Category: Chapter Two

Chapter Two: §6

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

October – 1022 YD
Gesula, Lenyol

The knocking on Tàvae’s door went unanswered. After several minutes of waiting, Kesia let herself in to a cold house.
__The fireplace stood black and empty, blankets strewn across the rug before it. Two candles were draped over their holders, let to die unsupervised. Kesia frowned and examined the rooms, of which there were few, before going to the library—the double-height, rounded room with shelves that spiralled the walls: her aunt’s pride and joy—but that, too, was unoccupied.  Continue reading “Chapter Two: §6” →

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Chapter Two: §5

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

Spring – 1022 YD
Tenenum Temple, Miggest

The Duke of Edeen rewarded Sevína’s guidance with ample coin. She had relinquished her initial offence at offer of payment when news came that the drought was taking its first victims in the north. The gold she gave to Tenenum Temple, as protection for the adherents and children. Winter had brought little rain and crops continued to fail.
__Offerings came daily to the temples. Perhaps, as some whispered, penance was due for waning worship. The Black Dragon would accept their suffering as atonement, and deliver rain—in autumn—in winter—in spring? Continue reading “Chapter Two: §5” →

Chapter Two: §4

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

Winter – 1022 YD
Gesula, Lenyol

Until winter, Kengar taught both girls the essentials of their trade. Mellena had less aptitude than Kesia, and less obeisance, and Kengar tended to teach them separately. Kesia eagerly learnt the history he taught her, while Mellena hungered for practical instruction, and he catered for both with the dedication he had promised. Once fortnightly he left the village, leaving them to be instructed by his wife. Tàvae enjoyed expanding on her husband’s tendency for overviews and summaries, and her fireside lessons were a welcome reprieve from the cold. Continue reading “Chapter Two: §4” →

Chapter Two: §3

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

Spring – 1021 YD
Miggest

Rumours of a foreign man acquiring friends in the northern aristocracy found their way to Sevína. Only esteemed nobility, wealth, or skill could quell the natural hostility Miggestians felt toward outsiders; her mistrust was piqued, and she began to seek him out. When word arrived that the man would be hosted at Tenenum Temple over Imbolc, she departed the capital for Ona. She was received at Tenenum Temple, which stood in the forest east of the city, with warmth as she frequented it often to assist in the orphanage. Its black marble structure and elaborate engravings were also beyond compare in the region, and it was here she had trained as a priestess before becoming a weaver. Continue reading “Chapter Two: §3” →

Chapter Two: §2

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

(Continued)
Gesula Forest, Lenyol

Kesia stood by Kengar at the edge of a large and perfect circle carved in the earth. In it stood a ring of large standing stones socked with moss, their diameter no less than thirty yards. Though Midsummer was past, the grass within the stones was thick and the earth moist.
   ‘What kind of secret is this?’ Kesia asked, stepping down the embankment with care. ‘It must be almost the size of the Claes!’
   ‘Not quite.’
   Kesia shivered at the energy vibrating between the stones. She followed her uncle’s lead and took to the ground in their centre with crossed legs. Continue reading “Chapter Two: §2” →

Chapter Two: Beginning §1

On By F. T. Hall-BowdenIn Chapter Two2 Comments

January – 1022 YD
Gesula Temple, Lenyol

Months passed. Kesia stood nervously at the entrance of Gesula Temple clad in bronze ceremonial tunic and trousers. Beside her in identical garb were Lasair and Toran. A dragon of golden thread was embroidered both on their chests and the right leg of their trousers, the first coiled, the second stretched to the knee. Mellena was with them also but, unsure of etiquette, her mother had embroidered the same fabric with flowers instead.
   Priest Caleb ascended the hill near the temple carrying a basket of candles. He came upon the four youths and smiled. Inside, villagers and their parents smuggled excited waves. Continue reading “Chapter Two: Beginning §1” →