CiS Chapter Thirteen
I have finished my required wordcount for today. This makes me happy, as I also went for a walk and lazed around a lot. And did some science homework. I should have brought my textbook home.
In this chapter, the story begins to experience what I am now calling "And then the battle happened" story compression, after another WriMo's index card that said just that. I realized around here that there was no way I was going to get through all the conversations in 50,000 words, and started skipping most of the transportation. Be warned. This chapter is the shortest one; only 761 words.
Chapter Thirteen
They argued with her. Eluial, when Lindau tracked her and Sheillornae down in another library, argued with her. Sheillornae did not argue with her, but he looked as though he would have done so if he could have spoken to her.
“Why can’t we just let the real priests handle it?” Corrin asked. “You’re not even ordained yet.”
“I can’t just sit here and wait!” Lindau said. “I thought you knew me better than that, Rin, after all this time.”
Corrin sighed. “Fine, I admit it, this is exactly like you. But I’ve been trying for years to make you listen to reason, and I don’t see why I should stop now.”
“You’d think you’d have given up by now. You ought to know I never listen.”
“I live in hope.”
Maltar objected more loudly. “Why should I go back there? What’s there for me?”
Lindau blinked at him uncomprehendingly, and Corrin recalled that she hadn’t talked to Maltar as much as he had. “What do you mean? Don’t you want to go home?”
“Yes,” said Maltar coolly, “but I haven’t got one. The only thing waiting for me in Norvord is death for treason. Or did you not notice that I told your priest everything I know?”
“No, you didn’t,” Corrin said under his breath.
“Prove it,” Maltar replied in the same tone, then continued, “I was given an order, and I disobeyed it. You’re still alive, haven’t you noticed? That is treason against Norvord, the punishment for which is death. I don’t want to die. So why should I go back?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Lindau said with the air of one who had presented the ultimate argument.
Maltar disagreed. “Why should I care? What has ‘the right thing to do’ ever done for me?”
“Well, I didn’t let Eluial kill you,” said Lindau. “Does that count?”
“No.”
“I think it does. And even if it doesn’t, what else are you going to do?”
Maltar shrugged. “Stay here. Find work somewhere I’m not in danger of being slaughtered in the street. Maybe go somewhere else, somewhere no one knows me and no one cares.”
“That sounds boring,” Lindau said. “I think you should come to Norvord with us and finish things off there. Don’t you have anything there you’d like to at least say farewell to?”
Maltar looked taken aback. Knowing what he knew, Corrin guessed what he was thinking, and considered the argument over. Lindau, as usual, had won. But Maltar still protested, “I’m not going back there to get killed.”
“We’ll disguise you somehow,” said Lindau. “Besides, you’re not that noticeable.”
“Not here, maybe. In Norvord, it’s a different story,” Maltar said.
“We’ll think of something.”
Maltar looked at Corrin. “I’m coming with you whether I want to or not, aren’t I?”
Corrin grinned. “Looks like it. Once Lin’s set on something, it usually happens.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Eluial did not advance any argument against her going in the general sense; she insisted that she would like nothing better than to be within reach of a ‘civilized’ country. However, she also insisted that their earlier journey had been so exhausting, she required to remain in Daritoll for a short while and rest. She did not look at Sheillornae while she said this. In fact, she did not look at him so emphatically that even Lindau, who had missed their earlier conversation, smiled in understanding.
Still, even she lost in the end. Lindau’s argument, that the ship was leaving the next day and she didn’t know when they could get another passage just for working on the way, had to be admitted as reasonable. They agreed, eventually, to leave in the morning, and swore Sheillornae to secrecy about what they were doing. He was not to tell the priests where the four of them had gone until he was asked. Corrin, privately, wasn’t sure if the Loadhleinfei would keep his promise, but once the ship had embarked, there would be nothing anyone could do except follow them.
***
They departed accordingly the following morning. It was a good day for sailing; clear blue sky and wind in the right direction.
“Are you sure about this?” Corrin asked one last time as they stood on the dock.
Lindau looked at him. She was not smiling now. “They took my god. They thought they could take my god away from me. I’m going to show them they can’t.”
