chore: initial commit

This commit is contained in:
D. Moonfire 2019-06-01 18:29:22 -05:00
commit 350a7c6656
11 changed files with 1016 additions and 0 deletions

17
.editorconfig Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
# EditorConfig is awesome: http://EditorConfig.org
# top-most EditorConfig file
root = true
[*]
charset = utf-8
end_of_line = lf
indent_brace_style = K&R
indent_size = 4
indent_style = space
insert_final_newline = true
max_line_length = 120
tab_width = 4
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
curly_bracket_next_line = true
quote_type = double

11
.gitignore vendored Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
*~
build/
tmp/
node_modules/
# Output
*-*.*.*.epub
*-*.*.*.pdf
*-*.*.*.mobi
*-*.*.*.html
*-*.*.*.docx

437
LICENSE.txt Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,437 @@
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
=======================================================================
Creative Commons Corporation ("Creative Commons") is not a law firm and
does not provide legal services or legal advice. Distribution of
Creative Commons public licenses does not create a lawyer-client or
other relationship. Creative Commons makes its licenses and related
information available on an "as-is" basis. Creative Commons gives no
warranties regarding its licenses, any material licensed under their
terms and conditions, or any related information. Creative Commons
disclaims all liability for damages resulting from their use to the
fullest extent possible.
Using Creative Commons Public Licenses
Creative Commons public licenses provide a standard set of terms and
conditions that creators and other rights holders may use to share
original works of authorship and other material subject to copyright
and certain other rights specified in the public license below. The
following considerations are for informational purposes only, are not
exhaustive, and do not form part of our licenses.
Considerations for licensors: Our public licenses are
intended for use by those authorized to give the public
permission to use material in ways otherwise restricted by
copyright and certain other rights. Our licenses are
irrevocable. Licensors should read and understand the terms
and conditions of the license they choose before applying it.
Licensors should also secure all rights necessary before
applying our licenses so that the public can reuse the
material as expected. Licensors should clearly mark any
material not subject to the license. This includes other CC-
licensed material, or material used under an exception or
limitation to copyright. More considerations for licensors:
wiki.creativecommons.org/Considerations_for_licensors
Considerations for the public: By using one of our public
licenses, a licensor grants the public permission to use the
licensed material under specified terms and conditions. If
the licensor's permission is not necessary for any reason--for
example, because of any applicable exception or limitation to
copyright--then that use is not regulated by the license. Our
licenses grant only permissions under copyright and certain
other rights that a licensor has authority to grant. Use of
the licensed material may still be restricted for other
reasons, including because others have copyright or other
rights in the material. A licensor may make special requests,
such as asking that all changes be marked or described.
Although not required by our licenses, you are encouraged to
respect those requests where reasonable. More considerations
for the public:
wiki.creativecommons.org/Considerations_for_licensees
=======================================================================
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Public License
By exercising the Licensed Rights (defined below), You accept and agree
to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License
("Public License"). To the extent this Public License may be
interpreted as a contract, You are granted the Licensed Rights in
consideration of Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and the
Licensor grants You such rights in consideration of benefits the
Licensor receives from making the Licensed Material available under
these terms and conditions.
Section 1 -- Definitions.
a. Adapted Material means material subject to Copyright and Similar
Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material
and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered,
arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring
permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the
Licensor. For purposes of this Public License, where the Licensed
Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording,
Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is
synched in timed relation with a moving image.
b. Adapter's License means the license You apply to Your Copyright
and Similar Rights in Your contributions to Adapted Material in
accordance with the terms and conditions of this Public License.
c. BY-NC-SA Compatible License means a license listed at
creativecommons.org/compatiblelicenses, approved by Creative
Commons as essentially the equivalent of this Public License.
d. Copyright and Similar Rights means copyright and/or similar rights
closely related to copyright including, without limitation,
performance, broadcast, sound recording, and Sui Generis Database
Rights, without regard to how the rights are labeled or
categorized. For purposes of this Public License, the rights
specified in Section 2(b)(1)-(2) are not Copyright and Similar
Rights.
e. Effective Technological Measures means those measures that, in the
absence of proper authority, may not be circumvented under laws
fulfilling obligations under Article 11 of the WIPO Copyright
Treaty adopted on December 20, 1996, and/or similar international
agreements.
f. Exceptions and Limitations means fair use, fair dealing, and/or
any other exception or limitation to Copyright and Similar Rights
that applies to Your use of the Licensed Material.
g. License Elements means the license attributes listed in the name
of a Creative Commons Public License. The License Elements of this
Public License are Attribution, NonCommercial, and ShareAlike.
h. Licensed Material means the artistic or literary work, database,
or other material to which the Licensor applied this Public
License.
i. Licensed Rights means the rights granted to You subject to the
terms and conditions of this Public License, which are limited to
all Copyright and Similar Rights that apply to Your use of the
Licensed Material and that the Licensor has authority to license.
j. Licensor means the individual(s) or entity(ies) granting rights
under this Public License.
k. NonCommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards
commercial advantage or monetary compensation. For purposes of
this Public License, the exchange of the Licensed Material for
other material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights by digital
file-sharing or similar means is NonCommercial provided there is
no payment of monetary compensation in connection with the
exchange.
l. Share means to provide material to the public by any means or
process that requires permission under the Licensed Rights, such
as reproduction, public display, public performance, distribution,
dissemination, communication, or importation, and to make material
available to the public including in ways that members of the
public may access the material from a place and at a time
individually chosen by them.
m. Sui Generis Database Rights means rights other than copyright
resulting from Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases,
as amended and/or succeeded, as well as other essentially
equivalent rights anywhere in the world.
n. You means the individual or entity exercising the Licensed Rights
under this Public License. Your has a corresponding meaning.
