The Telematrix, Part 3
News came from Lystria in late 977 that Lord Bobolonious from the Farthest East was rousing rabble in the frontier territories. Of course, this was of astoundingly little interest to Telematrice who was struggling to survive despite a five-year reprieve. It was during this time that Tronya Soy became something of a mother to the otherwise motherless Telematrice, teaching her how to swim and ride a horse, how to fend for herself when competing with her stronger sisters for food, and how to read rock strata.
Soy insisted that Telematrice have as little contact with her sisters as possible, especially in the area of socialization. With the winner-takes-all arrangement the king had with the Mysts, it was best not to form emotional attachments with girls whose coming of age present from their father was to be a mass grave. As a result, she was indescribably lonely.