Payvel

The pattern she painted was over his heart. It had long spiralling lines like wind, and the stylised shape of a lone bird, a careful rune drawn at the edge of each wingtip. The same rune, lone and stark, was echoed at the ends of the winds. "Payvel," Batese said when she was done, touching her finger to the bird. "It is a symbol of – loyal loves. A magnificent bird, who roams the winds above the sea, and a cry that echoes the whales beneath. They fly in pairs, always, and their song echoes on the cliffsides whenever they visit land." She withdrew her hand. "The song of the lone payvel, we say, is a tragic thing. Calling out on the winds for a lost mate, whose fate is unknown."