Section 2 -- Scope.
a. License grant.
1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License,
the Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free,
non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to
exercise the Licensed Rights in the Licensed Material to:
a. reproduce and Share the Licensed Material, in whole or
in part, for NonCommercial purposes only; and
b. produce, reproduce, and Share Adapted Material for
NonCommercial purposes only.
2. Exceptions and Limitations. For the avoidance of doubt, where
Exceptions and Limitations apply to Your use, this Public
License does not apply, and You do not need to comply with
its terms and conditions.
3. Term. The term of this Public License is specified in Section
6(a).
4. Media and formats; technical modifications allowed. The
Licensor authorizes You to exercise the Licensed Rights in
all media and formats whether now known or hereafter created,
and to make technical modifications necessary to do so. The
Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any right or
authority to forbid You from making technical modifications
necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights, including
technical modifications necessary to circumvent Effective
Technological Measures. For purposes of this Public License,
simply making modifications authorized by this Section 2(a)
(4) never produces Adapted Material.
5. Downstream recipients.
a. Offer from the Licensor -- Licensed Material. Every
recipient of the Licensed Material automatically
receives an offer from the Licensor to exercise the
Licensed Rights under the terms and conditions of this
Public License.
b. Additional offer from the Licensor -- Adapted Material.
Every recipient of Adapted Material from You
automatically receives an offer from the Licensor to
exercise the Licensed Rights in the Adapted Material
under the conditions of the Adapter's License You apply.
c. No downstream restrictions. You may not offer or impose
any additional or different terms or conditions on, or
apply any Effective Technological Measures to, the
Licensed Material if doing so restricts exercise of the
Licensed Rights by any recipient of the Licensed
Material.
6. No endorsement. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or
may be construed as permission to assert or imply that You
are, or that Your use of the Licensed Material is, connected
with, or sponsored, endorsed, or granted official status by,
the Licensor or others designated to receive attribution as
provided in Section 3(a)(1)(A)(i).
b. Other rights.
1. Moral rights, such as the right of integrity, are not
licensed under this Public License, nor are publicity,
privacy, and/or other similar personality rights; however, to
the extent possible, the Licensor waives and/or agrees not to
assert any such rights held by the Licensor to the limited
extent necessary to allow You to exercise the Licensed
Rights, but not otherwise.
2. Patent and trademark rights are not licensed under this
Public License.
3. To the extent possible, the Licensor waives any right to
collect royalties from You for the exercise of the Licensed
Rights, whether directly or through a collecting society
under any voluntary or waivable statutory or compulsory
licensing scheme. In all other cases the Licensor expressly
reserves any right to collect such royalties, including when
the Licensed Material is used other than for NonCommercial
purposes.
Section 3 -- License Conditions.
Your exercise of the Licensed Rights is expressly made subject to the
following conditions.
a. Attribution.
1. If You Share the Licensed Material (including in modified
form), You must:
a. retain the following if it is supplied by the Licensor
with the Licensed Material:
i. identification of the creator(s) of the Licensed
Material and any others designated to receive
attribution, in any reasonable manner requested by
the Licensor (including by pseudonym if
designated);
ii. a copyright notice;
iii. a notice that refers to this Public License;
iv. a notice that refers to the disclaimer of
warranties;
v. a URI or hyperlink to the Licensed Material to the
extent reasonably practicable;
b. indicate if You modified the Licensed Material and
retain an indication of any previous modifications; and
c. indicate the Licensed Material is licensed under this
Public License, and include the text of, or the URI or
hyperlink to, this Public License.
2. You may satisfy the conditions in Section 3(a)(1) in any
reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context in
which You Share the Licensed Material. For example, it may be
reasonable to satisfy the conditions by providing a URI or
hyperlink to a resource that includes the required
information.
3. If requested by the Licensor, You must remove any of the
information required by Section 3(a)(1)(A) to the extent
reasonably practicable.
b. ShareAlike.
In addition to the conditions in Section 3(a), if You Share
Adapted Material You produce, the following conditions also apply.
1. The Adapter's License You apply must be a Creative Commons
license with the same License Elements, this version or
later, or a BY-NC-SA Compatible License.
2. You must include the text of, or the URI or hyperlink to, the
Adapter's License You apply. You may satisfy this condition
in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and
context in which You Share Adapted Material.
3. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms
or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological
Measures to, Adapted Material that restrict exercise of the
rights granted under the Adapter's License You apply.
Section 4 -- Sui Generis Database Rights.
Where the Licensed Rights include Sui Generis Database Rights that
apply to Your use of the Licensed Material:
a. for the avoidance of doubt, Section 2(a)(1) grants You the right
to extract, reuse, reproduce, and Share all or a substantial
portion of the contents of the database for NonCommercial purposes
only;
b. if You include all or a substantial portion of the database
contents in a database in which You have Sui Generis Database
Rights, then the database in which You have Sui Generis Database
Rights (but not its individual contents) is Adapted Material,
including for purposes of Section 3(b); and
c. You must comply with the conditions in Section 3(a) if You Share
all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database.
For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4 supplements and does not
replace Your obligations under this Public License where the Licensed
Rights include other Copyright and Similar Rights.
