The galley caught strong winds soon after leaving Sheld. The strong winds brought rain though—days upon days of it. Therelin and Kren had expected to be tasked with working on rigging or scrubbing the deck. Instead they earned their passage by working with buckets to remove excess water from the nooks of the ship that did not drain. As they sailed around the low, sandy shores of the Mallago Waste, the storm grew worse. Continue reading Therelin 30
The sun was slowly setting over the hills when the two men appeared on the old wooden dock. One held an old driftwood staff, while a plain iron sword hung from the back of the other. They remained frozen there for a moment, as though they were no more than ghosts. They looked up the cliffs at the tiered city, each rising layer fronted by stone buildings to weather the storm but concealing softer wooden buildings and even orchards in some places. A river ran through the center of the city, splashing down each level. Sometimes it ran between old worn rocks, dotted with moss or hunchbacked trees. Other times it plummeted through a man-made canal.
Then one man turned to a passing dock worker. “What’s the date?” Therelin asked. Continue reading Therelin 29
“The Body of Gethra has several properties aside from its physical ones which a magician may manipulate,” Therelin read, quietly. He spoke in Common, though the text was in an old ancestral dialect which some scholars still preferred. The codex itself was only from the late 1200s—fairly recent in terms of scholarly texts. Though he thought the confusing phrasing was going to be his biggest issue today, he could not have guessed what would come. “These properties continue to elude the complete comprehension of contemporary sages, though their behaviours can be observed. As any apprentice knows, what can be observed can be manipulated in some manner.” Continue reading Therelin 28
Kren decided to tag along that afternoon, when Therelin got up the nerve to go speak with Master Byranim. Despite all his recent training, the thought of asking for a weapon still made Therelin uncomfortable. On Keth, only guards carried weapons—and then, only clubs! Continue reading Therelin 27
Therelin wiped sweat off his brow without interrupting his line of sight. His eyes were locked on Master Igard’s straight sword, as was all the concentration he could bring to bear. The Master strode forward still, though each step was hefty and calculated; Igard moved as though he was carrying a sizeable brick, not a small metal blade. Their mental duel lasted only a few moments longer—when he reached Therelin, Igard let go of his sword. Therelin’s focus had made the weapon as heavy as a slab and it clashed to the dirt with a reverberating thud. Therelin let out his breath with relief; his head hurt, and his vision was swimming. Continue reading Therelin 26
Master Byranim, who was responsible for the Isle’s defence, had been oddly absent the week Therelin had spoken with Tarka. Therelin had been given an explanation by Telan—the thin brown-haired man seemed to be the Master of Ceremony for Dusk, in addition to monitoring new arrivals. According to Telan, Master Byranim had gone to speak with a number of resident mages in a few other locations.
Telan had explained that they needed to be pre-emptive about contact off the Isle during these uncertain times. If the Grey Sea grew too dangerous, magicians would seemingly stop arriving—their Journeying spells would be delayed by their presumed deaths. Byranim needed to ensure that the Isle of Dusk was still a safe and neutral place when such Journeyers did finally reappear. Obviously, the preferred option was to prevent such a state from even coming to be. Continue reading Therelin 25
The Isle of Dusk was as quaint as it was secret. A dozen aged men and women lived peacefully within its ancient protection. They claimed the Isle was a mountaintop that had sunk in the molten remains of the Orrish. It had been Ular Graan, Therelin learned, that had declared the Isle a neutral ground for practitioners of magic. The same great magician that had brokered peace between the Old Empire of Noress and the Kingdom of the Orrene had sought peace among mages following a sub-conflict during that war. Therelin couldn’t find anyone to tell him specifics of this alleged sorcerers’ war. Continue reading Therelin 24
The sun beat down on a rock-strewn beach, instantly warming the shoulders of the soaked travellers that appeared on the beach. Therelin blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light—moments ago, he had stood under the branches of weathered trees in the Keth rainforest. He glanced at Myandin, then followed his old master’s eyes to a nearby hill. The hill ran alongside the beach, curving until it blocked the beach from sight, almost perfectly rounded. Fog was flocking in the shadows of the hill and the trees that dotted it. The humidity wouldn’t help his clothes dry. Continue reading Therelin 23
Therelin was walking back up the path toward his makeshift camp when it started to rain. He had just picked a half-dozen herbs that he had not seen since his departure from Keth, as well as two handfuls of acai berries, a passion fruit, and a piece of redtree bark which strengthened the teeth when chewed. By the time he reached his leaf-strewn lean-to, his hand was smeared with dark berry juice and the bark had started to soften. Continue reading Therelin 22
Selram wasn’t a large city, even by Ketho standards. As he trudged uphill, Therelin spotted its assorted huts appearing beneath towering bamboo trees. The largest building in town was the storehouse, where Selram’s mine and lumberyard collected their resources before export. The second largest building was the Magister’s Chamber—a meeting building of sorts, designed exclusively for the gathering of the Isle’s inhabitants.
After his time in Saanazar and Noress-That-Was, Therelin found Selram particularly small. He took advantage of that village mindset by making pleasant conversations with a berry forager on the edge of town. “Good day, friend,” Therelin called amiably. Continue reading Therelin 21