Read Rite of Exile: The Silent Tempest, Book 1 for Free Online Page B

large chamber named Larientur. A round table of white marble, a full thirty feet in diameter and bordered with a large, gold-inlaid version of the inscription outside the door, occupied the center. Dozens of chairs surrounded it, each crafted from different precious minerals such as turquoise and jasper and obsidian, a kaleidoscope of stone. Above, a high vault plated with burnished silver reflected the bright flames to illuminate the entire table. A large, curved mirror crowned its apex, cleverly placed to highlight the largest seat, an oaken chair that despite its plainness dominated all the others—the chair of Garda, Overseer of Ada.
    The walls echoed with many voices, five to Garda’s left, four to her right: the Council of Nine. She remained silent, preoccupied with the impending decision over the Falling Man. She sensed a hint of darkness about him, a mystery only the revealing light of Larientur might expose.
    She brushed back the pale blond strand that had fallen loose, and tucked it under her braid. The burdens of leadership had begun to tell on her lately; the woman who greeted her from her bedroom mirror each morning looked less and less like her beautiful daughter, and each day seemed to pass quicker than the one before. Yet here, exposed to the expectations of the Council and indeed all of Ada, she sat straight and kept her eyes steady, a lie to silence her people’s doubts and keep her own where they belonged.
    Garda knew she was capable of blindness on occasion, despite her powers of insight. The Council had considered it prudent to order the most historically skilled of her people to teach this stranger, but now she regretted agreeing to that decision. Telai’s discretion didn’t always take precedence over her curiosity.
    She ended her drifting thoughts with a grim smile. You’re a fine one to criticize that!
    A muffled cry requesting admittance sounded from the passage outside. Garda stood and held up her hand for silence.
    “You already know the importance of this Judgment,” she stated as the voices trailed away. “He should be treated with appropriate respect, like any supplicant who enters this chamber. But there’s no telling what sort of people he comes from, and I will not compromise the safety of Ada. I will leave no question unanswered.”
    She faced the entrance. “Enter,” she commanded.
    The doors swung to reveal a man of average height. His hair was cut a bit shorter than most, with dark brows in a handsome face—somewhere in his thirties, she guessed. He stood alone just inside the threshold, squinting against the brilliance as the doors closed with a boom.
    “Welcome, Caleb Stenger, man who descended from the sky,” said the Overseer. “Shouldn’t your son be joining us?”
    He squared his shoulders. “Mistress Telai suggested that he wait outside with her. I thought it a wise choice. I meant no offense.”
    Garda pursed her lips, irritated by her daughter’s presumption—or, more accurately, what motivated it. “Please be seated.”
    He sat in the nearest chair, facing the assembly, and bowed his head. “I thank you, Overseer, for your kindness, and most of all for the opportunity to learn your language and history before you reviewed my case.”
    “This isn’t a case , Caleb Stenger. The only purpose of this meeting is to erase any doubts which hang about you. If we find no ill within you, your welcome in Ada will be made official.”
    She resumed her seat. “You must be aware by now that your arrival has struck fear into many of the inhabitants, particularly with your landing so close to Illvent.”
    “Illvent? Ah yes, the volcano—an evil omen of some sort. I was told it’s been dormant for centuries.”
    “Yes. But the existence of such a mountain, active or otherwise, has paralleled the existence of evil in our history,” said Garda. “Many would say your arrival is the first sign of things to come.”
    “I will not contest the validity of such beliefs, my