by Andrew Elgin
Meldren's face showed astonishment and skepticism in quick succession. "That's a lot to think about. I agree that what Harmony wants She is going to get, whether we want it or not. And, hard though it is, I can see that there's something in what you say. But, do you really think you can do that, sing songs like that?"
"I don't know. That's the truth. But what I do know is that we, you and I together, we have the knowledge of it. And, I think that it can be done. We'd be careful, of course. But, despite everything I've said about Her, I also think that Harmony really will take care of us. I truly believe that if we were doing something which would turn out harmful, She would stop us." He winced. "We might not like how She did that, of course."
"And if I don't want to forget them, my beautiful dogs?" Meldren held back tears. "I don't want to not have them with me in my head. I can't just abandon them like that."
Javin rose and came round the fire to sit beside her, and put his arm round her shoulder. "You are, again, right. I should have been more thoughtful." She rested her head on him. "But we could help only them to forget. Or, maybe just leave them with a happy feeling? It sounds stupid, but I know that everything is a song. And you've seen it happen. Why can't we help Skort and Fallack live happily without us? And, as I said, maybe we can come back for them, when we are more certain of what's happening with us."
He felt her give a big sigh. "You keep saying 'we', as if I know anything about it. But I don't!"
"Then let us try something. Shall we?" There was a brief nod. He pushed against her gently. "You need to sit up for this. At least, to begin with. Ready?" He kept hold of her hand. "Close your eyes. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Good. Now, you know very well that the fire is in front of you, don't you? I want you to listen to it. I don't mean hear the crackling and the other small sounds. Ignore them. Listen to what's behind those sounds." He watched her face carefully. He spoke gently, quietly. "If it's not clear, then think back to when Harmony came to you. You lost touch with the world. But not really, because Harmony, the whole world, was there, somehow. There, in you. Think back to that, the moment when you had Harmony arrive and then...listen to the fire again. Listen to how Harmony hears the fire." Again he searched her face for a clue as to how this was going. He was about to tell her to give up and open her eyes when suddenly she broke into a huge smile. With her eyes still closed, she turned to him.
"I can hear it! It's a song! It's wonderful!" Her mouth opened in astonishment. "I can hear you! You're there." Her hand reached out to him. "Right there! A beautiful song!" She swung her head again, eyes still closed. "And that must be my beautiful Skort. Or is it Fallack?" Her eyes popped open. Her face was full of wonder. "You were right, Javin! You were right! I can hear the songs. Oh! It's...I...there's no words." She laughed in delight at the experience. "It's when you said about Harmony coming to me, it suddenly made sense. I could feel Her and then it all just happened! Suddenly! And this is what happened to you?"
"Sort of. But Harmony more or less emptied everything into my head at once. I didn't get any choice about it."
She could not stop grinning. Every now and then, she shut her eyes to listen again then opened them, still beaming.
"It's unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. Except..." and she looked at Javin. "How do we know we can sing what we want? I can hear things, but singing them? That's harder. And something as delicate as memories?" She raised her eyebrows at the thought.
"I agree. Totally and completely." He became more serious, staring into the fire. "But I still think that we can do it and that Harmony will look after us. If She lets us hear Her, hear the songs She sings, then surely She will make sure we are safe, that those we care about are safe?" He looked to Meldren for support.
Meldren ran her fingers through her hair, combing it absentmindedly. "I keep thinking that the dogs could be safe with us. But, like you said, we don't know enough." She gave a big sigh of frustration and resignation combined. "I want them to be with us, because I'm used to them. But I also know that we can't be sure. Not yet, anyway. And, maybe, perhaps, we could come back for them when we do know for sure." For a brief moment, there was a distant, almost lost look in her face, before she turned to Javin with her decision. "I think you could be right. But I still want my memories. I don't want to lose them." She grinned suddenly. "But I do love being able to do this." She shut her eyes and turned her head this way and that for a moment in silence. "It has to be the best thing ever!" Her eyes were bright with excitement and happiness when she opened them again.
"So shall we go to Arlen and find people who will look after the animals for us?"
