by Jason Tesar
“I understand that all of you will need time to adjust to your new life, but I will not tolerate this behavior,” he directed to the whole group. “All of you arrived at your rooms in plenty of time to get a sufficient amount of sleep. It would be wise for you to use that time for its intended purpose.”
Kael’s heart beat loudly in his chest, and he felt his face get hot. It’s not fair that the rest of us are scolded for their mistake! He kept his mouth shut, wanting Ukiru’s anger to pass as quickly as possible.
When they resumed their exercises, Rainer kept his face toward the ground, trying to hide his snickering mouth.
~
Each day of the week continued in the same fashion, with Ukiru familiarizing the children with the daily routines. He explained that their real training wouldn’t begin until the start of the following week. In the meantime, the boys had fun acquainting themselves with their surroundings. For six days, they repeated the pattern until the morning meal of the seventh day.
Ukiru sat at the head of the dining table and spoke to the group. “The seventh day of the week is free time for you to do whatever you wish. We will have meditation and the morning meal, after which you may retire to your room or spend your time with all manner of activities. There are games that can be played indoors or out. We have a library of books from which you may read. The day is yours to spend as you wish. We will all assemble here in the dining hall at sundown for the evening meal, and the rest of the evening will be unscheduled as well. The seventh day is a day of worship unto the All Powerful and will not be a day for learning anything except to hear his voice speaking quietly to us. I hope that you will spend some of the time in meditation.”
The other boys hardly paid any attention to his last words. Everyone was so excited to have a free day that they immediately began to chatter amongst themselves.
Kael, however, was intrigued. His voice speaking quietly to us? Do gods speak at all? Ukiru kept talking of this All Powerful as if he were a person, but the gods that Kael learned about in Bastul were just statues. Sometimes people talked to them, but they never talked back. Sometimes people left food offerings or lit candles for them, but they never gave anything back.
These thoughts quickly gave way to relief at having a break from the routine. When he lived in Bastul, he would study in the morning and have every afternoon as play time. He and Ajani would explore, hunt, fish, and occasionally wander into the city, where they were not supposed to go. Kael was told that his father’s position made it dangerous for him to travel into the city without a guard. Of course, guards only inhibited the boys from doing many of the things they would normally do to occupy their time.
Ukiru’s loud but calm voice brought them all back to attention. “Settle down, everyone.” When the children were quiet, he continued. “Your servant will show you what games we have for you to play. Now that the meal is finished, you are free to go.”
The table exploded into a frenzy of activity. Most of the boys jumped out of their chairs and rushed out of the room as quickly as possible. Berit rose slowly from his seat, pushed his chair in to the table, and left in the direction of the library. Kael remained seated at the table with Ukiru.
“Do you not wish to join the others?” he asked the child.
“I stayed behind to ask you a question,” Kael replied.
“Please,” Ukiru said with nod.
“Where …” he began, then paused. Where are we? Something told him to keep the question inside. “Do you hunt?” he asked instead.
“Well,” Ukiru breathed as he sat back in his chair. “There aren’t many things to hunt at this elevation. It would take a whole day to descend into the forests where the monks do their hunting, but I’ve heard that there are ground squirrels that live in the rocks a few miles from here. The monks here occasionally hunt the little creatures for the meat. I’m told it is quite a delicacy. Would that suit you?”
“Yes, it would,” Kael replied with a smile. “We hunt a lot where I come from.”
“Yes, I know. So you are a hunter?”
Kael nodded.
“I am as well. I’ve not been able to hunt for quite some time, although squirrels are not exactly a formidable foe. May I join you?”
“Yes, sir,” Kael replied, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.
“Then we shall make a day of it.” Ukiru rose from his chair. “Let’s pack a few provisions and I will have one of the monks accompany us on the short journey.”
They left the dining hall, and within half an hour, Kael, Ukiru, and one of the robed servants were walking across the valley northeast of the monastery, choosing to go on foot rather than take the horses. Pale grass crunched beneath their feet as they walked. The cool morning air felt strange in Kael’s lungs, but it smelled sweeter and was more refreshing than the salty ocean air of Bastul. They quickly descended into the valley below and came upon a small river, flowing back to the south. Ukiru pointed out that this fresh water continued south until it fell off a cliff and into the ocean. They turned to the north and headed upstream into a thin stand of short pine trees. Crossing the river at a low, rocky shelf, they continued their ascent up the other side of the valley, where the river narrowed to just a stream. As the sun crept higher into the sky, they left the water’s edge and climbed east until they reached a bank of rocks, exposed by the eroding soil.
The silent monk simply pointed at the bank.
Ukiru nodded. “This is the place.”
They stopped and laid their provisions next to a tree. The monk laid out weapons for the hunt and beckoned for Ukiru and Kael to come over and choose what they wished to use. Ukiru put his hand out, indicating that Kael should go first. Then he stood back and watched.
Kael looked at the assortment of weapons on the ground—a crossbow with a bundle of bolts, a spear, a sling with a leather bag of shot, and a bow accompanied by a quiver of arrows.
