They traveled at a steady, ground-eating pace, the miasma beasts drawing mana from the orderly streams underfoot to power their swift travel. “These mana lines are so tidy,” Mina commented, which drew a smile from Yachi.

“Yes, we cultivate the mana lines for even distribution. It helps to provide optimal fertility to the earth, so we always have plentiful forage and fields, and good hunting. The mana streams feed the earth, which feeds the plants. That in turn feeds the animals, and us as well.”

“Does it take a lot of effort to manage the streams?” Fariel asked, twisting in his seat to look back at Yachi.

“Yes, it’s one of the reasons why we move from place to place. We sort out the mana lines in one area, then move on to the next. Each place takes a few weeks to a few months, depending on conditions.”

“How is it done?” Tanner asked from behind Mina.

“Now that’s a trade secret,” Yachi winked, but he didn’t offer any more. Instead he turned their attention to the landscape around them, introducing them to the edible plants that they rode past.

Some were similar to Grandma’s original world, and others were wildly different. There were huge, luscious fruits dripping with sugar and mana, bright tangy greens that popped and fizzed in her mouth, small sweet and tart berries. When they paused for lunch, Yachi dug up crisp tubers that were plump with water, and starchy roots that softened to a fluffy mound once boiled. 

“Can we grow them elsewhere?” Grandma asked, stitching together the words with difficulty.

“Hm,” Yachi considered the tubers in his hand. “It’s possible, but these plants are adapted to a high level of mana in the soil, so they’ll grow in other places, but they might turn out different than what you see here.”

“I don’t mind. I want to try.”

“Sure, we can trade you some cuttings and seeds once you’re done and ready to head home.” Yachi smiled as he washed the root vegetables and cooked them over a little fire that he’d lit with a spark and fed with mana.

It was relaxing to have someone else cook for the four of them, and they enjoyed the reprieve to the fullest, laying out on the soft moss and gazing up at the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves overhead. 

“Everything here feels more alive,” Tanner sighed, luxuriating in the sheer physicality of existing. “Even the wind smells nicer here.”

“It’s the mana, isn’t it?” Mina asked as she rolled around on the plush carpet of moss. “I feel like I’ve been suffocating all my life, and now I can finally breathe.”

Yachi nodded. “That’s right.”

Fariel sat up suddenly, struck by a thought. “Does the River Folk have stories about a calamity that happened about a thousand years ago?”

“A thousand years ago?” Yachi sucked on his teeth thoughtfully as he turned the cooking tubers. “The only one I can think of is the story about how all the rivers ran dry, and the mana blew away, and the earth died.”

“Yes! That’s the one. Can you tell us more?” Fariel leaned in, eyes bright with curiosity and interest. 

Grandma also tuned in, though she didn’t move her body.

“It’s not something that affected our people very much, more of a tale that was passed to us from refugees fleeing the disaster. They came from the northeast, and begged us for shelter, carrying tales of unimaginable devastation. The refugees were starved, both of food and of mana. We let them stay as long as they needed. Many kept traveling even after they recovered, though the stories tell of quite a few who stayed.”

“Well, it looks like we’ve finally found the western edge of it,” Fariel murmured.

“Finally,” Grandma agreed. She unrolled a map and carefully added another marker to it, verifying their location with Yachi, then stared at the collected data displayed before her.

Something catastrophic had happened northeast of here, which put it roughly in the area north of Southlake. It was still a large region to search, if they wanted to find out more, but at least they had narrowed it down a little. To get there from here, though, they would have to travel through Westhill, which was Duke Avery’s domain. Well, it was not a life or death matter. Grandma didn’t need to satisfy her curiosity that badly. She rolled up the map and tucked it away again.

As they traveled, Fariel took copious notes on the magic, the flora and fauna, and the stories that Yachi shared with them. Grandma paid special attention to the edible forage portion of Yachi’s knowledge, so that next time they traveled on their own, they might have an easier time of it.

After a few days on the road, they came to another large clearing dotted with earthen domes. Yachi patted Zoop on the head, and Grandma caught a fleeting spark of mana pass from the man to the snake before the snake slowed to a stop and lowered its head. Yachi hopped off, then solicitously handed Fariel to the ground as well.

Mina and Tanner leaped off Pluot’s back, freeing the wolf to shake itself all over, fluffing up its fur that had been squashed by hours of riding. Only Grandma remained mounted, seated on Fiddler’s hard carapace amidst their bags and bundles.

