I live on through them. Though I have faded, forgotten, into the deep and dark places of the earth, I live on through them. They are my future … my promise …

“One, two, three!” A burst of giggling broke the silence of the golden afternoon, and then came the thump of four feet as two boys landed on the paved pathway.

Laughing, they stood up straight and looked toward their companion, a girl of their age, who, with arms crossed, was regarding them critically. “I don't know. A tie,” she said.

“What! A tie? I definitely jumped higher than he did!” cried the shorter of the two boys, narrowing his topaz eyes in frustration. He flicked his light brown hair from his eyes and pivoted on his heel, climbing right back up onto the bench from which he'd just leapt.

“You can't have,” the other boy challenged. Instead of following his friend, he lifted his chin and sniffed in an arrogant sort of way. “My legs are longer. You can't have jumped higher. It's impossible.”

“I don't like this game.” The judge unfolded her arms and sighed, turning from her friends and starting off along the path, her blonde braid swaying as she walked, hanging well past her waist. She trailed her fingers along the blooms that dotted the tall hedge lining the path, and each one bowed its head beneath her touch and sprang back as she moved away.

“Wait! Mhera, you can't just leave. We need a judge.” The shorter boy loped along the path after her until he caught up, then slowed his pace, reaching over to tug on her braid. He grinned in response to her irritated glance, a lopsided, dimpled sort of grin. “Come on.”

“She can judge you,” the other child said from afar. “I'm going home. It's late; my mother is going to have it out on me.”

“See you at the Tower tomorrow, Miyei,” Mhera called after him; he turned and went in the opposite direction. Flinching as her companion pulled her braid again, she stopped and tugged it from his hands. “Koreti! Stop!”

“I'm only teasing you, Mhera. You needn't get so upset! Goodness. Why are you so mean today? Are you mad at me or something?”

“I'm not mad at you.” Smoothing her hands over the white skirt of her school uniform, she began to walk again. “It just isn't a fun game, watching you two jump off a bench and get your trousers all torn up. Your mothers will be upset with you, you know.”

“My mother prob'ly won't even notice. She's always at the Temple working. And so's my father. That's what I get for having priests for parents, isn't it? You're lucky, Mhera. You are. At least your mom's around.”

Mhera looked at Koreti, pressing her lips together, and then let her pale gray gaze fall to the path in front of them. “Mm,” she replied quietly. She was silent for a while, and then murmured, “You're the lucky one.”

“What? Why?”

The two children stopped, and after a moment they sat down, nearly at the same moment, on another of the stone benches lining the long paved path that winded its way through the vast gardens of the Holy City. It was a wonderful place to play, easy to get lost in – and a wonderful place for private conversations, for some areas were quiet and secluded thanks to tall, neatly-trimmed hedges. Mhera reached out to brush the soft petals of a flower with her fingertip, delaying her response.

“Why, Mhera? Come on. You seem so sad today. And mad. You aren't acting normal.”

“I asked my mother about my father last night,” the girl finally said. Her voice was soft, hushed with emotion. “I just wanted to know.”

“Oh. What did she say?”

“Not very much. Not even his name. I asked why I go to the Tower if I'm only human. She said that she's human, but my father was of the Blood. I … I asked her why she won't tell me who he is, and she said she can't because – because he doesn't know about me, because h-he doesn't want to see her any more. Because it will ruin his life if anyone finds out.” The girl bit her lip, closing her eyes, trying to get a hold on herself. “Why doesn't he know about me? I should have a father, like you, who loves me and gets angry with me and tells me to straighten my room, but I don't, and he doesn't even know who I am. And – a-and if he found out, he'd hate me because it would ruin his life.”

The children were too young to fully understand, to speculate on the whys and hows. Mhera could only feel the pain of being unknown and the weight of people's judgments. Koreti could only try to grasp why it was hurting her so much. He hesitated, then awkwardly put his arms around her.

“Don't cry, Mhera. It isn't so bad.” But at his words, Mhera did start to cry. A sob escaped, and she buried her face against his chest and just let the tears flow, grasping his shirt.

Their pain is my pain.

“I can't help it. You don't know what it's like, Kore. Being such a burden that he can't even know about me. I only want to know who he is. I want to know who to give my love to. I love my mother. But I have love in me for a father, too, and I don't have anyone – I just – and it's so strange, c-coming home to her, and she doesn't know anything about the Tower. She never went to school there, or went through the Branching. She's just a laundress, and one day – e-everyone expects me to be something m-more. What if I can't? What if I have to leave her behind? I would rather wash clothes forever.”

“You won't have to leave her behind, Mhera. Lots of students at the Tower are mixed-blood. You know that very well. You're just upset. I'm mixed-blood. My ears aren't even a little bit pointed, just the same as yours. And Miyei, he's pure-blooded, and he's still friends with you. Do you think he would be if it were such a big deal? It's not as bad as you think it is. Don't cry. Please don't cry.”

“I'm just scared. I'm just sad. I'm sorry.” She drew a deep breath, wiping her cheeks on her wrist, and sat up. Kore released his hold on her and smiled, though his expression was more worried than anything. She blinked at him, then laughed and shook her head. “Don't look like that.”

“I don't like it when my friends are sad. And scared. What are you scared of, anyway? I don't understand. Here.” Kore produced a square of cloth from a pocket and gave it to Mhera; she accepted it wordlessly and wiped her cheeks properly.

“Just … of what will happen. What if I am not good at anything? What if, when the Branching comes, there's nothing there for me to move forward on? They'll relegate me to some worthless position somewhere, and I'll spend my life doing the same thing, and all my dreams will die.”

Koreti put his hand to his mouth, but he couldn't hold back his laugh. At the wounded offense on Mhera's face, he shook his head helplessly. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Come on, though. Seriously? Mhera, you're way smarter than I am. You're going to do something great with your life. Really. You're one of the top in our class, and for being half-human, that's excellent. The elders will think of that when the Branching comes. I think you worry too much.”

Without warning, Kore grabbed Mhera's hand and yanked her off of the bench. She gasped and stumbled as she followed him, bewildered. “Where are we going?”

“To get some sweets. That will cheer you up. My father gave me a coin this morning and I haven't even spent it yet. Hurry up – the vendors will close soon!”