The First Life of Tanan Read Online Free Page B

bench when Kirkik, an officer with the King’s Legion, arrived in Port Billen.  The old Constable watched the young soldier come down the street, followed by a line of children, and enter the Apothecary.  The children, having been warned by the soldier not to follow him into the Apothecary, milled around for a moment and then spotted Jelak on his bench, and rushed over to talk excitedly about the soldier.
    When the soldier emerged from Anin’s shop some time later, Jelak asked the children, in his best conspiratorial tone, to go keep watch at the top of the hill in case any more soldiers came into town.  The children, excited to be entrusted with such an important mission, dashed past Kirkik and up the hill.
    Kirkik walked across the square and stood in front of Jelak, who rose from his bench to greet the younger man. 
    “Are you Jelak?” asked Kirkik.
    “I am,” said Jelak.  “Pleased to meet you.  What’s your name, son?”
    “My name is Kirkik.  Can we go to your office to talk?”
    Jelak lead Kirkik up the hill toward his office, stopping several times to speak with people that they met along the way.  Kirkik found this very annoying.
    Once they reached the Constable’s office, Kirkik spent an hour questioning Jelak about Tanan, Tanan’s family, and about the day Tanan had been brought to Port Billen.  When the interview was complete, Kirkik left town.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Tanan was not able to learn his first bit of magic in a day as he had hoped, but that was not due to any lack of effort.  The boy spent every free moment for the next two weeks sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room, concentrating on feeling the cool white light in his belly.
    “I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to make the cold light show up in my stomach,” he said to his grandfather one evening at the dinner table.
    “You cannot force it, Tanan.  If it’s there you’ll find it.  Once you learn how to see it, you’ll find that it’s not so difficult to manipulate.  That is how it is with all magic.”
    “Father,” said Tanan, turning to Anin.  “How long did it take you to learn?”
    Anin looked at his father and the two men smiled.  “How long did it take me?”
    Lindelin shrugged.  “Seems like it was the better part of two years.  But you were a terrible student!”  The two men laughed.
    Tanan slumped in his chair.  “I hope it doesn’t take me two years,” he said meekly.
    •        •        •
    In fact, it did not take two years for Tanan to learn his first bit of magic.  Two days after the conversation around the dinner table, Tanan walked up to Lindelin and placed an ice cold hand on his forearm.  He received a coveted pat on the head from his grandfather, and a promise for further lessons very soon.
    Tanan practiced his trick until he was able to produce an icy cold hand on demand.
    •        •        •
    The next Saturday, during breakfast, Lindelin told Tanan that the two of them would be taking a trip that day to see a friend.  He asked Tanan to fill two canteens with water and pack a bag with some food for lunch.
    Lindelin and Tanan started out shortly after breakfast and walked inland along the road toward the town of Yants Bay.  Tanan had been to Yants Bay once with his father, who made the trip a few times a year to trade medicinal plants with the Apothecary in that town.
    After they had been walking for about an hour, Lindelin led them off the road, turning right into the forest.  They followed a rough trail through the woods and up the side of the mountain.  At midday they stopped and sat on a large rock to have their lunch.
    “Grandfather, are you the oldest man in Port Billen?”
    “No,” replied Lindelin, “there are a few people in our village that are older than I am.  Constable Jelak is a year or two older than I am, I believe.”
    “Jelak is always falling asleep on his bench, and he walks slow.  When I walk with you, I have to