Chapter 6:
The following two days were not too exciting. The only thing I can really recall from yesterday is the lesson with the High Inquisitor. I had hoped that he would be actually teaching me something, well... impressive, but no, of course he did not. I wanted to learn something that really would help me out if I was in danger and alone.
We sat there in this little room for about three hours and he basically held a monologue on how dangerous it can be if you abuse the powers of the Holy Light. I'm still a bit disappointed, to say the least.
In the end it all was quite similar to the first lesson, but longer.., a lot longer.
'Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit', these are his words, they sound as if they are taken from some old book. I will surely memorize them if nothing else. Summing it up and speaking in general words he tried to tell me about a dozen times during the whole lesson that I should be careful.
After finishing the long discussion on the Holy Light, he told me I should head off to bed and so I did. Unluckily for me, I bumped in Captain Theran about one hallway before reaching my quarters and thus safety. I thought she wanted to kill me right on the spot for no reason whatsoever. I am still frightened by her. I don't know whether she overreacts every time or why she is to me like that, but it is for certain that she is looming over me with a certain aura of dread. Anyways whilst she tried to kill me with her words, I made an attempt to retreat. She just goes frenzy every time she even barely sees me. I beg that this won't last forever.
When I was back in my quarters, I sat down on my bed and started reading right away. I read about two hours in the book about the dragon flights. The longer I read on I think the more and more it is becoming fascinating. Ever since I've opened this book, I kept the fang Keira gave me close by my side. Every time I see it, I wonder if this really might be the fang of a dragon or if this originates from an ordinary animal like a wildcat. It is unnaturally pointy without any shards or similar things to it. Yet again I'm highly skeptical about it being from a real dragon just because of that. I just don't know what to think. I fell asleep upon reading that night.
Today was not that different to yesterday to be fair. By now it has turned evening and I can calmly recall the events of the afternoon. As I already mentioned before, it was like yesterday, not too exciting overall except for maybe my daily conflict with Captain Theran. I still have to figure out if she has a reason for her behavior or if she just plainly hates me. It really started bothering me.
During my lesson with Fairbanks I didn't get a single step closer to my goal. I wonder when he will finally start actually teaching me something. I'm eager to learn something, I want to become stronger. I do not want to stay such a nuisance like I am now. I'm only in the way with my present skills. I want to change and I'm growing impatient.
During this lesson he told me that the Abbendis family will be sent to the free city of Tyr's Hand. The city has been under siege for about a month now. The Scarlet Crusade hopes that the city elders will consider joining the Crusade if we send troops to their aid. Fairbanks also told me that if this adoption is successful, the Abbendis family will become head of Tyr's Hand. It sounded like an excursus into local politics for me.
Yet the subject of main interest today was the absence of the Mograines and the High Inquisitor from the end of the week on. In four days, the Ashbringer and two of his most beloved and trusted friends or siblings will join him on his quest to the ruins of Stratholme. During this time, so Fairbanks told me, he will get a substitute teacher for me. In fact during the two weeks when he will be absent I will have normal tuition with the other apprentices. He told me that he asked the Grand Inquisitor Isillien to do this favor for him and that because of my connections and the fact that I should already know him it all would most likely work out as planned. And oh yes, I do know him, he was one of the advisors of the young Taelan Fordring in Hearthglen. He seemed to have a fairly strong personality, being a bit bossy but not overdoing it. As it appears Whitemane was in charge of class over the last few days and that would be the reason why I was taught in private by the High Inquisitor.
I know that her presence is fearsome and that she had taken those so-called 'wrong turns' like Fairbanks had said, but I don't know why we have to be so much afraid of her. Is this whole stuff really necessary?
I wonder what would differ if she'd be teaching me. But curiosity is also a dangerous thing when it comes to her as my 'teacher' put it. Today I again received another letter from her. As I gave it to the High Inquisitor he just burned it like the last one without giving me the chance to have even only a short look at it. I don't know a word of what she had written for me.
Come to think of it, today's 'lesson' was more of a status report concerning the upcoming weeks.
I'm excited about the classes with the Grand Inquisitor Isillien. I really want to know if they differ from... this. I would also like to get an idea how Whitemane teaches. But then again, I should be more grateful and it is rather nice being taught by High Inquisitor Fairbanks after all, although I had imagined he would proceed faster. Instead he only tries to show me how dangerous holy magic can be due to its affliction with the shadow. And I'm quite sure I understood that by now. I know I need the training with the spells, I know that it will take me some time to learn them.
And now? Well right now I'm lying here on my bed thinking about all of this. I don't know how I should call it. It's not actually a mess, but I had a different idea of how this would all take place. And I am quite sure that Whitemane already teaches the first spells.
I don't always want to be the last...