King Edward , Book VI Summary . This book is part of a twelve - part series on King Edward , as follows : Content . Chapter 6 : Training The day Edward was to leave the Archmagister summoned him , presented him with a mithril staff and bade him farewell . Back in his small cell Edward removed his novitiate robe and donned the grey shirt , black pants and red sash he ' d worn to the Tower . He fingered the sash lovingly . His mother had purchased the shirt and pants , saying they looked sturdy and maybe wouldn ' t show the dirt from the journey . Moraelyn had given him the silk sash with its embroidery of twined leaves and flowers , birds and butterflies in mithril , dwarven and elven metallic threads . But he ' d waited until they were across the channel . Aliera had said it cost too dear ; she ' d suggested cutting down one of Moraelyn ' s old ones to fit , but the elf had adamantly refused to let her have any of them . Edward smiled , remembering , and wrapped the sash twice round his waist then knotted the ends carefully . He took the staff and ran down to meet his parents . He ' d meant to fling himself at them , but Moraelyn was alone and Edward stopped still . " Where ' s my mother ? Is she . . . ? " " She wanted to stay and choose a horse for you . Didn ' t trust it to Beech . " " A horse ? For me ! Really ? " " Of course . You can ' t walk all the way to Morrowind . " " I thought I ' d have to ride behind . . . someone . Look , the Archmagister gave me . . . my staff ! Isn ' t it beautiful ? " The elf took it and hefted it , trying a few swings and feints . " Good balance and weight for thee , I think . Light for me . Show me how you use it . Suppose I attack you . " He used his bare hands and Edward fell into a defensive position , blocked him , then thrust the staff toward Moraelyn ' s ribs . He danced easily aside , but praised the boy . " A mage should have a dagger , too . I thought you might like to have Tooth here . " Edward ' s eye popped . Tooth had an ebony blade and a hilt made from a real dragon ' s tooth . The elf slid it from its sheath and handed it to Edward who took it carefully . The blade had a wicked point and the edge was sharp enough to shave with . Mats borrowed it sometimes . He ' d carved the hilt , too . " Are you sure Mats doesn ' t mind ? " " Quite sure . " Moraelyn unbuckled his belt and slid the sheath off it . There was a new belt for Edward of snakeskin , soft and pliable and a buckle with the black rose of Morrowind on it , just like Moraelyn ' s . " It ' s from the Companions . " He knelt to fit the belt and dagger and the sash over it properly , and Edward threw his arms about his neck . " It ' s wonderful . I do thank thee and them , too ! And oh , I ' ve missed all of thee so much . " " We missed you , too , son . Let ' s go or we ' ll miss our tide . " " I wouldn ' t want to worry mother , " he said , trying to sound casual about having a mother that would worry about him . " No fear ; I told her not to look for us until tomorrow night . . . just in case . But we ' ll surprise her . " " Good thinking . " They made good speed and reached the inlet before the tide was full . " Shall I show you how to use Tooth , or would you rather rest ? " " Tooth ! I can rest in the boat while you work . " Moraelyn shielded himself and Edward too , saying that Tooth ' s bite was no joke . " I could have shielded myself , " Edward said proudly . " I ' m good at that . But my Heals go all wrong . " " It ' ll come . Give it time . " Evidently Tooth wanted time too . Try as he might , he couldn ' t get near the elf with the blade , even though Moraelyn kept his feet planted and simply swerved his body , ducking and weaving . . . and laughing . Frustrated , Edward sheathed Tooth and picked up the staff and whacked at him , swinging it with both hands . It wasn ' t doing any harm , but it made satisfying sounds as it thwacked against the spell shield . Moraelyn let him hit , but stopped the staff easily when the spell had been used up . Edward threw it on the ground and turned away ; the elf reached for him in consolation . Edward snatched Tooth from the sheath and thrust it straight at the elf ' s heart . The blade was knocked spinning from his hand . Edward had braced to stop the thrust and hold it and he felt the shock even through his shield . Then Moraelyn was kneeling before him , nursing his left hand across his right knee , his face grey with shock and disbelief . Blood was gushing from his wrist like a fountain . " Give me thy sash ! " " I . . . I didn ' t . . . " Edward ' s teeth were rattling in his head . He felt sick and dizzy . Bile washed up in his mouth . " D - d - didn ' t - - m - m - mean . " So much blood . " Boy , don ' t faint now . I need thy aid . The sash . Now , Edward ! Pack it into the wound . Gods , what a mess ! " The hand was half severed at the wrist . Edward sat down abruptly , shaking all over , but his hands packed the sash into the open wound , then he wrapped the rest round the hand and wrist . " Take my sash and make a sling . " Moraelyn eased the injured limb into the sling and then released his other hand . He took the water bottle from his belt and drank it down . " I need more water . Where ' s thy staff ? There ' s a well two miles back . Where ' s Tooth ? Go find it and don ' t cut yourself on it . " " I don ' t want it . " " Not many blades have bathed in Moraelyn ' s blood . ' Twill bring you luck . Do as I say . " " The tide ' s in . " " Aye and Firsthold could be on Jone for all the good it does us . I can ' t row one handed . " " I could . . . " " No , you cannot . You haven ' t