by John W Fort
CHAPTER 7
Raef untangled himself from his blankets and started to get ready for another sun. He still felt a little bad about the last sun, visiting the dragon and all, but he put that out of his mind and decided to try harder to be good. He was relieved to find his father was in fairly good spirits during first meal. After eating he ran outside to play until it was time for lessons. He used a stick to swat at a ball, trying to make it go down the road without falling into the ruts. His father came out of the house shortly after, dressed in his red robe, off to the Ceremonial Lodge to bless the village workers who stopped by each sunrise for homage. Raef was glad he was not yet a greenling, who were required to attend the sunrise ritual with the adults. Soon his new friend Domik came to meet him, and they walked towards the meadow. Domik had ten seasons, just like Raef, but he was quite a bit shorter and had straw colored hair.
“So, what did you do sunrise past, after you left?” Domik asked.
“Nothing,” Raef said, starting to feel guilty again about the dragon.
“Sounds terribly exciting.”
“I got in trouble for not fixing a bench properly. Father was really angry.”
“Oh.”
Domik looked a little embarrassed, as if he didn’t know what to say.
“Well, what do you want to do? After lessons, I mean,” said Domik.
“I dunno, I probably need to check at home first, you know, so I don’t get in trouble again.”
Raef and Domik lay out in the meadow all sunrise, just talking, until it was time for lessons. They walked to the Training Lodge together and arrived just as the smaller younglings were being released from lessons. Raef liked having a longer sunrise to play now that he had more seasons, but now he had to return home immediately after lessons for mid sun meal. They approached the Training Lodge just as the younger students were leaving.
“Ho, Raef! Ho, Domik!” said a youngling of five seasons.
“Ho, Nilo,” said Raef, with as little enthusiasm as possible.
Raef hurried past Nilo, hoping the youngling would continue home. Nilo was the son of the family that lived next to Raef.
“Wait, Raef!” said the smaller youngling, turning to follow Raef and Domik. “Will you be home after lessons?”
Raef let out a loud sigh, “I probably have to work after lessons.”
“I could help!”
Domik looked at Raef and laughed.
“Goodbye, Nilo,” said Raef.
“See you later!” said Nilo.
“I see you have a new friend,” said Domik.
“He’s been like that ever since he started going to lessons this season,” said Raef, “I wish he would find someone his own size to bother.”
Raef entered the lodge and sat next to Domik. Chaz, Keever and Liet sat on the other side of the room. There were no females, of course; they did not attend lessons but stayed home to help their mothers. The Training Lodge, run by the Intercessor class, was the only place younglings of different classes mixed. Once they were greenlings they would become apprentices in their own sector and see even less of each other. But here youngling Intercessors, Merchants and Warriors sat side by side. Labor younglings were out in the fields with their parents as they had no need for lessons.
Domik and Raef stood out as Intercessors with their hair hanging below their shoulders. The Merchant younglings’ hair brushed the tops of their shoulders, as would the Labor younglings, had they been present. The Warriors’ hair was cut very short, even shorter now that they were old enough to go along on hunts with their fathers, and they wore necklaces of animal teeth and claws, showing off their skills. While the rest of the village males wore wool trousers and linen shirts, Warriors wore deerskin leggings and often no shirts at all during warm months. In battle, of course, the adults wore thick leather and sometimes metal armor chest pieces.
The Warriors in the room looked over at Raef and Domik with condescending glances. Raef tried to ignore them. The instructor, as always, was an Intercessor, who paid more attention to Raef, son of a Keeper, than he would like. It only made the Warrior younglings treat him worse.
Raef and Domik ran to Raef’s home after lessons to see if he could stay out and play just a bit longer. As he approached his home he saw Nilo sitting by his front door. Raef was annoyed to see him. He walked faster and brushed past the smaller youngling and into his house. Domik waited outside. Raef started to ask his mother if he could go out again, but she cut him off.
“Raef, go to the Keep to fetch your father. He’s been gone all sunrise and should come home. It’s time for mid sun meal.”
Raef slumped and turned to go back outside. He told Domik and Nilo, who were still waiting outside the door, that he couldn’t play, and they both turned and left in separate directions. Raef began back down the trail towards the center of the village, turning south at the road to the Ceremonial Lodge. Folor was in the Keep. Raef knew going to the Keep to fetch his father was never a short trip. Folor would want to finish talking with some other Keeper, asking Raef to wait. And wait, and wait some more. Folor talked a lot, sometimes. Raef consoled himself in that he would at least be rid of Nilo for a while.
