Schism: Part One of Triad (Saga of the Skolian Empire) by Asaro Catherine

Author:Asaro, Catherine [Asaro, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2010-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

Ralcon, god of night,

Spreading stars wide,

Spreading stars through the sky,

The dark sky,

Dark as his eyes,

Dark as his hair,

Dark as the night.

The charmed goddess rose,

The goddess of light,

The goddess of Dawn,

Of luminous new Dawn.

Ralcon, god of the dark,

Of fertile, sensual dark,

He brings the Dawn,

The pearly Dawn,

But lives beyond her light.

While he sang, the boys made appreciative chimes with their voices, like music to accompany him. The melody sparkled among the trees. Other riders had pulled closer as Shannon sang, and now they added rills of approval. It made Shannon smile. He had spent many an hour with his father during his childhood learning to sing. He had so loved those days.

His good mood faded. Never again would his father sing with him.

He talked with the boys for a while, but eventually they rode off to explore the woods, away from adults, which apparently included him. Shannon wished he could go with them. He missed running through the Dalvador Plains.

“You are good with them,” Elarion said.

“They remind me of myself.” Shannon’s mood had turned pensive as he thought of his childhood.

“It is good, the things you tell them.”

That surprised Shannon. “What do you mean?”

“It is hard to say exactly.” Elarion paused. “Your words have honor. Your ken has music.”

Shannon rolled the arrow Elarion had given him between his fingers. Then he reached back and pulled an arrow out of his own quiver, a green glasswood beauty he had carved last night. He offered it to Elarion. “For friendship.”

The Archer inclined his head as he accepted the arrow. “May we share it always.” He put the green arrow in his quiver and Shannon slid the purple one into his. In Dalvador, it would never have occurred to him to offer an arrow to express friendship, but here it felt right.

A commotion came from farther up the caravan. Shannon leaned over Moonglaze’s neck, trying to see through the stained-glass trees. The tip of someone’s bow hit a tree-bubble and popped the large sphere, filling the air with glitter that obscured his view. Voices floated back to him, chiming with excitement.

Curious, Shannon urged Moonglaze forward and rode through the veils of glitter dust, brushing it out of his face as it settled over his body. Up ahead, the Elder, Tharon, and several other Archers had gathered around a man on a silver-white lyrine, one of the scouts who had been ranging ahead of the caravan. The trees were too thick here for the caravan to go at any signif icant speed and still remain well hidden, so they traveled more slowly while their scouts ranged out and kept watch for anyone who might see them.

As Shannon pulled up to their group, the Elder glanced toward him. He thought she would send him away, but instead she motioned him forward. It surprised him. He wasn’t someone she normally included in her counsels. His curiosity piqued even more, he nudged Moonglaze toward her, and the riders stepped their lyrine aside to let him approach the Elder. He drew Moonglaze to a stop in front of her and inclined his head with respect.

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