Skwyr Court

assigningblame

“Master Indyur will be visiting today. She’s the head priest of Torpn’s temple. I expect you to be courteous to her.”

“Yes, Master Moudren.”

Sirshi didn’t recall meeting Master Indyur before. The priests from other temples often visited them. It was Master Moudren’s job to escort visiting priests around the temple, and host them while they stayed. It was another part of the job that sounded tedious to Sirshi.

“I know you won’t let me down. Still, Master Indyur can be a little difficult. If you need to excuse yourself during her visit, feel free.”

Sirshi had been present for many visiting priests, but Master Moudren had never given her permission to leave in the middle of one those visits. How “difficult” could a head priest be?

“What do you mean ‘difficult’?”

“I mean, she often tries my patience. If she’s difficult for me to handle… well, I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret later.”

Sirshi nodded, and reminded herself that this wasn’t the same as one of her parents telling her to stay in her room because she was too much of an embarrassment to be allowed around company. As far as most of her parents’ guests knew, Sirshi was the sickliest child in the court.

“I understand.”

“I’m glad we have that out of the way. Carry on.”

That afternoon, Master Indyur arrived. She strode into the temple, looking down her nose at everything. Her spotless robes glittered in the sunlight.

“Master Indyur,” Master Moudren said. “Welcome to our temple.”

“Master Moudren.” She looked at Sirshi. “Is this all? In Torpn, we have a welcoming party to greet important priests.”

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.” Master Moudren motioned to Sirshi. “This is Apprentice Sirshi.”

Sirshi bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Indyur.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Master Indyur turned her attention to the statue. “You still have that old thing? I thought you would’ve gotten rid of it years ago. It was a relic when I was an apprentice here.”

“That statue has been here for generations,” Master Moudren said. “It’s part of this temple’s history.”

Master Indyur approached the statue. She eyed it as if resisting the urge to sweep a finger over it to check for dust.

Sirshi took a deep breath. This woman was starting to get on her nerves.

Master Indyur turned her attention to the windows next. “When did you last have those replaced?”

“Last year. Our Lord High Artisan and his apprentice did it themselves.”

“Really? And they went with those windows? Could they not make nicer ones?”

Sirshi clenched and unclenched her hands in her robe.

“I’m sure they did what they thought was best.”

Unlike Sirshi, Master Moudren showed no signs of frustration. Her composure was calm and careful, her tone pleasant.

“Well.” Master Indyur returned her gaze to Master Moudren. “There’s no shame in being second best, I suppose.”

Keep breathing. She has to leave eventually.

“Quite.” Master Moudren used a tone Sirshi had never heard before. For a moment, her tone lost some of its pleasantness.

While this was going on, people milled about the chamber (“The chamber in Torpn is bigger, but I suppose we have to hold more people.”). Sirshi was so focused on keeping her temper that she didn’t notice when a few pairs of footsteps stopped next to her.

“What is that?”

Sirshi and Master Moudren turned around to find a pair of frightened girls.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” Aonva said, her voice shaking. “We were looking for Sirshi.”

Despite her trembling, Aonva didn’t avert her gaze. She and Roshil stood at attention and waited.

“Never mind what you were doing,” Master Indyur said, settling her sights on Roshil. “What are you doing here?”

“The Temple of the Rising Sun welcomes all people,” Master Moudren said, stepping directly between Master Indyur and the girls.

“That thing is hardly a person.”

“What did you say?” Sirshi screamed. “Her name is Apprentice Roshil, and she’s my friend! No one talks to her like that!”

Aonva shrank behind Roshil, whose eyes darted between Master Moudren and Master Indyur.

“How dare you talk to me that way!”

“Enough!” Master Moudren turned Aonva and Roshil. “I’m afraid now isn’t a good time. I’ll send Apprentice Sirshi to you when we’re finished.”

The girls nodded, then bowed. Without saying another word, they left the temple.