"Yes." And then more definitely. "Yes! And then...What happens then?"
"Ah! If Harmony is all about songs, then we are all about choices right now. We get to make choices. Choices about where to go. What to do. When to do it. Like I said, everywhere is new to me. But what about you? Where would you like to go? What would you like to see?"
Meldren returned to running her fingers through her hair, chewing at her lip and narrowing her eyes as she thought. "I have always wanted to see the ocean. I hear it's very big. A lot of water. I'd like to see that, I think. And there's a tree I heard of once. Apparently it has fruit which explodes with a loud bang. That would be fun to see as well. From a distance, that is. Plus, I always wanted to be able to cook. Learn it well. Sure, I can feed myself, but I want to do more than that." She closed her eyes in recollection as she spoke. "I want to be able to cook really well. My mother, she was such a wonderful cook. I'd like to be able to be as good as she was." She looked at Javin. "But, herding gorries is not a very good way of learning to cook. You have to have a kitchen, an oven, not a campfire." She puffed out her cheeks in disappointment but then looked to Javin. "That's me and what I want. What about you? Is there nothing you want to see or do?"
Javin thought for a moment. "Torrint mentioned the ocean once as something special to see. For me...? Actually, there is something. Banith mentioned that once he had seen a volcano from a distance."
"Volcano?"
"Like a mountain, but there's smoke and fire coming out of it."
"Oooh! Any idea where that is?"
"Not a clue."
"Good! Then we can take our time getting there."
"At times, my lovely Meldren, you are completely silly."
"Thank you. And you are completely..."
"What?"
"I'll let you know when I think of the word."
"What about these...creatures? We can't keep calling them 'creatures'. We'll have to give them a name."
"Later."
"But what if they...you know...get in the way?"
A giggle. "Ooooh! So that's that question answered. Do you think they're watching us from up there?"
"I'm sure Harmony is."
"But that's different. At least, I think it is. Isn't it?"
"Shhhh! Come here."
"I thought you'd never ask!"
Some time later. "Your colors are so bright. You should see them!"
"And your music, your song! It's perfect."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next morning, they were later starting out than they had originally planned. Breakfast was extended and packing was sluggish, as was checking in on all the animals. But everything was done with smiles and 'accidental' bumping into each other; gentle brushes of hands and hips and a certain languid enjoyment in each one.
Arlen was, Meldren thought, two easy days away, around the bend in the river. They moved off in amiable silence, grins seemingly permanently attached to their faces, indifferent to the overcast skies and accompanying breeze.
After they had been walking long enough to settle into a rhythm, and for the smiles to be gentler, Meldren asked, "Do you think it is the right thing to do, still? Help Fallack and Skort forget us, forget me? Do we have the right to do that to them? Assuming we can, I mean."
"I don't know if it's right, but I do know we are trying to help them, stop any distress. I'm n
ot sure if it's 'right' or not." Javin paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "No, it might not be right. But, we're guessing that if Harmony comes to us again, things might not be easy for them. And that might be a bad guess. After all, Harmony looks after us." He smiled wryly. "Admittedly, it doesn't feel like it at times, but we are still alive. And, if She looks after us, I suppose we could guess She'd look after the dogs as well. But," he shrugged, "that's not certain either. For all we know, She has already altered what's in their heads." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "So, honestly? No. I don't know if it's right for us to even try. But I do think that we are doing it for the right reasons, if that's any help."
Meldren was silent for a few paces, looking sadly at the dogs as they shadowed the herd away to her left. "At least, that's the truth. We don't know, do we? And I do love them. I want to do the best I can for them, and, perhaps, you're right. After all, we don't even know if it can be done. Which leads to the next question. Which is, if it can be done, when do we do it? We can't do it now, I think. We still need them to keep an eye on the herd. And walking away from them, I'd be too upset to even try. So that leaves...?"
Javin's face showed he hadn't thought of that. "I'm not sure. I suppose we could do it just before leaving them? When they're with someone else? Or do we do it much later, say the next day? That way it gives us a little time to get over it, and it would mean only a relatively short time for them to be concerned about us?"
