>>6153270“And the winner is… Master Pale!” Misty announces, rushing in to shake your hand. Cato stares in surprise as she dances around you, laughing and playfully squeezing the muscles in your sword arm. “Well, I understand that my decision may be a controversial one, but let me explain. For one thing, Isambard drew first blood. Another thing…” she pauses, teasing out the suspenseful moment for as long as possible, “It’s funnier this way!”
“I suppose I can’t argue with that. The referee’s word is law,” Cato says with a sigh, turning to you and giving you a faint bow. Just as his head lowers, you think you see a flicker of a smile on his face. “Congratulations, Master Pale,” he adds, “As the loser, I would be grateful for any advice that you can offer.”
“I would say…” you hesitate a moment, “Stop catching daggers with your bare hands. One of these days, you’ll lose a finger.”
Cato nods, receiving your wisdom with a very serious expression.
-
The duel might be over, but your heart is still racing. Leaving Cato and Misty to squabble – at least, that’s what you assume they’ll be doing – you take a wander back down to the dig site. There, you sit down on the edge of the main pit and gaze at the statue of the horned maiden as you wait for your pulse to slow. As you sit there, your mind starts to wander. In the ancient days, triumphant warriors might have piled up their dead before this goddess in hope of attracting her favour. Now, in these enlightened times, she has to satisfy herself with more humble offerings.
Jumping down into the trench, you kneel down at the foot of the statue and sift through some of the offerings left behind. A few flowers, chosen for their blood-red colour, and some fragments of animal bone. As your fingers brush against the pure white stone, you feel something stirring within the depths of your mind. That strange sense of disappointment you felt when you received her Lesson returns, calling out for you to listen once more. Bowing your head low, you cast your mind out to receive-
THE TALE OF THE STONE GODDESS – EPILOGUE.
You’re no stranger to the hardships of a nomadic life, but you’ve always had a clan, a family, to share those hardships with. Now, in your lonely life of exile, you have only one person, your sister, who you can turn to. Like scavenging rats, you skulk through dense forests and hide from wandering bands of warriors. Like carrion birds, you descend upon forgotten battlefields to steal whatever loot can be found. It is a life without joy and peace, a life haunted by the threat of violence.
But you don’t regret a thing. Bleddyn walked a path towards madness, and you would not allow yourself to follow it to its end. When the light of the full moon shines down upon you, you know that your choice was right.
[2/3]
