Lev stepped out from behind the podium to stand closer to the first row of seats. “As Blessed Boys, you’ll be in an awkward position. On one hand, you’ll be held in awe by many. Some of the superstitious believe that by being good to you — or by bribing you — they’ll be able to partake of your Blessed state.”
“They’d think twice if they knew how much work it was,” Wyrin quipped.
“Lev’s not talking about the kind of people who think twice, are you?” Sim responded.
“No,” Lev agreed. “Superstitious folk seldom think their beliefs through. You must be gentle but adamant when you refuse, regardless of whether it’s a sincere but misguided offer or an out-and-out attempt at coercion.”
“You said, ‘on one hand,’” Aidan noted. “What’s the other side?”
“Jealousy. For the time being, you’re not to walk alone. Be with at least one other boy, preferably more, or with an Allesha or Alleman. Should you encounter antagonism, you’re to allow them to believe they’ve intimidated you, if that’s the only way you can get out of the situation without inflaming it.”
Ryl cringed at the memory of the Autumn Boy he had tried to bait. Vetram had been his name, son of Vexam, the caravan leader. Someone else he’d have to seek out and apologize to.
Lev looked around the room. “There’s one other thing you’ll have to deal with for the rest of your lives. Women. Some have their own beliefs or hopes regarding Allemen, especially Blessed Boys.”
“Have you heard the superstition about girls who lose their virginity to Blessed Boys fresh from their Alleshi?” one boy in back shouted to everyone’s glee.
“It’s not a laughing matter to the girls or their families. Each of you has discussed this with your Allesha, and you know our rules regarding intimacy. If you haven’t learned that lesson…” Lev paused, then toned his voice to a ominous rasp that couldn’t fail to chill, “then you aren’t ready to be Allemen.”
For long moments, Lev was silent. No one filled the emptiness.
Ryl found himself thinking about Lilla and how far from their shared dreams their separate futures would take them. Work and responsibility. It wasn’t only about the Service Days, but the life he had chosen. Or had been chosen for him. As an Alleman, he would always be separate, constantly watched and watching. Nothing would be simple ever again, because there were no easy answers to the challenges he’d have to face.
Ryl glanced around him; all the boys were deep in thought.
With a sigh, Lev broke the stillness. “Now, do you understand?”
No one answered, but heads nodded solemnly.
Over the next two weeks, the patterns of their days gradually broke apart, becoming less predictable. The boys continued to attend the morning lectures in the Assembly Room, after which they dispersed throughout The Valley in increasingly smaller workgroups. With the Caravan Convergence came the many springtime tributes. Every boy participated in receiving and inventorying the wide diversity of goods arriving at the storehouse. Handfuls of boys and Allemen often had lunch at one of the four Caravan tradegrounds or at a Battai’s inn. When Ryl saw the spring Petitioners at the inns, he couldn’t help but wonder which of them would be Tayar’s next Blessed Boy. Sometimes, it wasn’t a hot iron in his chest to think about it.
Eventually, the boys were sorted out into different groups of three for every assignment, with test Triads changing as often as a few times a day. When they weren’t darting about on errands or tackling assigned tasks, they were given entry to actual councils and conferences, as well as witnessed disbursements, pronouncements and new treaty negotiations. As they learned and observed, the morning lectures became more demanding — and more stimulating.
Toward the end, Ryl’s test Triads tended to be made up of rotations that included Rominic, Aidan, Garin and Sim. Soon, the selection dwindled down to only Aidan and Sim. It happened so gradually that Ryl found himself accepting the arrangement before it became evident. Aidan’s shrewd mind and quiet authority and Sim’s skillful diplomacy proved natural complements to him. Besides, the more time he spent with them, the more he looked forward to spending time with them.
Every evening, Ryl/Dov dined privately with Rishana/Tayar. The first night had been difficult, punctuated by awkward silences. But with each supper, they gradually became accustomed to their new roles. Only once, that first night, did he wonder how solid the change was.
