Change of Chaos

by Jacinta Jade

  He finished wrapping Siray’s foot and tucked the end of the bandage in securely under one of the layers before he lifted her foot gently from his lap and lowered it down so her heel just touched the floor.

  ‘How does it feel?’

  Siray flexed her foot just a little, and very carefully. Enough to see if she still had some movement but not enough to risk any tearing to her injuries. The pressure of the bandage felt firm and supportive, but it wasn’t causing her foot to throb.

  ‘It feels good. Thanks.’

  Mandolin nodded and began putting away his packets of bandages and the vials of liquid back into his pockets. A thin man, Siray determined that he had to have all manner of useful things hidden away in pockets within his jacket to give him such a padded look. He finished arranging his items and stood, pushing his chair back in under the table.

  Siray started to rise as well, but Mandolin anticipated her and held out a hand. ‘Stay where you are,’ he said, not unkindly. ‘I can see myself out, but you need to finish dressing and make your way back to the supply hut.’ He eyed the small satchel of food, cloak, and heavy jacket that sat on the table. ‘I’ll also send Allin back up here to you carry your items to the wagon.’

  Siray started to protest, but Mandolin simply waved away any sound she made.

  ‘As you can’t manage all of that in your current state, you will be assisted,’ he said, giving Siray a mock glare. ‘And if I were to see Allin allowing you to carry too much while you are thus injured …’ Mandolin left his threat hanging and waved his finger at Siray in an imitation of anger.

  Siray thought back to how she had carried the bundle of clothes and bucket of water into her hut this morning and thought better of protesting further. She also didn’t want Allin to have to face Mandolin’s wrath, so she nodded agreeably.

  At that, Mandolin smiled and dropped any pretence of anger. ‘While you’re at the training camp, the healer there will see to your injuries. You should pop in to see him after your arrival and induction so he knows who you are. I also might inquire now and again as to your progress, as, after all, once a patient, always a patient.’

  Mandolin then swept out of the hut and was gone in the brightening light that shone through the briefly open door, his swift exit belying his age.

  Siray noted the colour of the sky through her open window and bent quickly to put her boots on. Or rather, she put one on quickly, then carefully and tortuously pushed and squeezed her newly bandaged foot into the other.

  She supposed that Mandolin’s numbing agent was still working; otherwise, it would have taken even longer to pull on her boots with the pain it would have caused despite her cautious approach. The boots were not new but were helpfully worn in all the right places, assuring Siray that she wouldn’t have to worry about blisters forming on either of her feet in the future.

  She had just managed to get both boots on and had picked up her staff again when she heard footsteps approaching her door once more. Allin, she guessed, coming to help her carry her bundle down to the wagon. Siray hobbled across to the door, a slightly easier feat than earlier, given the extra support and protection the boot gave her injured foot, and pulled the door open.

  Instead of looking down at Allin’s short frame, Siray instead found herself gazing at the chest of a much taller person. Looking up in surprise, Siray saw that it was Baindan. She went to take a startled step backwards but remembered her foot in time and instead performed an awkward little hop on the spot, leaning heavily on her staff.

  Baindan saw this and stepped forwards, his arm reaching towards her and his expression concerned. ‘Is your foot worse today?’

  Siray shook her head. ‘No, no, it’s okay. Not great, but it does feel a bit better. Mandolin looked at it this morning.’

  Siray found herself rambling a little and stopped, pressing her lips together to halt any further words.

  Baindan was nodding. ‘I ran into Allin on his way here. He said Mandolin had sent him to come and help you bring your things to the wagon. I decided that I would be better suited to that task, so here I am.’

  Baindan’s smile sent a lightness spreading through Siray’s chest, and she smiled back at him, not having understood until this moment that something had been weighing on her.

  ‘Well, after Mandolin’s lecture about not trying to do too much myself, I’m grateful for any help. But I think I’ll enjoy your company more than Allin’s. Nothing against Allin, of course.’

