me going out and burning things. You still have to show me your dragon form.”
“You have seen in.”
“Dream dragons don’t count.”
He chuckled. “When we have enough space and some privacy, I will show you my other body.”
“Good. A girl has her standards. Is the house in the dream yours as well?”
“Yes.”
Something familiar about that. “I have to approve of it, don’t I? You had better let me get inside before you jump out again. You were a little too eager. Next time, use some of that practiced patience.”
He winked. “As long as there is a next time, I will let you see whatever you want.”
Chapter Eight
The world of Ciina was bright, serene and in desperate need of her services. They needed a seamless, continuous pathway and maze.
She wore her robes for this. The stark mountaintop near the monastery was a little drafty. Designs in pebbles and powdered stone covered the plateau. All she had to do was follow it.
Leyhara looked around at the intricate design and knew it would take her days to finish. A small gathering of priests knelt behind her, and as she took her first step, they chanted in a singsong tone.
Each step melted the sand and stone into a polished glass, four inches thick and eighteen inches wide.
She blanked her mind and let the droning chant carry her forward, a slow dance on burning stone.
Step by step, she created the pathway that the priests and supplicants would tread. It was a tool to clear the mind of those who appealed to the monastery for spiritual guidance, or it would be when she completed it.
The monks were a global institution. The population of Ciina was passive, and joining the organized religion that ruled the globe was considered a blessing. The monks were chosen for their devotion to their community, and it was what made Ciina a serene and secure place to be.
The monks also had a highly effective standing army.
She closed her mind to thoughts of the local infrastructure and walked the path, faithfully following every twist and turn.
When the chanting stopped, she paused and looked back at her polished path. She skated back the way she had come, and Bohr handed her her meal and some water.
She sat on the ground with her legs crossed and ate while breathing deeply of the crisp, cool air.
“Is it difficult?” Bohr sat next to her, his wings folding somewhat awkwardly on the ground.
“It is simply walking. I could turn the whole field to glass in minutes but that is not my task. I am aiming for precision to last generations.”
“You seem to be succeeding. Do you have an estimate of time?”
“Three days to get in all the details that they have built into the pathway to mislead the walkers.”
“Why would they do that?”
She was a fan of mazes, so she could answer that. “The act of walking the maze will take hours to do correctly. That will organize and cleanse the mind of those entering the monastery. They will have to begin over and over until they can walk the entire path in one session without error. It is complicated enough to force folk to learn.”
“Do you think anyone will use it?’
“I think that this society will have someone walking this nearly every day. It will take away the outside world and give them clear insight as to what they do and do not need.”
“You really have a grasp on this.”
“I like mazes, and I have studied Ciina. Their monks are proponents of self-awareness, and this sort of walking meditation is an aid to that.”
He nodded, taking her hand and holding it gently while she finished her meal.
Companionable silence flowed between them, and the security of knowing that he was there for her warmed her soul and got her back on her feet, ready to work for the rest of the afternoon.
She glided along her path and heated the last ten feet of it before walking again. The chanting resumed and so did her relentless work to craft something that would last beyond her lifetime.
The tunnels of Kremlod
“You have seen in.”
“Dream dragons don’t count.”
He chuckled. “When we have enough space and some privacy, I will show you my other body.”
“Good. A girl has her standards. Is the house in the dream yours as well?”
“Yes.”
Something familiar about that. “I have to approve of it, don’t I? You had better let me get inside before you jump out again. You were a little too eager. Next time, use some of that practiced patience.”
He winked. “As long as there is a next time, I will let you see whatever you want.”
Chapter Eight
The world of Ciina was bright, serene and in desperate need of her services. They needed a seamless, continuous pathway and maze.
She wore her robes for this. The stark mountaintop near the monastery was a little drafty. Designs in pebbles and powdered stone covered the plateau. All she had to do was follow it.
Leyhara looked around at the intricate design and knew it would take her days to finish. A small gathering of priests knelt behind her, and as she took her first step, they chanted in a singsong tone.
Each step melted the sand and stone into a polished glass, four inches thick and eighteen inches wide.
She blanked her mind and let the droning chant carry her forward, a slow dance on burning stone.
Step by step, she created the pathway that the priests and supplicants would tread. It was a tool to clear the mind of those who appealed to the monastery for spiritual guidance, or it would be when she completed it.
The monks were a global institution. The population of Ciina was passive, and joining the organized religion that ruled the globe was considered a blessing. The monks were chosen for their devotion to their community, and it was what made Ciina a serene and secure place to be.
The monks also had a highly effective standing army.
She closed her mind to thoughts of the local infrastructure and walked the path, faithfully following every twist and turn.
When the chanting stopped, she paused and looked back at her polished path. She skated back the way she had come, and Bohr handed her her meal and some water.
She sat on the ground with her legs crossed and ate while breathing deeply of the crisp, cool air.
“Is it difficult?” Bohr sat next to her, his wings folding somewhat awkwardly on the ground.
“It is simply walking. I could turn the whole field to glass in minutes but that is not my task. I am aiming for precision to last generations.”
“You seem to be succeeding. Do you have an estimate of time?”
“Three days to get in all the details that they have built into the pathway to mislead the walkers.”
“Why would they do that?”
She was a fan of mazes, so she could answer that. “The act of walking the maze will take hours to do correctly. That will organize and cleanse the mind of those entering the monastery. They will have to begin over and over until they can walk the entire path in one session without error. It is complicated enough to force folk to learn.”
“Do you think anyone will use it?’
“I think that this society will have someone walking this nearly every day. It will take away the outside world and give them clear insight as to what they do and do not need.”
“You really have a grasp on this.”
“I like mazes, and I have studied Ciina. Their monks are proponents of self-awareness, and this sort of walking meditation is an aid to that.”
He nodded, taking her hand and holding it gently while she finished her meal.
Companionable silence flowed between them, and the security of knowing that he was there for her warmed her soul and got her back on her feet, ready to work for the rest of the afternoon.
She glided along her path and heated the last ten feet of it before walking again. The chanting resumed and so did her relentless work to craft something that would last beyond her lifetime.
The tunnels of Kremlod
Similar Books
