Jonathan renshaw dawn of wonder (the wakening book 1)

DAWN OF WONDER Book of The Wakening By Jonathan Renshaw © 2015 Jonathan Renshaw All rights reserved Cover art by Richard Allen and JR Scene sketches by Richard Allen All characters and events in this book, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental Contents Title Page Illustrations Pronunciations Map Chapters One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty-one Twnety-two Twenty-three Twenty-four Twenty-five Twenty-six Twenty-seven Twenty-eight Twenty-nine Thirty Thirty-one Thirty-two Thirty-three Thirty-four Thirty-five Thirty-six Thirty-seven Thirty-eight Thirty-nine Forty Forty-one Forty-two Forty-three Forty-four Forty-five Forty-six Forty-seven Forty-eight Forty-nine Fifty Fifty-one Fifty-two Fifty-three Fifty-four Fifty-five Fifty-six Fifty-seven Fifty-eight Fifty-nine Sixty Sixty-one Sixty-two Author’s Note Illustrations Spoiler alert! This table is intended as a reference, not a door for sneak previews Map The cliff Weapons hall Autumn festival Murn’s antics The museum West I shall speak to your masters and explain that I have appointed you as my assistant whom I will personally train You will continue your classes with Dun, and one or two other subjects that might prove useful to you, but the rest will come to an end From tomorrow you will begin to learn – at frightening speed – how to be Lekran.” “Can I not begin now?” Fergal laughed and, after brief consideration, pointed to the red volume “Finish it by morning,” he said “We’ll go through it in greater detail again when you have a better grasp of the language And try to get at least an hour’s sleep If you thought the marshals’ programme was demanding …” Aedan was already on his feet “One more thing,” said Fergal “Don’t tell anyone Not yet If these plans reach the wrong ears we could both be tried for intended desertion – you have a form of military training and this is a time of war preparation Remember that.” ––– “It tastes like raw fish entrails!” “Quite correct Raw fish entrails tend to that Now have another mouthful and try to get this one down.” Fergal was merciless Where he had obtained the hideous grey mush, Aedan did not care to know, but the fact remained that this was a Lekran delicacy, and one that he would need to be able to devour with relish in front of watchful eyes He made another attempt, gagged and ejected it into the bucket Fergal sighed “Try to think of steak while chewing.” “I can’t The taste is too convincing.” “Well you’ll have to find some way of getting it down You’ll need some breakfast in you.” “Don’t the Lekrans eat bread?” “Of course, but swallowing bread is a skill you already have Now you want to learn or not?” Aedan gripped the bowl, held it to his lips and tipped, swallowing in great gulps and trying not to think at all When he replaced the bowl on the table there was a moment of uncertainty as he hovered over the bucket, neck and shoulders twitching, but miraculously, it all stayed down “Good,” said Fergal “When Dun has finished with you, I want you back here and ready to study like never before.” Aedan jogged away on shaky legs, looking as green as the sea that was washing around inside him He had broken the news to his dorm before breakfast that he had been appointed as an assistant to one of the senior clerks They had looked at him as if he had lost his mind He’d seen surprise, confusion and sadness in their faces, and it had hurt more than expected During the training session, he had to answer, or rather parry, several more questions Warton, to Aedan’s surprise, was openly upset He actually seemed angry Even Cayde frowned Malik was the only one who looked pleased Aedan wished that he could tell them everything, but Fergal’s warning rang in his ears like a tower bell When he got back from Dun’s class, the fishy dish had settled, and he braced himself for the next obstacle Fergal unlocked a heavy door at the back of his office and pushed it It swung open with a sigh, admitting a cool breath of air that was heavy with leather and paper and deep thought Aedan stepped through onto a walkway overlooking the biggest library he had ever imagined Four levels of book-filled balconies ran around the circumference, and on the vast floor beneath, stepladders and even movable staircases enabled dwarfed figures to scale the towering islands filled with honeycombs of scrolls “This,” said Fergal, “is where the masters and approved senior students draw the knowledge that is delivered in the classes Many of these books are uncopied originals All of them are important You will be spending a large portion of your time here with Lekran histories, folk-tales, plays, songs, and plenty more And the beauty of it is that most of the volumes will have