Pivot of the Sky

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The cat didn’t run very far . It stopped in a valley, pointed its paw upwards and meowed . Amon looked at where it was pointing and found a small winding path hidden in the thick bushes, carving a trail up the mountain . Schrodinger wanted to show him the way . But what truly surprised Amon was that there actually was a path on this remote mountain .

Amon found footprints too . There were traces of footprints left in the remnants of the last rainfall . Moreover, these footprints were those of bare feet, meaning they might be the cavemen who Amon had tried to avoid in the last few days . Now Schrodinger wanted him to meet them .

Amon couldn’t negotiate with the cat . He studied the footprints and found two of them with shoes! One of them was made by well-knit straw sandals, and the other by a pair of leather hiking boots .

Those kind of boots were waterproof and slip resistant, specially designed for mountain travelling . But only rich people could afford them . From the badly abraded pattern left in the footprints, Amon could tell that the boots were worn . The footprints had been left less than a day ago . How would anybody beside cavemen arrive here, in the remotest part of the mountains and forests?

“Are we really going this way, Schrodinger? There seems to be cavemen living up there, and we just found some strange footprints . We don’t know what troubles we’ll get involved in if we meet them . ” Finally, Amon decided to negotiate with the cat .

Schrodinger threw a glance at Amon as if he was a useless coward, then sat on the ground and watched the path . Amon realized that it was asking him to climb . Putting Schrodinger back into the bag, he started walking forward with his stick .

When he picked up Schrodinger, he had a feeling that this lazy fatty had become thinner after three days of sleeping and eating . Its fur had become cleaner too . If he recalled correctly, he could vaguely see a little of the robustness and agility that a cat should have when it had jumped out from his bag .

……

When Amon was climbing the mountain along the path, a noble lord arrived at Duc . Seldom would Duc have to welcome the high lords from big cities, but the recent months had borne witness to an unusual bustle in this remote mining town . Less than three months after the governor of Cape had left came the governor of Syah, Fermien Schmul .

The courier route in the Charcoal Forest could only allow two horses to walk abreast . Thus all the passengers had to dodge to the shrubs to give way to Schmul’s double-shaft carriage . It was a symbol of authority to drive a double-shaft carriage on the courier route; common people were not allowed to do this however rich they were .

However, Schmul’s carriage, with Morton, Schmul’s lieutenant, and Shog, the priest of Duc, was just clearing the way . In the carriage behind them was Misel Deere, commissioner from the capital . Being an official in the Justice Department of Hittite and a fifth-level mage, he was not a great personage in the capital, but in Syah, he was a high lord that local administration had to take good care of .

The last carriage were even bigger and cosier than the first two . It was made from top-quality snow fir, without too much decorations . But, emblazoned on the black roof was the emblem of the Enlil Shrine . In the carriage was Golier, accompanied by priest Cosman, cavalrymen positioned in front and behind . The Charcoal Forest hadn’t seen such a splendid caravan in years .

Misel Deere was light-headed with self-satisfaction . Being the royal commissioner was more than he could have expected . He even had Golier, a supreme mage, as his guard for merely punishing a miner in Duc . Who could have a supreme mage follower like he had? And the governor of Syah had to follow Golier . It gave him the feeling that the whole universe was spinning around him .

Even the view of the grotesque, desolate Charcoal Forest from the window of the carriage had no impact on Misel Deere’s good mood .

Sitting in the first carriage, priest Shog was happy too . Having completely recovered from the “illness”, he looked even better than before . The vacation in the city was fruitful, he had even had the honor to meet with Lord Deere from the capital . Though quite arrogant, Lord Deere was willing to have a pleasant conversation with him about the various productions in Duc, especially the parangons . He thought he had correctly perceived a note of appreciation in it .

