The Wounded Land (75 page)
Authors: Stephen R. Donaldson
For a moment, he feared the Stonedownors would refuse the burden he offered them. But then the
krill
was taken from him. Sunder flipped cloth back over the gem. Carefully he rewrapped the blade, tucked it away under his leather jerkin. His eyes gleamed like echoes of white fire.
“Thomas Covenant,” he said, “ur-Lord and Unbeliever, white gold wielder, I thank you. It is sooth that my heart did not relish this quest across unknown seas and lands. I have no knowledge of such matters and little strength for them. You have Giants with you, and
Haruchai
, and the power of the white ring. I am of no use to you.
“I have learned that the Sunbane is a great evil. But it is an evil which I comprehend and can confront.” Hollian’s countenance supported his words. Her relief was a glow of gratitude. “I desire to strive somewhat for my people—and to strive against this Clave, which so maligns our lives.”
Covenant blinked at the repetitions of silver arcing across his sight. He was too proud of Sunder and Hollian to speak.
They rose to their feet. “Ur-Lord,” the Graveler said, “we will do as you ask. If any blow may be struck against Clave and Sunbane by mortals such as we are, we will strike it. You have restored to me the faith of Nassic my father. Be certain of us while we live.”
“And be swift,” added Hollian, “for we are but two, and the Sunbane is as vast as all the Land.”
Covenant had not noticed Stell and Harn unobtrusively leave the cliff; but they returned now, carrying supplies on their backs. Before Covenant or the Stonedownors could speak, Brinn said, “The Sunbane is indeed vast, but you will not meet it alone. The
Haruchai
will not surrender their service. And I say to you that my people also will not suffer the Clave unopposed. Look for aid wherever you go, especially when your way leads within reach of Revelstone.”
Sunder swallowed thickly, unable to master his voice. Hollian’s eyes reflected the sunshine wetly.
The sight of them standing there in their courage and peril made Covenant’s fragile calm ache. “Get going,” he said huskily. “We’ll be back. Count on it.”
In a rush of emotion, Hollian came to him, stooped to grip her arms around his neck and kiss his face. Then she went to Linden. Linden returned her embrace stiffly.
A moment later, the Stonedownors turned away. They left the cliff with Stell and Harn beside them.
Covenant watched them go. The two
Haruchai
moved as if nothing could ever change who they were. But Sunder and Hollian walked like people who had been given the gift of meaning for their lives. They were just ordinary people, pitifully small in comparison to the task they had undertaken; and yet their valor was poignant to behold. As they passed over the ridge where the ruined lighthouse stood, they had their arms around each other.
After a moment, Linden broke the silence. “You did the right thing.” Her voice wore severity like a mask. “They’ve been uncomfortable ever since we left Landsdrop—the Sunbane is the only world they understand. And they’ve lost everything else. They need to
do something personal and important. But you—” She stared at him as if in her eyes he had become an object of fear and desire. “I don’t know you. I don’t know if you’re the strongest man I’ve ever met, or the sickest. With all that venom in you, you still—I don’t know what I’m doing here.” Without a pause, as if she were still asking the same question, she said, “Why did you give them the
krill
? I thought you needed it. A weapon against Vain.”
Yes, Covenant breathed. And an alternative to wild magic. That’s what I thought. But by accepting the
krill
, Sunder and Hollian had made it once more into a tool of hope. “I don’t want any more weapons,” he murmured to Linden. “I’m already too dangerous.”
She held his gaze. The sudden clarity of her expression told him that, of all the things he had ever said to her, this, at least, was one she could comprehend.
Then a shout echoed up the face of
Coercri
. “Giantfriend!” It was Pitchwife’s voice. “Come! Starfare’s Gem approaches!”
The echoes went on in Covenant’s mind after the shout had faded. Giantfriend. He was who he was, a man half crippled by loneliness and responsibility and regret. But he had finally earned the title the First had given him.
The
dromond
came drifting slowly, neatly, toward the piers. Its rigging was full of Giants furling the sails.
Carefully like a man who did not want to die, Covenant got to his feet. With Linden, Brinn, and Cail, he left the cliff.
They went down to meet the ship.
Here ends
The Wounded Land
Book One of
“The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.”
The story continues in Book Two
The One Tree
.
