Blaze made him so furious. I hated seeing Av so unlike himself.
“At least use him for his food,” I said, hoping to get a laugh. “Might as well get something out of being around him.”
He didn’t laugh, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and that was enough for me. He dropped his arms and stepped away from the fire. “Let’s hope Marmos is better than Abish cake,” he grumbled.
I grinned, happy to hear him sound more like the Av I knew, and we walked back together to where Blaze was sitting with Fiver.
They were mid-conversation, Fiver prodding Blaze with more questions. Fiver bit into the back side of some roasted bird, his cheeks stuffed as he talked. “So she’s his Mother?”he said, staring up at the dark moss-covered stones at Blaze’s back.
By the light of the fire, I could see faces where I’d pulled away the moss. They were carved into the stone. Six young faces, one on top of the other. The second from the top caught my eye—a girl with a gentle smile.
Blaze shook his head, poking at the fire. “She’s his sister.”
He handed me a stick with a sizzling roasted Marmos skewered on the end, and I tore off a crispy leg, then passed it to Av.
“I’ll bet I know which one their Mother liked best,” said Fiver, picking a bone out of his mouth.
“There was no Mother,” said Blaze.
“How’s that?”
Blaze yawned and rubbed his eyes. “It’s just an old story.”
Fiver went on chewing, watching Blaze expectantly. As a storyteller, Fiver couldn’t resist adding a new adventure to his memory, a new tale to tell the Brothers.
Blaze shook his head and stood up beside the stones. “There’s about a hundred different versions,” he started. “There’s thousands of pillars just like this one, in every village and city, but they’re all different in their own way, and so is the way they tell it.”
“So what’s the story?”
He took a deep breath and stared at the stones as though he was exhausted just thinking about it. He let his hand rub the base of his neck. “Basically, six babies were said to be born out of the fabric of the earth, three sets of twins. Folks call them the Sacred Six.”
“What’s that mean?” Fiver asked.
“They were gifted.” He pointed to the two faces on the bottom. “See here, these three dots?” There were threedots marking their foreheads. “That means these brothers were born of the desert. That’s Keely and Hines. People say they had the power to make things grow. They could make the crops obey them—that was their gift.” He moved up to the next two faces, three diagonal lines marking their foreheads. “And here the lines mean these were the brothers of rock and ice, Amid and Azul. They were gifted in moving the earth, carving canyons and raising peaks.”
His hand moved up to the girl’s image on the next set, his fingers pausing on her round cheeks. Her forehead was marked by three circles, like ripples on water. Blaze ran his thumb along the rough line. My eyes drifted to the face of the twin brother above her, and only now did I notice it had been scratched out.
“And them?”
Blaze sighed, leaning against the stones with one hand, his other brushing hair out of his eyes. “Those two are the water twins. Their gift was water; they could manipulate it to their will, according to the story. That’s why they’ve been put at the top of the pillar here, I guess. Folks say they were born right here, out of the waters of the Baublenotts.”
“What happened to her twin?” asked Fiver, pointing at the scratched-out face.
“Some people don’t like him much,” said Blaze. “According to some people, he caused a lot of problems.”
“For who?”
Blaze’s hand went to his neck and Av looked to me. I bit into the flesh of the warm Marmos, waiting for Blaze to go on.
“Well, these guys, for one,” he said, waving at the faces below. “He wound up killing all of them, except his sister.”
I stopped mid-chew and Fiver sat
“At least use him for his food,” I said, hoping to get a laugh. “Might as well get something out of being around him.”
He didn’t laugh, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and that was enough for me. He dropped his arms and stepped away from the fire. “Let’s hope Marmos is better than Abish cake,” he grumbled.
I grinned, happy to hear him sound more like the Av I knew, and we walked back together to where Blaze was sitting with Fiver.
They were mid-conversation, Fiver prodding Blaze with more questions. Fiver bit into the back side of some roasted bird, his cheeks stuffed as he talked. “So she’s his Mother?”he said, staring up at the dark moss-covered stones at Blaze’s back.
By the light of the fire, I could see faces where I’d pulled away the moss. They were carved into the stone. Six young faces, one on top of the other. The second from the top caught my eye—a girl with a gentle smile.
Blaze shook his head, poking at the fire. “She’s his sister.”
He handed me a stick with a sizzling roasted Marmos skewered on the end, and I tore off a crispy leg, then passed it to Av.
“I’ll bet I know which one their Mother liked best,” said Fiver, picking a bone out of his mouth.
“There was no Mother,” said Blaze.
“How’s that?”
Blaze yawned and rubbed his eyes. “It’s just an old story.”
Fiver went on chewing, watching Blaze expectantly. As a storyteller, Fiver couldn’t resist adding a new adventure to his memory, a new tale to tell the Brothers.
Blaze shook his head and stood up beside the stones. “There’s about a hundred different versions,” he started. “There’s thousands of pillars just like this one, in every village and city, but they’re all different in their own way, and so is the way they tell it.”
“So what’s the story?”
He took a deep breath and stared at the stones as though he was exhausted just thinking about it. He let his hand rub the base of his neck. “Basically, six babies were said to be born out of the fabric of the earth, three sets of twins. Folks call them the Sacred Six.”
“What’s that mean?” Fiver asked.
“They were gifted.” He pointed to the two faces on the bottom. “See here, these three dots?” There were threedots marking their foreheads. “That means these brothers were born of the desert. That’s Keely and Hines. People say they had the power to make things grow. They could make the crops obey them—that was their gift.” He moved up to the next two faces, three diagonal lines marking their foreheads. “And here the lines mean these were the brothers of rock and ice, Amid and Azul. They were gifted in moving the earth, carving canyons and raising peaks.”
His hand moved up to the girl’s image on the next set, his fingers pausing on her round cheeks. Her forehead was marked by three circles, like ripples on water. Blaze ran his thumb along the rough line. My eyes drifted to the face of the twin brother above her, and only now did I notice it had been scratched out.
“And them?”
Blaze sighed, leaning against the stones with one hand, his other brushing hair out of his eyes. “Those two are the water twins. Their gift was water; they could manipulate it to their will, according to the story. That’s why they’ve been put at the top of the pillar here, I guess. Folks say they were born right here, out of the waters of the Baublenotts.”
“What happened to her twin?” asked Fiver, pointing at the scratched-out face.
“Some people don’t like him much,” said Blaze. “According to some people, he caused a lot of problems.”
“For who?”
Blaze’s hand went to his neck and Av looked to me. I bit into the flesh of the warm Marmos, waiting for Blaze to go on.
“Well, these guys, for one,” he said, waving at the faces below. “He wound up killing all of them, except his sister.”
I stopped mid-chew and Fiver sat
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