by Jasmine Walt
Roine nodded. “You understand the urgency. I need to get through the passes quickly.”
“Why?” She let the parchment roll back up and set it to the side.
“I don’t think I’m the only one searching.”
“The hounds.”
Roine frowned. “Hounds?”
His mother looked to Tan. “He saw them yesterday. Chased the Aeta.”
The Athan studied Tan for a long moment. “Then it is even more urgent than I feared.”
“If Incendin seeks this item and you need to travel quickly, you need someone who knows the mountains well.”
“Better than me, at least.”
His mother nodded, a resolute expression coming across her face. “You will take Tan. He’s the best tracker in Nor and knows the mountains better than any.”
“That’s all?”
“He has some skill with earth sensing,” she added.
Roine smiled. “You didn’t send him to the university? Most go for the chance they may be shapers.”
“I’m not going to the university,” Tan said.
The smile left Roine’s face. “Your father?”
Roine couldn’t understand. More than just losing his father. He knew the terms of study at the university. And he had no interest serving the king after what happened. How he’d simply been summoned. Taken from them.
“Tannen—” His mother met his eyes, pleading with him. “If you won’t go to Ethea, at least do this for your king. You know these mountains better than any and if Incendin searches…”
“Father knew them better,” Tan said.
His mother nodded. “Perhaps. But he is gone. And he went willingly. He understood the need to serve.”
Tan considered refusing but what she asked meant he’d be free to wander the forest. If he could serve the king doing that, would there be any reason not to? At least this way he got away from the city for a while, away from an already-annoyed Lins. Maybe he could stop disappointing his mother, if only briefly.
He sighed. “I’ll go.”
She watched him before finally nodding. Turning to Roine, she asked, “How long?”
Roine shook his head. “I don’t know. A week. Maybe longer.”
“Prepare for longer, Tannen. You will leave in the morning?”
Roine nodded.
His mother stood at her desk. “Then take tonight to gather what you need, Tannen. And be safe.”
He nodded, uncertain how to react.
“Roine, a word?” she asked.
Tan turned and left his mother’s office, pulling the door closed behind him. As he did, a snippet of unexpected conversation wafted through the door. He paused to listen and what he heard left his heart hammering in his chest.
“I know this must be important if you were sent.” The door muffled her voice.
“It is.”
“Your name…Roine?”
Roine said nothing.
“Reminds me of the ancient language. Roinay.”
“Not many know Ishthin.”
She snorted. “It’s no secret I studied at the university. But roinay? Tainted?”
“Your point?”
His mother paused before answering. “No point, then. But with Grethan gone, Tan is the best we have. If what he told me yesterday is true, you face a danger like we’ve not seen in the kingdoms in years.” There was a pause. “Theondar…” She paused again and Tan frowned, wondering why his mother would mention the name of that warrior. “You must protect him.”
“I will do my best, Zephra.”
9
Service and Roots
Tan sat in his small room, staring at the wall. A small lantern sputtered, the oil already burning out. Had he not planned on leaving, he would have collected more lard oil. The stuff smelled foul and burned with a thick, pungent smoke. Nothing like the clean lamp oil Lord Lind used. Probably Lins, too.
The bed was shoved against the wall, but still there wasn’t much space in his room. The place his mother managed to secure for him was in the servant quarters. And even then most of the other rooms had more space. They were certainly warmer in the winter than his room. At least with the heat of the summer, his room finally had some benefit.
A small trunk rested near the end of the bed. Inside was everything else he owned. Not much, really. A few changes of clothes. Some books his father had long ago given him. A necklace given to him when he’d turned sixteen that he never wore. A long hunting knife. His bow hung on a hook he’d worked into the stone, the quiver laying on the floor near it.
Emotions rushed through him. He should be thrilled his mother asked him to lead Roine through the upper reaches, but he couldn’t help but feel hesitation. The only other time he’d traveled that far had been with his father. And he had nothing like his father’s skill. Besides, going with Roine—the Athan to the king—meant serving the king. Did he really want to serve?
A light knock rattled the thin door. Tan jumped off his small bed. Other than his mother, he didn’t have any visitors. Well, Bal sometimes, but she usually got in enough trouble that she spent most evenings in the kitchen cleaning.
Cobin waited for him on the other side. “Gonna let me in?”
Tan pulled the door open and Cobin stepped in. Since he’d moved into the manor house, he didn’t think Cobin ever visited. Once, Cobin had visited often, but that had been before.
“Were you gonna come to me?” he asked.
“About what?”
Cobin grunted and scrubbed a hand across his face. “About what. You think I haven’t heard?”
Tan shook his head. He should have gone to Cobin to tell him about Roine. Might be that Cobin would be better to travel with him than Tan anyway, but a part of him really wanted to get away from Nor for a while, even if only for a week.
“Yeah, I should have said something. When I saw—”
Cobin grunted again. “When you saw them. After what happened yesterday, you’d think you’d know better. Your pa would have, and I don’t mean that to hurt you, but it’s the truth. Didn’t I warn you about the hounds?”
“Hounds? What are you talking about?”
