by Isaac Crowe
Eve stood trembling, her tail tight in her hands. Max gently took hold of her arm. “You’ve worked hard on your swimming. You’ve gotten pretty good at it.”
“Yeah, but the water in the Swiftwater is only chest deep, and I wasn’t even in the river, it was a small pool off to the side.”
Max let go of Eve’s arm and laughed. “And yet you still almost managed to drown me.”
Eve stared down at her feet and mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
Max wondered what else might be bothering Eve. It was unlike her to be so nervous. He remembered the first time she waded into the little pool by the Swiftwater River. She had shaken with fright, but had still made jokes. Now she stood silently with her head hung low.
Max didn’t know what else he could say, so he remained quiet for the next several minutes. A shout from across the river brought him back to the present. He faced the far bank and saw that Tyco and Mr. Penna had reached it. They signaled him to bring the ferry back across.
Max stepped up to the wheel for the winch. “Come on, Eve, our turn.”
Together they worked the winch to pull the ferry back over to their side. Max led Starlight on to it then turned to check on Eve. Her trembling had resumed. She stood firmly on the edge of the bank.
Max tried to reassure her. “You’ll be fine, Eve.”
“May...Maybe...I…I should just go home.”
Max scratched his head then tried a different tactic.
“I suppose it would be less of a hassle if you did. I’d get into a lot less trouble, and it would certainly be nice not to have to worry about getting pounced on every time I walked by a dark corner.”
Eve’s shaking subsided a little. “You would get into plenty of trouble by yourself. I’m the one always getting you out of it.”
A wry smile crept onto Max’s face. “If that’s the case, you sure have a funny way of doing it. I think you’re confused on what helping means.”
That did it. The fire in Eve’s eyes flared up.
“Maybe I should stay here, and you can get out of your own trouble then.”
“Maybe so, but I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you let me help you get across this river and show you how you’re supposed to get someone out of trouble? Then, just maybe, I’ll let you come along and see if you can do any better.”
Eve turned her nose up. “I…I suppose we could try that instead.”
“Alright then.”
Max stepped off the ferry and walked over to Eve. She didn’t look as scared, but he could still feel her trembling when he took her hand. Eve, tail in hand, tightly wrapped her other arm around Max’s waist. Together they walked to the ferry where they boarded, moving opposite of Starlight. Max sat down with Eve, her grip around him even tighter.
“Now then, all we have to do is let Tyco and Mr. Penna do all the work while we take a nice ride across.”
“Kay.”
Eve sat stone still the breadth of the river, not making the slightest peep. The ferry soon reached the dock on the other side where Max guided Eve off the ferry. Once on the shore she stopped shaking. Her tail, badly ruffled where she had held it, waved back and forth behind her once more.
Tyco and Mr. Penna had already mounted their horses. Max let go of Eve and went back for Starlight. He led her off the ferry and climbed into the saddle. Mr. Penna gave Eve the pleasant smile he reserved only for her.
“For a minute there, Evangeline, I did not think you were going to be joining us.”
Eve smiled back. “For a moment, I wasn’t sure either.”
Eve turned and looked at the path that led down into the dead lands. One last shiver ran down her as she thought about what lie ahead.
Well, I’ve come this far, and I’m not going back across that river again. Might as well see what happens next. She took a deep breath, held it for a second, then let it out.
“Well, let’s get going.”
Without any further hesitation, Eve walked west towards the narrow path that led over the cliff wall. The quick change caught Max off guard. She reached the edge of the path without him realizing it.
“Don’t you want to ride, Eve?”
Eve paused and looked back over her shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t now.”
Why do I even try to understand her? “What do you mean you can’t?”
Mr. Penna cleared his throat. “The path up ahead is narrow and somewhat steep. It would be too dangerous for both of you to be on the horse.”
Eve smiled at Mr. Penna. “Thanks Mr. Penna, but it’s okay.” She faced Max and crossed her arms. “I’m not allowed to ride horses.” She did an about face and continued down the path.