the strength . The current ' s swift here . I prefer to die on land . Edward , we cannot stay here . The blood smell will draw beasts . If I faint , get well away and climb a tree . And pray . " He climbed to his feet and leaned on the staff , breathing hard . " Stay close , but don ' t grab at me , no matter what happens . " He took a small step , then another . " I ' m sorry . " " Doubtless . You picked a poor time and place to turn assassin . A good assassin always has an escape planned . " " Yessir . " Edward sniffed back his tears . " Sir , I cannot Heal you , but I can restore some vigor . " " Can you ? ' T ' would be of great help . " The spell Edward cast shook the elf ; he gasped , but stood straighter and firmer after the shock wore off . " I can do it again , " Edward offered eagerly . " Nay . You have plenty of power but want finesse . But ' tis much better , now . " Moraelyn was walking better ; he sounded better too . Edward tried to blot the picture of the injury out of his mind . They moved slowly , Moraelyn leaning against a tree from time to time to rest . Nothing molested them . After an interminable time of silent travelling they reached the old well . Moraelyn drained the first bottle and Edward refilled it , drank himself , then filled it yet again . " We ' ll spend the night in there . " ' There ' was a large ramshackle building , apparently deserted . The elf kicked the locked door open . Inside it was pitch dark . " Light ? " Edward offered . " Nay . I can see . Save your power and stay by me . " There was a skittering noise . Rat s ! Edward shielded them both without thinking , pulled Tooth out , and placed his back to the elf ' s . A rat leaped and drove itself onto the blade . Moraelyn swung the staff and laid out two more . Others scurried off . " Well done , lad ! " They found a small windowless room and shut the door behind them . There seemed to be some wood about ; probably it had been some sort of storage room off the kitchen . Moraelyn sat down against the wall . " So . You can use a knife . Was all that pretense ? To put me off my guard ? " Edward was appalled . He burst into tears , protesting that he ' d never harm Moraelyn willingly . " I meant it for jest ; I thought it ' d make you laugh . . . I was angry , at first , but at myself , my clumsiness , not you . . . it was a sudden thought . . . I love you dear ! " The elf reached out with his good arm and pulled Edward down to him . " That ' s worth a hand , then , any day . " Edward sobbed against his shoulder while Moraelyn soothed him with pats . " You are my real father . " " Edward , I am not . . . " " Nay , thou art . Thee puts my well - being ahead of thine and loves me when I least deserve it . Thee ' s been kind and generous and never asked anything of me save to my own profit . Thee ' d give thy very life for mine . That ' s what real fathers do . And I ' ve given thee naught but pain . He who sired me despises me and my mother because we are unlike him . We are not like you either , and yet you love us well . I will do better by you , dear Father . " " I gave thee cause enough for offense . I took thy mother from thee . " " You risked losing her because you would not part me from my father . You did not know me and my father was your bitter enemy . And yet you took thought for us . You could not know how unnatural he is . It isn ' t in you . " " Granted . And yet the offense and your anger at it remain . " " I love you ! " Edward protested . But he heard an angry edge in his voice . " And hate me . " Moraelyn ' s voice was so calm and quiet that they might have been discussing the weather . " I can ' t do both . . . can I ? " " Can you ? " " I didn ' t mean to hurt you . " " I believe you . " " Am I . . . am I , evil ? I was sorry ; I ' d give anything if it hadn ' t happened , but . . . I . . " . " Took some measure of satisfaction in it . " Edward ' s throat was choked with sobs ; he couldn ' t speak , but nodded into Moraelyn ' s shoulder . The elf ' s hand stroked him gently . " Did I ' ric tell you of the Daedra ? " " The demons ? No . Is it a demon makes me do such things ? I am evil , then . " " No , you are not . But the daedra feed on actions such as that . They encourage them . And your anger draws them . But they can ' t make you do anything . And they or it ' s not inside you . But it is connected to you . " " I don ' t want it . I want it to go away . How can I make it go away ? " " Why don ' t you want it ? You draw power from it . That ' s what let you shield us both with the rats attacked . " " Mana ? That doesn ' t come from demons . " " No , but the ability to use it can . Look , some of your deeds feed the daedra . But you draw power from it at the same time . Then the power ' s yours , to use as you choose . " " Do you have a daedra ? " " I do and it ' s a big one , too , but I think everyone has one or more . Some are stronger than others , that ' s all . But don ' t go around asking after them . It ' s not polite . " " I want mine to go away ! " Edward wailed . " So you say . But pretending it isn ' t there will not accomplish that . Having a daedra is a bit like riding a horse . You must keep control . The daedra do not care for you . It would as life feed off your pain or injury or death as any other , and find a new host . They do not think or plan as we can and I do not think they experience time as we do . So acts that feed the daedra take place in the moment and while you are caught up in them , past and future cease to exist for you too . It is an intensely pleasurable experience , but it can also be very dangerous . And