Cobin jabbed him in the shoulder with a thick finger. Tan winced. “You went off on your own and killed three wolves. Thought you said it wasn’t wolves you tracked yesterday. You’re the one who got me fired up about the hounds, and then you leave the wolves. Not sure why you felt the need to burn them.”
“Cobin,” Tan began, backing into the wall, “I didn’t kill any wolves.”
Cobin’s hand froze in the air. “Not you? Then who?”
Tan shrugged.
“Then what were you talking about?”
Tan slumped onto his bed. “I thought you knew.”
Cobin leaned against one wall. As small as the room was, he practically filled it with his bulk. “Knew what?”
“When I went after the Aeta, I met someone.”
Cobin’s eyes narrowed. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”
“One of the Athan. Here on behalf of the king.”
Cobin snorted. “Definitely don’t like the sound of that. Last time we had a messenger from the king—”
Tan nodded. “I know.” He’d tried not to think about the last time. A letter sent, sealed with the king’s own sigil, asking his father to return to service. And his father had gone, giving everything.
Cobin’s face softened. “Of course you do, Tan. I don’t mean to keep throwing that at you. Great Mother knows how hard all this must be on you. Wounds still fresh and all.” He looked as if he wanted to either punch him or hug him. Either seemed awkward with Cobin. “Why did one of the Athan come to Nor?”
Tan shrugged. “Don’t know. He met with Lord Lind and was sent to my mother.”
Cobin coughed. “I’m sure that went over well.”
“It was…strange. Almost like they knew each other.”
“Well, your parents both spent time in Ethea back when they studied at the university. Could be they kn
ew him there. What’s his name?”
“Roine. Gray-haired. Older. Something dark about him, though.”
Cobin frowned. “Can’t say I recognize the name, but not that I would. Darkness probably comes with the job, too.” He paused. “Wait—what did he need from your ma?”
“He needs help getting through the passes quickly. He’s after something—he didn’t say what—and thinks Incendin is after it too.”
Cobin scrubbed a hand across his face. “Incendin?” He shook his head and a pained look pulled at his cheeks. “First the hounds and now this. Can’t help but think they’re tied together, but we haven’t heard anything from Incendin here in over twenty years, and even then the passes kept us pretty protected from the war.”
Tan’s parents spoke rarely about the war with Incendin, other than to say how bloody it had been. Fire shapers from Incendin battling with the warriors of the kingdoms, each pushing against each other. The war was the reason they’d been allowed to study at the university. Anyone with potential had been allowed to study.
Cobin studied him. “Don’t worry. Incendin hasn’t had the strength to fight us in a long time.”
“And we haven’t had the strength to fight back in a long time. There haven’t been any Cloud Warriors since then.”
“We still have plenty of shapers. That’s enough to keep the barrier between the kingdoms and Incendin intact. Not much can cross the barrier.”
“The Aeta did.”
Cobin nodded. “They’re given free reign. That’s how it is with their people. They can travel freely and trade so long as they don’t stay too long or settle.”
“Other traders aren’t given the same freedom.”
“Other traders aren’t the Aeta,” Cobin said.
Tan didn’t push. There was more to the story of the Aeta but he’d never really gotten a clear understanding. Traveling merchants, but more than that. They traveled as families, each caravan connected to the Aeta whole. Most really didn’t understand more than that anyway. Maybe Cobin did. Tan suspected his mother did. But now that the Aeta had departed, it didn’t really matter. It’d be years before they returned.
“So who did your ma send to help?” Cobin asked. When Tan didn’t answer fast enough, Cobin’s eyes widened. “She sent you? Thought she’s been trying to get you to go to Ethea? Now she sends you the opposite way?”
“She wants me to serve the king.”
Cobin took a slow breath and then laughed softly. “That’s what it’s been about with you? Serving? I always thought you just didn’t want to go to the capital. Plenty of folks don’t, especially those who live most of their lives out here, disconnected from everything else. Barely feel like you’re a part of the kingdoms, let alone think you need to go off to the capital to study. But service?” He shook his head. “We all got to serve something. Time you discover what that is.”
Tan hated the way everyone seemed to know what he needed. “And you? What do you serve?”
His face took on a serious expression. “I serve plenty. Since her ma died, I keep Bal fed and sheltered.”
Tan shook his head. Cobin had lost as much as any in Galen. “My mother wants me to study in the university, knowing that doing so puts me in debt to the king. Like my father.”
“And your mother,” Cobin said softly.
Tan rarely thought of that and wondered how she would repay her debt. Or maybe she already had and never told him about it.
Cobin grabbed his shoulder and pulled him off the bed. “I told your pa I’d do what I could to help with you.”
Tan nodded, swallowing the thick knot in his throat. “I’m sorry, Cobin. I shouldn’t argue with you. I know you’re just trying to help. It’s just…”
Cobin shook his head. “Don’t need to explain. Sometimes it takes time to know what you want.”
“That’s just it. I know what I want. And it’s not in Ethea.”
Cobin’s upper lip curled back in a smile. “So you know what you want?”
“I want to stay in Nor. It’s comfortable. Home. And it’s the only thing I have left of him.”