Raef arrived at the Keep and quietly opened the door. Anyone who was not a Keeper or at least apprentice was really not supposed to enter without invitation, but Raef could because he was a Keeper’s son. The Keep was the most ornate building in the Intercessor sector and was where the Keepers held their internal meetings. Raef pulled open the heavy door and walked into the entry hall. A heavy curtain separated the hall from the Keeper’s meeting room. Raef peeked around the curtain and found his father deep in some discussion with the other Keepers. He was surprised to see so many Keepers all together at once. It looked like every Keeper in the village was there, even Keeper Bremen, the Prime Keeper of Fir Hollow.
“Raef,” said Folor, “wait in the hall for me. We have important business and are not yet finished.”
“But mother said…”
“Wait in the hall for me. I will be done shortly.”
Raef let the curtain shut and sat impatiently on a bench in the entry hall. He knew what “shortly” meant to his father. He hated waiting. He decided to try to listen and see what all the Keepers were going on about. He got up again and put his ear to the curtain so he could hear better.
“The Merchants of Pine Creek are underselling our Merchants.” Prime Keeper Bremen said. “Some of our villagers have been traveling to their markets to buy produce and meat.”
“Fir Hollow Merchants won’t tolerate that,” Keeper Dimmel said, “they are likely to do something foolish sooner or later.”
Dimmel was younger than Folor, but very out spoken.
“To keep our own villagers from purchasing elsewhere, our Merchants have had to lower the price of produce to barely sustainable levels,” said Prime Bremen.
“We’ll have a riot on our hands if we don’t find a way to stop this,” Dimmel responded.
“But isn’t this a matter for the Nobles?” asked Keeper Chaummer, one of the older Keepers. “We oversee spiritual matters, heal the sick, train the younglings, and keep historical records. We do not resolve village disputes.”
“As Intercessors we also strive to keep the peace,” said Prime Bremen, “and if we can find a means to achieve it, the Nobles would want us to do so.”
Raef heard grunts of approval.
“Then that is what we are here to do,” Raef heard his father’s voice say.
Folor always seemed calm and in control.
“Fellow Keepers,” Folor continued, “this is really not surprising considering the weather patterns,” Folor said.
“Weather patterns!” another said, “What in all the Province does that have to do with this?”
“Folor, we are Keepers, not scholars of the sky,” said another voice.
“But I have studied with the Cloudsmen,” said Folor.
Raef wondered what a Cloudsmen was.
“That too?” said Di
mmel’s voice, “What haven’t you studied?”
“Dimmel,” Bremen said, “Folor is well schooled. That is why he is here. We are lucky to have him in a small village like Fir Hollow. Let us consider his advice.”
Dimmel made a “furrump” noise. Raef smirked a little. He didn’t like Dimmel. Dimmel was too sure of himself, but had little to contribute. He knew his father would quiet Dimmel. He grew very still to listen.
“This is the second season of heavy rain,” said Folor, “and the season before that was wetter than normal as well. That is why there are so many crops and the prices are so low. But, it is very rare to have more than three seasons in a row with this much rain in this part of the Great Province. There is a high chance that next season will be dry. I have checked the historical records, I’m quite sure of it. We could convince the village Nobles to have the Laborers store their excess grain for next season when supplies will be short. They will fetch a very good price then.”
“But, how will we manage the loss of sales this year?” Dimmel asked. “With the price of produce already so low, selling even less will leave our farmers destitute!”
“If we can convince both villages to store their surplus, the excess will be gone, and prices will go back up to sustain us. If Pine Creek refuses to cooperate, we could send the Fir Hollow Merchants to Salt Marsh. Food is always in more demand there. We could sell enough there to get by this year, let our villagers buy from Pine Creek this year, and profit highly the next with what our Merchants store up. Every village will likely need extra food next year.”
“Salt Marsh is a long journey,” Prime Bremen said, “all the way to the southern coast.”
“Precisely.” said Folor, “That’s why so few travel there to sell. In fact, we could send other Merchants as well. Make a caravan out of it. Have them bring back some ocean fish for Fir Hollow, since we rarely get that here. It could be good for all of us.”
There was a long silence. Raef smiled. He tried to imagine the faces of the other Keepers.
“Very well,” said Prime Bremen, “we have multiple possibilities. They all sound possible, though I know nothing of storing grain or the Merchant world. I’m sure, however, that a meeting with the Nobles and Merchants will show if there is interest.”
Raef heard bench legs sliding across the floor. They were standing up.
“Until tomorrow, brother Keepers,” Prime Keeper Bremen said.
Raef threw open the curtain and bounded up to his father. Folor put a hand up to silence Raef while he said something else to Prime Bremen. Raef bounced impatiently, waiting for his father to be done. Then Folor walked, and Raef followed him outside.
On the way home, Folor explained the nuances of seasonal and long-term weather patterns to Raef. Raef pretended to be interested, but could not follow most of it. As they walked, Raef noticed how others they passed nodded in deference to Folor.
