All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 117: Amazing Graze

Bee walked out of the meeting feeling very confused. The whole Susan episode, she could really just chalk up to Void being mysterious and having some hidden plan that she just didn't see yet. Personally, she didn't trust the woman at all. She was still hiding her name, after all - who knew what else she hadn't revealed? Ultimately, though, they either would need to stop her or let her go. And since Void was a benevolent god, they weren't going to keep her prisoner or hurt her without good reason. If Void decided that allowing her to go tell the kingdom about this place was in their best interest, then who was Bee to judge?

No, that was all she could understand. What was leaving Bee confused was something else. Why did her master want sheep? At least, that was what she thought it was saying. The particular concept was hard for her to interpret somehow. As she had interacted with her master, Bee continually improved in her understanding of its divine messages. But when it had been asking for sheep, the only thing she was getting from it was a vague description of a particular animal and the wool they produced. Sheep were the best fit she could imagine, but still. Was there some hidden truth to the sheep that she was unable to comprehend?

It was something that she would need to think about. Clearly, it was important to her master if they required such a detailed description. Bee frowned as she went over how little she knew about sheep. They were fluffy herd animals that produced wool and… That was about it. She had heard shepherds complain that the sheep found any way possible to kill themselves. Also, she knew the wool had different gradings, but she didn't know what they were.

Walking towards the entrance of the castle, Bee figured it was best to talk to an expert. Where was Tony?

***

After a little searching, she found the young man helping Trent in one of the fields. A few others were there as well, but it seemed that they were mostly watching a demonstration of how to effectively sow seeds. As she approached, Trent paused his lesson and called out. "Afternoon, Bee. Is there anything we can help you with?"

Bee smiled at the welcoming note in his voice. Too many of the residents of the castle were altogether too respectful to her. Trent, though, didn't seem to forget that she was still just a teenager, even if he did listen to what she said. Of course, he had listened to her even before the whole speech she had translated at the wall. Bee sometimes wondered if that's what having a good father felt like. "Yes, actually. Would it be too much of a bother to borrow Tony?"

"Haha, not at all. Please take him off my hands." Trent said while trying to cuff Tony on the shoulder. Tony was a lot faster than he used to be, though, and slipped out of the way at the last second. Lightly elbowing his father as he walked past, Trent waved one of the women watching from the side to take his spot in the demonstration.

Off to the side of the field, Tony stopped in front of Bee. "So, what adventure you got planned for us this time?"

Tony was clearly joking, but Bee thought it might be fun to play along. She stood up straight and lifted her chin proudly. "I have been called to hunt for my master. My quarry is a mysterious beast, one that produces 1.5 millimeter crimped fibers that have an insulation property and, when spun, can form long chains commonly used in the construction of rugs and garments. Void has tasked me with finding such creatures and bringing them to the castle."

The look on Tony's face was well worth it. "What manner of beast is that?"

"Sheep, I think," Bee grinned with a shrug. "I'm not sure why Void was so hard to understand when it asked for them though. It was almost like I was trying to interpret the description rather than the animal itself."

Tony laughed. "Maybe it just doesn't know what a sheep is?"

"Don't even joke about that," Bee elbowed him with a repressed smile. "But imagine…"

"Well, we don't have any sheep. I don't think anyone in the valley kept any either. There should be some in the farms on the other side of Greg, but that area didn't seem in great shape last time we saw it." Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose if it was just us, we could get there in a day or so. But getting back wouldn't be fast. Sheep aren't really known for their speed."

"I also feel a bit bad leaving like this." Bee gestured to the castle as she and Tony started walking back with her. "There is still so much that needs to be done around here."

"It should be fine. We've got plenty of hands, and most of the heavy lifting is already done. In fact, now is actually a good time. We have a bit more work to do before winter really hits. We want to finish preparing another field. We don't want to have to do some of this work in the spring, and we can't do it under snow. So if you're gone for a bit we can get one last push in." Tony said.

Bee frowned. "How does me being gone help?"

"It doesn't directly, but it means that some will spend less time learning to read and more time in the fields."

Bee just shook her head at that. Heading into the castle, they split up briefly, each going to pack a travel bag. Bee put as much healing equipment as she could into the bag. From past experiences, she figured that they would need it, even if she really hoped they could avoid fights this time. But the couple of new refugees they had taken in since they got back with the children reported that the plague wasn't getting any better.