“What are you going to use?” he asked Ukiru.
“Well, they are small, fast creatures. I think I will use the crossbow for speed and accuracy.”
“Me too.”
“I’m sorry, but we only brought one of each. Had you chosen first, the crossbow would have been available to you. Now you must choose between the other three.”
Kael thought for a moment and then bent down, grabbing hold of the spear.
“Are you sure that is the best choice?”
Kael stopped, reconsidering the positives and negatives of each weapon. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “This will work. I’m good with a spear.”
Ukiru smiled as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t.
When they had chosen their weapons, Ukiru and Kael set off in search of their prey, with the monk following at a close distance, carrying a quiver and a few other provisions. Kael wasn’t sure of how to approach these animals, so he stayed close to Ukiru and followed his lead. Ukiru led the hunting party up a collapsed section of the rocks and then began to traverse the shelf above. He explained quietly that the ground squirrels could be seen scurrying from the shelter of the rocks to forage for food. They would be quick, and their dusty brown fur was a perfect camouflage for this rocky terrain. They walked for almost an hour before any sign of movement.
All of a sudden, Kael noticed a small brown shape dart out from the rocks. He raised his spear and waited until the rodent turned around and came back before throwing his spear.
The squirrel, startled by the sound above, sprang to the right as the spear hit the ground only inches away. It paused for a second before heading for the safety of the rocks.
Ukiru took aim and loosed his bolt, pinning the animal to the ground.
The three hunters scrambled down the rocks and gathered up their prey. The monk placed the squirrel in a cloth bag and slung it over his back.
Ukiru patted Kael on the back. “That was excellent. You have very quick reflexes.”
“Thanks,” Kael replied, even more determined to catch his prey.
> They continued to hunt along the rocky slopes until the sun had passed its zenith. When they turned around and began to make their way back to the starting point, Kael chose to walk along the bottom of the rock wall, several yards behind Ukiru, who stayed on top. Along the way Kael remained silent, scanning the rocks for another chance.
“You were about to ask me something this morning,” Ukiru called down.
Kael wrinkled his eyebrows.
“At breakfast,” he continued. “You were about to ask me a question, but you mentioned hunting instead.”
Kael was surprised that Ukiru had noticed. “Where am I?” he finally asked.
Ukiru smiled. “You will know in time. For now, I will only say that you are a long way from home.”
“Why is it a secret?” Kael asked.
“Because you need to forget about your old life. You must come to see this place as your home and all of us as your new family. The more you think about where you are from, the harder it will be for you to adjust to this place.”
Suddenly, movement at the corner of Kael’s vision interrupted the conversation. Ukiru raised his crossbow, but Kael had already sighted the rodent and thrown his spear. The animal rolled to its side, pierced by the spear, and slid to a stop in the dirt.
Kael looked to Ukiru, whose eyebrows were raised.
~
The hunting party gathered the remainder of the provisions next to the tree and headed back to the monastery with two squirrels to show for their efforts. Kael was finally starting to feel comfortable in his new surroundings, although he hadn’t really made friends with anyone yet, like some of the other children. Coen seemed friendly, but then again, he was friendly with everyone. It was comforting to hunt; it reminded him of his normal life in Bastul.
The return trip took less time and was considerably easier than climbing the valley earlier in the morning. No one spoke the entire way back, and Kael was perfectly content to follow the other two men, listening only to the sounds of nature and a few quiet footsteps. The monastery was also silent when they returned, and Kael couldn’t help wondering where all of the other children were. The monk took the squirrels and promised Kael that the meat would be part of the evening meal.
“You should wash up, it will be evening soon.” With that, Ukiru excused himself.
After washing his face and hands in the bathing room, Kael went to his room to change his clothes. He felt himself rushing in order to get back outside and find out where the other children were. He quickly found a fresh tunic and rushed downstairs, pulling it on as he went. He wandered for several minutes before entering the library, where he found Berit sitting by a window. The large, dust-covered book on his lap suggested that he had been there for quite some time.
“Have you been in here all day?”
Berit looked up from his reading with a startled look on his face. It was apparent that he had grown accustomed to the privacy and silence. “Yeah,” was all he said in return.
Kael waited for a moment, hoping that the other boy might elaborate on what he was reading. When nothing happened, Kael realized that Berit might not be the best person for striking up a conversation.
“Do you know where the others are?”
Berit looked at Kael without lifting his head. “I think some are out back,” he said with a nod. “I heard them earlier.”
“Thanks.” Kael tried not to look hurried when he left the library. Even though he had been gone all day with Ukiru, he was beginning to feel like he had been left out of something. He exited the building and circled around to the back but was disappointed to find that the rear of the building butted up to the wall that surrounded the whole monastery. Kael turned around and made his way to the front courtyard, exiting through the front gate, but there was still no sign of the other children. Then he remembered the cliffs overlooking the ocean that he had found on the second day after his arrival. He hadn’t been back since that day and decided to wander in that direction. As he neared the ridge to the south, he heard laughter. He stopped walking and waited a few minutes before he heard it again, and realized that the sound was coming from the other side of the ridge.
