Chapter 8
Eight
As I lay on my pallet atop the great room bench, my chest swelled with longing.
Now that knighthood was within reach, I suddenly ached for its opposite.
I yearned to be the nameless boy, exploring the island’s shadows alongside the fox.
If I could go back, I’d appreciate the easy rhythm of those days.
Viviana came into the great room with a coverlet. Her hair was twisted into a braid and her cheeks shone with walnut oil.
“Thank you,” I said. “There’s a chill in the air tonight.”
Together we unfurled the coverlet. “Galehaut is perfectly charming, don’t you think?”
“He seems nice.”
“It will be good for you to have another young man around, a companion.”
“Yes. A companion will be good.”
She flattened the coverlet across the bed, her eyes on me. “Something troubles you.”
“It is nothing. I fear I won’t sleep a wink. But I am fine.”
She folded her arms across her chest, assessing.
“Forest walk?”
The night was starless, making the trail very dark. Viviana whispered an incantation. A blue light materialized on her palm, just bright enough to guide our way.
“This is a joyous moment,” she said. “You’ve always wanted to be a knight. You will be training with one of the best in the world. But you do not seem excited.”
“I am,” I said. “Truly.”
She was not convinced. “Perhaps I waited too long to initiate your training,” she offered. “But your maturation snuck up on me. I wasn’t ready to let you go.”
A pang like mourning gathered in my chest.
“Yet in the end, it’s my fate,” I said, finally broaching the subject she’d taken great pains to avoid. “My prophecy.”
A look of surprise. “I thought I destroyed that silly book.”
“It wasn’t in the book. Or maybe it was but I didn’t get the chance to read it. You told me about it.” I explained how she’d let the truth slip. She laughed, but I didn’t. “Galehaut knew about my prophecy, too.”
Viviana considered her words. “The bards of the Distant Isles have many songs about the Isle of Women. They sing of the sisterhood and they sing of the lake and sometimes they sing of you. We let them spin their wild tales, but there are some secrets that must not be sung about. Elinor took a risk sending you to the mountain. Everyone knows of our hidden lake, but hardly anyone knows of the sword at its center. The sisterhood chose not to banish you in part because they feared what you might do with this knowledge if they do.”
“I wouldn’t betray them.”
“I know.”
“But where did the sword come from?” I asked. “Why is it there?”
She shot me a look as if to say, Nice try.
“Did you know it would show me my mother?” I pressed. “Did the sword once belong to her?”
“The sword never belonged to your mother. It doesn’t belong to anyone. It is a repository of memory, and the sisterhood remains divided about giving you access.”
“Giving me access? What are they afraid of? That I’m going to extract it?”
“Oh no, our magic ensures you couldn’t.”
“Then what? Are they afraid I’m going to run out and tell everyone on the next ship bound for Rome, There’s a secret sword with old memories embedded in our lake?”
Viviana chuckled. “It may sound silly, but trust me, the sisterhood has every reason to be cautious. We’ve made mistakes in the past, dangerous mistakes.”
It was a stunning admission. I may not have agreed with all their decisions, but I’d never once considered the possibility that the sisterhood could err.
“Do the descendants fear me?” I asked.
“No, my prince. They don’t fear you. But they fear what you might become without proper training. It’s important that you learn everything you can from Queen Bagotta.”
My mind flashed to that long-ago afternoon in Sorelois, the man with the belt of daggers who so easily dragged me away.
“But what if I am not cut out for knighthood?”
She rested the blue light on a tree branch.
“Look at me.” She grabbed my hands. “You are going to be an excellent knight. You must believe that.”
I nodded, but I had my doubts.
“It’s true that you still have a lot to learn. A knight by definition is a horseman. You need to ride and to fight. Bagotta will teach you those skills quickly.”
“I’m sure she will.” I smiled.
Viviana summoned the blue orb back to her palm and we kept walking.
“And of course, as the son of the Distant Isles, you’ll need command of the sea.
How to read the winds and weather storms and coax fish into your net.
You’ve always been a great swimmer; I know you will do well in the water.
But look at you. You’re a man. You must learn how to wield the strength of your muscles.
As a knight you’ll defend those who can’t defend themselves.
In the end you and Galehaut will have mastered the four spheres,” she said. “Land. Sea. Body. Heart.”
I was quiet for a moment. Finally, I asked, “When my training is complete, am I free to leave here? To go where I choose?”
Viviana’s mouth tightened. After a time she said, “Yes.”
“You hesitate.”
We had arrived back at the beach. Waves curling beneath the stars.
“The sisterhood will have ideas about where you should go next.”
“I should like to hear them,” I said. “Though I hope to go to Benoic.”
Viviana’s expression grew solemn. When she looked at me, I wondered if she saw my mother.