The city started preparations for the Grey Herald’s envoy to arrive from Lanfrydhall, the capital of Kienne. Chief Constable looked to ensuring security was in place, while the architect Baratis looked to long-overdue repairs to the Tower Bridge so the many carriages and wagons could cross safely into the temple walls.
Kidu hadn’t heard anymore about the red scroll that Serkrit had given him. The death of Mazi weighed on his mind. While he had only seen him a handful of times when he infrequently returned to the Scales, he had never spoken to him. He wasn’t sure if Mazi ever even knew who he was. For many, Mazi was a living, breathing legend. For Kidu, Mazi was an impossible standard to live up to, especially when everyone compared them.
They both excelled at similar areas at an unprecedented young age. They were both disciples of Master Rengu. And they were both orphans that were adopted by the House as babies.
The first time Kidu saw Mazi was at the Midsummer Games. Kidu was probably around seven, watching the games from the stands. Mazi had returned from one of his long campaigns in service to the king to take a holiday at the Scales so he could compete in the games. He scored the most points in almost all the contests, but it was in Kick-Tag that really caught his eye. A field of competitors with a small white ball barely larger than a hawk’s egg would take to the field and kick the ball toward other competitors, trying to hit them. If struck by the ball, they were eliminated. Mazi’s accuracy was unparalleled, and the crowd swooned with each contestant he took out.
“Young Master Kidu,” a voice said, breaking him out of his daydreaming. He had been standing on the Tower Bridge, leaning on the railing and losing himself in the swirling winter river.
“Mister Ruthier,” Kidu greeted the architect.
“Are you here to inquire about progress on the repairs to the bridge? We’re making great progress, I assure you.”
“No, of course not,” Kidu said. “This is your business and I leave you to it. I believe our builder Diren has been tasked to help you, no? I only wanted to spend time with the river.”
“Ah yes, I find myself here sometimes too, when I want to think.” Ruthier leaned on the railing beside Kidu. “I have spent my career mostly in large cities. Airrilden, Ronynhall, eventually Lanfrydhall. Not a lot of time in remote places like this. But when the Master Qizen asked for a new prison to be built, I was in finishing renovating the dock at Sundersport, so I was the nearest available builder. I have spent a lifetime analyzing old building plans. I am one of the most experienced builders in all of Kienne. Though no one has asked for my opinion about this red scroll you brought down from the mountain.”
“You think you may be able to decipher the scroll?”
“Not at all,” Ruthier said. “Call it another pair of eyes poring over the contents at best. And professional curiosity at worst.”
“Since repairs are going well, I don’t see why not,” Kidu said. “Let’s hunt down the scroll.”
Ruthier called out several instructions to Diren before joining Kidu toward the Library where the scroll is as being analyzed.
The Library was not too far from the Tower Bridge. It was originally built as a temple overlooking the river before the newer temples were built. Since then, the building had served many purposes until it landed as a Library over a hundred years ago.
Inside the Library, several scholars and Ministers were huddled over the scroll, completely unfurled on a mahogany table.
Ruthier bowed and looked over the shoulders on the monks.
“Can we help you?” asked Minister Yozan. The Minister of the Library was dressed in his yellow robe with white trim, his completely bald head was shiny and reflected the candlelight. Around his neck was a tight white scarf.
“I’d like Mister Ruthier to take a look at the scroll,” Kidu said. “See if there’s anything our scholars may have missed.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Yozan asked. “We are the SanKai. We are talking about SanKai scholars, mind you, not some candle burning book keeper from Lanfrydhall. It is our job to study all the languages of the world, and still we could not decipher the message."
"Perhaps it is because you are looking for the wrong kind of language," Ruthier said, peering closely at the parchment.
"Can you find any meaning, Mister Ruthier?" Kidu asked.
"Unfortunately, not immediately, no," Ruthier replied. "But it doesn't look like any language you'd normally be able to read, my ministers. It looks like a form of math." Ruthier made his way between two monks and traced his fingers along the parchment and the scholars leaned closer.
"Math?" Kidu asked.
"Mathematical fomulas, I believe," Ruthier replied. "Instructions. Instructions for building something. I would very much like to take this to my office and examine the patterns more closely if possible. I have my own library of mathematics and engineering books."
"A starving hermit in an abandoned hole in the side of the mountain, an unnamed Great Master and some special baby, and an obscure set of instructions the world's greatest scholars could not understand," Kidu said. "And a builder borrowed from the mainland has more answers than any of us."
“You're a very capable man, Mister Ruthier, in your field,”Yozan said. “Yet you seem rife with distractions. Fix the bridge please, then focus on finishing the prison. The red scroll will be safe here in the House vault when you are done."
Ruthier smiled and rolled the scroll back up. He handed it back to Yozan.
“The secrets of the scroll are tied to the secrets of this hermit,” Yozan said. “I have reached out to all the Five Houses...it does not appear that anyone has any information. It appears that no one has lost a hermit, else they would have known."
Kidu laughed and immediately covered his mouth. "Forgive me, Minister. Now is not the time for laughing, in light of recent news. The hermit had an accent and spoke in a foreign manner. I would not have asked the Houses if all of their own had been accounted for."
"You speak out of turn, boy!" barked Yozan. "I am the Minister of Libraries. Information is my charge, not some tufthunter that cannot pass his exams!"
Kidu loosed his topknot braid onto his chest. "I have served this house longer than you have served yours, Minister of the Library.”
Yozan huffed. "One day you may be Peer, but until then you shouldn’t act like one. I still outrank you at the moment. Tell me, monk. Where would you be searching for more information that our scholars could not find?"
Kidu shrugged. "I would start with the name. Serkrit is not quite a northern name. Sounds almost Yghr, though I am not familar enough with Yghr names. He was of a darker complexion, almost matching the tribesmen of Neredun, though he was once tall. His body was wretched and crooked but his limbs were long, and he looked as if he would have been perhaps as tall as me, if he were younger and straighter. But his language gave the most away. He spoke at length of his Great Master and a baby, but also about fruit and some Spring God. There are no Spring Gods in the north, just the Five. If I were a qualified Library scholar, perhaps I would suggest that he came from the south, and we look to the smaller god houses of the other kingdoms that mention a Spring God."
“Other kingdoms?”
Kidu smiled. “Yes, forgive my directness but you know I am right. The Library scholars’ knowledge of the Sankai is unparalleled. However if it is true that the hermit is not from these islands perhaps this task should fall upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If it suit my Minister of the Library, I shall inform the Foreign Affairs Minister of this task."
“Put all of it away!” ordered Yozan. The scholars rolled up the scroll and cleared the table of books, parchment and pens. “You dare insult me.”
“I don’t dare,” Kidu said, bowing. “It is best if we take our leave. I shall inform the Minister of Foreign Affairs of our discussion, and have Mister Ruthier take a deeper look at the scroll’s contents. Let us go, Mister Ruthier.”
The two turned to leave the Library, raised voices trailing them from the monks.
“What just happened there?” Ruthier asked. “Do you just get to decide to just reassign this to another minister?”
“Normally no, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be supportive. Plus they don’t like each other so it was kind of a fun thing to do.”
They were back out onto the street and could see the Tower Bridge.
“And who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs?” Ruthier asked.
“My Master Rengu,” Kidu replied. “The scroll will come to us, Mister Ruthier. Come, let’s see to the bridge, shall we?”