“If she ever stepped foot into the temple at Torpn—”

“We aren’t at Torpn, are we?” Master Moudren snapped, keeping her voice down. “I can accept that you think your temple is better than ours, but you clearly still have a lot to learn.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Not even His Majesty would ever speak to or of an apprentice of the court like that. Apprentice Roshil is welcome here any time. Her brother is a valued member of this temple, and Apprentice Sirshi, my apprentice, is her friend. Further, she has touched up every statue, every window, every chip in the floor of this temple. She has done an excellent job, and if you have complaints about her work, you are free to take it up with her master, Our Lord High Artisan. Do I make myself clear?”

For once, Master Indyur had nothing to say. She stood stalk still, eyeing Master Moudren.

“Do I make myself clear?” Master Moudren repeated.

“Yes.”

“Olmgra does not care how shiny the floors are. She does not care how big her statues are. If it doesn’t matter to her, then it doesn’t matter to us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my apprentice.”

Sirshi froze. She’d liked it better when Master Moudren had been tearing into Master Indyur. Now, it was her turn.

“You’ve made it very clear,” Master Indyur said, “that not only do you not run a good temple, but your ability to teach an apprentice falls short as well.”

Master Moudren’s glare an Master Indyur hardened, but Master Indyur smirked.

“How many times has your apprentice had outbursts? Enough that you weren’t shocked by this one. No, I’d say this happens quite a lot. I will be bringing up these concerns with Our Lady Exalted Priest. Good day.”

Still smirking, Master Indyur turned and strode out of the temple.

Sirshi opened her mouth, but Master Moudren shot her a glare.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “When I told you to excuse yourself, I meant it. I know you—” She cut herself off and took a breath. “Disputes between masters happen often. Even one questioning another’s ability to teach an apprentice. But you just screamed at another master of the court in front of a crowd. Again.”

When was the first— oh, right, Ekla. She doesn’t count.

Master Moudren led Sirshi to her office, then closed the door. Even Sirshi could see the worry on her face.

“What’s going to happen?” Sirshi asked.

“She’ll use these incidents to show that I shouldn’t be your master. Or possibly anyone’s master.”

Sirshi was horrified. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her hand.

“She can’t do that,” Sirshi said, barely holding back a scream.

“She can. But we can argue our case. I will prepare for a meeting with Our Lady Exalted Priest. With luck, I can stop this from going any further. But I’ll need you to talk to your friends. You’ll need people that can vouch for your character. It might not be much, but every little bit helps.”

Sirshi nodded. She wanted to scream, but was wise enough to know that now was a bad time.

“We’ll figure this out,” Master Moudren said. “For now, take some time off to relax. I’ll see you soon.”

Sirshi bowed to Master Moudren, then left the Temple of the Rising Sun. She couldn’t lose Master Moudren, could she? No, she couldn’t. If she did, it’d be all her fault.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame

Sirshi left the temple, heading for the library. There were only so many places Roshil and Aonva would be, and the library was the most likely. Hopefully, they’d still be there, and she wouldn’t have to look harder for them.

What would’ve happened if they hadn’t shown up in the temple? Master Indyur was annoying, but until then, Sirshi had kept it together. If they hadn’t shown up, Sirshi would still be at the temple. She’d be having a normal day. Everything would be fine. Didn’t that make this their fault?

No, it’s Master Indyur’s fault. She’s the one that started all of this. This is all her fault.

The more Sirshi thought about it, the angrier she got. Why did Master Indyur visit if she hated it so much? Why couldn’t she have stayed in Torpn and left Sirshi and Master Moudren alone?

What would happen if Sirshi had to change masters? Would she be back with Master Daktra? He was in the Temple of the Known Shadow, where she didn’t want to be. It was always so dark inside. There were other priests in the Temple of the Rising Sun. Would she be stuck with one of them? She didn’t want to be with one of them. She wanted to be with Master Moudren.

She walked into the library, then realized she had no idea where in the library Roshil and Aonva would be. Why did everyone have to keep making her day more difficult?

The librarian whose name Sirshi couldn’t remember looked up at her as she walked in.

“Second floor, back corner near the advanced magic section. Look for a nest of books.”

