beings.”
Infidel cracked her knuckles. “I like to think I’m doing my small part to help women get back into the bloodshed and brutality business.”
“I’m not content with playing a small part,” Sorrow said, clenching her fists. “The world I was born into is fundamentally corrupt. The grand crimes committed against humanity are so audacious that all notions of right and wrong are upended. The rich and the powerful build their civilization upon the backs of the weak, justifying their cruelty and theft with a fictional moral code supposedly enshrined in a book that no man has read.”
Infidel nodded. “Sister, you don’t have to preach to me that civilization is screwed up. That’s why I do everything I can to avoid it.”
“I’m not content to run. I’m going to tear it all down.” There was a hard determination to Sorrow’s voice I found chilling. “I’m going to destroy the Church of the Book, topple the kingdoms of men, and establish a new golden age.”
Infidel stared blankly at Sorrow for half a minute, uncertain what to say. Finally, she cleared her throat. “It’s good to have goals.”
“Yes,” said Sorrow. “But I need more than goals. I need power, and I need allies. If you’re truly aware of the unjust nature of the world, and even half-deserving of your legend as warrior, why not join me in my battle?”
“Because it’s a stupid battle,” said Infidel.
“How can you be so blind?” asked Sorrow.
Infidel crossed her arms. “I think you’re the one who might be missing her own contradictions. You think you’re wise enough and smart enough to remake the world? Don’t you see that anyone arrogant enough to think that is likely going to wind up making things worse?”
“I would rather try to remake the world and fail than hide in this remote backwater and avoid the struggle for justice.”
“If you think I avoid struggles on the Isle of Fire, you’ve got a lot to learn.”
“You fight pointless battles against freaks and scoundrels. It’s hardly a worthy struggle.”
“There’s a difference between battles and struggles,” said Infidel. “Fighting is easy for me. My struggle has been to learn to love and trust after being raised in a life where these words had been stripped of meaning. My struggle now is to rise above a life where my main pursuit has been to amuse myself, and remake myself into a mother who can raise a child. I’ve lived most of my life stuck with the same attitudes and emotions I had when I was fifteen. My struggle is simply to grow up.”
“Wouldn’t you rather raise your child in a world more just than this one?”
Infidel shrugged. “This world isn’t so bad. Stagger used to take me up into the jungle, where we’d explore vine-draped ruins and eat fruit fresh straight from the tree. We’d make our beds under stars so bright and crisp it looked like the sky was full of glorystones. Civilization might have its problems, but the world... the world’s all right.”
“What a waste of your talents,” Sorrow said.
“It sounds like you’ve got more powerful allies in mind anyway. What about Purity? Did you find her when you visited the Isle of Grass? Was she able to help you?”
“No,” said Sorrow, sounding bitter. “I found only Purity’s grave. The tales of an ageless witch who tormented the northern land proved only a myth.”
“Those Skellings were pretty insistent that someone was stealing their women.” Infidel stood up. The hammer glowed as she rose slowly into the air. She drifted over to the long beam of what had once been the mast of my sail boat, now straddling the branches of three different trees. I noticed for the first time the long, skinny roll of canvas lashed to the mast. Odd. I hadn’t had sails rigged on the boat since I owned it.
She untied the rope and the canvas dropped into her hands. I noticed that the white cloth sparkled like it was coated with diamond dust... or frost. She unrolled the canvas
Infidel cracked her knuckles. “I like to think I’m doing my small part to help women get back into the bloodshed and brutality business.”
“I’m not content with playing a small part,” Sorrow said, clenching her fists. “The world I was born into is fundamentally corrupt. The grand crimes committed against humanity are so audacious that all notions of right and wrong are upended. The rich and the powerful build their civilization upon the backs of the weak, justifying their cruelty and theft with a fictional moral code supposedly enshrined in a book that no man has read.”
Infidel nodded. “Sister, you don’t have to preach to me that civilization is screwed up. That’s why I do everything I can to avoid it.”
“I’m not content to run. I’m going to tear it all down.” There was a hard determination to Sorrow’s voice I found chilling. “I’m going to destroy the Church of the Book, topple the kingdoms of men, and establish a new golden age.”
Infidel stared blankly at Sorrow for half a minute, uncertain what to say. Finally, she cleared her throat. “It’s good to have goals.”
“Yes,” said Sorrow. “But I need more than goals. I need power, and I need allies. If you’re truly aware of the unjust nature of the world, and even half-deserving of your legend as warrior, why not join me in my battle?”
“Because it’s a stupid battle,” said Infidel.
“How can you be so blind?” asked Sorrow.
Infidel crossed her arms. “I think you’re the one who might be missing her own contradictions. You think you’re wise enough and smart enough to remake the world? Don’t you see that anyone arrogant enough to think that is likely going to wind up making things worse?”
“I would rather try to remake the world and fail than hide in this remote backwater and avoid the struggle for justice.”
“If you think I avoid struggles on the Isle of Fire, you’ve got a lot to learn.”
“You fight pointless battles against freaks and scoundrels. It’s hardly a worthy struggle.”
“There’s a difference between battles and struggles,” said Infidel. “Fighting is easy for me. My struggle has been to learn to love and trust after being raised in a life where these words had been stripped of meaning. My struggle now is to rise above a life where my main pursuit has been to amuse myself, and remake myself into a mother who can raise a child. I’ve lived most of my life stuck with the same attitudes and emotions I had when I was fifteen. My struggle is simply to grow up.”
“Wouldn’t you rather raise your child in a world more just than this one?”
Infidel shrugged. “This world isn’t so bad. Stagger used to take me up into the jungle, where we’d explore vine-draped ruins and eat fruit fresh straight from the tree. We’d make our beds under stars so bright and crisp it looked like the sky was full of glorystones. Civilization might have its problems, but the world... the world’s all right.”
“What a waste of your talents,” Sorrow said.
“It sounds like you’ve got more powerful allies in mind anyway. What about Purity? Did you find her when you visited the Isle of Grass? Was she able to help you?”
“No,” said Sorrow, sounding bitter. “I found only Purity’s grave. The tales of an ageless witch who tormented the northern land proved only a myth.”
“Those Skellings were pretty insistent that someone was stealing their women.” Infidel stood up. The hammer glowed as she rose slowly into the air. She drifted over to the long beam of what had once been the mast of my sail boat, now straddling the branches of three different trees. I noticed for the first time the long, skinny roll of canvas lashed to the mast. Odd. I hadn’t had sails rigged on the boat since I owned it.
She untied the rope and the canvas dropped into her hands. I noticed that the white cloth sparkled like it was coated with diamond dust... or frost. She unrolled the canvas
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