Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 17:58:24 -0700
From: Trewin Greenaway <trewingreenaway@cronnex.com>
Subject: A TALE OF WIZARDRY (Jessan 19)

            JESSAN  - A TALE OF WIZARDRY Chapter 19

Copyright 2006 Trewin Greenaway All Rights Reserved

To learn more about me and the genesis of this tale, visit my website
http://www.cronnex.com/ .

I try to post a new chapter every Saturday if possible. (I know I've been
slipping up lately, but, hey, it's summer!!) Anyway, if you're enjoying the
story, do let me know!

   ooooooooooooo0000O000ooooooooooooooo

              Chapter 19

THE FIRE HAD BEEN FED, a large tub placed on the floor. It was full of hot
water, scented with a scattering of sweet herbs. I was soaking in it,
attended by Alfrund and Onna, while Orien and Grysta talked in the other
room. Alfrund was using a coarse scrubbing cloth to remove blood and clots
of the Summoner's brain from my body while Onna burnt my shirt, too
blood-stained to be cleaned and, in any case, too contaminated by the
events of today for me to consider ever wearing again.

Despite myself, my mind kept returning to Faryn, each time filling my eyes
with tears. I splashed water in my face and said to Alfrund, "my spirit
needs a good scouring as much as my body. Perhaps I should summon Orien for
a touch of his own expertise."

"Perhaps," Alfrund said, and laughed. "But then again, a little self-pity
is a sweet balm." He squeezed out the cloth and told me to lift up my
arms. It was actually good to hear him laugh and to have him close by. I
realized how much I missed him. What Caelas had offered me was most
wonderful but with Alfrund I felt much more myself, or, more realistically,
like the Jessan of old, who was fast being displaced by Jessan the
Nithaial. And it was he whom I would have to call up again as soon as this
bath was over.

"I hope you're not thinking, Jessan," Onna said, as she came over with more
hot water for my tub. "Your poor little brain deserves a rest."

"Truly, Onna," I said. "It was like having my skull crushed beneath a screw
press."

"There's no 'like' about it," Alfrund said, taking the kettle and, after
testing the hotness, pouring some over my head. Onna, seeing what he was
washing out of my hair, made a noise of disgust.

"More Summoner," Alfred agreed. "But it's all washing out. And that is
evidence of what I meant: like all such forces, those of the mind have
physical effects." He gently ran his fingers over the top of my
head. "Grysta found no evidence of damage, happily, but much tenderness."

He returned the kettle to Onna, saying, "Heat yet more water, for he will
need a good rinsing." To me he added, "You were a sight to behold, walking
through the streets^×an apparition from the Eve of Lost Souls."

"Grysta will be credited for a miracle, then," I said, "when I appear in
public view again." I reached up and captured Alfrund's hand. "I shall be
glad to finally be showing you Sondaram," I went on, "even on such a sad
day. I wished to take you there from the moment I had summoned it to
return."

Alfrund bent over and kissed me and I kissed him back. "We'll all go," I
continued, "Grysta and Onna, too. I don't want a council of men only."

"Or maybe not only the council of those you've slept with," Onna teased me.

"That, too," I agreed, "although as every hour passes it gets harder to
find them."



CAELAS TOOK LONGER TO COME THAN I'D EXPECTED, but it gave me time to rest,
drink some broth, as little as I'd appetite for it, and to gather my
things.  Orien thought it best that I take up residence in Sondaram, if
only for the night. He, too, saw it was time for me to assume my role as
Nithaial and leave that as Alfrund's apprentice behind.

When Caelas did arrive, it was clear that he'd come to the same
conclusion. He was followed by several soldiers, some carrying objects of
furniture and others bedding and large soft carpets of lovely and complex
weave.

"I've expropriated all this from the quarters of the late Lord of the
Fort," he said, saluting me. "You will find it comfortable enough until
better can be provided."

I'd meant to take them up the hidden stairway, but at the last moment I
changed my mind. I wasn't being cautious, but I found I liked knowing
something about Sondaram that the rest did not. So we climbed the track up
the side of the hill, and found that a unit of soldiers still stood guard
at the crest. They stood at attention as we approached.

"I've stationed them here, myself," Caelas said, "to remain until things at
the fort are better ordered."

