The crowd started cheering as the three of them raced closer to the finish line. When they were all roughly one hundred paces away, Rayne decided it was now or never, and made his move.
Right away, the man on his left matched his pace, while the man on the other side started to lag behind. What started with forty men was now a two-person race. Rayne knew he was already ensured three more points regardless of who won, but he also knew that some of the next events that required brute strength would be a struggle for him, so it was important that he get as many points as he could in the events he was better at. He was neck and neck with the other young man as they approached the finish line. The cheering of the crowd was nearly deafening. Giving everything he had, Rayne all but dove over the finish line, and then collapsed. He looked on the ground next to him and saw that the man he had raced against had done the same. “Who won?” Rayne asked, trying to catch his breath.
Panting heavily, his opponent responded, “I have no idea.”
***
“Bah. Could you see what happened?” Snapdragon asked Sunshine.
She stood on her tiptoes, but still couldn’t see over the people in front of her. “I didn’t see. It sounds like it was a close finish, though.”
The people in the stands slowly started to sit down when the officiator took his place on the platform. Holding up both hands, he waited for the crowd to quiet down. “After conferring with the judges, we have agreed that the finish from the first group was too close to determine who won. Therefore, both 15 of Donigi and 17 of Lebu are being awarded five points.”
“Wish I could have seen that,” Snapdragon said, pouting and sitting down on the bench with his arms folded.
Iolanthe sat down next to her son. “After lunch, we’ll see if we can’t get a closer spot.”
“You may want to stand up now, Snap,” Sunshine told him. “It looks like the next group is headed to the finish line.”
***
The officiator stood in front of a large wooden board that listed the top point holders after two events. He announced that number 13 from Erd was in first place with ten points, having won both events in his group. Rayne’s eight points tied him for second place with number 24 from Regne.
“I’m proud of you, Rayne.” Nadia gave her grandson a big hug. “You’re doing very well.”
Rayne blushed. “Thank you, Grandmother, but the two events after the lunch break are not really my forte.”
“Maybe not,” Kelvin said, “but you’ve definitely earned the right to compete in tomorrow’s events—and you will do well in those.”
“Your grandfather’s right,” Nadia said. “Just do your best. I’ve prepared some lunch at our camping site. Let’s rest up and get you something to eat.”
Rayne stepped back away from his grandparents. “I’ll be right there. I would like to see if I can find someone first.”
***
“You’re all invited to join us in the castle for lunch,” Alana said to Sunshine and her family. “I’m sure you’re interested in seeing where Sunshine lives.”
Iolanthe responded quickly. “That would be wonderful! Are you sure it won’t be too much trouble?”
Alana waved a hand dismissively. “No trouble at all. I made arrangements with the castle servants yesterday to set up a table for me and some guests in the eastern courtyard. It’s nothing compared to the governor’s garden in Lewyol, but it’s quite nice this time of year, with the budding of the trees and flowers.”
“Then we accept,” Iolanthe said. “Don’t we, dear?” she asked Garth.
“Apparently so,” he replied.
“And congratulations to you, Oakleaf,” Alana addressed the tall young man standing next to Garth. “Six points after two events is very impressive.”
“Thank you,” Oakleaf said, nodding.
Alana turned toward the castle. “Let’s be off then!”
***
Rayne wove his way through the crowd, trying to keep Lewyol’s yellow banner in his sights. People had come down from the stands to visit with the participants, so it was slow going.
When he arrived at the Lewyol staging area, he looked around but didn’t see Oakleaf or any members of his family. Rayne stopped a participant with a yellow armband. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Oakleaf. I believe he’s competing from your district.”
“Yeah, Oakleaf,” the young man responded, looking around. “He’s here, but I don’t see him anywhere right now.”
“Would you do me a favor when you see him?”
“Sure.”
Still looking around and hoping to spot Sunshine, Rayne said, “Could you tell him that Rayne was looking for him?”
“Rayne? Is that your name?”
Used to hearing this question, he simply nodded in confirmation.
“Yeah, I guess I can do that.”
Rayne clapped his fellow participant on the shoulder. “Thank you. And good luck in the Mortentaun.”
***
“What do you think you are doing?” Iolanthe exclaimed.
“I’m thinking about exactly what I’m doing.” Garth continued to snap off small twigs from a tree in the courtyard. “Would you rather I not think about my actions?”
Iolanthe sighed. “I mean, this isn’t your garden. Come sit down and eat with us. Let the castle gardeners take care of that.”
Garth placed the twigs he had broken off into a neat little pile at the base of the tree before walking to the table and sitting down with his family and Alana.
“Where is your husband, Alana?” Iolanthe asked, but not before she gave her husband a jab in his ribs with her elbow.
Alana didn’t look up from her plate where she was cutting her meat into bite-sized portions. “He’s involved in judging the Mortentaun. He’ll be quite busy the next couple of days, yet another reason I’m happy to have you all here as my guests.”
“Ah, Sunshine! There you are!” Bertram said, entering the courtyard.
