Eye of the Ocean Book 3 Ji'jin Station

Eye of the Ocean – Book 3: Ji’Jin Station
Bolda glanced at Mirwin, but tossed the stick to Rit. “It's not cold enough for a
fire anyway.” He started to kick the border of stones and pebbles over top.
“Lord, please don't...” Peecit said, looking up from her painting.
“Don't start in with that 'Lord' crap...”
“Stop!” The Zimmer girl was on her feet even as she cried out the word.
“Please,” she added in a softer voice. Paper crumpled in her hand as she made a
sign that had to be an apology. “I'd like to make the proper prayers, it must be
evening by now.”
“Somewhere, I suppose,” Bolda conceded.
Peecit glanced at her, then away as quickly. Ulanda shrugged. Would the paper
burn any better she wondered but didn't stay to see. Leaving her bowl of tea
untouched, she walked over to Rit, Bolda following behind. Mirwin stayed where
he was, but watched her leave. She looked.
“Bolda said you had a book about the Zimmer.” She let the anger she felt at
her helplessness show. Rit looked past her to Bolda. “Well, do you?” she insisted.
He tossed the stick into the water and then stood. “With the other things we
packed.” He was still watching the surface of the pond. Rings of disturbed water,
bobbing mats of yellowed grass, but the stick didn't float. More eyes than Mirwin's
were on their departure, the Overpriest, Lanasi and two guards in the grassy area
nearest the corridor. Ca'mit looked as though he were turning to stone much the
same as the branch was.
The carry bags were in the ruins of the pavilion with Tika asleep on top of the
one Rit chose. The cat purred in Ulanda's ear, at least she was content with her
being who she was, or at least content with a ready shoulder. Alicia and Lin were
by the moon-gate talking, Rit watched them, not her as she turned the pages,
still holding Tika but on her lap now. Bolda leaned on a beam and watched.
“It's just pictures,” she said when she reached the last page. Tooled leather,
she couldn't see many details with the strange yellow light and not disturbing
Tika.
Alicia laughed about something, she hadn't heard the words but suspected Rit
had. “In some languages, the words look like what they are supposed to mean,”
he said after a moment. He sounded as though his attention was across the raked
garden with his wife. “Others don't, or not consistently. A drawing can be the
whole meaning, a part, or represent something else.”
“Why is this...” She tipped the book to emphasize her question. “...
important?”
Rit rubbed his face then knelt. “Not in itself, but because it represents
something, what the Zimmer were meant to be. Peecit uses the images here as
the basis for her drawings.” He smiled gently at her and his golden brown eyes
warmed. “Some of her drawings, I think she had a new subject just now.”
Laurel Hickey www.2morrow.bc.ca