The Black Horseman (The Temple Islands Series)

by Richard D. Parker

  against the dark, then as the sun moved higher still, dazzling white buildings of marble appeared, strung all along the hillside like pearls on a necklace. But Gwaynn had eyes only for the building near the top of one hill, enormous and blazing white. It was a massive rectangular building with a large portico and vaulted roof, completely surrounded by large majestic columns. Gwaynn stood blinking at the bright building, ignoring the rest of the island as it lit up before him.

  It was beautiful, all of it, the deep greens of the trees sprinkled with bright colored flowers, set off the white marble buildings, and all framed by sparkling white beaches. But Gwaynn’s attention kept returning to the large building at the top of the hill.

  “It’s called the Parthenon,” Jon explained. “They say it’s a perfect copy of a famed building from Old Earth.”

  “It’s amazing,” Gwaynn answered, meaning it.

  They docked an hour later and were met by Master Renault and a large group composed equally of men and women. Master Renault was the highest-ranking Scholar of the group, second only to Master Putal, who was still on Noble Island for the last day of Competition week.

  Gwaynn immediately noticed that Master Renault was much younger than Putal, maybe even younger than Tar Endid. The man was tall and thin, with long dark hair pulled back and tied with a leather thong. He wore a simple white shift, which hung down well past his knees, and was tied in place with a dark purple sash at the waist. On his feet were sandals that laced high up onto his calves. In fact his entire entourage, men and women were dressed exactly alike. The only thing that differed was the color of the sash. After looking about at the welcoming party, Gwaynn was surprised at the young faces he saw sprinkled within the middle aged and the old. For some reason he believed all Scholars to be ancient, wizened old men.

  “Jon Baal!” Master Renault stepped forward greeting the much larger man with a smile and a brief hug. “It has been too long.”

  Jon returned the hug and nodded. “Nearly a year Renny, nearly a year.” Others also greeted Jon, who was clearly as welcome and loved here as much as he was on Noble. Finally Renault looked to Nev and Gwaynn.

  “My brother Tar Nev,” Jon said by way of introduction and all the chattering stopped and as one the Scholars bowed, which Nev returned, “and his student Gwaynn of Massi.”

  With this announcement a murmur began, then subsided. Tar Nev’s refusal to take on a student these many years was known all across the land. The group bowed to Tar Nev, and then they all turned and bowed to Gwaynn, who, though slightly nervous, returned the honor. Master Renault stepped forward and bowed once more. “Master Putal has sent word ahead of your pending arrival. We are honored.”

  Renault clapped. “Kent, Elise,” he said and two young Scholars stepped forward. “Please show Master Gwaynn his quarters, and give him a quick tour of our fair city. I have things to discuss with Tar Nev.”

  Kent was shorter than Gwaynn with such blond hair and blue eyes that for a moment Gwaynn was reminded of Mille and the rest of Leek family. Kent smiled and Gwaynn noticed that the sash about his waist was yellow. Elise was also short, extremely, with long brown hair also tied in ponytail. At first Gwaynn took her to be a very young girl, petite in all ways, but then he saw that her breasts were well formed. She noticed his attention and poked them out a bit farther. Gwaynn quickly looked up, slightly embarrassed. She smiled at him knowingly, and he quickly realized that though she was petite, she was probably older than he was. She bowed, a green sash at her waist, then reached out and took Gwaynn’s hand.

  “Come Gwaynn,” she said with a smile, as Kent took his other hand. He was immediately led away from Nev and Jon, but looked back to see his Master smile and nod to him, so he went willingly.

  “We were so excited when we heard you were finally coming,” Kent said as they moved up the road made of dark red bricks. Both students noticed the limp in Gwaynn’s gait, and slowed their speed, but otherwise they ignored it.

  “Yes, we were terribly disappointed when you decided to stay on Noble after the Council meeting,” Elise added.

  “You knew about that?” Gwaynn asked, surprised.

  Kent laughed and Elise smiled at him. “Of course,” Elise answered. “There are so few Lovers, not like the other islands. Most people shy away from true knowledge and study.”

