The Mesitas’s usual pale face was flushed and his breath ragged as he continued to spew forth accusation after accusation at me. The High King waited, his face stern, for the man to finish. Finally, after the old man’s words came to a stumbling halt, the High King spoke.
“Thank you, Mesitas, for bringing this to our attention.” The Mesitas executed a wobbly bow and returned to his place, as the High King turned to me. “Sept Son would you like to speak to this man’s accusations?”
“I would, my king, if you would allow me.”
High King Honorus nodded his head. I rose to my feet as slowly and regally as I could. From my place at the king’s right hand, I did not have far to walk to take my place before him.
“Sire,” I said, saluting him formally, right palm to left shoulder. “Not twenty-four hours have passed since I took my oath before you all in the dining hall. Nowhere within that oath, written by our forefathers, was there a mentioning of the goddess or worship. Yes, I am the follower of God, the almighty creator of heaven and earth, but that does not mean I cannot perform my duties as a Sept Son. I shall choose a High King, when the time comes, based on my knowledge of what the needs of this nation are, according to the laws and statutes. I shall oversee the training of the talented and the facilitating of learning and knowledge. I shall advise the High King on political matters as he requests my advice. All of these duties are completely unrelated to my religious affiliation. Yes, I worship and serve a different deity than you, but I am still a man, still a servant of the High Throne, and still the Sept Son.”
“That can be changed,” the Mesitas muttered.
High King Honorus frowned over at the man. “If you wish to speak then speak, otherwise be silent.”
“I was just saying that the title can be changed,” he declared loudly.
“Though that is true, I think it is hardly relevant to this discussion.” The High King was frowning in earnest. “Now that he has been sworn in and I have condoned the previous Sept Son’s choice, it shall be hard to reverse the selection. Besides, there are no others qualified.”
“There are two other seventh sons, My King,” the Mesitas pointed out.
“Young and inexperienced, none of them have the qualifications of Hadrian Aleron.”
The look of pure hate in the Mesitas’s face was enough to turn my stomach. Father protect me, I prayed before turning to the High King. “Your Majesty, may I humbly suggest that you resolve this problem by making a declaration. Otherwise, I shall have difficulty in fulfilling the requirements of my office.”
He nodded to me. “That I shall. We are not going to change anything that has been decided up until now. The Mesitas’s statements have been duly noted. Hadrian Aleron is Sept Son and shall remain so. Of the accusations and reasons brought before this council, I have heard none of them that give me cause to believe that Master Aleron incapable of fulfilling the demands of his new position.”
I bowed and returned to my place. I could feel the Mesitas’s eyes boring into my back. Though the man wasn’t a trained talent, he was sending a message loud and clear.
I knew that I would face opposition, Father. Please give me wisdom, patience, and strength to triumph in Your name.
The council moved on to other topics. Korneli’s nutty taste flooded my senses. “He isn’t going to give up,” he pointed out.
“I know. But he now knows he is going to have to dig a lot deeper and form a stronger argument than that one.”
“Should I go warn your parents?”
I thought of father’s pride in me and my brothers, his steadfast faith that I tried to emulate. “That would be wise. It won’t change anything, except he will be prepared when the Mesitas’ cronies begin poking around.”
“I will leave immediately.”
“Thank you.” I did not turn to watch my old friend rise and begin to make his way toward the door. Our fathers were friends until his father’s death fifteen years ago. He moved in with us, and he and I were brothers in all but blood. I knew I could count on him to support me and my family.
I turned my attention back to the discussion at hand. Crop production was down in the northern kingdoms. I sighed silently. As Sept Son, I could offer nothing to this debate. However, with my extensive knowledge as a Proctor’s son, I could. I kept my council to myself, as Neleck had warned me. The position of Sept Son was highly ornamental when it came to meetings with the High King and the Council of Kings. Outside the meeting room, though, the job was hands on and crucial. In God’s providence, my first week was going to be primarily the former.
I settled back and looked for Tavey’s mind. We could at least use the time productively and discuss our defensive strategy against the Mesitas. Korneli was correct; the old high priest was going to be a formidable enemy.
Zezilia
FOR THE FIRST THREE hours of our trip, Master Silas slept. He climbed in, settled on the floor at his wife’s feet, put a square of fabric over his face, and fell asleep. I was astonished that he could repose so deeply with the bouncing and jostling of the wagon, but he snored away.
His wife apparently thought nothing of this strange behavior and proceeded to tell me about her daughters. Galatea, Eloine, and Candra were interesting girls if I were to judge them only on their mother’s opinion.
Galatea, the
