Part two of three in my latest short story. Enjoy!
Joash and Casting made the hour trip away from the city dock, and came to the Guide house. Built in the shape of a large, very red barn, it had many bright open windows and crisp smelling rooms. The scent of drying herbs and wood smoke filled the forested area around the house; a large garden absorbed the acreage between the home and the forest. A pair of matched black dogs ran side by side, slamming into each other in their turn around the house. Casting loudly admonished the dogs as he stepped over the threshold, and they obediently gave him a glance that seemed attentive, if unimpressed. Like all Guides, Casting lived in this enormous home with the others whose skills provided food and comfort for the Oracles. Far from solitary, the Oracles were none the less busy, and needed, like most men with many preoccupations, all the help they could get in keeping their lives comfortable and orderly. (more…)
