art on the scroll is familiar. My breath catches.
âItâs like the map,â I say, unable to help myself.
Lisa looks up at me sharply, making it clear that Randt has told her about it. âYou have seen the map?â
âYes, weâve seen it,â I say hurriedly, reminding myself that the Keepers donât realize we have a copy of the map on Robâs phone, âI just donât remember most of it. Thatâs why your dadâs looking for mine. Wait, how much do you know about it?â
Sheâs mollified and motions to the scroll. âMy father speaks of the map often. Many, many cycles ago, instead of the Three that rule Capian, there were Ten. Ten Keepers who had partaken of the source. My father was one. My father says he did not want to leave; he thought some of them should stay below and keep. So did Arcos and Feileen, and the others did not disagree, but they themselves wished to explore. We do not know what happened to them, only that once they were Topside they were supposed to each go their own way to explore, and then return in one cycle. But they did not.â
âWhy doesnât someone else drink the source?â I ask.
âBecause there cannot be more than the Ten. The source will not allow it. And because no other Keeper can take the sourceâthey triedâthe other Seven must be alive,â Lisa says. âMy father says he believes the Seven found their answers but refuse to share with us, that they live happily in their lives, knowing the purpose of the source and of us and of everything. He was angry at them for this. Furious.â She frowns. âBut when he began to sense the map, his mind changed; he believes the Seven are trying to communicate with us. He says they left us the map as a guide to them.â Sheâs staring into the scroll but her eyes are glazed. âThis scroll,â she thumbs the parchment, âthis is how my father uses the source, how he watches the Topside and how he first felt the map.â The scrollâs a rendering of a mountain carpeted with pine trees. Sun, clouds. A rough drawing of a summerâs day in the Rockies. Topside.
âI thought you didnât go Topside,â Rob says. âHow do you have a painting of Colorado in the summer? This is like that image of the aqueduct you have near the elevator.â
âI do not understand everything you say,â Lisa responds, her brow furrowed. â âColorado,â âsummer,â I do not know every word. But the paintings on these scrolls, like your English, are brought to us through the water.â
âThe water taught you English?â I exclaim, incredulous.
âYes and no,â Lisa replies. âThe source connects to the Topside, and the Three are connected to the source. Randt and the others have been listening for a very long time, recording, tracking, looking for the Seven, watching you. When the gates are open, they hear much. When they are closed, only impressions.â She pauses, motions to the painting on the scroll in front of us, as if to say
this
is merely an impression painting. âBut the Three are very talented at understanding the impressions. It is their duty.â
âWhy?â I ask. âWhy do they care?â
âWe are the Keepers,â she says, as if that explains everything. And maybe, to her, it does.
âWait a minute, your dad painted all of these? There must be thousands. He just sits here and paints watercolors?â Rob asks.
âFor a time every day, yes,â Lisa replies. âIt is his greatest task.â Sheâs defensive, but proud of her father. I understand. My dad has strange hobbies too. Lisa starts rolling up this scroll, and we all stand there awkwardly for a moment. Then she smiles. âAnd ten cycles ago he made everyone learn as many Topside languages as they could.â
âYour fatherâs progressive, huh?â I say, not really asking.
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