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The Fool strode out into the forest with a skip in his step. He did not look back, though he noticed that Prashanta turn back a few times as though to search for the old woman.
The Hermit might have liked the company for the evening, yet obviously preferred to live in solitude in the forest, away from the hustle and bustle of the villages and the Imperial City.
He could not imagine what the old woman would do in that domain governed by the Empress and Emperor. The City was a model of structure and “civilization” that the Hermit would not find palatable.
Perhaps that is why The Fool enjoyed the old woman’s company so much? He too despised the rules and structure that the Emperor laid down and expected all to conform to.
He wandered down the path, whistling to himself. He had no real plan, not even checking that the direction that he traveled in was the correct one. He would eventually get to his village. The Hermit had not told him exactly when it was that he needed to take the book back.
The pathway that he followed was shaded irregularly by trees growing to one side of the pathway. There were no people about and the forest seemed peaceful. He took the leash of Prashanta’s collar and let her loose.
“WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”
Prashanta bounded down the pathway, a sudden sense of freedom and joy making her excited. The dog raced out at top speed and The Fool smiled at her as she raced around the corner.
The pathway was changing. The dirt in the path was changing to a kind of stone-lined path. Not the regular squared cobbles of the City. Instead, these were natural stones that had been cut or shaped to have flat tops and set into the path. It was like an amazing irregular puzzle.
The Fool was mesmerized by the patterns that he stepped over. There was a story here that he could almost grasp. Though The Fool could not exactly imagine the kind of patience it would have required to place these stones in the path one by one. He appreciated them none the less.
“WOOF! WOOF!”
Prashanta bounded into his view right under his nose and lept up at The Fool. The dog knocked him over smartly and The Fool lost his wind a little as he landed on his backside. The dog had something in her mouth. Prashanta came to him and placed something sweet smelling over his shoulders.
The dog was breathing hard, her tongue hanging out. It made it look like she was smiling at him. The Fool touched the garland around his shoulders. It was a string with flowers weaved through it.
“Silly girl.” The Fool scolded Prashanta lightly. “Now where did you get this hmmm?”
He stood and attached the leash to Prashanta’s collar again. “No sense in letting you run away from me again. Now, where did you get this girl?”
“WOOF! WOOF!”
Prashanta tugged at the leash and The Fool let the dog pull him down the path. Now that he was looking up he could see that there was some sort of open aired structure ahead of them.
There were eight white stone pillars pressed into the sky, but they were not holding up a roof. Between the pillars were long strings of flowers woven to the chord decorating the half-structure.
There was also a rack near the front of the structure that held several garlands in place. This must be where Prashanta had taken the string of flowers from. There were people entering the space between the pillars. Each of the people were showing some sort of symbol in their hands and the muscular men standing at the entrance placed a garland over their heads.
The Fool strode confidently to the entrance and the men at the doorway men merely nodded at him as he passed them. The Fool smiled broadly and tipped his hat at them.
There were two or three dozen people standing in the structure. All were facing towards a shallow stone dais. Atop the dais stood a plinth table which bore a clear glass urn and several cups.
The Fool considered the people that stood in this assembly point. Some had the look of farmers, masons, butchers and the like. There were also men and women who looked far more refined and wealthier. Noble Lords and Ladies dressed in silks with frills and bleached white wigs, making them appear a head taller than they truly were.
None of that seemed to matter in this place. The Nobles brushed shoulders with men that were covered in dirt and dust from their labors All the men and woman held expressions of patience and humility. There was no talking or even greetings between the different people in this place.
The Fool found a spot where he could stand beside the other garland decorated people. Nobody looked in his direction. Prashanta came to yield beside him. The Fool was rather shocked at her behaviour. Yet he did not have time to wonder about that further.
A figure was walking up on the dais.
The Fool’s attention was gripped to the woman who now walked before everyone. She was dressed all in white with the symbol of the Moon picked out in gold silk thread on her shift. The white dress was also made of silk and it formed on the woman’s body in a conservative manner. Despite this, The Fool was acutely aware of her femininity.
Her face was partially obscured by a thick white cloth pressed over her eyes. There would be nothing to see from those blindfolds and yet the woman walked confidently and unassisted to the plinth table.
The woman took up the class glass urn and raised it into the air. “Blessings of the Moon upon you all.” She began to fill the cups on the table from the urn. “All life generates and flows from Water and the Moon governs the waters. Men and women are mostly water within their bodies.”
“The High Priestess” The Fool whispered to himself. This is a temple.
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