Corrin just nodded. He didn’t know how to react to this strange, new Lindau.
They boarded in silence.
In this chapter, the story begins to experience what I am now calling "And then the battle happened" story compression, after another WriMo's index card that said just that. I realized around here that there was no way I was going to get through all the conversations in 50,000 words, and started skipping most of the transportation. Be warned. This chapter is the shortest one; only 761 words.
Chapter Thirteen
They argued with her. Eluial, when Lindau tracked her and Sheillornae down in another library, argued with her. Sheillornae did not argue with her, but he looked as though he would have done so if he could have spoken to her.
“Why can’t we just let the real priests handle it?” Corrin asked. “You’re not even ordained yet.”
“I can’t just sit here and wait!” Lindau said. “I thought you knew me better than that, Rin, after all this time.”
Corrin sighed. “Fine, I admit it, this is exactly like you. But I’ve been trying for years to make you listen to reason, and I don’t see why I should stop now.”
“You’d think you’d have given up by now. You ought to know I never listen.”
“I live in hope.”
Maltar objected more loudly. “Why should I go back there? What’s there for me?”
Lindau blinked at him uncomprehendingly, and Corrin recalled that she hadn’t talked to Maltar as much as he had. “What do you mean? Don’t you want to go home?”
“Yes,” said Maltar coolly, “but I haven’t got one. The only thing waiting for me in Norvord is death for treason. Or did you not notice that I told your priest everything I know?”
“No, you didn’t,” Corrin said under his breath.
“Prove it,” Maltar replied in the same tone, then continued, “I was given an order, and I disobeyed it. You’re still alive, haven’t you noticed? That is treason against Norvord, the punishment for which is death. I don’t want to die. So why should I go back?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Lindau said with the air of one who had presented the ultimate argument.
Maltar disagreed. “Why should I care? What has ‘the right thing to do’ ever done for me?”
“Well, I didn’t let Eluial kill you,” said Lindau. “Does that count?”
“No.”
“I think it does. And even if it doesn’t, what else are you going to do?”
Maltar shrugged. “Stay here. Find work somewhere I’m not in danger of being slaughtered in the street. Maybe go somewhere else, somewhere no one knows me and no one cares.”
“That sounds boring,” Lindau said. “I think you should come to Norvord with us and finish things off there. Don’t you have anything there you’d like to at least say farewell to?”
Maltar looked taken aback. Knowing what he knew, Corrin guessed what he was thinking, and considered the argument over. Lindau, as usual, had won. But Maltar still protested, “I’m not going back there to get killed.”
“We’ll disguise you somehow,” said Lindau. “Besides, you’re not that noticeable.”
“Not here, maybe. In Norvord, it’s a different story,” Maltar said.
“We’ll think of something.”
Maltar looked at Corrin. “I’m coming with you whether I want to or not, aren’t I?”
Corrin grinned. “Looks like it. Once Lin’s set on something, it usually happens.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Eluial did not advance any argument against her going in the general sense; she insisted that she would like nothing better than to be within reach of a ‘civilized’ country. However, she also insisted that their earlier journey had been so exhausting, she required to remain in Daritoll for a short while and rest. She did not look at Sheillornae while she said this. In fact, she did not look at him so emphatically that even Lindau, who had missed their earlier conversation, smiled in understanding.
Still, even she lost in the end. Lindau’s argument, that the ship was leaving the next day and she didn’t know when they could get another passage just for working on the way, had to be admitted as reasonable. They agreed, eventually, to leave in the morning, and swore Sheillornae to secrecy about what they were doing. He was not to tell the priests where the four of them had gone until he was asked. Corrin, privately, wasn’t sure if the Loadhleinfei would keep his promise, but once the ship had embarked, there would be nothing anyone could do except follow them.
***
They departed accordingly the following morning. It was a good day for sailing; clear blue sky and wind in the right direction.
“Are you sure about this?” Corrin asked one last time as they stood on the dock.
Lindau looked at him. She was not smiling now. “They took my god. They thought they could take my god away from me. I’m going to show them they can’t.”
Corrin just nodded. He didn’t know how to react to this strange, new Lindau.
They boarded in silence.