  Gwaynn noted the smugness in her voice and was reminded instantly of Nev’s warning.

  “Lovers?” Gwaynn asked, cocking his head.

  Elise giggled and squeezed his hand tighter.

  “Lovers of Wisdom,” she explained with a coy smile. “It is what we call ourselves.”

  “Are you a Lover Gwaynn?” Kent asked, with a smirk of his own.

  “I’m sure he is,” Elise commented, but Gwaynn said nothing.

  The two led him past the dock side warehouses, all of which looked to be made of granite, but all the buildings were whitewashed so they gleamed just as brightly in the early morning sky as the marble buildings farther up the hill.

  The road they followed meandered back and forth, cutting across the hill as they slowly rose higher and higher. Down near the docks were the smaller homes of the locals who supported the Scholars, but the higher up the hill you went, the more impressive the homes became. It wasn’t long before they encountered the dormitories of the young Scholars. These were larger multi-storied buildings sectioned into small apartments, which housed four students each. It was into one of these that Kent and Elise led Gwaynn.

  “You will be staying with us in our apartment,” Kent explained as they entered a large foyer dominated by a fountain. The fountain was of a man standing with his arms spread wide with four jets of water coming from the tips of his fingers. In front of the fountain was a plaque. “Galen Dawkins” it read and below that it quoted. “The Universe was created perfectly imperfect.”

  “You know of Galen?” Kent asked with a smirk as if testing Gwaynn. Gwaynn knew he was considered the father of modern reason. He also knew that Tar Nev believed he was the man who led the people to the Inland Sea, but he decided it was best not to give away too much information on this point.

  “I have heard of him,” was all Gwaynn said.

  Kent frowned, hoping for a better reaction. “Your belongings will be brought up later,” he said and the three of them began to climb a large winding staircase. Gwaynn made the climb very slowly, having trouble with his injured leg. It was growing very sore and tired, but he didn’t want to say anything. Along the way they met several other young students before finally reaching the third and top floor. The staircase ended at an open square balcony that overlooked the foyer and fountain below. There were four large white doors directly in the middle of the four walls. They entered the one directly to the right of the staircase, and immediately stepped into a small living space. Gwaynn was surprised to find that the walls were painted a brilliant sky blue, and sprinkled throughout the blue were white puffy clouds that seemed to drift about the room; near the base of the wall treetops could be seen, and in a few of these colorful birds. There were several soft pieces of furniture positioned about and a cabinet on top of which a porcelain water pitcher stood. In each corner there was a large potted plant, and candles were everywhere, on the wall sconces and on the tables, which hovered near each chair like a shy child clinging to its mother.

  “They let us decorate our apartments however we wish,” Elise said proudly. “This is your room,” she added pulling him to the right. They entered a small room, complete with one bed, a small dresser and an end table. The room was an exercise in white; white walls, white bedspread, white dresser and table, with a white water pitcher placed on a white linen cloth. On the far side of the room were two doors made of glass panes, partially hidden behind sheer white drapes. Elise quickly walked over, pulled the drapes and opened the door. Gwaynn followed out onto a small balcony. He stood there a moment looking out over the town below and beyond that, the Inland Sea in the distance.

  “You will be able to deco
rate it any way you choose,” Kent said. “My room’s sea foam green.”

  “Purple!” Elise stated excitedly.

  “You may leave those here if you wish,” Kent added, motioning to the kali that hung at Gwaynn’s belt.

  Gwaynn smiled for the first time. “Not likely,” he said softly.

  “There is no need for them on Lato,” Elise insisted, a concerned look on her face. “Surely you feel no danger from us?”

  The smile fell from Gwaynn’s face. “No. You have been…kind,” he answered in all seriousness.

  “If you stay,” Kent piped in. “Master Putal will take them away from you.”

  Gwaynn shrugged. “He may try, but if he does you may have a one armed Master.”

