Safehold and all things in it belong to David Weber, from whose productive mind they sprang. I merely frolic in the garden which he has tended.

o-o-o

1.

I woke up, and didn't remember going to sleep. My mind quickly ran over the alternatives; being knocked unconscious, getting extremely drunk, and so on. I put my hands on my head and felt no bruises or other injuries, and I didn't feel hungover.

So I opened my eyes.

It was dark. As my other senses caught up, I realised it was also quite dank, suggesting that I was in a cave or similar. But why would I be in a cave? I sat up with a start, and my head whacked something above me. The air felt slightly thin as I wheezed my first conscious breath, though at least it was fresh. Maybe I was near an entrance. Seriously, what on earth was I doing in a cave?

Rolling sideways instead, I soon dropped a short distance to the floor. My eyes were sharpening a little by this point, and it looked as though there might be some light ahead of me. I began crawling towards it and as my slow pace irritated me, essayed standing upright. I succeeded, albeit a little unsteadily, and staggered onwards into the brightening light.

I found myself on the side of a mountain. It was idyllic; little wildflowers scattered amongst grasses, stands of trees, I could see a little stream away down the hillside. What it completely lacked was any sign of people. Lack of injuries notwithstanding, finding civilisation was a must if I was going to survive.

Taking it as a bad sign that I had to actively think before heading downhill (down was rivers, coasts, valleys, people. Up was crags.), I started heading for the stream.

On my way down the hill, I noticed I was wearing blue trousers, and stopped for a moment to examine my attire. I didn't recognise any of it, though it was all comfortable and fitted well enough. My shirt was a lighter blue than my trousers, and my boots were black. There was the vague impression of a uniform, albeit one with no badges. Abandoning the thought as another mystery, I continued down the hill.

Reaching the little stream, I found the water was cold, and refreshing. I was careful not to drink too much, but even a couple of mouthfuls made me feel a bit better.

I walked alongside the stream for a while; after half an hour or so when I was feeling no ill effects from the water I drank my fill. I had still seen no sign of people, and wondered where I could possibly be?

Eventually I crossed a ridge and saw a village. Well, if you could call it that, I thought sourly, it didn't seem to have so much as a tarmaced road, let alone a telephone line. That was my last thought for a while, as at that point I lost consciousness.

I woke up again. At least this time I remembered having fainted, though once again I was in an unfamiliar place.

Someone must have found me on the hill above the village, because I was now on a bed, in a small whitewashed room with a wooden door. There was a man opposite me, wearing a curious brown hat over a brown robe. He looked like an escapee from Elizabethan England, dagger-beard and all.

Although – the shadows moved, the light flickered, and I realised it was a candle – maybe I was the one out of place?

"You are feeling a little restored, I trust?" he asked. "Few come down from the Mountains of Light, fewer even than venture into them."

I considered my physical state, finding myself to be powerfully in need of food, still confused about where I was, but otherwise mostly alright.

"I'm feeling better, thank you, though very hungry. Could I perhaps have some food?"

"Certainly. I'll have some brought, and then perhaps we can talk a little."

If he would be asking questions, that might not go so well. My stomach insisted that questions were a low priority right now, so I remained silent.

The man re-appeared fairly swiftly with a wooden bowl filled with a thick vegetable stew. He sat on a chair I had failed to notice earlier, and when I had made some progress with my stew he spoke again.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Father Tohmas Broun, and I am the priest here in Greendale."

Clearing another mouthful, I replied, "I'm Cal."

"How did you get here, Cal?"

"I walked down from the hills, but I don't remember anything before this morning."

"Nothing? Not where you come from, or coming to Ernhart?"

"I remember my name, and little else." I realised with a shock that it was true and kept talking to cover how scared that made me, "Where is Ernhart?"

"Pasquale aid you! I have heard of such afflictions, but never met a victim of it before. Perhaps your memory will return over time."

"I hope so. Where are we?" I asked, hoping that more information could stave off panic.

"We are in the Duchy of Ernhart, one of the Border Lands between the Republic of Siddarmark and the Temple Lands."

The names meant nothing to me, and he could tell.

"It is worse than I feared. Do you remember anything, Cal? Do you remember Langhorne and the Archangels? Do you remember God Himself?"

I was still blank, and more scared all the time. The priest looked worried too, but he rallied.

"Right! Well, I do not know what has happened to you, my son, but I shall catechize you. We can make a start now, and I will return as I may, until you are able to take up your part in God's Plan."

Something in me rebelled at this. 'God is a fairy-tale!', it cried. I squashed it; Tohmas was taking me as a lost lamb at the moment, I should do nothing to make him see me as a wolf. Oddly the decision to deceive the priest made me calmer, gave me control of something separate from myself which I could focus on. I tried to listen as he began speaking steadily, with words that were clearly long-practiced and often told.

"God created Safehold for his people to live in simple harmony, guided and taught by his Archangels. Chief amongst the Archangels were Langhorne, Bedard, and Shan-Wei."

I held my focus for a while, but eventually the absurdity of the story, mixed with the priest's obvious sincerity, was too much for me, and I tuned in and out of his explanation until Father Tohmas finally left, suggesting that I sleep. I had no difficulty following this recommendation.

o-o-o

Comments, questions, rotten tomatoes? Chapter 2 coming soon...