been written by Lekrans If you are to learn to behave like one of them, you need to think like one of them, which means that you must now study from their perspective, not ours.” “I thought that kind of writing was kept away from the public – censored.” “It is But this is not a public library You will find a lot here that will turn you red with anger; foreign opinions of us can be very offensive You had best get over your reactions – those would give you away quickly indeed Let me take you to your section.” They were on the highest of the balconies Fergal led the way along a book-lined wall to a turret stairway that appeared to be made of solid brass They descended one level and walked to the far corner Regularly placed lamps cast a good light and Aedan was able to make out the titles and sequential numbers on spines “Roughly between these two pillars,” Fergal said, indicating a collection of perhaps five hundred books, some of them almost as thick as the stone pillars themselves “Did you finish the first book?” “Yes, but there is a lot I didn’t understand.” “That was to be expected I suggest that you start with three collections of children’s stories, followed by three of popular folk tales These are things every Lekran would know, things you cannot afford to pass over They will also help with your grasp of the language on a foundational level There are three Lekran-to-Thirnish dictionaries You may keep one with you, but it would be better for you to use the straight Lekran dictionary as soon as you are able How large is your current Lekran vocabulary?” “Maybe four hundred words and another two hundred that are vague.” “By the end of two weeks, I want you at a thousand That’s in the region of forty words a day Write down every new word along with a phonetic, all the meanings, and space for several examples of how it can be used You are not to avoid a single word in the children’s stories or the folk tales – those are the words that form the basis of a language, words you need to fall back on without hesitation I will aid you with pronunciation and syntax You will spend an hour every day with Kollis and an hour with Tyne.” Fergal ignored Aedan’s look of displeasure at the mention of Kollis “From now on you will speak to all of us in Lekran only.” With this, Fergal switched seamlessly into the language and Aedan had to concentrate to follow the next words “Olin mjierta nau Leikrar … Your food will be Lekran and you will not only eat it but learn to prepare it I have had arrangements made so that you can still take your meals in the company of your friends, though they will probably find them strange.” What Aedan heard was, “Your food will … Lekran and … you will not … eat it but … learn … it I … made … you … meals … of your friends … will … find them strange.” One possible meaning of this was strange indeed Fergal placed his reading lantern on one of the large desks that stood against the balcony railing “The assistant’s desk in my office is now yours I expect it to be cluttered with books before the hour is up.” He walked away and left Aedan to stare, bewildered, swaying slightly, as the enormity of what he had undertaken began to settle on him When the giddiness passed, he took a hold of himself and attacked the shelves, skimming over titles until he found the section of children’s literature He selected a weighty volume that cracked open and released a puff of dust The pages were dark with age, but the script was neat and easy to follow He picked a few more collections, and after much searching, found two dictionaries, then staggered back to the office beneath the pile of books, lamp balanced on top Fergal insisted that Aedan interrupt him for help with pronunciations after every tenth word he wrote down It was a language with difficult sounds requiring all manner of unfamiliar contortions of tongue and lips to form the complex vowels The day went slowly Lekran folk stories were strange, full of sea monsters that crawled up onto the shore in the forms of serpents or jelly-like masses with hundreds of creeping tentacles The heroes, if the illustrations were to be trusted, scoffed at armour or anything else that interfered with the display of their muscles They donned only loincloths and attacked the beasts with only spears Most of the stories had similar themes to the ones Aedan had grown up with, but the way the themes were illustrated was alien, sometimes amusing, and often disturbing It seemed to be a culture where strength and domination were honoured Kindness and mercy made few appearances “Very good,” said Fergal, when Aedan explained these observations “You are quite right, but I advise you not to share that with your dinner hosts tonight.” Aedan looked back wordlessly For fifth and sixth