  “Oooh,” Elise said her eyes widening, and Kent’s face went a shade paler. They spent a long uncomfortable moment in silence then Elise slowly reached out and grabbed Gwaynn by the hand, trying to give support, as his limp grew worse. She waited for Kent to do the same, and eventually he did so and together they helped Gwaynn from the room, moved out of the apartment and back down the stairs. Once outside they immediately headed farther up the hill, passing more and more students as they went. Everyone greeted them and welcomed Gwaynn to the island. He felt a bit like a celebrity. They walked slowly and rested often. As they went Elise and Kent named the buildings they passed and expounded on what was studied in each. The subjects were many, from horticulture, husbandry, medicine, architecture, shipbuilding, politics, and astronomy. Near the top of the hill, but well below the Parthenon, was the largest building Gwaynn had ever visited. He stood gaping before an enormous entrance, which was flanked by two mighty columns. They climbed the stairs and walked up onto a large veranda that stretched in both directions, curving out of sight before actually ending. “Terra Libri,” a sign said, and below that “West Entrance.”

  “This is the library. The treasure of Lato and all the lands of the Inland Sea,” Elise said as they stepped through the doors.

  “The building wraps completely around the mountain,” Kent said proudly. “If you walk the length, it’s over four miles, and you end up exactly where you started.”

  Inside the entrance sat an elderly woman at a large, sturdy white desk. She greeted them with a smile but said nothing. The three stepped farther inside but then stopped in the middle of a long, slowly curving hallway that was perhaps thirty paces wide. The ceiling was high, easily twenty feet above them and all along the interior wall there were shelves and shelves of books, floor to ceiling; the shelves doing a slow curve to match the walls of the massive hall. Large floor to ceiling windows dominated the exterior wall offering a magnificent view of the island and letting in streams of natural light. The windows were spaced only about five feet apart and continued on for as far as Gwaynn could see in either direction. Comfortable reading chairs were arranged in clusters near the large windows, but only a few were occupied at the moment. From where he stood, Gwaynn could now see more books than he ever had in his life, more than he ever even dreamed existed. The only break or interruption in the endless wall of books was the double doors directly opposite the large Entrance through which they come.

  “Classrooms,” Elise explained, watching Gwaynn closely, “cut into the mountain.”

  Gwaynn looked left and then right for as far as the curved hallway would allow and then without prompting he began to walk to the right, his eyes never leaving the vast wall of books. He did not say anything and Kent and Elise followed along behind in silence, remembering through him, their first trip to the Land of Books, which is what the students called the building. They walked nearly a mile before coming to another break in the bookshelves, another set of interior doors.

  “Incredible,” Gwaynn said and stopped before the door marked “South Entrance.” This time there was an old man sitting at an identical desk at the entrance.

  “It goes on like this all the way around?” Gwaynn asked, awed.

  Both Elise and Kent nodded, all smiles, clearly proud of the building and their association with it.

  “Yes,” Kent said. “Someday I may even read them all.”

  “How many books are there?” Gwaynn asked in a hushed tone.

  Elise giggled and shrugged her small shoulders. “All of them,” she said, “if not the originals, then copies.”

  Gwaynn stood amazed, until Elise grabbed his hand again and led him out the south entrance.

  “Come, I want to show you the Observatory,” she said and Kent grabbed his other hand and together they moved back into the sunlight. They had to backtrack a bit, once outside the Land of Books and soon came to a large ramped roadway, which led over the library and then higher up the hill. Gwaynn could see the Parthenon, closer and large beyond belief. For the first time in his life began to suspect that he might not be truly educated in the ways of the world. Before they reached the jewel of Lato however, they burst out into a very large park, nearly a mile across. All through the park ran many narrow pebbled pathways, and along the paths there were benches, statues and gardens of exotic plants and flowers. All of the pathways ran like spokes to a central square where at present there were several groups of students gathered.

  “This is the Forum,” Kent explained. “It’s where many Masters openly teach and discuss topics with any student interested. There are many lively discussions.”