  Baindan’s smile deepened. ‘Of course.’ His gaze swept over Siray. ‘Looks like you’re all kitted out, then.’

  Siray looked down at herself. ‘Looks like it. Apparently any other supplies I’ll need are already waiting for me on the wagon.’

  Baindan nodded. ‘Which means we better bring you to join them. The wagons generally don’t wait for stragglers.’

  He gently turned Siray enough so he could move past her and then walked across the hut to the table to pick up her heavy jacket and folded cloak, gesturing to the small satchel that had been resting next to them.

  ‘What’s this?’

  Siray held out her hand. ‘My breakfast, presumably. Allin packed it for me so I wouldn’t go hungry.’

  Baindan nodded and picked up the satchel, pointedly ignoring Siray’s outstretched hand as he placed the strap across his own chest. Then Baindan moved back to the door and held it open with one hand while Siray passed him.

  Closing the door after them, Baindan joined her, and together they walked in an awkward but pleasant silence in the direction of the supply hut.

  Siray busied herself taking in the morning air and smelling the dew on the short grass. She noted that the grey twilight now had tinges of purple that were beginning to streak upwards on the horizon.

  But always she was aware of the rustle of clothing as Baindan walked beside her, of the heat he exuded, and his closeness.

  As the two of them approached the supply hut, a general bustle of noise met Siray’s ears, growing louder with each passing moment. Over it all, Siray could hear one voice rising above the others as it directed and scolded.

  ‘What are you doing? That’s not going to the camp—that’s going to Tulong later today! Now, why hasn’t this been loaded? It should have been the first thing on! No, no, just put it over here and tuck it in like this …’

  Siray followed as Baindan led the way around a corner of the supply hut and saw a large wagon standing in the middle of a hive of activity. The big rear doors of one of the wings of the supply hut stood open, and it seemed like general chaos was reigning between the doors and the wagon itself.

  In the centre of it all stood a male directing the off-loading and loading.

  Baindan stopped at the edge of the hut doors, and Siray paused beside him, not sure she wanted to try navigating through all that activity with her injury. As they paused, the male coordinating the chaos pivoted and spotted them. He threw a quick wave their way, which Baindan acknowledged, then spoke a few more instructions to the people around him before walking across to them. He seemed to bounce with each step he took, and Siray had an impression of endless energy. Either that, or he had consumed enormous amounts of the plant leaf they nicknamed ‘morning’s friend’.

  As the male drew closer, Baindan leaned close to Siray. ‘That’s Stuta. He’s the supply master for the camp.’

  Siray’s eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘But he’s not that much older than you. And Tenio was older than him.’

  Baindan nodded. ‘Everything in the Resistance runs off merit. Stuta has been with us since he was very young, and he rapidly showed a natural aptitude for organisation and scrounging. Like all of the supply officers, he can sometimes be annoying when he starts giving directions, but Stuta does it from a perspective of pure knowledge, rather than pompous arrogance.’

  Siray nodded and turned her attention back to Stuta as he finished manoeuvring his way through the throng of people and finally stood before her and Baindan.

  The tall male gr
inned at Baindan and clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Baindan! If I’d known you were departing on this trip, I would have added a lot more food to the order for the training camp.’

  Baindan grinned back at Stuta. ‘More food? Stuta—you know I’m not going on this trip. You must be losing your eye for detail. Maybe Tenio needs to take over …’

  Stuta chuckled at the jibe, clapping Baindan on the shoulder in a friendly way.

  Baindan directed the supply master’s attention to Siray. ‘This is my friend, Siray.’

  Stuta looked at her, and Siray had the impression that he was taking in all of her, cataloguing every detail. If Tenio had given her the same look, she might have slapped him, but with Stuta, she could see it was purely a mental exercise.

  ‘You’re the one I’ve been missing!’ he exclaimed.

  Siray looked at Stuta, then Baindan, confused.

  Baindan laughed. ‘He means you’re his last item on the list before the wagon can move off.’

