Arrianna - Part Five

A brief insight into the history of Azmoress, specifically the Testing (although it remains vague)

Arrianna turned her attention to the scroll in her hands and read the title: The Relationship of Spirit Souls - A Conundrum Proposed by The Unworthy Councillor, Gwerntoc Rentec, in an Address to the Council. Arrianna groaned aloud; this was certainly going to be another fascinating read. She unrolled the first section of the scroll and gave a cursory glance at the small, spidery writing. As usual, it was complete gibberish. About to let the scroll drop to the floor next to her bed, a single word caught her attention. Mildly interested, she began to read the paragraph:

 

…though this was not always the case. True, the successfully Tested of today do receive, to a lesser extent if I might be so bold as to point out, a benefit from the spirit joining, such benefit is as nothing compared to the unfettered use of our natural talents as recorded by our forefathers. Note my use of the word successfully. This is not a mistake on my part. Furthermore, in keeping with…

 

Arrianna paused, surprisingly excited. Finally, her so-called tutor had given her something to read about the Testing! She read on, hoping to learn anything that might actually prepare her what was to come:

 

…and in the end that discourse proved an utter failure. Consider this, if you will; what if there was no Testing at all? What would you do? What would happen to our great nation, our great people? I answer such hyperbole thus: we would all die! It is the Testing that gives us what we need to survive here under the earth, scrabbling around like dung beetles and big-eyed moles. But, and I cannot make this point more clear, it is not the Testing per se that gives us this gift, or this right, as some of you might put it, but our own natural abilities! Yes! I shout it in your very faces: look at our ancestors! Up there in the great wide Outside, under the bright shining Sun, they simply did what they needed to do, when and where they wanted to. At will! No, my friends, the Testing is but a crutch. We are like an old, old man with aching joints; we shuffle along, leaning on a so-called tradition simply because we are too scared to go forth on our own merits. Or, dare I say it and I dare you to deny it - we simply use the Testing as a form of Control. Now, dear people, I would like to add a comment regarding the treatise as put for by …

 

Arrianna continued to read. Hours later, Neath arrived with her midday meal. Barely noticing what she shoveled into her mouth, she ate the plain yet nutritious meal of fruit, bread, and water without complaint. That night Arrianna performed the training routines set for her in the exercise chamber with a blank, preoccupied look on her face. For once, she wanted the training to finish quickly so she could get back to her room and her reading. Late that night, Arrianna eventually came to the end of the scroll. She tossed and turned for the remainder of the night, the ramblings of the so-called Unworthy Councillor bouncing around in her head.

The next morning Arrianna sat fidgeting on the room’s only chair, impatiently awaiting her tutor. When the door was unlocked and Neath made her way inside with another leather-bound tomb under one arm, Arrianna sat up expectantly. It dawned on her suddenly that this was a complete reversal to her normal routine of deliberate obstinacy. Arrianna pushed that thought away for now and, gesturing silently for the old woman to take her chair, got up and sat on the bed.

“What have you to tell me about Gwerntoc’s speech?” Neath asked without preamble, ignoring the chair.

Arrianna remained silent.

“You may speak, girl,” the old woman eventually said, and Arrianna was sure she detected a hint of confusion in the woman’s pale blue eyes.

“I think the Unworthy Councillor was a raving mad-man, but some of what he said made sense,” Arrianna stated confidently. She had had plenty of time to rehearse what she was going to say and was hoping the tutor might answer some of her own questions if she received an answer to her liking.

“Indeed. And what part made sense to you, girl?” Neath asked, her ages features once again unreadable.

“Gwerntoc said the Testing had a limited effect on modern-day Azmorae, although if I read it right, he made that speech over two-hundred years ago.”

“Go on, child,” Neath encouraged, and took the proffered chair, her claw-like hands resting on her lap.

“He said the fact we choose to remain under the mountains instead of in the Outside was diluting our natural abilities and that the present day Test was just for show…” Arrianna trailed off, her show of confidence evaporating under the old woman’s intense stare. Her usual defense was to make an angry retort but this time she kept firm rein on her temper. She cleared her throat and finished; “He seemed to suggest that we would have a better result from the Testing if we did it Outside.”

“I see. And why would there be a better result Outside, if I might ask?”

“I " I don’t know!” Arrianna replied in exasperation. “I haven’t been told what the Testing is about, yet, so how am I supposed to know if it would be better somewhere else?” She looked at the tutor hopefully; silently pleading for her to say something, anything, about the Test. Surely she had just proved that she was trying to take all this seriously…for once.

Neath sat studying her for a time, her head tilted to one side like the crow she resembled. Arrianna held her breath but then her hopes fizzled away as the other woman abruptly rose.

“Here is today's reading, girl. Give particular attention to the chapter titled: Hydroponic Solutions for the Growing Population.” Neath passed over the leather bound book and departed.

Arrianna was not surprised; the woman had not answered one single question in the eight days she had been within the House of Testing. She had finally come to the conclusion that the only way to prepare for whatever was to come in just six days’ time was to do the work herself. There were not going to be any quick and easy answers forthcoming from her tutor. Arrianna now had three ornamental scrolls and five big leather books on her bookcase, plus the new one her lap. So far she had read only one scroll, cover to cover. With absolutely nothing else to do and her Testing fast approaching, Arrianna was determined to change those odds.

A sudden thought occurred to her as she propped herself up on the bed with the latest book. She had managed to keep out of the penitent cell for an entire day and night…

Reviews

[JR Darewood]

Sounds like Arrianna has learned a little humility.
I realize there are limitations to how much time you want to spend on these exchanges, but I was expecting a little bit more from Arrianna's summary of the scroll. That the testing would work better Outside is a nice tid bit, but it felt like it was far to little considering how much time she spent reading the scroll and how excited she was, and my own expectations as a reader.

That said, I"m still frigging curious to see if her Comprehensive Exams were as bad as mine.

[AJJordan]

LOL - well I guess that depends on your interpretation of 'bad'. Somehow I don't think you had to go through the anguish of having your entire view of life ripped asunder, while simultaneously getting your soul ripped out and integrated into the primal life-essence of an ancient mountain eagle - your new spirit soul - thereby allowing you to channel vast amounts of raw power, and then be disbelieved by everyone and branded a heretic ....but hey, maybe we just went to different schools.

Oh no, I think I've given away too much.

**Watch this space**

[JR Darewood]

Clearly you weren't at my Comps. Pshaw, that sounds like she has it EASY.