foreign languages they had not yet been required to socialise with native speakers “You didn’t think you would be able to prepare in the comfortable isolation of study without actually meeting the people themselves?” “But I …” Aedan could not put the Lekran words together quickly enough and Fergal ploughed on “The sooner you put aside your barrier of prejudice, the better These are good people I am sending you to Getting to know and appreciate them will help to close the distance you would otherwise preserve between yourself and the subjects of your studies.” That was the beginning and end of the argument Every night from then on, Aedan dined with the Lekran families that Fergal knew There were four families Two came from wealth, and two from more indigent circumstances These were people who had been granted citizenship of limited rights in exchange for political favours They were essentially traitors to their homeland, but they were natives of Lekrau and had not forgotten the customs of their people Aedan rotated through the families, dining as a Lekran every night of the week The initial warmth of welcome and the self-consciousness of entertaining a stranger caused his hosts to suppress many cultural peculiarities, but soon these began to show through He noticed how the women’s roles were more subordinate, how children never dared to interrupt, how the father determined what was funny or interesting, how this was never challenged, how nobody was ever thanked for doing what was perceived to be a duty, and a hundred other social currents that no book would have properly revealed Yet beneath it all he perceived a comfort with the customs, or perhaps just an unwillingness to challenge them But no matter how familiar they became, some of these social norms continued to feel wrong to him A number of the dishes were as strange as that first breakfast Fergal had prepared Aedan had more than one desperate moment when getting the food down was only a shade less difficult than swallowing bricks By sheer force of will he avoided humiliating himself He even began to like some of the peculiar foods One of the more unsettling lessons he learned was never to touch the women After Aedan took an embarrassed woman’s hand in greeting, her husband drew him aside and explained that taking an unmarried woman’s hand was akin to a proposal of marriage, and touching another man’s wife was an insult only atoned for with blood Aedan understood by this that a significant quantity of blood would be required He apologised profusely and never repeated the mistake It was a stark warning of how easily a cultural blunder could ruin everything once he was on Lekran soil “Fergal,” Aedan began after returning from one of these dinners “I have something I want to and I think I can convince you, but you are not going to like it.” The first spring winds rushed in from across the plain, carrying a stream of dead leaves, wheat husks and dizzy midges that tumbled past the five people sitting on the west wall The early sun was just cresting the hill It warmed their backs and threw long shadows out over the grassy expanse As the parapets here had not been completed, they were able to sit side by side on the broad surface with their feet dangling “Thank you,” Liru said, squeezing Aedan’s arm “You already know my answer.” “And mine,” said Peashot as he leaned forward, puffed into the tube, and sat back with a slightly tilted head to better appreciate the yell of pain from below “Hadley?” said Aedan “I have a few questions.” While he was all momentum when following his own instincts, he had shown a curious tendency to think a good deal more about others’ plans “Ask away,” said Aedan It wasn’t the first time Hadley was cross-examining his ideas “Firstly, why take so many? Doesn’t that make it harder to move unnoticed?” “In Thirna yes, but on the Lekran Isles it is different The more slaves people have, the more important they are and the less they are interfered with, up to a point Tyne has seen it herself She was posted there for a year.” “It’s just like that,” she said “Alright Then how did you convince this Fergal to include us? Taking two marshal apprentices and Liru out of training for the duration of the rescue is a big cost I don’t see how he can justify it for the rescue of two girls who can’t really be of any help to Castath What did you promise him?” Aedan laughed “I didn’t offer you as a library slave if that’s what you are worried about I told him that Liru’s sister would be a potential source of information valuable to Castath, and to find her we need Liru I also said that with you and Peashot along, sabotage becomes feasible.” “Sabotage!” Peashot’s face lit up Hadley’s grinned “Exactly what are we going to sabotage?” “I’d like to