The Gathandrian Trilogy 03 - The Executioners Cane

nothing I can do through the way I live my life or lose it can ever in any sense make up for what you and your people have had to face.”
    He swallowed and Frankel stared at him. Several emotions passed over the old man’s expression but Simon did not wish to take the liberty of naming any of them. It was not his right. As he waited for the man to speak, if indeed he was intending to do so, the scribe became aware of the light and the falling snow beyond the narrow window. He could feel the sharp tug of an occasional draught through the door-curtain and heard the soft cries of the snow-raven. Soon, he understood, he might need to respond to the bird’s demands, whatever they might bring him, but for now he simply wished for Frankel to speak. Still, when the old man did so, Simon felt his heart beat faster.
    “There is a difference,” his companion said, “between knowing something and understanding it. Being married has taught me that.”
    Simon smiled. At the same moment, another noise began to announce itself alongside the snow-raven’s calls. The distant murmur of people, and they did not sound calm. He shivered before drawing himself up a little taller in his chair. Finding this was not enough however, the scribe stood, wiping away the sudden sweat lining his palms.
    “My wife,” Frankel said, as if making an announcement which might come as a surprise to Simon. “She has found the villagers. She is returning. It is not long till the midday-hour. We must prepare.”

Fourth Gathandrian Interlude

    Annyeke

    She stood in the middle of her work-area in the former Council of Meditation building and surveyed the scene of near-devastation around her. It didn’t take long. There wasn’t much to see. In one corner of the room, Johan was in the process of placing scattered books into a neat pile while Talus helped him, trying to put their Meditation Records in order. In all truth, Annyeke was astonished there was anything left to put in order anyway. Since the end of the war, she had assumed everything would be different. It was reassuring to see some things from the past had nonetheless remained.
    And here she was about to change them.
    Because she needed to set up the Council of Elders again and, for that, they required a meeting place. The old Council building was destroyed, along with the great Library, and it would take many moon-cycles to rebuild them. For now, they would have to meet here, in the Meditation Building. Yes, some of it was open to the air, both walls and roof, but there would be enough shelter to protect them from the worst of the weather. And if it was more open so their fellow-Gathandrians could wander in at will, let them. She had nothing to hide.
    Johan stood and smiled down at Talus, still busy with the remaining records.
    “Are you sure you want to make your base here?” he asked her and she nodded a response.
    “Yes,” she confirmed it, holding his gaze. “There should be enough good rooms here for the elders to meet and for the Meditation staff to work also.”
    “Especially as there are so few of us.”
    “Yes, especially because of that.”
    Annyeke said no more. She understood her life-partner’s reluctance to give up his work domain to the discredited elders. Somehow she had to find the balance between being one of the people, a privilege she would never give up in a thousand life-cycles, and being First Elder. She knew she could do it; it was simply a matter of time.
    Johan smiled. “Sometimes I can see your thoughts only from your face, my love; there is no need to link to your mind to know you.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “I’ll have you know we redheads have in any case no need to dissemble as we’re always right. It’s a known fact of life.”
    Annyeke’s aim had been to make him laugh but instead the man she loved frowned and moved closer to her.
    “Right enough to use the rooms which should belong to me, when I have so little left of the Council of Meditation?” he whispered.
    She blinked. In truth, she could not judge him for his accusation; she had not spoken or linked with him before coming here. She could see more clearly there were many things a First Elder must learn, and amongst them was how to be a wife to this man.
    “Forgive me, I did not think to share with you what was in my mind,” she whispered in return. “I forget I am no longer alone. I forget that now we two fight together against all the world if need be, not apart. Johan: I ask