Minnow
A SILENT DROP OF OCEAN

The idea of a god, an actual god – even if it wasn’t one that she personally worshipped in the swamp – had helped her out despite his own busy schedule, warmed Minnow further to this world. Sure, Thoth seemed less keen on him, and perhaps it wasn’t an everyday occurrence that the gods helped people out here, but Minnow was both flattered and floored all the same. She swallowed the goofy grin and tried to will away the crimson from her cheeks before Thoth caught her like that. If he didn’t really like Mallos, she didn’t want his tail in a knot over the fact that she did.

The magic saved her, and the look on the boy’s face at Minnow’s surprise let the ker safely grin again, though more in awe and delight at the figurine. She stroked the head of the ice, and then the life-size version as the boy counted. Minnow frowned as he kept going. It didn’t take that long to count to three. She stared at him when he gave his number, mouth open and eyes wide, feet frozen in place rather than continuing to walk along. “No way.”

“There’s no way you have eleven,” she laughed lightheartedly. “You must be a god too then? Or does everyone have lots of magic but have normal animals instead of ker?” Minnow’s feet had caught up, and now she was in front of the boy, walking backward on an occupied road she wasn’t familiar with. Still full of excitement that was now mixing with curiosity, her expression was the look of a child who had just found a love of learning. “We don’t have powers on Xara. Most of us anyway. Well, ker don’t.”

She had started to ramble, ice figure still in her warm hand as she tripped onto her backside and chuckled. She wiped the dirt from the seat of her canvas skirt and stood back up again. “So, does that mean your… familiars? They don’t have magic or elements?” she asked, slowly numbing herself to the feeling that everyone around her was as big a threat as a wild aja if they wanted to be, especially the boy with whom she was walking this horse home with. The awe of the changing weather, especially if it wasn’t always controllable, was both from being impressed and being intimidated.

Then it hit her with some relief. “So that place back there. They weren’t selling people stolen familiars. Because not all familiars are aj- horses. Those were just animals? Right?”