destroy all their sacrificial temples and sink every one of their slave ships That would be a good start.” “I’m sure you’d also like to fly.” “Even if we only sink one ship,” Aedan said, this time without humour, “it will more than pay back our absence from Castath There is a retired Captain who is going to give us some instruction on Lekran ports and ship design and how to cause the most damage with limited tools.” “That sounds reasonable My last question, then: Will we be able to come back?” “The orders will be official,” said Aedan “General Osric himself will sign them But it’s complicated We are fairly sure Prince Burkhart would try to stop us if he found out He’s too shortsighted to see the advantages of something like this and too insecure to attempt anything that might anger the Lekrans We won’t directly break any laws by leaving, but we’ll be slipping between them on the way out, and coming back might be complicated.” “Burkhart is a two-faced, lying, murderous coward who needs a lashing from his father,” Peashot mumbled “Liru told me what he tried to to you two.” Everyone was quite happy to let these words hang in the air unchallenged “At worst,” Aedan resumed, “we could be arrested on our return I know of two soldiers who were made to disappear without any trial or official record So it’s dangerous At best, you’ll lose a year of your studies.” Peashot almost looked bored with the details Aedan guessed he’d be making the journey with them even if he was guaranteed an execution on his return Hadley was done thinking That toppling look came into his eyes “I doubt the worst case is likely,” he said “Dropping back a year doesn’t look so bad either You’re going to drop back two if you don’t lose your place altogether, and Lorrimer has been skimming through by magic – he’s due to fail about now I’d go anyway, but it’s nice to know I won’t be alone afterwards I’m in Only thing that’s going to annoy me now is the waiting.” “Couldn’t Lorrimer come?” asked Peashot “His height would draw too much attention,” Aedan said “Think of how tall he’ll be in another year And Vayle wouldn’t want to go We all know how difficult it is to just get him to drop whatever he’s reading and actually something.” Hadley and Peashot laughed Vayle had earned himself the reputation – he preferred contemplating plans to implementing them He was roughly Hadley’s opposite “Also,” said Tyne, “With Liru’s sister, Aedan and I will have four slaves when we reach Ulnoi Any more could begin to make us look more important than we can afford Unusually wealthy strangers will tend to be noticed more.” “So you think we make good slaves,” said Peashot, loading another stone with a mean smirk “Rotten slave,” said Aedan “Good saboteur.” “What language is that?” “Yours, blockhead It means someone who sabotages, you know – breaks stuff You’re good at that.” “Good?” Hadley said “Complete genius is more like it.” “So are we all agreed?” Aedan looked around They all agreed, except Peashot who was taking aim Liru flicked his ear, and that brought him back “Ouch! Yes, yes, of course I’m in, blockheads Sorry Tyne Didn’t mean you Ouch! Or you, Liru.” “Then remember that if a word of this gets out, it’s all over Try to get as fluent as you can in Lekran As slaves, you will not be expected to sound like natives, but the more pairs of working ears we have, the better Also, get used to Lekran weapons We won’t take any of our own I hope we don’t need to fight, but if we do, you don’t want to discover in the moment that their blades are shorter and heavier and the crossbows have a very tricky latch Lekrans also have some strange weapons that are in the upper racks in the weapons hall I’ll speak to Fergal Maybe he can nudge Master Dun to teach us how to use them Lekrau is, after all, a constant threat.” Aedan and Peashot lingered after the others had left – Aedan because Fergal did not expect him back immediately, Peashot because he never cared much what any of the masters expected from him He hadn’t been in trouble for almost a fortnight and some disturbance was due They talked of this and that – Fennlor, classes, Murn, Liru and Kalry, but no matter what they spoke of, it was Kalry who filled Aedan’s mind, and butterflies and birds and storms crashed about in his belly Peashot aimed, fired and scooted back to savour another bark of pain “You are different since Kultûhm,” he said “You don’t walk around looking like you have a dagger up your sleeve and a score to settle Liru says you look stronger I just think it looks like you aren’t taking your daily draught of poison, whatever it was.” “Close enough.” “She thinks something happened to you in the lightning What was it?” Aedan thought for a while “It wasn’t something,” he said, “it was someone And to be plain, I’m