Tournament of Witches

by Jack Massa

  As for drinking, Eben had not taken a sip since that night six months back when Trippany was abducted. He had sworn it off and kept the vow. Trippany had, as she predicted, returned to her studies at the House of the Deepmind. She visited him on occasion, their love-making as sweet as ever. And she still spoke of taking him to tour the Drell Forests, though they never quite managed to fix a date. Eben stroked a sad note. She was a flighty thing—he had come to accept that as her nature.

  A loud rapping on the front door interrupted his musings. He jumped up and headed for the foyer. Karrol was already rushing down the stairs, while Lonn and Draven marched into the hallway from another room.

  Swinging open the carved ebony doors, they faced a young man of medium height dressed in the blue scaled armor of the Chrysalis. Though altered, the face looked familiar, sharper perhaps and now with short-cropped hair and a downy mustache.

  For a moment, he stared at them, cautious, uncertain. Then Karrol burst across the threshold and hugged her former sister fiercely.

  “There you are at last. Come out of the cold.”

  The letter had come six days ago. Brinda’s time in the cocoon had ended, and she had emerged a male. Shortly after the Tournament of Witches, Brinda had announced her interest in joining the Order of the Chrysalis, to be transformed into whatever her ideal warrior might prove to be. She had mulled the decision all of First Winter, listened to her mates’ thoughts and concerns, and the sometimes vociferous objections of her sister Karrol. By Mid-Winter, she had decided the move was truly what she wanted in her heart. and so had entered the Castle of the Chrysalis. She now went by the name Brinn of Ilga.

  Joyfully, the Iruks welcomed their former mate. Embracing him, Eben noted a wider back with more muscle. By then, Amlina and Glyssa were descending the stairs. The witch ran to Brinn and took both his hands.

  “You are most welcome, dear friend.”

  Glyssa came behind, moving more slowly due to her swollen belly. “I am so happy to see you,” she cried.

  Grinning, Brinn hugged her gently, then rested a hand on her belly. “The child is growing in you. That is so wonderful. And you are healthy?”

  “Oh, indeed,” Glyssa laughed.

  Another of the klarn who had changed, Eben reflected. Still a warrior and a witch, Glyssa had chosen to add the role of motherhood to her life. She was due to deliver Lonn’s child in another two months.

  

  Candlelight danced over the long table, mingled with a golden glow from the hearth. Amlina, Kizier, and the six Iruks—the same eight companions who had sailed from Fleevan—feasted on rice and fowl, soup and vegetables, nuts and honey. The plum wine flowed freely, consumed by all except Eben, who drank hot tea.

  Amlina was thriving in her role of Keeper of the Cloak and member of the Inner Council. Along with the klarn, her household included a half-dozen servants. There was also talk on her taking on an apprentice.

  Kizier meantime had discarded, at least for the present, his desire to enter a monastery. He had taken employment as Amlina’s secretary, a role that left him ample time for scholarly pursuits. He had finished his account of Amlina’s voyages and adventures in Tann, Gwales, and Far Nyssan. Published at the start of Third Winter, the book had attracted a wide readership all over Larthang. Now, in his spare time, he was composing a philosophic work—based on his experience as a windbringer and the bostulls’ unique mode of consciousness.

  Between the wine and the cheerful acceptance of his friends, Brinn seemed at ease. The klarnmate who had left a woman had returned a man, but nothing else had changed.

  “Have you thought about what path you will take after you complete training?” Amlina asked him. Fresh from the cocoon, Brinn still had six months before graduating as a full-fledged alatee.

  He hesitated. “I have, yes. I would like—I would hope to be assigned to your household guard, Amlina. If you all will have me…?”

  The Iruks whooped and cheered, slapping hands on the table so the crockery rattled.

  “You will be more than welcome,” Amlina said. “I will make the request to the Castle at the first opportunity.”

  “The klarn will be complete again,” Glyssa exclaimed, then quickly placed a hand over her lips.

  All of the mates looked at Karrol.

  “Do you think—” Glyssa asked her. “I mean, if Brinn returns to us, do you think you might reconsider …?”

  Karrol’s mouth turned down. “No. I am sorry … At least not right away.”

