Gods & Thieves

8. Carrot and Stick (1)

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The next morning, I wake up to the sound of hurried footsteps rapping back and forth against the floor in the common room. Curious, I peek out of my room and find myself face to face with Yaling brushing the pink tips of her hair on her way to the front door.

"What's going on?" I ask, signing. I've practiced a little in front of the mirror, but I'm still not sure if I'm asking it right.

But Yaling seems to understand me. "We've got an exam to pass at the end of every week," she signs. "And I'm late. You're coming?"

Her question wrings the last of my sleepiness out of my mind, arousing alarm instead. Is there an exam I'm supposed to pass? Already? Even if I omit the fact that I'm a schemer pretending to have abilities, isn't it too soon? Loretto said nothing about exams. But in my experience, ditching tests at school was always a bad idea; teachers grow angry and give you a task twice as difficult when you finally arrive--and you've to arrive sooner or later.

So I nod, quickly wash my face, and follow Yaling through Tik'al.

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We come to a workshop in a corner wing of the Grand Temple, the air is cool and comfortable here, but its window faces nothing but the blank wall of some small neighboring building, which makes it feel like you're standing in a tomb. And every table here is cluttered with ceramic pots, old reliefs, and bottles of power dyes.

Jaya and Valto are already here, frowning at some ceramic jars and dishes displayed on the table before them. "Didn't know you were coming, Elisey." Jaya blinks, saying and signing at the same time, noticing Yaling and me in the doorway. The gold in her hair glints brightly even in this shadowy room. "Are you good at the affinity with minerals?"

"No."

"Why am I not surprised?" Valto chuckles without even looking at me as he takes one of the pots and draws it closer to his eyes to examine the whitish streaks on its surface.

"What exactly are you doing?" I ask, ignoring him.

"We need to clean these," Yaling explains.

"That's your exam? It's..." Disappointing. I expected something like turning water into fire or glass into paper, but cleaning pottery, really? Astronomylessons at school had more magic to them than this.

The girls only shrug in response.

The next couple of hours is even more disappointing as I sit in the corner, watching the others trying to magically heat up some water to clean the white streaks off the ceramics, or summon a wind strong enough to dust it off, as Jaya suggests. Valto even tries to turn the green color of one of the dishes into white, to make the streaks less visible, but all he manages is dull bluish green--I've no idea how, he just stares at the dish for a long minute without blinking until his eyes water.

I myself don't even try. What can I do, right? No mentors seem to come here to check the process, so at least that's good. I can keep simply watching.

Two hours later, everyone gives up, and I end up rolling a thin bamboo stick, that was probably used to mix dyes once, between my fingers just to occupy my hands, and talking to Yaling, whose quick hands explain to me the difference between declarative and interrogative sentences in sign language.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Valto and Jaya still trying to succeed with the task, though now it rather looks like Valto hitting on Jaya.

"For a thousandth time, Valto, piss off!" Jaya says in reply to something Valto attempts to whisper in her ear. "I told you I've a girlfriend."