by Gail Merritt
‘We didn’t think you would be here today, after all the trouble yesterday.’ Even the pigs of the Talarin were well-informed.
‘You’re my friends and I wasn’t sure what would happen to you without me,' I said, climbing over the low wall into the sty.
‘We happened!’ Hodin’s head peered round the sty doorway. ‘We’re trying our best but we can’t talk to them as you can and there have been one or two misunderstandings.’ Leida came down from the stables with a bale of new straw and Betra was cowering behind Hodin. She was afraid of most animals larger than an ant and yet she was here to help me.
‘You are the best of friends to me. I don’t deserve you.’
‘True!’ Hodin grinned and threw some fresh straw at Leida. She squealed and tried to pull it from her hair. Quis, behind the main sty, feeding piglets, came to help but managed to knock Leida over in his enthusiasm and she slid into the bale, headfirst.
‘Perhaps we should meet for breakfast,’ I proposed. ‘You’ve done a wonderful job here; it won’t take long to finish. Why don’t you go up now and I’ll meet you all in the hall?’
They all looked very relieved. Leida, I knew would have to rush back to her room to brush and arrange her hair once more. They hugged me and left. I shushed the pigs, who were complaining about the poor service they were getting that morning and I told them that such good friends should not be condemned for their workmanship. The pigs should be grateful that they cared at all. I would finish the job and they could grumble to me if they were not satisfied. They were content and I even spared time to tickle the tiniest piglet who was often bullied by his brothers and sisters.
After breakfast Silius Kahnis gave us a long report about how things were in Vellin. Although many buildings were damaged there had only been two deaths, the two palace servants who were lost down the hole in the courtyard. Then he set about explaining the physical caused of earthquakes.
‘Of course Red Mantle has specific powers which can predict earthquakes and even determine when volcanoes may erupt but apparently he was otherwise distracted when the tremor began.’ I wondered if Silius was aware of the morning discussions of the Souran and my part in them, but he said nothing. I did notice that one or two of the other novices glanced my way, but I think that was because it had become common knowledge that I had felt the quake and called out my warning.
‘Perhaps we have a future Red Mantle among us,’ Ifrin chuckled and he winked at me. I think everyone in the room saw me blush. Ifrin had never paid me the least attention before and I was flattered. He was a very handsome young man and quite the favourite among the other girls.
‘Did you really feel it coming?’ Betra asked eagerly. I tried to explain that as my skills were entwined with nature it wasn’t too difficult to understand how I could feel many of the things they could.
‘They say that all the palace hounds were baying before the quake too!’ Leida offered and then she frowned. ‘Not that I was comparing you to a hound Megwin!’
Hodin changed the subject. ‘Kerith leaves us for her quest soon. Ifrin wants to have a party for her.’ Ifrin would be the oldest when Kerith left. They all began making suggestion about how we could celebrate Kerith’s departure.
‘Tell me about the quest,’ I asked Hodin.
'It’s the end of our training. We must go out into the world and serve a common good.’
'And wait,’ Betra added. ‘We wait for the summons from the Souran to join them.’
‘Which will take years, if ever it happens.’ Hodin stretched. ‘Only a handful of us will ever acquire a mantle of any colour. Most of us should be content to make ourselves indispensable to some distant king who will, of course, shower us with jewels and gold.’
'That is a very jaded attitude Hodin.’ Silius rested his palm on Hodin’s shoulder.
'I’m being realistic. By the time the Souran needs new members, even among the minor Mantles, we’ll be nearly as old as they are now, and they will have a lot of former students to choose from. It’s sensible to make other arrangements if we can.’ Hodin returned to his book and Silius took a deep breath.
‘Until that time, all of you aspiring Mantles, indispensable advisors to exotic kings and would-be weavers of magic had better finish your work before lunchtime.’ He strolled away flexing his fingers.
◆◆◆
We did have a party for Kerith and I began my long evenings with Black Mantle. I tried hard not to resent our sessions, but I could not help lament for my walks by the river or along the Angirat towards the Palace. Black Mantle soon pounced on my wandering mind and I expected more punishment, but instead, he suggested that we take a walk to the river together.
‘Can you go anywhere without your body?’ I asked him, suspecting that the walk, for his part would be purely mental.
‘As far as I need to go, yes.’
‘But why?’
He laughed. ‘If you had spent your whole life perfecting the ability to separate your mind and body, wouldn’t you be anxious to use your skills whenever possible? And besides that,’ he confided, ‘it really impresses the novices.’ He was grinning. Wherever his body was at that moment, he was grinning. The knowledge of it was a double revelation to me. Not only did it mean that my Listening was improving because I could sense the physical changes that accompanied his words, but it showed that Black Mantle had a sense of humour. It was an aspect to his character that drew me closer to him and I delighted in his sense of mischief.
