Amasai

by Stevie Rae Causey

  I shook my head. It couldn’t be true. I would know, if I were really somethin’ that different. I would remember. Wouldn’t I?

  “Alison—your Ma—she never knew, if that is what you’re wonderin’. To her you were always her son. Always.”

  I got the feelin’ he was tryin’ to reassure me. It almost worked, too.

  “But then she left.” I said flatly, “Was it because of me?” I couldn’t bear to say what I was really thinking. Was it because you told her I wasn’t her real son?

  “Your Ma leaving wasn’t your fault,” Pa’s face was stern. “Don’t you believe otherwise, not even for a second. It was her own weakness. She couldn’t…well, it doesn’t matter right now, does it? She left, and I stayed and here we are, and you are safe, as long as we are here together, you hear me?”

  I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat. “S-so you built my tolerance to iron, and then you became a blacksmith. But why?”

  “To protect you, boy!” Brian pitched in, “The Fae don’t always leave their youngin’s forever. Some, maybe, if they don’t fit in for some reason or other, or if they’re a danger to the Hollow. Others they leave just to the age of weaning, letting them grow strong on the human mother’s milk before they take ‘em back. No way to know which one you were.”

  “But why not just let them take me then? Wouldn’t you want your own child back?”

  “Weren’t never a changeling changed back,” said Brian. “Not without some sort of trickery involved. They do away with ‘em, or keep them as slaves, they say. Some even say—” He stopped himself, noting Pa’s reaction.

  Pa licked his lips like you do when your mouths been scared dry, “Some say they only take the ones that are bound to die anyway.” He finished. “It doesn’t matter now.” He put his hand firmly on my shoulder. “You are my boy. You have always been my boy. You got that?”

  He pulled me into his arms for the first time in I don’t know how long. I sniffed, blinking back a hot feeling in the corners of my eyes. When I was younger the other kids used to tease that I looked nothin’ like Pa. That I must have been some street urchin he’d picked up somewhere. I’d laughed it off back then. It wasn’t so funny, now.

  “Your Pa left everything he’d known and took on a new trade. Surrounded you in an iron fortress so that they could not take you back.” Brian’s voice jarred me back to the present. “And neither of you have dared leave it, until now.”

  “No, Brian. Absolutely not.” Pa released his hold on me and stood to face Lana’s grandad.

  “She’s gone, Robert. Alone. Into a wilderness she does not understand. You know what is at stake,” he ran his hand through his shaggy hair nervously. “There is not a single one of us she trusts now, except the boy.”

  “What have you done, old man?” Pa’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and I saw the man with new eyes. Lana’s grandad acted as if he and Pa were friends, but Pa didn’t seem to trust him as far as he could kick him.

  “The things that have been done were done out of necessity,” Brian skirted around the question. “She has a destiny that she cannot run from. One that affects us all.”

  Destiny? What on earth were they talking about? She was just a kid, not much younger than me, but they made her sound like she had a duty greater than a king. I had so many questions, none of which seemed like they would be answered this day.

  “Doesn’t seem like she wants much to do with her destiny,” Pa said wryly.

  Brian shook his head, “She acts not of her own will.”

  “Then why did she leave?”

  “They believe she is under the influence of an Amasai.”

  “An Amasai?” The way Pa said it sent a shiver up my spine. I’d never heard of him bein’ afraid of nothin’ in my whole life, not the way he did when he said those words. “Then there’s no one this side of the boundary that can help her, and you know it.”

  Brain said nothin’, but his eyes shot in my direction real quick-like, “We have to try, Robert.”

  “Why don’t you go after her then, she’s your kin.”

  “I doubt that she would come with me, even if I could track her. The trees, they whisper now and then, but most have gone silent since she left. I’m not welcome, for one reason or another.”

  “A good reason, if I know you at all,” Pa’s voice was sour. “Why not run off on your own then? Go hide somewhere, protect your own hide. That’s what you’re best at, isn’t it?

