allowance from the Brenna.
Wide eyed he watched as Malkrin was led to
the cells beneath the Great Hall. He would be given a meal tomorrow before
being escorted beyond the border. There he would be left to wander the track
into the wild-lands. It was the only route out of the high valleys of Cyprusnia
and led away from their mountain-locked lands to Wolf country with its lawless
brigands and nameless hazards.
How could it have come to this ?
Nardin ran through memories like a
storyteller telling a magical tale to earn a meal. Images of Malkrin as a boy
flowed before him. He used this remembrance as an emotional shield against the
injustice he had just witnessed. It was the same kind of memory pattern that would
come to him unbidden at an old friend’s funeral.
Young Malkrin had wielded a wooden sword
given to him by his uncle. Then his highsense was recognised. In Malkrin’s
fourteenth summer the toy had been replaced at the ceremony of Orion by the
sword named Palerin. The weapon had been blessed long ago by the priesthood in
a secret initiation behind their deep walls, perhaps in the hidden void Malkrin
had discovered. It was one of the priesthood’s secrets that Nardin was
determined to find out about. If Jadde had visited the priesthood during the
ceremony perhaps he could find a clue as to how to summon her himself – to aid
Malkrin and the people. It was reputed that the ceremony charged enchanted
swords such as Palerin to seek out and kill the wolf-hooded bandits who
occasionally raided Cyprusnia.
Palerin had been taken from Malkrin when he
was arrested. But the sword was now in Nardin’s home. He had smuggled it from the
priest’s armoury. The holy men would not think to check, an empowered sword had
never before disappeared.
He had yet to be challenged when he
wandered the keep enamoured with false admiration. All he had to do was wear
the same old baggy smock that he wore when smuggling out manuscripts to read at
home under candlelight. It had been that easy, with his access to the
scriptures. It was vital he reunite Malkrin with Palerin to give his friend a
chance of survival out there in the wilderness.
It had been almost two years since Nardin
had integrated himself with the priest-scholars. At first they had been
suspicious of him and demanded he undergo an interview to assess his
suitability and ability to learn. The Abbot had grilled him for two hours but
Nardin had been sufficiently prepared for an interrogation and had passed all
the tests the priesthood could devise. They had given him a young novice priest
called Heln Hollyberry to show him the basics of lettering. The youngster had
sneered when beginning the first lesson. Again Nardin was prepared, knowing of
Hollyberry’s alliance with the upstart Guy Beartooth.
‘Don’t think you can learn a highsense from
the scriptures, ignorant fool.’
‘I never expected the holy word to include
instructions on any such honoured talent Sire,’ he had responded.
Hollyberry had expected Nardin’s ignorant
and fawning reverence, he had frowned, forced to reassess his student. So
without acknowledging his pupil he had begun chanting the first lesson to
himself. Nardin realised Hollyberry thought it would all be too much for Nardin
and he would give up. He concentrated hard as Hollyberry continued intoning, ignoring
his queries. Eventually Nardin placed his hand over the text forcing Hollyberry
to answer. When he’d repeated this three more times things settled down to a
proper teacher-pupil relationship. Hollyberry answered all Nardin’s questions with
a new respect in his eyes. During that first evening Nardin picked up the basics
of vowels and consonants. The next evening Nardin had progressed to recognising
simple words, the following evening, simple sentences. Within a month Hollyberry
the novice had been replaced by a senior priest.
Sire Steth Harefoot was initially
suspicious after talking to Hollyberry and disbelieving his report of
Wide eyed he watched as Malkrin was led to
the cells beneath the Great Hall. He would be given a meal tomorrow before
being escorted beyond the border. There he would be left to wander the track
into the wild-lands. It was the only route out of the high valleys of Cyprusnia
and led away from their mountain-locked lands to Wolf country with its lawless
brigands and nameless hazards.
How could it have come to this ?
Nardin ran through memories like a
storyteller telling a magical tale to earn a meal. Images of Malkrin as a boy
flowed before him. He used this remembrance as an emotional shield against the
injustice he had just witnessed. It was the same kind of memory pattern that would
come to him unbidden at an old friend’s funeral.
Young Malkrin had wielded a wooden sword
given to him by his uncle. Then his highsense was recognised. In Malkrin’s
fourteenth summer the toy had been replaced at the ceremony of Orion by the
sword named Palerin. The weapon had been blessed long ago by the priesthood in
a secret initiation behind their deep walls, perhaps in the hidden void Malkrin
had discovered. It was one of the priesthood’s secrets that Nardin was
determined to find out about. If Jadde had visited the priesthood during the
ceremony perhaps he could find a clue as to how to summon her himself – to aid
Malkrin and the people. It was reputed that the ceremony charged enchanted
swords such as Palerin to seek out and kill the wolf-hooded bandits who
occasionally raided Cyprusnia.
Palerin had been taken from Malkrin when he
was arrested. But the sword was now in Nardin’s home. He had smuggled it from the
priest’s armoury. The holy men would not think to check, an empowered sword had
never before disappeared.
He had yet to be challenged when he
wandered the keep enamoured with false admiration. All he had to do was wear
the same old baggy smock that he wore when smuggling out manuscripts to read at
home under candlelight. It had been that easy, with his access to the
scriptures. It was vital he reunite Malkrin with Palerin to give his friend a
chance of survival out there in the wilderness.
It had been almost two years since Nardin
had integrated himself with the priest-scholars. At first they had been
suspicious of him and demanded he undergo an interview to assess his
suitability and ability to learn. The Abbot had grilled him for two hours but
Nardin had been sufficiently prepared for an interrogation and had passed all
the tests the priesthood could devise. They had given him a young novice priest
called Heln Hollyberry to show him the basics of lettering. The youngster had
sneered when beginning the first lesson. Again Nardin was prepared, knowing of
Hollyberry’s alliance with the upstart Guy Beartooth.
‘Don’t think you can learn a highsense from
the scriptures, ignorant fool.’
‘I never expected the holy word to include
instructions on any such honoured talent Sire,’ he had responded.
Hollyberry had expected Nardin’s ignorant
and fawning reverence, he had frowned, forced to reassess his student. So
without acknowledging his pupil he had begun chanting the first lesson to
himself. Nardin realised Hollyberry thought it would all be too much for Nardin
and he would give up. He concentrated hard as Hollyberry continued intoning, ignoring
his queries. Eventually Nardin placed his hand over the text forcing Hollyberry
to answer. When he’d repeated this three more times things settled down to a
proper teacher-pupil relationship. Hollyberry answered all Nardin’s questions with
a new respect in his eyes. During that first evening Nardin picked up the basics
of vowels and consonants. The next evening Nardin had progressed to recognising
simple words, the following evening, simple sentences. Within a month Hollyberry
the novice had been replaced by a senior priest.
Sire Steth Harefoot was initially
suspicious after talking to Hollyberry and disbelieving his report of
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