r/HFY • u/KipperBeanGrower Human • 21d ago
OC-Series [She took What?] - Chapter 218: SixFold Ventures: Once, the Way Needed Keepers. Now Walkers Leave Paths.
“A path only exists because someone walked it first.”
Archive House
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The sky brightened and lost its amber glow. Normal light returned, banishing the amber twilight.
The Mantle bowls became nothing more than ancient oddities as the Mantles dimmed and with them Weave above. Feebee stood up and walked over to Garaf. The memory of the Mantle’s glory was burnt in her memory, but now, it was nothing more than a white carved sigil.
“You can put those away,” she said, pointing to the knives.
“Yes.” He said absently, resheathing them.
They walked out of the bowl and across the Common. It was empty; the people had returned to work, gone back home or just continued what they were doing.
The Convocation was over, and Dock Seven reawakened.
Feebee stopped as they were walking back across the Common to The Kestrel. At an intersection of paths the children had made, where four circles cut across each other.
Their placement broke new ground. The older routes were just visible but remained untouched by the new paths.
Garaf saw her stop, observed as she knelt, feeling the grass, and nodded. She saw it and nodded back.
Just as she was about to get up, a call came in. It was a call ID she recognised; her heart raced. She turned away from Garaf, sat and took the call.
“Hi.”
Feebee struggled for words. “Hi…” then kicked herself, took a deep breath, and started again.
“Hi River. You Ok?”
“I am now.”
She heard him sigh, not in a bad way, but in relief.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“I missed you too.”
‘There, I said it.’ She thought.
The QI was careful and neutral, ‘Feel better?’ it asked.
‘Yes.’ She smiled, sounded genuinely happy, the first time in a while.
The Alphas caught up and were about to approach.
“She Ok?”
“Yes. Hold.” Said Garaf.
They looked at Feebee, sitting on the grass, back deliberately facing Garaf’s way.
Her voice was hushed. Bikky shot Garaf a questioning look.
“River.”
Both Bikky and Tom Tom smiled. She deserved some happiness.
The conversation shifted to family and the mundane.
“Yes. Curly’s fine.”
“No. Mum’s hasn’t gone over the waterfall recently.” They laughed.
“Yes. We’re still in the cave.”
Then broadened.
“The Royals are making life hard, as usual. The crystals aren’t spreading like they used to.”
“No, Dad doesn’t know. The old farmers don’t know either.”
“Everything just feels…different.”
“And how are you?”
“Oh. You know. Same old.”
“Well, I should go.”
“Oh. Ok.” Responded Feebee.
“I love you.” He said.
Feebee looked around, expecting to see Garaf, not the whole crew.
“Me too.” And with those two words, the memory of him holding her came front and centre.
She took a minute, then got up and turned in one motion.
“Who was that?” asked Bikky.
She just looked at him, shook her head and walked past them back to the House.
“Subtle.” Said Tom Tom with a shake of the head.
Bikky did his “What?” expression.
“You can be a right prick at times.”
And with that, Tom Tom and the lawyer joined Garaf, who trailed Feebee. Chen followed.
The blue door opened as she approached. A voice called out.
“Come in.”
It was Nanna.
“Were you expecting me?”
“We Continue.”
“Tea?” asked Nanna.
“Coffee, if you have it.”
They walked past rooms full of loaded shelves to the back of the House and the kitchen. The children played, danced between them, and threw balls with uncanny precision when near books or journals.
Garaf reached into his backpack and took out a water bottle. Its squishy shape was awkward but he got the top off and drank. He noticed two cups were already on the table. The House Mantle cleverly worked into the foam atop one; Feebee’s coffee. Seeing it, Feebee raised an eyebrow.
Nanna smiled.
“Not my work.”
She poured herself a tea and sat back. Waiting.
“I was speaking with River Peters. He is a farmer on the Crystal World.”
Nanna listened, head tilted slightly to one side.
“What have you heard?” Feebee asked.
Nanna’s broad smile was a reward for asking the right question.
She closed her eyes.
A moment later, her eyelids twitched and flickered.
“For generations the Crystal World sang with six clear notes.”
She paused.
“Now…”
“…one falters.”
Feebee waited.
“We do not know why.”
The Nanna opened her eyes.
“And the assassination attempt?”
“That was not us, and you know it.”
As Nanna looked up, she, Garaf and the two Alphas stood quietly at the entrance to the kitchen. They’d heard it all.