  Brian spoke as if Pa hadn’t said anything, “Something is afoot, Robert. Something bigger than both of us. The Priestess, she’ll listen to you; and ‘Lana will listen to the boy. It’s our only shot.”

  “No,” Pa shook his head, his voice firm. “That wasn’t the agreement, Brian. ‘No fieldwork.’ That’s what I said when I took my pledge. I’ll not risk my kin.”

  I wanted to interrupt them. To shout at Pa that it was not just some stranger we were bein’ asked to save. It was my best friend—might as well be kin herself! I wanted to take her grandad’s hand and pledge my allegiance to whoever it was that was lookin’ for her. The Priestess, Brian had said. Whoever that was. I’d swear to her that I’d find ‘Lana, and make her come back, if only she would be safe.

  But I didn’t do any of those things. I stood there, frozen and unable to process what was happening around me. I failed her.

  “We will keep an eye out, and an ear,” Pa offered, his voice softening. “Though if she’s any sense left at all, she will steer clear from here.”

  “And if you have any love for her at all, you will find her,” he faced Pa, but he glanced at me again quickly and I got the feeling that last part had been meant for me. He turned without another word and left the shop, flipping the sign on the door from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open” before disappearing into the crowd.

  ***

  That night I laid awake tossing my leather ball from one hand to the other as I reflected on the day’s events. ‘Lana was alive, but in danger. She’d run off. Why? What could make her abandon her kin? Brian had said she was under the influence of … something. Pa seemed to act as if it were somehow Brian’s fault. Why would her grandfather put her in danger? I didn’t have an answer.

  And then there was the matter of my own ancestry. If what Pa said was true, then I was a Mystic. Not just half, like ‘Lana. Full-blown Fae. A wolf in sheep’s clothes, masqueradin’ as one of their own. Maybe that’s why I’d stuck out so much as a youngin’. And why ‘Lana and I had gotten on so well, even from the beginning. Maybe, deep down, I had realized that we were the same.

  But this is my home, I reminded myself. This is where I’d grown up. Here, I was safe. Here I had a man who would call me son. But here, she could never be again. Dangers aside, I couldn’t stand the thought of never seein’ her again.

  What would happen to me, if I left the safety of these walls? Would my true kin really come looking for me, even after all these years? What interest could they have in me now, a boy raised among human men? Surely they couldn’t still be searchin’ for me.

  I struggled with my thoughts until it was nearly dawn. The moon had sunk behind the trees, but it was not yet first light. The world was in transition. Seems as good a time as any. I slipped out of bed, holding my breath to keep the floor board from creakin’ as I went about getting’ dressed. Pa’s snores echoed through the shop, almost drownin’ out my own thoughts.

  I packed light. I was no fool, sneakin’ off without the proper supplies. A day and a half’s worth of food could last me three if I rationed it right. A flask of water and a long iron knife hung from my belt. I figured even if the fairy-folk weren’t lookin’ for me, there were plenty of other threats to be wary of. I hesitated a moment as my eyes fell on the leather pouch sittin’ on my bed. I reached out, but my hand hovered over it, hesitating. I knew better than to pack extra weight, especially since it wouldn’t be long ‘til Pa started chasin’ after me. What good was it, anyway—a reminder of someone who hadn�
��t seen fit to stay? I sighed heavily and shoved it into my coat pocket, holding my breath as I tip-toed through the shop.

  It was only after the door shut silently behind me that I let out my breath. “I’m sorry Pa,” I whispered to its wooden planks. “I can’t leave her alone out there.”

  Around me the city still slept, but it wouldn’t be long before the market sprang to life. There was no time to lose. I shouldered my pack, blending into the shadows as I made my way toward the border.

  I didn’t look back.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sneakin’ out of the city was the easy part. Coverin’ my tracks was harder. The grasslands that formed the boundary between our land and the Mystics marred easily, making it obvious when someone passed through. I didn’t want to tip Pa off if he came lookin for me, but I knew I couldn’t just take the same path the Elite had on their last excursion either. I reckoned they’d have been smart enough to cut through the same way every time, so as to make it obvious if any other travelers had come this way from the other side. Which meant it was probably pretty well traveled, and I had no desire to run into one of the soldiers on my way out.

