Rubies and Rumors

Chapter Thirty-five

     It was a few days before Junseo was ready to go back to the Sun Temple. He tried to prepare with basic patterns and found even if he could not feel the flows in the same way, his body knew the moves. Frequently, he found himself rolling through the moon temple sequences without much effort but still needed to concentrate to match the southern protocols.

Manager Doak stopped him from practicing on his own. "You are going to muddle yourself up if you keep going without a guide," he warned. When he saw how crestfallen this made Junseo he hurried to add, "We know you want to get back into shape but it hasn't even been a week. Be kind to yourself. Remember it's like a broken bone. Go to temple with Trainee Hae-sung and you will hear the same thing." Junseo nodded but he still pursed his lips.

He felt lonely and frustrated. There was no way to explain his loss. The other boys kept giving him worried looks and he chaffed against the restrictions given by Knight-Master Hou. It felt like the first time he had ever been given a direct order by his mentor. Being banned from the workshop while the other team members worked on puzzle of the crystal detonators infuriated Junseo. He tried to distract himself by building some toys but ended up breaking one of his favorite tools. Then he decided to take himself out for a run. He made a rude gesture at the guards who tried to keep up and managed to slip away by doubling back through a narrow alley. Once certain he on his own he slowed his pace to a jog and made a circuit through the park along the river until he came to the docks. He bribed a scow-man to take him out to the island in the middle of the river but had to listen to the man's whining the whole way out.

"Tricky currents, here abouts. Got to watch for the shoals. Come up before you know it. Especially when the ghost mists start rising like they do. Never ask a boatman to bring you at night. If you go out after dark, chances are you won't return. Lucky I was short on my haul today so could bring ya but we won't be staying long. Not if ya donna want to swim back on yer own."

Junseo tuned everything out and held his hand over the side of the boat. He could see flashes of light following along as he dribbled his fingers in the water. Then he felt a slight tickle on his palm and realized the silver minnows were nibbling at his callouses. He looked up to share his wonder with a smile at the boatman but was met with wide-eyed fear.

"Who are you lad? Why are the dolphins coming in? How are you calling them?"

Junseo looked to where the man pointed and saw the rolling backs of a small pod of the friendly mammals approach the skiff. One by one they each did a tail dance and laughed with him. He applauded their show and bowed his thanks to the creatures who soon disappeared into the mist. "Don't fret. We are not in danger. Look we have guides." He pointed to the flashing of a school of silver carp making their way back to the main channel.

"Great. Just great. Days of barely a nibble. Now ya have hundreds acting like they're on a leash. Who the devil is ya?"

"No one special. No, really not special at all. I just think they knew I was hurting so came to help. Animals are like that you know." Junseo put as much warmth into his smile as he could muster.

"It's passing strange to me and if I tell my fellows what I saw tonight they would think I was losing it." The grizzled man shook his head and picked up the oars.

"If you say so, but at least let me buy you a drink when we are back at shore." Junseo smiled and went back to playing with the minnows. When they were back on shore and he dried his hands, he could see sparkling minerals clinging to the cracks and lines across his palm. A bit of his sad emptiness eased. The strong drinks he shared in the riverside tavern eased some of his pain. His regular guards found him much later, singing very rude versions of classic poems. The volume and the key were at least as off-putting as the content of the songs he tried to teach his new friends in the bar. Nobody objected when he was packed off back to the dormitory.

Manager Doak was not impressed. Junseo swayed and nearly fell over when he tried to bow. "Sorry to disturb. Just needed some time. Can you see how I touched the stars?" Junseo held out his hand where there were still a few sparkles. "That's maybe something. That and all the little fishes. I think they still like me so maybe the dragon will come back. I miss her." Junseo sat down and started weeping.

"Hush. You don't need to worry about the dragon just now. You need to worry about your team and how much trouble you made for the people trying to keep you safe. Go with Hae-sung. You need to be up for devotions in a few hours." Manager Doak turned his back on Junseo and signaled the other boys to help get their leader off to bed.

As promised the morning gong went off at its usual time and the boys had to assemble to receive their assignments for the day. Junseo was still bleary-eyed but he knew better than to complain. These injuries were self-inflicted but he felt strangely defiant. He accepted the need to go to the Sun Temple but he also needed to figure out what he wanted to do afterwards. If he could not work with crystals, he did not think he could stay at the forge. At least not while they were still testing the detonators and he seemed to be a walking zone of dissonance.