It was quiet when Tal became aware of his surroundings once again. It was also dark. He didn’t open his eyes right away, nor did he move. Part of him worried it had all been a dream and that he was about to be kicked awake by one of the taskmasters. Another part of him was worried that it hadn’t been a dream and that he was now in a foreign, possibly hostile land. It didn’t matter that no one from Spire had yet to show any outward hostility. Tal knew well enough that people could hide their motives behind smiles and kind words.

While he lay there, wondering which reality he was more afraid of awaking into, his thoughts turned to the ruler with whom he had crossed the bridge. Even now it seemed impossible that one such as a ruler would have come down and spoken with Tal, let alone taken him along to cross the bridge. Perhaps that was evidence enough to think it really had all been a dream. Then there was the fact that the bridge had been made entirely from bits of broken glass. There was no way such a thing could be done.

Relief began to well up in Tal. As much as he didn’t like the harsh conditions he lived in, at least it was familiar, predictable. Overall, the more he thought about his life, the less he felt he could complain. He rarely got hit by any of the taskmasters, and even though the labor was physically demanding, it wasn’t unenjoyable. He really did like working with his hands, even if he never got to see any of the things he worked on get completed.

“Are you awake?” a pair of voices asked in tandem, and the bit of hope Tal had built up faded away.

Upon finally opening his eyes, Tal found that he was lying on a thin mat on the floor of a decently sized room. It was long enough that two people could lie down in a line, feet to feet, and still have a bit more room, and wide enough that five or six such pairs could do the same, side by side. Besides the mat that he was on, there were a few padded chairs in the room as well, two of which were occupied by the speakers, a man and woman dressed in the same fashion as those who had crossed the bridge to visit Peak. The rest of the room was unadorned, and the only light was coming from a candle that the woman from Spire was holding.

“How are you feeling?” the pair asked.

Tal sat up, moving slowly in case he had suffered any injury from his leap to reach solid ground before the bridge could collapse beneath him. Nothing ached too much, however, and it seemed the worst of it were the cuts down his arms from when he landed and skidded along the rough ground.

“We asked your companion what sort of rooms you were most accustomed to,” they continued while Tal continued to look himself and the room over. “We wanted to ensure you could wake in a comfortable, if not totally familiar, space.”

“It’s a good room,” Tal said, finally finding his voice, though still unsure what exactly he should say.

“There is food and water for you,” they told him. “If you are hungry, you may eat. Otherwise, you are welcome to meet with our builders.”

“I’ll take my meal,” Tal said, and rose to his feet. It seemed things wouldn’t be too different for Tal here than it had been in Peak, seeing as they were already assigning him to become one of their builders. At least they were allowing him to eat first.

The pair from Spire rose as well and motioned for Tal to follow. They opened the door and light flooded into the room, momentarily blinding Tal. He held up his hand to shield his eyes and felt a hand on either side of him, guiding him forward. The moment Tal’s sight recovered, he stopped dead in his tracks. The two people from Spire, each one lending a hand to steady and lead him onward, almost tripped as they too came to a halt.

“Where am I?” Tal asked, concern heavy in his chest.

The room, if it could be called a room, that he now found himself in, was so large that he was having trouble comprehending how such a thing could exist. Why wasn’t the ceiling falling down on top of them? And then there was the art: massive paintings along the walls, carved statues of people as well as of animals. At the center of the room stood a fountain, water cascading down from the heads of four stone figures, two men and two women, and into a wide basin around their feet. The four corners of the massive space had each been built to fulfill specific functions. In one corner there were people preparing food. In another corner were set long rows of tables where many more people were eating. The third corner looked to be something of a small market, and the fourth corner was filled with padded chair with shelves of books lining the walls.

“This is one of our community centers,” the pair explained. There was patience in their voices, but also some concern. “We have many such community centers where people may come to meet, relax, or even conduct business.”

“But why am I here?”

The pair looked confused for a moment and when they spoke it was with a certain amount of uncertainty, as though they thought the answer should have been obvious.

“This community center is primarily used by those who oversee the development of Spire,” they explained. “We felt it was the most appropriate place to bring you.”

“Oh, because this is where my ruler from Peak would be,” Tal filled in the blanks. Of course this would be where the ruler had been taken, and of course Tal would be expected to continue to serve that ruler. “Where is he?”

“The one you came with,” they replied, still with puzzled looks on their faces, “is not a builder, and so would not have any business to conduct here.”

Tal furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean? He’s a ruler. Of course he would have business here.”

“He was a ruler in Peak,” the pair corrected, “but here, he carries no authority. As such, both of you were assessed for your skills. Your companion explained to us that you were a builder, and so you have been brought to where our builders tend to congregate.”