“Huh? Not allowed? But you rode this far.”
Tyco grunted. “lacarna are not allowed to ride horses. Unfortunately, there are not enough Protectors to enforce the laws on this side of the dead lands.” The smirk reformed on Tyco’s face. “There will be in the camps though. She’ll have to abide by the law from here on in.” Tyco nudged Teak and started down the path.
Max turned to Mr. Penna. “There’s actually a law that she can’t ride a horse? Why?”
Mr. Penna sounded rather disgusted. “You will soon find out there are several laws concerning the lacarna. Few for which I can find a good reason. Perhaps it is something you can inquire of the Protectors once you meet them in Moenia. They are the ones responsible for most of them, after all.”
With that Mr. Penna urged his horse after the others, leaving Max with all kinds of questions. Can’t anyone give a straight answer?
Max nudged Starlight to follow Mr. Penna. I guess I’ll find out for myself soon enough.
CHAPTER SIX
The narrow path into the dead lands forced the group to travel in single file. Eve led the procession, finding the steep, crumbling trail of little concern. The rest kept to themselves, their focus on every step their horses took down the zig-zagging path. They reached the bottom just as the last few rays of sunlight faded from the sky.
Before them lay the first encampment. A low stone wall curved out from the cliff face to surround the camp, providing a boundary from the dead lands beyond. At its center, a large bonfire blazed high, illuminating three poorly made stone buildings positioned equal distance from the flames. At the far edge of the fire’s light stood several rickety wooden shacks.
Mr. Penna leaned over to Max. “The building next to the cliff wall is the inn. The one closest to us, the stable. The third is the guardhouse.”
“It’s a lot bigger than I expected.”
“It has the towns of Hedgwood and Pike to support it.”
“What are the wooden shacks?”
“Peddlers built them. They sell last minute supplies to those who are about to cross the dead lands. Their goods are rather expensive in order to take advantage of forgetful travelers. That is why I made sure we had everything we needed before leaving Swiftwater.”
Tyco pointed at the guardhouse. “All travelers passing through the dead lands report to the guards first. It makes it easier to notify families when someone turns up missing.”
They moved towards the guardhouse, passing the bonfire along the way. Tyco nodded in its direction. “Most travelers set up camp next to the fire. We’ll be staying in the inn, however.”
When they reached the stone building, Tyco dismounted and went inside. Max and Mr. Penna dismounted as well and waited for Tyco to return. Eve wandered over to the building and leaned against it. She was trying to hear the conversation inside without Max and Mr. Penna catching her doing so. An unknown man spoke.
“Lieutenant Biros, we’ve been expecting you.”
“Well, here I am, along with three others, one of which is a lacarnian.”
“That is more than we were expecting, Sir.”
Tyco growled. “Plans have changed.”
“Yes sir. Is the fleabag at least registered?”
“Of course she is, now what about our rooms.”
“There are still two rooms left
, Sir. Each has two beds.”
“Fine, we’ll use both.”
The door to the outpost began to open. Eve hopped away and ran over to Max and Mr. Penna before Tyco stepped out.
“I have registered us and it seems there is still one room open in the inn.”
Tyco faced Max. “It has two beds, so as long as you don’t mind sharing with Mr. Penna we’re good.”
He then turned to Eve. “It looks like you will have to be outside again.”
Eve stared at Tyco. “Only one left? Didn’t seem like there were that many people here.”
Max shook his head. “Wait a minute, Tyco. Can’t you and Mr. Penna share a bed? Eve can have the other one and I’ll stay on the floor.”
Tyco smiled. “Sorry Max, I’m a loner.”
Eve tilted her nose up. “It’s okay Max. I’d rather stay outside anyway.”
Before Max could get in another word she grabbed her bedroll from Starlight and took off toward the campfire.
Tyco clapped his hands together. “Well, that settles that, shall we go?”
