Keeper of Life - NaPoWrMo Entry

Solar watched as the fire built, then slowed then finally died. She had listened as a tender talked about the circle of life, about The Tree. They always talked about the tree, everyone did. She walked with them and gave water to the ashes that now lay around the roots, and whispered words she was told to say.

It had been hard walking through the archways into the grove, tears had streamed her face as if they would never stop. Yet as soon as she entered the feeling lifted. As if The Tree itself had soaked away her pain. There was no joy here though, just apathy. For this moment she was incapable of feeling, and considered it was probably better this way. Thus she continued, as they all seemed to, through the proceedings that would send her mother's life back into The Tree in a dull placid state.

When they all left Solar stayed and leaned against the wall. She missed Clover, she missed the days when she just trained and didn't worry about failing or passing a test, and she missed her mother.

“Hello Sol,” Valor said entering the grove. She didn't look up but nodded and Val took a seat beside her. “She lead a long and happy life Sol, it's hard now, but everything will get better,” she said calmly. “The festival is coming, and I hope you'll be a part of it, your mother would have wanted to see you happy and the best thing to do is just to enjoy yourself.”

A spark rose inside Sol at this. She wanted to shake her head, she wanted to shake Val. 'After what I saw yesterday, after this? Just forget?!' she thought. Yet the flare of anguish slowed to a trickle, then died altogether. 'Damn tree,' she thought wantingfeel angry.

The tenders came to care for the tree, same time as always. Sol would have been asked to leave if not for Valor lying beside her.

“Come on Sol, it's time to go,” she said and they both rose up. “I want to show you something, something fun this time.” Solar followed her without word as they continued into the tower.

“Have you ever wondered how we keep time?” Val asked.

“On parchment?” Sol replied. “I mean, the sun comes up then down and we have calendars.”

“It's a little better then that,” Val said stopping at a small set of doors that were almost hidden by the towering bookshelves beside them. “The Grandmaster's and tenders use a different entrance, but this is my little secret,” she said with a wink.

They entered into a soft darkness. As hesitant as Solar was to enter another dark room in the tower this roomed seemed warm, welcoming even.

“Watch this,” Val said, her faint figure moving toward the wall.

Solar's eyes lit up catching the reflection of a thousand moving shapes. White dots filled the dome like room. Patterns drew before her, worlds spun and the ground under her suddenly seemed unsteady. The feeling filled her until she was airborne. Just a dust moat floating admits the endless tides of the wind, so did she feel here under the innumerate dazzling lights. Some flickered while others glowed a steady red or blue or even green. To match the wonder above her a disk of detailed light slowly inched around an artificial sky.

“See Solar, we're here, where you're standing, and this,” she said waving a hoof, “this is all around us.” She pointed to the crawling disk. “That's the moon, notice how you can see shapes in it, and the light it makes.” Val said as if reminiscing.

“That's the moon?” Sol asked bewildered. “What... what is this?”

“This is the sky at night. This is what you'd see without the barrier, they're stars. It's amazing isn't it?” Val asked.

“Yeah,” Sol said pacing around the room. She took in everything, every light, every movement, even the vagrant stars that seemed to fall and shoot across the faux sky. Every inch of the room was used, every spot a light, a movement, or a marker for something; and set in the middle was a massive mechanism that held spinning disks.

As the disks revolved Solar tracked them noting how they were all connected, how all six moved. “This tells time,” Sol said. “The hour, day, month, year,” she trailed off and shook her head in amazement. Even the pedestal that it sat on was embossed with an artist's grace. Words ran along the rim and massive patterns etched each side. One was that of The Queen, a soft round sun with lines circling it with ebb and flow, everyone knew that but the other symbol eluded Solar. The pattern almost moved under her hoof. They were two lines that rose, twisted, then departed. It reminded Solar of snakes crossing paths.

“What is this one?” Solar asked and Val came over.

“Nothing important,” Val said. “Marks for the artisan who helped build Eternity.”

“So that's what it's called,” Sol said with an aerial wonder, her eyes soaking up the sky once again. “I wish I could see it like this, the stars for real.” She turned to Val and saw her face. “I mean, I know I can't, it's just, you know, it would be nice. Not that this isn't nice, I just mean-”

“I think it's time to go,” Val cut her off and darkened the room again.

Solar sulked out afraid she had said something stupid, just when she was feeling good again.

“You have some time off, the Grandmasters can't administer another test until after the festival. Go out and enjoy the city,” she said. “I'm afraid I have work to tend to, remember Sol, this was our little secret.”

Her heart lifted a little, maybe Val wasn't mad after all. “Thank you so much, bye,” she said and hurried out the tower, toward what she didn't know.