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The tambourines hit by a dozen women gathered in the corner of the courtyard, producing a rhythmic, metallic sound that spread among the celebrants, whose eyes were fixed on the center of the yard.
There, in a strange dance that simulated an archaic ritual courtship, women and men danced around a pole holding a colored ribbon tied to the top of the trunk, smiling at each other. The former turned clockwise and swayed elegantly, the latter turned counterclockwise and waved their arms to one side and the other. They crossed from the inside to the outside, forming a flower.
Fascinated by the movement of the dancers and the skill with which they performed that ritual without getting distracted, Robin forced herself to look away and turn her attention to the crowd that had gathered to watch the show. She had a little mission to accomplish.
Next to a stall not far from where the dance was taking place, she silently approached a teenager, who was dragging a barrel on his shoulder. He jumped when he became aware of her presence, almost dropping the barrel. Only an ad-hoc dos fleurs prevented the catastrophe from happening.
"Are you looking for something, lady ... er ... miss?" He said nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
“I need to reach Raduga by night. Where can I rent a boat?"
"Oh, maybe there's no need." He looked at his shadow and frowned. He let out a long sigh. "Oh... well, never mind." He approached her and pointed to a cobbled street a mile from where they were.
"If you continue in that direction for about twenty minutes, you will find a small business of boat renters and ferrymen that will suit you." He shook her head. "I would have recommended someone cheaper, but they are all here to celebrate the Oroburus Festival. Only old Jean is available, I'm afraid. "
Robin pondered her situation. She had about four hours to retrieve the letter for Ivankov and meet with Hanck at the dock. More than enough to make the round trip by boat and the climb to Raduga, and visit the temple to talk to the monk. And even if she was late, no harm would be done. She would save time with her powers. Not often did she get a chance to visit unique islands like Sviet. She would combine profit with pleasure.
Thanking the boy, she stepped towards the indicated path.
"Rainbow tree is located in the peculiar Raduga, a well-known tidal island in Sviet, in the New World. The most notable feature of it is the amazing colors that its trunk assumes as its bark flakes naturally.
During exfoliation, the pieces of the trunk of the previous seasons come off in strips, bringing light to the lower layers of the wood, which, from the initial light green, take on different colors with the progression of time, ranging from bright red and orange to periwinkle blue and smoky gray.
Rarer color variations, such as black and white, can occur as well.
Exfoliation affects different parts of the trunk simultaneously, and it's quite a sight to behold. You won't find a more unique plant on this island. The unusual nature of the rainbow tree has captured the attention of botanists and scientists but also merchants and entrepreneurs, who found the opportunity to gain profit from its distinctive feature.
Unfortunately for us scholars, there has been progressive deforestation of these trees, cut down for the sole purpose of producing colorful paper. This event has altered the natural ecosystem of the island. Thanks to the actions of the World Government, it was possible to preserve the- "
"Miss," abruptly said the ferryman, a man over sixty with a sweet melancholic gaze, distracting her from reading. “You must excuse my slowness. Once it didn't take me all this time to go from one bank to the other, but I'm afraid I'm too old to do this task alone. If only my nephew would help me a little instead of wasting his time with gambling and with women beyond his reach ... "
"It doesn't matter," Robin replied, smiling at him. She closed the huge tome with a sharp swipe and placed it inside the bag.
The ferryman shrugged and continued to row. "It is a pity that you have arrived at this time. The high tide phenomenon in Sviet occurs only at particular times of the day. In the early morning and late afternoon, to be precise. If you arrived two hours earlier, you would be able to make your pilgrimage to the little hill comfortably, on foot, spared of the company of this old, good-for-nothing talker.”
“Your company isn't boring at all, sir,” she said, leaning one elbow on the edge of the boat and looking straight ahead. “If I arrived two hours ago, I don't think I would have such a magnificent view."
The man smiled broadly. “Don't call me sir, miss. You make me feel even older than I am. Call me Jean. "
“Okay, Jean. I'm Robin."
