Danos took the small chunk of wood he had liberated from the kitchens. The cook had looked at him as a fool when he had asked if he could take it, but the wood was White Pine, easy to carve and well seasoned from sitting near the stoves.
He had then begged the smiths for some fine tools, again having to explain vaguely what he needed before the apprentices had given him several good files and tools.
Danos smiled as he ran a blade over the wood, removing the rough bark and green skin underneath to reveal the smooth wood. White and cream coloured, he knew the piece would age well, and as he considered the wood he decided to carve a relief as it would work best with his time and tools.
Danos hummed to himself as he scrapped and planed the wood to shape, squaring it off and bearing the best side of the grain.
As he worked, he pictured Kaia, the Aes Sedai who had helped him after the incident. He had never imagined the One Power as being able to ravage his body like that, and he knew her skill with Healing had spared him damage.
This gift was his thank you to her, and a way of bringing a piece of his old life to the Grey Tower.
Considering the Aes Sedai, he realized he lacked the skill to capture her face in an intricate portrait. And so he decided on a more emotive piece. A woman, her form graceful, body posed as if dancing.
First he worked with the rough tools, gouging large grooves and chunks out of the wood as he shaped with file and chisel. He soon lost himself in the woodworking, and realized that he had missed the feeling of wood beneath his hands.
As the shape appeared in the relief, he then switched to finer blades and files, working on the details of the outline, the woman's arms and limbs taking time as he he attempted to invoke Kaia Sedai's grace and beauty. He used his skills to mimic the fall of a gown, wishing he had proper stains but using shadows and depth to create the impression he wanted.
Over many hours he worked on the project, often carving by candlelight into the hours after Low as he was pushed by the muse within him. Fine blades and files shaped the soft white pine, and he used the edges to smooth the lines into graceful curves.
Then one day as he blew the last of the shavings off, he realized he was done. The relief glowed in the candlelight, the woman rising in the middle of a stylized flame. She seemed to him as if dancing.
Content and filled with satisfaction, Danos found an Accepted who knew the quarters of Kaia Sedai, the Keeper of Chronicles. With a simple but heartfelt thank you note, Danos sent the Accepted with his gift. He had no wish to risk the wrath of Master Ravak by entering the women's quarters without invitation.
He had then begged the smiths for some fine tools, again having to explain vaguely what he needed before the apprentices had given him several good files and tools.
Danos smiled as he ran a blade over the wood, removing the rough bark and green skin underneath to reveal the smooth wood. White and cream coloured, he knew the piece would age well, and as he considered the wood he decided to carve a relief as it would work best with his time and tools.
Danos hummed to himself as he scrapped and planed the wood to shape, squaring it off and bearing the best side of the grain.
As he worked, he pictured Kaia, the Aes Sedai who had helped him after the incident. He had never imagined the One Power as being able to ravage his body like that, and he knew her skill with Healing had spared him damage.
This gift was his thank you to her, and a way of bringing a piece of his old life to the Grey Tower.
Considering the Aes Sedai, he realized he lacked the skill to capture her face in an intricate portrait. And so he decided on a more emotive piece. A woman, her form graceful, body posed as if dancing.
First he worked with the rough tools, gouging large grooves and chunks out of the wood as he shaped with file and chisel. He soon lost himself in the woodworking, and realized that he had missed the feeling of wood beneath his hands.
As the shape appeared in the relief, he then switched to finer blades and files, working on the details of the outline, the woman's arms and limbs taking time as he he attempted to invoke Kaia Sedai's grace and beauty. He used his skills to mimic the fall of a gown, wishing he had proper stains but using shadows and depth to create the impression he wanted.
Over many hours he worked on the project, often carving by candlelight into the hours after Low as he was pushed by the muse within him. Fine blades and files shaped the soft white pine, and he used the edges to smooth the lines into graceful curves.
Then one day as he blew the last of the shavings off, he realized he was done. The relief glowed in the candlelight, the woman rising in the middle of a stylized flame. She seemed to him as if dancing.
Content and filled with satisfaction, Danos found an Accepted who knew the quarters of Kaia Sedai, the Keeper of Chronicles. With a simple but heartfelt thank you note, Danos sent the Accepted with his gift. He had no wish to risk the wrath of Master Ravak by entering the women's quarters without invitation.






