The Wealding Word (31 page)

The tree was silent for long moments, frowning as one-by-one his eyes winked shut. “Reckless. Very reckless.”

Nell had no answer for him. His words were not the comfort she had hoped for. She looked to the red sun shimmering into the western mountains, and knew the sorceress would be expecting her. Just as she was about to say her farewell, the tree rustled. “So be it. No matter what happens in life, remember your purpose. It’s what will keep you alive.” Now with just one eye cracked open, the Aureate saw Nell’s face by the day’s last ray of sunlight. In a sleepy whisper he said, “I believe I knew you once when you were older. What did you say… your name was again?” Charred bark closed over the sole remaining eye.

“Nell Shoemaker,” she said, but the tree had already fallen asleep.

With purple dusk settling over the forest, Nell left the Aureate Oak, setting off at a run to catch up with her teacher. After all, Lady Zel did not have forever to wait.

A
PPENDIX

T
HE
T
RIGORIA, OR, THE
33 T
RENTS

The Trigoria is a fortune-telling device held in high esteem by charlatans and bored nobility. To a serious-minded student however, it can be a tool for clearing the mind and opening to the forces of the universe. The “deck” is comprised of 33 intricately painted tiles, which may be cast in sets of three, six, or nine. A trained reader can identify hidden relationships between the tiles, gaining insight into her deepest questions.

The Family

ASPIRATIONS

1 Apprentice/Child at Play/Learning

2 Journeyman/Mother/Diligence

3 Master/Grandmother/Excellence

PURSUITS

4 Peddler/Farmer/Tree of Life

5 Merchant/Miser/Scales

6 Sorceress/Lover/Bower

TRAVEL

7 Rider on the Road

8 The Caravan

9 Star Maiden (girl getting into boat w. three stars above her head – “Nell’s tile”)

DIGNITARIES

10 Jack o’ the Gallows

11 Helmed Knight

12 The Dragon

13 The Beggar

14 Couple Embracing on Bridge

15 The Lord

The Semiodin

ANIMALS

16 The wolf

17 The fish

18 The crane

19 The hare

20 The web

21 Three headed giant

RELICS

22 Chalice

23 Axe

24 Upside-down candle

ABODES

25 Cave

26 Storm

27 Mountaintop

28 Gallows

29 Hearth

30 Alter

SHAPES

31 Interconnecting Circles

32 Double Arrow

33 Pyramids touching point to point

Additional colored tiles are sometimes added to the Trigoria. For skilled readers, these tiles can deepen the divination, while in the case of the nobility, the extra tiles facilitate the playing of various games.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

A.C. Gogolski lives in Western New York with his wife and two children. He enjoys long hikes in bad weather, and campfires in the snow. The Wealding Word is his first novel.

Visit
acgogolski.com
to learn more about his upcoming projects, or to just say hello.