Listen to the Water | FULL SERIES | Wattys 2022 Shortlist | ✔

(23) Ande: Exit Blessings

Taiki confirms what I thought about Andalua. So does everyone else in the circle, though Yaz pokes it from several angles to ensure we're not writing off alternatives without justification. Sar relaxes in increments throughout the whole discussion. By the time we've run through the rest of what they've found, they've almost stopped shaking, and willingly return to the stories on the wall to cross-check things with Taiki and Yaz. Yaz proves good at reading tone indicators. Taiki's just got a good mind for stories.

"So what I'm hearing is, we definitely need Xivay in here," signs Yaz as the three of them finish another fruitless pass of the stone-forest symbols.

Sar nods. "Xe won't be able to read everything either, but xe'll know more than me. We need to know what happened here." They tap a finger on the symbol in the middle of the catastrophe story. The one where the eel Kels found a way to protect themselves.

"Is there anything we can copy it on?"

"Don't take anything."

"We can take a piece from outside," signs Taiki with visible reluctance. "I can get one."

"Do that," confirms Yaz. "You'll know the proper ceremonies better than me. I just think we need a copy of at least the most important symbols, so we can run them by Xivay as soon as we have xem out of Rapal. In case it takes too long to get back down here, or becomes too dangerous."

Taiki takes off. Casin follows automatically. Sar watches them both go, fingers gripping their bruised upper arms again. They jump when Yaz catches their attention. They've always been jumpy, but it's been even more pronounced down here.

"Is there any backup if Xivay is dead?" signs Yaz. "Or if we can't reach them?"

Sar pauses before answering. "Technically yes. But nobody I would trust."

"Fair enough. Ugh. This complicates everything."

"Whatever that symbol is in the story, it protected the eel Kels. We need to know what it is."

They've repeated that at least four times since this conversation began. A way to protect a whole city the size of a small island feels like a fantasy to me, but I can see why they've latched onto it. And I do agree that we need to figure out what it was. That means breaking Xivay out of Rapal, though. Somehow.

"We could tell your people that Arcas is having them on," signs Yaz to Sar. "Unsettle the city so Xivay can sneak out or we can sneak in. Underfarrow has the capacity to protect you, at least for now. It's as safe as we're getting."

"We can't."

"Can't what?"

"Tell the city."

"Why not?"

"If we tell them, people would be angry about... about what happened to me. They'll start fighting. We're not supposed to be fighting."

Yaz and I both stare at them for a moment before it clicks.

Fighting.

An expectation I've carried since we found out who Sar was crumbles under me like this city's disintegrating walls. All this time, I've assumed the fastest—even the only—way for Sar to take back their throne is to undermine Arcas's lies. To reveal to the citizens of Rapal that their royals were murdered, and the true heir they all know and love is still alive. But revealing that lie in anything but a slow and strategic manner will cause exactly the response I'd been banking on: chaos. Rebellion. The common people toppling Arcas off the throne. But that's fighting. The very thing we're trying to avoid. We've already lost so many Shalda tribes who haven't been part of the conflict at all... there's no telling what incremental worsening could come from instigating a riot in Rapal.