Silver Mantle

by Gail Merritt

  In the village, the people came outside and looked up at the sky. Great cups of water splattered on the dust and on their heads. They laughed, even in the grove I felt their laughter. News reached the family of the dying child. Her mother rushed out with a bowl to gather the precious rain. The uncle thought it foolish to waste water on a child as good as dead. I might have sent a shaft of lightening to strike him where he stood but the storm required my attention. It was like music, rising and falling, rolling over and under itself as it mixed and meandered across the sky. The people cried out, delighted as they felt the wind tugging at their clothes but gradually the fury subsided. Their pale upturned faces relishing the rain as it began to fall steadily, kinder now, as the clouds released their precious moisture and some families brought their ailing children into the street, to feel the rain on their parched skin.

  I controlled the storm for two long hours and then let the clouds die or seek their own paths. It had been harder than I expected, and I began to feel tired. My shoulders ached, my legs shook and my eyelids demanded to close. I lay where I stood, among the trees, greedily drawing up the precious water to nourish themselves. I felt content. As I slipped towards sleep, my mind went to the house of the child, to the room where a mother was carefully helping her daughter to drink. The little girl’s eyes were open. It was enough. I closed my eyes and slept, but not for long.

  ◆◆◆

  ‘Wake up Megwin!’

  It was daylight when I woke and at first, I felt disoriented until I remembered the storm. Something was blocking the sun and as my eyes focussed, I saw the face of Silver Mantle peering into my own. I blinked and smiled at her. The smile was not returned.

  ‘Get up!’ she hissed. I struggled to my feet, shocked at how frail I felt and followed her back to the village in silence. The people were still celebrating. ‘Do they know that you brought the storm?’ I shook my head. That, at least, seemed to please her. We stopped outside the home of the sick child. The mourners were gone.

  ‘Blue Mantle is with the girl and her mother.’ Silver Mantle kept on walking and I had to quicken my pace to keep up with her. My legs felt like lead. ‘Your quest is over,’ she allowed the words to come over her shoulder at me. ‘This time, you have gone too far, and I have no idea how I can protect you.’ She rounded on me. ‘Have you any idea what the consequences are of your unnecessary act of foolishness?’

  ‘I’m prepared to leave the College!’ Shocked as I was at her overreaction to my cloud gathering, I wanted to appear noble but instead I sounded petulant.

  They won’t let you do that!’ Her voice was almost a whisper. ‘Your power is too strong. You demonstrated that quite convincingly. You can’t just slip away and marry like Kerith did. Either you are part of the College, or …’

  ‘Or -,’ I saw the sorrow in her eyes, and it shocked me. ‘Or I die.’

  ‘Why do you always revel in excesses?’ She put her hand gently on my shoulder.

  ‘The children were dying. I couldn’t let that happen.’

  ‘And the child’s uncle?’

  ‘What of him? Last night he made me so angry. He wanted to throw her body in a pit with animal carcasses.’

  ‘You really don’t know?’ She looked at me with amazement. She took me inside through the house to the open patch of garden beyond. The child was sitting under a make-shift awning with her mother and Blue Mantle. Neither of them took much notice of me but they kissed the hem of Silver Mantle’s robe. it came to me then that no one in the village had any idea of the part I had played. They believed that the Mantles had come from the Talarin to help them.

  Silver Mantle touched the child’s forehead gently and took me by the arm and pulled me after her into the garden. It showed signs of being well tended except for the lack of water. The family had been eager to provide a varied diet for themselves with root and vine vegetables, all neatly arranged in rows. At the back of the plot, fruit trees were shedding leaves for the winter and a trellised vine covered a small walkway. Halfway down the path, there appeared to be a bundle of clothing but as we drew nearer, to my horror, I saw it was the body of the uncle. He had been strangled the vine.

  ‘I’m not strong enough to do that!’ I protested.

  ‘The vine killed him.’ Silver Mantle’s voice was flat. ‘It dragged him from here where he was gathering fruit. You see the marks made by his feet. What I want to know is how could a perfectly ordinary vine suddenly decide to kill a man? What, or who, could have managed that piece of macabre drama? To me, it would seem to require the skills of a Mantle.’

  ‘Green Mantle wouldn’t do this!’ I jumped to defend my master and then realised what she was suggesting. My mouth opened.

  ‘You did not do this? You did not command the plant to kill him? You said yourself that he had made you angry. Green Mantle’s power could not create a storm and murder a man at the same time but your power could. It would seem you only needed to think it. Do you now begin to understand why others think you are too dangerous? Give me some other plausible explanation, and you know that I would accept it.’

  I felt the blood drain from my face. I had wished it on him, never thinking that it would happen, never dreaming that I could have such power. The man was dead and perhaps I had caused his death.

  ‘I see!’ Her eyes turned from me and she went back towards the house.

