The Sky Warden & the Sun by Sean Williams

Author:Sean Williams [Williams, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Epic, Fantasy, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780759285231
Publisher: E-reads/E-rights
Published: 2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

When they had been welcomed near the bridge the previous day, Sal had been surprised at the small number of people to appear. He had assumed that there were more elsewhere. But at breakfast that morning, the number had still been small, and when Raf confirmed during their introductory lesson that there were only eighteen full-time students at the Keep and just the one full-time teacher—the Mage Van Haasteren—and that it had always been that way, Sal had been less disappointed than he would have expected. He had imagined the Keep as a teeming community of scholars and students at the heart of the Interior. Instead, it was an outpost on the fringes of society—a retreat rather than the sort of university he had read about. Deep down, he was relieved not to be thrust into the centre of an enormous educational machine, as he imagined the Haunted City to be.

Their introductory session gave them an overview of how the lessons generally worked. The Mage Van Haasteren tutored the senior students who, in turn, tutored the juniors. That way, lessons were repeatedly reinforced and no one was permitted to coast along. Easily the least experienced of anyone at the Keep, Sal tried to make up for it with sheer determination. After the first visualisation session he knew the patterns they had been asked to memorise at least as well as he knew the Cellaton Mandala.

Bethe took them for theory that afternoon, reintroducing them to some of the concepts that Lodo had already touched on—briefly with Sal, in more detail with Shilly. He got the feeling that the student overseer was sounding the depths of their knowledge to see just how much they would need to be taught. Sal did his best to imply that he knew more than he did, but he didn’t think she was fooled. After the session, Bethe took Skender aside and arranged for Sal to receive special tuition from him in the evenings. The boy was initially reluctant to receive more work but, upon realising that it would give him more time with his new friends, soon cheered up.

“We’ll have you up to speed in no time, old boy,” he said, clapping Sal on the shoulder and grinning like a wild cat. “I’ll show you how to get around this place without being seen, too, if you like,” he added in an undertone.

Sal wasn’t keen on the idea of crawling up and down the crumbling cliff face, but he was warmed by the boy’s ready acceptance and trust. A new chore roster was drawn up to include the new students. Shilly wasn’t exempt, even with her leg, although she would be confined to cooking duties for the time being: preparing vegetables, washing dishes, and other work she could do while seated. Sal had cleaning, with Bethe, and was glad for that. She was friendly to him outside of classes, and he could tell that Raf was slightly jealous of the attention he was getting, even though the redhead was a lot older and a lot better at the Change.

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