Sunshine stood. “Magistrate, hello. This is a surprise. Come, meet my family.” She made the introductions, and then asked Bertram, “I take it you were looking for me?”
Bertram positively beamed. “Yes, I was. I couldn’t wait for you to return. I had a servant help me move the tapestry, and I found the book you told me about. It was indeed a copy of the Tome of Laws. From the cover, lettering, and binding style, it definitely looks to be older than any of the other copies we’ve come across.”
“Did you open it yet?” Sunshine asked.
Bertram shook his head. “Not yet. Since you were the one who found it, I wanted you to be there.”
“Mom, Dad, I know I’ve not seen you in a while, but would it be all right if I joined you later?” She stepped away from the table. “I promise you a full tour another time.”
Iolanthe looked disappointed for a moment, but quickly put on a smile. “Absolutely. We understand you have duties here.”
***
Kelvin and Nadia sat across from Governor Nash and Lady Linden on small blankets surrounding a larger one where all manner of food had been laid out. They were listening intently to Nash recount a story of when he had been a guardian.
“Captain Reynold had gotten after me once again for sleeping in late,” Nash continued. “So, he made it very clear that if I was not up when the first light of dawn shone through my window, I’d be docked a week’s pay.”
Linden interrupted. “Ah, I should try that. You still stay up way too late. So much so, I can’t get you up in the mornings.”
The group laughed, but Nash ignored the comment and continued the story. “We had a card game planned for that night and I knew I’d be up late, so the thought of getting up early the following morning was, well, unappealing. So, I had a stroke of genius and had some of the castle servants brick up the window.”
“You did not!” Nadia said, laughing.
Nash sat up a bit straighter. “I most certainly did! And the next morning when Reynold came to check on me, I was f
ast asleep in the dark room. To my surprise, he didn’t really get mad. He said I had followed the letter of the law, albeit not the spirit of it. He told me that since I was so interested in sleeping during the day, he’d give me a new assignment—guardian in charge of the night watch. And so that is why I have a hard time getting up early, even to this day.”
“Excellent story, Nash.” Kelvin reached for a loaf of bread. Included on the blanket were several neatly stacked tarts. Nash reached for one, but Linden slapped away her husband’s hand. “Not until we’ve eaten the rest of the meal!”
Feigning a hurt look, Nash said, “If I wanted to be treated rudely, I would’ve accepted the king’s invitation to eat in the castle.”
“Won’t the king be upset if one of the governors doesn’t join him?” Nadia asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad I’m here too.” Nash glanced toward the castle. “I don’t particularly care what the king thinks. He and his father have caused me nothing but headaches. I’m glad the Shoginoc is this year. We need a new king.”
After swallowing a chunk of bread, Kelvin asked, “Are you going to sponsor anyone from Lebu in the Shoginoc?”
Nash shook his head slowly, causing his long, white beard to swish back and forth. “I wish I had someone to sponsor. Lebu is mainly a farming district without any real valuable resources, aside from the strong wood we provide to the other districts. Anything we find that would be considered a treasure is taken from us in taxes. We just don’t have the means to put together a good showing at the Shoginoc.”
“Speaking of a good showing, here comes Rayne,” Linden said.
He walked over to them and sat down next to his grandmother. “This is an honor, Governor Nash and Lady Linden. If I knew you were going to join us, I would have been here sooner.”
“Bah!” Nash said. “Don’t worry about that. We’re proud of how well you’re doing so far.”
“Thank you,” Rayne said to both the governor and his grandmother, who was handing him some food from the blanket.
“Did you find who you were looking for, Rayne?” Kelvin asked.
“Not yet, but hopefully after today’s events, I’ll run into her.”
CHAPTER 17
“Where is Governor Nash?” Abrecan asked Caldre, scanning the length of the table one more time.
Caldre looked around the main hall before answering. “He was invited—all the governors were. There are empty chairs down at the end, so it seems he didn’t come.”
“Make sure you find him and that he understands where he needs to be for the next banquet,” Abrecan said firmly.
“Absolutely.”
The guests were just finishing their first course and were waiting for the main entrée to be served. The rest of the governors were in attendance with their spouses. King Daimh sat at the head of the table by his wife Nicole, with Councilor Abrecan and Magistrate Caldre sitting to their right.
“I think the Mortentaun is going very well, Your Majesty,” said the governor of Regne to King Daimh. “It is a credit to you and your father.”
Daimh grinned. “Yes, the Mortentaun has been enjoyable so far, although, I think tomorrow’s events will be more to my liking.”
“Then you will be in for a treat, Your Majesty,” Governor Eadward said. “My nephew, Ivor, is in first place after this morning’s events. He’s quite good at hand-to-hand combat, so the sparring contests tomorrow should be rather entertaining.”
***
Rayne eyed the large rock in front of him. It was somewhat round in shape, and any rough edges had been worn away with time and use. He bent his knees, then placed both hands under the rock and lifted, focusing on using his legs and not his back. Getting the rock to his waist took a great deal of effort, but he knew he was already in better shape than some of the others. His group had drawn numbers for the first event of the afternoon. Rayne had pulled a number in the middle, and so he had the chance to watch the others’ attempts. While some of the larger men had no trouble with the rock, a couple of the participants of slighter build were unable to lift it at all.