As we passed by, they stared at me with much curiosity, perhaps because I
was the Nithaial or perhaps from a rumor that Caelas and I were lovers. I
was glad I was wearing my new shirt, in which I felt quite handsome. I even
flushed a little as we passed them, but not so much, I think, that it was
noticed. In any case, I forgot them immediately, so great was my delight at
being with Grysta, Onna, and Alfrund as they had their first sight of
Sondaram.

First, however, I had a task to do. I beckoned the soldiers carrying
Faryn's remain on a pallet, and took them with me to where the force played
at the center of the room. I then removed my clothing, lifted the bundle
into my arms, and stepped across into the flickering blue light. At once it
lifted me and my burden up, and, as it did so, purified Faryn's body,
transforming it out of death and into energy. When my arms were finally
empty, I lifted them and I let the force sweep my thoughts away, clear my
mind, flush out the pain that had spread like little roots all over my
skull, the sorrow in my heart.

I emerged feeling refreshed and further comforted, amused by the naked awe
of the soldiers, who fell to their knees the moment I appeared. "Thank
you," I said to them. "You may return to your fellows." Then I led my
friends and lovers out onto the terrace where we settled ourselves in the
shade of the alestran trees.

And so our council began.

Orien opened his mouth but I gestured gently with my hand for him to close
it again. What had happened in the town square had startled him into seeing
me with new eyes if not new respect, and I had no wish for the moment to
return to playing the pupil.

I turned to Caelas and asked, "What is the situation at the fort?"

"Heartening," Caelas replied. "There's a group that still believes that if
the Nithaial could be captured or killed, The Unnameable One might yet
relent, but they are a tiny minority. The others have taken heart from the
reappearance of Sondaram and the death of the Lord of the Fort before the
eyes of the whole town. And they also know that if the demon lord and the
troops at his command are allowed to pass through the Gates of Karn, all
the soldiers here will be tortured and then slaughtered, for not preventing
what happened yesterday."

"The Lord of the Fort was protected by a ring of soldiers," I said, "and
yet I don't remember harming any. What became of them?"

"They had never before witnessed a Nithaial in a state of great rage,"
Caelas answered, "nor at such close range. As I heard it, they were simply
tossed aside as if by a great wind. Those who could pick themselves up, did
so and fled to the fort. Those who couldn't witnessed what happened after,
a story they've now told a hundred times. There's no soldier this side of
the mountains who'd dare lift a finger against you."

I now turned to Orien. "Once again, my actions have forced you to
reconsider your plans. What do you advise that we do now?"

"Nithaial," Orien replied, but in his gravest voice, "if we stay we might
help Caelas hold the Gates, but we would also face the undivided wrath of
The Unnameable One. If we^×meaning only you, Alfrund, and myself^×flee, His
rage will follow after us, and He'll leave Gedd to the mercies of the demon
lord and the army he commands. Both choices, however, are but counsels of
despair, for I can see no good end to either."

I turned to Alfrund and asked, "What say you, my twerë?"

"I think that we should go," he answered. "Your struggle with The
Unnameable One through the Summoner has not hurt Him one whit, only enraged
Him more. I fear He will now strike Gedd from afar unless we distract Him
by going south. Fendal has offered us the loan of two of his apprentices,
Wendma and Hestal, to sail the boat to Pharros for us and then bring it
back."

"But why not sail north?" Grysta demanded. "Beyond the mountains are the
great northern wilds^×you could hide there for years and not be found."

Orien shook his head. "I've considered that," he answered. "But we would be
taking Jessan much further from any seat of power; the wilds have dangers
none of us have ever confronted; and to merely survive there would take all
our effort.

"And when we emerge from them a few years from now," he continued, "what
then? Remember, Grysta, one of our purposes is to also draw the attention
of The Unnameable One away from Jessan's twin. If we bury ourselves in the
wilds, we'll free up the hunt for him."

Grysta sighed. "But the south!" she groaned. "First there's Cytheria to
pass, the poisoned city of the dead, and beyond it Pharros,^×a strange and
dangerous place if half of what I've heard is true^×and the port city of
Heref, where agents of The Unnameable One will be waiting for your
landing. Have you taken this into your calculations as well?"

Orien looked at her grimly. "I've already said there are no good choices,"
he answered shortly. "But yes, I've considered these things. Ships pass by
Cytheria regularly and few are lost that keep well out to sea. And it's not
my plan to sail as far as Heref. We'll slip ashore before then and head
directly for the border city of Ciprias, which is neither dangerous nor
strange and where we have friends. And then, with luck, we'll find our way
to Wethrelast, the palace of the air, where Jessan will come into his full
powers."

