The Mountain Dancer

Chapter 30: Rekness & WeeSeu

It was possibly the most boring book that had ever been written. It wasn’t even a story, just pages and pages and pages of little numbers and descriptions. The fact that it was definitely the book that they had both seen made it even more confusing.

They tried all the same tricks on it with no results. Shay wanted to take it with her into her room and maybe see if she could find any book-quest stuff in it, but Rek knew that Sila would want to see it first.

So he made up some excuse about how old Minyel could maybe help and fled with both books to the little blue cave where he usually met with his mysterious recruiter. She wasn’t there, so he waited in one of the chairs.

‘Any luck with Tutor Minyel?’ came Shay’s shard, after an hour or so.

‘I’m still waiting to see him, hoping he can see me before he fully downcycles for the day,’ Rek sent.

‘Okay... well I’m going to downcycle myself. So see you tomorrow?’

‘Cool.’

He waited for another hour. He read the poems again, just for something to do. He even tried to make sense of the boring book again, but it was no use. After the third hour, he decided he’d give up and try again later. He left the two books on a shelf in the cave and threaded his way back to the boreway. It was much quieter in the library at this point in the mooncycle. Well, it was always quiet. Maybe “stiller” was the way to say it. Most of all the townspeople had gone home; pupils and advisors would be downcycling or maybe out to see a late wonderment.

His footsteps echoed, first coming back low and dulled as the cavernous, wood-lined library drank them in, then coming back sharp and snappy as he made his way up through the stony temple levels. It became a regular rhythm, and with no one to bother him on the journey, he found his mind wandering to the future ahead, his fast-track, his Luminary appointment, and the girl he’d won. He’d have to take her sailing on Locktree Lake sometime after he’d built his first boat.

Caught in the daydream as he was, with his head down, he almost didn’t see the little group of people at the top of one of the landings. The two kids had gotten out of his way – they had obviously heard him thumping up the steps – but the girl was sitting smack in the middle of the stairs. He veered around her, annoyed, and was trying to remember what he had been thinking about when one of them called out.

“You’re Rekness! Hi! What’s your colours?”

He turned. It was those little redheaded orphan twins that Shay was sub-tutoring. The girl on the step he recognized but didn’t know. She was still facing away from him, but the little one who had called out was bouncing closer.

“It’s pretty late for you to be up, isn’t it?” Rek asked. He never saw the little ones running around at this hour.

“She cycles better at night, it would seem.” This from the weird girl on the step, still facing away. Rek was about to ask her who she was when the twin started talking again.

“What’s your colours?” she said again. “I’m green!” She patted the spot over her birthright crystal.

“Oh. Me too.” Rek said, unsure if she was expecting a formal address or not.

“Yay! Then what?”

Guess not. “You mean my scholarright path?”

“Yeah!”

“The Path of the Crags,” he said, smiling.

The girl seemed to be thinking. She brightened. “Green then blue! That’s pretty!”