"The three of you? Who was the third?" Mercy asked, the rhythmic sounds of the spinning wheel continuing on.

"Dadus' wife, my last apprentice, Petra."

"So, the loom and wheel inside belong to her?"

"They would have," Johanna sighed as she sat at her own spinning wheel. She, too, began to spin. Mercy didn't see what she was spinning with, however. It wasn't long before she realized that Johanna was simply going through the motions; her bobbin wasn't collecting any thread.

"So... what happened? Is the accident what twisted Dadus' leg?"

"Yes. It was a common thing, really; a spooked horse and a wagon full of cloth. Dadus' leg was caught in the reigns and he was dragged for a long distance. But, he was the lucky one. Petra, trying to stop the horses, was trampled, then run over by the cart. She might have survived one or the other but not both."

"I'm so sorry, Johanna," Mercy said, the emotion strong in her voice.

"I tried, though. Dadus loved her so. I was afraid that I'd lose them both if I didn't. So, I spun life and dressed Petra in it. It wasn't enough. She needed more life than I had the ability to give."

Johanna's sadness permeated the yard and Mercy found herself swallowing past a lump in her throat. She slowly stopped spinning and soon, the silence engulfed everything.

"Johanna? Did—Did you spin your life away for Petra?"

Johnanna looked at her hands. "Aye, I did. For my boy's happiness. In the end, we both left him alone. He hated me for a long time, but I haven't been able to leave here."

"Why not?"

The pale woman cleared her throat. "One day, when I was about your age, there was a Priestess who came by. We, of course, offered her hospitality. On her way out, she told me that, at some point in the future, a young woman would come my way and I would teach her all I knew. It would be important."

"And you think that woman is me?" Mercy asked.

"I do," Johanna said, nodding. "I believe that you are, at last, the apprentice I was tasked with teaching. Once I teach you, I can finally go on about my journey and give my Dadus some peace. He's learned to not hate me by now, of course, but I think he will be happy to see me go, none-the-less."

Mercy began to spin again. "Can he see you?"

"Oh yes. But, I stay out of his way mostly. Though, I find that I simply cannot stay away from my spinning wheel." She, too, took up the rhythm again.

They worked in silence for a time as the sun climbed high in the sky. At last, Mercy broke the quiet and said, "I think I have the hang of this now, Johanna. I'd like to give my magic a try."

"Oh! Yes! I think that's a splendid idea!" Johanna said. "I'm quite interested to see it in person. How do you do it?"

"Well, to me, nothing changes about what I do or how I work. I've been told by others, however, that I work so fast they can't follow my motion," Mercy explained

"So, to you, it is as if the world slows down, but to them you speed up?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

Johanna nodded. "Got it! Okay, let's see what you can do with the sunlight!"

Mercy took a deep breath and blew it out. Her awareness narrowed until it was just her and her wheel. She noticed that there were subtle shifts in the design and it truly became hers, with all the modifications necessary to accommodate her speed. She smiled... and set to work.

She knew that, to Johanna, it seemed as if she simply moved faster and faster until all of her movements were nothing but a blur. Her sister had told her it was fascinating to watch the thread build up on the bobbin at a rate that had to be at least four times what most could do on a good day.

The men came around the side of the house laughing, but their laughter gave way to incredulous stares as they saw Mercy, shining brightly, spinning the sunlight into thread at an amazing rate. Johanna smiled at the boys and nodded to Dadus, who nodded his approval in return.

"Wow," Lance said and stared at his friend.

"Yeah. Look at that!" Matt exclaimed.

