The Polaris Whisper by Kenneth Gregory

Author:Kenneth Gregory
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstaff Press Ltd
Published: 2013-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

*

Unsure of how he would be received, Vidar erred on the side of caution and stayed away from the selection. To many – no matter how fond they had become of him – he would always be an outsider, not welcome at any village meeting. He would wait for the boys to arrive for their morning training. They would tell him all about it then.

*

The wind howled as Gilder, flanked by Olaf and Gunnar joined the men of the village in the main barn. Entering last, they took their places at the table in the centre. All three had completed earlier Trials. Gilder had pipped Olaf at the finish in the last race, and elderly Gunnar had taken part in the one prior to that.

‘It seems like only yesterday it was us standing there,’ Olaf remarked to Gilder.

‘Aye. I thought I wasn’t going to be selected. Do you remember they picked me last?’

Olaf rose to his feet. ‘Friends, we are here to select the young men who shall compete in the Trial. Selection is in itself an honour. For the winner, the one who raises the red flag, this is not merely a victory. It is much more. It means we are entrusting the future of the village into your hands. The real challenge begins then, when you learn how to be a leader. You know, the last race was very, very close. Gilder beat me by a hand’s grasp.’ He masked his anger well. ‘It broke my heart but it also made me stronger. I was too full of myself. I thought I would make the greatest leader. I was wrong and the Trial produced a deserving successor.’ He pointed at Gilder. ‘He has proved himself most worthy.’

The hall resounded to applause as Gilder stood to speak. ‘It is true that I did sneak the victory that day. There was but a hair’s breadth between us. But what that margin taught me was that I was not a leader of the village but an equal among many.’

‘We wish,’ retorted someone, to everyone’s amusement.

‘From that day Olaf has stood shoulder to shoulder with me, guiding me, helping me with many of the tough decisions we have had to make, as have you all.’

The crowd murmured knowingly.

Gilder stretched his arm and waved a finger in a circle at the group. ‘A leader only gently steers us where we all want to go. I am merely the voice.’

Gunnar stood. ‘Now for the best part,’ he said to further cheers.

The selection process was straightforward: there were to be five competitors. Niclaus, Orrin, Ludin, and Aslak were considered to be definites. They were lucky enough to be young men who were coming into their prime at the time of the Trial. It was really only the name for the final place that was in question. With Gunnar on the panel, many fancied his son, Thorsfied, to take the last place. The only other possible candidate was Magnus, son of Ragnall. He would have made

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