“What profile?”
“The late bloomers tend to be the most powerful. Yes, I believe the first thing he did was a mental shout while being punished for something he hadn’t done. Anonto broke his fishing rod and blamed Ilias. Ilias was a bit of a hot head those days and instead of denying it, he punched his older brother in the nose. I joined in the fray to defend his honor and all of us got our seats tanned for fighting when his father came out. Ilias got it last, partially because he was the youngest and partially because he started it and was going to get additional reprimands. On the third whap, as his father vocally added the broken fishing pole to his list of crimes, Ilias let out a mental shout that gave all of us talents a headache.”
“What is a mental shout?” I asked.
Lifting his head to regard me with surprised eyes, he asked, “Didn’t you manifest your talent with a shout?”
I shook my head. “Errol says he heard me projecting a lot emotion, but he said nothing about a shout.”
“Well, shouting is usually the first sign that a child has talent and the most basic of the talent skills. It is essentially a sending powered by strong emotion that is heard by multiple talents within range. I, myself, cannot shout very far because my sending range is limited. Ilias, however, could send quite far, and still can. Everyone in the household heard him, even his mother, who has only minimal abilities. It took a whole day for most of our heads to stop hurting.”
“Did he still get punished for the fishing rod?”
Korneli laughed. It was a rough bark that contrasted sharply to his pleasant appearance. “He got an extra whap for making everyone’s heads hurt.”
I opened my mouth to ask where Ilias was now, but a knock on the outer door interrupted.
“It sounded like you are finished,” Galatea said as she slipped into the room. She had changed her dress to one of her best. Smiling sweetly at Korneli, she opened the door wide and leaned against it prettily. “Father wants to speak with you,” she told Korneli.
“Ah, yes, they are probably finished by now. I wonder how Eldivo fared.” Rising to his feet, Korneli picked the tome off the table. After replacing it on the shelf, he turned to me. “It has been an honor, Zezilia. I hope to be amazed by your progress next time we meet.” He saluted me formally, nodded to Galatea, and exited.
“You must tell me everything after he leaves,” Galatea whispered as soon as he disappeared.
“So you can drool?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t understand.” She arranged her face into a tragic look. “Unrequited love is so difficult to live through.”
“You only met him this morning.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?”
“Don’t believe in the stuff.”
“See, I told you that you wouldn’t understand. You are so childish sometimes.” With a lofty glance over her shoulder, she paraded out into the hall.
Hadrian
SPRING APPEARED SUDDENLY. One morning the snow was gone and the next the birds returned, calling their greetings to one another across the open expanses of the compound gardens. I found my eyes and thoughts wandering more and more to the budding life beyond my office windows. It was easy to dwell on the beauty of the Almighty’s creation when within the walls the weightier matters of my duties awaited.
The regular mundane work of advising and letter writing flowed smoothly. I kept Renato busy with my correspondence. We worked out a system for answering queries based on what category they fell into. That eliminated most of the issues that I didn’t really need to see to personally. It also left the requests for advice on training and disciplining young talents, overseeing the testing, and all the political problems that kept coming from the capital for me.
High King Deucalion Marcellus was proving to be a good choice. Though we didn’t agree on every issue, he knew his mind and made rational decisions. When he did something I disagreed with, Renato would remind me of my reasons for choosing Deucalion over his brother, Blaise.
The Mesitas continued his campaign against me. Rumors came and went. My family was questioned and spied upon. Thankfully, he seemed content with pestering my oldest brothers and left Selwyn alone. If the Mesitas changed his tactics, however, we were prepared. Selwyn agreed to disappear as soon as there was any sign of surveillance.
Korneli’s initial report on Zezilia’s testing was overwhelmingly positive. I wrote back to him asking for the real story. His reply was to appear at my doorstep four weeks later with Septimus in tow to speak to me in person.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked as we walked across the compound toward my living quarters. Septimus, who insisted on being referred to as Eldivo, remained behind with Renato. “She is serious and conscientious. I have never tested a first year with such a grasp of the basics and her potential for mass movement is extraordinary.”
“You didn’t tell her that?” I asked.
“Not in those words. Why?”
“Errol is concerned about her getting over confident and haughty.”
“I didn’t see any signs of that. She was responsive and humble. I think you two are worrying too much.”
I looked over to find him frowning at me.
“In fact, from the look of you, you are spending way too much time bent over a desk and worrying in general. What happened to leaving things in the Almighty’s hands?”
I agreed, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. “The problems will not disappear by themselves. I must work at them, letting the Almighty use my hands to do His will. I am not a carefree traveler anymore, Korneli. I have a whole nation depending on me to keep their talented educated and equipped. I don’t have time for afternoon romps or lazy swims, though I have to admit that I am wishing I did, especially in