“Thanks,” Sirshi grumbled, then walked up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the library. Of course they hung out as far from the entrance as they could get. Wasn’t that what they always did? Stayed as far away from other people as they could? Why did they have to go into the temple? Why couldn’t they have stayed away like they always did? And how did the librarian know she was looking for Roshil and Aonva?

Sure enough, Sirshi found the girls huddled in a corner, with books spread out around them. No one else was anywhere near them, almost like everyone was avoiding them. Which they probably were doing.

Roshil was rubbing Aonva’s back. Aonva was trembling and mumbling something.

“Hi,” Sirshi said.

Roshil flashed her a crooked smile. Aonva looked up at her, and Sirshi saw tears in her eyes.

“Master Indyur’s horrible,” Sirshi said, sitting down across from them. “Why does she get to have her own temple? She’s so stuck up. She reminds me way too much of my parents. And all their friends. And Ekla used to be like that too.”

“We didn’t mean to bother you.” Aonva’s voice was soft. “We had an idea for organizing the books in the library.”

“I thought you might want to help,” Roshil said. “If nothing else, it’d mean we’d be spending a lot of time here, and you could fend people off when they bothered us. I thought you might enjoy that.”

Getting to scare away people that bothered her friends sounded exactly like something Sirshi wanted to do. She could start with Master Indyur, then that guy that nearly got Aonva in trouble for cheating, and that one master artisan that kept calling Roshil a monster. Sirshi had a long list of people she didn’t like.

“Master Indyur threatened to get Master Moudren in trouble after I yelled at her.”

“In trouble for what?” Roshil asked. “Master Moudren’s the best. Well, actually, Master Grund’s the best, but Master Moudren’s nice too.”

“Because I guess I’m not supposed to yell at masters,” Sirshi said. “And yelling at my sister counts, and Master Indyur is going to tell Our Lady Exalted Priest that Master Moudren is doing a terrible job of being my master.”

“That probably means a hearing,” Aonva said. “You and Master Moudren are the defendants, Master Indyur is the one bringing the complaint. Master Indyur has enough evidence to start a full hearing. Calling a master into question is important, so everything’s going to happen fast. They’ll probably talk to Master Ekla too, since she was involved in the last incident. Probably Master Daktra, since he was your original master. We can provide our testimonies supporting you, but apprentice testimonies don’t usually weigh as much as a master’s testimony.”

“I’ll talk to Master Grund. He’ll figure this out.”

“No, he can’t,” Aonva said. “This is up to Our Lady Exalted Priest. He can vouch for Sirshi, but he doesn’t know her very well. Neither does Our Lady Arch Mage, otherwise I could talk to her.”

“Won’t Our Lady Exalted Priest take over Sirshi’s apprenticeship? Like Master Grund did after Master Udra messed up mine?”

“Who cares? I don’t want anyone else taking over my apprenticeship.”

“That’s not necessarily what would happen. It’d be up to Our Lady Exalted Priest.”

Sirshi had only met Lady Runslo a few times. She always looked like she was in a different conversation, like her mind was in another kingdom. Sirshi wasn’t sure she liked her, but she didn’t dislike her either. But she wanted to keep Master Moudren as her master. What if Lady Runslo put her with Master Indyur?

“Yet another adult deciding my life for me,” Sirshi growled. “I’m so sick of this!”

“I’m sorry,” Aonva said. “If we hadn’t been there, this wouldn’t be happening.”

“If Master Indyur weren’t horrible, this wouldn’t be happening,” Sirshi said. How was someone like Master Indyur even a master?

“What can we do to fix this?” Roshil asked.

“We can’t do much,” Aonva said. “Sirshi, you might want to talk to Master Daktra and Master Ekla. I’m sure she’ll understand, though. She’s your sister.”

She’d barely talked to Ekla in the past year. She’d barely seen Master Daktra since Master Moudren took her on as an apprentice. Now they held her future in their hands. Them, Master Indyur, and Lady Runslo. No, not just her future, Master Moudren’s future. Sirshi had lost her temper, and Master Moudren was paying for it.

“Thanks. Are you two alright?”

“We’re used to it,” Roshil said. “People are mean to us all the time.”

