The Trinity War (Book 3 of the Trinity series)

Chapter 30

We followed the monk that had let us in to the Air Nation. He led us to a small log cabin, similar to the one that we had stepped inside when we stopped by the human community on the mountain below. The cabin was minimalist, with a soft rug by the entrance, a small kitchen to one side, a cot to the other, and a lone cushion by the far wall, which was made entirely of glass. On this cushion was a man who was faced with his back towards us.

He sat stiffly, his back as straight as a rod. His legs were crossed, with one on top of the other, and his hands were placed on his abdomen, his fingers cross-linking with one another. As we walked up to him, we saw that his eyes were closed and it appeared almost as if he wasn't breathing. His head was bald, but there were intricate patterns and designs tattooed all over it. I wasn't completely certain if they were tattoos or spiritual markings because as we stood and watched the man meditate, the markings began glowing a dull blue-ish white color. 

I glanced at the man that had led us in to see if the markings were unique to the meditating man alone. But upon looking more closely at the monk, I saw the same types of markings along one side of his neck and down his bare arm. While the meditating monk's markings were glowing, this man's were dark grey in color; probably dormant. I pursed my lips, intrigued, and tucked my question as to what the markings were in the back of my mind. 

After a few moments, it began to rain outside. The sky turned dark, the clouds became thick, and water droplets splattered onto the wall window. The window overlooked one side of the mountain. The cabin was nestled a couple yards from the very edge of flat surface area of the mountain we were on. The view from the window was spectacular. All we could see for miles were snow capped mountains. While the sight had appeared spectacular just moments before, now--with the rain pouring down in sheets--it simply left a feeling of melancholy inside of me.

The monk that had brought us inside gestured for us to sit down on the cot to give the meditating monk some peace. He left us and then went to the kitchen to make some food. He was so silent the entire time that I thought he had placed a silencing spell on the entire cabin. 

I wanted to talk to Gerrard and ask him what was going on, but I was afraid of disturbing the silence. I glanced at Gerrard, whose focus was on the meditating man. He was scrutinizing him, watching him as he meditated. As the moments ticked by in an agonizingly slow pace, I saw the markings of the meditating man begin to glow brighter. It seemed as if the markings glowed brighter the deeper the man's meditation was. The other man brought us food and drink and we ate silently while we waited for the man to finish his meditation.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the rain stopped and the man ended his meditation. His back relaxed and he began moving, albeit very slowly. As he stirred back to life, the brightness of his markings returned to their dormant grey-black color. He stood, getting up off his cushion. He adjusted his robe on his shoulder. I waited for him to turn around, but he didn't. Instead, he stood facing the window for a few moments. The rain had stopped and evening had fallen. There was a thin layer of fog outside now, making the view a little distorted. After a few moments, the monk finally turned to face us. 

He didn't seem surprised to see us. In fact, his face was void of any emotion at all as he hobbled over to us. The other man rushed over, handing a walking stick to the man. The meditating man smiled slightly and nodded at the man. The other man tilted his head and glanced at us. The monk looked at us, too, and the two seemed to communicate silently to each other. The meditating man placed a hand on the other man's shoulder and nodded one last time. The man bowed and then, keeping his gaze down, he left the cabin. 

Now, Gerrard and I were left alone with the elderly monk. 

The man hobbled over to us. He conjured up a chair to sit on and sat himself down right in front of us. He placed his hands on top of his walking stick and peered at us through his thinly slanted almond shaped eyes.