ONC Shortlister 2023!
There are few rules in the Kingdom of Kadotaru, and punishment is not kind, even for the young prince who wishes he was anybody else. Tied to the crown, to his family, to his kingdom, there isn't much he can do. He isn't born t...
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Days begin to blur together. The Harrin's are still homeless, each family member divided among their neighbours as the village works day and night to rebuild their home and stables. All the horses were lost, though. It will take time to restore their business, and the village's main mode of transportation. Saffettey is so small that all horses are cared for by one family.
Aramis visits daily. Usually in the middle of the night, covered by the wind and darkness. Rinley has given up on sleeping long and well. Half the night she spends pouring over the books from Kadotaru, the other half she's spending with him. Turns out he's part of the royal guard, protecting the royal family, which set her curiosity on fire. During her time with him, she asks him many questions, trying to get to understand the texts without his help.
The sentence pattern is finally starting to make sense, though she needs to read it maybe fifteen times before anything starts to string itself together.
At her desk, by lamplight, she has one of the books open, and beside it, a leather-bound notebook and quill. Once she understands a sentence, she writes it in her notebook, slowly recreating paragraphs, to chapters, in a language she actually understands. Finally, she's finished a page, rubbing her eyes for a moment, before sitting back to look at her notebook.
Her gaze shifts to the window. It's forever open now, the wind rustling the curtains.
But Aramis isn't there, so she turns back to her notebook. Pushing the Kadotaru text away, she draws her work closer to the light, preparing herself for whatever has come out of the translation.
...to belong among the creatures. Harmaa cares deeply for all who live in Kadotaru. It is her domain. Even when they do not believe in her anymore, Harmaa still protects. She left behind her silver gems when they cast her out a hundred thousand years ago. They are all that is left.
Aramis mentioned something about harmaa on the first night he brought the books. A Spiris who granted the creatures majiiki through the silver jewels. But none of them believe in the Spiris anymore. It's been too long. Chances that these creatures of old made the Spiris up in the first place.
There is only one true God, and it is not a being with majiiki abilities or the power to grant it to others.
Harmaa's gems can accomplish many feats. Silver is a deceitful colour, harmaa is a cunning power. It fills the grey area. Creates more questions. Beware—
Rinley sighs. Nothing useful. Or maybe it's still too complex for her to understand, no matter how much time she pours into it.
Maybe Lela is right. Maybe it's time to focus on what's right here, rather than what seems to be beyond. But that cave, the way that the light glistened and glazed inside the jewels, gems, stones, whatever they're called. They all mean the same thing, so it seems. But that gateway, the Crossover, she can feel it singing to her. Her mind wanders to it almost as often as it wanders to Aramis. What would it be like to step through?
