| Father
“What do ye want me te say, Cal? Do ye want me te give ye my blessing?”
She looks up at him; the man she has called “Father” for all of her life.
He is into his seventies now, but time has done little to diminish his stature. His hair is grey, but his eyes are as hard and black as ever. She feels them bore into her.
“I want te stay,” she says. “I feel I’m wastin’ my time there. I feel we are wastin’ our time. There’s no war fer us te fight. We’re makin’ no progress.”
He folds his arms. She sees the muscles of his shoulders bunch through the sleeves of his robe. “Akalabeth,” he says, “is where the Prophecy will unfold.”
“But it needs three of us,” she replies. “Ulran was recalled back here by the Priesthood.” She shrugs slightly. “If they believe him te be of more use here than there, then the Prophecy cannae be that high a priority.”
A flicker of something crosses his face.
“Not te mention that we nay even know who the Third is…” she continues.
“Which is precisely why ye must return.”
“But…”
“No buts. Ye think ye can stay here and they’ll make ye a general? Yer dreamin’, child. Capable ye might be, but they’re nay ready fer a female general yet. Ye’ve done well te be the first female commander, and ye should be proud o’ that, but ye will always come up against obstacles that will stop ye from getting’ further.”
Cal grits her teeth in frustration. “Even if I get nay further, I can at least serve the army here. I am trained te fight, not te sit back in Strongholt twiddlin’ my thumbs while the general acts like a…” She scowls. “Like a Darkcloak.”
“Trained te fight ye may be, but ye were raised te serve Raza. And ye will serve Him by findin’ the Third.”
“Nayone in the army is interested in Raza any more, Father. Most of ‘em are Britannians.” Her top lips curls into a sneer. “And the others are Dondinian pussies.”
“Then ye have work te do, Cal.”
Distasteful as his words are to her, she knows that he is right. She lets out a long breath.
“Very well, Father. Sol Sil Eth, Sol Lat Eth.”
He nods, seemingly satisfied.
“But Father, I need summat from ye.”
He raises a brow. “Oh?”
She tells him. |