Aki

Aki was a human girl who lived in Australia in the 17th century.

She was born into a nomadic tribe, but when she was still a child they rejected her due to a dispute concerning a child, a piece of meat, and white urine trails on a flat black rock. Abandoned, Aki survived on the berries and bark of trees, water from the moonpools, and occasionally the meat of wild dogs and lizards. Her only companion was "Lizard", who walked with her and changed shape daily.

During the War in Heaven Mother Sphinx's Faction Paradox cell considered recruiting Aki as its fifth member. Aki dreamt that if she sat at the foot of a certain tree by a certain pool, the "bone people" would come for her, inviting her and Lizard to join them in the sunless lands. Aki knew that their lands were going to be threatened by a witch-woman and that Aki herself would have to stop her by becoming the Grandfather's hand.

Aki walked until she found the tree by the pool, then sat and waited there for the bone people to come for her. She waited so long that Lizard died. Mother Sphinx's cell never came for her; instead they recruited Mistress Piper for her closeness to Nate Silver. Cousin Hateman predicted that, had Aki been recruited, she would have become a Mother or even a Godmother. However, the other members would have been too in awe of her to become her friend. (PROSE: Newtons Sleep ^[+]Loading...["Newtons Sleep (novel)"]) When Lolita did threaten the Faction, Grandfather Paradox was instead represented by Cousin Justine, who was unsuccessful in stopping her from devouring the Eleven-Day Empire. (AUDIO: The Shadow Play ^[+]Loading...["The Shadow Play (audio story)"])