"And the true war will begin," said Caelas.

Orien nodded. "And the true war will begin."



THE TALK CONTINUED, but the decision had already been reached: we would
sail south tomorrow. I left Caelas, Alfrund, and Orien to discuss the
logistics of this, and took Grysta and Onna for a tour of Sondaram,
upstairs first, where the soldiers, at Caelas's orders, had set up a room
for me. It was a large one, with doors leading off from it on both sides,
opening into what I assumed were vestiaries or the like.

Set out before us was a large bed, carved wooden chairs, and a military
writing table with folding legs, which held pens, ink, paper, and a small
oil lamp. The bed was heaped with pillows and soft sheeting; the floor was
covered with many overlapping carpets. The Lord of the Fort, I thought, had
pampered himself well.

Onna went across and lay, arms spread, on the bed. "I've never one seen so
large and comfortable," she said. "I could roll up in it and fall asleep at
once."

Grysta sniffed. "That is just why such things are best kept out of reach,"
she said crossly. "Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. And you should know
enough to realize that to throw yourself on someone else's bed is quite
unseemly."

"Grysta!" Onna exclaimed. "You should not toy with Jessan's innocence by
talking of such things!"

Something like a smile flickered across Grysta's face. "He puts aside his
childhood and assumes the responsibilities of a man tomorrow, Onna," she
answered. "I imagine he's been learning from Alfrund and others what those
entail."

This made me blush, to Onna's great pleasure. But she got up from the bed
and after looking at the view of the sea from my windows, we went out, for
I wished to show them the secret room beneath the main hall and what it
contained. As we left, I dropped my bag beside the writing table and left
my wand on top of it. It was tedious, I was finding, to have to carry it
always.

As Caelas had done, Grysta and Onna, too, made the gesture of obeisance
when we entered the lower room. "Such a place is very holy," Grysta said,
"for it's dear to Gesryma, the Great Mother of Blessed Name. It's usual in
such places to have a statue of Her at the center where your throne sits;
you should always remember this when you sit there. It's an emblem of Her
love for you that you've been given that privilege."

"In my village," I answered somewhat abashed, "we learned little of such
things. Such worship we made was to the sea spirits, asking that our lives
be watched over out on the water and our fishing be successful."

Grysta nodded. "You'd have found it little different if you'd been raised
here in Gedd. The Unnameable One has done all in His power to obliterate
even the memory of the Old Ways. But those of us who can, preserve them for
the time when they can become open once again."

I remembered Alfrund telling me that Grysta was, in secret, a witch, and
her words now expanded that word and gave it wider meaning. I looked at her
but said nothing, since it wasn't for me to bring the subject up.

Instead I dimmed the lights and made the statues glow, for I now saw that
this was part of the holiness of the place. Grysta saw the broken figures,
and tears flowed down her face. "These are evil times, indeed," she sighed,
and took my arm. "I pray that I live long enough to see that change."


We returned to quiet. Orien, Alfrund, and Caelas were contentedly eating
their fill of alestran, which they had only to reach up their hands to pick
from the branches.

When he saw us, Caelas stood up and said, "Nithaial, where is the servant
with the damp cloth that we might wipe our faces and our hands?"

I sighed. "My lack of hospitality shames me," I replied, "but I thought in
the army, soldiers have other ways of dealing with that problem... as with
many others."

Caelas smiled. "Yes, we do," he said, "if it comes to that." He pulled a
small cloth from his pouch and used it to wipe his hands and face. He then
offered it to Alfrund and Orien, who did the same.

"Alfrund will return to stay tonight with you," Orien said. "But we must
all leave now for there's much to be done before the morrow."

I thought about this for a moment, then went to Alfrund, took his hands,
and said, "No. I wish you to spend the night with Fendal. I'll be safe here
and will sleep soundly in my new bed, as Onna can attest. I look forward to
much time spent with you starting tomorrow, and Fendal can look forward to
none."

Alfrund began to protest but I gently pushed him away. In truth, my noble
little speech didn't come from the heart but from where I thought my heart
ought to be. I wasn't in the least looking forward to a night alone after
what happened today, even in Sondaram.

But Alfrund took me at my word and I bade them all goodbye. We would meet
again at Grysta's house in the morning and proceed down to the dock
together.