FOURTEEN
The long days of summer were fading and giving way to the cooler, shorter days of fall, and with them came renewed urgency. Sturdier shelters and food stores became our focus. The weight of our duty to protect the people who'd followed us to the Black Mountains, as we'd taken to calling the mesas, kept us awake most nights. Each newcomer to our little slice of paradise intensified that restlessness.
They came from the furthest reaches of Monari, following the Mothers' dream. Many were women, their families in tow, eager to seek tutelage in their new elemental powers. We took our time to greet them, offering food and friendship; then the work of finding lodgings and assigning duties began. We expected everyone to contribute to building our new home, and so far, they all seemed ex
