by Jeremy Finn
“Great, thanks,” James said. “What is that over there?” he said as he pointed to a set of bowls and a tray resting on a tiny set of drawers in the right corner of the far room.
“Well, I’ll be!” exclaimed Joe. “They brought some breakfast for you already! Well then, I’ll leave you to your meal. Take it easy and get some rest. I’ll come and get you when the dinner is about to begin. Feel free to roam around if you want to, and just ask for help from anyone if you need it. I’ll probably be in the training hall for most of the day. Sweet dreams!”
As Joe closed the sliding wood door behind him, James took stock of his surroundings. It was a very modest abode, but it made James feel very snug and comfortable. He really didn’t want to go through all the bother of a bath, but knew he really ought to since he perspired so much last night. First, though, he needed to eat.
The meal was simple, but very satisfying. James enjoyed a large bowl of spicy soup paired with a bowl of rice mixed with other grains. He also sampled many of the side dishes neatly presented in their own little bowls and plates. These came in a wide variety of textures and tastes such as pickled mountain vegetables, tiny freshwater fish in a salty brown sauce, soft round nuts in a sweet sauce and long chewy roots from some plant soaked in pepper oil.
Once he was full, James tended to his bath. After going through the whole ordeal of heating the brick, he learned that one really does have to conserve water when getting more means another trip down to the stream while still covered in soap suds. Finally, though, James was washed and clean. As he unfolded the blankets in the main room, he found a long, pleated skirt and a thick, baggy top between the folds. They were both dark blue with just a hint of embroidery in the form of a green, leafy vine running along the seams. Thankful for the fresh garments, he quickly put them on and burrowed into the blankets on the floor.
Despite his first impression of the little cheeb and the unusual method of sleeping, James discovered this was really quite a comfortable way to live. As he felt the warmth of the heated floor coming up through the blankets, he laid his head on the firm pillow and gazed out one of the open windows. Little freckles of sunlight peaked in and out of the pine canopy as a cool, gentle breeze caressed the mountain top. Birds chirped and darted between trees. James’ eyes quickly became very heavy and, before he had consciously decided to go to sleep, he slipped unaware into a deep and restful slumber.
DA NYANG’S CHARGE
What is life but a canvas?
One that lives, breathes, flows and absorbs.
It has potential for beauty or horror.
All depends on the artist, and the quality of his materials.
As soon as the Intercessor left James in Joe Senagi’s care, he led DaNyang Lomas out the door on the eastern side of the Intercessor’s Hall and into the courtyard.
“DaNyang,” The Intercessor began in a soft but firm voice, “It is good to see you have returned safely to Hanasan, but now I have some questions to ask you and many things to explain to you.”
The Intercessor led DaNyang to one of the two smaller buildings resting on the base of the Intercessor’s complex. DaNyang knew this was the Intercessor’s private quarters. He had never been inside this place before. The Intercessor was a counselor and a friend, but he was also a respected and revered leader of the servants. His private quarters were certainly off limits to all but those invited.
DaNyang decided the wisest thing to do would be to keep his mouth shut and allow the Intercessor to speak his mind. The old man opened the door to his house and motioned for DaNyang to enter. The interior of the house looked remarkably like the inside of one of the cheebs in the pine forest across the stream. It was simple and undecorated except for a few souvenirs from the Intercessor’s adventures and a sword stand supporting the elder’s rhema. The servant’s carried their swords at all times, except when they were in the shelter of an order sanctuary. Both men sat on the floor of the largest room, and the Intercessor passed DaNyang a simple clay cup of mountain herb tea, which he poured from a metal pot sitting on the brazier in the floor.
“Thank you,” DaNyang said.
“Of course,” replied the Intercessor. “Now, I must be quick about what I need to share with you. There are some among us watching, and I do not want to give them reason to suspect we are in secret council.”
“Some among us? Secret council? What are you talking about, Intercessor?” DaNyang interrupted. His mind was no longer at ease, and he spilled some tea on the floor as he put his cup down with unsteady hands.
“DaNyang,” the Intercessor continued without a hint of reproach at being interrupted, “you are one of the few in this camp who I know I can trust with all my heart. I have watched you since I was a chief servant, and you were just a boy – a new initiate to the Order. From the day you set off on your journey to complete your mission, I knew you would become a pure and honorable servant.
DaNyang dropped his eyes in humility, but said nothing.
The Intercessor smiled slightly then continued, “During this past year I have felt a change in the flow of the Light and Dark. There have been many troubling incidents much like the one which brought James Huener here tonight. Several attacks on servants have occurred over the last couple of months. We have lost five of them, and very nearly lost a sixth last night.”
DaNyang knew the Intercessor was referring to him. He felt it would not be rude to speak now, and could barely contain himself, at any rate.
“Intercessor, we are always at war with the Darkness. I know five is more than usual in such a space of time, but I don’t see a great need for concern.”