  I don’t know how long I stood there in my utter desolation. ‘I’m sorry!’ I spoke to the body and the vine but neither answered.

  14.

  Decisions

  I never found out how Silver and Blue Mantle reached the village so quickly but we rode out together that same morning. Gilbert and the fox were silent throughout the ride aware that some dreadful fate awaited me when we reached Vellin. Neither of the Mantles spoke to me on the journey, even when we made camp and ate our evening meal. I could not eat and cried silently until I slept. I made no attempt to listen to their minds although I was certain they were sharing thoughts most of the time. It was a painful ride and the sight of the Angirat rising above the Listi gave me little joy or hope.

  ‘When you set out on your quest, you were told that there were certain conditions imposed upon you during your journey. Is that not so?’ Black Mantle presided in person at the head of a full gathering of the Souran. He sat on a dais, flanked by the other Mantles, a large book before him which he referred to from time to time. We were in the great hall, now cleared of its tables, bare and echoing from his strong, rich voice. He waited for my reply.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Specifically, you were told to conceal your true purpose and your powers from those you encountered. Is that not so?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Evidence has been given to this Council that in a village, in the Mosagin desert, you used your powers to interfere in the fates of several children and to change the fortunes of a whole village. Is that not so?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You did this despite the advice of Silver Mantle?’

  ‘I didn’t exactly give …’ Silver Mantle began but was silenced by a sharp glance from Black Mantle. She turned her head away slightly. The Souran were all equal within the walls of this room.

  ‘Then you are guilty of the charges laid against you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  There was long silence. I felt sick but also resigned. I dismissed thoughts of my friends, of memories or anything else that might bring tears to my eyes. If I was as powerful as they said I was then banishing such thought should have been easy, but it was not.

  ‘If I may speak on Megwin’s behalf.’ Blue Mantle rose slowly. I had hoped that Silver Mantle might have spoken for me or at least ask them to consider my reasons for braking the law but she was looking down at her feet. ‘We are all aware of the reasons for Megwin’s actions,’ he began, as if reading my mind. I made certain no one could see what I was thinking.

  ‘Her reasons are of no consequence.’ Red Mantle thumped the arm of his chair. ‘She has challenge
d the authority of this council ever since her first day in the Talarin. She knew the conditions imposed on her quest and yet she still broke them. I say that she has had enough of our patience already.’

  Blue Mantle maintained his quiet dignity, taking a slow deep breath. ‘Nevertheless, Megin had a noble and urgent need to use her powers. Without her intervention several of the village children would have died.’

  ‘And the child’s uncle?’ Green Mantle asked, leaning forward a little in his seat. I had never seen him look so stern. The angry look he gave me froze my heart. ‘We might find it in our hearts to forgive her for gathering the wind but to use an innocent vine plant as her instrument for murder, how can we overlook or forgive that?’

  ‘I didn’t mean that to happen,’ I cried out.

  ‘That is no excuse.’ He began to cough and we waited for his breath to return. ‘Many times you have shown that you do not have control over your powers and you use them for your own selfish ends. This is a dangerous flaw.’

  ‘The man was without feelings.’ I protested, stung by his disappointment in me.

  ‘It is not for you to sit in judgement over your fellow beings!’ Black Mantle roared.

  ‘If I may continue?’ Blue Mantle clicked his teeth disapprovingly at all of us. ‘As I have said, she did save the lives of the village children and I have evidence that there were other times during her quest when it would have been useful for her to use her powers but on those occasions she resisted the temptation. For example, when her own safety was threatened, she could have used her skills to destroy her attackers.’

  I wondered how they knew about that but supposed that Gilbert or the fox had been questioned.

  ‘Similarly,’ Blue Mantle continued, ‘on another occasion, she saved the reputation of Silver Mantle without resorting to any other power than her own wit.’

  ‘True,’ Black Mantle conceded.

  ‘There was also another incident that took place in the forest of Lore but neither of her companions could explain how she managed to heal a calf. Their accounts were confused, to say the least. The horse maintained that the wolves of the forest helped her and that the calf was an auroch. Neither of which seems likely as aurochs are mythical creatures.’ This comment amused them slightly. ‘What is certain that some time during that night, Megwin received one of these.’ He held up the silver leaf that I had kept in my saddle pouch. There was a gasp from several of the Souran and it was clear that they knew the significance of the leaf. I wished I could ask them what it was.

  ‘Nevertheless, without better details of what happened there, at best we can only speculate.’ Black Mantle waited for everyone to be seated. ‘With all the evidence before us, I call upon members of the Souran to consider their decision concerning the fate of Megwin of Brak, novice of the Talarin. Do we excuse and pardon her for ignoring the law of the Souran, or do we consider that her actions were potentially dangerous to the Talaran and punish her accordingly. Such punishment being either expulsion from our order, or the termination of her life. All those in favour of accepting this novice back into the Talarin, show yourselves.’ There would be no secrecy among them. They would show their decision to each other and to me.

