Chapter 7: The Season Knights 

Once inside the cool, still shade of a Quercus Alba tree, the group sits at a table and goes over their options, while eating a midday meal. The Librarians provide a plethora of fresh fruits and nuts, and Tonic makes an energizing batch of tea. Atcher uncaps ink and gets a fresh nib to write notes in the birchbark journal as Vellum offers knowledge and advice. 

The Librarian’s voice is clear, listing off thoughts and suggestions. Atcher writes quickly, adding to a list of new words, sketches, and meanings:

Marginalia – References the beautiful in the borders. In a work of writing, marginalia are doodles and illustrations, sometimes even notations, in the borders and margins around the main text. Not the main story, but most interesting enhancements. Marginalia is also the name for the things that guard the Lintels to the World’s Between.

Lintel - the exact spot or feeling that allows a Wildling to travel the World’s Between. These are often in forgotten places, or found on a Wanderlust. Guarded by Marginalia.

World’s Between - How we travel to other realities, alongside our own. Tonic tried to explain this idea with a teapot universe and tealeaf realities. The World of Myth is where we end up (the World of Myth is where all our mythology really lives, stuff like sabertooth oxen and stone speaking and writing twigs that bleed color).

World of Myth - the place where our mythic tales come from. All the fantasy dreamed of is basically something real in the World of Myth; back when more Wildlings traveled the World’s Between they brought explanations of what they found and did from the World of Myth, and those turned into our mythic tales.

Oburoni - a word Graemes uses; translates as “someone from over the horizon.” It means a person from across the World’s Between, someone from the World of Myth. 

Glazed - one who cannot travel the World’s Between.

Wildling - one who can travel the World’s Between, to the World of Myth. Tend to long for other places and ideas. Often feel like they don’t quite fit in.

Vellum wraps up the discussion, saying, “Wherever you go, Wildlings, travel boldly and joyfully! You are on a Wanderlust, and you are exploring new things; enjoy what you learn and change. Remember that you may end up places you don’t like. You can’t alter the fact that previous decisions were made, but you can always make new ones from where you are. Relish time with friends.”

After looking at maps, and taking into account the warnings about the Marginalia being guardians, the trio decides to set out for the Tree Beyond the Garden. “The tree seems easiest to reach from here” Atcher decides. Prism and Tonic agree. 

Vellum marks the way on a map for them, and shows them the path to start on. “The map is yours to keep. I hope you find what you are looking for; please stop by and tell us your tales when you are done. Well met, and meet again!”

Tonic, Atcher, and Prism wave to the Librarians as they set out, with Wind Rabbits flitting to and fro. The road is long, but not arduous. There are open fields, gentle hills, and pleasant trees along the path. The travel is easy, and they make good time the first day.

That evening, Atcher pulls a bundle out of the bronze bag with the exaltation, “We get to try my Night Tent!” The brownie sets up the tent, with gears clicking into place, and canvas stretched taut. The beautiful tent is the glorious riot of a setting sky, dappled with shining stars that gently glow. The completed structure is a cylinder that easily fits the three friends, and has a special netted shelf for holding food and things off the ground. 

As Prism directs wind traffic outside, Atcher fixes salad and scones for supper. Tonic makes tea, and muses out loud, “I could have shown Vellum my journal Graemes wrote! I wonder what the Librarians think of the written works versus the grown copies? Would the two versions look exactly the same? Would there be differences, like ink splotches and sketches? Is Atcher’s notebook growing somewhere there?”

When the trio is sitting together, Prism asks, “What happens to all the Sudden Ideas? You find so many, Atcher but hardly have more than 2 or 3 running around.”

Atcher nods and answers “Sudden Ideas take a lot of care. Somebeings can tend to many of them at once; I’m only good with two or three. Some Sudden Ideas are released, when a creator realizes they can’t care for it. Others go dormant and ultimately slip away if they aren’t given enough attention. They will run around until anotherbeing finds them. The few I’m attending to, I let live in my birchbark journal, being tended and groomed, growing stronger and more useful.”

“I had no idea!” Prism exclaims. “So any new Sudden Ideas you find, you have to decide to let an old idea go, or let the new one go?”

