The Circle Cast by Alex Epstein

Author:Alex Epstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tradewind Books
Published: 2015-10-18T20:12:22+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The Stone Guest

In the beginning was the Word.

In the eating hall, Morgan pored over the slightly mildewed parchment of the Gospel of St. John. She and Luan were huddled near the doorway for light, while sheets of rain swept across the settlement. Morgan was copying the book out on another parchment. Her handwriting was nowhere near as elegant, but it was readable. It was slow going, which gave her plenty of time to try to teach Luan what the Latin meant. Outside the hall she could see Erc the shepherd out in the rain with the soggy sheep. She heard the dull thud of axes wafting in and out with the wind; Fergus and Ioseph building another corral, she guessed. She had seen Aillean and Sodelb heading out to the woods to pick berries. By now the rain would be dripping through the thickest trees.

Morgan whispered to Luan, “The Word of God will keep us dry.”

“It will?” said Luan, with that hopeful look. She was always ready to hear new good things about the gospel.

“If we weren’t copying this, we’d be out in the rain.”

Luan smiled, chiding. “You shouldn’t make fun.” Luan’s name meant “radiance.” She had plain brown curly hair and a plain freckled face, but she did have a radiance. Béfind spoke of Christ as a lover, but Luan really seemed like a girl in love. She was a devout student too, listening so intently that Morgan would get rattled and lose track of what she was saying. “But you’re right,” said Luan, laughing. “The Word is keeping us dry today. And I’m so grateful.” She embraced Morgan, hugging her tightly with the sheer joy of being able to serve God in such a fun dry way.

Morgan found it utterly mystifying.

The next day they finished reading St. John. The rain had subsided to a dull drizzle. The two girls went over, beaming, to where Béfind was talking with the blacksmith.

“We finished!” said Luan.

“Already?” Béfind said mildly.

“It’s pretty simple Latin,” said Morgan.

“Luan understood it completely?” asked Béfind, even more mildly.

“Of course,” laughed Luan. “I know the story, after all.”

“Of course,” said Béfind breezily. “How hard can it be to learn Latin?”

Oh. Béfind was irked, Morgan realized. The milder Béfind got, the more trouble you were in. “Maybe we missed some things. Maybe we should go back.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Béfind smiled. “I’ve got something else for you. And it won’t be any trouble for you two, since you’re both so smart.”

Uh oh.

“I want you to move the ram from the field to the corral Fergus and Ioseph just built. You can get a rope from Dara.”

Morgan looked outside. The rain looked cold.

“I’ve never caught a ram,” said Morgan. “Is it hard?”

“How hard can it be?” asked Luan.

The ram was in the middle of the field, munching grass. He glanced at the two of them and tossed his head. He was larger than any sheep, and his horns were bigger. He looked like he weighed more than

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