He laughed andcast out his line again.
We stood,side-by-side, knee deep in the gently flowing river, fishing and talking forhours while Phin gave me history lessons about the Cauld Ane. He told mestories about Ketill Feilan, the bravest warrior in Cauld Ane history, and ofthe Sleepers, a band of ancient Cauld Ane who sailed from Iceland and traveledthe world for centuries protecting a chest full of enchanted relics.
“This is all sofantastical. It’s hard to believe any of it’s true,” I said.
“Why? You grewup believing what’s in the Bible, didn’t you? And what is that, if not acollection of magical stories? From Genesis to the Gospels. The Bible speaksfreely and openly of its subjects performing magic.”
“I guess I neverthought of it that way, but then again, I wasn’t raised to question what I wastaught. Only to memorize and obey it.” I bit my lip. “How do you know the Bibleso well?”
“I hope to haveread every book in the castle library one day. The Bible’s only about eighthundred thousand words long, so I’ve read it twice.”
I gasped.“Seriously?”
“Yes, why?”
“Most ChristiansI know rarely crack open their Bible, let alone reading it cover to covertwice.”
“Two of thethings I love most are books about science and books about magic. The Bible isa fascinating book on the latter subject.”
I stared back atthe water and after a few seconds got up the courage to ask, “Do you believe inGod?”
“If there’s agod, I think it lives in the place where science and magic meet.”
“Okay, explainto me how the Bible’s a magic book?”
“Think about it.Moses turned his staff into a snake, and the Nile into a river of blood. David,the boy, defeated a nearly ten-foot giant with a single shot from his sling.Jesus turned water into wine and produced fish and bread by the basketful outof thin air. Jesus’s own disciples cast divining lots to help guide them.Joshua stopped the sun and moon in the sky for twenty-four hours. How couldanyone believe that if they didn’t believe in magic?”
“That’s notmagic,” I countered. “It’s the power of God.”
“What’s thedifference?” he asked. “Either way, faith is required on our parts because weweren’t there to see it for ourselves.”
“Then why shouldCauld Ane history be trusted?”
“Because,although you and I weren’t there, there are Cauld Ane still living who were.”
A lump formed inmy throat. “How is that possible?”
“Magic, love.Five of the original sleepers still live and sit on our Council of Oracles asdoes Ketill Feilan, resurrected as Arric Gunnach. He heads the council.”
“My father wouldsay, ‘Deuteronomy 18:11–12 condemns anyone who casts spells, is a medium,spiritist or who consults the dead.’”
“And yet,Christians do all of these things in the name of God. What is a prayer ofrequest if not casting a spell for your own gain? How is a prophet not amedium? And casting prayers of intervention and intercession to family membersin heaven is widely practiced among various sects of the Christian faith.”
“Okay, change ofsubject before my head explodes,” I said.
Phin tipped animaginary cap. “It’s your charter, ma’am. I’m but your humble fishing guide.”
“Blue Fang. Whatis it and how does it work, exactly?”
He turned toface me. “There are some things I can tell you, and some I cannot.”
“I understand.”I bobbed my head in a nod. “Non-disclosure kind of stuff. Patents and stuff,right?”
He shook hishead. “No, nothing like that. There are certain things that we do not sharewith humans. And as much as I trust you, for the time being you are human.”
“The timebeing?”
Phin looked upat the sky. “The sun’s gonna start setting soon. We should get packed up and onour way.”