“DaNyang,” the Intercessor began in a more rigid tone than before. “the attack you suffered last night was an attack by Dark Guardians in a public place. James’ near scrape with death a few nights before was also an open attack by a Dark Guardian possessing a dark human’s body. Four of the five servants who died over the last couple months perished at the hands of Dark Guardians. You know as well as I do that since the Great War, the Darkness has always used twisted men to do its evil work among us. Very rarely has a Dark Guardian even appeared to us. No, this is not a coincidence. The Darkness is moving, and I can feel the dagger of its wrath pointed at our hearts. But I am at a loss for why they have chosen this time, and I do not know the goal of their dark intent.”
“Have you seen any other signs or unusual happenings?” DaNyang questioned.
The Intercessor took a deep breath, and spoke in a hushed voice, “Jehoshim, the guardian of the southern glades, has left our counsel. He has not been seen nor heard from in nearly a year.”
This information struck DaNyang like a bamboo practice sword to an unprotected head. The Guardians of the Light had mostly drifted out of contact with men, though many still watched over their affairs from behind the scenes. However, there were still a few who served as liaisons between the Servants and the mostly unseen guardians. They would meet with the Intercessor and the chief servants rarely and without notice to discuss the affairs of the Light and the plans for undermining the Darkness. Jehoshim was the guardian who served as the liaison for the southern glades. The glades covered a large portion of the southwestern part of the country and were home to many farmers and rural folk.
After a pause and a flat stare over DaNyang’s shoulder, the Intercessor continued, “Many of the counsel fear he has turned to the Darkness. There is much fear these days of traitors among us and spies in our courts.”
“And do you too believe Jehoshim has turned on us?” DaNyang asked with disbelief.
“I do not know,” the Intercessor replied, “I have known him long and well. Though I would hope to believe he would never suffer his conscience to allow even a splinter of darkness into his heart, no creature is impervious to the treachery of the Darkness. Given such an option, I would rather hope that he has been slain or captured. In the hands of the Dark, Jehoshim would be dangerous indeed.”
“Well if this is the case,” DaNyan
g burst out as he jumped to his feet, “we must send a team immediately to determine what has happened to him!”
The Intercessor motioned for him to sit back down, and though his face remained composed, his eyes spoke of weariness as he explained.
“Do you not think I would have done so already, if it were possible? The counsel has forbidden any venture into the southern glades. They fear a snare set by Jehoshim to capture our warriors and crush them piecemeal. Though I disagree with them, the law clearly forbids even me to rebel against a near unanimous decision of the counsel. They have become very wary of the unknown, and many of the chief servants are pushing for a policy of isolation and seclusion from the world around us, and propose paths that would essentially lead to compromise with the enemy to ensure security. That brings me to the point of why I have called you here. Some of the chief servants do not trust James. They fear his presence in our camp and whisper of treachery and spies. Many of the other servants do not assume such unfounded doubts, but the postulations are having an effect on the population of our little village nonetheless.”
DaNyang drew a deep breath and tried to remain calm in the face of such discomforting news. The Servants had always been a tight band without distrust or fear from within.
“So,” he began, “I suppose you would like me to watch out for James and protect him from false rumors while he is with us.”
“Yes,” the Intercessor confirmed, “and much more. DaNyang, James didn’t just arrive here by chance. There is something about him that makes him a threat to the Darkness, even though he is not a servant, yet. I hope that under your guidance he will see the benefit of choosing to be a servant.”
“I will take it as an honor to do your will, Intercessor.” DaNyang replied respectfully. “I would ask your pardon, though, and inquire as to why you have taken such a firm belief in James’ potential as a servant.”
“Yes,” the Intercessor whispered with a vacant look in his eyes, and then met DaNyang’s gaze as he continued, “Yes, I will show you the root of my conjectures. But DaNyang, I am now taking you into my most secret confidences, which you must not share without the direst need. Come with me.”
The Intercessor stood up and moved toward the same door they had entered. DaNyang followed as he was led outside and into another small building behind the Intercessor’s room. The room within was empty and plain, save for a small wooden table in the middle with a book placed open on it.
The Intercessor walked briskly to the back of the room and waved his hand in a wide motion over the wall. Instantly, the wall slid aside in the middle creating a narrow door into another dark room. DaNyang could not see what was in the room until he entered and the door slid shut soundlessly behind them. As his eyes adjusted to the near darkness, he was able to see rectangular shapes scattered across the four walls of the mysterious room. As he looked closely at one of the shapes before him, he realized what surrounded him. There were paintings hung all along the four walls of the room, and the only light in the room seemed to be a very faint glow that came from the paintings themselves. The painting before him showed a hazy image of a man in a restaurant sitting at a table with three other shapes. DaNyang thought he could recognize the man as someone he had seen around Hanasan before, but the other figures were blurred beyond comprehension.
“What is this place?” DaNyang questioned in wonder.
“The Hall of Images,” answered the Intercessor. “But these paintings are not merely a work of human art. Each painting represents a servant attached to this order. Even I do not understand everything about these paintings, but it appears that when something important is happening to a servant, or when their emotions peak, their painting will reflect their current situation. Often, symbols also enter the scenes. I have even seen signs of the future in many of these paintings, but rarely have I been able to correctly interpret them.”
