The events of last night kept playing through my head. I slept in well past sunrise. I did my morning stretches wondering, was it all just a dream? But, I could feel something... something different when I closed my eyes. I focused on the feeling, the statue; I could somehow feel where it was. It was odd, but I took it as proof. The events of last night were no ordinary dream.

Nervously, I considered what people would say if they knew. Making a deal with a god or demon or whatever she was. I could end up banished from the tribe or worse. I'd have to keep it a secret. That shouldn't be too hard. How often would that sort of thing come up in conversation?

I could hear the ringing of a hammer on an anvil from outside. I took that to mean it was time to get up. I got dressed, carefully wrapping my head and storing the Idol in my satchel. In the living room, I hurriedly ate a breakfast of goat’s cheese and bread. Then thinking about my promise, I tossed a slice and some cheese into the fire. Whispering "For Isal". I didn't know what I was doing and felt a bit silly. Still, a deal was a deal, and I always kept my word.

I nearly fell over when someone walked in on me. I regained my balance and found Kalic, the clan quartermaster. He was a lanky, balding man in his 40s, and a family friend. He laughed at my clumsiness, "Ahh, there's our newest warrior! I stopped by to give you this." He tossed me a small pouch. I barely managed to catch it. "That's from the chief, your portion of the hunt." 

As quartermaster, Kalic kept an inventory of food supplies, taxes, and payments. "Thanks!"

He shrugged. "That's my job. Oh, while I'm here. The chief wants you on the scouting mission next week. He'll probably have me draft you up an official notice anyway. But I wanted to let you know."

I thanked him again, and he made his way out. The bag had 20 silver coins in it. Each silver coin was enough to buy five days’ worth of flour. So, I'd received quite the sum. 

I found my dad at the forge. He stopped his work and beamed at me. "There's my boy! Congratulations, let me see it!" I fished the wolf totem from under my shirt to show him. "Proud of you, son. You do our people a great service." 

I scratched my head, a bit nervous. I needed to tell him about my plan to leave in the spring, but I wanted time to mull over the events of last night. "Thanks, Dad. I wanted to go for a run this morning. But if you need help?"

"Of course! Take the day off. Try talking to a girl. You know, Corrin's daughter, Shela, is still single."

"Dad, Shela has more body hair than I do! Anyway, can we talk over dinner tonight?" 

"Sure! I'll make us something nice."

"See you then."

I waved as I jogged off. Strapping down my spear and satchel so they didn't rattle on me. I stopped at Ford's shop, where I bought bread and wine. I packed those in my bag and made my way out of the village. I went south out of the valley. I made my way up a steep pass leading to a secluded cliff section. It took a couple of hours to get to the spot, even at a jog. I was confident I was the only one who knew about this place. I pushed aside some shrubs and took in the view. I was about halfway up the side of the east valley wall. To my right I could just make out the village, and to my left I could see far into the distance. The opening of the valley faced south and I could see the forests and rolling hills that sloped down into the lowlands.

I sat and enjoyed the view, catching my breath and drinking from my water skin. I lit up my pipe, thinking. I first found this place when I was 14, a perfect refuge from the world. I'd come here when I couldn't handle the teasing of the other children. Or if I'd gotten in a fight over said teasing. I usually won those fights, but then I'd come home and have to hear a lecture from Dad about it. I hated disappointing him.

As I sat, I felt a pulling sensation from my satchel. I had a promise to keep. Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I started gathering stones. I stacked them into a short arch mortared with chunks of clay. It took me a few hours to build the small structure, the small shrine. 

Still trying to figure out what I was doing, I took the bread and wine I bought and placed them under the arch. Nothing happened, and I still felt that pulling sensation from the Idol. I cleared my throat " Um... Isal, I have kept my end of the bargain. A shrine for you..."

Still, nothing changed. I pondered for a moment, then tried one last thing. I took the Idol from my bag and placed it under the arch. "Okay, see, It's a shrine. You didn't exactly provide instructions." Finally, the tugging sensation lessened, then stopped. I waited, expecting something, but all was quiet. I shrugged, figuring I'd appeased the little god. I relit my pipe and enjoyed the view for a while. Just as I was thinking of returning home, I noticed; The food I'd placed under the arch had vanished. 

