Homecoming

by Tull Harrison

  Savann’s very air was different; it practically crackled with magic. Old, fallen leaves cushioned the horses' footsteps, so they made little sound. A breeze ruffled Rebenna's sweat-drenched braid, making her shiver.

  Rebenna's eyes drifted closed. Though Trouble normally lived up to her name, she had learned not to take advantage of her mistress when she was sleeping. She didn't know for how long she dozed, but she was jostled awake when Trouble leaped over a log.

  "Where are we, Kellas?" Rebenna asked drowsily.

  "Savann," he laughed. Apparently, being in his homeland had lightened his mood.

  Rebenna smiled sarcastically back at him. "I meant specifically where?"

  Kellas’ smile faded, but his eyes still sparkled. "We're going to the capital. It should take another four days. There are no cities anywhere near the borders. It will be another two days before we reach a town."

  Rebenna nodded carelessly in response. The shriek of a raptor overhead distracted her. Inevitably, her thoughts had turned to how Delmer fared.

  She could only hope that Tymon had made it back to Kingdom Cove. Though she had had days to mull it over, she could still scarcely believe that King Marus had decided to attack Malzepher.

  In politics she had perpetually seen selfishness overwhelm other considerations. Nobles and royalty would effortlessly ignore the common good of the people for their own gain. Now thousands of people would die simply for control of mysterious items, and she was trapped searching for them as well.

  Delmer's army was far smaller than Noenna’s. It seemed inconceivable to Rebenna that Malzepher could win the battle. She could only trust that Delmer would manage to preserve the only country where she had ever felt accepted.

  In this way, two days passed slowly. Though the scenery was beautiful, her constant anxiety made her unable to enjoy it. Rebenna tried to reassure herself, but she could not. Noenna's army must have reached Malzepher ten days ago, and she feared the outcome of that battle.

  While Rebenna worried, Kellas said nothing. Now past the initial excitement of being home, he was back to his old detachment, but at least had not worn his bleak cloak again.

  Shortly after sunrise of their third day in Savann, they came upon a city. As she had come to expect, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. The trees were part of enormous, circular houses, their canopies sticking out of each roof. These houses were made of various types of wood, matching the trees they encircled. Glass windows curved along with the walls. The doors were ornate and also curved.

  "How do your people make their houses?" she asked.

  Kellas smiled with amusement at the look on Rebenna's face. "As nearly everything else, with magic. Though you must understand that these houses are quite old, and few new ones are ever built."

  Why have no further houses been built? Perhaps the magic in the land was weakened with the persecution of magical items and creatures. Rebenna pondered silently as they walked through the city.

  In the streets, boys and girls mingled, playing the same games all children played elsewhere. Surprisingly, the young males had only one tattoo. It was an intricate picture of a leaf on their left shoulder blade; Rebenna figured it must be the mark of servitude Kellas had talked about.

  As the horses walked past, everyone looked up from their work to shout some sort of greeting. Even some of the children smiled and waved happily at Kellas.

  "Everyone seems to know you, Kellas,” Rebenna remarked.

  "These people do not truly know me. They simply recognize a servant from the palace. Servants are always to be offered hospitality; and since you are with me, you will be offered it too," Kellas explained briefly. After a brief pause he spoke again, "How well do you know the Old Tongue?"

  Rebenna shrugged. "I know a fair amount. I assumed I would need language skills as an ambassador. However, I learned from my father's library, so I have no practice speaking it.”

  Some of the tension in Kellas’ shoulders dissipated. "That is excellent. If you did not know the Old Tongue, I would have to translate for you, which is time consuming. Very few Savanns speak the New Tongue of Noenna and Malzepher."

  "That is understandable," Rebenna replied diplomatically in her best Old Tongue.

  Kellas smiled. "Then we will speak in Old Tongue until we arrive in Lenna Queeka, so you may practice."

  With that statement, Kellas dismounted gracefully and called out, "Tareen, a Son of the Palace, calls upon you."

