Food Of The Gods
As we entered the building I almost shouted out at what I saw - a room so vast that half of all who lived in Cityplace could have dwelt within it. The ceiling was high and my eyes could barely focus on the intricate pics that decorated it. The images were nothing like I had seen before. They were not photos or the like, or the pastel doodlings at Wirt’s homeplace. These were soft flowing strokes of colour and light, depicting all manner of skirmishes and trouble.
I almost went dizzy again from the squinting up and rubbed my eyes to better focus on the rest of the fascinating chamber. There were large oblong windows on both sides that let in a rainbow of light through their intricate patchwork of coloured glass.
The white walls were indented with alcoves containing what I took to be brightly painted puppets. For what purpose their use I could not begin to guess. Perhaps these religious folk indulged in make believe and used them for sport?
The floor was covered in the most colourful pelts I had come across. They felt softer than a kittle-kits fur when I bent low to touch. Eadgard pulled away my hand and shook his head. I grinned in apology and quickened my step to be in line with Wirt, whose eyes were as wide as a newborn. Marcellus narrowed his and turned his head sharply as if expecting an attack.
I punched his shoulder by way of easing his fear. He rubbed the thwacked spot, I pushed him forward and He moved warily on, glancing at the recesses as though one of the statue things would come to life and pounce upon us all.
We came to a halt by a pair of huge brown wooden doors that made an end to the corridor we had walked down. Brother Dominic held up his hand and nodded towards said entrance.
“This is the dining room. Through this portal are many folk. Some are Brothers like myself and some are not. Partake of our humble food, but please, do not engage anyone in talk. You look confused. It is perhaps my choice of wordage. The place we are to enter is a place for the sitting down and consuming of foodstuffs. Do not talk, or should I say, chittle-chat, with any you may find there. Nod if that is clear?” We did and trundled into the place for grub.
The room was brightly lit from long curved pieces of metal all intertwined with each other, with several bent arms jutting out to form a circle. They hung from the ceiling in regular rows and each had a glowing orb stuck in the end of each of its many arms. It was a cheery light that could not but soothe a fretful constitution. Even Marcellus lost the look of suspicion from his face.
Clustered in the centre were many tables and chairs, all made from what appeared to be the finest oak wood. I have seen many a pic of furniture such as this in a vid I saw at early school about days of yore. I’d thought they existed only in movie form and could not wait to touch them and see if they were real.
There were no windows, though, which was odd to me. The walls were bare and washed in a soothing pale yellow. On the right hand side was a huge counter filled with many dishes and bowls. Brother Dominic guided us towards it and I smelled a smell so watering of mouth that I nearly dribble-drabbed all down my chin. I could not wait to taste the fresh food that was before me.
“Here, take a plate and choose anything you wish. Do not be afraid. Go on, eat. Fill your bowls from as many other bowls as you see fit.”
He need not tell us twice. After losing the contents of my gut, and not wanting to remember the stuff we ate in the Clonie Zone, my tum was all but empty and in need of filling. I was first to grab the largest plate I could find and packed it to the brim-full with steaming hot goodies. Wirt, Marcellus and Eadgard followed suit and Brother Dominic, whose plate was scanty compared to ours, showed us to a large table were other similarly attired Monks sat. He gestured for us to plonk our rears and this we did, careful not to lose a single piece of tasty titbits in the speed of our descent.
The other Brothers lifted their also bald heads, and gave us a welcoming smile. So genuine a look was on their faces that we could not help but to grin right back. When that was done we took our utensils and shovelled in the yummy food. The tastes were such that I felt a drop of wet at the corner of my eyes. Each mouthful caused a happy memory to stir in my confused brain. This nosh was the nosh of a higher place.
When we had finished and licked our plates clean (I say “we” but really it was only Wirt), Brother Dominic pushed his untouched plate forward, leant close and whispered, “Now that you have eaten I must usher you to another area, a place where we can talk in private. For what I need to tell you is not for everyone’s ears.” He gave a sideways glance and narrowed his eyes as he spoke and a chill spread across the back of my neck. We rose and followed Brother Dominic. I held back for a sec just so that I could pass my hand over the polished wooden tables. Real all right.
The other users looked in our direction as we moved away and I managed to get a quickly glimpse of the assortment of hominids that frequented the area. Mostly Brothers, like Dominic. Some in black robes, some in light brown and some, not Brothers at all. Fems! Dressed like the Brothers only wearing close-fitting soft helmets that covered all their head and neck, so that their faces popped out as though they had stuck their head through a hole in a bedding sheet and forgotten to take it off. I wondered if they too were bald.
I nudged Wirt and as discretely as I could manage, pointed at said fems. He looked at them, then at me and bent close to my ear. “They are the oddliest Ladies I have ever seen. I am dumbstruck with astoundedness to see such here. I had heard that monks had no inkling for the quickie sort of bonk.”
“I do not fancy they are fems of that genre. They wear no paint or garments that show off their goodly rations.”
“This is a place full to bursting with quiz.”
We continued to gawp until we reached the exit. Brother Dominic led us through it and we walked in the opposite direction to the way we came for a few steps, then turned left at a corner and into another vast corridor, also without windows. A gentle light from glass shells attached to the grey walls made it look as though the sun would rise at any moment. When we came to a black door, the monk gestured for us to gather close.
“Are we to see the Abbot now? Is he in here?”
“No, he is not, Adara. That is the Library and is of no use to you. I brought you here simply because it is less frequented than other passageways.”
“For what purpose?”
“To tell you that you are to become a great Auger.”
“I do not believe in prophecies and the like.”
“Perhaps not, but you cannot escape your destiny.”
“Tacky words, Brother. I may gag if you continue in this manner.”
“Indeed, since you do not appreciate my attempts at clarifying the fate that awaits you all, I will say only that your mission may take you on a different path than the one you began.”
Well duh-uh! I thought. Big secret. I had managed to fathom that much myself. What with being met by a Backpacker and taken to this place in a flying craft and the like.
“It is true, we are on a journey that has steered off course a little, but now we are back upon it,” Eadgard said.
“I just wish someone would be direct. To be sure, I have no comprehensions as to who I should trust and who not.”
“Adara, those that you think you can trust, may not be so honest. And those that you thought you could not, may be allies after all.”
“What? More riddles Eadgard?”
Wirt turned to look at Marcellus, who gave back the glare with the same venom and then some.
“The Abbot Brother, are we to meet?”
“All in good time, Eadgard. First, Adara must meet with another.”
“Not before the Abbot.”
A sound like the falling of many boxes came from the behind the closed door. We turned our attention to the noise and Brother Dominic took my arm. “Come, Adara.”
“Nah. I want to know what made that racket.”
“It is nothing.”
I pulled myself free and stood in front of the portal. The others joined me and Brother Dominic sighed. “May you discover all that you require,” he said and gave us all a glance full of meaning and dread.
I shivered without knowing why and said Brother pulled open the enormous door.