Free Wulfsyarn: A Mosaic by Phillip Mann Page B

examined as you have been. Believe me. They quite possibly know you far better than you know yourself. No, more than that. I would say they definitely know you better than you know yourself. Trust them. They are not fools, nor are they politically motivated despite the stories. You are no one’s favorite. You are simply the man they have chosen. But in the end, the decision is yours.”
    “Did you know I was being considered for the Nightingale?”
    “I knew you were being considered, but that is all. So were Jones of Kithaeron and Bothwell of Fum. And there must have been many, many others too. But they saw something very special in you.” Tancredi looked at Wilberfoss quizzically, with his head on one side. “Come on. Don’t tell me you are not excited.”
    “I suppose I’m excited. But an honor unlooked for, not even considered or even desired, must make any man pause. I say, ‘Why me?’ I suppose the truth is I don’t feel worthy. There must be prospective Saints waiting out there. Women and men with a mark on their brow . . .
    I mean, I’m not pure ...”
    WULFNOTE
    You who are reading this and now know something of Wilberfoss and the forces that drove him will understand this remark. And you must surely pity the ignorance of Magister Tancredi.
    The conversation stopped. Tancredi shrugged. He was already deferring to Wilberfoss, and then he said, “This is getting us nowhere. Have a glass of wine with me and then go home. Talk with Medoc. You can talk with me again tomorrow.”
    “I have already made part of my decision,” said Wilberfoss. “You can contact Assisi Central and tell them that I have asked to take the forty days. I need that time. And if they have taken so many years to decide on a captain for the Nightingale, they can surely allow me that small grace of time.”
    “Of course they will. They will expect it.”
    A SECOND WULFNOTE
    I was there in the comer and I heard all this. The forty days is the period allowed to any member of the Order of St. Francis Dionysos when faced with a difficult decision. During this period he or she can be absolutely alone, free to commune only with their own conscience. There will be no other human being near to hand. Frequently people fast during the forty days and frequently they have visions. Usually truth prevails. It is as though there is an universal force at work compelling truth to emerge. Forty days is a long time for dishonesty to live undetected in an open human being. It is society, the pressure of other human beings, which makes for dishonesty I think. Solitude provokes crisis and crisis leads to truth.
    Magister Tancredi continued. “In any case, the Magistri of Assisi would probably demand that you take the forty days and that you purge your mind. You may enter the Poverello Garden tonight if you wish. I will make all the arrangements. Lily I am sure is ready. You should take Wulf with you too. Use it to record your moods and ideas. It is a competent autoscribe, reliable and fair, although a bit pompous and old-fashioned in its expression.”
    In its comer the giant autoscribe, which resembled the helmet of a Greek warrior at Troy, trembled slightly as it floated on its AG cells.
    “I will take it gladly,” said Jon Wilberfoss.
    Magister Tancredi raised his hand. “But before you enter the garden be sure to talk to Medoc. I suggest that you ask her to go with you. Together you two are a unit. A very powerful force. Think on it.”
    “I will.”
    And there the conversation ended. Both men sat for a while before the fire and sipped their wine.
    They seemed to be communicating though they did not speak. I am not implying any telepathic ability. I have noticed that human beings sometimes seem to communicate most successfully when they are simply sitting together and not speaking. Both men were relaxed. Both were drifting in their minds, the hour being late.
    Tancredi I am sure was remembering the time when, before he became Magister of Pacifico,