By the time he reached the top he was winded, but the ocean view made the climb worth the effort. The sound of laughter drew his attention to the right and he could see Donagh, Horace, Arden, and Coen gathered around a pile of small stones. As he walked toward them, Horace threw a rock toward a stick planted in the ground. His stone flew wide of the target and landed in the sand. Horace stepped back and Coen, who had already chosen his stone from the pile, stepped forward.
“What are you guys doing?”
“We’re trying to see who can hit the stick first,” Horace replied as he walked to the pile and chose another rock. “Do you want to try?”
“Sure,” Kael said with a smile.
“Grab a rock and you can go after me,” said Donagh.
Coen’s attempt fell short and Donagh stepped forward. He took a few hops to gain momentum and heaved a rock the size of his fist toward the target. It landed with a dull thud at the base of the stick and moved it slightly.
“That’s the closest one so far,” Arden said. “Now it’s your turn, Kael.”
Kael had been watching the others and had forgotten to choose a rock. He quickly picked the first one his hand closed around and stepped up to the line dug in the dirt.
“Your foot can’t cross the line,” Donagh said, his competitive nature showing through.
“Okay,” Kael replied, inching back more than necessary from the line. The rock he had chosen was shaped strangely and didn’t fit well in his hand. He threw it anyway, and it flew over the stick and bounced in the dirt.
The minutes passed and the pile of stones shrank with every attempt. The other boys were starting to grow bored of the game. When it came time for Horace to try again, he ran across the line with his arm cocked. Coen began to laugh as Horace stopped only a few strides short of the stick and threw the rock as hard as he could, only to miss it completely. Exhausted with his wasted effort, he collapsed on the ground in a fit of laughter. Soon everyone joined in and all of the boys rolled on the ground, clutching their stomachs. When the laughter subsided, they all stayed lying on the ground, looking up at the few wispy clouds high overhead.
“Where were you today?” asked Arden.
“Who, me?” Kael replied.
“Yeah, we haven’t seen you since this morning.”
Kael hesitated. “Uh … I went hunting squirrels with Ukiru.”
The other boys rolled over and looked at him. “Where did you go?” asked Coen.
“Up the other side of the valley.” Kael could see the jealousy in their eyes. “One of the monks took us. We should all go next week,” he quickly added.
“Yeah. That would be—” Coen started to say.
“We should get back,” Donagh interrupted. “It’s almost time for the evening meal.”
At his words the other boys got to their feet. As they started to walk back toward the top of the hill, Kael decided to try one more time to hit the target. He knelt at the pile and moved the rocks aside, searching for just the right one.
“Come on, we need to get back,” Coen yelled.
“I’ll be there in just a second,” Kael yelled. “… just one more try.” As he looked down at the pile, his hand closed around a smooth rock. It was elliptical in shape and narrow, growing sharp at the edges. He held it up for a second to inspect the shape and could almost feel how it would fly. He stood up and faced the target, imagining the way it would arc through the air and curve slightly in the wind. He stepped forward and threw it, feeling it spin off his pointer finger and cut through the wind just as he imagined.
CRACK!
The stone hit the stick and cut it in half.
Kael stared in disbelief.
“Whoa! How did you do that?” Coen yelled, running back down the hill.
Kael ran to the target and arrived just after Coen, who was holding th
e top part of the stick for inspection. The cut was smooth halfway through the stick where the rock had impacted, while the back of the stick was splintered.
“Good throw,” Coen said, patting Kael on the back.
Kael looked up the hill to see if the others had witnessed it, but they had already crested the hill and started down the other side.
“Wait till they see this,” Coen said, running off in the direction of the others.
* * * *
The midmorning sunlight streamed through the window of the study where Lemus sat at a desk strewn with papers. The quill stood upright in the inkpot, untouched. This room, as well as all of the others in the house, overlooked the bay of Bastul. It was difficult to get any work done with such a majestic view just outside of the window. Lemus sat back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. Closing his eyes, he let the sounds of the ocean occupy his attention. The position of governor had, so far, proven to be more difficult than he had expected. Not only did he have the rotation of soldiers to plan out, always keeping a state of readiness for the defense of the city, but it also seemed as though someone always needed his attention. Whether it was a ruling on some minor matter, or his presence at some occasion, he always had a list of things to do. After only a few short weeks it was all becoming a big headache to him.
As he allowed the slight breeze coming through the window to wash his thoughts away, a knock came at the door. The soldier who stood guard next to the door turned and unlatched the bolt. The motion startled Lemus, who had forgotten that anyone else was in the room. The door swung open to reveal two men escorted by another soldier. The guard looked back to Lemus, who waved his hand for the men to be let in.
As the two men came into the room, Lemus sized them up in a matter of seconds, deciding that they were not a threat. Even if they did something unexpected, it would be three trained soldiers against these two, who looked like priests. They were dressed in long dark robes that covered everything except for their faces.