Free Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

left the village without her, and with very little of his dignity. Yes, ridicule was the weapon of the quiet woman.
    His insects focused their attention on Tasi's household. Not only the kitchen attracted visitors. The younger daughter, who was still single, had several strings of admirers. It seemed as if Tasi was employing a very strict screening process, however. Before the suitors were given any opportunity at conversation with the object of their desire, they had to sit through a detailed interview with Tasi and her older daughter. Few made it past this first, intimidating obstacle, and those who did endured the chaperoned visits for interminable weeks after that. There were compensations; the food of Tasi's kitchen was truly delightful by all accounts. However, no one had as yet gained the prize.
    Still, he needed confirmation. These were only hints, and he was not about to make a fool of himself for the Trickster to gloat over him. Then, at last, he found it. A junior, cunningly hidden in the shadow of a child, had insinuated itself into Tasi's household!
    He instantly grew cautious. Sending away all but two of his shadows, he flew a bee in at the kitchen window and walked a ladybird over the threshold of the back door.
    'Why don't you simply show me how to use it?’ murmured a woman's voice.
    'I would rather not even touch it,’ a child whispered back.
    His shadows were poorly positioned for a clear sight of the speakers. The djombi was easily identified by its piping child's voice, but the voice of the other could have been either of Tasi's daughters for all he could tell. He turned the bee and flew to the other side of the room so that he could see the faces?
    Splat.
    There was a sudden loss of aerial vision. His bee had been swatted.
    'Neila! Why did you do that?'
    'I hate bees. They look like they're waiting to sting you for no good reason.'
    'That's wasps, Neila! You like honey, don't you? Then let the bees live!'
    Those two voices were almost identical. He was growing confused. Determinedly, he set his ladybird crawling up a wall for a better line of sight. When he turned it about to look down at the room, he saw the two daughters, and the child-shadow. The child was looking up at his ladybird with an expression of cold suspicion, and he realised that he had spent too much time getting into position.
    'Would you kill that ladybird?’ it said to Neila, continuing to look meaningfully at the bright red beetle.
    'Don't be silly. No-one would kill a ladybird. What would happen to all my luck if I did a thing like that?'
    A pot on the stove rattled. The older daughter was stirring the contents and examining them closely.
    'The syrup is ready,’ she announced, bringing the steaming pot to the table and setting it on a round of stone.
    A sheet of chilled metal was also on the table. She took out a generous dollop of syrup and handed the spoon to the child, who then carefully dribbled strings of syrup onto the cold metal. There was more confirmation if he needed it—the strings tumbled into weird spirals and highly specific knots, a sure sign of chaos if one knew what to look for.
    ...?ut the djombi wasn't doing it, at least not if he understood that first exchange correctly. Tasi wasn't in the room, so it wasn't her ...
    The two sisters sat with heads close together, watching the liquid as it curled into its patterns and peeling it off when it solidified.
    It had to be one of them.
    He believed it must be the younger. A woman cautious of her luck, but contemptuous of the lives of bees, with half the men in the village and some from out of it beating down her door, yet perhaps close enough to her sister to do her the favour of ridding her of the encumbrance of a foolish husband??es, it was very likely.
    He had no idea how biased he had become. He saw Neila's beauty, her casual cruelty, and her boredom, and he saw himself. Naturally he believed her to be the one gifted with his stolen power.
    Careful not to attract