that I was only building more basic structures. I was going to add plumbing and such later and as such was building with it all in mind, but right now I was just making basic wooden buildings. The type that could be put up quickly and then retrofitted or even torn down in full to be replaced with more proper ones later. I basically wanted to give everyone here actual housing and a safe area to relax, with doors and such, before I left. Even if I couldn’t give them complete comfort I wanted them at least out of the tents.

“I hadn’t woken at all. I missed out on it all,” she said.

Missed out on….? Oh… she was just continuing the teasing. Really, how long was it going to continue? They’ve all been at it since the morning, and it was the middle of the day now. If it was this bad for me, I could only imagine how bad Renn was having it.

“Well, she had been loud but not that loud. Plus we had been way over here,” I said as I went to hammer in another nail.

“Yet that little bison heard it and woke up and got to enjoy it! And she doesn’t even appreciate the finer things in life!” Oplar complained.

Yes, that was amusing. For someone who seemed to so utterly detest romance in all its forms she sure did seem to have a knack at witnessing every ounce of it…

Readying another nail, I paused a small moment before hammering it in. I was outside of the building in a sense, since it wasn’t fully finished, but I was on the northern side of one of the walls. From here I couldn’t see the encampment, but for a tiny moment I heard Renn’s voice on the wind. It was distant, and barely audible, which told me I had just picked it up on chance and not because she had shouted or called for help or anything.

When had my ears become so in-tuned to her voice, I wonder? It wasn’t even just her voice either… this morning when she had crawled out of bed I had heard her tail shuffle and brush past her tent’s opening as she left it. Such a sound should have been something I shouldn’t have noticed or even heard in the first place from way over here, yet I had.

“So um… speaking of oddities…”

I hammered the nail in real quick before Oplar could say something that made me accidentally break the thing we’d been working on for hours. I made sure I did it well, and didn’t crack the timber, and then turned and nodded at her so she could continue.

Oplar gave me an odd smile for a moment as she shrugged. “She told you then. About the prophecies,” she said.

“About how she was supposed to have been here a long time ago…? Yes. I kind of figured that was the case. But it’s not a surprise they were wrong; they all also think she’s currently pregnant too. They always get the finer details wrong,” I said. We’d not spoken more about it since last night, and I personally hoped that such a streak would continue.

Her odd smile faltered a bit as she quickly nodded… and then looked away from me and shook her head. “She uh… didn’t go into much detail, did she?”

Detail…? “She’d been about to I think, but considering the circumstances…” I said with a shrug. Honestly it could have gone either way. She could have gone into great detail, or could have just kept flirting with me instead.

“Well uh… since it’s the past and you know of it now, can I say something?” she asked.

“I’d prefer you not to, but…” I said as I readied another nail.

“But…?”

Hammering the nail, I sighed as I nodded. “I’m learning that what I want is neither what I get nor what is needed… so go ahead,” I said as I turned again to face her.

Oplar stood up a bit straighter, and I noticed her grip a tiny bushel of nails a bit too tight in her left hand. I didn’t see her flinch or anything over it, but I kept an eye on it anyway. The nails had been purchased from a metalworker here in town, and some of them had rust and other gunk on them… last thing I needed was for her to get a bad infection.

“Well…! She’s really been stressed over it, you know… I just… wanted to make sure you didn’t just brush it off, like you always do stuff like this, so…” Oplar began to ramble a bit, and I suddenly felt a bit bad.

So she hadn’t been about to talk of the prophecies in detail, but instead something else… Particularly something of concern over the one I loved, and she loved too. And I had made her feel uncomfortable as she did so.

“Just how bad…?” I asked carefully. Renn had seemed odd about it, but she had been acting her typical odd self last night. The kind of odd that I found cute, but normal for her. But her bringing up something that truly troubled her, especially during such moments, was common for her…

“Well… from what I hear…? Enough to throw up and whatnot over it. A lot,” Oplar said with a whisper.

Great…

“It’s no secret, Vim. I mean, to you it was… everyone who knew was either sworn to secrecy or knew better than to speak of it… But it’s actually a surprise it took this long for her to figure it out, or hear of it, truth be told.”

“Who told her…?” I asked. Light…? But she hadn’t seemed that bothered back then in Lumen… she had been upset, and it had been an idea in her head and mine even from before then that such a thing had been possible… but she hadn’t been so disturbed by it that she had thrown up or anything as far as I was aware.

“In theory Celine and the rest did. She found their hidden journals and prophecies in Telmik,” Oplar said.