Aimil: daughter of Anest; wife of Sunder
a-Jeroth of the Seven Hells: Lord of wickedness; Clave-name for Lord Foul the Despiser
Akkasri na-Mhoram-cro: a member of the Clave
aliantha:
treasure-berries
Amith: a woman of Crystal Stonedown
Andelain, the Hills of: a region of the Land free from the Sunbane
Andelainscion: a region in the Center Plains
Anest: woman of Mithil Stonedown; sister of Kalina
Annoy: a Courser
Atiaran Trell-mate: former woman of Mithil Stonedown; mother of Lena
Aumbrie of the Clave: storeroom for former Lore
Bandsoil Bounds: region north of Soulsease River
Banefire: fire by which the Clave wields the Sunbane
Bannor: former Bloodguard
Berek Halfhand: ancient hero; the Lord-Fatherer
Bloodguard: former servants of the Council of Lords
Boulder Fash: region in the Center Plains
Brannil: man of Stonemight Woodhelven
caamora:
Giantish ordeal of grief by fire
Cable Seadreamer: a Giant; member of the Search; possessed of the Earth-Sight
Caer-Caveral: Forestal of Andelain; formerly Hile Troy
Caerroil Wildwood: former Forestal of Garroting Deep
Cail: one of the
Haruchai
Cavewights: evil earth-delving creatures
Ceer: one of the
Haruchai
Centerpith Barrens: a region in the Center Plains
Chosen, the: title given to Linden Avery
Clang: a Courser
Clangor: a Courser
Clash: a Courser
Clave, the: the rulers of the Land
Coercri
: former home of the Giants in Seareach
Colossus of the Fall, the: ancient stone figure formerly guarding the Upper Land
Consecear Redoin: a region north of the Soulsease River
Corruption:
Haruchai
name for Lord Foul
Council of Lords: former rulers of the Land
Courser: a beast made by the Clave by the power of the Sunbane
Croft: Graveler of Crystal Stonedown
Crystal Stonedown: home of Hollian
Damelon Giantfriend: son of Berek; former Lord
Defiles Course: river in the Lower Land
Demondim: spawners of ur-viles and Waynhim
Despite: evil; a name given to the designs of Lord Foul
dhraga
: a Waynhim
dhubha
: a Waynhim
dhurng
: a Waynhim
diamondraught
: Giantish liquor
Din: a Courser
drhami
: a Waynhim
dromond
: a Giantship
Drool Rockworm: former Cavewight
durhisitar
: a Waynhim
During Stonedown: home of Hamako
Earthpower, the: the source of all power in the Land
Earthroot: lake under
Melenkurion
Skyweir
Earth-Sight: Giantish power to perceive distant dangers and needs
eh-Brand: one who can use wood to read the Sunbane
Elena: former High Lord; daughter of Lena and Covenant
Elohim
: people met by the wandering Giants
Emacrimma’s Maw: a region in the Center Plains
Fields of Richloam: a region in the Center Plains
Fire-Lions: fire-flow of Mount Thunder
First Betrayer: Clave-name for Berek Halfhand
First Mark: former leader of the Bloodguard
First of the Search: leader of the Giants
First Ward: primary knowledge left by Kevin
Forestal: a protector of the Forests of the Land
Foul’s Creche: the Despiser’s former home
Furl Falls: waterfall at Revelstone
Garroting Deep: former forest of the Land
ghohritsar
: a Waynhim
ghramin
: a Waynhim
Giants: a seafaring people of the Earth
Giantclave: Giantish conference
Giantfriend: title given first to Damelon, later to Thomas Covenant
Giantship: stone sailing vessel made by Giants
Giantway: path made by Giants
Giant Woods: a forest of the Land
Gibbon: the na-Mhoram; leader of the Clave
Gilden: a maple-like tree with golden leaves
Glimmermere: a lake on the upland above Revelstone
Gossamer Glowlimn: a Giant; the First of the Search
Graveler: one who uses stone to wield the Sunbane
graveling: fire-stones
Gravelingas: former master of stone-lore
Gravin Threndor: Mount Thunder
Gray Desert: a region south of the Land
Gray Slayer: Lord Foul the Despiser
Graywightswath: a region north of the Soulsease River
Greshas Slant: a region in the Center Plains
Grieve, The:
Coercri
Grim
, the: a destructive storm sent as a curse by the Clave
Grimmand Honninscrave: a Giant; Master of Starfare’s Gem
Grimmerdhore: former forest of the Land
