Berit’s expression did not change. With an almost casual backhanded swipe he knocked Talen out of his saddle. ‘Your first lesson, young man, is respect for your teacher,’ he said. ‘Never question his words.’

Talen came up sputtering and with a small dagger in his fist. Berit leaned back in his saddle and kicked him solidly in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

‘Don’t you just adore the learning process?’ Kalten asked Sparhawk.

‘Now, get back on your horse,’ Berit said firmly, ‘and pay attention. I will test you from time to time, and your answers had better be correct.’

‘Are you going to let him do this?’ Talen appealed to his father.

Kurik grinned at him.

‘This isn’t fair,’ Talen complained, climbing back into his saddle. He wiped at his bleeding nose. ‘You see what you did?’ he accused Berit.

‘Press your finger against your upper lip,’ Berit suggested, ‘and don’t speak without permission.’

‘What was that?’ Talen demanded incredulously. Berit raised his fist.

‘All right. All right,’ Talen said, cringing away from the offered blow. ‘Go ahead. I’ll listen.’

‘I always enjoy seeing a hunger for knowledge in the young,’ Dolmant observed blandly

And so Talen’s education began as they rode on to Demos. At first he was quite sullen about it, but after a few hours of listening to Berit, he began to be caught up in the story. ‘Can I ask questions?’ he said finally

‘Of course,’ Berit replied.

‘You said that there weren’t any kingdoms in those days – just a lot of duchies and the like?’

Berit nodded.

‘Then how did this Abrech of Deira gain control of the whole country in the fifteenth century? Didn’t the other nobles fight him?’

‘Abrech had control of the iron mines in central Deira. His warriors had steel weapons and armour. The people facing him were armed with bronze or even flint.’

‘That would make a difference, I guess.’

‘After he had consolidated his hold on Deira, he turned south into what’s now Elenia. It didn’t take him very long to conquer the entire region. Then he moved down into Arcium and repeated the process there After that, he turned towards central Eosia, Cammoria, Lamorkand, and Pelosia.’

‘Did he conquer all of Eosia?’

‘No. It was about that time that the Eshandist Heresy arose in Rendor, and Abrech was persuaded by the Church to give himself over to its suppression.’

‘I’ve heard about the Eshandists,’ Talen said, ‘but I could never get the straight of what they really believe.’

‘Eshand was antihierarchical.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘The Hierarchy is composed of higher church officials – primates, patriarchs and the Archprelate. Eshand believed that individual priests should decide matters of theology for their congregations and that the Hierocracy of the Church should be disbanded.’

‘I can see why high churchmen disliked him then.’