Sometimes power costs, Tal said, and Alys sobered, thinking of that day with Hotaru when she'd read the cards. Although Alys didn't have the details of the other woman's life, she knew that Hotaru had experienced great pain in her past, and that she felt that she was at a crossroads in her present. The cards foretold a brighter future, but nothing came without cost - not power, not happiness. Such was the way of the world. "I know," she said softly.
She watched with interest as Tal took out his knife, scoring the bark of the tree deeply enough that a thick, red sap oozed to the surface. She would be the first to admit that she didn't fully understand his quest - in fact, she scoffed at the very idea of the gods sending people on what she felt was a wild goose chase in return for blessings - but she knew it was important to her friend.
As he smeared the red all over the blade, Alys listened to him talk. She was glad to hear that business was booming. She smiled at his mention of an apprentice, remembering how she'd interpreted the cards for his reading. She'd known back then that he'd need help, but it was always nice to have one's predictions come true. "I hope that you have time soon, or that a worthy apprentice shows up to help," she said. "As for me, it's going slowly, but it is going. I've had a couple of opportunities come up since we last spoke. It's better than nothing, but I'm starting to think I'm going to have to branch out into something more... lucrative."
She watched with interest as Tal took out his knife, scoring the bark of the tree deeply enough that a thick, red sap oozed to the surface. She would be the first to admit that she didn't fully understand his quest - in fact, she scoffed at the very idea of the gods sending people on what she felt was a wild goose chase in return for blessings - but she knew it was important to her friend.
As he smeared the red all over the blade, Alys listened to him talk. She was glad to hear that business was booming. She smiled at his mention of an apprentice, remembering how she'd interpreted the cards for his reading. She'd known back then that he'd need help, but it was always nice to have one's predictions come true. "I hope that you have time soon, or that a worthy apprentice shows up to help," she said. "As for me, it's going slowly, but it is going. I've had a couple of opportunities come up since we last spoke. It's better than nothing, but I'm starting to think I'm going to have to branch out into something more... lucrative."
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
