The Memory Closes

“The road is south. The ink is fresh. The lamp is borrowed.”
— Silkstrand Bravo

“The sea does not forgive, but it does forget – if you give it a story worth remembering.”
— Lady Isolde

“The ledger is closed. The knife is still sharp. Your name is next.”
— Aeler True-Mason

“The road is a memory. Every oasis is a story, every broken wheel a lesson. The Tulkani tie knots to remember who shared what. The Fhara weigh water before they weigh silver. The Pereshi recite verses to keep the bridges open. And the Sidhi keep lighthouse lamps burning for the dead who still have not reached the shore.”
— Dusana of the Raven Road, at a caravanserai whose name she refused to give