  Karrol had never been happy in Minhang. After Brinda left, she had talked about leaving Larthang altogether, sailing back to the South Polar Sea. None of the other Iruks showed any interest. Then, at the height of Second Winter, the mates had accompanied Amlina inland. They travelled to the northwest province of Shing Ton, where the witch used the Cloak to melt several lakes and streams, enabling winter fishing to augment the food supply. Karrol had enjoyed the wild, mountainous terrain. She had gotten to know some of the rangers who served as game wardens. They hunted and fished in the Tuan’s imperial forests and kept the snow tigers and wolves under control. After returning to the capital, Karrol had talked about it often. Finally, she made the request to the Tuan that she might be appointed to join the Ranger Corps.

  In fact, she was scheduled to leave tomorrow.

  “Much as I love you all,” she said, “this city is no place for me. I want to live in the open and hunt again. I know, I always seem unsatisfied, wishing to be somewhere else. But I must try this, at least for a time, to see if I like it any better. Perhaps I won’t like it at all. I might come back after a few seasons …”

  The mates returned her gaze pensively.

  “You will always have a home with us,” Amlina said.

  

  The party continued late into the night. The candles burned out and were replaced. The servants all went to bed. Fresh wood was tossed on the fire. The companions laughed and drank and talked of their adventures. Eben played the lute. They sang chants and songs, both Iruk and Larthangan. Eventually, the mates grew sleepy. First Glyssa and Lonn, then Draven and Amlina headed off to bed.

  Eben stayed up with Brinn and Karrol—and also Kizier who diligently made notes about stories he had not heard before. Eventually, the scholar fell asleep in a soft chair by the fire. By then, a dull light was rising outside the crystal windows. The sleet had changed to snow.

  “I’d best be leaving,” Karrol announced.

  Before the others could answer, she marched from the room and hurried up the stairs. A few minutes later she returned. She had changed from the quilted Larthangan clothing to Iruk garb—fur leggings and shirt, boots and leather harness, hooded fur cape over all. Sword and dagger hung from her belt, and she carried a quiver of hunting spears.

  “But you haven’t even slept,” Brinn said.

  “I will sleep on the canal boat. I mustn’t miss it.”

  “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?” Eben asked.

  “I am sure.”

  Setting down the spears, Karrol hugged them each in turn.

  “Good-bye, mates.”

  “We’ll walk you to the gate,” Eben said.

  The snow fell in big flakes, and all the world was quiet. At the edge of the yard, Karrol embraced them both again. She strode off without another word.

  The two Iruks watched their mate recede in the gray distance until she disappeared. Walking sadly back to the house, Eben noticed how the snow was already filling in Karrol’s footprints.

  In a day or two, the snow itself would be gone.

  He would have to write that in a poem.

  Glimnodd Calendar, Map, and Glossary

  Glimnodd has two moons. Grizna, the larger, has a period of 32 days. The small moon, Rog, has a cycle of 11 days. A month always refers to the 32-day Grizna cycle. The cycle of Rog is called a small-month or simply a rog.

  A year has six seasons, each two months or 64 days long:

  First Winter

 
Second or Mid-Winter

  Third or Late Winter

  First Summer

  Second or High Summer

  Third or Late Summer

  A map of Glimnodd is available online at

  http://triskelionbooks.com/Glimnodd/Map of Glimnodd.pdf

  Glossary

  Academy of the Deepmind - located in Minhang, the training school for Larthangan witches.

  Age of the World’s Madness - historical epoch preceding the current age, when the untrammeled use of magic produced chaotic effects and the rise of multiple sentient species.

  aklor - a tall, six-legged animal used as a mount or pack animal in the Three Nations.

  alatee - see Warriors of the Chrysalis.

  Archimage - official title for the chief witch or mage of a nation.

  blood magic - a kind of ancient sorcery using human blood.

  bostull - see windbringer.

  Bowing to the Sky - a ritual in which the deepshaper releases personal will and seeks the guidance of the Deepmind.

  cantrip - a minor spell or 'mind trick.'

  Cloak of the Two Winds - a magical garment created by the legendary witch Eglemarde, it gives the power to call the freezewind and meltwind.

  dark immersion - a deep trance practice regularly by deepshapers to preserve their power.

