Camp Dreams

His hand came away from its touch to the earth with a sensitivity, its soft flesh rebounding from the previous stimulus. Hard rock poked through the soil here, accentuating an open landscape of thin grass. The hilltop stood mostly bare, affording a good view to the west. The scholar's eyes were closed however: he sought to see more than what was physically offered. The hand pulled slowly up from the ground, reluctantly following suit to his straightening body. Its connection was maintained: he could still sense the energy of the grass and dirt, and of the underlying rocks that resonated in all directions. With one hand he could feel the extensive folds of the landscape, and with the other he gently sent out his own power, seeking. To the north and a bit west there was a dark nexus. Two forces seemed pulled to one another in a troubling way. It was clearly the thing he should pursue, and the scholar knew he would have to revisit that energy, but it was not the only thing that caught his attention. There were smaller bright sparks that seemed to sprout organically in disparate places. They did not seem tied to any particular known powerful location, and some even moved erratically across the land. Only one seemed more notably stable, but it wavered like the twinkling of a star. It seemed to sit on one of the lower mountain peaks, gleaming its pure white light apart from the rest. Other notable spots roamed around, and glowed with every color imaginable, each their own unique hue. At first it seemed to him that there were only a few of these sparks, but the longer he looked he saw more and more fainter ones beginning to emerge. It almost seemed that the whole fabric of reality was pulsating and ready to burst with these many-colored sprites. He pulled himself out of the meditation when the idea began to feel overwhelming, and reintegrated himself with the natural surroundings. As he pulled back into his body again it seemed he still felt a lingering presence connecting with him. It was friendly though, so he let it fade slowly while he pulled out a notebook to reflect on his findings.

–

Dreams in camp were always weird. Riannath tried to remind herself of that during breakfast, and convince herself that a dream only feeling exceptionally real at the time was not cause in itself to wrack her brains interpreting it. The business of the day was more important than weird nighttime imaginings. Not that her crew needed much supervision: they kept an impeccable camp and mustered for the day's ride quickly and smoothly. She had only taken her finest three squads on this trip in any case, each soldier fitted out in marvelous black plating that matched their top-of-the-line speeders. On a sunny day they formed an impressive and imposing show of discipline wherever they rode. The Commandant rarely went on these country scouting trips, but she enjoying sortieing as a flagship of the base, and had done so enough to set a precedent. Those back at the fort who might have suspicions knew how much she enjoyed riding in the rural territories.

Riannath had set off with her squadrons south across the great river early the previous morning. They had crossed the high gorge bridge and headed south-east towards the hills, keeping away from cities as best as they could. Once they had left the metropolis area and were traveling through open countryside, the Commandant felt a rush of excitement. The intensity of oversight had deepened lately at the fort, to the point where she had begun to question legitimacies of her own command. The more she tried to quietly and passively engage in her research, the stricter were the warnings from the imperial leadership and the tighter were restrictions imposed. Out here in the woods though she was free. Her soldiers, at least those that surrounded her right now, could be trusted.

During this day's ride however, she could not shake the thought of the dream from the night before. It had been as if she were alone in the forest, hiding behind a tree. She had seen a scholarly man, dressed in layered brown robes, walk along a trail. He had a small traveling pack, and seemed lost in thought, intent on his destination. He did not see her, but looked up just as he had passed, as if some bird had caught his eye. The dream then changed, and she was standing on a hilltop. Its view looked west over the valley. The scholar stood there too, some paces in front of her also looking west. No one spoke, and the sound seemed muffled. A storm was brewing out over the great lake. Dark clouds swirled with purple electricity as if they were at war with themselves. The sound of the storm faded in to her awareness. It was a grinding rumble of wind that Riannath almost seemed to feel in her chest more than actually hear. Her ears thrummed and the tips of her fingers flinched with little chaotic sparks. She had had to flex them a couple times upon waking to make sure they were really okay. Dreams in camp were always weird.

–

Davai sat back in his portable seat and tried to focus on his breathing. It was a tool to relax, and for allowing space to process the thoughts that had lately emerged. He had been here at this little overlook village for hours now, alternately communing with the energies of the land and studying the notes he had brought with him. He had made connections between various charts and data sets and scribbled notations until a picture began to form. It was only an educated guess at understanding, but one he could only have gotten by bringing the data out here to commune with the natural world. The problem now was how to deal with the information he had found. If his educated guess was right, there would be inevitable strife for many people in the near future. Inevitable because it seemed too late to muster the power required to stop it from happening. The forces involved in these matters were beyond what his scholarly training had taught him to handle, learned as he was. As house-sage of the Sanctuary, he had a duty to shepherd his small community through the upcoming trials. That felt like the best he could probably do: trying to actually change what was happening in the broader world felt like going toe-to-toe with a god.

So the scholar sat and tried to quiet his mind. If nothing else, he would meet the future with a calm and ready sense of being. Just as he felt settled again though, he became suddenly and sharply aware of his old friend Vesti. He hadn't seen her in many years, but knew she lived somewhere in the Winniaska Valley. The thought felt important, and he realized it had been her presence he had sensed earlier. She must be trying to contact him, maybe with some news of this worldly-shift. Davai resolved to go and visit his old witch friend, and began to pack away his notes. He was almost ready to leave the square when he felt a change in the energy of the surrounding town. People still went about their midday business, but there was a hushed quality, and the center of the square became quite empty.

–

Riannath had mixed feelings about how people in the rural villages responded to her patrols. They seemed to give her and her squads respect, but it seemed to go slightly too far. Townsfolk often became very reserved around the military presence, and at times almost fearful. It was true they were an intimidating sight, but she wished there could be a better outward rapport with the communities. It was a tough balance to strike, so despite the sleek armor, she made sure they always presented as friendly and helpful a face as they could while traveling.

This township clustered about the top of a high hill, bordering right on the edge of a city built near the open summit. The town was humble and well-kept, and again Riannath's thoughts turned to the more-straightforward lives of the villagers. It wasn't that they didn't have complex lives, but rather that their complexities...and the thought ended when she saw one figure in particular, a scholar wearing a layered brown cloak. That same moment came as even more of a curiosity to Davai though, as he had never had dealings before with the local military: the leader of this squad actually looked surprised to see him!