The Cunning Man, Chapter 11: Truncheons and Lamps is now posted.
We see the vindication of a Lake and the downfall of a witch, unless we see the opposite. The Cunning Man is once more set upon the road, and we learn whether he will be warm or cold.
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Here ends the tale of the Cunning Man. In this space, next week, if fate allows, we meet the Vagrants of Time.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 10: The Living Ghost is now posted.
We behold wonders and wondrous folly, hearing faith and blasphemy, once a sword is drawn.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 09: Clean Against the King’s Good Law is now posted.
We hear the voice of the Cunning Man in the dark, accusing the guilty. But guilty men fear no witches, not when the sheriff comes. So we see, in the gloomy room, a murderer fencing with shadows.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 08: Time For Truth is now posted.
We hear the tale of two men who quarreled over a women, and one of them who came not back from the wars. The Cunning Man begins his odd practice, and perhaps the King’s Law allows it, or perhaps not.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 07: In the Hope Chest, and Out is now posted.
We see young Willy make a petition to the Cunning Man, as required by the rule of three, and the fairy folk law; and we hear an account of how Hazelthorne first came by his art.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 06: The Goodwife Prudence is now posted.
We meet the Goodwife Prudence, who is young and fair, and see why she sent for the Cunning Man, and whom she wished to find. Is she wife or widow? Is she good? Much remains to be seen.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 05: The Reverend Pastor Ignatius is now posted.
We hear what is known of the Cunning Man’s mysterious escape from the cellar, and entertain doubts as to whether the holy craft of the young father can overcome witchery. Of course, the young father owns several books, or so it is reported, with letters in figures in them.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 04: The Slumbering Creature is now posted.
We met the familiar spirit of the Cunning Man, Beelzebub, disguised as an ordinary cat. Unless, of course, it actually is just an ordinary cat.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 03: Shepherds and Witchmen is now posted.
We overhear pastor and warlock in a cellar debate the good and ill of trafficking with dark spirits, now that old practices are banished from Merry England. Perhaps they strike a bargain.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 02: Cellar of the Shire Reeve is now posted.
We and Hazelthorne meet young Father Ignatius Farthingale, who is convinced the world to be in her dotage. As often happens when priest and witch-man meet, the conversation veers toward theology.
This tale is previously unpublished, somewhat different from my normal fare, and is here offered as a courtesy for the enjoyment of my dear readers.
The Cunning Man, Chapter 01: High Road in the Autumn is now posted.
We are introduced to Hazelthorne, the Cunning Man, a finder of lost things, who greets the chill of autumn with a summery disposition; and to the boy, Will, whose disposition and situation is somewhat worse.