It was one thing to hear about far-away gods and magic. It was another to see things vanish before my eyes. I stood up, feeling nervous. The statue started glowing. I tried to take a calming breath, "It's just a little magic. Relax," I told myself. I jumped as a tiny semi transparent Isal stepped out of the arch. "Spirits protect me," I said.

The little Isal was about the same size as her statue and started walking towards me. I debated running away, but that seemed pretty pathetic. I swallowed my nerves, "Isal is that you?" 

"Boooo!" I jumped again despite myself. She had a giggling fit.

"Haha, very funny, Isal" I said, trying to relax.

"You, Vair, need not be so uptight. Let's see how you did!" She began walking around the shrine, inspecting it. "Not the finest work, But a great location! This view is amazing! Do you have any idea how boring it gets only seeing the same little grove? I love this!"

She gave me an honest smile. I smiled back. She was surprisingly human in her mannerisms. That finally got me to relax, "I'm glad you like it. It's my favorite place."

She finished inspecting the shrine and floated up to me. "Why is your face all wrapped up?"

 "It puts people at ease... I eventually got fed up with everyone cringing when they looked at me." 

"Well, it's just us here. Let me take a look."

“Are you sure? You won't like it."

"Of course," she said confidently. I started unwrapping, "7 Hells!" She cringed. She recovered quickly from the shock. Wearing a curious expression, she inspected me.

"thoughts?" 

"It appears to be somewhere between illusion and real effect... not a typical thing, usually a result of bad spellcasting, very odd. You were born like this?" I nodded, "In that case, I would speculate that your mother had been the target of some malicious spell. Then, you ended up taking the brunt of it. I will be able to fix it, given enough mana."

Had my mother been cursed? By who? And when? I wasn't sure how to feel about that, so I focused my attention elsewhere. "How long will that take?" I began rewrapping my head.

"It depends mostly on you. We can discuss it later. I don't feel like giving a lesson right now." 

"Alright then, what exactly are you? A little ghost?"

She giggled. "Something like that, It's an avatar, a way for me to interact with the world. But this one is unsubstantial and can't do much more than seeing and speaking to you. Ideally, I gain enough mana to generate a proper body." 

"And can you appear, like you just did, anywhere? Or can I only speak to you here, at the shrine?"

"Now that I have a shrine and some mana coming in. I should be able to appear anywhere nearby my Idol. So keep it close, and keep it safe." 

"Okay, but you need to be careful. Don't get seen like that. I don't want to answer hard questions."

"I can only be seen by you anyway. I'd have to show myself to anyone else actively. We've got a bond now. I'm sure you've felt it.

"We should head back," I said, not grasping all the magic talk. Still, the concept that only I could see her was simple enough.

"You're the master, and I the simple servant," She said with more than a bit of sass. While that was the heart of our deal, I already knew Isal was far from simple. 

On the way home, I stopped at a good spot to collect copper ore. I did this for two reasons; this was one of my regular chores, and It would explain why I was out all day. The ore was easy enough to harvest. I used a small pick/hatchet to crumble away the loose rock, then picked out the dark green ore and the shiny chunks of native copper. Back at the house, I could smelt this into a nice copper ingot.

The sun was starting to get low when I made it back to White-Wolf. Perfect time for dinner, I pushed open the doors into the courtyard. The smell of my dad's rabbit stew made me feel at home. I dropped off the ore I had collected and made my way inside. I found my dad stirring a big pot over the fire and was pleasantly surprised to find Storen and Zara. They were sitting together on the rug. Zara had her head on Storen's shoulder. 

"Looks like we have a full house tonight!" I said with a smile.

Zara shot up to attack me with a hug, saying, "Like I'd miss Dad's stew!"

I made my greetings and relaxed in my usual spot. Setting my satchel and spear beside me as I leaned against the wall. When I was settled, Dad asked, "How was your run?"

"It was a nice day, and I picked up a load of ore while I was out."

"Good man", Dad nodded at me. Everyone was cheery, but I felt tension in the room.

"Did I miss anything while I was out?"

Zara laughed. "You could say that."

"What? What did I miss?"

She responded sternly, "Will you take off that silly scarf? Then we'll tell you". I rolled my eyes but did as she asked, unwrapping my head. 