What…? “How?” I asked. As far as I was aware Celine had hidden her private journals and whatnot before her death deep in the underground library, the archives… likely behind walls and shelves. Ones that haven’t been moved in decades. The only way I could imagine Renn finding them was if she had help from…

Oplar frowned and shrugged. “Don’t know? I wasn’t there.”

I sighed as I realized who had likely done it. “Merit. Merit was with her,” I said.

“Merit…? Not to short the tiny thing, but why would Merit know where such things were hidden Vim? She’s only visited Telmik a handful of times and most of those times were with her leaving in a huff. I highly doubt Celine or any of her crew would have told or showed her where they were,” Oplar said.

“Yes, but Merit is… unique. Her skin lets her feel things most of us don’t, such as changes in the air. If anyone could find a hidden room in those underground tunnels it’s her,” I said.

“Oh…? Like she has tiny hairs or something? Never noticed,” Oplar said.

I chose not to comment on that as I gestured at the wall we were working above and on. “So my wife learned something she likely shouldn’t have… she seems fine to me. I’ve only been here a few days now but…” I stopped talking as I realized she had said earlier that she had something very important to talk to me about… Was that it maybe? Just the fact that there had been prophecies concerning her from way back when…?

If so that was very pleasing to hear. Though it was sad that my lovely wife was fretting and stressing over something that I personally didn’t care much at all about, at least it was not something truly dire.

“But…? But what?” Oplar asked.

I shook my head. “If that’s all it is then I’m glad. I’ll try to talk to her and see her through it, but it’s nothing to stress over too deeply. The past is the past,” I said.

Oplar huffed at me. “Easy for you to say Vim… my parents died over similar mistakes, so I don’t see it as something so easily put aside.”

I frowned at her. “They were killed over misread prophecies… This is about ones that never even came to be… How is that similar, Oplar?” I asked.

She nodded stiffly at me. “Exactly, Vim. They had prophecies concerning her, and stuff she was supposed to do… now they’re making new plans and schemes based off those failed ones. If you’re not careful… if we’re all not careful, we’ll all end up with the same fate again,” she warned.

Ah. So she wasn’t saying that they had foreseen Renn’s death or something but instead she was simply worried that we were going to allow similar accidents to happen again.

“I had figured you’d know better, what with me being the one involved. I’ll not allow them to get her killed or any of you over such stupid things again, Oplar. That’s why I’m stepping down, so I can go against their prophecies if I need to,” I said. One of the reasons at least.

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Oplar studied me for moment, though I couldn’t tell what it was she was inspecting. Maybe she thought I was being cocky? Stupid? Too indifferent, as many say…?

Before I could say anything, she sighed and nodded gently at me. As she did I noted her grip on the nails lessened, to the point one almost slipped out of her hand and to the ground. She caught it though. “I know, Vim… you promised me after all. As you have many of us… but this is more than just you now, isn’t it…? It’s her. And those around her. I mean, look at this place Vim… You have Merit here, the disenfranchised queen. Randle, even! A man I’d never have expected to ever step away from the church! And now what… A member of Lilly’s flock…? And not just any of them either, but the one who took most after that wild bird…? Do you not realize what’s happening here…?” Oplar asked with a gesture behind her, though in truth the encampment was to her right not behind her. But I got her meaning.

“And you, sending your human here. What’s with that by the way…? The shark slave I understand, but the human?” I asked.

“What…? You find it weird? Or does it bother you?” she asked, suddenly defensive.

“Hm? Not at all. I’m not one to really trust humans too much concerning certain things, but having more people around Renn to keep her safe is always welcomed. And even that wasn’t a factor, I’d not turn you or yours away ever Oplar you know that,” I said.

She smiled and nodded, as if glad to hear it said even if it hadn’t needed to be. “Good… and the reason, or well reasons, are simple. First, she’s looking for a mate. Like I am. And it hasn’t been going well in Telmik, and I’m not sure why. My hope is a change of scenery can help her there. Not to mention Renn. She seems to find a way to gravitate such things around her, in case you haven’t noticed,” Oplar said.

“Hm…? What do you mean?”

Oplar shrugged lightly at me. “First there is you? A man who has gone hundreds of years without showing a hint of affection for anyone and now you go around telling people you’re married and flirt in the middle of the night so greatly it wakes up the whole camp? Then there’s Lellip and Lilly’s son… Silti and Link? And now I hear about Less? And Hands…? Hands, Vim! That man never leaves his workshop and suddenly he’s in a relationship? Excuse me?” Oplar’s voice began to rise in both tone and volume as she spoke, as she once again squeezed the nails rather loudly in her grip.

