Read Online Warlock and Son by Christopher Stasheff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Stasheff
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction - General, Fiction - Science Fiction, Fantasy Fiction; American, Fantasy - General, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Wizards, Fantastic fiction, Gallowglass; Magnus (Fictitious character), Gallowglass; Rod (Fictitious character)
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virtues of charity! To tell them that Faith is a gift, then condemn 'em for not having it yet! To tell 'em nothing can be good except what he tells 'em to do!
Nay, surely I ought not have let 'em do it to thee! Surely I should have stood against thy mother, taken thee, and fled to the forest! Surely I should have taken thee from the nuns ere they beat out of thee thy regard for thyself, afore they ground thy soul down, making thee to think thyself vile for being male! Nay, and surely, when the priest did thunder at thee that thou must needs take a wife and rear up bairns, whether any lass did suit thee or no, then surely I should have ta'en thee and gone, the two of us together
'gainst the wild beasts of the forestfor better the wolves of the greenwood than the jackals in black robes, who prey upon souls!" Tears glistened on his cheeks. "Nay, they can't hurt thee anymore, lad, though God knows I'll miss thee shrewdly! At the least, thy suffering's done! Nay, I did wrong to marry me! I did wrong to father thee!"
That was too much; Rod winced and took Magnus's arm, turning him away and back to the horses.
"We're eavesdropping on something intensely personal. Let the poor man alone in his grief." Magnus gave him a peculiar look, but turned away and mounted, then brought his horse alongside Rod's, riding beside him-but from the abstracted look on his face, and his conspicuous silence, Rod suspected he was still listening mentally to the bereaved father. He was about to rebuke his son when he remembered that Magnus was a man grown now, presumably with a fully formed conscience. Either that conscience was lacking, in which case it was too late for Rod to do anything about it, or that conscience was sound, in which case Magnus had detected something in the man's thoughts that Rod hadn't been aware of.
Such as wanting everyone to know what he felt the priests had done to his son?
Then why not have shouted it aloud at the funeral? Because he was afraid. Afraid? Of priests and nuns? Of people devoted to goodness and charity?
It seemed highly unlikely, but Rod remembered the Spanish Inquisition, the crusade against the Albigenses, and the fires of Smithfield. He reserved judgement. Then, too, these clergy had a distinctly homemade look about them; there was no guarantee that their dogma bore any resemblance to his own. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't heard the "bishop" mention the name of Christ at all. Of course, there would have been no point in Roble's shouting charges to the faithful, who were unshakeable in their beliefs.
But to outsiders?
Rod glanced up at his son's faraway gaze, and decided not to interrupt.
5
Rod reined in with a sigh. "I don't think we'll ever agree on that one, son," he said, finally breaking the silence.
"But they do have the right to be governed as they wish!" Magnus exclaimed. "And if they desire to have a tyrant like that priest bellow and rail at them, if they wish to have him enforce their will with ostracism, who are we to tell them nay?"
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"The sane ones, that's who."
Magnus started to say something, then caught himselfbut Rod had intercepted the split-second burst of thought that gave rise to the words, and reddened. "I'm a fine one to talk, is that it? If you'll excuse me, son, I think I'd better ride apart for a while. You don't need me to chaperone you, after all."
"I did not mean. . ." Magnus began, but broke off, seeing his father disappear off the trail and into the woods. Resentment burgeoned within him at his father's rejection. Then he smiled, as he realized he could agree with Rod on one thing-he didn't need a parent watching over him like a hawk. Savoring that thought, he turned away-but he still felt a little guilty at having offended his father.
"There be no need to feel remorse when thou hast done right, young warlock." Magnus looked up, startled. By the side of the road, gunnysack
Nay, surely I ought not have let 'em do it to thee! Surely I should have stood against thy mother, taken thee, and fled to the forest! Surely I should have taken thee from the nuns ere they beat out of thee thy regard for thyself, afore they ground thy soul down, making thee to think thyself vile for being male! Nay, and surely, when the priest did thunder at thee that thou must needs take a wife and rear up bairns, whether any lass did suit thee or no, then surely I should have ta'en thee and gone, the two of us together
'gainst the wild beasts of the forestfor better the wolves of the greenwood than the jackals in black robes, who prey upon souls!" Tears glistened on his cheeks. "Nay, they can't hurt thee anymore, lad, though God knows I'll miss thee shrewdly! At the least, thy suffering's done! Nay, I did wrong to marry me! I did wrong to father thee!"
That was too much; Rod winced and took Magnus's arm, turning him away and back to the horses.
"We're eavesdropping on something intensely personal. Let the poor man alone in his grief." Magnus gave him a peculiar look, but turned away and mounted, then brought his horse alongside Rod's, riding beside him-but from the abstracted look on his face, and his conspicuous silence, Rod suspected he was still listening mentally to the bereaved father. He was about to rebuke his son when he remembered that Magnus was a man grown now, presumably with a fully formed conscience. Either that conscience was lacking, in which case it was too late for Rod to do anything about it, or that conscience was sound, in which case Magnus had detected something in the man's thoughts that Rod hadn't been aware of.
Such as wanting everyone to know what he felt the priests had done to his son?
Then why not have shouted it aloud at the funeral? Because he was afraid. Afraid? Of priests and nuns? Of people devoted to goodness and charity?
It seemed highly unlikely, but Rod remembered the Spanish Inquisition, the crusade against the Albigenses, and the fires of Smithfield. He reserved judgement. Then, too, these clergy had a distinctly homemade look about them; there was no guarantee that their dogma bore any resemblance to his own. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't heard the "bishop" mention the name of Christ at all. Of course, there would have been no point in Roble's shouting charges to the faithful, who were unshakeable in their beliefs.
But to outsiders?
Rod glanced up at his son's faraway gaze, and decided not to interrupt.
5
Rod reined in with a sigh. "I don't think we'll ever agree on that one, son," he said, finally breaking the silence.
"But they do have the right to be governed as they wish!" Magnus exclaimed. "And if they desire to have a tyrant like that priest bellow and rail at them, if they wish to have him enforce their will with ostracism, who are we to tell them nay?"
Page 33
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"The sane ones, that's who."
Magnus started to say something, then caught himselfbut Rod had intercepted the split-second burst of thought that gave rise to the words, and reddened. "I'm a fine one to talk, is that it? If you'll excuse me, son, I think I'd better ride apart for a while. You don't need me to chaperone you, after all."
"I did not mean. . ." Magnus began, but broke off, seeing his father disappear off the trail and into the woods. Resentment burgeoned within him at his father's rejection. Then he smiled, as he realized he could agree with Rod on one thing-he didn't need a parent watching over him like a hawk. Savoring that thought, he turned away-but he still felt a little guilty at having offended his father.
"There be no need to feel remorse when thou hast done right, young warlock." Magnus looked up, startled. By the side of the road, gunnysack
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