The Gathandrian Trilogy 03 - The Executioners Cane

need them later.
    As he continued his climb to the castle, the clouds above him darkened and made the brilliance of the snow-raven’s body brighter still. Somehow the light of it guided him through the trees. And there was always a slight smell of burning.
    After the length of a story’s end, he finally reached the clearing. Ahead of him, the Tregannon family home loomed like a greater forest, although one made from stone. But it was not how it had been. The grandeur, the sense of physical domination had vanished. Half the roof was missing, jagged stone stretching up towards the sky, into the emptiness where the turrets had once stood tall. The north side of the building had gone, shattered stonework spreading out across the courtyard, and the shutters on the windows flapped in the breeze, loosed from their customary moorings. Simon thought they looked like nothing more than the hands of children trying to attract his attention. He swallowed. This was where Ralph had lived, and where he must surely be living still, but for all his skills, both newly-discovered and old, Simon could sense no hint of the man he loved. He could sense no hint of anyone. He felt nothing but a strange silence.
    Above him, the snow-raven gave yet another wild cry and launched himself towards the castle. Simon watched as the great bird flew three times round the courtyard and then alighted on what looked to be the most secure section of the rooftop. Still, the unexpected weight caused several stones to fall, landing with a cloud of dust on the ground. Then the raven turned in Simon’s direction and half-unfurled his wings as if to offer a challenge.
    Simon took a breath, reached out for the mind-cane which had followed him as closely as one of Ralph’s hounds and felt its answering warmth on his skin. He began the last part of his journey to the castle.
    This too proved neither easy nor pleasant. At the stream, the guard’s booth lay ruined, and no soldier stood watch. The small bridge had been washed away entirely and he had to make his way through the water, gasping as it soaked through to his skin. Narrow though the water course was, by the time Simon scrambled up on the other side, he was shivering. He stood on the churned up earth and shook the water from his legs. At the same time, the memory of the first time he’d visited the castle swept through his thoughts: the courtyard full of people commencing their day; the sheer grandeur of his surroundings; the clatter of the soldiers’ weapons; the way Ralph had looked at him.
    He shook his head, but found he could not dislodge the memory quite so easily. No matter. He needed to find the people, or at least a clue as to where they might be. Now that he was on the other side of the water, he began to be aware of the sensations of other minds in his. There were people here then. Not many but enough for him to form an impression of despair, fear and hopelessness which would no doubt overwhelm him if the men and women he sought were closer. He glanced down at the cane. It was glowing just at the point where his hand grasped it. He thought it might be enhancing the power of the feelings hovering within the castle grounds. Would it perhaps help him to bear those feelings also? Only the time-cycle would reveal that truth.
    Clutching his cloak further around him to keep in what warmth there was, he made his way around Ralph’s fortified home. Upon closer inspection, the damage was worse than he had feared. Not only were parts of the castle entirely gone, leaving the spaces inside open to the wind and weather, but each remaining stone had been scarred and knocked almost imperceptibly out of place. He was no stone-craftsman, but he was surprised to see so much of it remained standing. Stepping back, he glanced upwards to where the snow-raven continued to perch, gazing down at him with that all-seeing dark eye. Surely the bird’s weight would be of no benefit to this potential ruin? Simon had already done enough damage to the lives of the Lammas people. Causing more, even unwittingly, would be unthinkable. He had to entice the raven down, but how?
    For lack of any other ideas, and with his mind filled with memories of watching Ralph in the hawk-hunts, he stretched out his free hand and made a low crooning noise. The results were not what he’d anticipated.
    The cane in his other hand bucked and spat. A single silver flame flowed, so quickly his eye could barely catch it, from the intricate