  They passed a few groups and Gwaynn eavesdropped as they strolled by, but nothing much made sense to him. They also passed numerous marble busts of scholars, some Gwaynn had heard of, but many were strangers to him. He stopped to read every name and quotation and was taken with a few of them. Someone named Charles Darwin said, “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”

  “Father of Evolution,” Elise commented, as if that explained everything, “Old Earth.”

  Another bust of a Thomas Jefferson said, “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God.”

  “Former leader,” Kent said, “Old Earth.”

  “Do you have much information from old earth?” Gwaynn asked, truly impressed.

  “Oh yes,” Elise said. “There are books and books. In fact, most of our knowledge comes down to us from Old Earth.”

  Gwaynn just stared at her. It was said that the first men Traveled from old earth nearly six thousand years ago. “How is that possible?”

  “Most of the volumes in the Land of the Books are copies from Old Earth,” Kent replied, puffing his chest out as if claiming responsibility for the feat.

  “But that was nearly…”

  Elise giggled. “Yes, thousands of years ago…Did you know that our year 3,198 is measured from the death of the man responsible for Traveling to the Inland Sea for the very first time?”

  “Galen Dawkins,” Kent stated proudly.

  Elise smirked.

  Gwaynn just frowned at them both, but was distracted as they began to climb the steps up to the Parthenon. The building was incredible, immense and powerful, and Gwaynn could not keep himself from reaching out and touching one of the massive columns. It took all three of them holding hands and stretching out fully to encircle it. Inside of the long row of columns was a deep portico, which also spanned the entire building on all sides, and spaced evenly throughout were additional busts or sometimes-full statues of those who came before. There were many more here that were not so obscure, and Gwaynn had heard of most. A great many were ancestors who came during the relative near history, the Second Age of Man, but there were still a few from the far past of whom Gwaynn had no knowledge. One of the largest was of a bushy haired man with a thick mustache.

  “Albert Einstein,” the plaque read and beneath it “E=mc.” And beneath that- “The Eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.”

  The name and formula meant nothing to Gwaynn, and without a comment Elise pulled him on. They toured the entire exterior before finally going inside to find one incredibly large rectangular room filled with vast amounts of paintings,
etchings and drawings as well as other sculptures, but what dominated the entire inner area was a gigantic green marble statue of Galen Dawkins. Gwaynn stood with his mouth partially open as he stared at the magnificent piece of work. It was easily ten times his height and sat up on a large high base. Gwaynn doubted that the top of his head would have made the knee of the statue. On the base, as seemed to be the norm, was a plaque apparently made of gold. “The Ultimate sin is placing religion before reason.”

  It was a famous saying; one Gwaynn’s father had quoted often, though mostly he substituted the word ‘religion’ for ‘ignorance.’

  They continued to look about for a time. Many visitors came and laid flowers at the feet of the giant statue; others like Gwaynn and his new friends just looked about and contemplated the masterworks on display.

  After the Parthenon, they visited the Observatory and Elise made Gwaynn promise that he would accompany her that night for a viewing of the stars. “Tonight,” she informed him, “is supposed to be crystal clear.”

  With the tour mostly complete, they ate lunch in a small shop at the edge of the forum and listened to a speaker as he ran through the history of the Cassini, a land and people just to the north of the Deutzani. Gwaynn thought he would have become enchanted with the island if he had been allowed to visit when he was younger… He shook his head to clear away such thoughts and wondered at Nev’s whereabouts, not knowing that he would not see his mentor for another three days.

  ǂ

  “I received an envoy from the Toranado,” High King Mastoc began from his large, ornate throne. The chair was placed up high on a dais in order to look more imposing to those he granted audience. King Arsinol was aware of the trick, and made use of it in his own throne room, but knowing the secret did little to lessen the affect. The presence of nearly fifty elite Temple Knights standing guard around the room, added to the intimidation that engulfed the chamber. Arsinol silently wished Navarra was by his side, or even on the Island, but Weapons Masters were strictly forbidden on the King’s Island. Arsinol made due with Ja Brude, who knelt low beside him.