The Gathandrian Trilogy 01 - The Gifting

justice.
    Well, to her mind, this was all justice and no compassion. If she had been held prisoner in this dark and soulless place for all that time, would she too have grown angry enough, bitter enough, to hurt and maim and kill over and over again until all the need for vengeance was slaked? If it ever would be. Annyeke wiped the tears from her eyes. Yes, she thought, she probably would. This dungeon was a living hell. She was astonished that Gelahn had maintained any sense of his own self at all; under these circumstances, she would surely have run mad. How could they have believed for so long that the elders’ rule in Gathandria was an enlightened one? She had always assumed that Gelahn’s punishment was both necessary and merciful. Had never questioned it. None of them had. Now she could see how wrong she’d been. Yes, the man was a killer. He’d first tried to wrench power from the elders so many years ago. He’d taken one of the mind-canes and used it for evil and not for good. As he was doing now. She had no doubt that Gelahn deserved punishment. But not like this.
    Not like this.
    She drew in a deep and shuddering breath, and glanced around the prison. A sudden flicker at the corner of her vision from the direction of the prison entrance made her throat go dry. Someone was watching her. She sprang to her feet.
    “Who’s there?” she cried out.
    A heartbeat or two of terror and then a small face peered around the corner of the wall. “Annyeke? It’s me.”
    “Talus, gods and stars, Talus. What are you doing? How did you get here?”
    She seized him in a great hug and tried to breathe more calmly. That was the trouble with these inner meditation techniques, she thought. She’d been so busy focusing on her own state that she’d failed entirely to notice Talus’ presence. No wonder Gathandrians weren’t the best of fighters—too many generations of perfecting other skills. None of which were doing them any good now.
    “How did you get in?” she said again, releasing the boy and looking into his face. “Did you follow me?”
    He nodded. “Yes. I saw where you vanished and when I touched the wall, like you did. It opened up. So I followed you.”
    “Oh my love, why?”
    Talus broke her gaze and stared at the floor instead.
    “Wanted to make sure you were safe,” he mumbled. “Thought you might need help. And it’s nearly dusk.”
    Annyeke sighed. She should have expected it. Talus had suffered too much loss recently. It was natural for him to worry about her. She was only astonished the wall had let him in at all. Its magic was certainly powerful.
    “It’s kind of you,” she said. “But next time just try to do what I say. Please?”
    As she spoke, Talus was frowning and staring past her at the books and the glowing cage. “What’s that? It feels…”
    “Nasty. Yes, I know. Come on, if it’s as late as you say, then I think we should leave. Besides there’s a lot I need to think about.”
    Wasting no time, Annyeke grabbed the manuscripts she hadn’t had the chance to look at from the table and turned to hurry out. The cage light dimmed even further. Was it something to do with the books?
    “Talus?”
    “Yes?”
    “Take some books from the shelves, would you? Not all from the same place. They need to go on the table.”
    The boy ran around the library and, a few moments later, another pile of books rested where the first one had been. The cage began to return to its customary light levels. From the look on Talus’ face, she could tell he wouldn’t be able to bear the room’s pain for long. She didn’t have to be a mind-dweller to see that.
    She stretched out her hand. “Come on, let’s go. Now. ”
    “What about this one?” He reached under the table and pulled out the journal she’d been reading. In the rush of what she’d discovered and the urgent need to get out, she’d forgotten it.
    “Yes, please, bring that one too. Thank you. Now, come.”
    He obeyed her.
    As the two of them ran through the corridor towards the outside world, Annyeke knew that for her, everything had changed.

Chapter Twelve: Simon’s Second Story

    Simon
    Isabella and Carthen returned, the woman already sensing her brother’s command, and Simon tried to calm the strange sensations in his blood. The stories were for their protection. That was what Johan had said. But the Gathandrian failed to realise what they cost to tell. At least if his experience of the first story was anything to