Sirshi turned her attention to Aonva. Her eyes were still puffy, but she didn’t see any tears.

“I’ll be alright. It was a lot for me. I don’t like yelling.”

“Oh.” Sirshi was sure she already knew that, but suddenly she felt bad about yelling around Aonva. She needed to yell less around her. Why did she feel bad about it now? Because she’d found her friend crying? Whatever the case, she had to get better.

“I’ll start talking to people I guess,” she said. “Thanks for your help, I guess.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Roshil said, smiling.

“Yeah. Friends.”

She had to go find and talk to Masters Daktra and Ekla. She didn’t know where to start searching, but dinner was approaching. Maybe she could talk to them when she got there. She didn’t want to, but it had to be done. It was for Master Moudren. And Sirshi would do anything for her.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame

When Sirshi got to the great hall for dinner, she didn’t see her sister or Master Daktra. She didn’t think she was that early, but she did spot Kurgm sitting in their usual spot. Roshil and Aonva went ahead of her and took seats. Sirshi sighed, then followed them and sat down.

“What have you three been up to today?” Kurgm asked.

Roshil and Aonva looked at Sirshi before answering.

“What happened?” Kurgm asked, his glance moving between the three of them. “Did Sirshi punch someone? Did I miss it?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Sirshi said, her temper rising. “Master Indyur started it.”

“You punched a master?” Kurgm said, his voice a little louder than she would’ve liked.

“She didn’t punch anyone,” Roshil said. “She just yelled a bit.”

“She deserved it after the way she was talking about you two!”

“What she say?” Kurgm asked. “How bad could it have been?”

“She called Roshil a thing,” Sirshi hissed. “She said she was ‘hardly a person’.”

“Who said that?”

Oshal took a seat with them, his sightless gaze fixed on Sirshi.

“Master Indyur,” Sirshi growled. “She’s visiting from Torpn.”

Oshal’s gaze moved to his sister. There were times Sirshi wished she had family like Oshal. He was always so nice to Roshil. Were normal families like that? Did they actually care about each other?

“Is everyone okay?” Oshal asked. “Master Moudren must’ve handled it, right?”

“Master Moudren’s capability as a master has been called into question,” Aonva said. “Master Indyur took it to Our Lady Exalted Priest earlier. They’ll likely be holding a hearing in the next few days.”

Sirshi explained the rest of the situation to them, trying not to lose her temper any more than she already had. Just the thought that some stuck up woman could stride in and declare that Sirshi couldn’t be Master Moudren’s apprentice anymore was enough to make her want to scream.

“I’m sure it will be okay,” Oshal said after she’d finished. “You’ve gotten a lot better. Our Lady Exalted Priest will see that.”

“We can go to the hearing too, right?” Kurgm asked. “For moral support.”

Before she could answer, they were interrupted by the officers entering the great hall. Everyone stood up as they took their seats. Before everyone sat down again, Sirshi caught a glimpse of her sister.

“I need to talk to my sister,” she said. “Master Moudren thinks it might help if she’s on our side.”

“Of course she’s on our side,” Kurgm said. “She’ll back you up.”

“Yeah, sure she will,” Sirshi said. “We’ll skip happily through fields of flowers holding hands because we’re such good sisters.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kurgm said. “I can’t really imagine her holding hands with anyone. Or skipping. Even being happy. She smiles sometimes, but I’m not sure I’d ever describe her as ‘happy’.”

Despite Kurgm having completely missed her sarcasm again, she did agree that she’d never seen Ekla happy. Maybe it was just their family that was never happy.

“I need her and Master Daktra, my old master.” She glanced around the great hall. “Where is he? He was always scolding me whenever I missed a meal.”

“He’s on assignment,” Oshal said. “I heard about it from someone at the Temple of the Known Shadow.”

“So we won’t have a chance to talk to him before the hearing,” Aonva said.

It was just Sirshi’s luck that he wasn’t there. Nothing had gone right.

“We should talk to Master Ekla now,” Oshal said. “Let her know what happened.”

