The Magic of Recluce - L. E. Modesitt [9]
“The answer isn’t likely to mean what it should…”
“In other words, you aren’t going to tell me?”
“No. I will tell you, as far as I am able. But I’m not sure that you will either like or appreciate the answer.” He pulled at his chin, as he did when he was trying to find the best words to express something unpleasant.
“Try anyway.”
He ignored my comment, and, for a moment, his eyes almost misted over, as if he were looking a world away.
I took the opportunity to drain the rest of the redberry.
My mother refilled my tumbler, and Dad still hadn’t said a word.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “…Uuuhhmmm…you recall…Magister Kerwin…when he told you that the masters stood between Recluce and chaos because they were the defenders of order?”
I found my fingers tapping on the edge of my refilled tumbler.
“Bear with me…this is difficult…”
How difficult could it be? Everybody had a role in life, including the masters. Either they controlled Recluce or they didn’t.
“Perhaps I should go back to the beginning. It might be simpler…”
I managed to keep from grinding my teeth, only because I somehow could tell that he was not trying to put me off. But I still couldn’t see why an explanation of who controlled what had to be so difficult.
“…fundamental conflict between order and chaos, or, simplistically speaking, between good and evil. Though that’s not exactly correct, because chaos and order do not by themselves have a moral component. More important, while certain components of order may be used for evil, and certain components of chaos for good, almost never can anyone devoted to chaos remain committed to good. Someone committed to good finds anything other than the most minor uses of chaos repulsive. That distinction is important, because someone committed to order itself, rather than good, can be corrupted, while seeming orderly in all he or she does…”
Curiosity was fighting boredom in my case, and rapidly losing.
“No…I can see you’re bored already, Lerris…that explanation is too long. Try and remember the beginning, though.”
My mother was slowly shaking her head. Finally, she interrupted. “Think of it this way, Lerris. It takes skill to be a potter. A potter may use his skill for producing containers. Those containers may be used for good or evil purposes. Most are used for purposes without much real good or evil. And most people find a truly beautiful and orderly vase hard to use for evil things. In the same way, it is much easier to use a chaotic or disorderly creation for evil.”
That made sense, so far. “What does that have to do with the masters?”
“That’s the hard part,” said my father slowly. “And we may have to continue the discussion over dinner, because the duck is almost ready.
“The masters are responsible for ensuring that things in Recluce are what they seem to be, for rooting out self-deception, and for maintaining our physical defenses against the Outer Kingdoms.”
“Physical defenses? Magister Kerwin said that Recluce had no armies and no fleets, only the Brotherhood of the Masters.”
“As you will learn, Lerris, words can conceal as much as they reveal.” He stood. “Wash up, and we’ll try and answer the rest of this question over dinner. A good dinner shouldn’t be kept waiting.”
Since I didn’t know when I’d get that good a duck feast again, I went down to the washstones to rinse the dust from my face and the grime from my hands, and tried to figure out a better set of questions.
The duck smelled as good as I remembered, and I put the questions aside until I had finished my first helping, which included another flake roll warmed in the oven, sliced and spiced sourpears, and some tart greens. The duck was tangy, moist, and not at all oily. Dad was one of the few cooks I knew who could manage the moistness without an oily taste—though I’d tasted few enough foods from other cooks.
I decided to slow my headlong pursuit of various foods and took a sip of water, cold from the deep well.
“About the masters…was Magister Kerwin misleading us? Do the masters act like the armies of the Outer Kingdoms?