Skwyr Court

Sirshi went through the rest of the day with a cloud hanging over her. She stayed in the temple until Master Moudren ordered her to leave and get some sleep. No matter how hard Sirshi tried, she couldn’t fall asleep. She kept thinking about what would happen the next morning when her parents arrived to take her away. If they didn’t outright drag her from the castle, they probably would take her out of the temple. There was still nothing she could do.

When her orb told her to give up trying to get sleep, she got out of bed and washed up. She slung her pack over her shoulder and left her room.

“Good morning.” Kurgm was waiting outside their rooms.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked.

“Moral support.”

“I don’t need your help. Tell Ekla—”

“Master Ekla doesn’t know I’m here.”

“I doubt she cares. My parents won’t be up this early, so by the time they arrive, you’ll be gone.”

“Have you told anyone else?”

“No.”

She thought for a moment that he would ask about Roshil, but he remained quiet as they walked to the temple. Sirshi got ready for the Sun Welcoming Ceremony. She did her best to fake it. How was she supposed to spread hope when she had none left?

Sirshi and Master Moudren remained in the temple chamber after Sirshi finished cleaning up after the ceremony. After a while, Kurgm returned to the temple.

“I don’t know where Master Ekla is,” he said. “She’s usually here when I’m finished.”

“You two should go eat breakfast,” Master Moudren said. “You may return here afterward. Your father said he’d arrive shortly after breakfast.”

“When did he say that?” Sirshi asked, her anger already rising at the mention of her father.

“Not to me, but word reached me yesterday.”

Master Moudren saw them out before Sirshi could ask more questions. She and Kurgm walked through the castle to the great hall. People were already gathering for breakfast.

“Have you told Roshil?” he asked. “You two are friends, aren’t you?”

“I haven’t said anything to her.” Sirshi clenched her fists. “I’m almost in my third year. How am I supposed to make up for almost two years? I’ll probably have to stay longer. At least my father will get to scold me about it taking so long. He’ll probably say ‘It was your fault for picking the wrong specialization’, then ‘Your sister finished in three years’.”

“Maybe Master Moudren will think of something,” Kurgm said as they walked along the tables to where Roshil always sat.

Sirshi began to wonder if she should even be eating breakfast. She wasn’t hungry, but she’d been ordered by her master to “go eat breakfast”, so that’s what she was doing.

Maybe I should just leave.

It’d be easy enough to run away from the court, wouldn’t it? Just sneak aboard a caravan, or sneak out into the forest. Although Master Daktra had told her explicitly not to do that. Master Moudren had never worried about it. She knew Sirshi wouldn’t under normal circumstances. Besides, if she left, she wouldn’t get to be a priest, and that was all she wanted.

If I stay, I don’t get to be a priest either.

Kurgm and Sirshi sat down at the table.

“You should tell Roshil,” he said. “She’d want to know.”

“What difference does it make?” Sirshi snapped.

“She’s your friend.”

“So? It’s not like I’m leaving!”

“You might be!”

“What?”

Sirshi and Kurgm looked up and found Oshal standing over them, looking awfully concerned.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why might Apprentice Sirshi be leaving?”

“It’s nothing,” Sirshi said.

Oshal sat down next to Kurgm. “Please don’t lie to me. I can tell in your voice that you’re upset. And I can still sense how you’re feeling, even though I’m trying not to spy on other peoples’ feelings too much. Also, it’s been hard to tune out the anger that’s been coming from you for the past two days.” He turned slightly to Kurgm. “Apprentice Kurgm, what happened?”

Sirshi glared at Kurgm, but if he noticed, he didn’t care.

“Sirshi’s parents are making her change specializations.”

“Why? She’s very good at being a priest.”

“They don’t care!” Sirshi snapped. “My parents have never cared about me. They only care about their precious Ekla.”

Kurgm opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when something behind Sirshi caught his attention.

