It was another damp day in Saanazar. Therelin was beginning to become accustomed to constant rain here. According to his research at one of Ular Graan’s libraries, this was supposed to be the middle of Radregar’s dry season, but the southern city had not received this news. The drizzle did little to discourage Therelin on his eventual day off. He rose in the morning, broke his fast on a nutty flatbread and honey, and then hurried out the front door of the tavern. Continue reading Therelin 10
Despite popular opinion, Therelin was not built of muscle. He had a sturdy stature and was not weak, but he was not a champion of might as Ethraw had imagined. Thankfully, most of the merchant’s crates were not immensely heavy. The trick was to move them without breaking any of the contents. During his first week, Therelin broke two glass bowls off each other. Ethraw had only chuckled and said, “You get three mistakes before you pay for them.”
Of course, each of Ethraw’s wares sold for a portion of what Therelin made in a month. He quickly learned how to pace himself to avoid damaging the merchandise. Continue reading Therelin 9
The forests that surrounded the ancient city of Saanazar were just suited for Therelin’s botanical needs. He learned quickly which properties he could find in which plants. To his surprise, many plants from Keth also grew here in Radregar—nearly a thousand miles away. Some herbs he knew well did not grow around Saanazar, and there were many others growing in this new land which Therelin had never before seen. Continue reading Therelin 8
It took Therelin a few days to find the Hall of Three Winds. Brother Iun had told him to speak with Master Nolicrin there, and it seemed as good a place as any. Therelin didn’t think he was ready to undertake admission tests for Lord Allakra’s academy, especially after he had failed Allakra’s trial. Continue reading Therelin 7
The harbour of Saanazar was a broad, rambling labyrinth. Kedar Port was half the size, and Keth even smaller. In Kedar, Therelin had seen some semblance of order. In Saanazar, he stood, dazed, at the stern of the New Comet. Captain Innar steered them true, somehow; they wove between webs of wooden docks and maze-like formations of anchored ships. Therelin saw sailors with skin darker than his own standing alongside men with skin like pale seafoam. He saw people wearing bright silks or dark flax or nearly nothing at all. When he could finally peer through the tangle of galleons and piers, Therelin caught his first glimpses of Saanazar. Continue reading Therelin 6
To learn how to heal a deaf man, Therelin had sat in the Temple next to Master Myandin for weeks. With a small, handheld cymbal, his teacher would deafen him—painfully so—and Therelin would spend all day focusing on repairing the damage done to the drums in his ears. The first time had ben terrifying. Therelin had been nearly deaf for days until learning the knack for it. With his focus channeled through his Crux, he had learned how to rebind the fragmented walls of the fluid chambers and repair the structure of his cochlea. The days he did not spend with damaged hearing were spent poring through books. Under Myandin’s tutelage, he read copies of Master Haramas’ historic autopsy of the head, several documents on treated cases of severe hearing loss, and a sluggish volume describing the differences between born hearing-loss and acquired cochlear damage. Continue reading Therelin 5
The New Comet rocked back and forth on the waves. Therelin stood on the top deck, watching each tall wave lift them above the surface of the sea. He tried to stay out of the way of the sailors, but there was little to do midway on their voyage across the Grey Sea. Many sat around and sang whatever tune the captain started to lark. Others played cards or dice—Therelin was amused that they only bet pebbles. Likely, none wanted to part with their hard-earned copper. Continue reading Therelin 4
During his six days in Kedar, Therelin learned that meat was eaten with every meal, that healing was costly and time-consuming with the normal healers in the city, and that the Grey Brethren were as prevalent in every venue as any of the other factions. He spoke a few times with magicians in their ranks, but the religious organization was largely dismissive of him. Therelin at last gained a meeting with one of the preeminent sorcerers in the city. Continue reading Therelin 3
The water was black. Therelin had never seen such a sight before—an entire bay that absorbed the low, grey clouds and returned nearly no light at all. All the waves around Keth City and Portram Point were clear and bright blue, not dark. Therelin didn’t have enough faith to discern if the gleaming obsidian surface was the presence of harmed or angry spirit. Continue reading Therelin 2
A warm breeze, carrying ghostly drips of sea salt and foreshadowed rain, drifted through the forests of the Isle of Keth. It passed through the tallest trees quietly enough to hear them creak, and graced the low rivers so tranquilly so as to hear the buzz of dragonfly and the croak of bullfrog. In the remote villages of the Isle, the wise tribal men might tell of change on so still a breeze. They might tell their children the whispers of the spirits and the storm to come. Continue reading Therelin 1