Everyone was gathered around the hearth, waiting for Paiokp to speak. But ey couldn’t make the words come out. Couldn’t even figure out what words to say.

Finally, helplessly, ey looked to Lefeng.

“I can’t say it.”

Lefeng nodded and moved to sit beside Paiokp. “You’ve swallowed the words too long, they are lost now and don’t know how to find their way out.”

The others waited, mostly quietly, though Chestef was making up a game with a rock that found its way into the home, and Kyatchais was bouncing on eir toes again.

“Take your time, child,” Chotaikytsai said, “We are in no rush.”

Paiokp nodded, blinking tears out of eir eyes. “I just… I am afraid.”

Lefeng started to say something, stopped, and contented emself with rubbing Paiokp’s shoulder.

Finally, almost silently, the first words came. “When I was a youngling,” Paiokp began, and the others leaned closer to hear eir soft words, “I liked to sneak out and explore.”

Ey stopped, words caught again.

“Many do,” Chotaikytsai encouraged. Tsouchm’s eyes were narrowed as if ey suspected what Paiokp would say next.

“I… I didn’t understand,” ey said, “I was tired of being cooped up, and our home smelled and we weren’t even allowed in the courtyard. I thought… I thought I could just slip out for a bit. Find a place to play where it was quiet and I could have some space, feel the air currents without choking on how thick the air was.”

Paiokp gasped, nearly sobbing. Lefeng took eir hand and Kolchais pressed close. “It’s okay,” Kolchais said, “Whatever happened, it’s over. YOu are safe with us.”

Paiokp tried to believe it, but still, the words choked em, “The… the sun… it was the bright days…”

Chotaikytsai gasped and others exclaimed, but Paiokp barely heard them. Ey couldn’t say anything else, no matter how hard ey tried. So ey turned and lifted eir tunic, showing them the scars on eir back.

“Sun touched…” Tsouchm said soberly. “You are lucky you survived.”

Paiokp laughed bitterly. “They had to cut the ruined flesh from my back and only my Cenn was willing to care for me. Because I had brought the curse on myself, had brought it on my family.”

Ey lowered eir tunic to hide the horrific scars, but couldn’t bear to turn back and see the fear and horror on eir family’s face. Lefen still held eir hand, tight and sure. Paiokp should step away, should protect the guarding-one from emself. But Lefeng didn’t believe in the curse, believed eir mountain superstition and Paiokp knew, would not abandon em, not even in the face of the rest of their family.

There was only silence behind em, then Kolchais said, carefully neutral,

“Lefeng, this is the secret you said Paiokp was keeping? This is what you called village superstition?”

This was why ey should have left. Should have disappeared before eir curse tore the family apart…

“Of course,” Lefeng said, with utter confidence. “I was not happy to keep it from you all, but as I said, it was not mine to tell.”

There was movement behind em, and Paiokp made emself turn, to see that the grandparents had drawn back, leaving the parents at the fire to speak alone. Paiokp was surprised and touched. They would not speak against em. They truly would let em stay, if the other parents were foolish enough to accept em and eir curse. Ey could barely believe it, but it gave em the strength to meet Kolchais’ eyes.

“The farwalkers,” Paiokp cleared eir throat, “The farwalkers do not understand the curse. Ey doesn’t know better.”

Lefeng shifted beside em, scowling. “I know more than you. How many sunkissed have you known — any of you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kyatchais said, startling both of them. Ey stood up and came to stand in front of Paiokp. “Curse or no curse, the caring-one is ours, spun into our yarn. In a rare and bold move for the Spinner, ey reached out and gingerly hugged Paiokp. “Ours, foolish-one. Don’t forget it.”

Kolchais smiled faintly. “I can’t say I’m not shocked. I wish you had told us sooner, it hurts that you kept this from us. But Kyatchais is right. You are one of us, and not even this can change that.

“I would like to hear what the farwalkers say of sun touch. It sounds… very different from what I was taught.”

For a moment Lefeng’s scowl deepened and ey shook eir head. “Rooted folk,” ey said with disgust. “And to think I will raise my children here among these barbarians.” But then eir face lightened into a smile and ey relaxed. “Of course, I will tell you. Though I hope will not be as pig-headed as this one,” ey said, gesturing to Paiokp.

Kyatchais let go of the hug and pulled Paiokp to sit next to her.

“I knew many sunkissed,” Lefeng began. “As part of our coming-of-age, each child of the mountains must spend one of the bright days on their own. Most of us find or make a shelter, but some don’t manage it and some court the sun, hoping for its kiss…”

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