After six years of struggle Vida managed to make the money required for an Oracle’s prediction. It was mostly because of the money left behind by the old granny who gave it before she disappeared.

Chira remembered the temple of the Goddess, where the Oracle resided. The smell of camphor and burnt oil from the eternal burning pit that was in all the temples that worshiped the Mother Goddess. She also remembered the great device of enlightenment that was nearly two stories big. With its innumerable dowel maize and the huge containers at the bottom to collect the descending balls. The huge cone at the top through which prayer balls and wish balls were dropped.

She remembered the oracle, a wizen old man with eyes like a predator who stared at her as she held on to the little white ball that had popped out of the device of enlightenment. It is the little ivory ball that she had put a bit of herself into and sent it along with her mother’s prayer ball. The one that popped out of the dowels and jumped out of the device of enlightenment. The oracle did not say anything, just stared at her in his strange gaze.

The oracle however gave Vida’s prediction. He predicted that Vida would have sons who would live long and take on their father’s mantel. With the Oracles written prediction she was able to easily find another marriage alliance, in a society that was obsessed with having boys. But first she had to break ties with the Retta clan.

Vida agreed to a marriage contract with a Gem Merchant, Zaffre Gallant, in a small town a little away from Avani, the capital of the Pali province. Zaffre's first wife died giving birth to their first son, who was still born. His second wife Daaya, bore Zaffre six daughters. The law in Pali province allowed a man to apply for a new marriage if he had no male successor. At the age of 55 Zaffre wishing for a son agreed to be married to Vida.

For Vida, this marriage was all she could wish for. All she had to do was secure her position by producing a son to establish a comfortable home for herself. That she did within the first year of marriage. She bore twin sons, a rarity and blessing to the family. Old Zaffre was overjoyed and Vida would have queened over the household. Unfortunately, due to the vague nature of the oracles predictions, that only answered the questions she asked, Vida did not know that she would not outlive her son’s first birthday. On her death bed Vida got a pledge from Zaffre’s second wife Daaya to treat her children as her own.

Daaya became a force of good for having taken her step sons under her care and treating them as if they were her own. People talked about how selfless and maternal she was, for having such a big heart. The boys were declared as fortunate for having such a kind mother.

Chira did not know all this. After the Oracle’s prediction Vida had taken Chira to the Clan office to gain permission for a new marriage and break ties with the clan, as she was marrying outside the clan. There Chira was given the Clan’s special weave tattoo that was placed on her forehead. Vida explained that it was a mark of loyalty and belonging, and that in the future if she, Chira found herself in danger or in need, the clan would be able to identify her and help her.

After this Vida left Chira in the Clan’s Orphanage, with a promise that she would come back to take Chira with her once she settled down and found her footing in her new family. Chira did not see Vida again.

A girl child with no magical talent, and abnormal eyes, was an invitation for ridicule and abuse in the clan Orphanage where it was the survival of the fittest. She was quickly stripped of her sheltered naivety. Her saving grace was her slight advantage in height, being taller for her age among the malnutrition kids. That, and a swift upper cut.

She dealt with her circumstance with amazing resilience and smartness. She quickly adapted to taking care of herself, and found the best way to deal with the others, was to keep out of their way. She could use her height when she could, but it could get her in trouble too. She took every opportunity to hide away and keep a low profile.

Once while doing so, she hid in a caravan carriage among the food storage. The aroma of food was too tempting for the hungry child. Sating her hunger, she fell asleep among the goods. When she awoke later it was to the jolting of the caravan cart and a realization that she was far away from Avani, the capital city in which she was born.

She managed to stay hidden for four or five days, but was caught by the owner and her future master, Verdigris, who had patiently waited to catch the “stowaway rat” that had been pilfering the supplies. She was caught as the caravan reached Lear, at the border of the Kali desert. After a good beating, Chira was forced to work for her skinflint master for six months to pay of her pilfering debts. Thus, began her stay in Lear.

Lear was a small mining town at the border of the Kali desert canyon. It was a bit of the Celestial Lute mountain range, that the Celestial Lute mountain range would not talk about, if it could talk. Like the black sheep if the family that no one wants to acknowledge. The Celestial Lute mountains were the pride of the Pali province, lush, green, full of rich resources, and breathtakingly beautiful to behold, from its snowy peaks to its twinkling clear brooks and waterfalls with the sweetest of waters, that made it the abode of the gods. The Kali canyons were the delinquent part of the Celestial Lute mountain range. Bald and dry and un inhabitable. Treacherous to any who trespassed on it. Nothing grew on it for long except the Lear trees that gave the only small town that clung to is corner its name.

