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The
Time of Kadrik is a terrible time.
The
land is ravaged by plague and famine, savaged by desperate, starving
renegades, terrorised by the mysterious race of Men Half-Made,
and in the grip of crippling superstition.
Here,
fatherless Kadrik grows to manhood and to the chilling realisation
that he - armed only with ancient stories he has committed to
memory and a few shards of strangely marked broken pottery - holds
the clue to salvation.
In
this self-contained sequel to his acclaimed THE STONES OF PETRONICUS,
Peter Tomlinson sets his second tale in the saga ten lifetimes
on when, after a long, dark age of stagnation, the land is in
its death throes and Kadrik must break the hold of a powerful
but backward brotherhood of scribes to save it.
Tomlinson
follows Kadrik, with his insatiable thirst for knowledge, through
a troubled young adulthood as precocious apprentice to the wise
men of his community to the discovery of jealously guarded secrets
… and on a perilous mission to reveal the hidden truths that
are his people's only slim chance of survival; secrets sealed
by the death of his mysterious and legendary ancestor in the mists
of tribal memory.
THE
TIME OF KADRIK is an unforgettable journey of profound wisdom,
rare courage and breathtaking adventure from a world class story
teller whose magical pen leaves a memory on each and every page.
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From
the Prologue:
"Mother
Mine," asked Kadrik one bright morning in mid summer, "when
will I hunt with the men? When will I stay with the Father of
the Island?"
"When will you be with the
Father? Well," she said, "that will be when you are
a man full grown."
That seemed to satisfy the youth
but it left her in sadness. She watched the boy set off further
up the valley to search for a sheep that had strayed from the
herd. He seemed suddenly taller and walked with the confidence
of a man used to the hills. Kadrik, whose face had been wrenched
from a childish shape by the rapid growth of youth, had nothing
of the awkwardness normally associated with his age. She turned
sadly to her task of hand-feeding a young goat that was sickly
and weak.
Higher up, Kadrik turned to look
back at his Mother Mine and felt a strange desire to leave her,
which was equalled by a desire to stay with her. There was much
confusion in his head, confusions about brothers and sisters,
confusions about fathers and how other children seemed to have
large families. He only had his Mother Mine. Apart from her, he
was alone in the world.
From Chapter One:
The
morning was bright and the sun had rested well during the night
in the great fires where the world ended. I could see the peaks
of the High Mountains of Far Island where no man had ever gone.
Perhaps I could prove my manhood by climbing higher than any man
had ever climbed before. Or perhaps I could kill a mountain wolf
and take the pelt as a gift to the Father of the Island and he
would say I was ready to take my father's name and become a man.
I remember looking back at my Mother
Mine who was hand-feeding a small goat that had been born weak
and sickly. I stood looking down the valley at her and felt a
longing to be away from her and to join the world of men and hunt
with the Father of the Island. And then my thoughts changed and
I felt a painful need to remain with her. I wanted to stay with
her for the protection she had always given me. But then I straightened
my body, swung my hunting slings around several times in my hands
and felt I wanted to stay and protect her. I would make sure she
had food to eat in the winter and a warm, dry place to sleep.
I would ensure she had skins and blankets to keep her warm and
I would protect her. I had mindseeings of me fighting the Men
Half Made and all the people would admire me. But there were confusions
in my head and I turned away and walked up into the High Valleys.
I gloried in my developing strength
as I covered the distance rapidly. I was like a mountain antelope
leaping over rocks and small streams and I knew that my body belonged
to the world and the world would soon belong to me.
In later years when the world had
covered me with both joy and grief I would remember that day most
vividly. Manhood beckoned me but the loss of childhood and the
coming separation from Mother Mine caused streams of confusion
to flow through my head. I looked out beyond the sea into the
vast distance hoping my eyes were strong enough to see smoke coming
from the Fiery Mountains where the world ended, but my eyes were
not yet strong enough for that.
From Chapter thirty-four:
I
was disturbed by the thought that Kilgorry could not look me straight
in the eyes as he spoke and, as everyone knows, that is a sign
of insincerity. The Father of All was watching me closely whilst
Baltok and Calcis seemed to want to support me but would not speak
against Kilgorry. I felt an overwhelming desire to answer Kilgorry
and not set out on that most perilous journey leaving things unsaid.
However, I felt I had no choice so I held my tongue.
Kilgorry continued: "I will
ask the Hidden Ones daily for your safe return, Kadrik. But if
you do not return by the summer feasting a year from now we will
know that the ocean has taken you and I will hope always that
you have gone to the Upper World where all is happiness and plenty."
I thanked Kilgorry for his thoughts
and was about to leave when Baltok stepped forward. He handed
me a blade. "Take this, Kadrik. It was made by the Father
of Ironers himself. It is of the finest quality. May it keep you
safe." I clasped hands with Baltok and thanked him sincerely.
Calcis then approached me and handed
me two slings of the finest twine and a pouch made of leather
from the chest of an antelope. "Protect yourself, Brother
Mine." I clasped and rubbed hands warmly with Calcis. I was
not his Brother Mine; we both knew that but to know he regarded
me as such was a great honour.
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