  They moved slowly. Blue Mantle was the first to rise, smiling at me kindly. Then, to my surprise, Black Mantle followed. Red Mantle crossed his legs to show that he had no intention of standing. Green Mantle looked down at his hands and I struggled to fight back my tears. Black Mantle turned to the Lady, who was sitting with her head back against the chair, her eyes on some invisible spot on the wall. She must cast the final vote, yet she did not move. The bile rose in my throat. Black Mantle waited then took a breath to pronounce sentence upon me.

  ‘I did not wish to be put in this position.’ She interrupted him, speaking as she rose to her feet. I felt suddenly light-headed and might have dropped to my knees if Blue Mantle had not rushed to catch me. The last thing that I can remember was hearing Silver Mantle say, ‘You all know why I cannot do this to her.’ and the strange dreamlike image of myself standing at his shoulder, smiling.

  ◆◆◆

  I woke to find myself in bed, back in my own room in the Talarin. It was evening and the fox was curled up at my feet. For one sweet moment I wondered if I had not dreamt the whole quest and that I was safe among those who trusted me, but the sight of my travel robes hanging behind the door told me that my quest was over and perhaps also my hopes of joining the Mantles. I knew that by casting her vote in my favour Silver Mantle had saved me from execution, but would it be enough for me to keep my place in the Talarin. If my quest was over, what did that mean? Would they send me out into the world like Kerith and Hodin? There was movement beside my bed. It was Black Mantle, dozing in my chair. I wondered how long he had been there.

  ‘Ever since your trial,’ he spoke without opening his eyes. ‘Silver Mantle asked me to watch over you until the fever broke.’

  ‘Fever?’ I tried to sit up but felt very weak.

  ‘You drank the village water.’ He shrugged. ‘You have been ill for two days. The King himself asked to be informed about your condition. I had to insist Blue Mantle get some sleep as he has been keeping this vigil with me and each time she came, Silver Mantle made me dizzy pacing backwards and forwards.’

  ‘I wasn’t sure that she cared.’ I bit my lip immediately, angry that I could think such things.

  ‘She cares.’ Black Mantle sighed. ‘She cares so much that she showed her preference for you at the trial. Silver Mantle should remain unbiased, but she sees so much of…’ he paused and shook his head, ‘so much of herself in you. What she has done is put you both in greater danger. The forces of wickedness that threaten the kingdom now know where she is vulnerable.’

  ‘I had no idea.’ My heart sank. What forces did he mean? Magra was at peace.

  ‘Of course you didn’t know.’ He climbed down from the chair and came over to the bed. Our eyes were on the same level, I lying on the bed, he standing facing me. ‘She could not care for you more if she were your mother. That trial has opened her eyes to that. Tomorrow you are to return to the Palace. Forget about the quest. Just as your education in the Talarin has been different from that of all other novices, so your rite of passage should be different. The Souran should have recognised that. You did what you had to do to save the children in Mosagin and as you did not intentionally kill that detestable man, we will help you to keep a firmer control of your inner impulses.’

  ‘I am sad that I angered Green Mantle.’ I looked down at the fox.

  ‘Ah yes, Green Mantle! He insisted on seeing you as soon as you were awake. I am summoning him now. He has a visitor with him, a friend of yours and the reason why some members of the Souran are feeling humbled and ashamed of their doubts. You will see.’

  Green Mantle arrived wearing his travelling clothes. He told me he had just lingered long enough to see me. The land needed his attention and he would begin his travels in the forest of Lore. His visitor was Yared the wolf, who had travelled all the way to Vellin to speak for me. He confirmed that I had indeed helped the auroch calf and also that the leaf had been sent to me.

  ‘What is the leaf? Where did it come from?’ I asked them both. The fox was perched on the window, a safe distance from the wolf. Yared and Green Mantle exchanged glances.

  ‘Can’t you guess?’ The old man stroked the wolf’s head. You must have sought the help of The Tree. It came from the forest beneath the world. There have always been rumours that it is close to the surface at Lore.’

  ‘A leaf from the Tree?’ I held it in my palm, remembering how it had floated down as delicate as a spider’s web and when I picked it up it was heavy as silver.

  ‘You must educate yourself on that subject,’ Green Mantle chuckled. ‘I have never encountered the Tree myself but I believe your ancestor, Queen Katherine did.’

  ‘She was my ancestor?’ My father had never told me about her, only the great hunters and warriors.

  �
�On your mother’s side.’

  You knew my mother? Silver Mantle knew her too.’

  ‘Oh yes, a beautiful creature!’ His mind was clearly recalling her and it gave him pleasure. Then he saw me watching him and he coughed again. ‘We must be gone, Yared and I for we have far to travel. I will see you again in the Spring.’ He kissed me on the forehead and was gone.