Sirshi prepared to yell at her sister, but stopped when she found that it wasn’t Ekla at whom Kurgm was staring.

“Hello, everyone,” Roshil said. “Um… is it okay if I sit with you?”

“Of course it is,” Oshal said. “You’re always welcome to sit with me.”

Roshil looked from one person to another, then sat down next to Sirshi.

The officers walked in, then breakfast began. The group of them stayed quiet through most of the meal, although Kurgm kept giving Sirshi significant glances.

“Is Apprentice Aonva in the library?” Oshal asked, breaking the group’s silence.

“I don’t know,” Kurgm said. “We haven’t spoken much in the past few days.”

That was the most conversation they had until the end of breakfast when Oshal spoke up again.

“Roshil,” Oshal said, “since no one else is going to say it, Apprentice Sirshi’s parents are asking that she change specializations.”

“Oh.” Roshil looked at Sirshi. “What happened?”

“Ekla happened,” Sirshi said. “She told them about me, and my parents remembered I existed.”

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Oshal said. “I’m sure Master Ekla didn’t mean to—”

“Of course she meant to!” Sirshi snapped, losing her temper. “She didn’t want me to be a priest either!”

“Don’t yell at him,” Roshil said, glaring at Sirshi. “He’s only trying to help.”

“No one can help me, thanks to Ekla.”

Kurgm looked around the great hall. “Where is she?”

“Probably plotting with our father,” Sirshi growled.

As breakfast ended, Sirshi still wondered where Ekla was. She was confident in her theory, but it would’ve been nice to know for sure.

Lord Grund came by to fetch Roshil as they were leaving.

“Apprentice Sirshi, Lady Runslo told me about your situation. For what it’s worth, I think you belong in the Temple of the Rising Sun.”

Sirshi didn’t know what to say. She wanted to yell about her parents again, but she was sure doing so to an officer was a bad idea.

“Say ‘thank you’,” Oshal whispered.

“Oh. Yeah. Thank you, My Lord.”

“Apprentice Kurgm, Apprentice Oshal.” He turned to Roshil and led her away.

“I wish I could go with you,” Oshal said, “but Master Durwey is expecting me.” She smiled at Sirshi. “Good luck. I know everything will turn out alright.”

“You can’t know that,” Sirshi said. “There’s nothing anyone can do.”

She and Kurgm walked together back to the Temple of the Rising Sun. She thought of Roshil and Oshal. Maybe Oshal should’ve been a priest. He was a lot better at staying hopeful no matter what, although she doubted that he’d have been that hopeful if their situations were reversed. Although, she doubted Daylarl would’ve forced either of his children to change specializations.

Master Moudren was waiting for them when they arrived. A few minutes later, her father walked in.

He stood tall as always, not that he was tall, but he liked to look important. His clothes were nice, his hair was neat, and he wore a look of contempt. As his eyes ran over everything in the main chamber, his expression said he wanted it all thrown away. Sirshi was familiar with the look; it was the look he gave most of her possessions, and, on occasion, her.

“You must be Apprentice Sirshi’s father,” Master Moudren said.

Her father looked at Master Moudren as though she were a bug that had just flown in through a window.

Sirshi clenched her fists, wondering how much trouble she’d get in if she punched him, and how much it would really matter if she got in trouble.

“Sirshi.” He motioned for her to follow him.

“If I may—” Master Moudren said.

“No. You’ve poisoned my daughter’s mind with these fantasies of imaginary deities for long enough. I want something better for her.”

“Really?” Sirshi said, raising her voice. “For me, or for you?!”

He glared down at her, his face telling her that she was going to regret that outburst later.

There’s nothing you can do to me worse than this.

“Sirshi, you will come with me. One way or another, this cry for attention stops now.”

“I’m sorry that I’m such a disappointment,” she said.

“Apprentice Sirshi.” Master Moudren laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s been a privilege to be your master, but I’m afraid that time is over.”