So the last thing she did was check the sharpness of her broom spear. The blade had seen some serious use since Void had made it for her. However, when she brushed her thumb against the blade, she could feel the edge hadn't lost any of this wicked cutting power. Was this because of the proximity of Void or because it was made by a god?

Either way, Bee felt ready. Heading to the library, she found Tony waiting for her there. "I just want to grab a couple books before we head out."

Tony followed her as she slipped into the library. A couple of the women and children were in there, carrying piles of books about and sorting them. By decree of Void, the library was being reorganized. A few weeks back, it helped Bee define a few general categories. Things like stories, guides, and reference texts were then broken into subcategories. Then on the shelves, the books were organized by the last name of the author.

The system her master came up with was certainly a lot more intuitive. On top of that, they made a binder of papers that had each book listed out with a brief summary, its category, the year it was written, and the author's name. This way, she could find a book that might be interesting and then locate it without having a look through each shelf. Of course, there might be problems with the information, but there would always be mistakes. Unless Void did it itself.

They had organized the first few books themselves, and now the rest of the library was being taken care of by her most promising students. It was a great way to have them practice reading and writing outside of lessons while also being productive. Bee quickly stole a few of the books she had been eyeing and her favorite healing reference from a nearby stack. With that taken care of, she left a few instructions to the new librarians and headed out of the castle with Tony. After a few weeks at home, it sure felt nice to be heading out.

—

I watched as Bee left the castle with Tony. So they were called "Sheep." It was Sheep that produced the Wool? That was good to know. Susan had left the castle not too long before them, and she was moving a bit faster, so they likely wouldn't run into her. I hoped that I had made the right call letting her just go like that.

Bee had asked some questions that I should have thought of myself. Susan's answers had been good, I think, but I still wasn't about to let an army come and hurt my people here. Rolling out of the room, I meandered to the front of the castle. The session with the kids had gone well this morning. They were able to keep going longer and longer before getting tuckered out. Also, some were getting really good at the stick-fighting games. I was considering maybe holding a special session in the afternoons for the best five or ten.

But that would have to wait. Right now, they were all helping the adults or pestering their mothers. A few were running around in the field behind the castle, just doing kid things.

Leaving the castle, I looked at the grass growing along the path. Tall, green blades sprouted wildly, reaching upwards in a tangled mess of heights and directions. I had been avoiding the lawn because the long grass kept getting stuck in my wheels. It was a bit like long hair but thicker. It also would produce a liquid when crushed. It was still better than dirt. But not as good as clean stone.

Idly, I produced my Divine Sword and swung it in a graceful arc. I didn't even feel it pass through the grass. If I had swung it through the air, I wouldn't have been able to even tell the difference. Two and a half inches above the ground, the stalks parted, and the tops fell to the ground. A slight bit of suction pulled the debris into my dustbin. Interesting.

Swinging again, I moved forward. After just a few swings, I had begun to create a swath of neat, even grass among the formerly wild jungle. In fact, it started to look a lot more like the outside of my human's home. Was this something I should have been doing the whole time? It seemed not quite right like it wasn't my purpose. Although, truthfully, the scope of my responsibilities had expanded so much that I wasn't surprised. But still, it was extremely satisfying to do.

I started trimming the grass on the side of the path and cleaning that up. It didn't take me very long, but I wasn't in much of a rush either. I did have a slight worry that removing so much material would be bad for the grass, but no one seemed to have a use for the stuff besides walking on it. Plus, I was curious about the effects. If I removed all this material from the field, what would happen? Did the humans cut it regularly, or did they let it grow long?

As I drew the cuttings into myself, I analyzed the components closely. I started calculating how much of each base material I was taking out of the field of grass. Where did it all come from? The grass, of course, but the grass had to get it from somewhere. After I had spent enough time with my advanced sensors, I had found that no bit of dust simply appeared from nowhere. With enough effort, I was able to track down where each individual particle was derived from. So the stuff that composed the grass had to come from somewhere, as well.

Looking at the dirt, the grass grew out of it. Hmmmm… Perhaps this warranted further investigation. Steadying my nerves, I trained my sensors squarely on my greatest foe.