Tayar had gone to sleep, or at least she wasn’t in the greeting room or kitchen when he returned late from the evening meeting at the Communal Hall. Just before getting into his own bed, Ryl stood at the door to the inner room. The knob turned easily, but he went to bed without opening the door which would be closed to him for the rest of his life, even when it wasn’t locked.
Chapter 86
The young Allesha was still in Season, but her Winter Boy was nowhere to be seen, gone from her in all the ways that mattered. Even so, they had one evening left that would be theirs alone.
With great care, Tayar planned their final supper, accenting it with sensual reminders of the everyday delights, adventures and mishaps they had shared. She roasted venison from the hunt when he had named her so quickly, simmered a fruit compote with wine the way he had learned to prefer it, baked a fresh loaf of bread in one of the strange-shaped pans they had to use the time he had made too much dough. Each dish had a story, a sense memory: the smells, flavors and textures of their Season together.
Most of all, she wanted to give them reason to smile, perhaps even laugh together one last time as Dov and Tayar, a Blessed Boy with his Allesha.
During supper, Dov gave every indication that he appreciated her efforts, savoring each morsel as she had taught him. It was a pleasure to watch him and know that she had, indeed, trained him well. More than that, they had indelibly marked each other.
I am his creation, as much as he is mine.
They concentrated on ordinary conversation about the people they had met and things they had seen over the past few weeks. If pauses between subjects were longer than normal, or smiles more tender than joyous, neither chose to acknowledge it.
They had just begun their dessert of apple cake and tea when they heard an insistent tap at the back window, even though the front door was closed, signaling that they weren’t accepting visitors. When Tayar glanced outside into the cloud-shrouded moonless night, she saw Le’a/Dara and another form in the shadows.
Tayar opened the door but stood blocking the threshold. “This is a surprise, I understood that you had your farewell with Dov this afternoon. And I’m certain I had closed my outer door.”
The other figure — Mistral — stepped into the light.
“Rishana,” Dara whispered, “Tedrac has arrived. Bring your boy to Hester’s immediately.”
“Does he have news of Eli?”
“We’ll talk there.” Dara and Mistral disappeared into the darkness.
Gesturing to Dov to follow, Tayar cut through the kitchen and greeting room, grabbed her coat in the vestibule and headed outside.
“Rishana?” Dov asked, as he trailed her at the same swift pace. “Is that your true name?”
“It’s my Alleshine name. I no longer know what my true name is.”
“Rishana. I like that. But you’ll always be Tayar to me.”
Though Hester’s front door was closed, Rishana didn’t hesitate, knowing they were expected. All the Guardian Alleshi had already gathered in the greeting room. All but one Guardian — herself.
The furnishings were plainer than Rishana’s, with fewer curves and flourishes, but filled with unexpectedly bright colors. On the yellow sofa, Ayne was flanked by Dara and Savah/Peren. Hester and Tedrac sat to the side on matching upholstered armchairs. Mistral was seated on a small hardwood chair he had pulled close to Dara.
Moving with a slow, almost ponderous grace, Tedrac stood and opened his hands to her in full ritual greeting. “It is good to see you again, Allesha.”
Instead of filling his hands wit
h hers, Rishana clasped them, “Tedrac, tell me, what news do you have of Eli?” Then, realizing the unintended insult she had just given her husband’s Triat, she completed the greeting, resting her hands in his. “It’s always a delight to see you, Tedrac. But please do tell me.”
“I had a message from Eli four days ago; he is well.”
The relief that washed over Rishana made her feel suddenly lightheaded. When Tedrac offered her his armchair, she collapsed into it.
While Tedrac greeted Rishana, Mistral stood and brought Dov/Ryl forward to formally introduce him. “Guardian Alleshi, I am pleased to present my son, whom you have watched and protected.” In a soft aside, he told Ryl, “Everyone here knows the truth of your birth, and our plans.”