  A woman shrunken by extreme age emerged from a house that was even larger than any of the others. "As governess of Torna, I shall shelter and protect this Son of the Palace and his charge." She had responded formally, but now hurried towards him. "My Kellas, my Kellas, you have returned! It was kind of you to visit an old friend before heading towards the palace."

  He laughed more openly than Rebenna had ever seen him do. "It is wonderful to see you again, Tareen. It will be no shame to rest in a true house tonight.” Motioning towards Rebenna, he added, “This is the queen's guest, and her name is Rebenna. I must guide her to the palace. Perhaps after dinner you may wish to talk with her."

  "Yes, I believe that is a wise choice. Would you care for a tour of my lowly village? You could of course bring lunch with you," Tareen asked kindly in New Tongue, to Rebenna’s surprise.

  A tour of this place, how could I refuse?

  Obeying Kellas’ earlier request Rebenna responded in Old Tongue, "I would love to see more of this wonderful place. Savann is so pretty, it seems to have been created by an artist."

  'Pretty' does not even begin to describe the beauty of this land, but I do not know the word for beautiful! Rebenna thought wryly.

  Tareen nodded approvingly. "Thank you, it is wonderful to know that the land appeals to foreigners. I will have my eldest granddaughter show you around."

  As Rebenna found out quickly, Savanns were very self-deprecating and modest. She also found that her Old Tongue was not nearly as proficient as she had thought. Countless times Rebenna had been forced to ask Elian, Tareen's granddaughter, what she had just said. Fortunately, Elian was patient with her.

  The two girls were of a like age and got along well. Everyone seemed to know Elian, and small girls tagged along happily. It was the boys who seemed too shy to even move when they saw Rebenna.

  Finally, Elian shook her head laughing and waved her hand at a boy who stood paralyzed nearby. The boy was pulled forward through the air against his will and Rebenna gasped at the display of magic. Elian ignored Rebenna's gasp and the boy's fear and laughed again. "Look, boys, Rebenna is no sphinx. She will not eat you or, worse, seduce you. She is no different than me."

  Except for the magical part, Rebenna thought uncomfortably.

  Shaking off the chills, Rebenna managed to smile. "No, indeed, I will not do anything to you. In fact, I doubt sphinxes would harm you either. The one I met was quite nice."

  "You've met a sphinx?" one of the small girls exclaimed in delight.

  "You mean like the one the queen has as an advisor?" the boy Elian had pulled asked hesitantly.

  "I did not know your queen has a sphinx as an advisor; but yes, I have met a sphinx."

  Rebenna smiled at the children and related the story of how she had met Smith. The version she told was carefully edited — for once her limited vocabulary helping instead of hindering her.

  Elian finally had to push their way through the crush of children. "Perhaps Rebenna will come back someday for a visit, but right now she has to go."

  Rebenna smiled again and waved to the children. "I will try my best to come back."

  Following Elian, she tried to pay attention, but questions continued to flood her head. Noticing that she was not being attentive, Elian poked her. "What are you thinking?"

  "Oh, just about Savann customs," Rebenna replied carefully.

  Elian's perpetual smile broadened. "Rebenna, you must not be afraid to ask questions. I will gladly answer any you have."

  "I have quite a few. My first
two are why are your houses so large? And, why are new houses so rare?"

  Elian giggled. "Savanns believe in family above all else. Instead of girls moving out when they come of age, the house is simply expanded by magic. That way the entire family can live under one roof. Only the men move into their brides’ houses. A new house is only built when someone new moves to the village."

  "My next question is why do the young boys play alongside the girls?"

  "Kellas must have explained to you that when men are older, they are committed to serve the women. However, you must understand that for men of the lower classes, there is nearly no change in status. They can perform any job women can. It is only men in the merchant class and the upper class who are affected in any way. You see, only women can hold a political position. All the same, men of these classes can be masters of their craft and even mages." Elian explained.

  "Why can men be mages but not politicians?" Rebenna asked, even more confused than before.

  Elian let out a little noise of frustration, because she was not able to explain the situation properly. "Long ago, before Noenna was even a thought, we had a mage who seized the throne. He is now known as Magdor of Darkness.