The desert canyon however was very generous to the people of Lear, being rich in power stones that were formed by the compression of magic and earth over a long period of time. These magic stones were buried deep within the canyons and the Miners in Lear worked hard and put themselves in danger to try and get them. These stones powered Mani, the small devices that were made from weaves that were powered by artificial magic provided by the power stones. The many weaves that human being used in place of personal magic.

Tame magic was limited to the personal containers inside people and it could not be used for long periods. In fact, until a person had their second awakening they could not use magic continuously for more than an hour in a day. Magic could be replenished when one ate and rested, but it was a slow process. So, people used objects motivated by external weaves, powered by stones to compensate for their lack in personal magic. These devices were called Mani. They still required a mind to give intent to a weave, but helped by supplying the power and the weave.

Lear provided custom made Mani as per requirement, other than being a large exporter of Power stones.

Lear was also the place that treasure hunters and Warriors gathered, before they stepped into the Kali desert to Hunt for treasures or train themselves.

Verdigris owned one of the many workshops that littered Lear. They mostly repaired broken or faulty machinery powered by Mani. Verdigris could create custom made Mani and repair faulty weaves or damaged weaves on the Mani. He was at the peak of his second awakening. Though he had not reached the third awakening that one needed, to create personal weaves, his sensitivity was enough to work with Mani. His greatest frustration was not being able to reach the third awakening even after fifteen years of struggle. He had come to this god forsaken land to train in the desert and reach the third awakening, but even after fifteen years he still had not managed it. He still prided himself on the fact that he was among the few in Lear who was sensitive enough to create Mani.

Long before she accidentally left Avani, Chira had realized that her mother would not be coming back to get her. She had never been close or dependent on her mother, and was quite aware of the distance Vida kept with her. Perhaps her own mother believed that she was a spirit of ill luck, and a magical dud. But she worked hard so that she could cover her debt quickly and return to Avani, the only place she knew. After all familiarity breeds content, and she was still hopeful that her mother might have a change of heart and come to get her.

She was bright and a quick learner. What she lacked in strength and magic, she made up for in nimbleness of fingers required to manipulate delicate parts of machinery. Lear grew on her and here she found a place. The people in the workshop were veteran miners, old and rough but who made space for her. Her lack of magical talent more than made for her nimble fingers. Her chaotic eyes could see problems were their old and experienced eyes could not. She was cheerful and tolerated their mood swings and eccentricities with great diplomacy. Gradually she had a change of heart. She realized that she did not want to go back to Avani and her old life. Besides her mother had given her the weave tattoo on her forehead. If Vida wanted to find Chira she would not have a problem.

She requested Verdigris to let her stay on. Verdigris on his part found it advantageous to have a worker in his side who accepted minimum wages to work for a slave driver like him. When the people of the orphanage came after six months to collect Chira, Verdigris requested guardianship of the child, and the Orphanage accepted for a small bribe. Besides the clan found no use for a child without magic or talent.

Chira became an apprentice to Verdigris. She was a quick student and within a year became knowledgeable about all the machinery that came in to the workshop. She was often called to help out with the more delicate and detailed works that old shaking hands of the other workers could not handle. But what eluded her was weaving…. artificial weaves and creating of Mani. She could put a machine together, but she could not add or repair the magic that it needed.

Verdigris was stingy with both money and knowledge. He created custom Mani in his den where no one was allowed. In the small corner that was Lear, were few could create or manipulate artificial weaves, his value depended on is unique knowledge of creating and repairing Mani. He did now want to lose this advantage. Fifteen years of stunted growth in his personal magic and frustration added to his miserly character.

At first, he was cautious with Chira. Once he found that she had no magic talent, and could not manipulate simple magic, let alone the delicate weaves, he let her prepare the base on which the unique Mani weave was laid along with the power stone. The parts that did not require the use of magic. Slowly and begrudgingly he admitted. If only to himself, very very rarely, that she was a fast learner and her unique eyes was a resource to him.

The metallic base for the Mani had to be forged separately and carefully. The recipe for the metallic base itself was unique for different weaves, and different power stones. It was a closely guarded secret by Verdigris. But he let Chira pour the mold and temper the metal, when he realized that she could judge the recipes based on his weave drawings. Chira was a quick and quite learner, and Verdigris without knowing became more dependent on her. She in turn studied a lot about artificial weaves, Mani, forging bases for different metal recipes and Power stones.

She grew like a weed in spring, hardy and resilient. That was until she was close to her twelfth birthday. One day the weave on her forehead hurt like a bruise, and her paternal uncle and a monk from Andon came to Lear.