The Gathandrian Trilogy 01 - The Gifting

Kill him ,” somebody shouted.
    “Let him hang!”
    “ Devil .”
    Ralph took three steps back, his job complete. Through the scarlet web creeping over his vision, Simon could see his gaze swing back and forth over the crowd, even now controlling them with ease.
    “Do it then,” he said.
    From nowhere, the boy kicked the stool away and the morning sky swung wildly above as the scribe’s feet danced on air.

Second Gathandrian Interlude

    Annyeke
    The mind-circle hovering over the Table of Meeting vanished, and Annyeke cried out. The force from the sudden disconnection pushed her outwards, causing her to lose her balance and sprawl onto the stone floor. Her thin green tunic tore at her thigh.
    One of the five elders rose to help her but she waved him away before bowing a little at her own rudeness. The gods knew she’d never understood the forms of etiquette. Johan was constantly attempting to show her how important they were, but she never seemed to retain the message.
    Now, she strode back to the table and grabbed her fallen chair. Not bothering to sit down, she stared around at the elders’ faces. As usual they gave nothing away. They weren’t even looking at her.
    “Well?” she said. “Where is it? Where’s the mind-circle?”
    A long silence, during which Annyeke found herself forcing down words she longed to say. Impatient ones. Finally the elder nearest her—a tall man with grey-streaked hair and the lines of age on his skin—opened his eyes and spoke.
    “It is no longer with us,” he said and his voice sounded like ancient stones scraped along a riverbed. “We must be patient and wait for the time to be right again.”
    “No, we mustn’t,” protested Annyeke. “We have to bring it back. We have to find out what’s happening in Lammas. I saw Johan. He appeared at the Place of Hanging with Isabella. We all saw them. What was he going to do? He might be in danger. If he had some sort of plan to rescue Hartstongue, then he’s going to need us.”
    “My child, it is not that simple,” the First Elder began, but Annyeke was in full flow and would stop for no one. Not even him.
    “Why isn’t it that simple?” She banged her fist down on the great table and the elder furthest from her jumped. “It should be. All these generations my people have trusted in the power of the elders. You’ve protected us, nurtured us and made us what we are. Now, when we need you most, you can’t help us at all. Gods and stars, you even allow our enemy to escape and cause this devastation. What kind of protection is that? And all I’m asking now is for the mind-circle to be restored so we can at least know what’s happening. Surely if we hold hands and link to each other again it can be done? If the scribe is alive, all three of them will need us.”
    When Annyeke finished speaking, her legs were trembling. It felt as if all the words had been sucked from her and were even now floating in the dust and brokenness of this once-proud room. She’d be damned if she’d sit down though. She didn’t want to show weakness, though of course they would sense it already. Wouldn’t they? Damn them. She supposed she would have to undergo some kind of extra training as punishment after what she had said. Well, she was strong enough to take it. Let them do as they wished.
    She glared at the First Elder, challenging him to speak. But when he did, it was not what she’d expected.
    He stood, gazed at her and sighed. “I am sorry, Annyeke. You are right in much of what you say. However, we cannot right all the wrongs now. Neither do we know whether the scribe still lives. Our enemy has torn our link with the Lammas Lands. We must take time to rebuild it. As you say, Johan will need our help.”
    Annyeke turned away and swallowed.
    “If he still lives,” she whispered.

Chapter Four: Rescue

    Simon
    As if from a great distance, Simon became aware of the sound of humming. He was walking through a meadow lined with trees, his hands touching feathered grasses. The air was cool. His throat felt raw but the humming still made him smile. Gradually it changed from simple notes to the beginnings of a tune. A woman’s voice. He couldn’t see where she might be; the sunlight was too bright, flashing between the branches and beating down. The surroundings reminded him of home and the last time he’d felt safe, so many years ago.
    Her voice faded and then returned, this time stronger. His mother? No, it was impossible, but…