Makers of Roads: The Revelation

Makers of Roads: The Revelation

Empty. Always empty.

My body was limp on the silver and white bunk of a diplomatic transport vessel, but my mind was already at our destination. Lorin, Jotus and I had been tasked with a small peacekeeping mission on Renosh Leinua. The ascension monastery on Renosh was having trouble with the natives of the planet. They were a primitive race that had been relocated to the mostly uninhabited tropical world after their own lost its sun.

But the monastery was empty in my dream. This place continued, as in all my dream worlds, to function without its human counterparts. I was alone in my peculiar arial survey of the jungle.

Once again a childhood lullaby wafted up from the buildings below. Once again my flying self navigated toward the eery tune. In front of my sleeping spirit, the tropical world melted into the temperate hills of the High Academy grounds. Seeping over the horizon was the monstrous South Wall, threatening to smack me in the head unless I found a way to land.

And land I did, onto the ivy-thick grass below the formidable barrier. The green prickly stuff had finished its conquest of the wall and was proceding to attack the cold, pre-winter ground. This time I didn’t bother feeling for gates because the part of my mind that was aware of foredreams knew they wouldn’t be there.  I jumped in my dreaming skin when a single voice took up the familiar refrain.

Deep and soft, the young male voice found its way from my left. Once again I dragged my stiff limbs to the West Wall.

"Camulus?" I couldn’t see my brother, but the voice was definitely his. The "blooming wall" as I had come to call it, came into view, as did a single white flower the size of my head. Deep green vines slowly eased their "fingers" into cracks in the ancient stone, and ankle high grass brushed it's silky blades against my bare feet. White and grey clouds moved swiflty overhead, but only a slight, sweet-scented breeze danced with my flowing white robes. For a moment in the overcast daylight, the scene seemed pastoral and bittersweet.

Like in most of my dreams, that did not last. The scene and the music suddenly soured and the great white "Camulus flower" began to melt into a hideous face. The blueish stamen turned into ferocious teeth, growled out the last note of the lullaby, and opened wide for the kill. I was rooted to that spot, of course, unable to react except to attempt a muted cry for help.

"Arrkhhh!" My hand went automatically to my forehead where I had just smacked it on the bunk above me. There was a bump, but no cut. I was still rubbing the spot when the door swished open to reveal Jotus and Lorin already dressed in their blue uniform jumpers. It was standard for Pax students to wear blue uniforms to denote their status and rank on the mission. Jotus had been granted leadership this time, so he was dressed in light blue, making his eyes seem even brighter than usual. Lorin and I wore a dark blue. I hated having to wear the same thing as Lorin. Her long legs and athletic figure always made me look like a poor cousin in those short jumpers.

My eyes must have betrayed the fact that I was shocked to see them there.

"We’ve arrived at Renosh. I sent the order to prepare 14 cycles ago."

I couldn’t blame him for being perturbed. If I were in the lead, I’d have expected more of him, as well. "My . . . my apologies." I touched my forehead once more to be sure I wasn't bleeding and stood up. "I’ll be ready in a moment."

They stared at me for a moment, then Jot nodded. They stood back to let the door swish closed so I would have some privacy to change.

=====

I had been surprised to receive this particular mission. Usually two Pax agents were enough to handle a minor dispute. I had the sinking feeling that I had been specifically requested. I procrastinated one moment longer to study my reflection in the ascension monastery's meditation pond, then turned reluctantly to face my task.

I scaled the stairs to the North Pavilion, where the leader of this small group of "spiritual adventurers" held an office, in a sweat. The humidity was already leaving a thick layer of moisture on my arms and legs. The absorbing fabric in my uniform was doing it's job well enough for my torso. It felt thick and sluggish, as if it might fall off of me if it soaked up any more of the steaming rain in this planet's atmosphere. The quick study of my reflection had left me little confidence about my appearance. My blonde hair had flattened to my face and turned light brown with wetness only a few moments after we landed. Meanwhile, the shorts and tunic clung to my skin, making it look as though I had just climbed out of a swim in the meditation pond, and was going calmly about my business.