Each of the Guardians said, “Welcome,” and Ayne gestured to Ryl to take a seat in a blue high-backed chair separated from the rest by the low table that held the tea service.
“I am honored to be invited into your home and meeting,” Ryl said with dignity worthy of an Alleman.
“You are here, Ryl, because we have learned that we can trust you. Precious few know of the existence of the Guardians, and fewer still are invited to join our meetings,” Ayne told him.
“The Guardians?” Ryl asked.
“A clandestine group of Alleshi who will use whatever and whomever they must to safeguard our Peace.” With a shrug, Rishana added, “They are also the Alleshi who have protected you and the secret of your birth.”
Ayne stiffened, but it was Peren who spoke. “Ryl, you should know that your Allesha has recently joined us as a Guardian, and her description, in its brevity, leaves out much of which you would approve. For as long as the Peace has existed, a small, hand-picked group of secret Guardian Alleshi has worked to protect all that you cherish.”
“And you trust me not to reveal the fact of your existence?” Ryl asked.
“We trust you with much more than that,” Hester said.
“Why?”
“Because we have been watching you ever since you were a baby,” Dara explained.
“You mean a stolen baby, don’t you?”
With a sharp look of impatience, Ayne silenced any response Dara might have given. “The point is, we know your nature,” Ayne said. “And we chose you long ago to be one of our Allemen.”
“Your Alleman? No, I’m Rishana’s.”
“And she is ours,” Ayne stated flatly.
Ryl looked to his Allesha, who nodded. “So you think you know me. What do you want from me?”
“First, we want your oath that you won’t disclose anything you learn here tonight, including the existence of the Guardian Alleshi,” Tedrac said. “Then sit back and listen. You will hear things you need to know and understand; as of this moment, you have become one of us.”
“A Guardian?”
“No,” Dara said. “But one of the few Allemen who are our confidants and agents.”
“So, do we have your oath?” Ayne asked.
“I will not disclose anything that is said to me tonight, unless you tell me otherwise.”
“Done!” Peren clapped her hand on the side table. “Now we can begin. As I’m sure you are aware, we sometimes give Allemen who work with us our true names.”
“As true as any name is.” Ryl softened his retort with a wry smile.
Peren glanced at Rishana, as if to say it was obvious who this boy’s Allesha was.
“As that may be, we will give you our Alleshine names, which we share only with our sisters and those Allemen who have reason to know them. I am Ayne.”
“Dara.”
“Peren.”
“Hester.”
The others looked at the young Allesha, so she added, “Rishana.”
“I am honored,” Ryl said with a slight bow of his head.
Ayne turned to Tedrac, who had settled into another cushioned chair and was finishing the last bites of a sweetcake. “We have your written report.” Ayne pointed toward a thin leather packet beside the tea service. “Please give us your analysis of the key issues.”
Tedrac carefully placed his plate and fork on the table next to his chair, uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “The question of loyalty. That was the first puzzle we had to unravel. You already know the roster of Allemen who went after the renegades with Eli. But when I left The Valley to spread the word, I had to make choices about whom I should contact.” He enumerated the facts in an even, unemotional tone, as though they were nothing more than an inventory of ideas, rather than information crucial to the survival of the Peace. “But how do you prove disloyalty before any is committed? We can never accurately predict what another man will do, especially under duress. We can only make guesses rooted in prior knowledge and intelligent reasoning, then hope our guesses won’t prove wildly off the mark.”
“But you can know if he would have reason to be disloyal or to especially hate the Mwertik,” Dara said.
“Then Eli would be the first to be eliminated,” Tedrac replied. “Who among us has more reason to hate the Mwertik? And we all know how freely Rishana voices her doubts and questions. Would you disqualify her? On the other hand, Beatrice had seldom been anything other than nurturing and accepting, and yet she left to follow Kiv.”
“So, how did you choose which Allemen should be called upon to go after them?” Ryl asked.
