Free Secret Sacrament by Sherryl Jordan Page A

sufficient.”
    Gabriel tried not to look astonished. “I’m sure it will be, Master,” he said. “But I’m afraid I’ve never ridden a horse before.”
    â€œYou’ll be trained,” said Salverion. “If you need anything from the city, your personal keeper will go for you, to make your purchases. His name is Ferron. You’ll meet him tonight. He’s utterly trustworthy and dependable and will be your keeper for the seven years you are here.”
    â€œIs he a slave?” asked Gabriel.
    â€œThere are no slaves here. But he was a slave; I acquired him four years ago and freed him. He’s a superb artist and in his spare time illustrates charts and documents for the Great Library. He’s also a skilled swordsman.”
    â€œWill I have much time on my own? I prefer solitude.”
    â€œFerron has rooms next to yours and will attend you only if you call him. He has a kitchen and will prepare all your meals. He won’t be a nuisance. All our keepers are chosen with extreme care and are very tactful and discerning. Many are freedslaves, here by their own free will. But the hour is late, and there’s much I have not yet explained. It will have to wait until the morning. Have you any last questions?”
    â€œWhat happens in the morning, Master? And what time do I have to wake?”
    â€œAt dawn Ferron will wake you, and take you to the central tower, which is over the Great Library. I, and all the Grand Masters, will be waiting. There will be an initiation ceremony. You’ll bathe and be given new robes and will make your vows.” He noticed a sudden tension in Gabriel’s face and added, with a smile, “Don’t be anxious about anything, my son. I will explain everything, and you will be guided at every moment.”
    Getting up, Salverion went out the open door onto his patio and looked up at the night sky. Gabriel stood beside him, breathing deeply in the balmy air. An owl swooped low over the garden, hooting mournfully, and he thought of the stuffed owl in the foyer at home, of his childhood with its fears and agonies and longings, and of the awesome road that lay ahead.
    Except for the lack of furnishings, Gabriel’s room was identical to the Grand Master’s own sitting room. Though the room was almost bare, alamp burned on a low dining table, its welcoming glow falling across a supper of fresh and dried fruits, cheese, and a crusty loaf of bread. There was also a goblet and a small bottle of wine. A curtained doorway led to the combined bedroom and study, where the bed was made ready with rich covers and tasseled pillows. Gabriel’s chest stood at the foot of it.
    In the sitting room wall opposite the curtained door was another door. It was closed. It was, Salverion had explained, the door to Ferron’s rooms. Gabriel stood outside it for a few moments, then hesitantly lifted his hand and quietly knocked.
    The door was opened by a young man not much older than himself. His eyes were the color of light jade, with very thick dark lashes. His skin was olive colored and flawless, his face handsome. Long hair, blue-black and waving, flowed to his shoulders. He was from the eastern part of the Empire, Gabriel guessed, brought over as a slave after one of the Navoran conquests. For a few seconds they stared at each other; then the keeper bowed low.
    â€œPlease don’t do that,” said Gabriel, embarrassed. “I just wanted to thank you for the meal, and for everything else you did to prepare my rooms. They feel like home already.”
    â€œIt was my pleasure to do that, sir.”
    â€œDo you have to be so formal? My name’s Gabriel.”
    Ferron looked surprised, but he nodded.
    â€œWould you like to have a meal with me?” Gabriel asked. “Salverion said there were things about tomorrow that you’d explain. We could talk while we eat.”
    Ferron’s surprise turned to astonishment,