The Nine Bishops

Mika woke with a blaring headache. She felt the blood rush out of her head as she sat up. She had never felt so awful in her life. She dropped back into her pillow and tried to go back to sleep, hoping the pain would dissipate. All she could do was lie there, feeling the heavy weight on her forehead for what seemed like an eternity.

Frustrated that she was unable to escape into sleep, she got out of bed, wondering what time it was and how long she’d been out. She had no memory of how she’d gotten back to her room and, because her room was windowless. She had no certainty of the time. Out of habit, she gathered all her clothes together in her bag and crept out into the guild’s silent hall.

The only sound came from Mika’s belly, which growled loudly. Since she’d gorged herself with food and drink the night before, Mika figured her hunger indicated it was well past morning. She was shocked to find the guild house a mess. Things were out of place and the floor was sticky under her feet. After finding no sign of life in all the common areas, she realized that the guild members were still off sleeping away their hangovers.

At last she heard a sound: pots being clanked around. Mika made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find Tink there, but was disappointed to see that it was Manard. He stood with his back turned to Mika, reaching into the cabinets for cooking equipment. As he started to turn around, Mika, still terrified of him, left the kitchen quickly before he noticed her presence. Mika was out of the guild house in the blink of an eye, having decided it was better to find another place to eat than be alone in Manard’s company.

She burst through the double doors into blinding light, the sun shining directly overhead. Already midday! Mika had wasted so much of the day. Now, she wasn’t sure what was worse: how badly her stomach craved food, or how badly the sunlight hurt her head. Either way, she was not going to return to the guild house for a good while.

Luckily, Mika had her map with her. She’d already planned to visit Zaya today, so she hoped she was not too late in seeking her out. Howling Moon, according to the map, was also on the coastline, however it was on the opposite side of the city. The prospect of walking along the shore and through the harbor area made her excited and a little nervous.

The last time she had walked near the water, she had nearly drowned. On the other hand, she longed to see the harbor and the ships. She was careful to read all the warning signs she passed on her way to Howling Moon. The walk took her more than an hour, which gave her plenty of time to reflect on last night’s events.

When Mika had been invited to join the revelry the previous night, she was nervous. It was her first time drinking. While alcohol was a commodity that both Filth and mages enjoyed, Mika had always been wary of it. Sam and Bella never drank, and they always warned Mika about the destructiveness of alcohol. She experienced that firsthand from Jackal in her former circus days. He was always more cruel and loose with his words when he was intoxicated. For that reason alone, Mika loathed alcohol.

At first Mika was reluctant to drink. But the peer pressure from her new guildmates encouraged her, and Mika did not want be excluded from her own celebration festivities. Not long after her first couple of sips she began to feel more relaxed. No one forced her to drink, but Tink made sure her cup was always full. Mika took that as a sign that she should keep drinking, which she did. She did not enjoy all of the beverages, but she found a liking for the mead. She was realizing now that she had one too many, however, since she had an excruciating headache and most of the night was a blur in her memories.

But she could remember some of the things about her fellow guild members. Doc, for example, was an engaging conversationalist who spoke so eloquently that Mika thought him a genius. She found she could talk with him about any academic topic, and he seemed to have a wealth of knowledge about everything.

She learned that Doc had joined the guild at the same time as Master Beng and Roxanne, and acted as the guild’s medic. He did not reveal to Mika the extent of his magical prowess, but he did demonstrate that he could freeze an object in motion by jokingly throwing a bun at Roxanne, stopping it right before it hit her in the face. From the fun atmosphere among them, it was clear to Mika that they were all great friends.

When Mika asked about Master Beng, Doc just laughed and said that he had a lot of history, whereupon Roxanne jumped in and changed the subject.

All the while, Pudge continued eating, duplicating each dish as he went, to enjoy it twice over. Tink was too busy running food, drink, and tableware to the dining room to partake in the festivities.

The man of mystery, Manard, had taken his leave immediately after the opening ceremony, carrying his plate to his room. Mika asked Roxanne what Manard’s trouble was, but Roxanne said little. “Don’t mind him too much,” she told her. “He’s not as fierce as he looks. In fact, if anything, he’s probably the kindest member of the guild.”