  “Step lightly,” A voice behind me made me jump clean out of my own skin. I turned, holding my hand to my chest to keep my heart from burstin’ through it.

  “Brian!” My shoulders sank in relief.

  “Took you long enough,” he chuckled. “I’ve been tracking you ever since you left the city.”

  “How did you know I’d come?”

  “I didn’t, not for sure. I hoped, though.” He ran his hand over his scraggily beard. “Glad I was right.”

  “So where are we going?” I asked.

  “We? We aren’t going anywhere,” He scanned the horizon. “I have…other business to attend to. I’m just here to see you off right-quick. I figured this part of the journey might be tricky for you.”

  A tuggin’ in my gut said he knew more than he was tellin’ me, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. I didn’t trust him, not entirely. But I did need to cross the field without leavin’ any tracks, and I was runnin’ out of time. There wasn’t much choice.

  “Alright,” I said. “What do you suggest?”

  “Follow me,” He motioned with his hand as he turned parallel to the field, not bothering to wait and see if I would follow. I hung back a moment, hesitating. Nope, he wasn’t gonna wait for me. I took off so as to catch up before he left me behind.

  “So, you travel back and forth, then?” I looked over my shoulder, unable to shake the feelin’ that we were bein’ watched.

  He kept his eyes on the path before us, “Aye, when it suits me.”

  Not much of a talker now, is he? I thought to myself. For someone who was so eager to share his knowledge just hours before, he’d sure clammed up fast. Suspicious.

  We walked in silence a few minutes, until we came to a pathway through the field. You’ve got to be kidding me! “Hey old man, I didn’t follow you just to get snatched up by the Elite. What kind of fool do you take me for, leadin’ me to the one way I’m almost guaranteed to get caught?” I backed away, scanning the area for any sign of trouble.

  “Peace, Luka,” Brian held up a hand to silence me. “Sometimes the safest way to avoid the enemy is to hide right under their noses.”

  “This is the path you travel, then?”

  “It is, and it isn’t.” He turned down the pathway where years of tramplin’ by the king’s horses had worn away the grass. The dust kicked up by his feet as he made his way across the field was different from any I had seen before, and it took me a moment to realize why: The dirt was tinted red, just like the grass that grew from it. The realization made me shiver.

  I shifted from one foot to the other, tryin’ to decide the best course of action, before sighing and taking off after him for a second time. Sure doesn’t waste time, that one. I thought to myself. Considerin’ he was sendin’ me on a wild goose chase after his kin, you’d have thought he’d be more accommodating.

  I caught up with him just as the fields ended and the forest began. I leaned over my knees tryin’ to catch my breath. My legs were stained red from the knee down. I brushed them vigorously, hopin’ to wipe the dust from my pants. No such luck.

  “The Mark of the Intruder,” Brian nodded at my shins. He didn’t seem to have the same trouble as I. His clothes were free from staining. “It takes them time to accept newcomers. Never you mind.”

  “Them?”

  “The spirits of the forest.” He said, as if that explained everything.

  “How come you’ve got no markings?”

  “I’ve spent much of my life here,” he said. “I may not be well-liked amongst Mystic kind, but I am no threat either. Nor am I a stranger to the forest.”

  I glanced back at the path we’d taken. Only one set of footprints. Mine.

  “How is this supposed to make it harder for ‘em to find me?” I demanded, suddenly regrettin’ trusting him. In fact, I was beginnin’ to regret leavin’ home altogether.

  “Patience,” he said, walking up to the nearest tree. He leaned in, whisperin’ something I couldn’t quite make out. “Ah, yes.” He said as if the tree had answered him. He patted its trunk, much like some farmers did to the flanks of their horses. It was an odd sight to behold: This wild and disheveled man bestowin’ an act of affection to an inanimate thing.

