we are not truly immortal

[dark_light]

After Glass's party is over with, Amariah and Kas go home.

Amariah fetches down their alethiometers.

"It's about time I took care of Alethia's afterlife, whatever it may be," she says quietly. "What can the alethiometer tell you about what I'll find?"

Comments

[pythbox]

"Better for you," one of them mutters.

"This one's ours," says another.

[dark_light]

"It hurts people," says Amariah. "How would you like it? You've probably dished out more hurt than anyone you've ever screamed at has."

[pythbox]

"Is that supposed to matter?" a harpy says scornfully.

[lifes_sake]

"Look," says Cam, "what would you guys want? If you could have anything?"

[pythbox]

"How about for you to go away and never come back," suggests one of the hostile ones. "I'd like that a lot."

"But they brought us something nice!" the dissenter argues. "Don't you remember? Wasn't it better?"

The others shuffle uncomfortably on their perches.

[lifes_sake]

"Thank you," Cam says to the iconoclast harpy. "What's your name?"

[pythbox]

"We don't have those," she says.

[lifes_sake]

"Would you like a name?"

[pythbox]

"...maybe," she says.

[lifes_sake]

"I'll come up with one for you if you like."

[pythbox]

"Names," another harpy mutters.

"Who needs names."

"Don't listen to these people."

"A name like what?" says the odd harpy out, hopping closer to the living people with a flutter of dark-feathered wings.

[lifes_sake]

"You can narrow it down some if you want, but if you want me to suggest something, how's 'Calliope'?"

[pythbox]

"Calliope," she says musingly. One of the other harpies lets out a disdainful snort.

[lifes_sake]

"I think it's a pretty name."

[pythbox]

"I think so too!" says Calliope, almost shyly. The other harpies shake their heads and mutter.

[lifes_sake]

"Do any of the rest of you want names?" Cam inquires.

[pythbox]

"Not a chance!" says one of the strident defenders of the old ways—the one who hit Calliope. The other three cluster around their proudly nameless comrade.

[lifes_sake]

"Okay," Cam says. "That's fine, either way. Calliope, what would you want, if you could have anything?" Cam inquires of the friendliest harpy.

[pythbox]

"I - I don't know," says Calliope, shaking her head. "I don't know what there is to have. I just know I want it. Something - something new. Something good."

[lifes_sake]

Cam tries adding her to the brainphone; this doesn't require a separate wish, and works. "Do you want to hear another story? Just you; the others don't seem interested. I can tell you privately by magic so they can ignore me like they seem to want."

[pythbox]

There is a rustling among the other harpies. "That's not fair!" exclaims one.

Calliope looks shining-eyed at Cam, and then casts a glance back at the rest of them.

"...I think... I think I'd rather you tell all of us," she says.

[lifes_sake]

"Well, if you all want to hear," says Cam, with a dubious look at the rest of the harpies. And he picks up where he left off, after the Wizard's Oath and making Grace out of his notebook archive, to learning the Speech, and meeting the trees and goats, and the way the friendly tree's name felt, and talking to Iggy, and the way the world went still when it revealed itself. He doesn't skimp on the details - especially the sensory tidbits, sprinkled on like sugar for the hungry harpies - but he speaks slowly, drawing out the sentences from end to end like stretching caramel, and he watches the effect on his audience.

[pythbox]

Calliope listens eagerly. The other ones pretend indefference at first, with varying success, but soon they are all drawn in.

[lifes_sake]

Cam pauses, before saying anything about how his confrontation with Iggy went.

"I hope we're not overstaying our welcome," he says. "I remember one of you wanted us to go away and leave you alone."

[pythbox]

The harpy who said that scowls and turns away.

"No, stay, stay," says Calliope. "Tell us what happened next!"