[Sedna]

Thou didst create the night, but I made the lamp.

Thou didst create the clay, but I made the cup.

Thou didst create the deserts, mountains and forests,

I produced the orchards, gardens and groves.

It is I who made glass out of stone,

And it is I who turn poison into antidote.


- Saint Iqbal Muhammad

Esclave

There is nothing like the sun at sea, soaking into the rough wooden boards. I trail my fingers in the bright blue water and dream:

Wic is having dinner with the corruptor, lord of hell. They have a lengthy contract between them, and in between bites of kitten, they point with bloody fingers at various subsections and sub-subsections. Wic's thrust is that his death in battle represents a failure of his life-long protection, rendering the contract void, while the devil argues that the contract only guarantees life-long protection, and so Wic's death was automatically coincident with with fulfillment of said contract. The two seem to be enjoying themselves.

Such strange dreams come less frequently now, as those horrors drift away. Life of the sea agrees with me. I have much time to think and to write down the events of the past five years. We'll bring this story along with the rest of the scripture to the new lands across the sea, along with various relics from Marignon. But the most important thing in this boat is what is not here: a single member of the inquisition. What would have been the point escaping from that land of madness and thence across the ocean if we were just going to spread the old fears and hatreds? Besides, not one inquisitor survived the final desperate months of fighting. We go to the new world, not as conquerors of the sea, but as humble pilgrims. We have much to learn, and much to share with those who will listen. I'm sure everything will work out this time.

We last saw the sun set on Inland months ago. Our navigator points to the high-flying gulls and tells us once again that new lands are just a few more days off. I am patient and calm. I can wait a little longer to see the sun rise over new horizons and to see the moon reflected in unknown coves.