still trying to understand it myself I think the lightning was only a doorway, just like my dreams have been lately.” “You’re not going to start blabbing like those diviners our prince has on every street corner?” Aedan laughed “If I do, please hit me very hard.” “With pleasure,” said Peashot, clicking his knuckles “But don’t you think you could have imagined the whole experience? Shock or something?” “If you were there you’d understand why it couldn’t have been anything like that Ever had that experience when you wake up and it’s snowing in the night? Maybe you even walk out and let it land on your shoulders, but by morning it’s all melted? The only person who saw the proof was you, and the only proof you can give anyone else is that you’re convinced it was real That’s what it’s like for me I know I’ve got a strong imagination, but this was far, far beyond anything my imagination can produce.” “You’re not talking it up? The way people about things they own or places they’ve been?” “I’m not talking it up or making it better than it was I can’t even get close to what it was like It was better than anything else I know.” “Even better than Kalry?” Peashot grinned Aedan felt the blood rush to his face He tried not to smile – it was hopeless “I would have to say yes, but – it was better in a different way.” “What’s she like?” It was a question to breach a dam wall Aedan took a deep breath “She’s what I wanted Ilona to be She really is the kindest and sweetest person I know –” “Huh!” Peashot interrupted “So where does that put me?” “Last Idiot.” Peashot smirked “Kalry always used to make me want to be nicer to others because she made it look so good Being kind to people made her happy To see it was really something And it wasn’t just people I remember that time I walked through town with Ilona and there was a donkey braying because it couldn’t reach the stand of cabbages I secretly wanted to go buy it one, but I had a feeling Ilona would have rolled her eyes at me That’s the difference Kalry wouldn’t have been able to enjoy herself without doing something for the hungry donkey, and she would have run down to the market with me, shared the cost, and smiled all the way home.” “Pretty?” Aedan laughed “Not like Ilona Ilona’s a rose or something sophisticated Kalry’s more like a wildflower – a simpler kind of beauty, but it felt more complete, more honest When she smiled at me it was like being hugged And it wasn’t just the way she looked Her thoughts were … Let me put it this way – conversations with her were like magical journeys There was also something about the way she spoke, like a kind of singing in her voice that brought everything she said to life – you should have seen the way babies would listen to her Big eager eyes, spellbound There was one thing everyone used to tease her about, it was her messy hair, but I remember it as threaded with trapped sunlight And she had these laughing hazel eyes, more brown than green, as soft and warm as rich tilled earth baking in the sun of a spring morning –” “Ugh Stop! What’s with all the poetry? All you had to say was yes, she’s pretty I can just see you and Lorrimer bent over the lines you’ve obviously been composing, sniffing and weeping and –” Aedan lurched over and snapped a solid punch at the unguarded shoulder It brought Peashot’s mockery to an abrupt end and he leaned back, probing the damage to his freshly bitten tongue He drew his finger out and brightened when he saw a little blood “I suppose I’d best get going,” he said “Classes feel weird now that you are missing Even Malik commented on it.” “Oh? What did he say?” “Something that earned him a gut punch.” “You don’t have to fight my battles.” Peashot frowned “What’s that got to with it? Think I would miss an opportunity like that? It was truffle pudding.” “Is that where you got the mark under your eye?” “Pathetic, isn’t it? I thought I would at least get a nice blue plum All he could manage was this little sissy bruise Looks like a coal smudge.” Aedan laughed “You just don’t mind pain, you? Sometimes I’m convinced it actually makes you comfortable.” Peashot smirked “Well,” said Aedan, “thanks for giving Malik my regards.” “Sure I’ll see you at lunch Can’t wait to smell what they put in front of you today That grey thing you ate yesterday had us all checking under our shoes.” “Better get used to it What you think you’re going to eat on Lekrau?” Peashot grumbled and sauntered off For a while Aedan sat, letting the wind gust around and buffet his shoulders He looked up over the nearby walls and spires of the knife-like Pellamine range Then he raised his eyes to the young blue of the morning sky As he did so, something in his chest blazed His hands and feet prickled with that peculiar feeling, as though