"Come on, boys, let's leave the women to the sunlight."

~~~

"Mercy!"

Mercy finally realized that someone was calling her name. She slowed her wheel and looked up. Lance was standing near her, plate in one hand and cup in another. She realized that she was hungry and thirsty.

"You've been at it for hours. You need a break. Come eat lunch in the shade," he said, nodding toward the large tree in the front yard. Matt and Dadus were already there at a table she'd not noticed before. Johanna stood respectfully to one side.

She stretched her neck and shoulders, then her arms. "Yeah, that sounds good." She plucked the nearly full bobbin of thread from her wheel and dropped it into the almost overflowing basket at her feet. She had been spinning most of the morning and it had filled quickly with bobbins.

She sat at the table with the men and Lance placed the plate and cup in front of her. She worked to not simply wolf it down. She turned to Johanna and asked, "How many bobbins do you think I will need for the cloth?"

"I was just wondering that myself. Maybe tomorrow we should weave some and calculate."

Mercy nodded and turned to the men. "So, what have you been doing today?"

"We've mended several fences, the roof of the chicken coop, and the trellis," Matt answered brightly.

"Trellis?" Mercy asked around a mouthful of bread, looking around.

"Yes!" Dadus exclaimed. "Now that Johanna has an apprentice again, she'll need the night blooming roses. So, on the other side of the house, I've revived them so they will grow on the trellis."

Johanna spoke, "We can use the vines much like we use the reeds to make a fiber. Dadus' magic is plants so he can make them grow quickly; it will still take some time to prep the vines. But, with the mens' help, that can be done while you weave and sew the dress of sunshine."

Mercy nodded, pushing away her plate. She drained her cup and stood. "Well, then, I'll get back at it and leave you all to work then," she said, smiling at them. "I thank you for your help. Truly." Matt beamed at her and Lance inclined his head.

"Don't think anything of it, young lady," Dadus said with a wave. "It's good to have folk in the house again."

She took her leave and found her wheel once more. She began to spin the sunshine at a normal pace for a moment until she slumped and stopped the wheel.

"Johanna?" she asked as the woman set next to her at her own wheel. "I worry about Lance and Matt."

"About them marrying and being able to become Citizens?" Johanna asked.

"Yes, exactly. They're nearly out of the acceptable age range..." Mercy's voice drifted away.

"I wish I had some words that would be of comfort, Mercy, but I don't know what's going to happen in that regard any more than you do," Johnanna said. "But, I will say this: the Marriage Council knows that both are with you and that might sway them to offer leniency."

"Oh! I hadn't thought of that!" Mercy exclaimed, sitting up straighter.

"I think it's worth keeping in mind," her older friend said.

Mercy started her wheel again, spinning it lazily. "The marriage decree for Lance and I indicated that we would have talented children and would become Grand Citizens well before the norm. I hate to take that away from him,"

"Well, you don't know why that's true. What if he finds someone else who is as equally talented in a trade as you are?" Johanna pointed out. "I think that, in the end, you have to trust the Marriage Council. Surely, they, through their own magic, had to know that there was a chance you would protest. I mean, they can see along the fate lines enough to know that the two of you would be physically suitable for each other. Isn't it possible that they might see you and Jasmine together as well?"

"Do you think that they will actually let Jasmine and I marry? Relationships like ours aren't the norm, but we're not unheard of."

Johanna sighed. "You're asking all the questions that I have no answer for. You need to be asking a Priest or Priestess."

"Yes, you're right. I suppose, in the end, the only thing I can do is complete the tasks assigned."

The sun lost itself behind a large, fluffy gray and white cloud and Johanna became excited. "Oh! Spin, Mercy, this grey would be a beautiful addition to all the colors you have collected."

Mercy nodded and began to spin. She let the worries of the day slip by and soon the world was nothing but her, her wheel, and the light.

~~~

They woke to the sound of pouring rain and the sight of forked lightning that heralded rolling thunder. One by one, they gathered in front of the fire as Dadus stoked it and they settled in for the remainder of the storm, no one able to sleep. After a time, Johanna appeared, fading into existence to stand behind Dadus and they watched the fire.

Lance stretched and groaned, slumping in his chair. "Man, I'm tired.'

"Yeah," Matt said, trying not to yawn himself, "if the storm doesn't pass soon, it'll make for a long day tomorrow."

"What's going on tomorrow?" Mercy asked.

"We're preparing to go to market. We need supplies for the trellis as well as staples. While I am quite happy to share, it does mean that things run out faster when there are four eating instead of one." Dadus chuckled as he poked the fire.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Dadus. We have a little coin..."

The old man held up a hand. "I wouldn't dream of taking your coin for hospitality," he said. "Now, on the other hand, if you want to 'donate to the cause', so to speak, for the trellis. I won't say no. Wood and nails aren't cheap."

"If only we had a forge," Lance said, yawning.

"What was that, young man?" Dadus said.

"I'm a journeyman blacksmith. I could make nails to your heart's content."

"A blacksmith, you say?"

Lance looked at Dadus, eyes narrow. "Why do I think you've got an idea?"

"Oh, nothing immediate. It's just that our blacksmith is getting older, you see, and with no sons of his own..."

Lance nodded. "His forge will go cold and you'll be left without one." Mercy didn't miss the expression in Lance's eyes. Having his own forge would be an amazing step for him; he couldn't expect to inherit his father's forge for a few decades more.

Mercy was beginning to understand how Lance might become a Grand Citizen before his time.

"Say, how far away from home are we?" Matt asked.

"Where is home?" Dadus asked, shuffling to a bookshelf. From it, he pulled several rolled pieces of vellum.

Matt unrolled the largest of them and found Mount Saint Hope on it. Dadus whistled. "Here's where we are," he said, pointing to the middle of the map, "in Stormhaven."

Matt's eyes went wide. "That's... nearly a month's worth of traveling." He looked at Mercy, "Those amethyst coffins brought us that far in a matter of minutes."

"Magic is a powerful thing," Johanna offered and everyone nodded.