“Instinct and history, with a bit of serendipity thrown in.”
Dara shook her head in disapproval. “Not exactly a formula for security. Serendipity, indeed!”
Tedrac arched one eyebrow, but didn’t respond. Instead, he proceeded as before, detailing his analyses. “We had no way of knowing who is or isn’t part of the conspiracy, so we decided to treat every Alleman who rallied to us as a friend, and watch him as an enemy. What other choice did we have? We had to move quickly, ready to adjust our plans as we gain new knowledge and insights.”
“Your logic is all well and good, Tedrac.” Rishana concentrated on speaking deliberately, though her stomach churned. “But you’re not playing strategy games in your study. If you’re wrong, people may die.”
“What would you have us do? Nothing? The real world has no guarantees, only likelihoods. I can’t promise you Eli will be safe, that we’ll be able to restore our Peace, or even that you and I will live to see the end of tomorrow.”
“But some things are too precious to risk so easily,” Rishana insisted.
“Other things are too precious to not take the chance that you can save them,” Peren reminded her.
“How many men went with Eli?” Ryl asked, deflecting attention away from his Allesha.
“Twelve,” Tedrac replied.
Ryl considered the odds. “Against nearly four score!?”
“Even if we could have assembled more in the time available, I don’t believe it would have been the correct response,” Tedrac explained. “When two armies meet, war is all but inevitable. When a scouting party follows a horde, they have to find other ways.”
“I’m surprised you know the number of Kiv’s followers.” Ayne addressed Ryl but stared at Rishana. “What else have you been told?”
Rishana refused to be cowered by the older woman’s disapproval. “Whatever I felt he needed to survive all this.”
“Did they secure the village of the…” Ryl paused, pulling the name out of his memory. “Forreze?”
The four older Alleshi and two Allemen stared at him, but Ayne was the first to respond. “Did your Allesha tell you where Eli and the others were headed?”
“No, just that they were going after the renegades.”
“Then how did you know?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Ryl said with a shrug. “The renegades would need ammunition for those guns they stole, and they couldn’t have carried enough when they left here. The horses were too loaded down as they were.” Ryl turned to Tedrac. “The Forreze make those bullets, right?”
Tedrac pointed to the thin leather packet on the low table between them. “I have Eli�
��s report. Shall I read or summarize?”
“Read it, please,” Rishana answered.
Tedrac pulled several papers from the packet, then rearranged his bulk, settling more fully into the cushions. When he read, it was with the finesse of a master storyteller.
Dear Gs,
Our journey to the Forreze held no real surprises. We moved as quickly as we could, bypassing other villages for the sake of security and haste.
We timed our arrival at the Forreze village for nightfall. After hobbling our horses where they wouldn’t be heard by the renegades, we hid in the surrounding forest, which is separated from the munitions workshops and the village by a series of firebreaks. Much of the forest consists of fir and spruce, which gave us good cover.
The renegades had camped in the firebreak between the workshops and the munitions blockhouse. At the door to the blockhouse were a dozen carts, partially loaded with crates which we presumed contained the bullets and magazines the renegades needed for the stolen guns. One cart was full and had been pulled out of the way.
We waited until the moon set and most of the camp and village were asleep. While Ralf went to warn the Forreze headman, the rest of us set to work. Approximately ten renegade Allemen stood guard around the camp perimeter, but only four watched the carts and blockhouse. We surprised and restrained the four before they could raise alarm. After setting our fuses, we fled the area, dragging the unconscious guards with us until they were out of danger. We were safely back in the forest by the time the sky lit up with a series of explosions that rocked the earth.
The blockhouse went up first. Within moments, the carts exploded, one by one, starting with those closest to the blockhouse. That’s when I saw our mistake. We had cut the fuses the same length, but ignited them at different times, beginning with the blockhouse. That gave quick-thinking renegade Allemen time to save the one fully loaded cart, pulling out the burning fuses and dragging it away from the sparks and exploding bullets.
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