Slice Of Life (5)

Nti Anem walked around a bit, gauging his desired spot until satisfied then pulled out more bamboo with a wave of a hand and Ed and Ku Jian walked closer to where he stood. Ku Jian stared at the large pile of bamboo curiously.

"This is what you got this morning?" she asked him.

"Yes," he answered.

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.

"We can't keep sleeping under the open sky, right? The rains are near and when seasons change, the snow will fall," Nti Anem said.

"A house? I want my own courtyard," she insisted.

"You will get a room," he said.

"But where will I practise my potions?" she asked.

"A side room, then," he compromised, "But you too will build,"

"Sure," she snorted.

"This spot is good; quite elevated," Nti Anem said and picked a bamboo. With one solid hit, he stuck it into the ground. Then he walked some distance and repeated it. Ku Jian watched him peg four long bamboos to the ground in four directions. She guessed it was the house's four corners and frowned at the size.

"That small?" she walked over with a frown.

"Faster to build when it is not the size of a palace," he retorted and she snorted, picking up a piece of bamboo and was about to stick it in the ground when he stopped her.

"Split in two," he said and she did so.

"You split, I stick," he instructed and she went on to split the bamboo and hand it to Nti Anem who stuck it in the ground. He first stuck it with the insides facing out till he formed a wall with an opening for a window then returned to the first bamboo. The next split bamboo she handed over, he punctured its sides before sticking in the ground back out to overlap the first row and then tying it in place.

"You see as I had done, your highness?" he called to Ed and he nodded.

"You can join me to complete the walls," he said. With two of them on the job, it was not long before the large square took shape at the top of the plains.

Nti Anem stepped into the square through the open front and checked the level of the ground. He had chosen right, the ground was levelled inside the square. With a nod, he proceeded to build the floor.

He called to Ku Jian to throw in a full bamboo and she did. Catching it, he took out a sword and cut to length, nailing to one side of the large square, and then called for another. When bamboo had been nailed to all sides, he called for the split ones to be thrown in.

He then moved on and called to Ku Jian who popped her head inside the square in question.

"You remember how I split canes from the bamboo to weave this morning?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "Why?"

"Do that next," he said and paused slightly, "And have Ed help you. Before that, send in the split ones," he instructed and she left.

He placed those she sent insides up on the floor then called for the canes and pegged them to the hard soil. Tearing through the full bamboo on two opposite ends of the floor, he went on to slide them into the slits, locking them over those pegged horizontally insides faced up. He continued till he had covered the floor ad it was comfortable to walk on.

The sun was now high in the sky staring them down.

He looked at the two who had watched him work and came out and looked at Ed's slightly empty eyes solemnly. This task is one they can finish without rest, but...

"Let us eat lunch," he said.

"Again?" Ku Jian asked and he chuckled.

"Then you do not want to join us to eat the remaining rice, then," he said and snorted and walked away to make a fire.

"Your highness, we should make a ladder while she is at it," he said.

"Ladder?" he asked with a slight empty look.

"Yes, when done eating, we will build a roof. We need a ladder to climb that high," he said and Ed's eyes seemed to clear slightly.

"But you can walk through air," Ed countered, and Nti Anem froze slightly.

"Yes,"

"And I can walk through air," he said and a bolt of lightning cracked in the clear sunny sky and Nti Anem swallowed lightly.

"But I still need a ladder," he tried to brush it off and turned around to leave.

"Ladder, then," Ed said and a ladder made of polished wood now stood before him, blocking his path.

"No, No, No," Nti Anem turned sharply to stop Ed and froze slightly when their eyes met. He calmed his heart as at that moment, he almost felt as though Ed had grown roots anchoring him to the ground when he was but standing there.

"Ed, Edward," At that moment, ladders started growing from the ground. Ku Jian ran over and froze slightly when she looked at Ed; for a second, she saw an apparition of an old black tree with black leaves.

"What is happening?" she asked Nti Anem.

"The hell tree and Ed are one and the same, at this moment, he is more the hell tree than he is Ed and the quiet is reacting. Call to him,"

"Brother ... Brother Ed!" Ku Jian stammered as she saw Ed's eyes stare her down.

"Brother Ed, let us go eat! Brother Ed, I just started the fire, let's eat rice," she called to him.

"Rice," he said in wonder and ladders stopped growing, then his eyes shinned in realisation.

"Rice," he said again and a handful of rice showed up in his hand.

"Magic?" Ku Jian's eyes rounded.

"No, he is calling to a law I have only a few times," he disagreed.

"Laws can b cancelled with other laws, what law?!" she rotated her core.

"Law itself," he said and she looked at him sharply.

"It is odd, yes. But only one can give such blessing," Nti Anem's eyes looked as though to pierce through Ed, "who are you?" he asked and the next moment, it started raining rice.

"We have definitely long passed that arc, Nti Anem. What do I do?" Ku Jian said in alarm as winds picked up.

"Edward Oric Desecar, I would like with Prince Edward Oric Desecar on official business," Nti Anem said the moment the energy around Ed increased. For a second there, he almost thought Ed grew branches.

"I am," Ed said answered in slight confusion and Nti Anem felt the energy around him decrease slightly as it ceased raining rice.

"It's working!" Ku Jian commented.

"Seal your being Ku Jian, be alert, he might get violent," Nti Anem said and she looked at him in utter confusion as the wind speed doubled up.

"What?"

"I will jolt him a bit, this he may kill us," he waved his hand and placed a barrier between him and Ed looking at them in wonder. Nti Anem swallowed slightly. Who would have thought that he would be one of those who would do something this stupid? Ed had lost a lot of himself to the mist and the little that anchored him to the world was taboo. He never thought he would ever need to use it.

"I would like to speak with Prince Edward of Emerald and Jurazel, on matters concerning the sisters of the temple of Slah," he said and the air stilled and everything picked up by the wind fell. Nti Anem could not dare look away as he tensed. Ed seemed to be frozen too, causing him to try again,"

"I would like to speak with...Prince Edward of Emerald and Jurazel about matters concerning...the sister in white," he said and everything went black.