Max watched Eve as she walked past some other travelers and stopped in a vacant area on the far side of the campfire. “Actually, I think I’ll stay out here as well.”
Tyco’s voice grew stern. “Don’t be ridiculous, Max. You’ll need a good night’s sleep.”
“I’ll be fine out here, and I’m sure Mr. Penna would rather have the bed to himself.” Max took Starlight’s reins and followed after Eve.
“Max, get back here!”
Max ignored Tyco, reaching Eve just after she had finished unrolling her bedroll.
“It looks like you’ve found a nice spot.”
Eve looked up in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
Max laughed and began to unpack his things from Starlight. “Thanks for the welcome.”
“Sorry, Max, it’s just that I haven’t known you to turn down a bed.”
“Normally no, but haven’t you noticed how much Mr. Penna snores? The last thing I want is to be trapped in the same bed as him.”
Eve giggled, beyond Max she saw Mr. Penna walking towards them. “Actually, I hadn’t really noticed. Just how bad is Mr. Penna’s snoring?”
“Oh it’s awful, I’m lucky I haven’t gone deaf.”
“Is that so?” Max nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Mr. Penna’s voice.. He spun around and saw Mr. Penna a few feet away.
“Mr. Penna, I thought you went over to the inn with Tyco.”
Mr. Penna crossed his arms. “So I gathered.”
Eve burst out laughing..
“You saw him coming didn’t you?”
“Yep!” managed Eve between laughs.
Mr. Penna gave a deep, hearty laugh.
“Why did you follow us, Mr. Penna? Aren’t you going to stay in the Inn?”
“It is a beautiful night, Maxwell. I thought I might enjoy the outdoors. That is, if you will have me, snoring and all?”
Max shook his head and went back to unpacking his horse. Mr. Penna gave a chuckle and did the same. When Max finished he started to take Starlight to the stables. Mr. Penna stopped him.
“Leave Starlight here, Maxwell. The prices for the stables are outrageous. I am afraid Evangeline was on the right track yesterday. The Protectors have a nice little market going for themselves.”
Max dropped the reins and helped Mr. Penna unpack instead. Once finished, the three sat down to eat. Eve let Spook out, giving her some of the cheese Mrs. Tassi had sent. The little mouse devoured it then ran around picking up everyone’s crumbs. Max watched for a while before voicing what had been eating at him since crossing the river.
“You know, Eve, we’ve know each other so long that I’d stopped thinking about the fact you’re a different race. I mean, sure you’ve got ears and a tail, but, to me, that’s like someone else having freckles or a big nose. I guess I really don’t know what the lacarnians are.” Max studied Eve’s red tail and ears. “Guess that means I don’t know what you are. It never really mattered to me.”
Eve smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t really know a whole lot myself. I don’t remember much before coming to Swiftwater. I know I was in a forest first. Then I remember being squeezed in a room with others like me in the city. Then I was handed over to Mr. and Mrs. Tassi and taken on a long ride to Swiftwater. Anything I know about what I actually am as a lacarna came from Mr. Penna.”
Max turned to Mr. Penna. “Why have you never told me about Eve’s people? You’ve been relentless about everything else with my education.”
Mr. Penna sighed, “Because I made a promise to your father, Maxwell, to let you learn for yourself about the lacarna. It may have been a mistake, but he was adamant that you form your own opinion of them.”
Max swallowed hard, “My father? But why? Are they really that different from us?”
“Not so much now, but at one time, yes.”
“When was that? What did they used to be like? Why did they change?”
Mr. Penna laughed. “Are you actually asking for a lecture? I never believed I would see the day.”
Max didn’t laugh, which caused Mr. Penna to grow serious once again.
“All right, so be it. There are not a lot of detailed facts about our planet so I will give you what is common lore of Velrune. I will do my best to keep my own thoughts out of the picture. What you do with this information in days to come is up to you.”
Mr. Penna cleared his throat and began.
