While Coraadrin and Colthan remained in the Fillian Desert with Tilsitar, Coraadrin treated Tilsitar’s wounds, both physical and mental, every morning and every evening. Coraadrin’s work did not require the assistance of Colthan, so each day in the morning Colthan would leave Tilsitar’s compound and walk through the desert. As he walked, he would speak with the spirits of the sands who called the shifting sands their home, inviting them to come visit him outside of Tilsitar’s compound. Many did come and visit him in the cool evenings, where they would share tales of their travels together. When Coraadrin completed her care for Tilsitar, she too would come sit outside the compound and speak with the sand spirits. For while the sand spirits call the Fillian Desert home, they often take great journeys, carried by wind or water or clinging to the feet of some creature.When Coraadrin completed her care for Tilsitar, she too would come sit outside the compound and speak with the sand spirits. Chief among the sand spirits who came often to visit was Welseer, soft spoken and thoughtful. When Welseer came, many other sand spirits would come to hear him speak, for he was among the most well traveled of all the spirits and greatly respected by those who called the desert home. Over time, as Colthan grew in friendship with Welseer, he shared why the compound had been built in the desert, who Tilsitar was, and why she was not permitted to leave her prison. They often walked together during the day. During these times, Colthan would often speak of his grief for his brother Milyos and Welseer would listen and comfort him.
On an evening when Welseer was visiting, Coraadrin came out after completing her work. Her face was worried as she approached Colthan, Welseer, and the spirits that sat listening to them speak. Seeing her approach, Colthan went over to her, for he could see some matter bothered her greatly.
“You seem troubled, my love. How is your patient?”
“She is well,” replied Coraadrin, pensively. “Her physical wounds have healed as well as anyone could ever hope. She has found some measure of peace in laboring at her craft. She has turned to crafting fine works of silver and gold, rather than large works of iron or steel. Her mind may never be truly whole, but she has greatly recovered without the presence of Kilomond.”
“That does bode well,” said Colthan. “But still you are troubled.”
“Yes, I fear for Tilsitar,” said Coraadrin. “We cannot stay here forever. We must go back to the world and continue teaching eventually. But I fear that if we leave Tilsitar here alone, her fragile mind will fray and she will go mad… even if we visit her regularly, as we had planned, I don’t know if that would be enough.”
“I see,” said Colthan. He paused for a moment looking back over his shoulder to where Welseer and the other sand spirits spoke with each other. “Perhaps the solution is here already. Ikata and Myliayar placed no stipulation on visitors to Tilsitar’s prison. I suspect that they both thought that the sand spirits would simply have no interest in whatever was within the compound.”
“Perhaps,” said Coraadrin thoughtfully. “If we stay awhile and help them become friends, that indeed may work. I am going to retire for the night for I am weary from treating Tilsitar.”
“Very well. I will speak with Welseer when the other spirits leave,” replied Colthan. “I think he will be willing to help and he may know others who would aid as well.”
When Colthan returned to the gathering of spirits, Welseer greeted him.
“Is your wife not going to join us?” he asked Colthan.
“No,” He replied, “She has gone to rest. Her work was demanding today.”
“I see,” replied Welseer. “Then come listen to the tales that are to be shared tonight.”
So Colthan sat with Welseer and listened to a young spirit tell of his journey east across the desert to visit his kin who had settled on a great beach on the coast beyond the Palas Mountains. On his journey, he passed through a mighty dwarven city, passing from cart to cart in their mines. He then told of how at the heart of the city the dwarves had arrayed a great mosaic of their history. But rather than using stone or ceramic, each tile of the mosaic was a perfectly cut gem stone, beautiful and pure. So wondrous was the mural, that the young spirit had sat before it for twenty nights before moving on and continuing his journey.
When the young spirit completed his tale, the gathered sand spirits began to go their separate ways. Welseer stood from where he was seated next to Colthan.
“Well, I shall take my leave,” said Welseer.
Colthan stood quickly, before Welseer took even two steps away.
“Please wait,” he said. “There is something I wish to speak to you about.”
Confusion shifted across Welseer’s face.
“Very well,” replied Welseer, turning to face Colthan. “If it cannot wait till tomorrow very well.”