"Are you here to pay your respects to Latika?"
"Not exactly. Although I will visit the Samsara temple.”
Jean nodded, and to Robin's relief, did not investigate further.
A pleasant silence settled between them. The cracking of the branches in the water accompanied their slow crossing to Raduga.
Just a kilometer separated them from the islet, but already from that distance, Robin could appreciate the famous trees. Impressive and majestic. Remarkable.
With her bare feet touching the damp grass as if seeking more intimate contact with the islet, Robin walked the short climb that separated her from the temple. The thick shelter of the trees hid the sun from her sight, and as she walked, she took her time to observe them closely.
Even if light green was the prevailing color in each tree, long vertical stripes of every color could be seen in the trunk and branches, from which peeped leaves of equally kaleidoscopic colors.
Robin smiled. She could not boast about the title of botanist like the writer of the essay she was reading, yet she could recognize that they were indeed rare specimens. The artistic soul in her could perceive the beauty, the smooth flow from thick to fine, lines, shadows, and dots of colors, that looked better than any illustration she saw.
Absorbed in the sight, she soaked in every detail, trying to carve it into her memory.
A temple as vivid as the vegetation that surrounded it suddenly peeked out at the top of the hill. When Robin reached the place, she walked through the imposing entrance. She recognized in the heightened facade of the main door a pattern of symbols related to the rebirth and cyclical nature of things very similar to those she had found in other islands of the East Blue. She made a mental note to give it a closer look when she finishes her task.
Contrasting the vividness of Sviet, the interior of the temple was filled with gloomy silence.
Robin noticed a row of empty chairs placed in front of a large altar. In its center was positioned a grand, opalescent stone statue of the local deity. Deity portrayed a woman with three heads facing north, east, and west and three pairs of arms that seemed to indicate each direction.
She sighed with relief when she realized she was alone.
Residents would undoubtedly recognize her and report her to the marines who patrolled the island.
To make sure that the only inhabitants in the temple were her and the monk, she made eyes bloom on every available surface. One of her eyes spotted a hooded figure curled up in a corner of the room adjacent to the altar.
It had to be him.
She forced open the door to the room, but the hooded man barely raised his head.
"Do you have the information I need?" said the man, with a well-known baritone voice that rang in the four walls.
Robin took out a rolled parchment from her bag, handing it to him.
"The revolutionary army always keeps its word." She kept the palm of her hand open, in cautious expectation. Ivankov clarified the circumstances that led the man to take on the position of the island's monk. Though he assured her he wouldn't harm her, she could never fully trust him.
Because she knew that man well. She could see through his cunning act and the fake mask of the hero he wore to deceive others. Wariness was the rule with dangerous men like him. “What about you? Do you have the information we need? "
The man slowly dug through the folds of his cloak and pulled a series of crumpled sheets from a pocket. He quickly handed them to her, shaking his head, as if he couldn't wait to get rid of them. Then he let out a low laugh. A familiar laugh, but one that she would never associate with family.
"And so you climbed the social ladder of this world until you joined the revolutionary army." He tilted his head to the side, his hood uncovering a part of the horizontal scar on his face. She felt a pang beneath her breastbone the moment she saw it.
“A significant, quantum leap. I’m impressed. Dragon gives you the protection you desperately need, I presume?"
The man in front of her was not worthy of an answer. She owed him nothing. He used her and got rid of her when she was no longer useful.
Despite it, she replied, "He does."
After all, she used him too. More subtly. To get protection.
He raised his head completely. A grin that would never reach his eyes made space between his lips. A rare sight. Unusual even for her, his old associate.
"Good," he said, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. "I suppose this is goodbye, Miss All-Sunday."
Robin folded the papers and placed them inside the bag. She turned her back to him, heading towards the exit.
She had to leave. Hanck won’t wait for her forever.
'It's goodbye," she finally mumbled, walking through the door and closing it. She smiled to herself. "Mister Zero."