Baba Svetlana's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

By morning, Cipher Kane had warmed enough to ask the real question. Svetlana set down her tea and gave her the whole shape of it. The cards bind the mountain's restless spirits. To take them, Cipher would give up her search for her old name. No wandering back down. No people kept close. The duty came first, always. Svetlana spoke plainly, because lies would only waste the winter they had left. Cipher listened without moving. When Svetlana finished, she set her cup on the table and looked at the fire. "No," she said. "I came up this mountain to find a name. I won't trade one I can't remember for one I'll never have." She did not soften it. Svetlana nodded once, slow, and gathered the deck back into her hands. The cards felt heavier than before. Outside, the wind shifted, and something on the slope above them began to wake.