  Deepmind - the formative realm of which reality is a reflection.

  deepseer - one skilled in the Larthangan art of deepseeing; that is, seeing outside the boundaries of time and space.

  deepshaper - one skilled in the arts of shaping reality through magic.

  design - any magical working.

  desmet - a hanging trinket used to enhance mental power.

  dojuk - Iruk hunting boat, agile on water or ice.

  drells - a delicate winged people whose land lies to the south of Larthang.

  drog - literally 'shell', a creature formed of magic, animated by the will of a deepshaper, guided by a single purpose.

  ensorcellment - a great act of magic.

  fire turtles - sea turtles that breathe fire. Normally considered non-sentient.

  Five Revered Arts - The five authorized arts of Larthangan witches. They are 1. deepseeing (wei-shen); 2. formulation or “weaving” (jai-dah) 3. trinketing (barang-xing) 4. magical combat (weng-lei). 5. pure shaping (quon-xing).

  Fleevan - Tathian colony in the South Polar region. The capital is Fleevanport.

  flizzard - a small winged reptile.

  formulation - the Larthangan art of creating and casting power through mental constructs.

  freezewind - magical wind that changes the seas to ice.

  House of the Deepmind (Ting Ta Roo) - located in Minhang, the center of power of the Witches of Larthang.

  Iron Bloc - Larthangan faction advocating international conquest.

  Iruks - hunting people of the South Polar region.

  kiia - edible fern of the tundra; leaves are used to wrap dried fish.

  klarn - Iruk sacred hunting group consisting of five to eight warriors. Members of a klarn share a group soul that gives them strength and courage.

  lamnocc - large deer of the Polar region.

  Larthang - westernmost of the Three Nations. Home to a race of powerful witches.

  mage - any skilled practitioner of magic. When capitalized: the top-ranking Larthangan witch of a city or province.

  magical combat - the Larthangan martial art consisting of both physical and mental tactics.

  meltwind - magical wind that changes frozen water to liquid.

  myro - sentient sea-creatures spawned from dolphins.

  Nyssan - Easternmost of the Three Nations. Home to several races. Normally divided into Near Nyssan and Far Nyssan.

  ogo - Larthangan name for the Deepmind. Literally, 'drift.'

  phingarr or “anti-self “- a creature derived from a human but converted by sorcery in a source of vast power.

  pure shaping - the Larthangan magical art of creating immediate effects through the power of thought.

  second flight - a rare talent allowing certain drells to fly outside of normal space.

  serds - a sentient race evolved from deep-sea fishes; powerful sorcerers who ruled Glimnodd during the Age of the World's Madness.

  Tath - middle realm of the Three Nations. A group of islands, home to a race of seafarers and traders, ruled by independent city-states.

  tali or talicat - a creature like a large tiger, domesticated and used as a dray animal in Larthang.

  thrall - a sentient being whose mind and will have been subjugated by sorcery.

  Thread of Virtue - Larthangan faction advocating strict laws to enforce morality and harsh punishment of offenders.

  Ting Ta Roo - the House of the Deepmind.

  torms - winged people of northern Nyssan, spawned from birds.

  trinket - any object fashioned to contain or enhance magic power.

  trinketing - the Larthangan art of constructing trinkets.

  Tuan - the ruler of Larthang, a sacred king or queen.

  Tysanni - Glimnodd’s legendary third moon, which disappeared in the Age of the World’s Madness.

  volrooms - tusked, white-furred bears.

  Warriors of the Chrysalis - an order of warriors dedicated to serving the Witches of Larthang, they undergo a magical transformation designed to produce their ideal self.

  Way of the Wise Serpent - Larthangan philosophical tradition advocating mystical detachment and anarchy. Followers include alchemists, astrologers, and free magicians.

  wei-shen - the Larthangan art of deepseeing.

  wei-xing - general term for the Larthangan arts of deepshaping.

  weng-lei - the Larthangan art of magical combat.

  windbringer - a sentient fern-like plant; skilled at attracting winds and therefore prized by mariners of all nations.

  witch - broadly any female mage; strictly, a woman trained in the Larthangan arts of the Deepmind.

  yulugg - giant sea mammals, similar to whales.

  Zindu - a land of forests and jungles south of Larthang.

  Author’s Note

  Sincere thanks to my Beta Readers: Marilyn Massa, John W. Kelly, Richard Fisher, and Ben Kleven. Also to my cover artists, Shaun Stevens, who is truly a mage of design.

  The Glimnodd Cycle includes these books:

  Cloak of the Two Winds

  A Mirror Against All Mishap

  Tournament of Witches

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