Jodi Meadows - Incarnate

I paused as a pair of children raced by, heedless of anyone they might crash into. “Are you sure this isn’t the market?”

He led me around a cluster of tables and benches, away from a handful of people staring at me like I had four heads. “This is only a fraction of the population. Market day will be packed.”

“All my life it’s been just Li and me.” And the occasional visitor, but they’d only come to see Li. “I guess I didn’t realize— There are so many people.” And so loud . All the laughing, singing, gossiping.

Sam pressed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me toward a collapsible stall that held glass-covered trays of food. “Let me know if it’s too overwhelming.”

“I’m fine.” My words felt stiff, though. Every time we walked past a group of people, they looked at me. News about the nosoul’s arrival had spread quickly.

“Who’s next, do you think?” a woman not-quite-muttered to the man sitting next to her. “First Ciana. Anyone could be replaced next.”

I reminded myself I’d had nothing to do with my birth. I’d had nothing to do with Ciana’s disappearance. That didn’t stop the guilt.

“Someone said the temple went dark when Ciana died,” said the man. “Meuric and Deborl told everyone it was Janan punishing us, or maybe Ciana…”

When I glanced up to see if Sam had heard the discussion, he wore a dark glare aimed at the couple. “Ignore them, Ana,” he said.

At this rate, I would have to ignore everyone in the world. All the million souls of Heart. “Everybody hates me.”

“They won’t.” He smiled at me, that warmth again. Fondness. He didn’t hate me, though I had no clue why. “Just try to smile a lot. Look pleasant.”

“Hmph.”

“Here, I know what will help.” He checked his SED. “We have a little time before they’re expecting us.”

We approached the baker’s stall, and Sam bought cups of hot apple cider to warm our cold hands, and a pastry for us to share. I did smile then.

“This is Armande,” he said, introducing the baker. “He’s my father this time around. He’s also the best baker in Heart.”

While Armande told me about his kitchen, how early he woke to get muffins and pies ready for the day, I studied his features. He had the same wide-set eyes and black hair as Sam. Same build. Interesting. I didn’t look much like Li. Maybe I looked like Menehem.

Sitting on a bench near the pastry stall, I tore off a piece of flaky bread with honey drizzled on top. It melted on my tongue, and I shivered. “I’ve never eaten anything this good in my entire life.”

Armande grinned and hugged me, and didn’t seem to notice when I stiffened and nearly spilled my cider. Sam reached over as if to steady my cup while Armande disengaged himself. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” said the baker.

“We’re just very careful with her hands.” Sam drew back, meeting my eyes briefly. “She burned them trapping a sylph that had me cornered. If I’m going to get her on the piano, she’ll need those fingers.”

Armande’s eyebrows rose, and he gave us a muffin. “Then I owe you. I’d been intending to take singing lessons soon, and I can’t get them from Sam if he’s dead. Do you bake, Ana?”

“Maybe?”

He filled my cider cup again. “Come by and I’ll show you a few things. I tried to teach Sam, but he just eats the batter.”

Sam gave an exaggerated sigh. “I was five and storing up for a growth spurt. You were practically starving me by making me wait for things to bake.”

Armande grinned widely.

When we’d finished breakfast and dropped our cups in the bin for recycling, Sam and I headed around the temple to an enormous white building set beneath it. A half-moon stair led up to a wide landing and a series of double doors, which were guarded by columns, crumbling statues, and iron trellises threaded with thorny vines. Roses, perhaps.

“Is that the Councilhouse?”

Sam nodded. “Most of the exterior is like houses or the city wall. It was here when we arrived. But other things, like the columns and relief along the top”—he pointed upward—“we built.”

When I’d touched the wall the day before, the stone had been frictionless. I doubted anyone could hammer a nail through it. “How did you get the extra rock to stay up there?” In the morning light, I could just see the seam where the Councilhouse shell met marble.

“Oh, by we, I mean people with better engineering skills than myself. If you really want to know, we can find out.”

“Yes, please.” I wanted to know how to do everything . As we rounded a crowd standing around a pair playing some kind of game, I edged closer to Sam. No telling if they hated me, too. Armande had been nice, though. “By the way, are you going to tell everyone that horribly inaccurate story about the sylph?”

“It isn’t inaccurate, and people need to know something about you. So far they’ll only have heard whatever Li says, and anything Corin and the Councilors you met yesterday reported.”

“Not good things, I’m sure.” I sighed.

“Perhaps, but that’s exactly why they need to hear this very accurate story. And why you need to get back to smiling. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, meeting everyone who already knows who you are, but you need to make a good impression.”

Overwhelmed ought to cover it. “I understand.”

“After this, we’ll go home, unpack, and relax.”

“I’ve never had a home before.” That must have been all the sweets talking; I’d never have told him otherwise. “I mean, staying with Li, I never felt like I belonged. That’s all.”

Sam touched my wrist, making me shiver. “You always have a home with me.”

Before I could respond, a group of people stopped us on the stairs, and Sam introduced me.

Things like, “Ana is my student,” were uttered, along with, “We’d like to visit the rice fields when it’s time for planting.” We also made dates to visit the apiary, pottery and woodworkers’ buildings, and textile factories.

A black-haired girl, maybe a couple years older than me, wrapped her arms around my shoulders and squeezed. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to come to Heart at last,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything at all. I’m only a ten-minute walk from Sam’s, and I promise the bees won’t bother you.”

I barely had time to thank her before Sam insisted we were running out of time. When we were out of earshot, I said, “That was Sarit, right? The hugging girl with bees?”

“Yep. Every time you add honey to your coffee, you have Sarit to thank.”

“I like her better than most of the other people we’ve run into.”

Sam flashed a grin at me. “I thought you would.”

“Honestly, though, I’m a little nervous about meeting anyone else.” I followed him around one of the immense columns guarding the landing at the top of the staircase. “We could end up scooping manure from horse stalls.”

“And pig runs.”

“At least you’ll have to suffer with me.”

“You’ll actually be suffering by yourself. Since I’ve already paid my dues on that, I’ll supervise. From afar, and with some kind of nose and mouth protection when I must endure your presence afterward. But the rest of it, sure. We’ll do it together. You might even find something you enjoy.” He looked… wistful.

“Dossam!” A girl who looked like she was barely out of her first quindec launched herself at Sam, and they embraced. “You’re back, just in time for the rededication. Will you be playing after all?”

Sam glanced at me. “I haven’t decided yet. Stef is bullying me into dancing. Ana and I have lessons with her every morning now.”