The presence returned immediately to Syr’s perception, followed shortly by the feeling that she was far too close to it. The presence was a face, sure enough.
More than that, though, it was a kind face. It was clean, colorless, and angled; its lines were cut (carved?) straighter than the edge of a sunbeam. It would have looked artificial, if not a little bit alien, but for the intelligent glint in its dark eyes and the welcoming smile on their corners.
Her eyes and mouth, Syr reminded herself.
“Ah! A newcomer. How exciting!” said the face. The tree?
Wait. Those words and their meaning had been conveyed to Syr through her Sight, she could tell. How should she reply? Would her counterpart hear words spoken aloud?
“I would understand those, if you prefer,” offered the face. “But you should know that you’re a bit of an open book like this.”
A what? An open book? Trees read books? And what did “like this” mean?
The face laughed. None of its straight edges could curve to accommodate the usual shape of mirth, but the laugh still seemed natural and genuine.
“You are new to this, yes. You seem to think of it as Seeing, but it’s more like Feeling. And right now you are fumbling around and falling all over me. It’s easy to feel your thoughts like that.”
Syr was mortified. The feeling of being too-close was not a mistake after all.
“Think nothing of it. Nobody faults babies for stumbling and crawling all over everyone; they can’t help it.”
That didn’t make Syr feel much better.
“Oh well. You will grow used to it. Now, allow me to introduce myself. As much as I can, anyway—I haven’t a name to go by. Think of me as a spirit. One of the spirits of the Halls. One of the Halls which you now find yourself in. The Halls are not the place below or the place below that, if you are wondering. They are a place within and around. Nearby. But they’re not just a place; they’re a… hm. People isn’t quite right. But the Halls are special. The Halls have been here so long. At some point they took to eavesdropping. Then snooping. Then thinking. Then understanding. Then they started asking questions. Holding conversations. Answering questions.”
This tree… face… wasn’t either of those things. It was one of the Halls.
“You’re getting the hang of it.”
So when people said they thought the walls were listening…
“Most walls, no, as I understand it. But we do here.”
But why did the halls look like… trees?
“Doors are made of wood. This wood was lively, and it just kept growing.”
Syr wasn’t sure just how metaphorical that was meant to be.
“Take it or leave it. I’ll admit that we don’t have a good memory of our infancy.”
The thought occurred to Syr that the soothsayer was still standing behind her. This, uh, Hall had already been quite a bit more talkative and helpful than the soothsayer had been in weeks. And then she remembered…
“Exactly right. Until you learn to See and Feel a little more carefully, everything you think will be pretty obvious to a half-decent listener. Now, have some respect for your companion. The Oracles of the High Mountain perform a thankless but valuable duty.”
Syr actually said aloud, “hold on, you’re going to have to elaborate on that one.”
“I shouldn’t, if you’re not familiar. Your friend has their reasons. Just know that they have made a noble choice and forsaken much, and you are benefitting directly.”
Syr considered this.
“You’re a quick learner.”
What had Syr learned so quickly? She wasn’t sure.
“How to think privately. Sometimes, anyway.”
“I… thank you, for everything. This is a lot to think about,” said Syr.
“Of course. Do you wish to journey?”
Oh. This she was speaking to was a Hall, and a Hall must lead somewhere, right?
“Just so. A great hall of wisdom lies beyond my door. From there you could reach many places in the Seven Realms of the Old League, if you were inclined.”
Syr felt the tug. Knowing how much lay beyond, she wanted to fall right in. It was there. It was deep. It was more than a little dizzying.
But not just yet. For now, Syr knew, she had to start small.