Aya likes the particular manner of storytelling displayed by this writer enough to read even the stories she's already heard, or heard variants of.

When the duke's son glances into her room and sees what she's reading, he giggles.

"What?" she asks, looking up from the book.

"That one's my favourite," he says cheerfully.

"It's good! This whole series is nicely done."

"But Aelare's the only god I feel like I'd get along with."

"If I thought they actually existed I'd probably have a fairly poor opinion of the lot, but she does have the advantage of not claiming to be involved with a grand project of guiding the whole of Tayane without any noticeable results, unlike the rest of them."

"Well, I guess that's why they're so unpopular these days."

"At least as anything other than stories." She holds up the book.

He laughs. "Yeah. I'm glad you like the book, anyway."

"I like books in general. This one's more on the 'fun' side than the 'useful' side, but I have time for both these days."

"Although eventually I might get used to the luxury of reading and drawing all day except between meals and then I'll probably organize your attic to break things up a bit."

"Good luck," he snorts.

"Berete warns me there may or may not be singing ghosts."

"I've never heard any, but then, I barely ever go up there."

"Apparently two different people heard funny noises."

"Maybe I have a haunted attic, then."

"Maybe. Whatever it is hasn't disturbed the things too much - it's hardly tidy, but it doesn't look like there's much either broken or used, if I recall right."

"Yeah." Shrug.

"Maybe you've got a clockwork cricket that used to be a regular cricket and," she holds up the book again, "took a wrong turn."

He cracks up.

"Or something. You never know. Aelare is nothing if not unpredictable."

"That," he says, "is why he's my favourite."

"Because the stories are always different? Instead of the various formulas the other gods repeatedly fall into?"