Section 5 -- Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability.
a. UNLESS OTHERWISE SEPARATELY UNDERTAKEN BY THE LICENSOR, TO THE
EXTENT POSSIBLE, THE LICENSOR OFFERS THE LICENSED MATERIAL AS-IS
AND AS-AVAILABLE, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF
ANY KIND CONCERNING THE LICENSED MATERIAL, WHETHER EXPRESS,
IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHER. THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION,
WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ABSENCE OF LATENT OR OTHER DEFECTS,
ACCURACY, OR THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ERRORS, WHETHER OR NOT
KNOWN OR DISCOVERABLE. WHERE DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES ARE NOT
ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
b. TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IN NO EVENT WILL THE LICENSOR BE LIABLE
TO YOU ON ANY LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION,
NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR OTHER LOSSES,
COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PUBLIC LICENSE OR
USE OF THE LICENSED MATERIAL, EVEN IF THE LICENSOR HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR
DAMAGES. WHERE A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR
IN PART, THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
c. The disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability provided
above shall be interpreted in a manner that, to the extent
possible, most closely approximates an absolute disclaimer and
waiver of all liability.
Section 6 -- Term and Termination.
a. This Public License applies for the term of the Copyright and
Similar Rights licensed here. However, if You fail to comply with
this Public License, then Your rights under this Public License
terminate automatically.
b. Where Your right to use the Licensed Material has terminated under
Section 6(a), it reinstates:
1. automatically as of the date the violation is cured, provided
it is cured within 30 days of Your discovery of the
violation; or
2. upon express reinstatement by the Licensor.
For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 6(b) does not affect any
right the Licensor may have to seek remedies for Your violations
of this Public License.
c. For the avoidance of doubt, the Licensor may also offer the
Licensed Material under separate terms or conditions or stop
distributing the Licensed Material at any time; however, doing so
will not terminate this Public License.
d. Sections 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 survive termination of this Public
License.
Section 7 -- Other Terms and Conditions.
a. The Licensor shall not be bound by any additional or different
terms or conditions communicated by You unless expressly agreed.
b. Any arrangements, understandings, or agreements regarding the
Licensed Material not stated herein are separate from and
independent of the terms and conditions of this Public License.
Section 8 -- Interpretation.
a. For the avoidance of doubt, this Public License does not, and
shall not be interpreted to, reduce, limit, restrict, or impose
conditions on any use of the Licensed Material that could lawfully
be made without permission under this Public License.
b. To the extent possible, if any provision of this Public License is
deemed unenforceable, it shall be automatically reformed to the
minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. If the provision
cannot be reformed, it shall be severed from this Public License
without affecting the enforceability of the remaining terms and
conditions.
c. No term or condition of this Public License will be waived and no
failure to comply consented to unless expressly agreed to by the
Licensor.
d. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be interpreted
as a limitation upon, or waiver of, any privileges and immunities
that apply to the Licensor or You, including from the legal
processes of any jurisdiction or authority.
=======================================================================
Creative Commons is not a party to its public
licenses. Notwithstanding, Creative Commons may elect to apply one of
its public licenses to material it publishes and in those instances
will be considered the “Licensor.” The text of the Creative Commons
public licenses is dedicated to the public domain under the CC0 Public
Domain Dedication. Except for the limited purpose of indicating that
material is shared under a Creative Commons public license or as
otherwise permitted by the Creative Commons policies published at
creativecommons.org/policies, Creative Commons does not authorize the
use of the trademark "Creative Commons" or any other trademark or logo
of Creative Commons without its prior written consent including,
without limitation, in connection with any unauthorized modifications
to any of its public licenses or any other arrangements,
understandings, or agreements concerning use of licensed material. For
the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph does not form part of the
public licenses.
Creative Commons may be contacted at creativecommons.org.

8
README.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
# "Untitled"
## Characters
- Mikáryo (Káryo)
- Tsubàyo (Bàyo)
- Rutejìmo (Jìmo)
- Datobàpo (Bàpo): Her horse

35
author-intrusion.aipry Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
name: Sand and Blood by D. Moonfire
content:
pattern: chapters/chapter-??.md
query:
fields:
locs:
jmes: locations[] | sort(@) | join(', ', @)
characters.secondary:
jmes: characters.secondary[] | sort(@) | join(', ', @)
characters.referenced:
jmes: characters.referenced[] | sort(@) | join(', ', @)
characters:
jmes: characters.*[] | sort(@) | join(', ', @)
checks:
- overused_word:
# The `(?i)` makes this case insensitive.
pattern: "^(?i)(sigh|sighed|sighing)$"
err: 0.002
warn: 0.001
- overused_word:
pattern: "^(?i)(nod|nodded|nodding)$"
err: 0.002
warn: 0.001
- overused_word:
pattern: "^(?i)(gasp|gasped|gasping)$"
err: 0.002
warn: 0.001
- overused_word:
pattern: "^(?i)(was)$"
err: 0.008
warn: 0.004
- overused_word:
pattern: "^(?i)(as)$"
err: 0.008
warn: 0.004

79
chapters/chapter-01.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
---
title: WIP
---
Mikáryo felt Rutejìmo's anguished gaze against her back like a knife stabbing into her kidney. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to imagine tears rolling down his cheeks, tracing along the fresh cuts and bruises before mixing with the blood that ran from his lips. He had been beaten badly and the sight of his injuries---when he left her healthy and unharmed only a few hours ago---tore at her heart.