  Perhaps he is mad. I tried to force the thought away, but it would not be set aside. What if he was just some beggar who’d attached himself to ‘Lana? What if he was no relation to her at all? Or maybe her absence had driven him mad. Either way, I began to scan the landscape for an exit.

  Brian laughed. “Yes, he is a tad jumpy, isn’t he?”

  The tree. He’s talkin’ to the tree! He raised a hand, tracin’ a shape on the trunk that was foreign, yet not. Like a memory from a dream. The shape he traced marked the bark of the tree, though he’d used his bare hands and not any sort of knife. The marking glowed brightly, and the tree began to shake. I raised my arms to my face, turning my head and squinting against the light.

  When all had settled, the tree stood, split in half. But instead of seeing the forest on the other side, there was a…room? Cave? Meadow? The images wavered and shifted. I blinked, trying to force my eyes to settle on one image.

  “What witchcraft is this?!” I demanded.

  “Aye, there is some magic to it,” he laughed at my astonishment. “Though the Priestess has little to none to do with it. No, this is magic of another sort. One that isn’t remembered by many.”

  “How do you know it, then?”

  “Once upon a time, there was a lass…Well, that’s a story for another time.” He stopped his tale before he’d started proper. “Some of the others—dwarves and elves and such—They made pathways similar to this one. ‘Tis how ‘Lana and her mom escaped the night the Elite came home.”

  So that explained how they’d left without a trace.

  “This isn’t the one she took, then?”

  “No. The one she took, it’s not friendly for folk like us. Lets out too close to the Safehold.”

  “Safehold?”

  “The place they took her. Retracin’ her steps won’t tell you where she’s gone, only where she’s been.”

  “If you know where she’s gone, why don’t you go after her yourself?”

  “You’ve got a lot of questions for a boy who’s running out of time,” he pointed out. The sun had broken across the horizon. Pa would soon be waking. I didn’t have much choice.

  “Where will it take me?”

  “Somewhere safer than here, though I wouldn’t count on it stayin’ that way for long.” He said. “You going or not?”

  I’d come this far already, and I figured whatever was on the other side of the portal he’d created couldn’t be as bad as bein’ caught by one of the king’s soldiers. Or worse yet, the lashin’ I’d get from Pa if he caught me first.

  I nod
ded and took a deep breath, holdin’ it in as I stepped into the portal.

  ***

  As soon as I stepped through the entryway it zipped shut. and darkness surrounded me. In a panic I thrust my hands against the wall where the opening had been, but there was no sign of it. Not even a crack or crevice to indicate what had been there only moments before.

  Where was the cave? The room? The images I had seen before were nowhere to be found.

  The air became stale and I was sure that I would suffocate. My palms grew sweaty and I felt panic overtake me. It was a trap!

  There was a rumbling sound and the earth shook, causing me to stumble and nearly lose my footing. I was tossed this way and that, catching myself against the smooth walls of my prison. And then it stopped, just as quickly as it had started. The entryway unzipped before me again. Without a second thought I bolted out into the open glad to inhale fresh air once more as I leaned over my knees, gathering my wits.

  When I finally caught my breath and stood up, I noticed that it was near dark. Going from pitch black to the current amount of light didn't require the same amount of adjustment as going from one extreme to the other would, but it still took me a moment to get my bearings.

  But...this wasn't right at all. I scanned the sky as best I could through the treetops. The sun had just been creepin' over the horizon when I'd left Brian. Yet, somehow it was just starting to set.

  How much time had I lost?! Or had I been sent to the other ends of the earth, instead of just beyond the border?

  "Time's a bit different in these parts," A voice made me jump.

  I looked around me, tryin' to locate the source. My eyes couldn't see it.

  Perhaps my mind's gone loopy, I thought.

  “Nuthin' wrong with your mind, youngin’,'" the voice said again.

  "'Aye! Who's there?" I demanded, spinning around frantically. My hand settled on the hilt of my blade instinctively.