“Thank you, Welseer,” said Colthan. “You have seen Coraadrin’s faithful work. How she has labored caring for Tilsitar. It has taken us a great effort to restore her body, and a much greater labor to bring her some rest and peace in her mind.”
“Aye, I have seen the great care your wife has taken in her task,” responded Welseer. “This is not new to me. Surely there is something else bothering you if you seek me out after all my kinsfolk have gone home.”
“Well yes.” Nervousness spread across Colthan’s face as he clasped behind his back. “We have always been forthcoming that our dwelling here was temporary, that we would only stay until Tilsitar was healed in mind and body well enough that she could be alone.”
“Aye, you have always been honest about this,” came the reply of the sand spirit.
“Here is the crux of the matter. Coraadrin has nearly done everything she is able to do for Tilsitar. But she is afraid, Welseer. Afraid that if we leave, if we return to our mission of spreading the healing arts and Tilsitar is left alone, all the work that Coraadrin has done, the progress that Tilsitar has made in her recovery will erode away. I fear that she would fall into madness and darkness.”
“And you think that she would be a threat to us if that came to pass?” asked Welseer. His face showed only curiosity. No fear or worry could be found on it.
“What?” surprise raced across Colthan’s face, before breaking out in laughter. “No, No. That is not it at all! If she were a threat to you we would have told you sooner. The spells Ikata placed on her compound bound Tilsitar to that place. She cannot leave there.”
Welseer nodded quietly as Colthan continued.
“No, she is not a threat to you or your people… But Coraadrin and I, we made Tilsitar a promise. We promised her that we would show her a better way. And we have, but if we leave…”
“You feel as though you would break your promise to her,” finished Welseer.
“Yes. We would leave her alone and she would be trapped with only herself.” Colthan met Welseer’s gaze, a pained grimace on his face. “She would be free of the demons that haunt her, but she would be alone. That is not what we promised her.”
Silence filled the desert night. Starlight lit the canyon as the two stood looking at one another. Welseer stepped towards Colthan, placing his right hand on god’s shoulder.
“My friend,” Welseer said, firmly grasping Colthan, “what would you have me do?”
A joyous smile spread across Colthan’s face.
“Would you be willing to visit her? Perhaps find some other spirits who would be willing to do the same?” asked Colthan. “Coraadrin and I will visit her whenever we come to this part of the world, but that will not be enough by itself.”
Welseer contemplated Colthan’s words for a moment. “I will speak with some of the other spirits tomorrow. We will have our meeting inside the compound. Tilsitar shall come. We shall do this for a month, while you are still here. If we are able to build friendships with her, we will continue to meet with her. If not… Well, we shall hope we do not have to face what may come if we can not.”
“Thank you!” Colthan embraced Welseer as he spoke. “I look forward to our gathering tomorrow.”
The next night they began meeting within the compound. Tilsitar sat among them, though she said little for she had few stories of traveling the earth, and none that did not involve violence and destruction. Several meetings passed in this fashion, but soon some of the more curious sand spirits, some of whom were artisans themselves and practiced the great sand spirit traditions of sculpting and shaping of stone, began to ask questions about Tilsitar’s craft and her equipment within the compound. She answered them gladly and soon, several sand spirits began to visit the bellows women during the day when her hammer could be heard ringing out from the compound, watching and learning from Tilsitar. Thus when the month had passed, it was agreed that the sand spirits would continue their visits.
Now, at the end of the month it was also determined that Colthan and Coraadrin ought to head back to their wandering of the earth so they could again teach mortals of healing and medicine. As the couple made preparations to depart, Tilsitar came to Colthan as he was standing just inside the gate of the compound.
“My lord,” she said tentatively. She held in her hands a large object wrapped in cloth. Metal polls protruded from each end of the cloth wrap. “May I speak to you?”
Colthan set down his pack that he had been preparing. “Of course, Tilsitar. And you know you do not need to address me as ‘my lord’”
“I know…” Tilsitar’s head was bowed so her eyes did not meet Colthan’s.
Seeing her fear and shame, Colthan sought to encourage her to still speak of whatever matter she had on her mind. “What can I do for you?” asked Colthan.
The bellows women hesitated for a moment, then began to speak.
“I…” she looked aside, still holding the cloth wrapped object before her. “I have a question for you.”