His voice dropped off as he said the last. He hadn’t really been able to put words to it before. Now that he had, he knew it was probably the biggest reason he didn’t want to go anywhere. Once he left, would he start forgetting the lessons his father had taught him? Would he forget how he’d learned to sense the woods around him, to listen to everything from the wind to the groaning of the trees to the sound of the animals—squirrels and birds and mice—working through the forest, to taste the scents in the air and know when deer passed through or wolves had marked the edge of the territory? Every time he walked through the forest, he felt his father. Once he left, he’d be gone for good. At least staying, he could still remember the deep way his voice sounded, the way he praised him when he got a lesson right, chided him when he forgot something simple—never too harsh. No…Tan couldn’t leave Nor.
The smile faded. “Not going to be comfortable forever, Tan. Especially if Alles stays as the manor lord. Once that boy of his takes over…”
Tan shrugged. “Could be years. And by then, maybe I’ll be ready to move on.”
“Or so settled you can’t go anywhere. Once you put down roots, it gets pretty hard to walk.” He shook his head. “Trust me, best to do it while you’re young. At least then you’ll never wonder what you missed.”
“Like you?”
Cobin frowned. “I wonder all the time. It’s worth it, though, if she grows up and can have a life of her own.” Tan had never heard so much regret from Cobin before. Cobin sighed. “So are you going to take him?”
Tan shrugged. “Not much of a choice, is there?”
Cobin laughed and pushed away from the wall. “Probably not. Forget the king, you can’t risk angering your ma too much.”
Tan laughed. “Sorry I won’t be able to help you track the hounds. Tell Heller to leave one for me.”
Cobin’s face darkened. “If Incendin is after the same as the Athan, then you might be seeing more of the hounds than you’d like.” He hesitated, thoughts working across his face. “Maybe you’d like some company along the way. I could go with you. I’ve been through the passes with your father a few times. Might not have your skill with sensing, but I can be plenty useful. Your ma can keep an eye on Bal while I’m gone. She owes me that much.”
Tan laughed. “I’d like that. Not sure she will.” Cobin shrugged. “Shouldn’t be any reason the Athan wouldn’t want extra help. Especially if he really wants to move quickly.”
“And if there are hounds…”
Tan swallowed. He prayed they wouldn’t see hounds again. What he’d gone through the day before had been enough. At least if they faced them again, Cobin might be there. And Roine. He seemed comfortable with his sword. Not that a sword would be any better than a bow, but maybe a pack of hounds would be frightened by more of them.
“Talk to your ma before we go, Tan. Sometimes I think you forget you’re not the only one struggling.”
Cobin was right. He needed to talk to her. All she wanted was for him to find something that made him happy. “I will.”
10
Responsibility
Tan found his mother sitting at the edge of town atop the low wall. A cool breeze gusted out of the north, whipping at his shirt and pants but somehow leaving her alone. The air smelled of rain and lightning, the threat of the earlier heat still hanging on. She stared into the mountains. Tan didn’t have to question to know what she thought.
“We could return,” he said as he approached. “Live in that old house again…”
She turned and smiled. Deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes faded. Her hair, pulled tight behind her head on most days anymore, now hung loose around her shoulders the way his father had always liked it. She sighed. “Some things you can’t go back to.”
Tan looked over her shoulder, up into the lower hills. Their old home was up there, now left abandoned. Little more than three ro
oms and built solidly by his father, it had a warmth to it that was missing in Nor. “I could go back.”
“And do what? Spend all day hunting? With your father…”
She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. His father was a skilled senser. Hunting came easily for him. Tan didn’t have the same skills as his father. “You were happier there too.”
She nodded and turned back to look toward the tree line. Bright silver moonlight shone down. A wolf howled distantly, the sound strangely reassuring. “I miss him.” She said it so softly that he almost couldn’t hear it.
“I think that’s why I don’t want to go anywhere,” Tan said. He climbed over the wall and sat next to her.
She took his hand. Her fingers felt strong and soft, but so small compared to his. At least in that he took after his father. “We have mourned him well, Tan. Now it’s time to move on.”
“Is that what you’re doing? Is that why Lord Lind treats you so well?” The words came out harsher than he intended, but she looked at him and smiled anyway.
“Lind treats me well enough.”
He noticed that she didn’t really answer. They sat in silence for a while longer. Another wolf howled, its cry low and lonesome. Tan let his eyes drift closed and listened to the trees, tracing the presence of the wolf high into the mountains. He thought of what Cobin said about the wolves and wondered who had killed them. The huge mountain wolves mostly left people alone, but when they attacked, they could be deadly. Killing three meant strength. And if something were that powerful, it could just as well have avoided the wolves altogether. Hopefully he and Cobin could keep them away from the Incendin hounds as they made their way to the upper passes with Roine.
“Do you know him?” he asked.
She turned toward him, her face shadowed. “Who?”
“Roine. You sounded as if you knew each other.”
She blinked slowly. A debate worked across her face for a moment and then was gone, blown away by the gusting wind. “I knew him once.” She shook her head, and her hair tossed in the wind. “It was a long time ago. We were different people then.”