“Oh, Tristan? He’s quick to forgive.” Aloisia waved away his concerns.
“And you are not?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? Bearing gifts and such.”
“You are.” Inari popped a few more berries into his mouth. “What do you want?”
Aloisia had hoped she wouldn’t be so transparent, but subtlety had never been her strong suit. “I wanted to apologise for your wrist, though I see now it has not troubled you too much.”
“Apology accepted. And what else?”
“Can’t we be concerned about our new friend?” Kaja said. “If you are short on stores, you could always come to the guild. We’re only just beyond the forest, and I’m sure the others won’t mind.”
Aloisia resisted the urge to glare at her. As yet, she was still uncertain of how the other huntresses would react to his presence in the woods, never mind if he showed up at the guild unannounced.
“How kind of you to offer,” Inari said. “I will keep it in mind.”
“Was this hut already here?” Kaja asked.
Aloisia was grateful for her inane chatter. It certainly served as a buffer until she got around to asking her questions.
Inari shook his head. “I built it myself.”
“How clever!” Kaja grinned. “Are you a carpenter as well as a shaman?”
“Not exactly. Most of my people would learn from a young age how to work wood, whether carving beads or building homes.”
“Interesting.”
“Are your people no longer in need of a shaman, Inari?” Aloisia asked.
Inari ran a hand along his beard, shielding the lower portion of his face. “What makes you ask?”
“I just wonder why you would be here when they are not. Do they no longer require your services?”
He leant back against the hut, folding his arms across his broad chest, and looked between them. “Is there anything else?”
“Actually, yes.”
“Speak your mind,ro suda. You have thus far.”
Aloisia paused a moment. There were those words again:ro suda. What did they mean? What language were they? She shook her head, seeing no point in lingering on where he was from. It was clear he would not divulge such information yet.
She cleared her throat. “The Forgotten Gods. How would someone summon them? Could it be anyone?”
“You want my help?”
“Well, I brought you food.”
Inari breathed a laugh. “Since you have been sogracious, I shall entertain your questions. For now.”
“Can anyone summon them?”
“I do not know the specifics, but with any summoning, there is a ritual of some form. It involves magic in some regard, whether in words or actions. In theory, anyone who knows what they are doing with such things could do it. Magic is no gift; it is a skill. And, as with any skill, it can be learned.”
Aloisia chewed her lip. That didn’t narrow it down. “How would someone find out about such things?”
“I imagine there is something written somewhere about it. Your people dismissed magic. Someone orchestrated it. Depending on the cleanse they wanted, they may have destroyed the books containing this information, or they may have stored them somewhere secure. Otherwise, it could be passed down verbally as much of my people’s histories are.”
