Read Online Dragon Choir by Benjamin Descovich - Free Book Online

Islands
awaited.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER SIX
    Uighara
     
    The scaphoid on
the blackstone rattled and a dim yellow glow radiated around the
sacrificial bone. The redeemer placed his hands on the polished jet
tablet, knowing who it would be. The fourth time today and less
than half the day had past; it was a waste of a good
carpal.
    A delicate
murmur whispered from the ether.
    All the bone
of Jando and he’ll sacrifice a distal phalanx to make reach;
parsimonious old dotard. Shuffling in his seat, Uighara removed two
metacarpals and sacrificed them on the blackstone, praying for a
better connection.
    “ Almighty Lord, hear my call, take this generous offering and
strengthen the reach of your humble servant’s devotion.”
    The glow took
to the additional bones and the voice of the High Priest pressed
from the ether with a sudden, glaring clarity.
    “ Brother? Come on then, answer ... Make reach. Is this even
working?”
    Uighara
grinned. The old fool could wait.
    “ I know you can hear me! I feel you there, damn you! Spit
spat, I’ll have your head for a hat!”
    “ Your Grace, I apologise. Your voice was not clear. What say
you about a cat?”
    “ I sense your levity. Mark the distance you travel from the
Lord’s path, lest you lose your way. He is ever
vigilant!”
    “ Yes, Your Grace, wise words from Oranica’s most sage. You
will assuredly join Saint Jan and Saint Norin beside the Lord’s
golden thro—”
    “ Enough of that now; your platitudes are not easily
digested.”
    “ Of course, Your Grace. What do you require of me? I do not
wish to waste your time.”
    “ That remains to be seen. Have you caught that sinful little
man yet?”
    “ The pirate ship we have been tracking was not Kobb’s
ship.”
    “ Don’t speak the name of that recalcitrant little
whelp.”
    “ Your Grace, surely the greater mission is the capture and
redemption of a more potent sinner.”
    “ I’ve given you everything you need to accomplish that,
nothing in my power has been spared.”
    “ The armada, your Grace. How went your discussions with the
Lord’s high admiral?”
    “ Very well indeed. Such a shrewd man. You could learn a tot or
two from him.”
    “ So he’s agreed to send the Armada? Your sainthood is
assured.”
    “ Not so.”
    “ That will be a problem. Did you not just order him? You are
the Word of the Lord, he must obey.”
    “ There is no problem. I quite agree with him. As does the rest
of the Council.”
    “ What? You ... I cannot bring you the greatest sacrifice
without the armada. How else will you be blessed a saint! Calimska
will forever be a thorn in the heel of the Lord, halting the march
of redemption. Precipitous sin and sorcery lurk at our very
doorstep. Only one thing can reform this land. We must strike at
the heart of the evil. These wyrms behave as gods unto themselves,
hoarding his treasure, corrupting his power. They forget the
almighty creator!”
    “ Calm yourself, dear Brother.”
    Uighara wiped
his brow with his white silk sleeve. “My apologies, Your
Grace.”
    “ Your fervour will be rewarded, but the Council is in no hurry
for my sainthood. Do not fear, Jando will survive another season
and I will endure. The Council is less concerned with redemption
and more so with pirates and rebels leeching our
strength.”
    “ Then I will bring you proof of the pirate lair from the mouth
of our new Commodore.”
    “ Yes, that will serve all our interests, Brother. Redemption
is but one of the Lord’s miracles. We must accommodate compassion
for the Lord’s faithful with equal measure.”
    “ As you say.”
    “ Lord’s blessings go with you, Brother.”
    “ Also with you, Your Grace”
    The ether
retracted from Uighara’s mind. Three neat white piles, tiny dust
mountains, were all that remained of his sacrifice, the essence now
degraded. He puffed across the blackstone, blowing the dull powder
off its mirror surface. A gentle press and