Storen spoke up, "My father wants to commission suits of armor for all of the Totem-Warriors. That's 32 suits." I let out a long whistle. That was an extremely laborious task. He let the news sink in, then continued. "Your dad wouldn't speak on it till he talked with you. Tell him Benly"

I looked to my dad, who spoke in a curious tone "What do you think, son? Do you have design plans? Can it be done?"

Zara cut in, "I told you he does. He showed me last winter! He has a stack of them."

I nodded. It was one of my hobbies. I'd taken notes on the armor I'd seen merchant guards wearing. "Well, it can be done, of course. Given enough time for 32 suits, just the two of us."

Dad cut in, "I was guessing a year." I agreed, if not longer.

Storen cut in, looking apprehensive. "My dad wants it done by the end of winter."

Zara grimaced. "It's Letta. She keeps casting bones. It's always the same, danger every time. It's got everyone scared."

Storen said, "I'll convince my father you need help, but he's adamant about the armor."

I nodded, a bit disturbed at how seriously the Chief was taking the situation. Dad finished the stew and began pouring us bowls. "Let's not fret over it anymore tonight. I'll discuss the matter with Laith tomorrow. Vair, I believe you had something you wanted to discuss?"

Everyone turned to look at me. I wanted to tell my dad about my decision to leave in the spring. Now seemed like the wrong time, but with how busy we were about to be, I wondered if I'd find any good opportunities. Plus, I was already keeping Isal a secret. I didn't need another thing to worry about. I began speaking anxiously. "So, well. I was thinking about life and stuff. Storen and I had a conversation." I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts. "I want to travel in the spring, go west, visit places. Ket, Uda, Sur, I'm going to join a caravan. You know, try and seek my fortune in the lowlands." I wasn't sure how my father would react. I had some idea that he had made a similar trip when he was young. That's how he met my mom, but he rarely talked about it. 

I was watching everyone's faces to gauge their reactions. Zara let loose a brilliant smile. Storen gave an approving nod. Dad's response was subtle and contemplative. He turned towards the fire and poured a cup of wine. Saying, "Just like me at your age, I knew someday the wider world would call you out. You have my blessing, son. I want you to remember something, though. Listen carefully." He turned to face me. "The people of the lowlands are foreign. They serve strange gods. Each city has its own ways and traditions. Travel with caution, and don't be drawn in by their luxuries. Remember what's important in life and remember home. Return to us."

I stood up and hugged him. "I will remember, Father."

The rest of the meal passed quickly. Zara and Storen decided to spend the night. I was exhausted, but I took the time to wash myself. I heated a bucket of water, then used a bar of soap and a rag to clean off days of dirt and sweat. I ended up in bed shortly after and quickly fell asleep.

"Good evening Vair." I jumped awake. I was in the meadow again. A warm summer sun was shining down on me. Isal was standing over me next to a pile of odd items. 

"Spirits below Isal! I need to sleep." I said.

"What you need is knowledge, my student. Plus, your body is sleeping. Only your mind is awake." She gestured to a pile of leather-wrapped square things, feathers, and black liquid in glass bottles. All were sitting on a sturdy wooden desk and looking very out of place in the middle of the forest. "You have a lot to learn if you are ever going to become a wizard. Luckily for you, I happen to be a goddess of knowledge."

I sat up and examined the desk and its contents. The leather squares were filled with hundreds of thin sheets of white material. Some had black markings- writing in a language I didn't know. I learned to write on soft clay using a wooden stylus. This looked overly complicated compared to that. "What exactly are these?"

She gave me an annoyed look. "Books, you brute. I thought you said you could read and write?"

"I can! We use clay and make tablets."

"Of course, you do, very... classical. This is better. Here you'll learn a proper language and use a proper pen and ink. Back in the real world, you can scribble on clay all you like." 

I shrugged. I knew nothing about magic, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Magic could do incredible things if the stories were anything to go by. "Alright, fine. So, you'll start teaching me spells?"

She giggled. "Vair, I just said you have much to learn before that. To cast magic, you must understand, on a fundamental level, what you want the magic to do. Otherwise, you'll never be able to control it."

I sighed. "So, lessons?"

She nodded excitedly. "Exactly! We'll go over the natural sciences, physics, chemistry, biology, and language. You need a more precise language for magic. I can teach you Archian." 

And with that, my proper education began.