  Stuta smiled at her then, and Siray felt like laughing at the pure exuberance of the smile. ‘I am,’ she confirmed.

  Stuta nodded and moved so he was no longer standing in front of Baindan and Siray but to the side. He gestured at the chaos in front of them. ‘Then, as my most important package, you will not leave my sight until I’m sure you’re on that wagon.’

  Stuta said this with a grin, but Siray had the impression that he would actually hold her there if needed to ensure his wagon departed on time.

  ‘I apologise for the apparent bedlam in front of you, but it’s almost sorted,’ Stuta continued, waving at the group moving supplies back and forth in front of him.

  Watching his face, Siray noticed that his eyes never stopped moving as he tracked what was loaded and what was transferred to the hut. She didn’t think much escaped his notice.

  Baindan, however, seemed genuinely surprised at the scene in front of them. ‘What happened to cause this?’

  Stuta shook his head. ‘One of the wagon’s wheels had cracked, and the driver forgot to mention this when he changed over. My people only noticed it when we had already loaded the wagon halfway. Thus, we had to unload and have the master smithy come around to place a new wheel on. We’ve now almost reloaded again.’

  Siray saw Stuta cast an anxious glance up to the sky, and she looked up as well to see that the first rays of the day were about to settle on the clearing.

  As she looked back at the activity in front of them, she realised that, although it looked like chaos, it was an organised chaos. No doubt Stuta had an exact list in his mind of what else wasn’t yet on that wagon.

  He twisted to face Siray and Baindan once more. ‘I’m going to do a final check of the load. Siray, hop on as soon as you please, but within the next few moments would be best,’ he said, turning and striding swiftly away from them, already giving final directions to his men.

  Baindan turned to Siray. ‘Well, he said that pretty politely, but we had better get you settled on that wagon before Stuta comes back to physically throw you on. He can’t stand not being punctual with his wagon departures.’

  Siray nodded and then hobbled across to the wagon with Baindan at her side.

  When they reached the front of the wagon, a driver was already seated on the right-hand side with a space next to and behind him for passengers. He was speaking to one of the loaders standing on the other side of the wagon and only paused in his conversation to throw a quick wave to them both.

  Baindan hopped up onto the wagon and placed Siray’s jacket, cloak, and satchel in the seats behind the driver, then, hopping down once more, motioned for her to pass her staff over as well. Once he had placed it securely behind the front seat, Baindan shifted and offered her his hand.

  Siray smiled and clasped it, gasping quietly in surprise when Baindan pulled her close. Holding her thus, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and easily scooped her up into his arms, then stepped up into the wagon, gently lowering her onto the seat.

  Siray’s heart thumped hard, but she told herself it was just because she was nervous about going to the training camp. Then she realised she really was nervous about her training, and her stomach started to knot itself.

  After Baindan had ensured she was comfortably settled in and was assured that she could easily reach her staff or bag if needed, he hopped off the wagon.

  Sitting there above him, the top of Baindan’s head only came up to Siray’s chin, and she smiled down at him, liking the reversal of height. ‘Thanks for all the help. See you soon?’

  She purposefully turned her last statement into a question, unsure if she was successful in keeping a neutral expression.

  Instead of answering, Baindan extended his hand up to brush her left cheek, then grinned as he pulled her chin down firmly to kiss that same spot. He smiled as he let her right herself and stepped back from the wagon.

  ‘You go learn what you need to. Then, I’ll see you again,’ he said, his voice sure.

  Siray felt as if she could almost float away, and her smile was warm as she gazed down at Baindan, her eyes holding his.

  Suddenly, a voice from beside Siray called out, ‘Heya!’ and the wagon moved forwards with a jolt, the six munder beasts pulling it obeying the command to move instantly.

  Siray twisted to look back at Baindan as the wagon quickly began leaving the camp behind, and she watched as he raised one hand to her in silent farewell, a different kind of smile now on his face.

