It was a hau.

It was a Hau.

A Kanohi Hau was hanging in the night air before him, huge and spectral. A Hau made of light.

The stars seemed to glimmer through its face, through its two huge eyes. They were deep eyes, ancient and tranquil. The pattern of the stars found an order in those eyes.

“Wh-who are you?” Takanuva asked, finally finding his voice. His eyes were wide, almost disbelieving the image that hung before him. The shock of seeing such a familiar likeness in such a foreign place seemed to clash with the relief he felt at finding something living in this dead forest.

“I am...of the Great Beings,” the Hau said, staring down at him impassively. Its eyes seemed to pierce him through, gazing into his heart and mind.

“Can you...can you tell me where I am?” Takanuva replied. He felt his heartbeat quicken at the mention of the Great Beings. Perhaps he wasn’t as far from home as he had thought.

“You are lost.” it replied, and Takanuva thought he caught a glimmer of humor in the mask’s face.

“Yes, I know,” he said, frowning a little, “I mean, can you help me find my way?”

“I can.” Now the image of the mask turned its eyes downward. Takanuva’s gaze followed, and, there in front of him, he saw the shape of the gnomon, still quivering slightly, pointing straight toward the floating Hau. He picked it up gingerly, finding that it no longer burned him.

“Why did this lead me to you?” Takanuva asked, turning the small rod in his fingers.

“It is also of the Great Beings.”

“Oh? But it’s just a gnomon.”

“Appearance should not be judged so hastily,” the mask said with a tinge of reproach. “You will only deceive yourself that way.”

Takanuva sighed. The mask was a riddle-maker. . . .Read on