Up on the rooftop, before anyone else dared join her, Qila sat and bathed in the crimson sunrise. From up so high, it seemed she could see the whole world. Snow-packed mountains reached up into the sky, though none reached past Styzia's peak. Below them was a valley carved by two rivers, and between those two rivers was the world's largest known human community, though it looked like an anthill from her vantage point.

As far as her eyes could see, there was ice. There was cold. No ordinary winter, but an unbreakable vice. As much as she tried to see the beauty that remained, Qila couldn't help but tense up as she remembered what the world used to be like, back when the Iron God was still with them. She remembered a time when she could have walked out with no heavy coat or boots, sunk her toes into soft green grass, and taken a breath without her nostrils cracking.

"You look defeated, Qila." Xigon's voice was as calm and cold as the scenery below. "Is something wrong?"

The old woman's shoulders tensed. She stood up and turned to face him. Her gray hair whipped back in the wind. "Good morning." Her greeting came out stiff and forced. "Nothing's wrong. Well, no more wrong than it always is. This is a miserable world we're watching over."

"Yes, but it's the only one we have." Xigon stepped closer to her. His crutches punched holes in the snow that covered the roof. "We are the Iron God's hand, aren't we?"

Qila turned her beast mask in her hands. It was the likeness of a stag's skull, beautiful and intricate. Then she looked up at her fellow master. He stood tall and proud. His ageless face wore the smallest smile. That cursed smile. It reminded her so much of their god. Qila prickled. "What's got you so happy anyway?"

"I have an idea to relieve some of our tension. Let's leave it at that for now." Xigon looked down at his beast mask, a fierce serpentine head that hung from his belt. "How does that sound?"

She had a sense of what his idea might be, and it made her smile too. "All right, after our prayer."

Xigon's fingers trembled on the handles of his crutches, the way they did whenever he was anxious or excited.

When she heard Azvalath come up the stairs, she greeted him. "Good morning, Azvalath."

"Good morning, Master Qila." He sounded slightly anxious. She hoped he hadn't heard her conversation with Xigon. It would be bad to frighten anyone unnecessarily, she thought.

As the others came up, Qila saw that they were all their usual selves, save for one. Jai-Lag was as nonchalant as ever, Rizval still complained, and Lalek and Channei were still opposites in terms of their enthusiasm. Kolo, however, seemed full of fire. She held her head high, vigilant but no longer terrified. She even snapped at Channei.

Qila smiled as she donned her beast mask. Like always, she found herself amazed at how the world looked through Rizval's crystal. It was like looking through dark purplish glass, even when the mask looked opaque from the outside. She wondered how Kolo would look with hers when she received it following her formal initiation. If she received it, Qila corrected herself. It was possible they might still lose Kolo, as much as Qila dreaded the thought.

They formed a circle for their dawn prayer. She took Rizval's hand in her left and Xigon's in her right. Immediately, Qila prickled with goosebumps. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put a name to it.

Xigon spoke calm and clear. "Hear us, Iron God. Share with us your divine wind, the breath of life, a storm to bear this world anew."

Then she noticed his eyes were locked on her. There was a dull throb in her chest that intensified rapidly to liquid fire in her veins. He was doing something malicious to her. She swallowed hard. No one could know, she thought. They had an image to maintain. Thankfully, her voice showed none of her dread. "Guide our hands, our hearts, our minds to the last light."

This was bad, she thought. Under her mask, she sweated profusely. Tears stung her eyes. She bit her tongue and tried not to scream as her vision grew blurrier. Xigon's eyes looked straight through her and violated her very being. She glared back at him as he dropped his crutches and drew his sword. This was a challenge, and she wouldn't let him win so fast.

He raised his huge blade. "Iron God, I sing my sword song for you."

She bared her teeth under the mask. He was trying to anger her, and it was working despite her desperation to remain composed. Qila reached into her pocket and pulled out her puppet. A slight growl crept into her voice. "Force is the loudest of whimpers."

At her silent bidding, her shadow puppet took form. It spread across the ground and then stood up, tall enough to tower over even Xigon. It threw its antlered head back and spread its bony arms wide. Claws like blades erupted from the tips of its skeletal fingers. The younger ones, startled by the sight, all recoiled. Azvalath pushed Kolo and Jai-Lag out of the way. Channei fled to the other side of the roof. Lalek fell and took Rizval down with her.

Xigon didn't turn tail. He didn't even flinch. His eyes stayed focused on her. His power constricted her from the inside out. Her chest tightened until she couldn't breathe. An icy, tingling numbness started in the tips of her fingers and toes and spread inward, up her arms and legs and toward her core. Qila had a moment of panic. Was he actually trying to kill her?