  She kept watching him as the wagon left the clearway and trees began to block out sight of the camp, and when she could no longer see him, Siray shifted back to face the front and settled back into her seat.

  The way forwards was uncertain, and she didn’t know when she would be back here.

  Yet, despite this, she couldn’t stop a happy smile from sliding unbidden across her face.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  BEING A PASSENGER in the wagon was an enjoyable experience for Siray after her hard days of travelling prior to reaching the commander’s camp. The sun shone through the tree branches arching overhead, giving the forest floor a dappled look, and while the day was warm, the trees provided cool shade for the wagon.

  After her recent experiences, Siray felt this kind of travelling was quite luxurious, and she happily stretched out her legs to rest them on the bent-up lip of the front of the wagon.

  Before her, the strong munder beasts pulled the wagon at a consistent speed and didn’t appear to tire or slow even on the steepest hill. They only seemed to need verbal orders and the occasional steering back onto the path by the wagon driver when one of the leaders spotted a juicy-looking piece of foliage.

  The driver, a round and weathered male called Hurtol, delighted in telling Siray his travel stories. He was a slightly dishevelled-looking male who wore a wide hat that rode low over his forehead and talked to his munder beasts as often as he talked to Siray, sometimes talking to both in the same sentence, which both amused and confused her. She listened to his stories with half an ear, his keen chatter making a pleasant background to the thoughts that ran through her mind.

  Currently he was telling Siray of a small village that he had had to deliver goods to without anyone really knowing where it was. This particular story, with its many interjections to the munder beasts, had taken up enough time for the sun to move a hand’s width overhead, but the long span of speaking never seemed to bother Hurtol. Rather, it seemed as if he were almost making up for lost time, given the apparent rarity of travellers joining him.

  ‘… and so I was travelling through this town, when—heya, keep steady, then!’

  Siray blinked out of a daydream as Hurtol switched midsentence to pull his beasts slightly back into line.

  ‘No lunch ’til I say we stop,’ he continued admonishingly to his beasts. ‘And then, this male comes out of nowhere and tries to force me to pull over, but I wasn’t having any of it, and so I just gave my beasties a good yell, and we flew past him before he could even finish his thre
ats!’

  Hurtol puffed his chest up proudly, seemingly done with his story.

  Siray tuned her whole mind back to the conversation and smiled kindly at him. ‘So, you’ve really been around then?’

  Hurtol nodded emphatically, never taking his eyes off his beasts and the road ahead. ‘Yep, I most certainly have. You’d probably like to hear about the time I went to the …’ And Hurtol was off again on his next story.

  Siray smiled and relaxed more into her seat. She was going to the training camp where she would learn to Change and become a soldier for the Resistance.

  Yet her thoughts continually returned to Baindan. Last night as he was leaving her hut, Siray had decided to be bold. Her feelings had grown strong for Baindan over just a handful of days, but those days had been anything but normal. So she had demonstrated her feelings with a traditional kiss.

  To his left cheek.

  While kissing him on his right cheek would have signified loyalty, kissing him on his left cheek had meant something else entirely. In Kaslon culture, the citizens of each city had used this demonstration of affection as a type of promise. It communicated without words that the recipient held a special place in the giver’s heart and that the recipient’s affection would be welcome in return.

  Unable to form words the previous night in her hut to communicate to Baindan what she felt, and sensing his disappointment that they were being separated so soon, Siray had taken the risk and given him that kiss. Seeing Baindan again this morning before her departure had made Siray nervous, especially given Baindan’s apparent casualness on the walk from her hut and the fact that he hadn’t mentioned what had passed between them the night before.

  Siray smiled to herself again as she replayed the events just prior to her departure this morning. Baindan’s return kiss not only signalled that he shared Siray’s feelings but that he intended to pursue her affections, a traditional part of their people’s courtship rituals.

  Hopefully, Siray would be able to see him again soon. Maybe she could travel back occasionally to the commander’s camp during her training, or maybe—