Her vision blurred with her effort not to let the tears roll down her own cheeks. Her lungs ached to hold back the sob that threatened to escape her throat. Everything inside her screamed for her to go back and comfort him, to hold him and tell him that he could join her.
Next to her, riding his black horse, Tsubàyo glanced at her with concern in his gaze. He started to look back but then she hissed at him to stop.
Tsubàyo obeyed and then looked forward. His eyes seemed to soften for a moment and his face relaxed. Slowly, he reached up to scratch his scar; as a child, spilled hot oil had marked him from the top of his brow, along the side of his face, and down to his chest. The scarred flesh frequently drew unwanted attention and Tsubàyo did everything in his power to avoid calling out, but he still touched it while concentrating.
She almost let out a bittersweet laugh. He was using his magic to look through the eyes of one of the horses in the herd. She could do the same, but where Tsubàyo could use any horse in his herd, she could only share her senses with her black steed, Datobàpo.
"He's still there," Tsubàyo said in a low voice.
"I wasn't going to look."
A faint smile quirked the corner.
Mikáryo rolled her eyes. "Fine, I want to look but I can't use any horse to peek."
"Don't worry, Káryo. I'll tell you when he stops wailing." He used the familiar and her preferred form of address. Outside of the endless scraping and bowing of the cities, she never saw a reason to use her full name.
"Thank you."
He shrugged. "Explain later though?"
She smiled at him and then nodded. With her thoughts, she had Datobàpo pace closer so she could reach him.
The horse obeyed her telepathic command, smoothly stepping along the gravel until the two rider's legs brushed against each other. His body moved in perfect harmony with Tsubàyo's mount, Gafihán, as they stepped in time with each other.
Mikáryo rested her hand on Tsubàyo's shoulder for a moment. The black tattoo on her hand blended with his dark outfit. She squeezed before the two horses parted.
He briefly smiled at her and then returned to his efforts. Before them, there were thirty horses pulling the large, brass scorpion mechanical. He commanded all of them with his thoughts, directing them to work together to haul the large device on their way to the northern city that had paid for the war machine.
"He's gone."
She turned and peered over her shoulder. She couldn't see any hint of Rutejìmo's presence where he left her though she knew if she went back, there would be blood on the ground and rock scattered away. "Can you follow him?"
Tsubàyo shook his head. "He's moving too fast, I can't catch the horses fast enough to watch."
Disappointed, Mikáryo turned back on her horse and settled down. The sadness still choked her and she struggled with the urge to chase him down.
"Why not bring him along?"
She flinched at the question. "He couldn't travel with us, you know that. He's a banyosiōu now. Without a clan, he couldn't be welcomed at any oasis or shelter." She felt sick saying it and the tears threatened to rise up again.
When Tsubàyo said nothing, she peeked up to see him staring at her.
Gulping, she asked, "What?"
"You don't care about those things, Káryo. All the bowing and scraping? That isn't you. If no one would give him food, you'd share your own. If an oasis wouldn't accept him, you'd camp out in the sands with him."
With every word, she felt even worse. Tsubàyo knew her too well.
"So why?"
She smiled at him grimly. "Because I think he's on a path we cannot assist with."
"A path besides wandering into the desert and dying because he's too stupid to realize... no...." Tsubàyo took a deep breath and his face untwisted. "It's one of those desert things, isn't it? Keep someone in the dark to make sure the knife of experience scrapes the bone?"
Mikáryo chuckled. "Yes."
"Those sun-addled assholes of the Shimusògo." He spat out the name of the clan that he was born into. It was Rutejìmo's clan now just as Tsubàyo was now a member of the Pabinkúe clan.
"Trauma does increase the power."
"Trauma also leaves children to die in the middle of the desert. It inflicted me with nightmares for the last ten years and I still can't get my heart away from it. Every damn day, I worry I'm going to turn into those assholes and hurt my daughter with their horse shit attitudes and obsession with destroying children." His voice grew sharper with every word.
Mikáryo reached over and rested her hand on his shoulder. She left it there instead of parting, now that Rutejìmo wasn't watching. "You have to admit, you are the most powerful of the Pabinkúe, even without being a warrior."
He glared at her.
"I'm sure Múchi would never let you hurt your foals. I sure wouldn't."
Tsubàyo relaxed and chuckled wryly. "No, she'd have me drawn and quartered if I even suggested it. Being her husband would mean she'd be the one quartering me personally. Besides, at least the Pabinkúe don't have their heads shoved up their assholes. They talk about the trials, in vague terms but they at least explain that it has to be stressful to manifest magic."
Mikáryo patted his shoulder. "You ended up a good man, Bàyo."

103
chapters/chapter-02.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
---
title: WIP
---
The light of the fire pushed back the darkness that surrounded Mikáryo. She had set up the camp a few chains away from the rest of the caravan, the merchants and guards were too loud for her tastes and spooked the horses.
She took a deep breath and breathed in the sweet smell of the burning wood. The sap from the local trees reminded her of home, at least in the way it popped and hissed from inside the fire. She wondered if the locals smoked it or used it as incense like her father did.
"Smells like dochīga wood," Tsubàyo said as he set down a platter of food and a large mug of hot tea next to her. He then took a few steps to sit down on his own riding blanket. The sand underneath shifted slightly with his weight.
"I thought the same thing."
"Getting homesick already? It's only been five months since you visited."
Mikáryo glared at him. "You know I don't go home."
He nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind it."
"You have a gorgeous wife and three beautiful children waiting for you. I suspect you are the one anxious to ride her like a horse the moment you get home."
He picked up his mug and spoke into the steaming liquid while grinning. "Maybe...."
"Going for four?"
He shook his head. "Three's enough. Any more and the house will get cramped and I'll start spending more time out here then at home."
"You can always leave kids behind you on the sands. Some of those merchants do." She gestured dismissively at the gathering behind them. The others were celebrating something, probably some wind blew or another thinly veiled excuse to drink.
Tsubàyo scratched his scar. "I wouldn't do that to Múchi. I would never stray."
Mikáryo reached out and grabbed a stick. She rolled it along her fingertips for a moment and then used it to shove one of the logs into the center of the pit where the flames were the hottest. "Is she still okay with us fucking?"
"Of course, you're the Great Pabinkue Mikáryo."
Mikáryo glared at him sharply.
He grinned and took another bite. "What? That's what she calls you. Not everyone insists on using childish names, you know."
"I just don't like---" she started with a rising tone.
"It's okay, Káryo. I'm just teasing you. She knows exactly what we do out here."
"If she ask you to stop?"
"I'd do in a heartbeat," he said firmly.
"Good." Mikáryo picked up her plate and ate quietly.
After a few minutes of silence, Tsubàyo broke the silence. "Why the questions? Jìmo?"
The muscles in her stomach and shoulder tightened.
"I know our relationship has been settled for years. The only thing that has changed is him."
Mikáryo wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't have to be right and she hated admitting it. "Jealous?"
Tsubàyo pulled a face. "I mean, I don't really care for what you did. However, it's been a long time and I'm not the same boy who tried to kill him. You know that. But I also know that if he was just a cock, you wouldn't have ridden him..." He suddenly smiled wryly. "... like a horse in the night."
A memory of lust warmed her body for a moment. "Fine, a point for you."
He chuckled and returned to his food.
They finished their meals in relative silence. Tsubàyo gathered up the plates and mugs and took them to the main group to get cleaned.
Alone, Mikáryo returned to staring at the fire. Her thoughts were dark with Rutejìmo. Tsubàyo guessed correctly, the last two nights were more than just mindless passion with the Shimusògo courier she had met a decade ago. She felt drawn to the whimpering young man, the desire to protect him coloring every conversation she had with him.
She knew that being banished from his clan was just the first step for something more. The desert had plans for Rutejìmo, ones that would hurt him in ways that no human fist could match. She wanted to rush after him, to shield him from the pain and agony he was about to suffer.
She couldn't, she knew that.
An earlier conversation came up: trauma manifested power. Normally everyone had only one moment in their lives where their needs measured out the depth of their magic. Rutejìmo would have two and his second life had just began.
A tear ran down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away but more dripped down her face. After a few moments of trying, she just let them fall.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
A log in the fire shifted and sent up a spray of embers into the air.
The ground crunched with Tsubàyo's return. He stopped next to her, resting one hand on her shoulder. "I'm heading to my tent."
Mikáryo didn't want to be alone for the night. She reached up to hold his hand against her. "Would you be...?"
"Would you like company tonight?"
"Please?"
"Come on," he said warmly before helping her to her feet.
Together, they gathered up their belongings and placed them back into the packs. One never knew if they would have time when the sun rose, it was best to be prepared to leave with a moment's notice. It took another half hour to check on the horses; Tsubàyo could do it mentally but both preferred to touch and interact with their herd.
When she returned, he held the flap open to her tent.
Murmuring thanks, she crawled in and stripped down to her underwear. The wires in her armored cloth resisted folding, but she coiled it into a roll of black fabric that would double as a pillow for later.
When she turned around, Tsubàyo had removed all of his clothes. The scars marked his flesh down to the peak of his hip, bisecting his body with the darker slash of hardened skin. Kneeling next to her, he helped her pull the black cloth from her breasts before sliding his arm around her bare waist. Their black tattoos rubbed together, the images of horses that covered both of their bodies looked like a herd racing around chaotically.
He was hot against her body, a warmth that pushed back the cold of night and the darkness that haunted in her thoughts.
She sniffed and reached up to cup the side of his face, her fingers resting against his scars. "Thank you, Bàyo."
"What are friends for, Great Pabinkue---"
She silenced him with a kiss.

123
chapters/chapter-03.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
---
title: WIP
---
Days later, the question Mikáryo expected finally came.
"What is Rutejìmo going through?"
She reached up and pulled the black fabric covering her face to breath in the hot daylight air. It seared her lungs and prickled her lips.
Next to her, Tsubàyo rode his horse with one hand resting on the back of his mount's neck and the other hefting his water skin. The Pabinkúe didn't need reins or saddles to ride, not with their minds connected with their creatures.
Mikáryo held out her hand for his skin. When he handed it to her, she drank from the metallic-tasting liquid before returning it. "Thanks."
"Please don't change the topic."
Her heart beat faster and her muscles clenched.
Underneath her, Datobàpo stumbled when her thoughts disrupted his pace. He shook his mane angrily, followed by a wave of emotion that made his point clear.
It took her a moment to calm her thoughts and mount.
To her relief, Tsubàyo didn't press his question. He watched the scorpion being hauled in front of him, his eyes glazed over and his fingers absently rubbing the scar near his collar.
The desert passed slowly while she struggled for how to start. Finally, she found the words. "We find our spirits during our rites of passage. We found Pabinkúe, he found Shimusògo. Sometimes, there is only one spirit, other times there are many."
"So I could have been a Shimusògo if I wanted to spend my life running around on my bare feet?"
She shrugged and then nodded. "The passage is more than just stress, it's a judgment. The spirits are choosing you for your actions and your thoughts. For some, your personality just meshes and there is no doubt which spirit is for you."
"Jìmo would be one of those."
"And that other girl."
"Chi..." He frowned. "I don't remember her name anymore. She was a bird follower if there was one."
"Of course. Shimusògo had already picked her by the time I found you." She pointed accusingly at him. She had stumbled into Tsubàyo's rite of passage when she chased after the man who killed her sister while stealing a horse. The horse thief ended up being Tsubàyo but Mikáryo had to shove aside the pain when it became apparent that her clan spirit had chosen the sister's murderer. The loss had faded over the years, the wound scabbed over by the companionship Tsubàyo had given her.
She tore her thoughts from her past and pointed again. "For you, there was a doubt. I'm sure if you acted differently, you would have been Shimusògo or some other clan. Or a bloody corpse in the sands."
She saw the flicker of pain in his eyes. He knew the price Mikáryo had paid. Guilt burned in her thoughts and she turned away to break the conversation.
Datobàpo shook his mane as a prickle of annoyance radiated from his thoughts.
She patted him.
"So what does that have to do with Rutejìmo? He has a clan." Tsubàyo also wanted to change the conversation.
Thankful for the respite, she answered, "Who do you pray to?"
"The moon of course. You taught me that. Every night at moon rise, when the magic runs through my veins."
For a moment, she remembered the sullen brat who she brought home. Tsubàyo had grown up a lot in the last ten years. "There are two others."
"Yeah, the sun and desert." He waved his hands dismissively.
"Who prays to the sun?"
"The day clans."
"Who prays to the desert?"
He opened his mouth and then closed it. His brown skin paled for a moment. Licking his lips, he finally said, "No one."
She looked at him pointedly.
"What? No one would dare to mention her name. Just saying it would be asking death to visit you."
Mikáryo's stomach twisted as she struggled to fight her emotions. She could feel the tears threatening to come again as she pictured the hell the desert had in store for Rutejìmo. If he survived, his second life would have begun.
Realization dawned on Tsubàyo's face. "A kojinōmi!? He's going to be a tender of the dead? H-How? I mean, how? It's... he's... Jìmo."
Around him, the herd stumbled.
The giant brass scorpion lurched to a stop.
Ahead of them, the merchants began to yell.
"The horses!" snapped Mikáryo.
His face darkening with a blush, Tsubàyo concentrated for a moment and the herd began to strain against their ropes again. A minute later, the mechanical device continued along its route.
Kojinōmi. In a society that refused to name the dead to avoid drawing the attention of the desert mother, they were the men and women who willingly carried to bodies to the funeral pyres. They risked proximity to death herself to make sure the dead passed on with dignity, honor, and grace.
Mikáryo choked back a sob.
Like warriors, almost none of the kojinōmi died of old age. Their end came from attacks by grieving lovers, diseases from hands they held, or the blood from the guts they held in while listening to a dying confession. They never had a clean death, only a terrible one.
Rutejìmo didn't have a chance. He didn't have the strength to survive death's attention. A great warrior would be hard pressed with the shadow of oblivion following them, a pathetic fighter like Rutejìmo might not even make it a day before his end.
"He'll make it."
Mikáryo jerked her head up to look at Tsubàyo.
He glanced at her and shrugged. "Jìmo will survive."
"How can you see that? Have you seen how he fights?"
Tsubàyo held out his hand with a silent question.
"Fine, you tried to kill him. But that's the point. You would have succeeded. If it wasn't for that girl, his blood would be on the sands."
"Except you said that you feel the need to protect him."
"I would have never told you that!" she proclaimed even as she tried to imagine when she revealed that secret.
Tsubàyo grinned.
"You, sun-stroked, rancid chunk of horse shit, you guessed!? You guessed?"
"Yes and no. It's pretty obvious how you were so instantly affection toward him. But you know our kojinōmi? She won't touch a follower of sunlight. And that old bastard we met a year ago? He wouldn't touch us because we were of the night. Kojinōmi don't care for the dead on the other side. Sun and moon, that divide always remains."
"So, what does that matter?"
With a grin, he said, "Jìmo has the blessing of both. It's obvious that he is touched by the sun. And you also feel that need to protect him, as if he was one of us."
She mulled over his thoughts. "How can you be sure?"
"I can't, but I have a lot of trouble believing that... the desert wouldn't choose him unless he had a chance."
"I know others that failed. These moments of a new life are deadly and this time, he's playing with death herself."
"A child died during my rite of passage too. But most of us survived. Trauma bring powers. If someone is going to get traumatized, it would be Great Shimusogo Rutejìmo."

84
chapters/chapter-04.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
---
title: WIP
sex: true
---
Mikáryo slumped back with a content sigh. The sweat that clung to her skin caught her hair, plastering the curls against her face and nose. She ignored it and enjoyed the fading glow of her orgasm instead.
Her lover, Ridáchi, crawled up her body, her nipples tracing along Mikáryo's tattoos, before she settled into place with her cheek on Mikáryo's breast. She had long black hair with a little curl to it. The strands clung to the sweat on both of their bodies.
Ridáchi looked up at Mikáryo and smiled brightly. "I love it when you come home, you know that? I miss... just listening to your heart beat."
Mikáryo reached down and ran her hands along her lover's shoulder. Ridáchi's dark skin matched Mikáryo's tattoos, black horses that raced over almost her entire body except for a bare spot of brown skin shaped like a horse's head centered on both her abdomen and back.
Ridáchi reached out and ran her fingertips along Mikáryo's tattoos, tracing the various horses until she got to one of the older ones. She outlined the horse's mane. "I love your horses. Is this one Mìna?"
"To the right two, there he is. That's my beauty." Tomìna, the second horse she had bonded to. His death came when a bridge collapsed underneath them during a battle. Mikáryo hunted down the people responsible for eroding the stone before she got a tattoo in her horse's memory.
She lifted her head to cup Mikáryo's breast and press her thumb on a small horse near her nipple. "Fòbi? I remember that foal. You were in tears when he got sick." The smile on her lips faded slightly. "I remember his flames and the little girl calling out his name."
The memory brought a smile for Mikáryo. "My father kept trying to tell me to stop calling out his name but I wouldn't listen."
"At least until you escaped and found me." Ridáchi lifted her head to push back her hair, just a few strands of white marking the black. She kissed Mikáryo's nipple before moving her cheek down on the empty spot of her lover's belly. "Most people are afraid to name the dead. You wear them on your body."
She stroked her fingers along the horses. "Every one of these is named, a memory of a horse that the Pabinkúe lost. So beautiful. It reminds me of my Book of Ash."
Her fingertips slid to one of the small spots that was unmarked. The brown skin had a few scars from healing, scratches from a fight that Mikáryo couldn't remember anymore. "This one is still for Great Pabinkue Datobàpo?"
"Yes."
Ridáchi slid her fingers up to another empty spot, this one near the collar. "Who is this for? Your ride after Bàpo?"
"Yes."
Ridáchi started to chuckle but then a shudder coursed through her body. It similar to the same shiver that raced along everyone's body when the moon rose above the horizon, the brief moment when magic became suddenly possible again.
"Dáchi?"
"Someone just died."
Mikáryo closed her eyes for a moment.
Ridáchi crawled to her knees, her breasts swaying with her movements. "I'm sorry, the desert is a cruel mistress and demands me."
"I know. We all have our duties, right?"
Ridáchi leaned over to kiss Mikáryo's nipple again. "I like these."
Then she sat up and blindly reached behind her. Somehow, a pile of plain white clothes had been stacked near the entrance of the tent. Mikáryo never heard anyone approaching; neither did her horse.
"Oh, I've been meaning to tell you. I met one of the most curious of kojinōmi last month. A new one, maybe only a few years since he had the call."
Mikáryo shrugged. "That happens every month or so anyways, right? There is always a need for someone to tend to the dead."
"Yes, but this man came from a sun clan, a speedster."
Mikáryo's heart skipped a beat. Her lungs refused to inhale for a moment and her throat tightened.
Ridáchi continued, "It was one of the nastier battles I've seen: blood and shit everywhere, bodies ripped apart, even children dead. Some hot-headed clan took offense and invaded a village for slaughter. The other responded, allies were brought in. Warriors died, innocent died. Three kojinōmi were called, he was the last."
She pulled on her clothes while she talked, her voice growing quieter with every piece of white she pulled on. Then she came up to the last piece, a plain rope belt. "Usually when a bright kojinōmi shows up, they piss on our corpses respecting theirs. I don't shit on theirs but... I don't really take an effort. So a bright and I were pulling apart bodies for our pyres when this man comes rushing it really fast, faster than anyone could run, and starts to help."
A tear rolled down Mikáryo's cheek. She was talking about Rutejìmo, it had to be him.
"He's a sun from the bright flames so I figured there would be pissing. None of us really fight when being a kojinōmi, but you'd be amazed how much of an ass we can be while silent. But, to my surprise, he didn't walk past me but started to help. He didn't care who it was, only that it got to the right pyre. He even knew the prayers of Chobìre when he helped me."
She chuckled to herself, her shoulders shaking. "I have never seen one who truely gave himself to the desert. He just hauled bodies to the right places. Said the right things. Moon and sun, night and day."
Ridáchi ran her fingers along the rope. A breeze rippled through the opening of the tent, tugging on the edges of her plain clothing. She shook her head as if to clear it. Then she began to pull the belt on. As she did, she lifted herself up and turned to Mikáryo.
"So I started to learn the sun prayers and..." Ridáchi's eyes widened. "Are you crying?"
Mikáryo nodded fiercely as she sobbed with joy. She didn't care if the tears were mixing in with the sweat or soaking her chest.
Ridáchi froze, her mouth open. "You know this kojinōmi?"
"I-I do. He is the Great Shimusogo Rutejìmo, I'm sure of it."
Her lover's mouth opened more. "I have never heard you call anyone great in---"
The wind rattled the tent hard. The force almost picked up the corner.
Ridáchi jumped and looked out with a guilty look. She grabbed her belt and prepared to cinch it. Mikáryo knew that as soon as the last piece went on, she would stop talking until the dead were sent on their way. "I have to go. After this, please?"
Mikáryo couldn't speak without sobbing. She managed to make it until Ridáchi left before she broke down in tears.

113
chapters/chapter-05.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
---
title: WIP
---
In the shadows of Milwaukee City, Mikáryo worked her way around the tents that had sprung up over the years. Situated along the south side of the city, the area consisted mostly of moon clans with only a scattered bright color to indicate a daring member from the sun.
Thankful that the tents in her current location were more permanent, she knew where to walk without offending anyone.
