Of Walls and Norms
Disclaimer: Quit taking dreamrose, I'm not Tamora Pierce. D/N and the plot (yes there is a plot herein) are her intellectual property. Dang it.
Some scholars define the civilization of man by the construction of walls. Men build walls to protect stores, erect fences to keep livestock near, put up partitions to separate living spaces, and raise fortifications to keep others out. Walls, fences, houses, and barriers separated mankind from savagery--no longer were they bent to the will of the land, hunting and gathering based on the whims of weather or the movement of herds. Some theorize that the Gift developed around the same time, perhaps in conjunction with man's growing control over the environment.
Brick and mortar, wood and stone, these physical barriers were simply projections of social norms. The walls that men place between the self and the other are far older, far deeper, for as brick and mortar separate man from gatherer, norms separate man from beast. If wood and stone create civilization, norms create society.
In the weak light before that Midwinter dawn, when every wall, fence, and norm flickered insubstatiate, Numair jerked suddenly awake. He shuddered on the edge of madness as the very barrier between the self and the world wavered. Across the palace, he was aware of every mage; Lindhall fell backwards away from his desk (he'd fallen asleep working again), while Harailt fell out of bed and upended the pile of books on his nightstand. Daine sat up in an explosion of animals, while Kitten's whistles and more than a few shrieking war cries pierced his ears. Daine absently apologized to the myriad fluffed up and indignant animals before trying to calm Kitten. He heard every quiet word; the rest of the palace faded as he focused on his student, colleague, and best friend.
"Numair, what is it?"
"It's the barrier." That moment the sun seemed to shine through the very walls. "The barrier between the realms. It's—gone. Evaporated."
He felt her blink, and every brick he put between them came tumbling down.