“Please Oplar… most of those are pure happenstance…” I said. My falling for Renn shouldn’t be included in such a thing… and Silti wrapping Link around her finger…? That too was not something Renn should be credited for. Silti only even went to Telmik because she couldn’t stand living in a village where she had gone through something traumatic. Her falling quickly into a new relationship was actually pretty expected for one such as her. Plus how would you even connect Renn to that relationship…? Link is partly afraid of Renn and as such they barely even spoke to one another. And Lellip and Branches…? I wasn’t sure how Renn could be attributed to that either, since that had happened while Renn and I hadn’t even been amongst them. They had figured that out all on their own. Same with Less and Ronalldo… that had happened before Renn and I even got to Lumen… Same with Hands and his rat.

None of them were directly related to Renn… at least as far as I was aware. I suppose one could argue that their connections only happened because of Renn showing up and causing the world to become chaotic enough for them to have the opportunity to… but that was such a wild stretch…

“Please, Vim. What used to take years for someone to do is suddenly happening seemingly overnight…? Can’t you see it?” Oplar asked.

“You’re also ignoring the fact that most of these are being caused by the commotion. We’ve had an influx of basically new members, depending on how you look at it, and that has caused a stir in the Society. So such relationships sprouting from that stir is natural. It’s just a byproduct,” I reasoned.

Oplar actually rolled her eyes at me, rather flamboyantly too. “Keep telling yourself that. And as more and more relationships suddenly start sprouting up, I’ll just keep telling you I told you so again… and again… and again,” Oplar said as she chuckled and handed me the nails she’d been holding this whole time. It was more than I really needed at the moment, but I still accepted them… because it seemed she had decided to take a break.

“And let me guess, when it’s your turn is when I’ll hear it the most huh?” I asked as she stepped away.

“Ha! As if I’d ever give anyone credit for that. When it does happen it’s all mine! Also I’m going to take a break, I need to talk to Nessa about something before she and the others go into town,” she said.

They were going into town…? No matter. “Sure, sure…” I said as I went to pocket the nails. I went back to hammering, to finish the part I’d been working on, now that I didn’t have a chance to risk accidentally breaking anything thanks to emotions or something worse.

As I returned to work… I spent some time pondering Oplar’s words. Not just about them, but their hidden meaning… I thought of the things she had likely wanted to say, but hadn’t done so. The stuff in-between the lines.

Renn was stressing over prophecies. Concerning her supposed early arrival… to what? The Society? Me? No matter… if it was something disturbing her that deeply then I needed to talk to her about it. Really talk about it, too.

Oplar, like many others, was also worried that those same prophecies… or even new ones, were going to endanger us. All of us. As, like Oplar parents, had been so terribly affected by them it was obvious as to why she’d worry over such a thing… but there was only so much I could do about that.

Help Renn with her own issues…? Sure. Even if it meant dealing with prophecies. I’d find a way to help her, if I could… but the stuff concerning everyone’s newfound love and whatnot…? Yeah. I was going to mind my own business there. Let Renn enjoy all that. Never did I try to involve myself in such things and I didn’t plan on doing so now. It was one thing to suggest to someone, or inform them, of Renn’s plan to set up some kind of matchmaking service… but it was another entirely to actually do anything more than that. At least for me.

And that was all before I even confronted the fact that I needed to address the god situation… because whether I or anyone else liked it or not, they were going to show themselves. It might happen at any moment, it might take years and years, but it would happen…

“If only Miss Beak was still alive…” I whispered as I finished hammering the last nail for the moment. I studied my work a bit, and then turned as to go grab another beam as to get started on the rest of the rafters… and found a tiny woman studying the work I’d just done.

Frowning at Merit, I wondered when she had snuck up on me… it seemed she was alone, I didn’t sense Renn nearby or hear or see anyone else… but when had it happened? I had been slightly lost in thought, but to think it had been that bad…

“So… who’s Miss Beak?” Merit asked.

Just great!

“What is it…? I’ll make your mud pit later,” I said. Really, what was wrong with me? I’ve become so careless as of late.

For a tiny moment I thought Merit was going to let me ignore her question, and my foolish mistake, but then she turned to glare at me. “I’ll just go ask Renn if you won’t tell me,” she stated.

My eye twitched and I heard the nails in my hand crunch.

Both Merit and I looked down, and I sighed as I opened my hand to find a mangled mess of nails… ones that were now all bent and askew, if not even entirely stuck to one another from the pressure of my squeeze.

“Sorry,” Merit apologized, rather sincerely, but I knew better than to accept it. Because there was no need to. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine.

“Miss Beak had been one of my few friends. From… well…” I found the words hard to say for a moment, but realized that faltering here wouldn’t just be an insult to Merit… it’d also be a terrible one to Miss Beak.

