Second Skin Omnibus by M Damon Baker

Author:M Damon Baker [Baker, M Damon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781687161086
Publisher: M Damon Baker
Published: 2020-04-10T22:00:00+00:00

13

Just as we thought, the next day was a hectic affair with nearly everyone in the valley taking time to seek out Tási and Venna to see the new Artifacts for themselves. Between the interruptions and the loss of time due to people leaving their worksites, almost every project we had underway ground to a halt for the day—but I didn’t let the delay bother me. This was exactly what my people needed to see, and I wanted to make them feel as connected as possible to us; to make sure that they knew that the gifts we were given were theirs as well.

The new Artifacts’ impact on morale was far greater than I anticipated. While the gifts I had received assured my citizens that what we were doing had received the blessing of the Gods, these new gifts, bestowed not on me, but on my companions, made them understand without a doubt that the Gods’ approval extended well beyond me and my individual actions. They came to believe, as I had hoped, that they were all part of something that was bigger than any individual, regardless of whether that individual happened to be a Sintári or not. The obvious evidence that they were taking part in a momentous undertaking, and were not merely someone’s pawns, became undeniable and the change in mood was incredible.

Every person in the valley had already sworn their allegiance to me, and each one of them had seen me in my own God-forged gear, but once they’d seen my companions in that same equipment, it was as if they found a new level of dedication to our cause. Things had already been going very well, but after that first day, everyone dove into their jobs with a near cult-like devotion. After a few days, I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with just how zealous everyone had become when Venna seemed to pick up on my concern.

“It will fade, Dreya,” she said as we walked together past Hilgreth’s forge.

“What?”

“Their fervor—it will fade,” she repeated for me. “I’ve seen the concern in your eyes. You’re uneasy; you think it’s too much. It probably is, but it will fade in time once they get used to things.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I have seen it before,” Venna replied wistfully. “The newly converted often pursue their religion with a certain zeal that can be unsettling. And while this is somewhat different, I think the same thing will happen. After a while, things will return to normal again.”

“I hope you’re right,” I replied sincerely as we slowly wandered away from forge.

Stel and Khorim had left the day before on their joint recruiting mission, so I had spent all day with Venna. She was a wreck the entire time Stel had been away on his previous trading excursion, and I wanted to keep her distracted as much as possible. So, we made the rounds together, checking in on all the various projects in the valley and along our outer fortifications while Tási tended to the infirmary for her.

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