the air around them was no longer air, but something else This was the fourth or fifth time it had happened since the lightning strike, and it gave him the strangest feeling that something about him was changing, being transformed in a way that not even Fergal would comprehend He had a sudden urge to leap out from the wall, not to fall, but to travel, to glide The sensation was so strong that he moved back from the edge and pressed against a large block of stone Thoughts like these were dangerous When the tingling had gone, he drew out the little leather-encased journal He never looked at it unless he was alone It had a trick of drawing tears Now that he knew Kalry to be alive, he wasn’t too sure if he should read it anymore After a small inner battle, his scruples were defeated He promised himself, though, that it would be the last time There were two entries he wanted to pay a last visit He found the first and began to read Remember when we found that cave in Nymliss and there was that huge claw sticking out of a pile of rocks we couldn’t move? Well that day I realised that wonderful terrible incredible things were actually possible because that claw had to have belonged to a real animal big enough to eat cows or trees for breakfast (I hope it preferred trees.) And it wasn’t a pretend discovery! No matter what Emroy and my father and my tutor said when I told them (This doesn’t mean that I think pretend discoveries aren’t important, it’s just that a pretend discovery can’t actually bite you.) Can you imagine if we could have lived in times when enormous animals like that were alive I know trolls and dragons and all those are made up (I think) but imagine if there were creatures just as spektackuler (I’m really going to have to ask your mum about this word) that were actually walking around and we had to run away from them unless maybe hopefully we could make friends with them Now this brings me back to what I wrote in my last entry, about the song that I can sense all around me It’s like the earth and the trees and the birds and the flies, no not the flies, but everything else is excited about something Everyone would laugh at me if I said it, but I think there is some huge and ancient power breathing into the world the same way we blow on little sparks to make a fire Remember that ecscwisit storm you told me about that happened over Nymliss that one time, and ever since then Nymliss has felt all tingly and mysterious? From what travellers are saying it sounds like those storms are also over DinEilan Maybe they’ll move over the whole world I’m sure they are changing things Just imagining what could happen is already making me full of jumps and squeals I can’t even describe the feeling I have about it How you describe something indescribable? I read somewhere that the best word for things that are bigger than words is wonder It’s now my favourite word and I need it here, because I think the time we are living in is going to be a dawn of wonder, the beginning of something incredible, a time of mysteries and legends and heroes, just like in the old stories If that’s what’s about to happen then I’m going to be excited and scared and you are going to have to let me hold your hand Just please don’t spit in it first Aedan grinned at that He wondered now for the first time if the claw had really belonged to a dead animal They had prodded and tugged and wrestled to pull it free What had really lain behind that screen of rocks – a skeleton, or something in a deep sleep? The second entry he wanted to read had broken his heart at the time, and now called to him like the sounds of a celebration He found the page and angled it so that the morning sun reflected off paper that was stained, thumbed, creased, and crinkled from more than one soaking Around the edges, ink had run into little rivulets and pools now dried, but the young handwriting he knew so well was still legible Dear Aedan You weren’t at Badgerfields today so I played hide and seek with Thomas and Dara I decided to hide in the forest and I went in a bit too deep At first it was fun practising all those bird calls we’ve been learning and hooting into my fist like an owl (I’m getting really good now) but then I realised it was too quiet and I got muddled trying to find the way home By the time I got out again it was dark and I was horribly frightened I’m scared that one day I might get so lost that nobody will find me I thought that was going to happen today It made me think about that story of the little boy who wandered into Nymliss and he was given up for lost by the end of the week I think most people were just too scared to go and look for him properly I wouldn’t have been scared if you had been there You can find anything I’ll never forget