“I don’t believe it,” DaNyang replied without taking his eyes off the painting, which was slowly morphing into another image. “Who makes these paintings?”
“That I do not know,” the Intercessor confessed. “After a candidate becomes a servant, a runner will appear in the night and deliver the painting linked to the new servant. He is a quiet man and never answers my questions. I do not feel the need or the authority to press him for answers.”
“So who knows about these?” DaNyang asked.
“Only the chief servants and I,” answered the Intercessor, “and now you. I would be held in serious contempt if any of the chief servants discovered my decision to reveal this secret to you, but I have confidence that what I am doing will aid the Light. DaNyang, let me show you something.”
The Intercessor motioned for him to follow, then pointed to a painting on the opposite wall.
“This is a painting from a servant who turned on us long ago,” he began. “Do you notice anything different from Lee Sung’s that you were looking at back there?”
“No,” DaNyang answered. “They appear identical except for the subject of the image.”
The Intercessor nodded and said, “Exactly. There appear to be few differences in faithful servants’ paintings and those of servants given to the Dark, though I have had few examples to examine. Occasionally, dark symbols will appear, but not always do we have such an obvious warning of a servant turned against us. Now, here is where you will see my point of bringing you in here. We have a painting of Jehoshim in here. Not only do we receive paintings for new servants, but since long before I knew of this place, there have existed paintings of the guardians attached to our order. Look over here.”
The Intercessor pointed to a painting that appeared to be just a frame with a black canvas.
“This,” he continued, “is why I am suspect to believe Jehoshim has turned to the Darkness. When servants die, their paintings turn black. I believe it is the same for guardians. Though I know little of fact about these paintings, the evidence of my experience supports such a conclusion. If he turned to the Darkness, I believe we would see little difference in his painting besides perhaps symbols of a dark theme. And now there is one more thing which you must see. DaNyang, I want you to look at your own painting.”
DaNyang’s heart raced as he imagined what his painting might reveal to him. He did not want to know anything about his future, not even if it was all symbols and blurry objects, especially since the Intercessor’s countenance and tone seemed deathly serious.
“Look here,” the Intercessor said and pointed to a painting on his left.
DaNyang looked up to see a scene of three men climbing a mountain path through a pine forest with the city lights shining far below in the background and the stars gleaming overhead in the night sky. This was obviously an image of a past event. He could recognize his face, and guessed correctly that the two men behind him must be James and Joe. They were climbing the path to Hanasan Hold the night before. His heart sank, though, as he noticed a patch of deep darkness hovering above the mens’ heads. The inky blackness blotted out the stars behind it and almost appeared to move slowly like black water rippling in a light breeze. Just as he was about to turn away from the picture, he noticed one more thing. The painting seemed to be full of a light unlike the others. It was hard to notice at first, but it clarified the images surrounding the men and cut sharp angles on the trees around them.
“What does it mean?” DaNyang asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.
“The dark object at first suggests an omen of the dark side. Many of the chief servants have seen this painting and believe that it is a sign of warning against James. You and Joe have been in the service of the Light for many years, which leaves James the only remaining object of suspicion,” the Intercessor explained.
“And is this how you interpret the image, Intercessor?” DaNyang questioned.
“No,” the Intercessor replied. “My gut feeling tells me James is not dedicated to the Darkness or the Light yet, but that’s not the only evidence that turns my opinion against the chief se
rvants. Look at the picture again. If you look closely, you will notice all the surrounding scenery seems to be almost lit in a faintly glowing light. There are no deep shadows or dark spots other than the ominous mark, and every edge of leaf, stone, and branch near the small party seem to be sharp and crisp. These are confusing signs, but to me they signal a token of light and clarity.
"What about Joe's picture?" DaNyang asked. "Does it show something that might help us understand mine?"
"No," the Intercessor replied. "It seems normal, though very clouded. I must say, though, Joe's painting is often more blurry than most. So, it does not indicate anything out of the ordinary, at least."
The Intercessor drew a slow, deep breath and then turned to face DaNyang as he exhaled and began to speak in a softer, graver voice.
“DaNyang,” he said, “It is my conviction that there is potential for both light and darkness in this picture. Whether it has to do with you, Joe, or James, I do not know. Perhaps I am missing the point of it entirely. You must understand I place little stock in images of the future and reading sings unless they come to us directly from the Guardians. Nevertheless, I believe there is a strong possibility that this has at least something to do with James. That is why I have chosen you to watch him, influence him, and guide him toward the Light.”
“It is my honor to do my utmost in fulfilling this charge,” DaNyang stated resolutely. “How and when should I begin?”
The Intercessor nodded and paused in thought before replying, “I will ask you to be his host while he remains at Hanasan. When he decides to return to the city, make efforts to visit him often and spend time with him whenever possible. It may take long before he makes a decision to turn to the Light. If he does, he will embark on his mission. As you know, you will not be able to accompany him. The mission must be endured alone. We will trust the Father of Lights to watch him and guide him during this time.”