“Very well.” Colthan smiled as he replied. “Please. Ask.”
“You have now sat with me, spoken with me, listened to stories with me every night now for a month. If circumstances were different I would count you a friend,” began Tilsitar, “The sand spirits tell me that you were the one who approached Welseer on my behalf. That you ensured I would not be alone between your visits.”
Tilsitar paused. Grief writ across her face. Her voice broke as she began to speak again.
“But.. But I do not understand why you would do such a thing. I slew your brother. Why have you done these things for me? Where is your grief? Your rage? Your vengeance?”
Tears slid down her face as she completed her question. Colthan stepped toward Tilsitar, who shied away from him as though expecting a blow. But it did not come. Rather Colthan took the object she had brought and set it aside so he could take Tilsitar’s hands in his own.
“It is not that I do not grieve for Milyos,” said Colthan, “I do. And I will continue to grieve for him. The world is less wondrous without his creativity, his beauty in it. And there is anger as well. In quiet private moments I let them fill me. I feel them truly then… But vengeance… What would I gain from vengeance? Proof of my own strength? I know I am strong. I am the god who welcomes all. Perhaps, your great hammer, Lidia-adon? I don’t know how to use it. It would be useless to me.”
Squeezing his hands, Tilsitar looked at Colthan, before speaking. “But you have been good to me! Kind to me! You owe me nothing!”
“Perhaps not,” A heavy sigh came from Colthan as he spoke. He let go of Tilsitar’s hands, lowering himself to the ground next to her. “But we promised that we would show you another way.”
The two sat quietly in the shade of the gate. A cool breeze passed through the opening, its gentle sound comforting to the bellows women. When some time had passed, Colthan looked over to the object that Tilsitar had brought with her.
“What is it you have brought with you,” asked Colthan.
Tilstar looked to where Colthan had set the cloth wrapped item. Slowly she reached out and took the object in her hands.
“I cannot show you under the gate,” she said, “but I made it for you and your wife.”
She stood and walked back into the courtyard of the compound. Colthan stood in the gate watching as Tilsitar unwound the cloth, which shimmered in the heat of the sun. When she had completely unspooled the cloth, the four metal polls could be seen clearly. Tilsitar thrust each poll into the ground so that the cloth, anchored firmly to each poll, stretched between them. She spoke to the fabric, commanding it to take shape. The fabric became stiff taking the shape of a tent, with a high roof so that anyone who passed into it could stand within. Once it was erected, Tilsitar turned to Colthan, whose eyes were wide with wonder.
“This is beautiful, Tilsitar!” Colthan approached the tent, opening its flap, to see the inside.
“It is the best I could make,” said Tilsitar, “Fashioning metal into fabric is no simple thing and enchanting it to take shape with a word took a great deal more time than I anticipated. But it is light and easy to carry. You will be able to wear it across your back as you travel.”
“Increadible,” replied Colthan, “There is so much space inside. More than enough for me and Coraadrin.”
“Yes.” Tilsitar gestured to the wide floor. “I have always heard you speak of healing those you encounter on your travels, as you did to me. I know that mortals are not as resilient as I. I could be exposed to the elements of the world and be unaffected. Now, you will always have a shelter you can offer them.”
Colthan turned in the tent looking around the interior. A bright smile filled his face. “Yes, those who need our care the most and those who have been cast out for their illnesses may stay here while they are healed.”
“I wish I was skilled in painting or stitching so that I could fill the walls with stories of your travels,” sighed the bellows woman. “But that is beyond me.”
Colthan laughed upon hearing this. “What you have done is more than enough!” he said. “We will make it our own. For you have given us a beautiful canvas. Come, we must show Coraadrin your gift.”
So Colthan and Tilsitar found Coraadrin and showed her the tent that would become their home. Tilsitar taught the couple the words to speak to raise and collapse the tent. They then completed their preparations to depart into the world once more.
Once they were ready to leave, Wilos met them at the gate of the compound. Coraadrin commended Tilsitar into his care. In the gate, they said their farewells to Tilsitar and set out on their wanderings. They wander all across the world, but whenever the couple come to the Fillian Desert, they return to visit Tilsitar in her compound and tell her of their travels and ensure that she is well.