“So she can lecture me?” Sirshi said. “Tell me how I need to control my temper, something something something, be perfect like me, something something something.”

“But if you don’t,” Kurgm said, “what happens to you and Master Moudren?”

Sirshi started to yell at him, but realized he had a point. She had to suck it up and take whatever lecture her sister gave her. If she didn’t, Ekla might never agree to help her, and Sirshi needed Ekla’s help.

Sirshi turned around to go talk to her sister, but Ekla was already making her way over to them.

“Hello, you five. Enjoying your dinner?”

Sirshi glared at her sister, then at her friends. Why was her sister suddenly with them?

“So far,” Oshal said. “I think the chicken was better yesterday, though. It’s a little dry today.”

“It’d be easier to cut if I could tear it off with my teeth,” Roshil muttered, glaring at her fork and knife.

Ekla sat down next to Kurgm, putting her across from Sirshi.

“Apprentice Aonva said you wanted to talk to me.”

Sirshi glared at Aonva, who avoided her gaze.

“Thank you, Aonva,” Oshal said. “I hadn’t thought of that. That saved us some time.”

Roshil beamed at Aonva as Sirshi explained once again the situation she was in. Every time she tried skirting around the details, Kurgm would fill them in.

“It’s hardly fair that they’re holding yelling at me against you,” Ekla said. “It’s not the same as yelling at some random master you meet. We’re sisters, and unlike these two,” she pointed to Oshal and Roshil, “we don’t get along that well.”

“Can’t you tell Master Indyur that?” Kurgm asked.

“Master Indyur started this, but I doubt we’re going to be able to change her mind. After the way she talked to Apprentices Roshil and Aonva, I’m not eager to talk to her at all. Our Lady Exalted Priest is the one with whom we need to speak. Which we won’t be able to do before the hearing. It doesn’t sound like this is going to be resolved behind closed doors like most disputes between masters. There is evidence that you aren’t being properly taught manners, despite being in your fourth year, approaching your fifth.”

“My manners are fine!”

Ekla stared at her. It wasn’t a condescending stare, it wasn’t a glare, it was a regular stare. And she kept staring. It made Sirshi uncomfortable, enough so that she settled down a little.

“Sorry,” she grumbled.

“Even Apprentice Roshil’s table manners have improved,” Ekla continued.

Roshil said something that was lost through her mouthful of food.

“Arguably,” Ekla said with a sigh. “My point is, there’s no avoiding the hearing. Master Moudren has the most experience with you, but your friends and teachers will also be giving their opinions, as well as the other priests in the temple. I don’t know how much help I can be. True, I was the first incident, but I don’t have a lot of experience with you now. Actually, I’m not allowed to be around you alone, because I might set you off.”

Sirshi frowned. This was news to her. She must’ve been around Ekla recently. Ekla came to get Kurgm after meals all the time. And pick him up from temple. Although, Master Moudren was always with them. And her friends were with them at meals, as they were now. When was the last time she was alone with Ekla?

“So you can’t help,” Sirshi said. “Talking to you was pointless.”

“But now we know she’s on our side,” Kurgm said. “Right?”

“I’ll do what I can,” Ekla said. “I think you’re a good priest, and Master Moudren is good for you. If they try and move you now, especially with your fifth-year assignment coming up, you’ll resent your new master, and it won’t go well for anyone.”

“Our Lady Exalted Priest will think of that too,” Oshal said. “Everything will be okay.”

“What he said,” Kurgm said. “The court won’t separate you two this late into your apprenticeship.”

“If Our Lady Exalted Priest decides something,” Roshil said, “there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I’m sure she won’t,” Aonva said quickly, nudging Roshil. “I mean, she won’t do anything bad.”

“Whatever happens,” Kurgm said, “we’re your friends. We’ll stick by you no matter what.”

Ekla smiled at him. Maybe she did get happy sometimes.

Sirshi liked the thought of her friends sticking by her. But just having friends wouldn’t get Master Moudren back if Lady Runslo decided Sirshi needed a different master. She didn’t want another master. She wanted Master Moudren. It wasn’t fair.

Ekla stood up.