“You studied with Cloud-men?” Raef asked, interrupting Folor mid sentence.
“Cloudsmen,” corrected Folor, “Yes, I did. That was before you were born.”
“Where, here in Fir Hollow?”
Folor stopped, took Raef by the shoulders, and turned him to face northwest.
“See in the distance, where the land is much higher than here?”
“Yes,” said Raef.
“That is where Summit City and Krellit are.”
“I learned about Summit City in the Training Lodge. That’s where the Province Overseers live.”
“And beyond that is the city of Krellit. That is where the most learned scholars in all the Great Province live. That is where the Cloudsmen live and study the skies.”
“And you went there?”
“Yes, when I was an apprentice.”
“Then why are you a Keeper? Why not be a historian or soothsayer?”
Folor chuckled, “A Cloudsman is not a fortune teller, they predict the weather. Fir Hollow is too small to need someone who only foretells the weather. Besides, I want to be a Keeper. I help oversee all the activities of the Intercessors.”
“And you keep Fir Hollow and Pine Creek from fighting!” Raef said.
Folor smiled at Raef.
“So, you were listening in, were you?”
Raef grinned.
“I just wanted to hear what it was all about, father.”
“That’s fine, son. Well, I don’t think our Merchants would have started any kind of physical fight. That’s just Dimmel being dramatic,” Folor winked at Raef, “He’s good at that. No, the more important thing is to find a way to all work together instead of competing all the time.”
Raef turned to the south and looked over the mountains in the distance. Three mountain peaks in a neat row, the tallest with a white peak all year, the shortest with a blunted top. The Three Sisters.
“Father, are there cities on the any of the Three Sisters?”
“No, Raef, those mountains are very deep in the forest. No one lives on them or even near them. Besides, who would want to live up in that cold?”
Folor began to walk towards home. Raef glanced east to the dark jagged peaks of Black Rock. That was much farther away than the summit or the Three Sisters. Raef started to ask if anyone lived near Black Rock, but decided against it.
Raef had to walk fast to keep up with his father’s strides. As they neared home, they came upon Domik’s house. Domik was in the road in front of his home kicking a small ball back and forth.
“Father,” Raef asked, “can Domik come over for last meal this sunset?”
“We’ll have to ask Mother, but I’m sure it will be all right. Why don’t the two of you cut some firewood after mid sun meal in preparation?”
“Okay!” said Raef.
Raef ran to tell Domik. Shortly after mid sun meal Raef went to get Domik and to deliver an invitation to his family to eat with them that sunset. Afterward the two younglings ran to Raef’s home and went straight to the shed out back where the firewood was kept. Domik set a log on end while Raef strained to lift the iron axe. It was nearly all he could do lift it over the log and drop it, blade down, on the up-ended log. The blade stuck into the log, but came nowhere near splitting it. Domik laughed. Raef tried to pull the axe up, but it was stuck. Now Raef started to laugh. Between the two of them, they dislodged the axe. Domik took a turn. He was shorter than Raef by quite a bit, but was a little stronger. A crack formed halfway down into the log. They took turns and split three logs before Folor came out to check on them.
“This is hard!” said Raef.
Folor smiled. He was usually nicer when Raef’s friends were over.
“Let me have a swing at one.” Folor said.
Folor swung the axe with one arm, splitting a large log clean in half. Raef smiled in awe. Taking the axe in both hands, Folor deftly split three more logs in no time.
“You two bring these inside,” said Folor, “I must attend to my duties. I will see you both at last meal.”
Raef and Domik kicked a ball through the streets of the Intercessor sector until late sun, then returned to Raef’s home. Domik’s parents were already there. Domik’s father seemed nervous and bowed a lot.
Folor told jokes at last meal, making Raef and Domik laugh. Domik’s parents laughed as well, but Irah and Malta only rolled their eyes at Folor’s antics. After the meal Raef and Domik took the used trenchers to the village square to give to the street younglings. Raef did not mind with Domik along. They returned to find the benches had been pushed against the walls and the adults sitting and visiting as Raef’s mother stoked the central fire for more light. Folor bragged to Domik’s parents about how good Raef was at his lessons and how Raef was such an outdoorsman. Raef winced at his father’s remarks. He was not remarkable at all, certainly not more than Domik.
“Raef is almost never home,” Folor bragged, “he’s always exploring out in the forest. He’s never gotten lost once!”
Raef was embarrassed. What would Father think if he knew what I was doing out in the wood
s?
Domik’s family stayed until past sunset and then left for their home. Raef waited for his family to go behind their privacy curtains before changing into his night robe. He was tired, but that night Raef found it hard to sleep. When he did sleep, it was to dreams of being chased by Chaz, then by the entire village.