James Islington - The Shadow Of What Was Lost

“Trust,” said Elocien. “The trust placed in the Augurs was absolute. Without checks and balances, it would have been too easy for someone to abuse their position, to take advantage by claiming to have Seen something that they hadn’t.” He shrugged. “I thought it was important to continue that tradition, even with only three Augurs. I’ve been filling the role, but aside from the difficulties we’ve already discussed, I’m often too busy to wade through every scrap of information I’m brought.”

Erran spoke up. “We tend to have visions about ourselves, our friends or family - often about things that may be important to us, but not necessarily to someone like Elocien,” he explained. “The further removed the events of a vision are from us – in time, distance or personal interest – the more important they seem to be. And those are the visions that other Augurs will also likely See.”

Asha nodded slowly. It made sense, then; the Northwarden would hardly want to waste time wading through pages of information he couldn’t use. “And once something has been confirmed?”

“The Scribe copies it into a single book - called the Journal - along with the names of the Augurs who had the vision. We all have access to it. The Journal is then used as a reliable source of information about future events,” Elocien concluded.

Asha remained silent for a while as she processed what she’d been told. The system made sense, and she understood why they’d chosen her. It was a massive responsibility, though. One she knew without having to ask that she had no choice in accepting.

“You’re placing a lot of trust in me,” she observed.

Elocien nodded, expression serious. “Erran insisted.”

Asha gave the young man a quizzical look. “Why?”

Erran returned her gaze steadily. “It wasn’t a hard choice, once I’d Read you. You’re smart. Honest. Loyal. You’ve been courageous, this past month, when a lot of others would have just given up after what you’ve been through. And most importantly, I saw how faithful you were to your Augur friend, back in Caladel. How determined you were to keep his secret.” He shrugged. “Knowing that, you seemed like a good fit for the job.”

Asha blushed a little and looked at the ground, not knowing what to say.

The Northwarden smiled slightly at her embarrassment, then stood, giving Asha’s shoulder a light squeeze. “I’ll leave you two to talk. I need to see whether Athian have sent someone over yet.”

Asha nodded hesitantly, and Elocien slipped out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, then Erran said, “I’m sorry about Kol.” He made a face. “He’ll come around eventually, I’m sure.”

“He seemed quite upset.”

“He was,” conceded Erran. “You have to understand… I can be confident you won’t betray us, but to the others, you’re a stranger who now has their lives in your hands. They’ll accept you in time, but expect some suspicion for a while.”

Asha frowned. “Can’t they just Read me too?”

Erran shook his head. “We each have our own strengths. Mine is Reading people, but I rarely have visions of the future. The others See more, and can do other things I can’t, but they can Read perhaps one in every ten people. Only those with the weakest natural defences.” He gave her a small smile. “You’re not in that group.”

“But you can Read me.” The thought made Asha more uncomfortable than she cared to admit. "Do you Read a lot of people?"

Erran nodded. "I’ve probably Read half of Ilin Illan, at one point or another," he confessed. "Just about everyone here in the palace, and then Elocien sends me down to the White Sword once a week, too. It’s the most popular tavern in the city - you’d be amazed at the information you can pick up there." He grinned. "I can’t say I dislike that part of the job, to be honest."

Asha smiled at that. "So is there anyone you can’t Read?"

"Anyone who can shield themselves," admitted Erran. “And don’t worry - we’ll teach you how to do that soon enough. It’s just a mental trick, no special powers required. With your training from Caladel, it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn. But I promise I’ll try to keep out of your head until you have.”

Asha gave him an appreciative nod, and there were a few moments of silence.

“So how did all this come about?” she asked eventually, gesturing vaguely after the duke.

“Elocien found me a few years ago - or Administration did, to be exact. I was living on the streets of Ghas, and some of the criminal element there got wind of my… talents. They used me for a few months, but after a while, one of them decided that the reward for turning in an Augur was worth more than what I could do. Not really the most far-sighted of men.” He paused at that, rolling his eyes. “After the Administrators brought me here, when Elocien first came to meet me, I think he was going to have me executed.”

Asha stared at him. “Really?”

“He was different back then,” Erran rushed to assured her. “But I had the presence of mind to Read him before he could do anything. As soon as he realised I could get to people’s secrets so easily, I became too valuable to waste. He helped me, got me a position as a servant in the palace. In return I’d Read visiting dignitaries, lords, the Gifted Representatives, anyone who might be trying to keep things from the king.”

“You spied for him,” said Asha flatly.

“Better than death.” Erran’s tone was mild. “We weren’t friends and it wasn’t something I was proud of, but it wasn’t a bad life by most standards. And Elocien never abused the information I gave him.”

“But he only had mercy because he wanted to use you?”

“At first. But… things changed.” Erran hesitated. “I can’t say why, exactly; one of the first things he made me do was teach him to shield himself. But he’s not like that any more. When Administration found Fessi and Kol, he rescued them, gave them homes here, hid them even from the king. If someone found out, he’d be executed for treason. He’s risking his life, bringing us together.”

“He’s also getting access to your powers,” Asha pressed, unconvinced.

“True,” Erran acceded, “ but he already had me. Adding the other two posed more risk than reward.” He shook his head. “I know you’ve probably heard stories about him, and some of them are probably true. But whatever he was before, Ashalia, he’s a good man now. One you can trust. I’ll swear to it.”

Asha nodded; she’d wait and see for herself, but Erran was obviously convinced. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Erran looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. “No you won’t.” He winced immediately. “Sorry… sometimes I Read people without thinking about what I’m doing. You’ll watch Elocien and make up your own mind. That’s okay. You’ll see I’m right soon enough.”

Asha nodded uncomfortably, suddenly feeling naked. She hadn’t felt anything, but Erran had been inside her head as easily as that.

“How do you manage to keep all this a secret?” she asked, as much to take her mind off her discomfort than anything else. “Surely all it would take to get in trouble would be for someone to overhear you and the others talking.”

Erran inclined his head. “I probably should have mentioned that already.” He gestured to the walls around them. “This is what we call a Lockroom. It’s shielded to all kinds of eavesdropping, both natural and Gifted – it’s what your Elders would have called Silenced. Whatever you say in a room like this can only be heard by those within.”

“Oh.” Asha looked around, but there seemed nothing out of the ordinary about the room. “So you always meet in here?”