Read Online The Fall of Chance by Terry McGowan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terry McGowan
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tens, twenties, thirties. This wasn’t showmanship, it was just a desecrated old mind at work. If this was going to be the standard every time, they were in for a long wait.
At last, the finger fell upon entry sixty-three and its corresponding name. “Stryker!” Croker declared.
The kids all looked to a long-haired boy who Unt knew casually. He was sat a dozen places to Unt’s right. It took a moment for those in the crowd who didn’t know him to catch on but very quickly, all eyes were on Stryker. He sat there, pale and wide-eyed with his mouth gaping fish-wise.
“Mr Stryker,” said Kelly, “Rise, cast your dice and announce the score to the assembly.”
Stryker staggered to his feet and with a trembling hand, did as instructed. The noise of the cubes falling on wood was small but loud in the dead-still chamber where six hundred people watched expectantly. The dice rebounded from a lip at the top of the bench, continued to roll briefly and then quickly settled.
The twelve people between Unt and Stryker were leaning to peer past one-another in order to read the result. Unt couldn’t see the tops of the dice but he could see the sides. From this angle, Stryker’s red die showed a two and a six; the white one showed a three and a two. A lifetime of rolling dice meant Unt didn’t need to see the tops to know that Stryker had rolled a three and a six.
“Nine!” squeaked Stryker just as Unt got the same score.
“Let it be recorded that Mr Stryker rolled a nine,” Kelly spoke to Morley who stooped his head further and began etching in his claw-like hand.
Kelly looked through his own list, much quicker than Croker and arrived at Stryker’s figures. “Mr Stryker,” he said, “You have a neutral Aptitude Modifier and a Talent Modifier of one in favour of the Craftsmen. Your Aptitude-Modified score of nine is within your Talent Range. You are hereby entered into the Order of Craftsmen.”
He’d rolled a nine and the Order of Craftsmen was number eight but as he was within one place of that number, his Talent Modifier of one had pulled him into the Craftsmen.
The look on Stryker’s face might have been relief or could equally have been disappointment. He was too fraught with worry to tell but just because someone had shown a Talent for a particular Order, that wasn’t always where they wanted to be.
Kelly consulted another page, just as people around the Hall were doing with their own papers. They were checking for what posts were available among the Makers.
“There are five openings within the Order of Makers,” he read out, “One glazier, one furniture-maker, a cooper, a plumber and a wheelwright. Your Vocational Map will give posts as follows: one to five: glazier; six to seven: furniture-maker; eight to nine: cooper; ten, plumber; and eleven to twelve: wheelwright. Please roll.”
Stryker rolled again. This time, Unt couldn’t see past the crowd at all but he soon heard the boy say, “Five”.
Kelly looked at his chart and confirmed. “Mr Stryker, I confirm you to the post of glazier.”
Stryker slumped forward on his bench, head in hands. Unt guessed it was a good result from the way his neighbours thumped his back enthusiastically. And so it had begun: one post was down, a hundred and sixteen more remained.
* * * *
The results rolled on in after that as Morley and Croker slowly came to life. A girl called Letty joined the Educators and a boy called Shep joined the Clerks. Two more joined the Labourers in quick succession and then a girl known for singing joined the Artisans.
Unt listened to each one as far as the Order was determined but once it was clear they weren’t a threat to his post he lost interest. His heart was in his mouth as two of the next three fell within the Managers but one became a surveyor and another became a stores overseer.
It was a relief but it was a mix of good and
At last, the finger fell upon entry sixty-three and its corresponding name. “Stryker!” Croker declared.
The kids all looked to a long-haired boy who Unt knew casually. He was sat a dozen places to Unt’s right. It took a moment for those in the crowd who didn’t know him to catch on but very quickly, all eyes were on Stryker. He sat there, pale and wide-eyed with his mouth gaping fish-wise.
“Mr Stryker,” said Kelly, “Rise, cast your dice and announce the score to the assembly.”
Stryker staggered to his feet and with a trembling hand, did as instructed. The noise of the cubes falling on wood was small but loud in the dead-still chamber where six hundred people watched expectantly. The dice rebounded from a lip at the top of the bench, continued to roll briefly and then quickly settled.
The twelve people between Unt and Stryker were leaning to peer past one-another in order to read the result. Unt couldn’t see the tops of the dice but he could see the sides. From this angle, Stryker’s red die showed a two and a six; the white one showed a three and a two. A lifetime of rolling dice meant Unt didn’t need to see the tops to know that Stryker had rolled a three and a six.
“Nine!” squeaked Stryker just as Unt got the same score.
“Let it be recorded that Mr Stryker rolled a nine,” Kelly spoke to Morley who stooped his head further and began etching in his claw-like hand.
Kelly looked through his own list, much quicker than Croker and arrived at Stryker’s figures. “Mr Stryker,” he said, “You have a neutral Aptitude Modifier and a Talent Modifier of one in favour of the Craftsmen. Your Aptitude-Modified score of nine is within your Talent Range. You are hereby entered into the Order of Craftsmen.”
He’d rolled a nine and the Order of Craftsmen was number eight but as he was within one place of that number, his Talent Modifier of one had pulled him into the Craftsmen.
The look on Stryker’s face might have been relief or could equally have been disappointment. He was too fraught with worry to tell but just because someone had shown a Talent for a particular Order, that wasn’t always where they wanted to be.
Kelly consulted another page, just as people around the Hall were doing with their own papers. They were checking for what posts were available among the Makers.
“There are five openings within the Order of Makers,” he read out, “One glazier, one furniture-maker, a cooper, a plumber and a wheelwright. Your Vocational Map will give posts as follows: one to five: glazier; six to seven: furniture-maker; eight to nine: cooper; ten, plumber; and eleven to twelve: wheelwright. Please roll.”
Stryker rolled again. This time, Unt couldn’t see past the crowd at all but he soon heard the boy say, “Five”.
Kelly looked at his chart and confirmed. “Mr Stryker, I confirm you to the post of glazier.”
Stryker slumped forward on his bench, head in hands. Unt guessed it was a good result from the way his neighbours thumped his back enthusiastically. And so it had begun: one post was down, a hundred and sixteen more remained.
* * * *
The results rolled on in after that as Morley and Croker slowly came to life. A girl called Letty joined the Educators and a boy called Shep joined the Clerks. Two more joined the Labourers in quick succession and then a girl known for singing joined the Artisans.
Unt listened to each one as far as the Order was determined but once it was clear they weren’t a threat to his post he lost interest. His heart was in his mouth as two of the next three fell within the Managers but one became a surveyor and another became a stores overseer.
It was a relief but it was a mix of good and
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