“Before I go, there’s one thing you need to do if you want this to go your way. It’s the last thing any of us want you to do, but you’ll need to do it.”

Sirshi narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“What?”

“You’re going to have to apologize to Master Indyur.”

“I’m not apologizing to that stuck up—”

“Before you say something you shouldn’t,” Ekla said, “apologizing is best way to show you’re improving. It might not work entirely, but it’s necessary.”

Before Sirshi could raise her voice, Ekla returned to her table, leaving Sirshi to grapple with her words.

If you don’t, what happens to you and Master Moudren?

Kurgm’s words from earlier returned to Sirshi’s head. He was right. Just like with talking to her sister, she had to suck it up and apologize. Not just for herself, but for Master Moudren. This was her fault, and she had to fix it.

It had better be enough.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame

Master Moudren led Sirshi to the second floor of the castle. On her first day, Master Daktra had told her that apprentices weren’t allowed on the second floor without a master present. It was full of administrative rooms about which apprentices didn’t need to worry.

It didn’t look that special. They walked down a corridor with doors on it, just like the corridors on the first floor. But she still felt a creeping sense of dread, made worse by the eerie silence.

“Remember,” Master Moudren said in a low voice, “do not speak unless spoken to. Be respectful to everyone. Keep your voice down. Deep breaths. Do whatever you have to do to remain calm.”

“Yes, Master Moudren.”

Despite her fury toward Master Indyur, the weight of the situation was getting to her. She hoped her friends would be there, which itself was a strange feeling. Yet, thinking of them made Sirshi feel a little better about it.

When they rounded a corner, Sirshi saw Master Indyur and Lady Runslo waiting for them. The slightest hint of a smirk from Master Indyur made her blood boil, but she forced herself to stay calm.

Lady Runslo’s eyes were half open, as they were every time Sirshi had seen her. Her hair was cut close on one side, but fell almost to her shoulders on the other, a style which Sirshi liked, if only because it annoyed her parents. Her tan skin stuck out, but being from Alforn never seemed to bother her. In fact, nothing ever seemed to bother her.

“Master Moudren,” Lady Runslo said in a voice that sounded half asleep. “And Apprentice Sirshi. I hope all is well in your worlds today.”

The two of them bowed to her.

“This is wonderful,” Lady Runslo said, “everyone’s here. Let’s all go inside and work this out.”

Lady Runslo opened the door and led them inside. A single podium stood at the opposite end, which Lady Runslo took. Sirshi took her place in front of the podium, with Master Moudren on her immediate left and Master Indyur farther to her right.

Sirshi tried to push down her disappointment at her friends not being there. Oshal’s blind optimism and Kurgm’s faith that it would be alright would’ve made her feel a lot better about this.

“Master Moudren’s ability to be Apprentice Sirshi’s master has been called into question,” Lady Runslo said, still sounding like she would fall asleep at any minute. “After reviewing the information provided by her and others, I have concluded that there is a real concern here. The big concern is that Apprentice Sirshi is resistant to learning respect for servants of the court. Several small instances were seen by Master Daktra during her first year, but the other priests at the Temple of the Rising Sun say she’s way chilled out. But the big ones are her yelling at Master Ekla, and now Master Indyur. That’s not okay for someone a few months away from starting her fifth-year assignment. I’ve spoken with Master Ekla, Master Daktra, and the other priests at the temple. There were a bunch of people that were witness to both incidents.” She put her focus right on Sirshi. “Apprentice Sirshi, Master Ekla tells me that your relationship isn’t the greatest. Would you say that’s correct?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Your friends say you’re both different people when you’re together, and Master Moudren said she’s taken steps to avoid the two of you starting an argument. This sounds to me like a master that recognizes her apprentice’s shortcomings. Apprentice Sirshi, did Master Moudren give you instructions for Master Indyur’s visit?”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“What were they?”

Sirshi wracked her brain for what Master Moudren had told her.

“If I needed to take a break, I was allowed to excuse myself.”

Lady Runslo turned her half open gaze to Master Moudren.

“Master Moudren, why did you tell her that?”