After putting one leg behind the other for balance, Rayne lifted the rock up to his shoulders. The strain on his muscles made him want to drop the rock there and then, but he forced himself to remain steady. He leaned on his back leg slightly and then shifted his weight forward, using all his energy to throw the rock out onto the field. It didn’t travel far, but it traveled far enough. He could see it had landed beyond several of the colored metal spikes the officiators were using to mark the throws of the various participants. The crowd cheered as Rayne walked off the field and back to where his grandfather was waiting for him.
“You knew that was going to be the hardest event for you, and you did just fine.” Kelvin shook Rayne’s hand. “I dare say you are guaranteed at least one point.”
Rayne looked back to the field in time to watch a rather large man pick up the rock as if it weighed no more than a pumpkin and then hurl it over all the other markers. “I’m glad that’s over. It required very little strategy—it was more a matter of brute strength.”
***
“Are you sure, Snapdragon?” Iolanthe asked.
The sixteen-year-old nodded furiously. “Yes, I’m sure that was Rayne who just competed.”
“But it doesn’t make sense. Lebu and Donigi are competing now. Rayne is from Tevoil.”
Folding his hands across his chest and glaring at his mother, Snapdragon said, “I know that. But it really looked a lot like Rayne.”
“It may have looked like him, Snapdragon, but it couldn’t have been,” Alana said softly.
Snapdragon didn’t use the same defiant tone he had with his mother, but he was still quite adamant when he said, “Maybe he moved to Lebu. It would explain why we’ve not seen him with the group from Tevoil.”
Alana sighed quietly and paused. “Sunshine will be upset by what I’m about to tell you, but you should probably know. That can’t be Rayne, because he and his family were killed by some guardians last fall. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you. He obviously made a strong impression on your family.”
Iolanthe’s face turned ashen. “Oh, no. He was such a wonderful young man. Poor Sunshine must have been crushed. Rayne was the first boy in whom she had ever taken an interest.”
“Sunshine was quite upset when they announced in court what had happened to Rayne, yes,” Alana said. “But over the last few months, she’s been very diligent in her work at the castle. I’ve wondered if she didn’t dedicate herself to her work to help distract her from thoughts of Rayne. The mention of him earlier today must have brought back all sorts of sad feelings. I’m not surprised that she jumped at the chance to help Bertram instead of coming back here.”
***
The large book had been bound in a deep brown leather cover with the faded gold-inlayed words “Tome of Laws” written upon it. The page edges were rough and yellow, and they looked almost brittle in places.
“Are you ready?” Sunshine asked.
Bertram nodded. “Yes. Let’s see when this copy was written.”
He carefully opened the front cover. On the front page below the title was the date when the book had been transcribed. It was earlier than any of the other copies they had found, but it was the note below the date that caught Bertram’s attention.
It read, Let it be known this is a copy from the original Tome of Laws.
“Oh my,” Sunshine said.
Bertram thought for a moment. The original Tome of Laws had simply fallen apart over time. When it was first written, only one copy was made. Any other copies were forbidden for fear of mistakes and errors that came from transcribing. But over time, copies had to be made because there was no way to preserve the book from the effects of age. That is how savants had first come about—they were brought to the castle to make copies of the Tome, and they had done so meticulously as to avoid errors. Savants took on other responsibilities over the years,
but this was still their primary duty.
“Bertram?” Sunshine pulled lightly on his sleeve.
“Hmm, what?”
She smiled. “Are you just going to stare at the book, or are you going to check for the missing word?”
“Of course. Sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
“It’s all right. This is been a long time coming for you. I can understand if you want to take a moment.”
Bertram shook his head. “No, we’ve waited long enough. But we must be careful. The pages are going to be fragile, even though it seems that at least some of the pages are made from thicker parchment than what we use now.”
He reached down and gently turned the pages. “Let’s see now. Chapter eleven, paragraph nineteen. Ah, here it is. The former king and queen will become councilors to the newly crowned leader of Bariwon. An arranged marriage will…” Bertram paused and then said to Sunshine, “What happens if we turn the page and we find the same error as the rest of the books? It will be quite disappointing.”
“If that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is, but we aren’t going to know until you actually turn the page.”
“True…” Bertram closed his eyes and turned the page. He slowly opened his eyes, then looked at the top of the page and read, “selected by a Shoginoc.”
Unable to hide his disappointment, Bertram felt his shoulders slump and the strength leave his legs. “Oh, well. I guess that’s that.”
“May I?” Sunshine said.
Bertram took a step back, found a tapestry to sit on, and watched as Sunshine slowly turned the pages back and forth. He had really hoped this would solve the problem of the seemingly missing word, but just like every other attempt, it hadn’t.
The Hidden Sun (Bariwon Chronicles Book 1) Page 18