Chapter 2
THE CROW IN THE TOWER
The white crow atop the roof of the tower, squinted in the midday sun. His only good eye trained toward two feint shapes as they grew bigger against a stark blue sky. The crow let out a single caw when finally he observed the feint outline of flapping wings. His own wings, old and stiff carried him in frantic bursts of flight near a window seal. He tapped and knocked so ferociously that specks of wood and clay broke off outside the window. It abruptly stopped as a shutter flew open and a robed figure hurriedly stepped out of the way as the bird tumbled inside. A patchy white feather swayed to the stone floor and the bird stared blindly up and over the shoulder of the master Pattern Weaver Adahan -- with blind eyes momentarily unaccustomed to the soft light inside the colorful room and for a brief moment only able to see Between.
"Master Adahan --", croaked the crow. Once long ago he was known as Scholar Josefus, the former's dignity scantly hidden behind the nervous excitement of an old man unaccustomed to being in the body of an old white crow. Master Adahan bent down to pick the crow up, and with as much dignity as possible, placed him on the table between maps and stones.
"Are they back?", asked Adahan. He peered outside, his sharp profile framed by the window, hair flowing lightly in stark contrast to the yellow brightness outside. He looked back at the crow and frowned, "Josefus?"
"Yes, yes, I am sure I saw them. Bring the scope, Galen", rasped the crow, regaining some of his dignity. In the far side of the room, a loud crack broke the silence and a figure made of wood and clay and strings sprung into place, gears and levers whirred and hissed as she moved towards Adahan and Josefus. The wooden marionette carried a large cylinder and positioned it on the window sill in surprisingly elegant movements. Josefus, white feathers, still disheveled, looked every bit as scraggly as the scholar he used to be, now perched on top of the cylinder while Adahan turned knobs and gazed through the scope. The longer he gazed, the broader he smiled until finally he turned and said, "I think Lugus has The Stone."
"Let me see", cawed Josefus and twisted his head awkwardly as he peered through the scope. Rushing in and out of focus, as they neared Kyrkon Tower, the ravens' powerful wings seemed to clip the outline of the scope's lens. Neither Josefus nor Adahan could say for certain but it looked like the biggest of the two ravens clutched a leather pouch in his talons. "Come —" Adhan commanded. Josefus tried to look as dignified as possible as he clung to Galen's shoulder, as all three hurried outside to meet the ravens.
Fansé, fought a deepening drowsiness as she watched tiny dust particles visible in the late afternoon's light as it floated above the table and settled on the colorful rock that seem to hold the attention of everyone in the room. Josefus, Lugus and Master Adahan sat at the table in the middle of the room in deep conversation. She tried to pay attention to the discussion but nodded off and woke with a start when she bumped against Galen who turned her head at an odd angle and with a whirr the wooden girl's head squeaked and snapped back to look at the group sitting at the table. Josefus shot Fansé a stern glance. "As I said, — ", Lugus cleared his throat "— the flight across the Kyrkon plains was indeed arduous...". He glanced briefly to his young apprentice. Master Adahan merely nodded, before his attention too, snapped back to the leather pouch and iridescent stone that lay in the middle of the table.
"I am surprised that she hid the stone in plain sight", ventured Josefus in a gruff voice.
"I don't think she hid it at all" Adahan replied.
"She expected us." added Lugus solemnly.
"That does not make any sense.", the white crow looked angry. "You're saying, she put the Jauhar Kito on the dresser on purpose, because she was expecting representatives from the Katikati?", he looked incredulous.
"She did not have time to hide it, Josefus, or — " Adahan was visibly agitated and opened his palms and lifted his shoulders slightly, before he sighed and said: "She had hoped that we would be there as foretold. And we were." he looked at Josefus directly, who shifted awkwardly.
"All that really matters now, is that we have it" and Lugus pointed his beak in the direction of the Jauhar Kito, shimmering in the late afternoon light.
"Was she at peace?" asked Adahan. He looked older in the light that found the creases in his dark skin. His hands, braided in veins, smoothed over a tiny speck on the map in front of him. He wore a single white ring on the third finger of his left hand.
"She seemed, somehow, relieved Master Adahan", replied Lugus, relating how they witnessed the death of the Queen. He sat on a wooden chest, opposite Adahan, their eyes level.
The silver slither of a moon was drawn like a blade over the tower, After Galen had served dinner, she placed amber glow-sticks on the table. Fansé went to bed and Josefus sat next to a book case, weaving strings
"Tell me about the eunuch", pressed Adahan. There was a wooden cylinder attached to two levers on the table next to them. Every few minutes, Lugus pulled the string and the cylinder dispensed a colored bead onto the stone slab between him and the Pattern Master. They took turns pulling the lever and arranged the beads in patterns.
"I am not sure there is something to tell." said Lugus. "He was with her when she died — "
"And his Lordship?" Adahan looked up after placing a bead.
A few moments passed and Lugus seemed uncertain how to respond, then placed a blue bead that rolled onto the slab next to a bright red bead and simply said, "No."
"No?" Adahan frowned.
"I think the pattern is complete" he shook his wings and held Adahan's gaze.
"You are mistaken my old friend", Adahan briefly smiled, "the events to set a new pattern in motion had just started."
From the side, Josefus made a gruff sound, his blind eye and bright eye both looking at the beadwork on the table, then he gestured to Galen to gather the beads and fold the dispensing machines back. Galen was a mechanical creature, unable to speak but understood human speech and patterns better than most. She was unable to interpret patterns but stored all pattern work with time and date and pattern weaver detail.
"If you are uncomfortable to talk about the Eunuch — " began Adahan. Lugus shifted, "let's talk about — "
"...the boy instead." Lugus finished the sentence.
“If you wish?” and he folded his hands.
“He could see us.” Lugus paused and caught Josefus’ doubting eye.
“I expected as much” said Adahan.
“How can you be sure the boy could see you?” rasped the white crow.
“Here we go again.” Adahan stood up from the table as he cupped the Jauhar Kito in his left hand and walked over to Josefus, holding out his right hand for the crow to perch on his arm. The old crow was silent. Lugus smiled, he wasn’t sure if Josefus was sulking or plotting his next argument. Either way, Adahan gave Josefus no time to respond.
“Sometimes logical and mathematical proof is not everything, my esteemed scholar. Belief and hope and beauty. Whether or not he could see us with his eyes or with his heart, time will tell” he walked back to the table and gestured to Galen.
“Help me encrypt the slab and stone … ”.
The night grew dark when finally Galen packed away the instruments. The Jauhar Kito was safe. The encryption activated. The secret was whole. Miles away, wind tore at the cliffs around the castle rifts and snow and cold. It seemed to tore at the very fabric of the world.