“Because Master Indyur can be difficult to work with at times, and I know Apprentice Sirshi has trouble getting along with people such as Master Indyur.”

“So once again, it sounds like Master Moudren knows Apprentice Sirshi super well. But Apprentice Sirshi still didn’t respect Master Indyur as a servant of the court, isn’t that correct, Master Indyur?”

“Completely so,” Master Indyur said. The sound of her voice grated on Sirshi’s nerves. “She raised her voice far beyond anything I’ve ever heard from an apprentice, much less from one addressing a servant of the court. It might be the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

Probably because everyone does it to your back.

You’re going to have to apologize to Master Indyur.

Her sister’s words echoed in her head. How could she apologize to this woman? Sirshi hadn’t done anything wrong! It was all Master Indyur’s fault!

Lady Runslo leaned over her podium and stared into Sirshi’s eyes. Sirshi didn’t know what she was doing, but she had trouble returning her gaze.

“Apprentice Sirshi,” Lady Runslo said without breaking her creepy stare, “what would you do if I insulted Apprentice Roshil right now?”

Sirshi didn’t know how to respond to that. That was not among the questions for which she’d been preparing over the past few days.

“I’m not sure, My Lady.”

“Apprentice Roshil was a rare case among apprentices. Most of them are decided entirely by their officer, with the others making a routine vote for them. But I don’t really like her vibes, so I voted against her. I don’t really like her being here.”

Thoughts raced through Sirshi’s mind. What was she talking about? Why wouldn’t she want Roshil at the court? She was different, that was all. Like Aonva, and Kurgm, and Oshal, and Nourd. Like Sirshi. There was nothing wrong with Roshil, and Sirshi was tired of people treating her like there was.

She met Master Moudren’s gaze for a second. Master Moudren didn’t think that. She liked Sirshi and her friends. Not many people did, but she’d always liked her. This wasn’t about Sirshi or her friends, this was about the nicest person Sirshi had ever met.

“With all due respect, My Lady,” Sirshi said, struggling to keep her voice calm, “Apprentice Roshil is different. But so am I. So are our friends. And… she has done a lot for the Temple of the Rising Sun. And for me, by being my friend. I’m… sorry that I disrespected servants of the court. Master Moudren warned me, but I didn’t listen. It was my fault, not hers.”

A lazy smile spread across Lady Runslo’s face. She motioned to Master Indyur.

“I’m not the one to whom you need to apologize.”

Sirshi turned to Master Indyur. She fought the urge to punch her stupid face as she bowed.

“I’m sorry that I showed you disrespect.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you did.” Master Indyur glared at Sirshi, then turned back to Lady Runslo. “My Lady, this wasn’t an isolated incident.”

“What I’ve seen here today suggests otherwise,” Lady Runslo said. “Apprentice Sirshi is chill, and so willing to acknowledge her mistakes. If she keeps being all that, I’m sure she’ll be giving off good vibes in no time. Everything’s great here. Hearing over.”

She stepped down from the podium, then walked out of the room. With one last glare at them, Master Indyur followed her. Master Moudren and Sirshi were the last to leave.

“I’m so proud of you,” Master Moudren said as they left.

Sirshi felt a strange warmth. What was that feeling? She wasn’t sure, but she liked it.

“Thank you.”

Sirshi was excited to have everything done with. She’d done it. Her skin was still crawling from having to apologize to Master Indyur, but she’d done it.

“I’m glad that’s over,” she said.

“For now, it is,” Master Moudren said. “We’ll need to keep an eye out for Master Indyur in the future. I’m not sure she’s going to let this go.”

“Why does she have ‘good vibes’ and not Roshil?” Sirshi thought for a moment. “What are vibes?”

“I’ve been here for many years, and I still have no idea,” Master Moudren said.

Despite everything, Sirshi started laughing. Master Moudren joined her for a moment, then shushed her.

“We’re still on the second floor. We’ve got to be quiet.”

Sirshi stifled her laughter. She’d done it. They’d survived another complication. They were still together. It was like Olmgra taught them: All will be well.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame