I swallow the lump growing in my throat. I can't peel my eyes away from the woman standing before me. Her skin is pulled smooth over her knuckles, over long, straight fingers.

"How?" I ask.

A deep chuckle rumbles from Mother's belly. "How is it that you ignored me for so long? Or how is it that your invalid Mother is walking about?" She leans so close, I can smell fish on her breath. "Or how did I get tangled up with taking over your previous tribe?"

"Your hands," I say. I clench mine to keep from trembling.

"Ah yes," Mother says. She stands up straighter, no longer in face. I exhale from the mild relief it brings. "My hands. They are healed, aren't they? Honestly, I never imagined I'd be able to weave again." Her gaze turns hard once more. "Because you failed in your task to weave the last cloak of starlight, I had to try to pick up the slack. We got lucky, though. Before handling the starlight gown, neither my sister nor I knew what property starlight has. After my shaking hands started working with the thread, I found the my fingers were getting better — they were healing. It turns out that starlight can heal people from injuries."

My eyes widen. Mother sweeps her hand over the clearing of Anderwres.

"As you'll notice, not one of our warriors is injured. Not one is dead. That's because I've been healing every single one."

"If only we had discovered it sooner," Abarra says. "Then we wouldn't have needed you, Celisae."

The puzzle pieces in my brain sluggishly assemble. "You needed me to weave the dresses because Mother couldn't?"

"Exactly." Abarra turns to Mother. "You did a good job with that one."

"Not well enough," Mother murmurs. "Last I heard, she still revered her precious tribe and Matriarchs."

"Oh dear. We'll have to fix that," Abarra says. She squats down to eye level. "Do you know why your Mother's hands were crooked, messed up?"

I do know, but I'm too traumatized to respond.

"It's because the Matriarchs wanted to ensure that your mother never played the raeriel ever again. They thought that they could protect their power from being overthrown by smashing your mother's hands under a rock."

I wince at the thought. A smile spreads across Abarra's face. She stands to her full height. "See? Now she has the full picture." Mother wears a scowl and doesn't reply.

Abarra's right, I do have the full picture now. All these years, I struggled to reconcile this horrific thing that the matriarchs did to Mother with the kindness and patience many had toward me (excluding Ulane m'ke). Nal m'se always seemed a just ruler. Now, I finally see the justice in her punishment of my mother.

It wasn't just that she played a forbidden instrument. She tried to overthrow the tribe and take the mountain for herself, burning or freezing to death anyone in her path.

A scream echoes across the clearing. Five Anderwres warriors stalk from the matriarch's cave, with three matriarchs in tow.

"Ah, just in time," Abarra says. "Toss 'em by the fire pit."

Jeayma m'ke and Ulane m'ke grunt as they're shoved to the ground. Nal m'se doesn't make a sound, though her body lands with a thump.

"Enough talk," Abarra says. "It's time for you to decide."

"What?" my pained voice asks. I feel my brain shutting down, energy leeching to the air.

"Really, Celisae, I don't see why you're being so dramatic," Mother chides. I gaze up with blurry eyes. Mother's face is hazy, her features blending together.

"The Anderwres certainly didn't harm her," Abarra says. "I told them not to. And they follow through on orders, unlike certain entities." Her accusatory eyes point at me.

"But I couldn't," I manage to get out. Pressure bears down on my skull, and I can barely concentrate. My body feels limp. I have neither strength nor will to regain control over it. "I was poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Mother bends down, bringing a hand to my forehead. "Celisae, why is your head warm?"

"She's ill, Geanna," Nal m'se says from across the clearing. I hear a thump from that direction, and when my peripheral strays to the firepit, I see an Anderwres warrior standing over her with a staff in hand.

"Who poisoned you?" my mother demands.

"I-I don't know."

My mother straightens, fixing her gaze on Abarra. "You didn't poison her, did you?"

"No, no. Baiac, come here." The burly man across the clearing approaches. He stands a pace away from me, arms crossed over his chest and his feet wide set. "Did any of the Anderwres poison Celisae?"

"Of course not. How would we even go about doing so?"

Mother turns to the matriarchs. "Someone from your tribe must've done it." Her voice rises. "It was someone from your precious tribe, Celisae. Now, don't you finally see? They're selfish and power-hungry. They don't care about you. In fact, they actively seek that harm comes to you."

My head starts to shake, but I manage to hold still. It can't be true. The tribe wouldn't have done this. Who would do such a thing? Everyone was warming up to me, even Ulane m'ke. I found friendship with Hannei and Yefto, Kletasuah, and Ixek.

"Join us, Celisae," Abarra says. "Wouldn't you rather reign with us" — her scepter pushes my face toward the matriarchs on the ground — "then lie in graves with them?"

"I—"

"Think long and hard about your decision," Abarra says. "But not too long. We do have a kingdom to set up."

I blink between the faces standing over me and the bodies in the snow. The tribe poisoned me. For some reason, I can't connect them with the people who rendered me in this position. It's hard to think about anything when all my thoughts are out of focus.

My mother's hard eyes bear into me. "Keep in mind that we're the only ones who will heal you. We're the only ones who want to heal you."

That's not true. Kletasuah's kind face flashes in my head, followed by Ixek. They were by my side, even tried to save me at their own expense. My eyes stray to Nal m'se. She peeks over her shoulder in my direction. Her eyelids droop, yet her brown eyes remain on me unwaveringly. She seems to be on my side, too, same as Jeayma m'ke. And Ulane m'ke... she seems to have warmed up to me in the end.

Is that all I want from a tribe? People who don't despise or ostracize me?

No, I want something more than that. I want to belong, to be one of the integral members that keeps the whole functioning smoothly. This whole time, I've been chasing a fancy title, recognition from the others, but really, I just want to be accepted, to fit like a puzzle piece into something much greater than myself.

The tribe gave me a purpose, one that started out small by clothing the tribe members. Now, they think I am worthy of sewing garments that will serve as symbols of the tribes' alliance. The Nuotomins have finally accepted me, despite my past, despite the horrible things my mother did.

My eyes settle on my mother, the woman who raised me from afar. I've always been by her side. I've sustained her all these years. Yet I can't recall a time in which she was there when I needed her. She forced me to learn the raeriel even though it's a forbidden instrument and I didn't want to betray the tribe in that way. She fed me with stories of how despicable the matriarchs are. I sympathized with her injury. Now, I realize it was actually a judgment, a punishment fit for her treasonous crime.

"Well, Celisae?" my mother asks. "What will it be? Join us, or die with them?"

"I... will join."

A smile spreads across my mother's lips. For the first time in eleven years, perhaps ever, she looks truly happy. Pride glints in her eyes, and she straightens, jaw setting in finality. She unwraps the robe from around her shoulders and places the glittering fabric around me.

A tingling sensation overwhelms my nerves. I feel the urge to claw at my skin, but I clasp my hands together, nails biting into my palms. Slowly, the pain ebbs from my body, replaced by growing strength. My mind clears, and my vision crystalizes. I turn to my mother with that sickening grin on her face. She hands me a spear taller than me.

Mother bends down so that her hot breath tickles my ear, making the hair on my neck stand up. She whispers, "kill the matriarchs."

I nod slowly. I take a few steps, pause beside the hulking Anderwres leader. My heart is beating erratically in my chest. With all my newfound might, I thrust the spear into his chest. The Anderwres falls backward with a crash. My mother charges for me, but I dart to the side, grabbing a spear sticking out of a warrior's chest.

"So, you want to betray your family?" Mother's voice starts as a low growl, but quickly gains volume. "You think they are better than us?"

"It has nothing to do with that."

My mother's staff swings for my face. I block it just in time. Wood smacks against wood. Mother draws back and aims for me again and again. I wave the spear from side to side in a frenzy. It criss-crosses against my mother's strikes.

Another warrior is running across the clearing in my direction. Fear convulses through me. This is it. I'm going to die, along with the rest of the tribe. Any sacrifices I might've made just now are in vain.

But at least I'll go down fighting.

"Does family mean nothing to you?" she yells.

I swallow, panting too hard to answer. The Anderwres raises a dagger, ready to strike me, when an arrow whizzes straight to his heart. The warrior staggers, then falls to the ground. Behind my mother, I spot Kletasuah jump into battle against Abarra. A fire burns at their feet. Another glance over, and I realize it was Kletasuah's bow.

"Answer me!" My focus snaps back to my mother just as her staff whacks my feet. Pain shoots through my tailbone. I block another flurry of strikes that rain from above.

"I... I... what you did... was wrong."

My mother pauses, but only for an instant. "What do you mean?" Her staff flies toward my head, and I raise my spear to block it just in time. Wood cracks and splinters over my tunic.

"All you care about is power. You're greedy at the expense of all the people living in the tribe."

"I don't care," my mother grits out. I slide to the side, scramble from the ground. My feet plant in a battle stance. My mother and I duel, taking a few steps forward, a few steps backward.

"Well, I do." I aim for her side, but she blocks, pushing me backward with my own momentum. I stumble a few paces up the mountain path before aiming for her ribs. The spear knicks her robe. I recognize it as one I made for her. "The matriarchs are kind and compassionate. They enable us to live peacefully."

My mother scoffs. "Sure. Peacefully. As if your quiet existence is all there is to life. We have the whole mountain to explore, to utilize, to become better and stronger." She aims for my stomach. I spin, and her staff whacks my arm. My spear transfers hands as I whirl, landing a strike on her thigh. Mother's teeth clench, but she swings at me again.

"I don't care about that. We've found a life that gives us meaning and community. That's what matters. If you want power, go rule the Anderwres' side of the mountain."

My mother snarls, lunging at me. I step aside. A blast of frost chills the air beside me. In the clearing, an Anderwres holds the cloak of moonlight, aiming it in my direction. Both he fires again, Ixek jumps on top of him, whacking the cloak to the ground.

Pain shudders up my spine, and I twist as I fall to the ground. My mother stands over me, staff swinging toward my face. I roll out of the way before it makes contact. My spear plunges into her ankle, and she howls, hopping backward. I raise my spear again as her staff flies at my chest. The spear splits with a crack. A grin spreads on my mother's face.

"It's over, daughter."

Wood lurches at my head, and I throw the spear forward blindly, bracing myself for impact.

The impact never comes. The staff drops to the ground. Only then do my eyes settle on my mother, lying in the snow with a stick poking from her chest. Blood saturates her robe, a robe I worked many late nights in row on to ensure my mother would stay warm. I swallow against the tightness constricting my throat. Tears burn in the corners of my eyes. I sink to my knees beside my mother.

I... killed her.

Was this inevitable? The only way to stop her? Inexplicable regret wells inside me. I wanted to stop her and her greedy plan, but I'm not sure I was ready to pay the cost. I'm still not ready.

My hand reaches toward my mother's. Her nimble, youthful fingers twitch slightly in the snow. When she finally got her wish to have healed fingers, she was only able to enjoy them for a few moons. They're useless to her now.

"M-mother?" I whisper.

Eyelids flutter.

"Geanna? Are you..." I almost laugh in spite of myself. Is she what? Alright? Certainly not. Dead?

Her eyelids open, brown eyes focusing on me. Her fingers grasp the air, and I realize she's searching for my hand. I take hers into mine. It feels like I'm holding ice.

"Celisae," she murmurs. "Celisae, you're—" She coughs blood onto her chin.

"I'm what?" I ask. Tears trickle down my cheeks. Am I a bad person for feeling remorse? Did this have to be done? The questions only fuel the rain from my eyes.

"Celisae, you're—" Her hand works its way up my arm. She's grasping for something. I realize her eyes aren't quite focused on me. They're on what's around me... "Your..."

The starlight. She wants the starlight cape.

Her eyelids freeze open, an unseeing gaze trained in my direction. Her hand falls limp against my skin. Slowly, I press my fingers against her wrist. I feel no pulse.

Some emotion stirs in my stomach. I pivot my body just in time to vomit away from her corpse. Acid burns my mouth and throat.

I could've saved her. All I had to do was place the starlight cloak around her, and she'd have been healed. But would she have thanked me for doing so, or would she have thrust the spear into my chest next?

"Celisae! Look out!"

I turn around just in time to duck an incoming blow from an Anderwres. I jump into a fighting stance, feet hip width apart, but blue ice travels over the warrior, freezing him solid. From across the clearing, I spot Ixek holding the ice cloak. Beyond, Kletasuah stands over Abarra, who lies in snow.

"I knocked her out," Kletasuah calls.

My feet numbly carry me onto the fractured cliff. Destruction surrounds me — blue and burned bodies of all types, Anderwres and Nuotomin alike. Only six remain, Kletasuah, Ixek, the matriarchs... and me.

I burry my face in my hands. "This is all my fault," I choke out.

"What is?" Kletasuah asks. A hand squeezes my shoulder, but I shrink away from it. I don't deserve their kindness right now.

"I made the cloaks," I confess. "I used a raeriel, and I made the cloaks. I gave them to Abarra because she said she'd reveal a secret of mine to the tribe if I didn't." A mirthless laugh breaks my lips. "It's stupid, so unbelievably stupid now that I think about it." I peer at the faces around me, those terrifyingly blank faces. "She threatened to reveal that my mother was alive."

Kletasuah gasps. Ixek's eyes widen.

"Of course, now I know her threat was empty since they were planning to overthrow the tribe together. But at the time..."

It seemed credible.

Nal m'se clears her throat. "Where is Geanna now?"

I point to the body resting on the mountain path. "I... killed her. On accident. I mean, we were fighting, and she was going to kill me, and—"

"We'll discuss the details later," Nal m'se states. "For now, what matters is that she is dead. The Anderwres no longer have a leader." She turns to Ixek. "Try to reach the tribe and tell the Anderwres warriors that Baiac, Geanna, and Abarra are dead. I'm sure that will speed along their retreat. Kletasuah, heal Nuotomin who is injured here."

"Use this," I say, flinging the starlight from my shoulders. "This will help." Kletasuah presses her lips into a tight smile, then takes the cloak. I inhale a shaky breath. I want to know what will happen, what my punishment will be, but the matriarchs have more pressing matters at the moment.

As the matriarchs turn, I call out, "wait!" They face me, deadpan. A beat passes. I steel myself and ask, "is there anything I can do to help? I know I've done much harm, but I... I want to make things right, somehow. At least a little bit."

Nal m'se scans the fractured cliff. "Well, there are many dead here. Someone ought to help clear them away."