Mika worried about the number of secrets the guild members seemed to be keeping from her and wondered if she’d ever learn the truth about their histories. She wanted to know why they had joined the War Eagles, how powerful their magic was, what their goals were, and more. Each one of them piqued her interest in some way, and she wanted to know more about their experiences.

***

While reflecting on all this, Mika had covered a lot of distance to Howling Moon. She was already walking through the harbor area, where hundreds of people saturated the streets. She had to stop thinking and concentrate on where she was stepping, simply to avoid crashing into someone. She couldn’t distinguish Filth from mages, and people were hurrying every which way.

The harbor was a place where people and their goods were constantly on the move. There were no caravans in Monsoon, only ships. People either traveled the city internally on foot or via canal boat, or externally by seagoing ship. The ships were a marvelous sight, some small and meant for a few passengers, others mountainous enough to carry major cargo or thousands of passengers. Mika’s favorite was one of the largest, with a mainsail that practically painted the sky.

Lost in the moment, Mika eventually made her way out of the harbor district. A kilometer away, she could still hear the bustling harbor activity. Soon after, Mika spotted the Howling Moon guild house. Like every building in Monsoon, it had its own unique character. It was made up of stacks of massive black stone that gave the effect of a wolf den, in keeping with the guild’s mascot. It was almost hard to believe that people lived in it.

The entrance was plain compared to the rest of the structure: a large set of wooden doors, just like the War Eagles’ house, was the only indication that the building was inhabited. Instead of an eagle’s head, the knocker was a wolf’s head. Mika knocked, and almost immediately a redheaded woman of about forty answered the door.

“How can I help you, ma’am?” she asked.

“Umm, I was wondering if Zaya was around?” Mika asked.

“And who is the person asking, ma’am?” she asked, her face emotionless.

“Me?” Mika responded, suddenly unsure of herself.

“Your name, ma’am,” the redheaded woman asked with a sigh, now annoyed.

“Mika.”

“Just a moment, please,” the redheaded woman said, closing the door behind her.

Mika waited for a long while, standing at the door awkwardly until she decided she was wasting her time. She was turning to leave when the door opened behind her.

“Mika!” Zaya exclaimed. “I’m surprised to see you! You caught me just as I was heading out. I’m about to go into town to get some food. I just woke up, actually. You want to come along?”

“That’s actually why I came to see you. I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Mika said, laughing. “Do you know of any good places around here?”

“Of course. I hope you like kolaches. They’re the best hangover cure!” Zaya said, though Mika hadn’t said a thing about her current state.

“Who says I’m hung over?” she asked, with a sly grin.

“I can see it all over your face,” Zaya chuckled. “But I’m hung over too, so what a perfect coincidence.”

The two walked for about fifteen minutes, Mika telling Zaya about her induction and both laughing at their shared suffering this morning. When they got to their destination, Albert’s Bakery, Mika realized to her dismay that she hadn’t brought any of her coin. Zaya saved her from embarrassment by announcing: “You can have anything you want. It’ll be my treat, considering we are celebrating your recent induction.”

When they entered the place it was small, but an aromatic sensation. It turned out that a kolache is just a small pastry stuffed with some combination of meats and vegetables, freshly baked with an appetizing smell. Mika ordered exactly what Zaya chose, and the two made off with half a dozen kolaches each.

Zaya suggested they go to a local park to lounge in the shade. Mika liked the sound of that. As they talked, ate and laughed in the shade of a big tree, the two of them lost all track of time. While Mika remained guarded about revealing anything of her past, which was easy because there was a seemingly endless supply in Monsoon to keep the conversation going. Eventually, stomachs full and heads beginning to ease, they stretched out on the grass and dozed.

They were startled awake by a loud horn. The sun was already setting. “I can’t believe I almost forgot!” Zaya said, in a momentary panic. “Let’s go! We can’t miss the start of the selection,” she said, as if Mika would know what she was talking about.

Mika, still groggy, asked, “What are you going on about, Zaya?”

“The start of the Selection of Sixteen is tonight,” Zaya said, pulling Mika’s hand to get her up.

“The selection of what?”

“You know, the selection of the candidates to be the next Bishop!”

Mika didn’t need to hear any more than that. Leaping to her feet, she pursued Zaya, who was already running toward the heart of Monsoon.