Taliyah bit her bottom lip. She looked around the inn, excitedly bouncing in her seat. The evening was late and the wooden tables sparsely populated. It had been so long since she had been around people. She looked to her grim companion, who had insisted on the darkened corner booth. The man who now served as her teacher didn't count. The scowl he had worn since agreeing to a meal at the remote inn offered little in the way of camaraderie.
When it was clear that he was as much a stranger here as anyone else, he relaxed a bit and settled into the shadows, his back firmly to the wall and a drink in hand. Now that he was no longer distracted, his concentration and watchful eye returned to her.
"You must focus," he said. "You cannot hesitate."
Taliyah studied the leaves swirling at the bottom of her cup. The lesson today had been a difficult one. It had not gone well. In the end, they had both been covered in dust and shattered rock.
"Danger comes when your attention is divided," he said.
"I could hurt someone," she said, eyeing the new rip in the mantle wound around the man's neck. Her own clothes had not fared well either. She looked down at her new overcoat and traveling skirt. The innkeeper's wife had taken pity on her and offered what she had on hand, castoffs left by some previous patron. The long sleeves in the Ionian style would take some getting used to, but the rich fabric was sturdy and well woven. She had kept her simple tunic, faded from so much wear, determined not to give up what last bit of home she still had left.
"Nothing was broken that cannot be mended. Control comes through practice. You are capable of much more. Remember, you have improved."
"But... what if I fail?" she asked.
The man's gaze drifted as he watched the far door to the inn push open. A pair of merchants came in, stamping off the dusty road. The innkeeper motioned to the open tables near Taliyah and the man. The first moved toward them while the second waited for his drink.
"Everyone fails," Taliyah's companion said. A small edge of frustration passed over the man's face, marring his otherwise restrained demeanor. "Failure is just a moment in time. You must keep moving, and it too will pass."
One of the merchants took a seat at a nearby table and watched Taliyah, his eyes drifting from the pale lavender of her tunic to the glimmer of gold and stone in her hair.
"Is that Shuriman, girl?"
Taliyah did her best to ignore the merchant. He caught the protective glare of her companion and laughed it off.
"Would have been rare once," the merchant said.
The girl stared at her hands.
"It's a bit more common now that your people's lost city has risen."
Taliyah looked up. "What?"
"Word has it the rivers flow backward too." The merchant waved a hand in the air, poking fun at the mysteries of a far-off people he considered simple. "All because your bird-god has returned from the grave."
"Whatever he is don't make any difference. It all threatens trade." The second merchant joined the first. "They say he aims to collect his people. Misses his slaves and all that."
"Good thing you're here and not there, girl," the first merchant added.
The second merchant looked up from his ale, suddenly noticing Taliyah's companion. "You look familiar," he said. "I've seen your face before."
The door to the inn opened again. A group of guards entered, eyeing the room carefully. The one in the middle, clearly a captain of some sort, noticed the girl and her companion. Taliyah could feel a quiet panic rise in the room as the few guests stood and made their way quickly to the exits. Even the merchants got up and left.
The captain waded through the empty stools toward them. He stopped a blade's length from the table where they sat.
"Murderer," he said.
