The rain lasted three days. It was not a storm, not the kind that tore at the garden and threatened the paths. It was a steady, patient rain that soaked into the earth and filled the pool and made the song threads sing with a low, resonant hum.
We worked indoors for most of it. The shelters were full of people and activity. Renn organized weaving lessons for the children. The musicians composed new pieces inspired by the rain's rhythm. Sera held translation sessions in the main shelter, teaching anyone who wanted to learn the deeper layers of the marker language.
Julian and I spent the time in the quiet grove shelter, reviewing the complete record we had made of the markers. We had copied every symbol, every word, every pattern. Now we were trying to understand how they all connected.
"
