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“The Fourth Order once offered healing only to those ere true adherents of the Faith but now they open their ar and confident in the knowledge that they ainst us and ill still heal them

“My own Order once kept records of Denier sects and practices going back centuries, but not o they were destroyed to make yet more room for the Royal accounts we are now required to keep I knohat I say er or shock many in this chamber, but believe me brothers and sisters, we have tied the Faith too closely to the Realm and the Crown And that is ere attacked, because our enemies see our weakness if we do not”

The silence was palpable, broken only by the choked rage of Aspect Dendrish whothis… this heresy and still expect to be made Aspect?”

“I come before you to speak the truth in the hope our Faith will return to its true path As for your approval, I do not require it I am the choice of my Order My election was unopposed and no other will come before you The articles of the Faith state you must be consulted before my ascension, that is all Arey head stiffly, either too shocked or too outraged to speak

“Then we have consulted and I thank you all for your attention I pray you will all heed my words Now I must return to my Order, for I have much to do” He bowed and turned to walk briskly froe, the asseer at Al Forne’s retreating back, the words “heretic” and “traitor” loudest a the chalance The tu above the cla Aspect Arlyn to seize Al Forne and take hihout it all

Vaelin noticed Caenis had used up his supply of parch his pockets forhe had to shout to be heard

“Never,” Caenis replied, finding a scrap of parch it in script “Not ever in the history of the Faith”

Chapter 7

Autuain all the novice brothers passed Predictably Caenis, Nortah and Dentos excelled themselves whilst Barkus and Vaelin proved only adequate, at least by the standards of the Order They were rewarded with permission to attend the Summertide Fair, delayed for two months due to the riots

Both Vaelin and Nortah opted to remain behind There were rurievance and it seemed pointless to invite retribution at the scene of their humiliation Besides, Nortah had no wish to revisit an event synony in the woods with Scratch, the slave-hound’s nose quickly leading theh the ani the carcass back to the kitchens they decided to butcher it on the spot and ca in the woods, the leaves of early autureenish bronze blanket on the forest floor and shafts of sunlight strea branches

“There are worse places to be,” Vaelin observed, cutting a slice from the haunch of venison spitted over their ca a slice of meat to Scratch

Vaelin hid his surprise Since his father’s execution Nortah rarely spoke of his life before the Order “Where is it? Your home”

“In the south, three hundred acres of land bordered by the Hebril river My father’s house was set on the shores of Lake Rihl It had been a castle when he was a boy but he’d es We had over sixty roo in the woods, when he wasn’t at Varinshold on the King’s business”

“Did he tell you what he did for the King?”

“Many times, he wanted me to learn He said one day I would serve Prince Malcius the sa Janus It was the duty of our faave a short, bitter laugh

“Did he ever tell you about the ith the Meldeneans?”

Nortah gave hilance “When your father burned their city you mean? He only mentioned it once He said the Meldeneans couldn’t hate us anyof ould happen if they didn’t leave our ships and our coast in peace My father was a very pragreatly”