the day you took me along a fox trail and we actually saw the fox and her cubs I don’t know how you see prints from those little scuffs in the dirt I actually thought you were making it up until the vixen growled I suppose it’s silly to write this in my diary, but I’m going to one day ask you to promise me that if I’m ever so lost in the forest that nobody even knows where to start, you will look for me until you find me I’ll draw flowers in the earth and arrange pine cones like hearts, you know, all that girly stuff you tease me about, then you’ll know it’s me and not some bandit’s trail I’ll have to tell you one of these days When you set out, please bring some of Dorothy’s muffins because there’s nothing to eat in most places that are any good for getting lost in, so I’ll probably be starving But don’t wait for her to cook new ones, just take whatever is in the cupboard And bring my wool jersey too, the old blue one with the holes in the elbows It’s probably going to be lying under the bed or dangling over the chair or hiding under something Ask Tulia to dig for it Just so you know, I’m not asking you to all this only because you are good at finding things It’s because when I get rescued I want it to be you It was sort of weird when your father found me once And if I see Emroy first, I think I’ll pretend not to see him and stay lost until someone else comes along He tried to kiss me one time and when I pushed him away he raised his arm like he would hit me I didn’t tell you because I knew you would go and punch him in the face and then he would have tried to use that horrible cane on your head He is really not a nice boy He is not allowed to be part of my rescue! I’m very fussy about this It has to be you because I want to be found by someone, you know, like a princess being found by a prince I haven’t forgotten that you always made your nose go like wrinkled dead frog skin when those parts of the stories came along, but this is my rescue, so I get to say how it happens If I cry, it will be because I’m happy to bursting Just remember that You’ll spoil the magic if you ask what’s wrong I have to go Dinner’s ready Don’t forget about the muffins Aedan closed the diary for the last time and slipped it back into its cover And for the first time, there were no tears He held it before him and looked again at the image on the case – the toadstool and the sapling He still remembered asking her what it meant and hadn’t forgotten her answer “Oh, Aedan! I’d spoil it all if I told you what I think it means before you’ve had a chance to think too A mystery is so much more exciting than a wrapped up answer, wouldn’t you say? A mystery carries on but an answer just ends.” The following day Aedan had told her that he’d thought about it, and decided it meant slow beginnings were not so bad because the sapling would outgrow the toadstool Then he demanded her interpretation “Maybe,” she said with one of her thoughtful, faraway smiles “But what if it’s a toadstool like the pearlnut tree? When I look, I imagine the remains of a tiny picnic under the sapling, and the hasty footprints of the silver dwarf On the ground are little holes where his sword and arrows were pushed into the ground, just so he could be ready in case of danger There’s a concealed hatch in the side of the toadstool that has been slammed tight, and the grass is starting to move as a wicked creeper approaches, awake like the pearlnut tree, only in a dangerous way It’s a story, an adventure – and it’s just beginning.” “So it is,” Aedan whispered as he got to his feet and looked out to the west Out there, far away was Lekrau, and somewhere on the northmost island, she was captive He wished he could say something to the wind and have it carry the message to her He raised his eyes to the sky again “I’m not sure if you can hear me,” he said, “but I don’t really think you need a storm to carry you around And I’m not sure if I can ask you this, but I can’t see that you would be angry, so would you mind telling her somehow that I’m getting ready to find her?” There was no rumbling answer, but neither did he have that awkward feeling of having spoken to nothing With a deep breath, full and rich, Aedan turned around and looked at the protruding rungs of the long, shuddering ladder he had climbed in order to gain the top of the wall His feet and hands began tingling again, and in a sudden flood of something he could not define and dared not contain, he sprinted past the ladder and leapt off the wall He hurtled out over an awful drop that was now inevitable It would be a landing to crush every bone in his legs But whatever it was that had blazed in him earlier, now flared up again He spread his arms and pulled down on the air as it whistled past It caught in his