We talked of many things during those walks. He told me about the quest. It was a testing time he said, a time when novices went out into the world to observe and learn from what they experienced. They must learn to use their judgement rather than their special powers. They must help those who need their help and wait until they are summoned to join the College as a full Mantle and eventually, for a special few, the Souran itself. As a normal Mantle, they would be entitled to wear hooded capes of white, yellow or any shade of pink and purple that they chose. Most novices indulged in long discussions about which colour they would take. I had not thought about it much as I had a long time before such a choice would be mine to make.
Sometimes, Black Mantle would select a subject and lecture me as I walked and at other times, I would present him with questions that arose from my studies or confusion from listening to others. Occasionally, we would set out without a purpose, letting the thoughts we shared direct the topics of our discussion. These were the best, most precious times. It was during one of these aimless meanderings beside the river that I brought up the subject of Silver Mantle.
'Does Silver Mantle have feelings for the King?’ I began.
‘Silver Mantle has pledged her life to serve the Kings of Magra. Of course, she has feelings for the King.’
‘No,’ I persisted. ‘Does she love him?’
Black Mantle was silent for a long time, and I found myself watching an old barge horse cropping grass. Eventually, he sighed. ‘All the Souran have pledged their lives to serve the Kings. For some of us, it is easy to devote our lives, finding fulfilment in our duties as a Mantle. For others, it demands that we deny our natures as men and women, forgoing the pleasure of home and family, leaving those we once loved for a life of service. It may be that Silver Mantle has feelings for the King as a man, but she can never show them. I tell you this without confirming or denying your question. The Silver Mantle must be above all those feelings. The power of her Mantle is not accepted lightly. She will never let the King, or any other person know her feelings. That is the loneliness that accompanies greatness. You will soon know it yourself.’
‘But I don’t want to be alone!' The evening sun on the towers of the Talarin above me seemed to fade and grow cold.
He spoke gently, ‘Have you not always felt alone?’
I stopped walking. The denial was in my throat, but my brain was preparing to sob at the truth of his words. I had always been alone. There were those who cared about me and loved me in their own way, Channa, Ru
then and my friends among the novices, and perhaps even the fox, but in the small corners of my mind, I had always been alone.
‘Accept this truth and grow from it.’ I felt his arm on mine. ‘You will feel love for others but in your centre, you already know that you stand alone. You hold your own destiny. Consider the power that flows from that thought.’
I considered it and I felt the evening growing warm again. I was alone but I was not lonely. I felt the strength.
‘Let us continue our walk. I hate walking in this rough countryside after dark. I might fall over something!’ Did I detect another grin? ‘Have you any other questions that need an urgent discussion?’
‘Prince Ardin’s birthday?’
‘Ah yes!’
5.
Ardin
It is often assumed that the Mantles only involve themselves in the major dramas and catastrophes of the world, curing plagues, fighting monsters, calming tempests and other worthy endeavours, but this is far from the truth. With their assortment of unusual talents, they are often called upon to influence the more enjoyable but less momentous events of the Five Kingdoms. This might mean controlling the weather for an impending sea journey or supervising the proceedings of a royal event.
Therefore, there was great excitement in the Talarin when the plans for Prince Ardin’s sixteenth birthday party were made public. Everyone was to be involved. The Souran had spent months discussing the details with the King and the Prince. The Prince favoured a celebration on the River Listi, while the King wanted festivities for all his subjects to enjoy. Silver Mantle presided over early morning discussions as the other Mantles suggested and discarded alternatives. I, of course, listened to many of these. As time went by, the Souran had come to accept that there was an extra mind at their meetings. It was an honour that they bestowed, and I always let them know that I was there. I promised not to interrupt or tell anyone what was discussed, and they decided that it was safe to trust my discretion. Black Mantle also admitted that it was becoming increasingly hard to exclude me.
The novices were to be allowed to participate in the preparations. Blue Mantle selected the most able weather predictors to assist him, and Red Mantle had a small army of novices preparing fireworks and special effects. Yellow Mantles from all corners of the Kingdoms cheerfully set about creating food that would please every guest from the humble peasants to the invited Kings. Lilac and Pink Mantles, who arrived with tales of their adventures accepted an assortment of tasks from the construction of barges for the river festival to decorations for the Palace. To the annoyance of Silias Kahnis, our education was temporarily suspended as we set about our tasks. I had never seen the Talarin so busy nor the dining hall so noisy. I had never seen the Mantles so excited and cheerful. I think we all wished that it could always be as it was during those few weeks before the birthday party.
At first, I had been given the task of designing decorations for the streets of Vellin. A procession from the Palace to the Listi was to thread its way through the major streets. On the way, observation platforms were being erected as well as places where the citizens could hold their own banquets in the evening. The Prince loved horses, so many of my decorations involved prancing steeds, and I was particularly proud of an animated tableaux stretching across the widest avenue, showing a group of galloping horses.