  "Magdor gained his throne by committing regicide. He ruthlessly rid himself of all other male mages and political opponents. He often hunted young men simply for the sport of it. Boys as young as five were taken for his special mage forces. Magdor took the wives of those killed as concubines but overlooked all female mages.

  "Using his blind spot against him, the mages openly revolted. They freed hundreds of concubines and destroyed Magdor, his henchmen, and the entire palace. Still, fearing a repetition of the situation, the remaining mages sealed the crown and all its inferior positions so no man could ever commit those atrocities again. They also strengthened mages’ vows to be completely binding.

  "So, you see, Rebenna, it is not that men are not allowed to hold political offices, it is that they cannot. Even if they wished to, the mages have not yet found a way to reverse the spell."

  Rebenna shivered with horror; though she had not understood the full story, she had understood enough. "Why not strengthen the oath public-office holders take, like strengthening the mages' oath?" she managed to ask.

  Elian's smile was completely gone by this time. "I am not sure why my ancestors chose to take the course of action they did. It certainly was extreme. However, their actions have worked, for we have had no war or tragedy since Magdor."

  Then I truly hope my mission does not bring war upon you, Rebenna prayed silently.

  In a more sober mood, they returned to Elian's house, which Rebenna had learned also contained the council chambers of the village. Picking up unknown but delicious scents, Rebenna hurried inside after Elian.

  "Elian, you have returned. Perfect, now both of you be seated." Tareen pushed them good-naturedly towards the table.

  Rebenna smiled at her host. "It smells good, and I'm sure it will taste even better."

  Tareen smiled in return. "Thank you; you are a gracious guest."

  Not completely understanding the individual words, but grasping the sentiment, Rebenna nodded in acknowledgement of the praise.

  The table itself presented a new surprise. It was an open circle which surrounded the trunk of the tree. Oddly enough, her view to the other side of the table was not obstructed by the tree. She attributed this fact to magic.

  There were only two seats left at the table. Rebenna took the one next to Kellas. Elian took the other seat on her right. Kellas was in the place of honor to Tareen's right. The man who must have been Tareen's husband sat to her left.

  The rest of the people at the table, Rebenna did not know, though she could guess who they were based on her diplomatic training. There were five other adult women and an equal amount of adult men. They sat in man and woman pairs, which were obviously married couples. Next to them sat five girls and three boys, who ranged in age from toddler to late teens.

  She gradually had a reasonable estimate of each person's standing within the household. While she had been calculating, Elian had been talking with Kellas. When she finally began to listen to the conversation, Rebenna was shocked. Not only was Elian talking to her guide, she was making open advances to him.

  She's flirting with him! But...I thought he's dedicated to the palace. I assumed that meant chastity.

  An unexpected surge of jealousy filled her. Determined to remain calm, Rebenna focused on the foreign food. As she had expected, it was excellent; but it could not drag her mind away from Kellas. For the remainder of the meal she listened to the idle chatter. Surprisingly, everyone avoided asking questions of her. It's too bad; I would have enjoyed questions to take my mind off matters.

  When dinner was finished, Rebenna thanked her hostess and stood to retreat to her private guest room. As she took a step away from the table, she felt someone grab her elbow.

  "Rebenna, I believe we should talk, before you converse with Tareen," Kellas said so quietly even Elian could not hear.

  "Of course, Kellas.”

  Together they headed towards her room. Once inside, Kellas motioned for her to sit. Obliging him, Rebenna collapsed on the only chair in the small room.

  Kellas did not hedge words and spoke in New Tongue. "Rebenna, I have traveled with you for weeks and have gotten to know your emotions. You were quite distressed at dinner."

  "I simply did not know that you were not sworn to chastity. I assumed..." she trailed off.

  "Yes, and that is what I meant you to assume. I'm sorry if I deceived you. In truth, I have made no such vows, nor are any required of me. I am no eunuch." Kellas laughed gently.

  "I suppose you never did say anything about remaining chaste," Rebenna agreed uncertainly.