Most importantly, he had figured out the reason for Lord Deere’s visit — he had come to punish Amon; he was going to have the boy beheaded! For Shog, Amon had became a thorn in his side since Maqi’s disappearance, and he didn’t dare remove this threat himself . Now with the imminent arrival of Deere, the whole problem could be solved without staining his hands .

Misel Deere did appreciate Shog to some extent, especially when Shog told him that Amon had an Aquaticore . Misel’s eyes glowed and asked Shog, “In your opinion, what should we do with his belongings?”

The order from the capital only said that Amon should be publicly beheaded . Nothing was said about his belongings . The Justice Department did not care about the personal wealth of a miner from a remote town . Hence Shog had really brought him a surprise .

Theoretically, Amon’s belongings should be returned to his family, in other words, his father . But Shog blinked and replied, “I’ve paid for the tax of Amon’s parangons, thus they should be confiscated by the shrine . Of course, you should surely keep the Aquaticore because you are the one sent by the gods to eliminate this guilt . ”

Misel nodded with satisfaction, “Mister Macrobe, I’ve been thinking that the shrine of Syah has underestimated your ability . You deserve a better position for your talent . ” This comment was the source of Shog’s extra vitality today .

Hearing the big news from the early messenger, Dusti rang the bell in the Shrine of Mourrin in the early morning again . The Ducians gathered at the western edge of the town and stood in lines beside the courier route, carrying basins with petals and clear water to spray on the incoming dear guests . Since there were not enough petals in a hurry, tender leaves and twigs were used as substitutes .

Shog almost felt that it was his day when he entered Duc in the carriage . In his trance, everyone, including Mayor Dusti, was welcoming his return . The lords established themselves in the shrine’s hall . Watching the maids and servants delivering wine and desserts and hearing the local officials’ greetings and compliments, Misel Deere asked scornfully, “Where’s that miner called Amon? Bring him to the shrine and gather the townees . I’m going to punish him right now!”

Misel Deere’s good mood was soon destroyed by the smoky bad air in Duc . He was not as patient as Rod Drick, he did not want to spend one more second in this dirty town . All he thought was to finish his business here and go back to Syah City to enjoy the delicacies and beautiful maids that Schmul had offered him .

Dusti started, recomposing himself and answering, “Amon? He left town three days ago . I sent him out according to the decree of the Kingdom . ”

“What? He escaped? I know the law, the miners here can’t leave without the permission of the state! What happened? Are you people trying to fool me? I’ve come here with the direct order of the Kingdom!” Misel spluttered in a high voice .

Shog was exasperated too . Still in his trance, he yelled at Dusti, “You let him go? What the hell are you doing?”

Does he forget his pills? Dusti cast a stern glance at his clerk and said, “You must have misheard my words . I sent him out according to the decree of the Kingdom . I didn’t let him go . ” Then he turned to Misel Deere, “My dear lord, I am very sorry! I didn’t know that you would come to punish Amon . Please let me explain…”

Dusti recounted what had happened three days ago and finally said, “Everyone in this town can prove my words, except Shog, my absent clerk . This was simply a coincidence . ”

“What’s the decree you are talking about? Why have I never heard of it?” asked Misel Deere .

Dusti took out a parchment roll and handed it to Deere respectfully, “Please have a look . ”

Misel was not born thirty years ago, neither had he ever heard of this decree . Staring at it for a while, he asked blankly, “Who is this Bair?”

“Oh, Bair the evil sorcerer?” Golier suddenly took the scroll from Misel and said, “Hmm…There indeed used to be a decree! I sent it here myself thirty years ago . I was just an ordinary priest in the shrine of Syah then . The mayor of Duc then was Dusti’s father . ”

“Esteemed great mage,” asked Schmul, “may I have a look at this decree?”

Golier threw the scroll at him, “You don’t believe my words? Tell your clerk to check the archives, there’s one in Syah too . ”

Staring at it for a long time, Schmul asked the crucial question, “Dusti, can you tell us why you’ve decided to execute a forgotten decree issued thirty years ago?”