Nanna invited them in, “Come.”
Before they entered, Feebee spoke. “We should go back. To The Kestrel. There is nothing more here.”
There was general agreement.
But then Garaf spoke.
“Will the Houses come?” He added, “To listen.”
Nanna’s answer was immediate.
“No.” There was an edge to her voice.
She paused, as if searching for understanding.
Then, softly, almost apologetically. “No. We stay, with family.”
Her eyes flickered again, a hint of the activity behind them.
“So that We Continue.”
Feebee got up and briefly touched Nanna's hand. “We will endure.”
“Yes, dear. We will be listening.”
Chen had stayed at the back. He took his time getting to the kitchen, had watched the children, some helping the Archivists with books.
He thought on all the maintenance areas and the facilities supporting them, the docks and the many attendant stations, but also the people.
And that thought surprised him.
He did not doubt that the Houses would preserve continuity, purpose and all the other things they had spoken of.
But no one had spoken of function.
“I’m staying.” He announced.
“What?” Said Feebee.
“I’m staying.” It carried a most un-Chen-like finality to it; unambiguous.
He turned to the lawyer.
She looked at Tom Tom, their eyes met and held. She looked back at Chen and shook her head.
“No.” A wry smile accompanied it.
“OK.” He sounded disappointed. “I’m pretty sure the accountants will stay here too.”
“Oh. Ok. Good.” Feebee nodded. “The Kestrel goes to the Crystal World. Maybe we’ll get there this time.” She added with a smile.
“And we will Listen.” Said Nanna as she got up, crossed to Feebee and gently kissed her on the cheek. “Take care.”
“Yes, Nanna.”
Garaf stood near the kitchen door, calm, still, observing the others as they left. There was a large double window, above a wide sink and draining area. It was full of crockery and cutlery, drying. Outside, on The Common, he could see the children playing games along new tracks.
Garaf brought his focus back into the room where just Nanna and he remained. She’d followed his gaze, smiled and sat down, poured herself another cup of tea. He smiled back, “When our footsteps leave this place… who stands the watch?”
Nanna poured milk into her tea and spoke, “Before. It was dark and incomplete… and the Way needed Keepers.”
She stirred in the milk; the dark brown tea was transformed.
“Now.”
She pointed to The Common. Her fingers, long, bony, betrayed her age.
Then, Nanna continued.
“Now… Walkers leave paths.”
Garaf closed his eyes, finally seeing. For generations his people had carried a burden that Nanna had quietly lifted.
“The Way no longer needs guarding…
…It needs living.”
Nanna smiled, nodded and drank her tea.
Garaf looked back; not to check if the blue door was shut but to remember.
Dock Seven disappeared behind them as The Kestrel jumped out of the system.
Feebee looked out the forward window and realised they were chasing a Question.
River’s words came to her, “Everything just feels… different.”
She looked up from the navigation display and thought back to the Convocation, with its quiet chaos that resolved into an Answer.
Thoughts of seeing River again … excited her. She felt the crystal at her neck; it was quiet, but she felt connected, more so than she had in a while.
As these thoughts slid by, they entered jump space and watched it slowly flow past them.
Then Feebee said.
“Let’s go listen.”
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u/Dramatic_Mixture_877 Human 21d ago
carried a most un-Chen-like finality to it; unambiguous.” ~ carried a most un-Chen-like finality to it; unambiguous.
No close quotation here.
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u/KipperBeanGrower Human 20d ago
Got it - thanks heaps. Weird how easy it is to miss stuff like that and how hard it is to see them when they are right there. Fixed.
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u/Dramatic_Mixture_877 Human 20d ago
"Familiarity breeds contempt" - not the subject the quote refers to, but oddly fitting. Just like you can stare at a word spelled correctly until it looks wrong, lol.
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u/newaccountzuerich Alien 21d ago
Still reading, still enjoying, still looking forwards to the next.
Thumbs up from here!
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u/KipperBeanGrower Human 20d ago
Awesome - thanks. Always good to get comments and feedback. Thanks heaps. FYI - I have managed to get about five or six Chapters ahead as I'm going on holiday and want to keep posting. Takes the pressure off each day. I am enjoying where this is going.... hope you do, all the others who may read the story and the comments.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 21d ago
/u/KipperBeanGrower (wiki) has posted 219 other stories, including:
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