It took everything she had to move her shadow puppet. It lurched forward and broke Xigon's line of sight long enough that she could suck in a desperate gasp of air. Some of her strength returned. Another breath. Her vision stopped blurring. She raised the shadow's hand to attack.

Xigon turned his head. She heard him gasp before the claws shot forward and nearly hit him. He threw himself sideways. His feet skidded in the snow. She looked at her shadow puppet and readied another attack. Then she looked at Xigon, right as his two-hander fell.

Thanks to her armor – two layers of Rizval's crystal – there was no bloodshed. Still, the blow knocked the wind out of Qila. She fell backwards. Azvalath yelled something. She barely heard it over another scream. Was it her own? She flicked her wrist and the puppet swiped at Xigon.

He countered with ease. Three of the puppet's fingers flew off with his strike. She tried to regenerate them, but then his eyes were on her again. Her chest constricted again. It felt as if she were being crushed by a giant's fist from the inside. She managed to pull herself up to her knees. He was right there, inches away. An attack from the puppet would risk injuring them both. She cursed.

She heard Azvalath shout a command with all his power behind it. "Now look at me!"

Xigon's head snapped toward Azvalath. Qila gasped and heaved to catch her breath. Then she heard Azvalath screaming in agony. Qila forgot her own pain and rushed to his side as fast as she could. "Azvalath, are you all right?"

"A-ah!" He stumbled backwards and clutched his chest for a second. "I...I'm sorry, I...!"

Xigon came over and put a hand on Azvalath's shoulder, steadying him. "Have you forgotten that you are never to use your power on us, Azvalath?" He clenched his hand around Azvalath's shoulder. "You might be a student again, but surely that much is still obvious."

"I did what I had to!" Azvalath sputtered. "You were going to kill Master Qila, weren't you?"

"He wouldn't have," said Qila. At least, she hoped not.

"No, I wasn't going to kill her," said Xigon. "But you forced me to redirect my attack toward you. What made you so certain I wouldn't kill you, even by mistake?"

"I wasn't certain, Master," said Azvalath.

Qila raised her eyebrows, then scowled. "Don't you try and be a hero now." She clapped him on the back, then turned to the others. "My apologies. No one should have had to see that."

"That was amazing," said Rizval. Their eyes were still wide with wonder.

"I'm definitely awake now," said Channei. She glanced at the still-petrified Lalek.

To her surprise, Kolo was smiling.

Qila looked down. "What is it, Kolo?"

The white-haired girl stood up a little straighter. "I want to be strong like you." She clenched her hands into fists. "Then no one will ever hurt me again."

Qila and Xigon exchanged glances.

"Sorry, pal. But all the power in the universe won't stop you from getting hurt," said Rizval. "And not one of us will ever stand on the same ground as Qila or Xigon."

Kolo paced back and forth. "I'm tired of being afraid. I will get stronger." She stopped and locked eyes with Qila. Her glare was as much of a challenge as Xigon's.

Qila crossed her arms. "You're awfully bold all of a sudden. Not that it's a bad thing, but you're barely even a student yet. You talk about these grand aspirations, but will you do what it takes to get there?"

Kolo put her foot down. "You think I can't?"

"Can and will are two different things," said Qila. "And it seems like until now you've been determined to stay as distant from us as possible."

"We are the Iron God's hand," said Kolo. "The world belongs not to us but to all who live. We cannot reach others if we ourselves are not willing to be touched." She recited Styzia's tenets as if she were reading them from a book. Then she beamed.

Qila stared at Kolo, then at Xigon, who shrugged. The old woman thought long and hard about what to say next. "Do you know what any of that means?"

Kolo averted her eyes. "No, but I'll learn." She looked at Azvalath. "Aza said to conquer with my mind instead of my fists."

Azvalath raised an eyebrow. "You remember that?"

Channei chuckled. "She's smarter than you think." She went to Xigon and handed his crutches back. "Master Xigon, who will Kolo be training with?" The shapeshifter had an expectant grin.

"Azvalath," said Xigon.

"What?" Channei shouted. "But he's a student again! He can't..."

"That's precisely why," said Xigon. "Azvalath, Kolo, you two will teach each other. You will learn together as equals."

Kolo stiffened and glared at Azvalath, who looked equally flustered.

Qila tapped Azvalath on the shoulder. "Consider this your redemption."

"Of course, you'll be under our supervision," said Xigon. "Starting today, Kolo and Azvalath, your assignment is to learn everything about each other."

"What about me?" Channei whined. "Am I needed at all?"

"Yes," said Qila. "Channei, today I need you on the ground. In Felltree specifically. Yayaba tells me there's something not right going on there."

"Felltree? That's where I..." Channei trailed off, confused.

Qila came over and whispered in Channei's ear. "Don't tell Azvalath, but you have the most important job of all, little fox." She smiled. "You'll be keeping Kolo safe."

[11] Qila: Most Important Task

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