Acquiring Wisdom

[Faith Augustin]

Wisdom is not acquired save as the result of investigation.

44 Ymiden 716
Follow up to Seasonal Event in Andaris: here

Jamal had told her that she was allowed to visit the library for a few breaks today and Faith was inordinately happy about that. As she walked, she considered whether she was happy because she had pleased her owner sufficiently that she was permitted to spend some time browsing books or because she was going to the library. She decided that she was happy for both of those reasons, they were not mutually exclusive and therefore she was content just to be content. Unlike her, but she was not going to over analyse it right now, simply enjoy it.

And that, of course, should have been her first clue. Her life was servitude, her path was that of the slave. Why then would she ever be allowed such a moment, afforded such a luxury? She should, frankly, have known better. But blissfully ignorant, she made her way to the library and then she spotted that there was a crowd gathering outside. What was going on? She made her way slowly, carefully forward and she realised that there was a body on the floor in front of the library. There was blood, no doubting it, there were guards and there were shocked citizenry throughout.

There, lying on the steps in front of the library was a woman. She had been killed, it seemed, and Faith knew a momentary hesitation. If she kept quiet, Jamal would never know. But she could not live that way, her training was too complete and she was simply too compliant. So, she moved to one of the guard close by "I am an undertaker, working under the ownership of Jamal, of Jamal's Funeral Services. Would you like us to take this body for you?" she asked and, it must be said, the guard looked relieved, gesturing her forward. So, Faith made her way over and she started the slow and careful examining of the body itself.

[Faith Augustin]

Stepping forward, Faith bowed her head to the guards who let her through. "Thank you." she said and the guard stood to one side letting her through and then stepped forward with her. "It's not pretty" he said, not unkindly to her and Faith felt a strange swell of gratitude for the guard who could be vile to her, but chose not to be. The young girl walked with the guard and then she breathed in through her teeth. The body of the woman who was laying on the steps of the library had been killed in a most unusual manner; someone or something had taken the woman's eyes. Faith had been around bodies for just over an arc, now, but this was something else. The holes where the eyes were, or had been, seemed to stare sightlessly forward and somehow there was still a feeling of being watched from her. Faith could not help but take a step back at the sight.

In the woman's hands, Faith noticed, there was something that she was clutching. Clutching it as though her life had depended on it (which Faith considered somewhat ironic, considering how very dead she was). The guard spoke to Faith, quietly "Do what you need to do here, we'll get the body sent to your funeral service" he said and Faith tentatively stepped forward to examine the body and see what she needed to do. As she did, the young slave girl sent a prayer to Famula, asking Her for the strength to serve Her in all things, even when she was as completely grossed out as she currently was.

Who'd have thought, Faith considered, that she'd be glad that Jamal underfed her so much? But right now, her empty stomach was a very real blessing.

[Kingdom]

On closer examination the young slave might discover the death wound, a crack in the back of the dead woman's skull where it looked as if she had been struck with a blunt object. Her fingers were painted red with blood. Death had come quickly but not soon enough for her to avoid at least some suffering.
Trapped in the woman's vicelike grip was a small storybook, square in shape, with the picture of what looked like a maze on the front cover. It was clearly a children's book and one of the guards muttered something about asking around to find out if the strange dead woman had been a mother to any children. After all, what would a grown woman want with a children's book? Carefully the man closest to Faith prised the book from cold, lifeless fingers and turned it about, looking it over front and back.
"Do you suppose she meant to return it?" He asked Faith before handing her the book. "I used to read that one to my children when they were younger. Something about a journey to the centre of the world, only the world just so happens to be us and once we find the centre, we return anew to this world with wisdom and a sense of fulfilment, wholeness," he drew a circle in the air and stood up as a horse and wagon pulled up alongside the crowd to take the body back to Faith's place of work where she would be able to examine the book and body without an audience.