Chapter 50
Astonishment shot through Sparr. Though the inhabitants used parchment to create simple drawings, he had yet to encounter any writing, much less a book. Ota sat the book before them, unopened. "We teach, but few care," the priest began. "These help us remember." Ota opened to the first page, revealing a beautifully detailed rendering of a landscape. Whoever produced it had done so with great skill and patience, striking a balance between representational and abstract strokes, energy and stillness. In the illustration, a lively seascape led to a land of soft hills. In the distance were what Sparr took for snow-capped peaks. A scattering of birds and animals decorated the scene. "There is the beginning, and before the beginning," Ota said enigmatically. "I can show you the beginning." "O
- Writer