Halfhand: title given to Thomas Covenant and to Berek
Hamako: sole unharmed survivor of the destruction of During Stonedown
Harn: one of the
Haruchai
; protector of Hollian
Haruchai
, the: a people who live in the Westron Mountains
Heartthew: a title given to Berek Halfhand
Herem: a Raver; also known as
turiya
Hergrom: one of the
Haruchai
High Lord: former leader of the Council of Lords
Hile Troy: a man formerly from Covenant’s world who became a Forestal
Hollian: daughter of Amith; eh-Brand of Crystal Stonedown
Home: home of the Giants
Hotash Slay: flow of lava protecting Foul’s Creche
hurtloam: a healing mud
Hyrim: a former Lord of the Council
Illearth Stone: green stone, source of evil power
Illender: title given to Thomas Covenant
Jehannum: a Raver; also known as
moksha
jheherrin:
soft ones; living by-products of Foul’s misshaping
Jous: a man of Mithil Stonedown; son of Prassan; father of Nassic; inheritor of the Unfettered One’s mission
Kalina Nassic-mate: mother of Sunder; daughter of Alloma
Keep of the na-Mhoram: Revelstone
Kevin Landwaster: son of Loric; former Lord; enactor of the Ritual of Desecration
Kevin’s Watch: mountain lookout near Mithil Stonedown
Kiril Threndor: Heart of Thunder; chamber of power within Mount Thunder
Korik: former Bloodguard
krill
, the: knife of power formed by Loric Vilesilencer
Kurash Festillin: a region in the Center Plains
Lake Pelluce: a lake in Andelainscion
Landsdrop: great cliff separating Upper and Lower Lands
Law, the: the natural order
Law of Death, the: the separation of the living and the dead
Lena: daughter of Atiaran; mother of Elena
lianar
: wood of power used by an eh-Brand
Lord of wickedness: a-Jeroth
Lord Foul: the Despiser
Lords, the: former rulers of the Land
loremaster: ur-vile leader
Loric Vilesilencer: son of Damelon; former Lord
Lower Land, the: region east of Landsdrop
lurker of the Sarangrave: swamp-monster
Marid: a man of Mithil Stonedown
Master, the: Clave-name for the Creator
master-rukh:
iron triangle at Revelstone which feeds and reads all other
rukhs
Melenkurion
Skyweir: a mountain in the Westron Mountains
Memla na-Mhoram-in: a Rider of the Clave
metheglin:
a beverage; mead
Mhoram: former High Lord of the Council
mirkfruit:
papaya-like fruit with narcoleptic pulp
Mithil Stonedown: a village in the South Plains
moksha:
a Raver; also known as Jehannum
Morin: a former First Mark of the Bloodguard
Morinmoss: a former forest of the Land
Mount Thunder: a peak at the center of Landsdrop
na-Mhoram, the: leader of the Clave
na-Mhoram-cro: lowest rank of the Clave
na-Mhoram-in: highest rank of the Clave
na-Mhoram-wist: middle rank of the Clave
Nassic: father of Sunder; son of Jous; inheritor of the Unfettered One’s mission
Nelbrin: son of Sunder; “heart’s child”
Oath of Peace: former oath by the people of the Land against needless violence
Offin: a former na-Mhoram
One Tree, the: mystic tree from which the Staff of Law was made
orcrest:
Sunstone; a stone of power, used by a Graveler
Pitchwife: a Giant; member of the Search; husband of the First of the Search
Prothall: a former High Lord
Prover of Life: title given to Thomas Covenant
Pure One, the: redemptive figure of
jheherrin
legend
Quest for the Staff of Law: former quest which recovered the Staff of Law from Drool Rockworm
Ramen: a people of the Land; tenders of the Ranyhyn
Ranyhyn: the great horses; they formerly lived on the Plains of Ra
Ravers: Lord Foul’s three ancient servants
Reader: a member of the Clave who tends and uses the
master-rukh
Rede, the: knowledge of history and survival promulgated by the Clave
Revelstone: mountain-city of the Clave
rhysh:
a community of Waynhim; “stead”
Riddenstretch: a region north of the Soulsease River
Rider: a member of the Clave
Ritual of Desecration: act of despair by which Kevin Landwaster destroyed much of the Land
Riversward: a region north of the Soulsease River
rukh:
iron talisman by which a Rider wields power
Runnik: former Bloodguard