very addictive , so that you begin to think only of feeding your daedra . You cease to think of the gods and those you love and even yourself . When you have walked too far along that path , you lose the will to choose another . " " How terrible ! What must I do then ? " " It is terrible , the worst that can befall a person . Remember this night . How you felt . Learn to recognize the daedra ' s hunger for what it is , and think about what you do . You are young and this is heavy for you , but you are at risk . Ah ! " The elf ' s body stiffened and he caught his breath . Edward guessed that the wound was paining him . Moraelyn said that he must sleep a bit , and could Edward keep watch and wake him in an hour ' s time . Then he could set a lock on the door and they could both rest . " Aye , sir . . . and I might do somewhat more . I cannot set a lock , but . . . " The door would not latch , nor would it stay open , but would swing nearly shut . Edward felt about near the wall behind it and found a wedge . He shut the door and drove the wedge home with a chunk of wood . " I thought so . ' Tis awkward to pass such a door with both arms full of wood . We have such at ho . . . in Gerald ' s palace . Now anything trying to come in will rouse you ; you can use your power to cast heal instead of lock . " " Why , well thought of , indeed . " He freed his blade and laid it on the floor beside him . " We may as well both sleep then . " They slept fitfully . There were often scrabblings at the door and in the walls , but nothing entered their small closet . Moraelyn cast Heal several time during the night . By morning he pronounced himself as fit " as a one - handed man can be . " He unwrapped the sash - bandage and inspected the wound . The bleeding was stopped ; the hand was still warm to the touch ; it no longer hurt him nor was it swollen or discolored . But the wound was still open and the hand useless . Nerves and muscles had been severed and some of the small bones broken . Such repair was beyond his skill . Edward , feeling the daedra feed on the sight , turned quickly away . Moraelyn grinned . " You may as well let it feed ; it ' s a harmless sort of feeding . The damage is done . " " I mean to starve it , " Edward said firmly . " You can try to do that or you can learn to control it instead , and still walk with the gods . I think we ' d best go back to the Tower . " " Aye , they ' ll be able to heal you there , will they not ? " " I know not . At the least they ' ll be able to attach it more firmly than it is at present . Ah , do not look so downcast . The skill to mend it is somewhere , if not in the Tower . Ssa ' ass is good with battle injuries and there are Temples which know more of the healing arts than the Tower mages . Besides , it ' s only my left hand . " He held up the wadded sash , stiff with his dried blood . " The color ' s more practical than thy mother thought . Let ' s see if we can wash it out a bit . Never have I come so ill - equipped on a journey . I might have been strolling down the main street in Ebonheart . Thy mother will kill me . " " Right after she kills me , " Edward sighed . " At least returning to the Tower will delay that . " They came out into the bright courtyard . The morning sun was already high in the western sky . " Not so . Edward , the Companions are coming now ! I hear them . Mara , let me think of a real good lie ! " Mith trotted into the courtyard . " Here they are ! " he called back to the others . " By Torgo , you ARE injured . Let me see that . We thought to row across to meet you ; we saw the blood on the shore and tracked you here . What attacked you ? " " A demon . " " A demon ! What ! ? In the open like that in daylight ? Gods , what was it carrying , an ebony dai - katana ? " Mith whistled as he inspected the injury . Aliera and the others ran up . She hugged Edward , " Are you all right , darling ? I was worried . " then paled as she saw her husband ' s hand . " You must be slowing down . How ' d you let a demon do that to you ? " Mith demanded . " It was the boy . . . he grabbed at my arm in fright and my shield spell failed . It wasn ' t his fault ; it was an accident . Ali , don ' t look at it . Edward , why don ' t you take thy mother to see the rat you killed ? " " I want to watch Ssa ' ass , " Edward objected , then remembered that it would feed his daedra . But he might learn something about healing if he watched , which would be a good thing . This was going to be more complicated than he ' d thought . " Oh , Edward , " Aliera said . " You must keep clear in a fight . " " He killed a rat in the old inn there , after . Did right well . Kept his head , put his back to mine , shielded us both . Anyone ' s apt to panic in his first fight . Especially if he isn ' t expecting it . " Ssa ' ass came up last , as usual , elbowed the others aside and inspected the injury , hissing . " I cann fixxxx thissss . It ' ss cleann . " He looked it over carefully , bending the hand back to open the wound . Then he brought the hand forward , so that the edges of the tissue met . He was very particular about getting it aligned just so . Then he had Mats hold it in place while he cast spells over it . All outer traces of the injury vanished , leaving not even a scar . Moraelyn swung it with satisfaction , twitching his fingers . " Thanks , Ssa ' ass . It ' s stiff , but . . . " " Tomorrow , I ffinissshhh . " " My poor baby , " Aliera fussed over Edward . " You must have been so frightened . And you spent the whole night in that awful house ? " " I ' m not a baby . I wasn ' t afraid ; my father was there . "