For a brief moment, Sirshi felt something other than anger. For a moment, she felt like someone actually cared about her.

Her father grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

“Let go of me!” Sirshi shouted, trying to wrench her arm out of his grasp.

“I’m sure that’s not—” Master Moudren started.

“I don’t need your opinion!” her father shouted, pulling Sirshi toward the door. “I will do with my daughter what I think is best!”

“Enough!”

Ekla’s voice echoed through the chamber. Sirshi and her father froze, then her father straightened up, without releasing her.

Sirshi glared at her half-sister. Her shock at seeing her sister inside the Temple of the Rising Sun was overcome by her rage.

“Father,” Ekla said, “the court does not accept your reason for changing Apprentice Sirshi’s specialization at this time.”

Sirshi exchanged glances with Master Moudren and Kurgm. They looked as confused as she was.

“What?” her father said. “Ekla, you can’t be—”

“Master Ekla, and I’m completely serious. Your insistence on removing Apprentice Sirshi from her position as apprentice priest shows religious intolerance, which the court will not tolerate. Now please let go of her.”

Their father smiled disarmingly as Sirshi continued to try to free herself.

“Master Ekla, I’m her father. I know what’s best.”

“Best for whom? What’s best for the court is that she remains in her position.” She stood nearly eye to eye with their father. Her back was straight, her face was impassive, and she kept her hands behind her back. While their father looked every bit the upstanding citizen, Ekla looked every bit the perfect servant of the court.

“I’m her father—”

“And you entered an agreement with the court when you submitted her apprenticeship application.” Ekla produced a large bundle of parchment from her pack and flipped through it. “In accordance with the terms of apprenticeship, an apprenticeship may not be terminated for reasons of intolerance.”

Sirshi was torn. Either Ekla was making that up, which made no sense, or she’d found something even Master Moudren and Lady Runslo hadn’t found, which still made no sense, because why would Ekla care whether she remained an apprentice priest?

Ekla held up a particular page of the parchment. “You’re free to review the terms of your agreement,” she flipped to the last page, where Sirshi and their father had both signed it, “and your signature, binding you to the agreement.”

Her father released Sirshi, who backed up to Master Moudren, while her father read over the parchment.

“I haven’t shown any intolerance!” he spat.

“‘Fantasies of imaginary deities’,” Master Moudren said, “sounds an awful lot like both ignorance and intolerance to me.”

Her father glared at Master Moudren, then got control of himself.

“Fine.” He pushed the parchment back into Ekla’s hands. “If Sirshi refuses to respect my authority as her father, she won’t be returning to my house.”

“Fine, father,” Sirshi said.

Her father turned to her, glowering down at her.

“You are not my daughter.”

Sirshi glared back at him.

“I haven’t been your daughter for years, Endrir.”

He turned and left the temple.

“Apprentice Kurgm,” Ekla said, “take the morning off.”

She too turned and started for the door.

“What just happened?” Sirshi asked.

“I did what few people have ever done,” Ekla said without stopping. “I read the Apprenticeship Agreement we’ve all signed. Section 26 is agreement modification or termination, subsection eight outlines what the court defines as ‘intolerance’.”

“But—” Sirshi started, but Ekla left without waiting for more questions. “Why?”

“I can answer that,” Kurgm said, he too heading for the door. “She said it herself: It’s what’s best for the court. If there’s one thing Master Ekla cares about more than anything, it’s the court.”

Sirshi stared at the door where Ekla had been. Ekla thought it was best for the court that Sirshi stayed where she was. That thought was still hard to get her mind around.

“Apprentice Sirshi,” Master Moudren said, a broad smile on her face. “I believe we have work to do, now that you’re staying.”

Sirshi nodded, then followed Master Moudren through the temple. On her way past, she stood and bowed to the statue of Olmgra.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her hope restored.

#VolumeTwo #DutyToOlmgraAndFamily