  "As your guide it was best for me to appear that way. Does the fact that I am not celibate bother you that much?"

  "Well, no...but it does...I guess it shouldn't bother me. I just wasn't expecting Elian to start trying to seduce you,” she managed to say.

  Kellas smiled. "I have known Elian for a long time. She has been infatuated with me since before she could read. Her flirtations never amount to anything."

  Rebenna nodded, feeling petty. But what about Delmer? Her inner voice nagged at her.

  "Come, it has been a long day, we should go finish our talk with Tareen quickly," Kellas stated, breaking the awkwardness.

  Waiting patiently in a large conference room, Tareen welcomed Kellas and Rebenna. "I realize your day must have been very tiring. I will try to keep this session brief."

  Mostly, Tareen wished to know about the political situations of both Noenna and Malzepher. Rebenna answered wearily, trying not to drift off to sleep. But then something Tareen said made her snap awake.

  "I'm sorry, Tareen, but I'm not sure I heard you correctly. Could you repeat what you’ve just said?" Rebenna requested hastily.

  Tareen smiled at her drowsy guest. "I said that perhaps you would be interested to know that the war in Malzepher is not going well.”

  "Is Delmer still alive?" Rebenna asked, her heart beating wildly.

  "I do not know if the king still lives, child. I'm sorry; if I had known it was this important to you, I would have mentioned it earlier. I truly am sad to say that I only know the situation has been considered desperate for nearly a week."

  Delmer! Please don't be dead! Rebenna despaired, her thoughts of jealousy over Kellas banished.

  Chapter 17

  Parry, feint, thrust, Delmer quickly fell into the rhythm of battle. Noenna's champion had the advantage of height and strength. Delmer's speed was the only thing that kept him in the battle.

  Never before had Delmer not been allowed a single hit. He could not go on the offensive against his opponent; the best he could manage was to defend himself.

  I am going to die! he thought in desperation.

  Fear clenched his throat and made him shake. He could barely counter his opponent's moves. His courage had been false.
<
br />   For a brief moment, there was a lull in the fight. Delmer took his opportunity. Letting his sword fall to the earth, he fled. He pushed his way through the crowd made up of both nations.

  Open scorn showed on all Malzepherian faces. Noennaan laughter scorched his ears. Stumbling, he broke through the soldiers. Not able to maintain his balance, Delmer collapsed to his knees. When he looked up, he saw his father staring down at him, his eyes filled with disgust and sorrow.

  "Father!" Delmer jerked awake. The ground was cold beneath him. He had fallen off the makeshift bed. The abominable taste of his cowardice still filled his mouth.

  Pushing himself to his feet, Delmer tried to compose himself. Though the dream had been vivid, it had not been real. Delmer set his jaw.

  I haven't yet challenged King Marus. I can still back out. The men will accept my change of heart. Silently, Delmer cursed his treacherous thoughts. Calling off the combat was not an option.

  Pacing restlessly, Delmer went over all the other options he had. There were none. If he did not want his entire kingdom to be slaughtered, this was the only way. Tymon hopped gently from his perch to Delmer's wrist as if to reassure him.

  There were no other candidates to take his place. For the last four years, he had decimated all his opponents in competition. And he knew he had not just been allowed to win because he was the prince; there was no fighter in Malzepher to equal him.

  Sword work had always come naturally to Delmer, to the point where he became bored with the basic exercises he was forced to perform. Archery was not nearly as easy as swordsmanship. He was a decent hunter, but when it came to contests, he failed utterly. Rebenna had been a far better archer.

  Knowing he would never get back to sleep, Delmer changed into a shirt, tunic, and breeches. He pulled on a surcoat with his coat of arms over them. After donning his leather gauntlet so Tymon could keep his grip without hurting his master, he threw open his tent flap.

  The glimmer of light shed by the false dawn told him the time. Already the camp was alive with activity. The gyrfalcon hopped to his fist, and Delmer lifted the bird to his padded shoulder. As he passed the soldiers, they dipped their heads and hurried on with the task at hand.