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She led the group on a tour of the main buildings of the upper tier of the city, past the various wings of the palace, down as far as the training grounds, and around governmental buildings. The Aushenians grew excited at the sight of the golden monkeys that roamed the grounds and even inside the palace. They had nothing like them in their country, they explained. Cori
Eventually, they came to the old ruin that housed the foundation stones from one of Edifus’s first defensive towers. The crumbled remains of this structure were enclosed in a modern building, a sort of pavilion that perched on arching legs and afforded views out in three of the compass’s directions. At its center stood a statue of Elenet in his youth. One of the chancellor’s aides stepped up to recite the first sorcerer’s tale, which in many ways was the Giver’s tale as well.
In the begi
“He became the first God Talker,” the aide said. “He taught his knowledge to a few chosen others. When the Giver learned of Elenet’s deception, he was disappointed. He turned his back to the world and went silent. He was never seen to walk the earth again. He did not sing anymore. Because of this we have the world as it is now.”
Judging by the way Igguldan fell to one knee and ran his hands over the fissures in the ancient stone, muttering to himself, the tale was well known to him already and quite affecting. Cori
“I wonder,” Igguldan said, “if it is true that Edifus was one of Elenet’s disciples. He was a sorcerer, I have heard said. That was why he-and Tinhadin after him-triumphed so completely. What do you think, Princess?”
“I have not thought much about it, but I do not see any reason to believe in magic. If my people had such a gift, then why do we not have it still?”
“So you don’t?” Igguldan asked, smiling. “You ca
“I hardly need magic to achieve that,” Cori
“Maybe so…” The prince thrummed the weathered stone with his fingers, stood on his toes a moment, and took in the scene below them to the east. “I guess I am a lesser man, then, because I love the Old Stories as they are. Your lore, in fact, plays a large part in our own legends. In Aushenia we have no doubt that men and women once practiced magic and that your people used it to master the world. There is a wonderful poem about how humans gained this knowledge. I will not recite it now for fear of embarrassing myself, but perhaps later I will get a chance to sing for you.”
“And what of magic now?” Cori
The Aushenian prince smiled but said no more. As they left Edifus’s ruins and followed the back path on its slow ascent toward the King’s Rest, Cori
“You would find Aushenia cold. Not as cold as the Mein-up there they scarcely see the sun in winter and it can snow any day of the year, even in the height of summer. Not so in Aushenia. True, we have a short summer, but it is vibrant. All the creatures and plants make use of the few months they have. In the spring the buds of flowers and new growth push right up from under the snow, as if one day the Giver grants them leave and then nothing can stand in their way. In the summer the weather is quite warm. We swim in the lakes in the north. Some even swim in the sea. At Killintich we have a swimming and foot race on the solstice day each summer. The racers swim from the castle pier to a point across the harbor. Then they run back again. It takes an entire day.”
The two paused for a moment at the foot of the last staircase. The others had fallen some distance behind. Cori
“In a place as far north as Aushenia, it is not the cold that has the most effect on you. It is the moments when the cold recedes.” Cori
The others had not yet reached them, but Igguldan took a step up and Cori
“Poets?”
“That is how we keep our history, in epic poems sung by our bards. In our courts, cases must be argued in verse. It is an odd formality, but it draws crowds to the more complicated cases.”
“How strange,” Cori
“You are the eldest son of your family?” Cori
Igguldan nodded. “I am. There are three after me, and two from my father’s second wife.”
Cori
“Well…Yes, my father reenacted the old codes, taking two wives to ensure the production of an heir. He need not have bothered, but…he was just being thorough.”
“I see. Are you likewise inclined to be thorough?”
“No, I will marry only once.”
They had reached the high balcony on the back of the King’s Rest. Cori