She had been my friend. One of the best ones I’d ever had. I shouldn’t be ashamed of such a thing, and as such shouldn’t hide it. It was insulting to do so.

I nodded as I looked away from the crumpled nails to the tiny fish. “She had been a firstborn monarch. A giant flamingo. She had been my friend for more years than I can count. Many more longer than the Society has existed,” I told her.

Merit shifted as her face contorted oddly… as if suddenly upset, she looked like I’d just told her something very bad… but after a moment her face returned to normal and she gave me a gentle nod. “I… see. Is she the one you would visit near my kingdom?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Huh… and she’s gone now?” she asked.

I nodded again. “Died a little while ago.”

“Did Renn get to meet her?”

A tiny smile planted itself on my face as I nodded. “Yes. Though only for a few short hours. But she did.”

Merit hummed at that.

I sighed at myself as I stepped away from Merit and headed for the closest table. Next to it was a large wooden bucket, one I’d been tossing refuse in. I dropped the clump of nails into it.

“Not going to save them…? You could just melt them and make them again, can’t you?” Merit asked as she stepped over to join me. Maybe she was here to help? What with Oplar taking a break?

If so I wonder why Renn hadn’t joined her… I know she was having fun with the others, and did indeed have other things to do and handle… but it would have been nice to work alongside her again after so long.

“Will be quicker and easier to just go buy more. Plus I think we have enough to finish thrice over as it is, for now, so it’s fine,” I said.

“Speaking of finishing, when you’re done with this one what are you going to make next?” she asked.

“Well, Randle wants to make a communal area. Basically he wants a real kitchen, a storeroom and whatnot. He thinks we should build that first before a building to sleep in, since it would then open up the main tent for other uses if we needed it,” I said. Were we done talking about Miss Beak then? Thank goodness.

“Sounds stupid. Why not just build a large building with lots of rooms first?” she asked.

“Actually that’s my plan. After the church is done I plan to make a large building over there, one with enough rooms for everyone. That’s where I’ll also make the proper kitchen and whatnot. The rooms might not be very big though,” I said.

“Better than having to hear people snore all night. Any basements in your plans?” she asked.

Basements…? “Yes. Though not right away. I’ll need bricks for a proper one, the ground here is firm but more dirt than rock so I’d want a bit more support just to be sure. Wood alone will just let the basement flood when it storms or snows, not a problem right now but it would be a big one later on,” I said. Especially here in the north. I don’t think some of the people here realized just how cold it was going to get during the real winter… it was why the mine here had taken so long to get really going, during the winter months they were basically unable to work in it at full capacity. It was warm enough in the mine to work, but it was impossible for them to come and go from it.

“Right… and why is it you’d wish a giant monarch was here, then? I’m not even sure how we’re going to hide the tiny saint let alone a giant monster,” Merit asked.

I sighed at her. “I didn’t feel the need for Miss Beak to be here, per say… I just could have used her help,” I said. Was I actually going to have to explain this…? Odds are even if I got out of it here and now, Renn would just come and bring it up later once Merit told her about it…

“How so…?” Merit asked, unwilling to let it be.

This is what I get for speaking about things carelessly. Not just here and now, but even last night with Renn. I had noticed Merit and Angie’s approach of course, last night when Renn and I had been talking, but hadn’t realized just how well Merit had been able to hear us even from a distance. She had undoubtedly overheard what I’d said about the gods… About Havoc and his threat. Though if others had heard, or if anyone has said anything to anyone else, I’d not heard yet.

“She used to help me track down and hunt gods and monarchs… before the Society. I could have used her help, basically,” I decided to sum it all up as well as I could without wanting to rip my own tongue out in the process.

Merit shifted a little as she glared at me. “I see… and now you need such assistance again…? Or rather, it would be useful to have it?” she asked.

I nodded slowly.

“It’s so bad you need the help of something… of someone like that?” she asked further.

I nodded again. I knew what she was asking, really asking. She was asking if she could help somehow. But… this was not something that I could be aided by with mere strength or numbers. Even Miss Beak would have only helped me in small ways, such as sensing divinity and flying around at great speed and height. No one alive today could do that for me… not safely at least.

Merit sighed, rather harshly, and shook her head at me… and then she slightly stretched her jaw, making it pop a bit, and she nodded. “Fine. I see. Later on you can tell me more… next time Renn gets you to open up about it, that is,” she said as she stepped away.

Watching her leave, I realized she had not come to help but to verify something… maybe even the very thing we had just spoken about. To see if we, if Renn, was in danger.

“That’s a hard ask, Merit,” I said as she walked away.

“Not as hard as you think, Vim. Last night proved it,” Merit said without looking back at me.

Wasn’t that the truth…

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