One morning, Silver Mantle sent for me. She had private rooms in the Talarin that were unknown to the novices and we had indulged in games trying to find them. That morning, I followed my instincts and got there easily. As I prepared to knock on the great oak door, it swung open and to my horror, I found myself above the Listi, about two hundred spans above, with nothing between my feet and the rock-strewn river below.
‘Accept and relax!’ Silver Mantle commanded at my side. ‘Accept this reality and float here with me. Since I was already dropping slowly, I tried to reason with my fears. If this was outside the Talarin I would already be dead on the rocks below. I accepted that I was indeed floating and curled my legs under me, as if I was sitting on the floor. This ridiculous movement had a strange effect. My heart stopped pounding and I even began to rise a little until I was level with Silver Mantle.
‘Brilliant!’ She clapped her hands together. ‘Maintain your composure.’ She circled me once, delighted. ‘No other Mantle outside the Souran is able to visit me here. Do you feel the terror growing inside you? Do you ask yourself how long you can be calm and stay up in the air?’
‘No.’ I wondered what terrors others had felt. Now that I had faced the fear, the joy of floating and the ease with which I could control my height excited me. ‘Is this like flying?’
‘Would you like to fly?’
‘I’m not sure yet. Floating is fun. Perhaps I should master this first.’
‘Wise!’ She asked me if I was enjoying my tasks for the Prince’s party. I said I was and thought I detected a little surprise. I explained what I had done. I even boasted about my wonderful galloping horsed. Immediately, I began to sink.
‘Of course,’ I added quickly, ‘if there was something that you wanted me to do, then I would be happy to do it. I have enjoyed making decorations. Is that wrong of me? I’m sorry if I did something wrong.’
‘Forgive me!’ She descended to my level. ‘No there is nothing wrong, but a Mantle should try to avoid pride as it weakens the power. I am pleased that you have had satisfaction in what you have done but there is a greater task for you. Any novice could make the streets look pretty. How would you like to protect the Prince?’
It seems like a naive question now, but I actually asked if the Prince needed protection.
Silver Mantle replied. ‘There are many people who might try to harm Prince Ardin. It is also possible for him to have an accident. Do you remember the day we watched the King walking in the ruins?’ I nodded. Of course, I remembered and also recalled the strange emotions that I had detected in Silver Mantle herself.
‘Very soon, guests will begin arriving. My own task is going to be great. I must protect the King and some of his guests. I would like your help. Do you think you could do it?’
The task seemed so far removed from anything that I knew about. How could I feel the dangers for someone else? How could I watch him and know that a wall might fall on him? How could I be prepared for anything that might happen to him?
‘It will mean that you must come to the Palace and share my apartments there. You will need to spend time with the Prince. Getting to know him will make it easier to detect danger around him.’
‘But this is too much of a responsibility for me,’ I protested. ‘I’m just a child.’
‘You are fourteen and you have more power than any living Mantle.’
I thought about her remark all the way to the Palace and many times since. More power than any living Mantle, and that included herself. It did not seem possible. I remembered Black Mantle’s warning that power needed to be controlled, and then I knew that this was going to be some sort of test. She would never let anything happen to the Prince. She did not need my help. Perhaps the Souran was testing me. Could I be trusted to protect Prince Ardin? I decided to take the task and hopefully impress them all, including Red Mantle, who now spoke in a strange whisper whenever I was in his presence, as if he was trying to disguise his voice.
The Palace was an imposing but disappointing place. After the strange grandeur and magical qualities of the Talarin the huge palatial edifice held little charm. Corridors followed predictable courses, doors opened in the normal way, and the high walls of the great hall simply echoed rather than held conversations with you.
My room was in the wing closest to the Talarin. From my window I could talk to the fox, who had decided to remain behind, in the care of Hodin. As for my pigs, who had threatened to fret without me, had eventually promised to be kind to Betra, who was spoiling them with extra treats from the Talarin kitchens. I had a very grand bed with curtains and elaborate furniture. The single window looked out on a small garden with
a fountain and the statue of a girl, half hiding her face in a long veil. A door next to the bed connected my room to Silver Mantle’s suit on the floor below. When I opened the door, the scent of roses flooded up the stone steps.
‘Ah, there you are, Megwin! Come and meet Prince Ardin.’ She was sitting on her terrace which led to the fountained garden.
Opposite her was a young man. He was reading a book and he glanced up, but then returned to the page. I smiled nervously and gave half a curtsey, but he was ignoring me. Silver Mantle pointed to a seat and poured a glass of lemonade. ‘I thought you might like to meet my new assistant, Your Highness. Megwin is a very clever girl and perhaps one day she will be a Mantle.’