Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 by The Wizard Lord (v1.1) Page A

corners—but even Priest's old cat, curled on a windowsill,
seemed to be staring at him.
    All four wizards were
unquestionably in the surrounding houses, watching throug h the shutters to be
certain that the challenge was properly made.
    "I will!"
the old man called happily. "Tomorrow, when the sun tops the eastern
cliff, we will meet here with our swords. I will order my ler not to interfere, and we will see that my title is no brag, but mere
fact!"
    "Tomorrow, then, old man!"
    And with that, the two turned on their
respective heels and marched off.
    Behind them the air shimmered, and the cat's
gaze followed the Young Swordsman's departure.

[7]

    The sky overhead was
already blue and brightening when Breaker arrived in the town square, well before
the sun cleared the looming clifftops to the east. He wore a white woolen coat
he had borrowed; he hoped it would make him harder to see against the snowy
surroundings. Yes, the O ld Swordsman intended to lose the fight, but the youth wanted to make it
easy for him—and, more importantly, believable for those watching, both human
and ler.
Ler responded to human beliefs and emotions, as
Elder Priestess had told him often enough, so t he fight had to look as convincing as
possible to everyone and everything watching.
    And yes, the audience
was already there. Priest was standing in his doorway, watching somberly,
wrapped in the red cloak he wore when acting as magistrate. To one side th e two priestesses,
Elder and Younger, were waiting, both wearing the green of their office. Joker
and Brokenose and Spitter were leaning against a nearby wall, hands in the
pockets of their long winter coats, their expressions surprisingly serious.
    Breaker's family had followed him to the
square, and his parents and younger siblings stood clustered at one edge of the
square. Harp, followed by Smudge, had joined the other musicians in a corner,
though of course none of them had brought their instruments. Digger had joined
them, though he had never shown any interest in music; noticing Smudge's
annoyed expression, Breaker guessed that his friend had been a little too
obvious in showing that his interest lay in the harpist, rather than the harp.
    The Red Wiza rd and two of the
others, the woman known in Mad Oak simply as the Wizard Woman and the man
called Greybeard, stood gathered at one side; the fourth wizard, Black Coat,
had not yet appeared.
    Dozens of other
townsfolk stood waiting, as well—none of them ha d ever seen a real swordfight, unless the
last few months of practice might be counted.
    And the air shimmered
with the presence of ler; colored light sparkled in every shadow.
Breaker looked around, trying to gauge their mood, as he drew his sword and
too k
a practice swing.
    That was how he came to notice the rabbit,
and the hawk, and Priest's cat, all staring at him.
    The cat—well, cats were inexplicable
creatures, and might stare for any reason, or none at all. The hawk might
conceivably have been attracted by the presence of so many ler, thinking they might
guide it to its prey.
    But what was a rabbit in its long white
winter coat doing in the middle of town, sitting unafraid among so many humans,
and staring so intently at one of them? He stared back.
    Some of the observers noticed his intent
gaze, and they, too, saw the rabbit in the square.
    The rabbit noticed them, as well, but did not
react in anything like normal rabbit fashion; it did not freeze, or flee, but
looked casually around.
    "Yes," it said, in a high-pitched,
inhuman voice, "it's magic."
    Someone in the
audience screamed, and several others murmured; feet shuffled in the snow, and
someone tumbled on a slick spot and caught herself against a wall. The
so-called Young Swordsman, feeling very young indeed, closed his eyes and
swallowed.
    He had heard of
talking animals, but he had never seen one before—well, not one he could understand; he knew that the priests could sometimes speak to the ler of ordinary beasts and