fingers, almost like water And he slowed Slightly, but enough He landed with a solid thud Dust leapt from the ground, but his legs did not buckle They felt strong, he felt strong, though he lacked even the beginnings of an explanation A stonemason had been working nearby He was no longer working His mouth hinged open A chisel dropped from his grasp unnoticed and clinked into the debris of chippings and rubble Aedan stood up from his crouch, peering at his hands and feet with dawning astonishment Gradually, he became aware of the stonemason and realised he was the object of the man’s gaping stare, so he nodded a hasty greeting and jogged away, a slow smile spreading over his face He had a book to finish today He would make it two END OF BOOK ONE Author’s Note Some writers manage to work effectively in the gaps around a day job, but I’ve never had much success that way I wrote for about ten years part-time, and while I scratched and tapped a good deal and learned a good deal more, I could never keep a big idea together during extended interruptions when the day job burst its banks and stole personal time I also found that much of what I wrote in the exhausted hours around work was as flat as the way I’d felt while grinding it out Eventually, I realised that in order to imagine, capture and build the first part of this story, I needed uninterrupted time – and lots of it Without the gift of time, there is no way I could have finished this book So I would like to thank my parents for constant, generous, trusting, uncomplaining support, without which my collected efforts would have been no better than one of Osric’s stews – an underover-done disaster of little bits and pieces glued into a sticky and unpalatable confusion, prose to be attempted only by the very brave or the closely related Then, much is owed to Richard Allen who did most of the artwork and fought his way through a thorny first draft in order to arrive, torn and bleeding, at the idea for the cover He made hundreds of corrections to the text, and many excellent suggestions The sketches are even better than I’d hoped; they truly capture the world of the story Fantastic work, bro! Many thanks to Jared Mitchel for appearing on the cover and for the hours spent putting up with cameras as we acted out the scenes for the sketches To the proof readers (whose feedback in many cases was too deep and detailed for me to call them beta readers), surname-alphabetically: Richard Allen, Ed Dalton, Adam Fairall, Valerie Ganzevoort, Elizabeth Haber, Samantha Hawkins, Angie Hayler, Danny Jacobs, Brad Kingon, Rob and Ally Jones, Jean MacCallum, Wendy Morgan, Brent Meyers, Bryony Nicol, Max Painter, Stephen Pohlman, Andrew Poppleton, John Poppleton, Leandra Scheepers, David Tapp, Gary Van Lieshout, Jason Viljoen, and then my family – Shaun & Charnell, Josh & Carol-Ann, Kitta & Andy, and of course, Mom and Dad I cannot even begin to explain how much improvement you were responsible for – not just typos, but fixes to character, plot and artwork I am so grateful for the time you made to read, to consider what you’d read, and then provide me with pages of comments, suggestions and reference material, all of which have made this a much, much better book than it was You guys are amazing! To the reader, thank you for beginning this journey with me I really value the company of every reader and hope that you’ve enjoyed the adventure so far The sequel is well underway, and I have no intention of dawdling with it I’d love to hear from you If you’re able to write a review of this book, I’d greatly appreciate it Every review helps pave the way to future books in the series (or, if the reviews are terrible, they will help pave the way to a different career.) Either way, honest reviews are helpful to both writers and readers If you spot any typos or errors (other than intentional ones – mostly used in dialogue) please mail me I’ll be more than happy to credit you on the website You can find me at www.jrenshaw.com or on facebook: Jonathan Renshaw (Author), www.facebook.com/authorjrenshaw I hope to meet with you again in book 2, and this time you’d better bring an oilskin … ... Thirty-eight Thirty-nine Forty Forty-one Forty-two Forty-three Forty-four Forty-five Forty-six Forty-seven Forty-eight Forty-nine Fifty Fifty-one Fifty-two Fifty-three Fifty-four Fifty-five Fifty-six... Twenty-one Twnety-two Twenty-three Twenty-four Twenty-five Twenty-six Twenty-seven Twenty-eight Twenty-nine Thirty Thirty-one Thirty-two Thirty-three Thirty-four Thirty-five Thirty-six Thirty-seven... Lekrau—LEK-rouw (rouw as in now) Liru—LEE-roo Malik—MAL-ik Mardrae—MAR-dray Mardraél—MAR-dray-EL Merter—MER-ta Nymliss—NIM-liss Orunea—a-ROO-nia Osric—OZ-ric Pellamine—PEL-a-meen Torval—TOR-vil Ulnoi—ULL-noy