Chapter 14
Gamayun
Two weeks after Antomír was commanded not to use the Living Water, he woke to a morning with no wind. On a small island like Ghavan, where the sea winds never end, it meant a day of rest for the villagers. In past years, windless mornings were Antomír’s time to roam in nature. The storytellers sometimes sang about talking trees. Antomír knew that to be more than mere embellishment for fairy tales. He had heard the trees with his own ears.
But that was when Mama was well. Now, it was as if the trees were afraid to speak to him, lest their speech remind him of her love for all things that grow, nibble, gnaw, and chirp. Was the natural world already mourning for her loss?
Antomír left the house before Veles had a chance to check on him. The village was still asleep, but
