Yeesha’s Journal 08

Home was far behind-I was on longer a child. I journeyed deep-deep within myself, deep within the earth, down to the D’ni cavern. I was alone for a time as I consumed my heritage, breathing deep with the air of the cavern and the knowledge of my people.

But the desire for companionship drove me mad. I engaged a senomar as my confident, and a tredfish in the harbor became my brother. I spoke to them as family and they answered, I swear they answered.

Then my mind took a final step into madness when I walked into the library on Ae’gura and saw an old D’ni man on the floor below me. Now I was imagining people to ease my loneliness.

But he was no mirage-his name was Calam. And he was a D’ni writer of Ages.

Trust did not come easily. There was conflict between us-between his ancient rules of D’ni that I did not respect, and my creativity, which he feared. We fought and feared and battled and screamed, until exhausted, we began to learn from each other. We learned of the power of both, just as Father and Mother had done.

So I learned to Write with all the skills that the D’ni had known- beyond what my parents had taught me. For their lessons were given by a flawed instructor and by their own trial and error. I learned to Write from a Master: an opportunity my Father was never given. Calam’s abilities were breathtaking-he knew all the D’ni knew, when D’ni fell.

But I taught as well as learned. There were that the D’ni were forbidden to Write, words they feared, concepts they shunned. Rules and boxes. I had no cultural fear of such things, so I dug deep, asking questions that Calam could not answer. And together we sought answers.

That is how we learned of the Bahro and the Tablet. I learned of power. We grew in knowledge and strength, and Calam became one of my dear friends. I began to think that it was he who would be the grower.

But evil will find you, even in the depths of the earth, and Calam was murdered.