Excerpt: Pride of Teleahn

The Lord Fionn gestured that Conor should be seated opposite. He was clad in a night-robe similar to that Conor wore and his blond hair was loosely bound back, awaiting the attention of his personal servant.

"Good morning," he said. "I trust you slept well."

"I did," said Conor, eyeing the feast and waiting for permission to start eating. "Truthfully, I doubt anything could have stirred me. I slept like I was under the influence of the Seadeep Smoke."

"The restorative power of a good bed, a breeze and a banked fire is often underestimated." Fionn set aside the correspondence he was examing and gestured. "Please, eat."

Conor needed no more invitation. Starting with the bacon, which was nearest to him, he worked his way through all the dishes, piling them high on his plate. Fionn ate with more discernment, carefully selecting a portion of bread and spreading goat's cheese and tomato puree on it. Having finished that while Conor was still attempting to impact the pile of food in front of him, Fionn progressed to an egg, and finishing that, rested his chin on his clasped hands and watched Conor eating.

"My apologies, my Lord," said Conor. "It has been a while since I last tasted good fare."

"It gives me pleasure to see you enjoying my food. The olive oil, you know, was imported from Samioch."

Conor, who had detected no difference from the Teleahni stuff used by inns and taverns throughout the kingdom, nodded sagely. "It has a finer quality."

The Lord Fionn smiled at him.

Once Conor had eaten his fill, a comfortable silence reigned briefly. It was summarily deposed by Fionn's next question: "Conor, have you been named?"

His guest, who had been considering more bread, lost his appetite. "No," he said.

Fionn nodded. Naming was a ritual undergone by a child, traditionally on the first name-day after their birth. A Caeline Priest conducted a ceremony and wrote the child's name in the great book to ensure that the Prophets would guide that child on their path and exact retribution on those who wronged them. Teaching was that an unnamed child would stumble pathless and confused through their life, and end in ignominy.

Most halfblood had never been named. Many Caelines refused to enter halfbloods, unless the child was legitimate and the parent influential. And most halfblood were the bastard offspring of indifferent parents.

"No," he said, unable to meet Fionn's eyes.

"Would you like to be?"

Conor felt heat suffuse his face. "Could you do that?"

"I have a Caeline who will name halfbloods," said Fionn, "and it wants but a fortnight to First Falloleaves. There is more. I have much to tell you. I will take you to Caer Lih, but first we must persuade our secretive friend to join us."

"Who is our secretive friend?" Conor had heard him referred to before, but always in code, as a halfblood who must be brought around to the cause if they were to succeed.

"Duncan ui Naylor."

"Duncan the Halfblood? I thought him dead."

"He is in Kain Aelas."

"Why do you trust me with this information?"

Fionn, his chin still resting on his hand, examined Conor's face. "I have a knack for knowing people's intentions," he said. "You, I think, have a knack for inspiring people to follow you. I can use that."

"I don't know," said Conor. "I suppose so."

"Did you wonder why you trusted Nick directly you met him? Or why Ciaran was able to surprise you when he came, and vanish completely when he left?"

Conor shook his head.

"There seems to be a sort of power that only shows in halfbloods. Shayn lore tells of a Sense that some Shayn had, heightened awareness of their world and the ability to read wood and water. Perhaps that mixes with the Teleahni blood in some strange alchemy, but many halfbloods have what I have come to call a knack for manipulating people in certain ways. Duncan was the master of it, and no doubt understands it better than anyone else alive. That is why we must persuade him to join us. After that, I will take you to Caer Lih. It must be prepared. Workers must be brought to the site to furbish it up, ready for when our people come. I would like that to be your task."

"My Lord, I..." Conor trailed off, unable to think of what to say.

"Be at ease, Conor. First we will name you. All else will follow that."