Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 105 (February 2019) by John Joseph Adams

Author:John Joseph Adams [John Joseph Adams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Joseph Adams
Published: 2019-01-28T19:32:34+00:00

8

Vrath went in search of the old guard.

Older warriors who had once fought and seen great conflicts in yesteryears, now the old guard were ailing or aging and unable to take part in active combat, but they gathered daily in a garden adjoining the royal palace and talked robustly of old wars and fierce battles and slain enemies. Sha’ant had brought Vrath there shortly after he first came to court to listen to their wisdom, to learn about the art of war from those who had actually waged it. “This score of old warriors,” he had told Vrath fondly, “when taken together, they represent close to two millennia of fighting knowledge and experience. No guru could possibly tell you all they know. You can learn more by simply listening to their arguments than you would from most masters of weapons and pundits of strategy.”

Vrath did not tell him that in his short lifespan he had seen, experienced, and learned possibly far more than these twenty old warriors had in their combined lifetimes—indeed, he possibly knew the same battles and conflicts they spoke of as intimately as they did, for he had “watched” many of those wars when they were waged, thanks to the intensive training of his great-grandfather Coldheart and his own divine gifts.

Despite his prodigious advantages, he still learned a great deal from the old guard. And in time he began to share his own observations as well. At first, the elder warriors were suspicious, even hostile to this upstart young boy who dared to speak of conflicts waged when he was not yet born. But they soon realized that far from being some self-important prince airing immature views, he was a prodigy who somehow knew crucial details and elements of battles that even they who were there lacked full knowledge of, and spoke of sieges with an authority that suggested that he had actually been present.

The old guard began to use a term to describe this extraordinary perceptiveness that Vrath displayed: They termed it blood memory. “His blood is the blood of his Krushan ancestors,” said one of them, “and that rich blood carries with it the knowledge of all the deeds and experiences of his forebears. Somehow, young Vrath is able to access that vast store of knowledge and speak of it.” At this, the others had all dipped their white heads and beards and agreed solemnly, “Blood memories.” And in time, they began to respect his deep insights and formidable store of knowledge and even sought his opinion on occasion. Whenever any two or more of them reached an impasse in an argument over some detail of a battle or campaign, they would eventually turn to Vrath and sigh, “My prince, settle the matter!” And Vrath would provide the crucial missing detail that would enable them to resolve the argument, without actually taking sides.

He came to them now. They greeted him with warmth, for since his duties of kingship had increased, he did not have as much time to spend with them as before.

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.