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“Peaceful, I expect.”
As we both consider this, Nenneh Kadeh walks over. I swiftly turn to her. “So, where do I find Mother?” I ask.
“In the Hall of the Gods,” the older woman says. Then she shakes her head. “But meeting her is not possible at this very moment, I’m afraid.”
I’m immediately on the alert. “What do you mean?”
“Your mother is godsworn not only to Sarla but also to Baduri, deity of hearth and home and keeper of Maiwuri’s temples.”
“But I thought ye could be godsworn to only one god.” Britta’s look of confusion as she walks closer mirrors my own. “I mean, it seemed that way from all the explanations.”
Nenneh Kadeh inclines her head. “That is the usual case. There are, however, exceptions….”
“Which occur only under the direst circumstances.” Lamin’s entire body is strained as he turns to Nenneh Kadeh. “Has something happened? Is something the matter with Deka’s mother?”
A thousand worries rush through my mind. Then Nenneh Kadeh shakes her head. “To my knowledge, it was a precaution, given Umu’s origins. Baduri can never leave the temple, which means their godsworn cannot either.”
“So she is a prisoner.” Rage fills me as I understand what she’s saying.
“More like an honored guest,” Nenneh Kadeh swiftly corrects. “One who chose her circumstances, as all godsworn do. So, as Umu cannot come to you, you must go to her.”
“Let’s go, then,” I say, striding onward, even though I have no idea where the temple is.
Nenneh Kadeh shakes her head again. “Unfortunately, I cannot take you at this very moment. The path to the Hall of the Gods opens only at certain times. The earliest you can see her is this evening.”
My rage builds. “Three months,” I say, advancing toward her threateningly. “Three months I’ve spent, racing across Otera, fighting all sorts of monsters, all so I can see my mother, and now you tell me I have to wait till evening?”
Nenneh Kadeh looks so miserable now, it’s as if she wants to melt away. She shakes her head. “My deepest apologies, Angoro Deka. I cannot control the pathways.”
“Well, you might not be able to,” I begin, “but I—”
“—find it perfectly understandable.” Keita hurries in front of me before I can finish my sentence, then nods at Nenneh Kadeh. “As do the rest of us. We understand and we will adjust.”
I whirl to him. “No, I—”
“Deka,” Keita says, swiftly cutting me off. “You may be healed, but you are hungry and exhausted and suffering from blood loss. And you are meeting new gods. Gods you have never seen before.” He lowers his voice pointedly as he says this. “Better to meet them when you are at your peak.”
“I am at my peak!”
“And what about the rest of us?”
When he glances at the others, I follow his gaze. That’s when I notice: my friends all look haggard and weary. The same sort of weariness I felt before the ebiki called to me. Even though they’re standing here, nodding me on, they all seem weighed down, by pure exhaustion.
Keita lowers his voice again. “We all need to be prepared for whatever we may find.”
Like Mother in captivity…I silently fill in the words he’s not saying out loud.
“Which means—”
“—we need rest.” I finish Keita’s sentence with a nod in the affirmative.
One of the very first principles we learned in the Warthu Bera: Take any opportunity you can to rest. You never know when you’ll need it.
“And food,” Li adds, ambling closer.
I have to clench my teeth. “I suppose a bite won’t hurt,” I say grudgingly.
“And a bath too?” Li seems hopeful.
