This is Chapter 8-4 of a serial fantasy novel.
Xe sighed, and said, “And lately… well lately they’ve been picking off animals and other critters. For meat, or fur, I suppose. It can be quite upsetting for those who have bonded with the creatures. Reports from other towns also speak of structure rendering or transport raids. Then when we’re busy using Artwork to fix something, an even bigger assault on a town takes place.”
“They’ve always known how the stones and Artwork operate?”
“I don’t know if they know the specifics, but they’re not stupid. It’s easier to raid and harder for us to defend when there’s a drain on a communal stone—trial and error and observation over enough years… what I can’t figure out is why the aggression has crept up. It’s not like we’ve encroached on their territory. Like I said, plenty of wood to go around.”
“There’s a bitter history between us and them, you know,” said June.
“Oh, I know. But why lash out now? I fear something has changed in their governance. Which brings us to last week.”
“Yes. What happened?”
“First, the bridge—it is... well, was… south of here. Built big and reinforced with Artwork to help manage the supply chain requirements for our logging transports. Last week a small group of non-aspectrals rendered the whole thing, quite surgically. Explosives! It was a gift of the Guide that they did it after the transport and its crew had passed by.”
“And you’re sure it was the… non-aspectrals.”
“Yes. There were witnesses. An encounter actually,” said Vik.
“Really?” said June, feigning a twitch and a rapid series of blinks.
“Two of our own were right there. Tangled with the saboteurs. Brother and sister. You’ve already met their younger sibling.”
“Zoey-Lee.”
“Quite right, said Viktor. “Anyhow, this attack was far and beyond anything we’ve experienced in Wood Ribbon South, or anywhere else in this area really. So I figured something else was coming too. We were on high alert.
“Now, this sister I mentioned, she goes by the name of Atrocity… long story. She’s ah, how to say… a bit overprotective at times. But she loves this place. The night after the bridge, she crept out of town and did some scouting and came across the very same group of non-aspectrals. She says she appealed to their decency, or something… either way, they let on that there was a much larger force closing from the north, with the intent of capturing the town. Of course, she sharded this information and we had no choice but to light the pyre.”
June leaned in. “And there was no further attack?”
“Not a trace. We’ve been trying to find evidence of this so-called force, but nothing so far.”
“Do you think they were bluffing?”
“Maybe. But nothing else has happened, not even when we were clearing the ashes away. It wouldn’t seem to make any sense to bluff, but who knows what goes through the mind of a non-aspectral?” Vik shrugged.
“The girl hasn’t offered any insight?”
“She didn’t learn much from the boy she encountered, it seems.”
“I should like to talk to her, in time,” said June.
“Of course. Nothing… too formal I hope?”
“You mean to say nothing too interrogative?”
Vik shifted in xis seat. “She’s a little shaken, I think, is all.”
“It won’t be an interrogation, fear not. Now, I assume you reported this incident to… whom? Pinedeck?”
This time, xe barked a laugh. “Pinedeck? Wood Ribbon South could burn to the ground and take a thousand acres with it and we’d probably only warrant a tertiary investigation, assigned to some junior Wardensquad. No no, we’re so much sawdust to the illustrious bureaucrats in the city.”
“Then to someone more local?”
“Yes, there’s a Luminary Apprentice in the village of Beacon Barrow, who has claimed to be logging all this non-aspectral activity. What good will come of it, I’m not sure. We’re left up to our own defenses for the most part.”
Junelight nodded, making mental notes. “Speaking of Luminaries, I should update mine soon, as it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent mindtether. You don’t mind if I deepsync with your communal stone? I could run some diagnostics.”
Viktor brightened. “Of course not! I was going to ask you if you could anyway. I don’t know if your subsect deals with stones as much as some of your colleagues… but any Chillcrafter eyes on it would be valued.”
“Lead the way.”
Xe took her around the internal cylinder, which continued to be doorless as they wound around. Viktor stopped at one point and crouched to the floor. Xe placed a hand to the ground, and Junelight felt a twinge of Artwork lance out. A large, square portion of the floor lit up, a dull pink. It began to sink.
She watched, somewhat fascinated, as parts of the square stopped and others kept going. A staircase formed.
“Are all communal stones in this part of the world so elaborately stored?” she asked. The previous towns she’d been to had no such intricacies.
“I should hope not,” said Viktor, “it’s something we take some personal pride in. A little side project of mine actually. It’s cosmetic only, you understand—if someone really wanted inside they could merely climb the wall.”
Junelight took this to mean the inner cylinder was also roofless. She followed the Torchkeeper down the steps, which led to a small tunnel. On the other side, a permanent staircase brought them up into the inner chamber of the temple.
It was indeed without a roof, for the most part. The stone floated inside a third cylindrical structure. This one resembled a gazebo with its numerous stone pillars and stone canopy. Big wooden beams spoked outwards from this canopy to the edge of the second cylinder. The bonfire planks above used these and the gazebo rooftop as support.
There were a few other people inside, sitting on the little wood boxes near the stone, their eyes shut and crystal lights pulsing slowly under their shirts. The outer temple chamber was muted and dusty, but here it was dead silent, clean and solemn.
They moved closer to the stone itself, which was no longer than June’s forearm but about twice as thick. Tapered to a razor point on each end, it hung at about eye level. Its whir and thrum washed around, not as actual sound but as a soothing sensation in the brain. Her crystals felt its magnetism, yearning to be swept up into the current of Artwork. It called like a full feast after a long swim, a warm bed after a long day, a brisk breeze to a moored vessel.
“I’ll do a quick check now and a deeper one later,” she said, keeping her voice hushed. “No anomalies with the mindtether since the pyre?”
“None. Everything seems okay. But better safe than sorry,” said Vik.
“Alright then.”
“I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be in the community hall for the next few hours if you need me. Otherwise, send a shard or find Kelron. Make yourself at home. Welcome again to Wood Ribbon South.”
“Thank you,” she nodded. Vik did the same, and left.
She turned to the stone, and walked up and into the stone dais. The thrum became more of a buzz, and she could sense her crystals lighting up involuntarily.
“Tell me your secrets,” she whispered.
June closed her eyes, spread her arms, and soared into the light.
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