Her destination was a set of three tents: two small ones and one large. A small fire burned brightly in the center. There were three people around the fire, two women and a young man in his late twenties.
She stepped over the braided rope that marked the area around the tents.
The man looked up and then smiled brightly. He had a long beard and a bald head. Every inch of his body, from his eyelids to his ears to his toes, had dark tattoos covering him. They were fantastic scenes of monsters, magic, horse, and wars.
He beat his chest twice and then opened up his arms. "My favorite horse lady, the Great---" He winked at her glare. "Káryo."
She hugged him tightly. "I missed you, Chìko."
Kichìko broke the embrace with a look of horror. "Oh, no, Datobàpo? You lost him? Oh, poor---"
Mikáryo shook her head. "No, I still have my Bàpo. He's going to ride with me until the end of my days. He's a good old man now."
"Then another?" Kichìko's eyes shimmered. "You Pabinkúe have much tragedy in your lives. You should come closer, move near the Wamifūko instead of being so far south."
"No, this is a happy memory. I never want to forget it. Right here." She tapped the plain spot near her collar, the one that she had spent years reserving for her next horse.
He cocked his head, but said nothing for a moment. "Come on, let's cover you in ink and blood."
Mikáryo followed after him into the larger tent. Most of the space had been filled with a padded cushion ideal for lying on for hours at a time. There were other pillows for propping and adjusting position. Along one side, Kichìko had shelves of bottles filled with colors of all types. The largest were black, the primary base for inking.
"Come, sit, get comfortable. Take off anything you want." He winked. "I always love to see you naked."
Comfortable with Kichìko's attention, Mikáryo stripped. She didn't need to, but he had seen every inch of her body since he had been ten. She was his first tattoo, a horse that wasn't quite perfect on her right shin. It ended up being idea for the memory though, since the foal had died due to a twisted body in his mother's womb.
"A work of art."
She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "My body or your tattoos?"
"Both, as always. Come, get into position and tell me about this horse. Is it a big northern beast or a smaller southern one?" While he talked, Kichìko pulled out various needles and sticks.
"A man."
A pair of sticks slipped from his fingers. "A human man?"
"Yes, Chìko. Is that a problem?" She had been thinking about the tattoo for a few months.
"I wasn't aware of Káryo was capable of respecting a human as much as one of her horses. I'm just surprised. Here, I need clean sticks for this." He glanced around and picked up fresh supplies before bringing them over to her.
"This human man, does he have a name?"
"Rutejìmo."
Kichìko's eyes flickered up but then down again to his hands. He arranged his tools carefully. "Black?"
She realized she had tensed all of her muscles. She took a deep breath and leaned back, arching her back over a rounded pillow to give him as much access to the spot on her collar.
Kichìko wiped the area and picked up his tattooing stick. She wasn't sure how it worked but she knew it had countless tiny needles at the tip that would insert the ink underneath her skin.
He didn't bother with an outline or sketch out the pattern. He knew always seemed to know what she wanted, it was part of his clan's powers. He started quickly, tapping the stick into her skin with precise strokes.
Mikáryo winced at the discomfort but then quickly sank into it. The pain helped remind her of the good memories she had of him. A few tears gathered when she recalled the feeling the night she learned he had survived to become a kojinōmi.
"Not many have the name Rutejìmo in these parts. It's from the northwestern area of the desert, far from here."
Mikáryo glanced at him.
"In fact, the only one with that name that I remember was from a big hunt about four years or so ago. He disappeared here in the city and no one could find him, though I heard that he was in a certain horse rider's bed for two days."
"And you are a gossiping whore, Chìko," she said playfully.
He winked at her. "Do you plan on seeing him again?"
"No," she sighed. "Our ride together has long since passed. He went one way, I went another. We will never meet again."
"Like the other memories on your skin, cherished and never forgotten. That's for the best, that way his present will not mar your thoughts of his past."
"Yes."
Kichìko worked quietly, moving his body along her body as with his effort to shape a man on her skin. She didn't dare look in fear that she bump his hand. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what his powers insisted he tattoo into her skin.
He worked for almost an hour before she realized he had said something important. "You've seen him latest?"
"Of course, more than once."
"Where? What?"
Kichìko gave her a hard look. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Please?"
"He is one of my customers now. I did a tattoo for him. The strangest thing, for a day clan, he wanted only black. That seems like a very moon thing to do, don't you think?"
"Of what?" A small part of her hoped it would be a horse, a symbol of her.
"A bird. A small running bird of their clan. Nothing more."
Mikáryo slumped.
"No, no, don't move. I want to get your kojinōmi drawn just right."
She started to relax but then her eyes snapped open. She opened her mouth to say something but he used his other hand to press a finger against her lip.
"I am a gossiping whore, right? I know who your Rutejìmo is. He and his wife are friends of everyone here."
Mikáryo sniffed and used her free hand to wipe the tear. "Is he good?"
"Very much so. Everyone loves him, day and night. He gets beaten up a lot but his presence has stopped more than a few fights just by showing up. No one wants to upset the man who speaks for the desert for both sun and moon."
He switched tattooing sticks. "Ever since, I've gotten more customers from both sides. More color though, not everyone with a sun up their ass is into pitch black."
She grinned.
Kichìko leaned over to continue to work. "He is a good one to never forget. He will need it because no one speaks for the kojinōmi when they die."

6
language.json Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
{
"knownWords": [
"Pabinkue",
"Shimusogo"
]
}