Child of Night and Day by Andrew Q. Gordon

Author:Andrew Q. Gordon [Gordon, Andrew Q.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-63533-324-4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2017-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

THE STREETS emptying into the plaza in front of the temple continued to fill. Either it was an incredible coincidence that everyone arrived at almost the same time, or the “unorganized mob” had someone directing their movements. Farrell believed it to be the latter. And the someone organizing things answered to Meglar.

“What magical protections do you have around the temple?” Farrell asked. He could see there was something there, but not what they were.

“We have some.” Lingum continued to gaze across the plaza.

Farrell bit back a retort and swallowed before he replied. “Father, this is no time to be evasive. I can see you have some defenses, but I can’t tell what they do. I need to know what, if any, effort I should devote to protecting the temple.”

“For centuries—millennia—priests have taught magic at this temple. There is more knowledge on wizardry here than anywhere else on Nendor.” He tore his gaze from the open space. “I’m confident the temple is well protected.”

“Theoretical knowledge is fine, but how it’s implemented is what matters.”

“Give me your hand.” Lingum held out his right hand. Farrell stared at Lingum before doing as asked. “I’m not a wizard. I don’t know what the spells do. Look through my eyes and see for yourself.”

Farrell raised an eyebrow at the level of trust Lingum showed him. “You honor me beyond words. I can’t say I’d have made the same offer.”

“Chosen, my life has been devoted to Falcron and His work. To fail to make use of the weapon He sent us in our time of need would make me a poor high priest.”

Farrell cocked his head and looked at Lingum. “You think Falcron sent me?”

“You don’t find it convenient you’re here at the precise moment we need you most?” He dropped his hand and looked at Farrell like he was speaking to a student during a lesson.

“That’s one theory,” Farrell said. “But the Six aren’t allowed to take direct action. More likely, my presence spurred Meglar’s operatives in Bowient into action.”

“Agreed.” Lingum nodded. “It might seem happenstance to you, but answer this: how did everyone react when you insisted on coming to Bowient for answers?”

Farrell laughed. “You saw how they felt.”

“And yet your desire to come here never went away. In fact, I’d say it was a need to seek me out. You sought Jolella’s help because it was that important, correct?”

“Yes, that’s true. I needed to come here.”

“And it had to be now.” Lingum raised an eyebrow. “Still think it was all just a coincidence?”

There was a certain logic in Lingum’s argument. “But….”

“Think of it like this,” Lingum said. “We now know that Meglar’s operatives have been in Bowient for at least a short time. And it’s safe to assume they’re not here to help the good citizens of the city.”

Farrell snorted. “No, they are not.”

“So what better way to deal with them than to have His Champion come to the city and get them to act while you and Kel are here?” Lingum paused, but Farrell had no ready answer.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.