“So, where’d you take my…uh, my companion?”

His skills are in administration and law, although his knowledge of our systems of such things are far different than those of Peaks. Still, he had been offered an apprenticeship.”

“Is that what I’m going to be offered as well?”

“Perhaps,” they replied. “We have only heard from your companion that you are a builder. Your exact knowledge and ability will be needed to be known before such a thing can be offered.”

It was as though a weight had been placed onto his shoulders and Tal felt himself sag a little beneath its weight. Having to prove himself before they’d even consider accepting him made him worry about what would happen to him if he didn’t measure up.

“And if I fail?” he asked, knowing that he’d rather have that information sooner rather than later.

“What do you mean, fail?”

“I mean, what if I’m not good enough?”

“You are a builder from Peak,” they exclaimed, shaking their heads and motioning for him to walk with them. “We have already seen the quality of work your people can do.”

“It’s all unfinished,” Tal admitted. “Only the walls facing Spire were ever completed.”

“We know,” they replied, kindly but with a knowing wink. “For some time we wondered at the strange tradition. That was one of the reasons we built the bridge.”

“Then you already know we’re no good at building, not compared with you!”

“Hmm, how many of your buildings, even just being a single wall, have ever fallen down?”

That question surprised Tal.

“None of them,” he said, “what good would it have been if they’d fallen over? We thought we were competing with you to build the best. If they started falling over then it would have been obvious what we were doing. Your buildings don’t fall over, do they?”

Tal looked back up at the high ceilings and his fear of the roof collapsing returned to him in full force.

“Our buildings are sturdy and safe,” they assured him, “but they are always fully enclosed. We have tried to build a structure like you have done in Peak, but ours never last beyond the first couple of storms. Clearly, there are things that you could teach us about building, and we are eager to learn.”

Tal hadn’t realized they had indeed resumed walking until they reached the long tables where people were eating. A plate of food was brought and placed down in front of him. He recognized a few of the vegetables but beyond that it was all foreign. Nevertheless, he ate without complaint. He wasn’t sure about some of the flavors but overall it was a far better meal than he had had in a long time.

While he ate, he had time to think about the events that had played out that day and some of the other things he had been curious about, thing that were less pressing than being taken across a glass bridge and then having to run for his life, had a chance to rise to the forefront of his mind.

“Can I ask you some questions?”

“Certainly,” they replied. “We do not know everything about Spire but are happy to share whatever knowledge we do have with you.”

“I hope I’m not being rude,” Tal began, “but no in Peak talks the way you do, together, I mean. How do you do it? And why do you do it?”

They shared a look that told Tal they had been expecting this question. It wasn’t an unkind or insulted look, but one that Tal knew meant he wouldn’t get a full explanation just yet.

“We form bonds with one another,” they said, “and these bonds allow us to speak together.”

It was a simple answer, albeit one that didn’t actually explain much.

“Bonds? Is that like being married?”

“We are not married to one another,” they said. “The bond is not limited to just one other person. We happen to be here, together with you, and so our bond connects us, allowing us to speak to you in this manner.”

“So at the end of the day you go to your own homes and don’t keep saying whatever the other one is saying?”

“Correct,” they nodded and smiled and Tal decided to leave it at that.

“How did you build the bridge?” he asked next.

“Unfortunately,” they said, “we are not builders and don’t know the details of that construction. However, when you meet with the builders, we’re certain you’ll be able to seek that information from them.”

“What if I, or my companion, decide we don’t want to live here? Or if you all decide we’re not right for working in Spire?”

“You are always free to come or go as you please,” the assured him. “We are certain we have a place for you both here, but no will force you to stay.”

“What about the bond,” Tal asked, hoping he wasn’t being too discourteous by returning to that subject. “Will I need to make a bond?”

“That will be up to you,” they said, although Tal sensed a hint of uncertainty in their voices.

“If I choose to stay, I’d need to make a bond?”

“A lot of things here are difficult to accomplish without the bond,” they said with care, as though choosing each word with slow deliberation. “That is partly why we are here with you now, to help bridge some of that difficulty.”

Tal nodded and pushed his plate aside.

“Well, I guess I’ve eaten,” he said. “Time to meet your builders.”

The two nodded and their comfortable smiles returned. Together they rose and began walking over to the section where the padded chairs and shelves of books were. Tal could see a small gathering of people already there, many of them already looking at him with obvious anticipation. He felt bad now for making them wait for him to eat, but there was nothing he could do to change that now. With luck, his meager skills would be enough to earn him a place here. He wasn’t sure what he thought of this bond that they seeming all had made, but he figured he would have to just wait and see what else he could discover about it. In the meantime, he had some builders to meet.