“Well, if I find a really good one I hold onto it for a bit. I can keep a few extra if I let some be dormant a while. But yes, basically I have to choose which two or three to keep, and which to release. I know whichever ones I release will be happy until picked up by somebeing else. Sometimes I trade them to other Brownies.” Atcher answers. The friends watch the Wind Rabbits play as they finish their meal and think over their day.

As the three friends clean up and settle down for sleep, Tonic find a legible spot in Graemes’s journal and reads aloud “Then bronze and sunset Keph’thysaat gave me a dragon’s hug and said, ‘Oh my changeling child: my child of the wyrd and wild, child of rough and unreasonable. Your power lies in your curiosity and your ferocity. Use your powers for good - explore, help, create, stand up for those in need, bring kindness and laughter and wonder to the world...”

Thinking on this, Tonic decides to read their tea leaves before they all go to sleep. Taking Atcher’s cup, Tonic pauses to decipher the leaf patterns, “There is a great change coming, and we must all be ready to stand together. We mustn’t doubt ourselves or give up. We need to accept each other’s strengths and differences...Hmm; the leaves are not as precise as usual. They generally like to tell me things like ‘There is a cake waiting for you. It tastes sweet.’ or ‘You need to do laundry today.’ Well, maybe the next cup will be clearer.” 

Taking Prism’s cup, Tonic says, “Prism, your powerful emotions will be needed soon. I think you will face a grave enemy…” the gnome hesitates, and turns the cup around, “Or you will need to recite a hidden poem. It’s odd; normally these two leaf patterns aren’t interchangeable, but I just can’t tell which this is meant to be.” The gnome of tea looks at the last cup and says, “Ah! To break our fast we will find some delicious nasturtiums, borage, rose, and violets. And the leaves remind me to use the mushroom powder from Nightshade as a broth.” Pleased with the solid advice, Tonic lays all the soggy leaves out on a rock for the Wind Rabbits to nibble through the night.

The tent is quiet and cool, and as the friends inside go to sleep, the canvas stars twinkle soothing patterns. From outside, the tent blends into the night, and is nearly impossible to see.

In the morning, Atcher folds up the tent, trying to persuade the canvas and gears to compress back into the envelope-sized star shape it began in. The whole thing jangles and twists, leaping out of Atcher’s hands, and being a nuisance. The Night Tent is difficult until Tonic sits down nearby, polishing the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer, and asking if any assistance is needed. The Night Tent jolts and shambles less in the brownie’s hands with the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer glinting in the morning light. 

Atcher laughs, “I guess sometimes even tents can decide to be less troublesome! The tent only works at night; it hides us and protects us.” Atcher explains “But during the day, the Night Tent is noisy and jittery. If I set it up too early it always just comes out as a squashed sandwich. The blasted thing is impossible to fold correctly once the sky is light, too. If I had remembered to pack it earlier, it would have twirled up like a musical chime, spinning starlight into pre-dawn symphonies. That’s why it’s a Night Tent. It only works properly at night. Well, now it’s a half-wrecked cube; that will have to do for today.” Atcher shrugs acceptance and ties the Night Tent on top of the bronze bag.

The friends don’t break their fast right away, but gather the predicted edible flowers along their route. They stop at the top of a large hill to make the mushroom broth and eat sugared petals. The land spreads out below them, and the sky is wide open above. The plants lie low and soft on the ground. In the distance, a mountain range rises up, majestically soaring, slopes green with forests, and grand, snowy, clouded peaks at the top. The Wind Rabbits frisk toward the freshening breeze of the mountain, and the ocean beyond.

By midday, Prism, Atcher, and Tonic have reached the mountain’s base. It looks grey and rocky up close, with foreboding, jagged cliffs and icy, whipping winds. At the base of the mountain is a large, clean tunnel with a gate locked across it and a sign posted. The Mountain Gate sign says “Short Tunnel closed until Seasons return.” There are two smaller signs pointing to trails on the right and left. Both trails wind up the mountain. The sign to the left says “Restore the Seasons” and the sign to the right says “Never Return.”

“Well that’s sinister.” Prism says with crossed arms, looking at the sign to the right.