Cataindar

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Soon after waking in Cataindar, Clearwater informed Luisa that the abbot had called a meeting to which everyone in Cataindar had to attend.  Luisa strolled to the grand cavern in her jeans and red hoodie.  Clearwater followed behind. 

The whole of Cataindar had gathered, ten thousand Catains, sitting at tables on chairs and stools of varying sizes. The walls were lined with burning lanterns that lit the enormous faded tapestry behind.

The abbot was standing at the front of the cavern on a raised platform.  He clung on to a lectern framed in brass piping.  Behind him were a number of elegantly carved chairs set in a semi circle facing the crowd, in these chairs sat Finn, Chopland, Cooper, Boswood and Mr. Notes, the heads of their gildens; all looking grim.

There was one larger chair in the centre of these that sat empty. Luisa guessed it was for her. The cavern was alight with a loud hubbub of gossip about the contravention, the burning of the Journal of Chambers and double murders. Luisa heard snatches of conversations as she walked.  She saw Darcius with some of his scouger band, he smiled slightly and tipped his head to her. She strode through the crowd with her head held high, nodding and smiling to the catains that stared at her and sharing a few words with the catains that she knew.

I’ll do my best to be the princess they want me to be.

The abbot gestured her to join them and she sat down in the largest and most beautiful chair.  

The abbot cleared his throat, a sound which was amplified through the hall by the piping on the lectern.  He looked out at the catains for a long moment, looked down at some notes he had prepared and then begun.

“Catains.  These last days have been hard for all of us.  It is true, Thorne’s scougers were attacked by the Ratains.” The crowd reacted loudly, although they had all heard the news through the catain grapevine, hearing it from the abbot somehow made it real and more frightening.  “Three of our heroic scougers were killed in battle, Gundie, Freshroot, Herbtone all from Thorne’s band.  Thorne herself is terribly wounded.  May their memories be blessed and live on within the stones forever. Please now, let our thoughts go to Thorne’s recovery.” The abbot paused and bowed his head and Luisa saw many catains do the same.  After a few moments he continued.

“Because this battle took place so close to one of our sacred entrances we initiated a contravention.  Our scouger bands have surveyed the lands and are sure that there is no scent nor sign of Ratains.  We have had a lucky escape.”

Another hubbub rippled through the crowd, Luisa heard someone say, “Thank the dragons for that!”

“But this is not all, catains.  Yesterday the Chamber of Sacred Journals was broken into, our dear Scribe Ranson was murdered and many, many of our sacred journals were lost to fire. Centuries of Cataindar's history gone. The murderer, Garner, was found in his chamber, dead by his own hand.”

Luisa looked over at Finn, he would not meet her gaze and continued to look out stoically at the crowd as a hubbub broke out.

You have got to be kidding me.

 The abbot began in a rousing tone, “So I urge you, catains, to stay strong and be patient, because we will rebuild, we will survive, we shall…”

But the abbot was cut off by a loud,

‘Crack!’

It fired in the cavern like a gunshot.

What the heck was that? 

A great commotion ran through in the crowd.  Finn was immediately on his feet and Luisa did the same.