![]() That was how justice was ensured, by innocence equaling guilt in every measure. They were supposed to be equals they were supposed to be balanced. "So say the Rules of the Reeds." Dar and Kela returned the bow, Dar dipping slightly lower than Kela. You honor us with your presence, Arbiter Twins." She bowed long and low. "Welcome to Jigme." The elder's voice was crisp. A breathless quiet settled over the villagers. The village elder, a woman with a tight, white braid running down to her ankles, bowed to them. Together, Kela and Dar ascended three shallow steps and came to stand on a low wooden platform in the village center. ".he never even climbed the Initiate's Stair." As she walked she caught snippets of gossip, slander, and suspicion. She followed her brother through the corridor of chattering villagers into Jigme Square. Kela could feel the reverberations in her chest. At least that was as it should be, that and nothing else.Ī gong sounded from the village center. And Dar's birth in the darkness of night was the reason he was guilt. He in the evening, and Kela in the morning of the next day.īeing born in the morning light was the reason she was innocence. Although they were twins, he had been born first-first by a day. He had done everything first since the day they were born. It was a narrow bridge, and with villagers on both sides it was only wide enough for one of them to cross at a time. Eyes and mouths hung agape as Kela and Dar approached. Jigme villagers lined the bridge on the other side of the entrance. Luckily, she was saved from doing either as they arrived at the village gates. The question felt like a trap Kela didn't dare shake her head, nor speak a response, for that was a trap too. If that perception is tarnished, so too will be our decrees. "A justice that the Jeskai only accept because of the way we are perceived. What we do, it's all about perception, Kela. "There are villagers here, are there not?" "What are you doing?" Dar's voice startled Kela out of her grin. Kela stretched her lips into a configuration they weren't much used to, returning the gesture. She landed soundlessly in a crouch like a cat on the side of the path. The girl reacted before Kela could, flipping and somersaulting as though the whole stunt had been planned. Suddenly, the branch beneath the girl gave way with a sharp snap. How Kela wished that those words were true she did not feel she was on a path, rather that she was wandering aimlessly, following Dar. A path that will lead us all to the places and times we are most needed." She closed her eyes and dipped her head in a bow. "It means they are on a path to enlightenment." She touched her own forehead, an act that looked familiar and practiced. "It means they're really good at combat," one of the other children said. The dragon's eye is a symbol of cunning." She spoke in a whisper, barely loud enough even for Kela to hear. "It's a symbol of strategy," one of the children on the other side of the river said. They were sharp and bright and they followed Kela and Dar's every move. She wouldn't have seen the girl in the tree had it not been for the child's glistening eyes. "That's ridiculous." This voice, an annoyed mutter, came from Kela's other side. "They hurt my eyes." The chubby boy shielded his face. "The marks are so bright," said the girl with the fringe. "The dragon's eye," the first boy said reverently. The others fell in behind him, staring unabashedly.
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