they have done already to Breyard, whom they considered guilty? I leapt to my feet in a sudden panic. “Thank you,” I said, “but I really must go now.”
Nevis looked surprised but didn’t seem inclined to argue. Just then, voices out in the corridor heralded the arrival of the healer. Nevis rushed out of the room. I started to follow, intending to leave, but a familiar voice drifted down the corridor.
Master Larmstro! The academy’s most senior healer! He ran the infirmary in addition to his teaching duties, and his knowledge left even the most skilled masters in awe. I had a special interest in healing and took extra classes with him. It would be a disaster for him to find me here.
I turned my back to the door and stood in front of the window. Surely he wouldn’t recognize my silhouette. There were footsteps behind me, and I held my breath.
“No, Master,” Nevis said, “this room over here.”
I breathed again as I felt Master Larmstro’s presence retreat. There it was again—that weird sensitivity to life vibrations. Oleeda had said that that was maejic. Well, I didn’t like it, and I wished it would go away.
Once the door to the room across the corridor was safely closed, I drank another glassful of water, then found my own way out of the house.
I slipped out the front gate and looked around. This was the last house along the road, which, luckily for me, went straight to the nearby woods. That was where Oleeda expected me to find the dragon, or, more precisely, the dragon to find me.
It would start getting dark soon, and I wanted to be settled for the night in plenty of time. I hoisted my pack and headed for the woods at a quick pace.
Everything seemed at peace as I walked. The breeze tousled my hair, and birds flew high overhead, heading south for the Winter. As I passed a boggy area, I heard the self-satisfied croaking of toads and smelled the damp earth. The outdoors sang to me, and I smiled back.
There was maybe an hour of light left when I reached the edge of the woods. Once in the cool shade, it occurred to me that it would be dark even sooner under the trees. I searched for a likely spot to camp.
Not far from the path, I found a tiny clearing covered with fallen leaves, which I bunched up to make my bed. Then I gathered more dead leaves and dry twigs, and a nearby fallen tree provided plenty of firewood. Before long, a campfire crackled merrily in the dusk.
I made a supper of more bread and cheese, followed by two crisp, green apples. Kibee had included a small saucepan with my supplies, and I used it to heat water from my waterskin for herb tea. As the sun went down and the woods got dark in earnest, it also grew chilly. My cloak, which would double as a blanket, was in the bottom of my pack. When I shook it out to toss it across my shoulders, something fell to the ground. I picked up the unfamiliar packet in curiosity.
It was a black leather pouch about six inches long and three inches square, tied securely with a brown rawhide thong. What did it contain? I untied the thong and looked inside, but there wasn’t enough light to see. I tipped the contents into my hand to find a miniature set of meditation candles, small enough for traveling and complete with a set of four tiny pairs of candlesticks: gold for Summer, silver for Autumn, copper for Winter, and crystal for Spring.
That’s when it struck me that I hadn’t meditated all day. Consumed with my plans, I’d entirely neglected it. Today was the first day of health week, so I placed the pale green candles into the silver candlesticks, put everything else back in the pouch, and lit the candles.
In the peace of my little clearing, in the woods on a comfortable Autumn evening, it was easy to move through the meditation routine, and when I’d finished, I lay down for the night.
Of course, it might well have been the full day of unaccustomed activity and breathing the fresh, outdoor air. For whatever reason, it was easy to fall
Nevis looked surprised but didn’t seem inclined to argue. Just then, voices out in the corridor heralded the arrival of the healer. Nevis rushed out of the room. I started to follow, intending to leave, but a familiar voice drifted down the corridor.
Master Larmstro! The academy’s most senior healer! He ran the infirmary in addition to his teaching duties, and his knowledge left even the most skilled masters in awe. I had a special interest in healing and took extra classes with him. It would be a disaster for him to find me here.
I turned my back to the door and stood in front of the window. Surely he wouldn’t recognize my silhouette. There were footsteps behind me, and I held my breath.
“No, Master,” Nevis said, “this room over here.”
I breathed again as I felt Master Larmstro’s presence retreat. There it was again—that weird sensitivity to life vibrations. Oleeda had said that that was maejic. Well, I didn’t like it, and I wished it would go away.
Once the door to the room across the corridor was safely closed, I drank another glassful of water, then found my own way out of the house.
I slipped out the front gate and looked around. This was the last house along the road, which, luckily for me, went straight to the nearby woods. That was where Oleeda expected me to find the dragon, or, more precisely, the dragon to find me.
It would start getting dark soon, and I wanted to be settled for the night in plenty of time. I hoisted my pack and headed for the woods at a quick pace.
Everything seemed at peace as I walked. The breeze tousled my hair, and birds flew high overhead, heading south for the Winter. As I passed a boggy area, I heard the self-satisfied croaking of toads and smelled the damp earth. The outdoors sang to me, and I smiled back.
There was maybe an hour of light left when I reached the edge of the woods. Once in the cool shade, it occurred to me that it would be dark even sooner under the trees. I searched for a likely spot to camp.
Not far from the path, I found a tiny clearing covered with fallen leaves, which I bunched up to make my bed. Then I gathered more dead leaves and dry twigs, and a nearby fallen tree provided plenty of firewood. Before long, a campfire crackled merrily in the dusk.
I made a supper of more bread and cheese, followed by two crisp, green apples. Kibee had included a small saucepan with my supplies, and I used it to heat water from my waterskin for herb tea. As the sun went down and the woods got dark in earnest, it also grew chilly. My cloak, which would double as a blanket, was in the bottom of my pack. When I shook it out to toss it across my shoulders, something fell to the ground. I picked up the unfamiliar packet in curiosity.
It was a black leather pouch about six inches long and three inches square, tied securely with a brown rawhide thong. What did it contain? I untied the thong and looked inside, but there wasn’t enough light to see. I tipped the contents into my hand to find a miniature set of meditation candles, small enough for traveling and complete with a set of four tiny pairs of candlesticks: gold for Summer, silver for Autumn, copper for Winter, and crystal for Spring.
That’s when it struck me that I hadn’t meditated all day. Consumed with my plans, I’d entirely neglected it. Today was the first day of health week, so I placed the pale green candles into the silver candlesticks, put everything else back in the pouch, and lit the candles.
In the peace of my little clearing, in the woods on a comfortable Autumn evening, it was easy to move through the meditation routine, and when I’d finished, I lay down for the night.
Of course, it might well have been the full day of unaccustomed activity and breathing the fresh, outdoor air. For whatever reason, it was easy to fall
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