“It is said the Creators came from the outer reaches of the cosmos. When they came across Velrune they found it very appealing and decided to make it there home. They first populated the planet with a variety of wild beasts and plants. Little thought was given to the overall design, resulting in chaos. To bring order, they decided to create a more intelligent creature, one they could communicate with. They would need to make this new creature strong, agile and quick in order for it to survive. Thus they created the lacarna.” Mr. Penna winked at Eve. “The first lacarna were different from what you see now, Maxwell. They were designed as an animal, like a large panther, but the Creators gave them the ability to change form. In this other form, they stood on two legs and could speak the language of the Creators.
“The lacarna’s strength and intelligence soon brought order to the previous chaos. Velrune became a welcoming place, enough so, that many of the Creators decided it was time to live on it.
“It is unclear how much time passed before the Creators decided to make us, humans. Why they made us is unclear as well. It is believed the lacarna leaned to far towards their beast-like natures whereas that the Creators wanted a being more like themselves. Whatever the reason, humankind came to be and time continued to pass.
“The humans multiplied and spread across Velrune. Their relationship with the Creators began to change as they began to worship them as gods. It was during this time that the Creators living on Velrune became known as Immortals. The humans named them this to separate them from those that were said to exist in the cosmos.
“When the humans began to worship the Immortals, they denied the lacarna the right to see them, thinking of them as nothing more than beasts. The lacarna grew angry and demanded to see the Creators. When the humans continued to deny them access, war erupted.
“It was a short war. The lacarna nearly wiped out the humans before the Immortals put a stop to it. They realized it was their error in letting the humans take things so far. It had not been their intention to be worshiped. To return peace they decided three things. First, the Immortals spread out to live with both the humans and the lacarna. Second, they instituted a ruling body made up of members of both races. This ruling body they called the Protectors. Finally, they encouraged the two beings to live and work among each other.
“Over time, the two races did mix and things remained in order. However, after approximately six hundred years, the Immortals suddenly disappeared. Rumors as to the reasons behind their disappearance spread, each ra
ce blaming the other.
“As the accusations increased, war broke out again. This time the sides were more evenly matched. The lacarna had lost many of their beast-like qualities from mating with the humans and the humans had much greater numbers.
“The war raged on for several years, each side losing most of their population. Finally, both sides near extinction, the Protectors were able to bring about peace with the following proposal. The lacarna would stay in the distant wilds or dense forest areas. Any lacarna entering a settlement could do so only if accompanied by a human. Likewise, humans would stay in the open regions and in the settlements that had already been built. They were not to enter the forest unless escorted by a lacarna. The two races were free to marry one another but such unions were needed to be registered with the Protectors.”
Mr. Penna dropped out of his lecture tone and focused on Eve and Max. “Those are the terms that each race lives by today.”
Max tried to process Mr. Penna’s story. “I guess I can understand the Protectors’ terms at that time. But, why still today?”
“Many humans still fear the lacarna, Maxwell.”
“Yeah, but I’m not afraid of Eve. Besides, what does that have to do with what Tyco said about a law against a lacarnian riding a horse?”
“I am afraid any more comments I have would only break my promise to your father Maxwell. I will end this conversation with one last fact. There have not been any lacarnians in the Protectors for a long time.”
Max shook his head. “I don’t understand, Mr. Penna. I don’t understand why my father would have you make such a promise, or why the Protectors would place so many restrictions. I mean, Eve is one of the nicest people I know. The only time I’ve ever even seen her bare her claws is when she was protecting me.”
“I am glad you have Evangeline, Maxwell. She is pretty typical of her race.” Mr. Penna let out a soft chuckle. “Not that I would ever accuse Evangeline of being typical.”
Eve’s cheeks pinked a little. Mr. Penna continued.
“I have met many lacarnians, Maxwell; all friendly. Once, your father and I were even honored guests in one of their forest villages. However, many people only know what the Protectors tell them.”