A blue haired woman strode out from the clearing to meet them, and Yachi exchanged bows and then an embrace with her. “Welcome, dear one. I am Yamio. So I hear you’re looking for Shenna?” she said, watching Mina.

“Yes. I hear she is likely to be my mother.”

“I’d say so. You look just like she did at your age.” Yamio smiled broadly and gestured for them to follow. “Shenna!” she bellowed as they passed the first group of earth domes and came into view of a cluster of blue haired River people with their heads bent low, working on some handicraft together.

One dazzlingly brilliant blue head popped up from the knot of people and glared. “What do you want, Yamio?” she bawled back. “We’re in the middle of–” Shenna trailed off as her eyes landed on Mina. With a wordless cry, she sprang to her feet and dashed over. She must have enhanced her speed with mana, because she kicked up huge plumes of dust as she ran, and reached the girl in less than a heartbeat.

The next thing Mina knew, she was crushed in an embrace and her mother was sobbing into her shoulder.

They stood awkwardly for several long minutes as Shenna wept on her daughter. Mina, having had some practice hugging thanks to Grandma and Tanner, wrapped her arms around the crying woman, and gently stroked her back. Her ribs creaked with the force that Shenna held her, and her breaths wheezed as she struggled against Shenna’s arms.

“Oy, Shenna, ease up, you’re strangling the poor girl,” Yamio said, punching Shenna on the shoulder lightly. 

Eventually, they managed to make their way into one of the earthen domes. Yamio and Yachi arranged the refreshments that other River folks brought to them, then retreated to give Shenna and Mina space together.

“They told me you had died,” Shenna said, her voice hoarse from crying. “I would never have left you if I had known!”

Mina nodded in acceptance, wondering if she was supposed to tell Shenna that it was all right.

[You don’t need to give her forgiveness,] Grandma said gently. [Her guilt is her burden to bear, and there’s no rule in the universe that says you must relieve her of it.]

[I don’t know what I’m feeling right now,] Mina confessed. [It’s all a messy swirl inside.]

[Let’s untangle it a little at a time.] Grandma slid back into the girl’s body to get a better sense of how Mina was doing. [I feel quite a bit of anger, which makes complete sense.]

[When I heard that she left me behind, I felt so angry. I wanted – needed – someone on my side who loved and cared for me.] Mina’s hands clenched into fists, crumpling her trousers. 

[You were alone, and so vulnerable. Growing up under that man must have been utterly terrifying.] Grandma enveloped Mina in warmth, the only hug she could give.

“You never even verified my death,” Mina said, her words slow and deliberate, forced out between gritted teeth. “You knew what kind of person Avery was, and you left me alone with him. Why did you leave?”

“Your birth was very hard on my body. I was bleeding heavily in bed for many days.” Shenna looked down, twisting her fingers into knots. “The servants all told me you had died. I begged to see you, but I was too sick to move. Then, a soldier came to tell me that the Duke no longer had any interest in me. I thought I would die too, alone and far away from home. I begged the soldier to let me leave, if Avery was done with me. I wasn’t in my right mind. He helped me find a merchant caravan going the right way. I don’t remember much after that.”

Yamio spoke up from the shadows. “The merchants had taken care of her as best they could, but she arrived near death. The merchant charged us a hefty fee for bringing her home, but we were just happy to have our sister back. As you can see, we saved her life, though it took quite a bit of work.”

[It sounds like she would have died if she had stayed,] Grandma said, very carefully. [I understand this is not an excuse for leaving you and fleeing alone, and you have every right to feel angry and hurt.]

Mina blew out a breath. [No, you’re right, it’s good that she lived.]

“Was it… terrible?” Shenna asked, very softly.

“Yes,” Mina said, simply and without hesitation. “They were very cruel to me. I was the abandoned bastard child of a nameless mistress. Even the servants made sport of me. They beat me often, insulted me every opportunity they got, starved me. They forced me to work beyond my ability, then punished me for failing.”

The room grew unbearably hot. Grandma realized that Shenna was radiating waves of fury so fierce that it was burning up mana and converting it to actual heat. Yamio laid a gentle hand on Shenna’s bare upper arm, and the woman’s fury cooled, literally and figuratively, as the air slowly lost its crisp, burnt edge.

“I cannot do anything to make up for the past, but I can and will destroy them, if that’s what you want.” Shenna stared at her daughter, tears gleaming in her eyes.

Suddenly, Mina felt very tired. “No, mother.” The word felt strange in her mouth. “When the time comes, I’ll do it myself.”