Meldren gazed at her dogs without answering, as if trying to imprint their every hair into her memory. Finally, she broke away and looked at the ground in front of her and gripped Javin's hand as tightly as she could. She nodded. "I think that would be best. Somewhere where we can concentrate. Only," and she looked up at Javin with tears brimming, "I'd want to know it worked. I don't want to have to guess, to hope. I'd want to know they were well."
"We can do that. We can certainly do that."
They walked on. The rumble of the wagon, the creaking of the harness and Sarlin's occasional low grumbling reverberation just a few paces behind them kept them company.
That night, they were both quiet. The breeze, which had stiffened somewhat throughout the day, made them huddle inside their blankets. Meldren was obviously taken with what would happen tomorrow, and Javin with trying to understand what was happening to them, to their lives. The exhilaration of being together again had evaporated slowly as they realized that the only certain thing was that momentous change was in the offing, whether or not they could help the dogs. They both sensed it, both felt it approaching. It made for a somber atmosphere. The only thing they spoke of was what name they would give to their creatures which had, all day long, been wound around their necks again.
In the end, they agreed on the word 'sprites', mainly because Javin had once heard it and thought it had something to do with nature, although he could not recall what that was exactly. Meldren had liked the sound of it, no matter what it meant. So it was agreed: they now had sprites at their necks. Then they slept as best they could.
The following day, they gathered everything together for what was to be the last time. It felt strange to think that by tomorrow everything would be different for both themselves and the animals. The thought made them quiet and contemplative. The wind had dropped back to a gentle breeze and the sun poked through the ragged clouds every now and then. They walked slowly and around mid-morning Arlen was visible, an easy half day's journey ahead. They stopped, taking a last rest. Meldren said, "Don't you think we should at least try to see if we can actually do what we planned on?"
"What do you suggest?"
"I wish I knew!" She looked around for inspiration. "Why not try influencing a gorry?" she said, pointing at the herd as it milled around in its usual haphazard fashion.
"To do what, though?"
"How about helping just one of them to set off directly for Arlen and be happy to get there. No distractions, just determination. What do you think?"
Javin considered this for a moment. "I agree we ought to try and having just one gorry go in a straight line would be something to see."
Meldren gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Well? Shall we?"
Together, they sat in silence, easing into the place in their heads where they could hear the songs around them. From them all, the herd of gorries stood out. And in that chorus, one was chosen. And that one was sung a new sound. A subtle change, minor keys, inflections and pauses here and there. The new song was something which both Javin and Meldren knew automatically. It followed them from where they had first listened to the herd and filled them so that they could hear the new sounds, sing the new, small song. First Javin formed the sounds and then Meldren joined him, adding her flavor to it. It was gentle and calm and peaceful. The sprites added their cooing and bobbing to it. And then it was done.
They both opened their eyes and scanned the creatures. And there, striding out, head high, burbling quietly to itself, one lone gorry headed off towards Arlen. They exchanged smiles, gave each other a brief hug and then hurried to set off after their new leader. The dogs both eyed it suspiciously, sniffing after it as if they could not believe what they were seeing.
"I think we can do this. I think we can help Skort and Fallack, don't you?" Javin looked to see how Meldren felt about it.
She looked up at him but did not smile. "Yes. I think we can. I'm still going to miss them, though."
He drew her to him and hugged her close as they walked, hip to hip. "I know you will. I know. And that's just another reason why I want to be with you. Because you will miss them and not spare yourself the pain, the memories." He planted a kiss on her head. They continued in silence, before Javin asked, "Are you going to be fine in Arlen, with all those people there? After all, you thought Sweetwater was too big, too much of a problem for you. I know this place is smaller, but still..."
This time, she did smile at him. "We aren't planning on being here for long, and, as you say, it is smaller than Sweetwater. I think I'll be fine. But the sooner we can leave, the better."
They arrived in Arlen with much daylight to spare. It had become warmer as the day had developed so that they were comfortable in light clothing again; a brief reminder of the hot summer days that were now past.
It did not take very long to find someone who was interested in having their animals. Meldren only needed to watch the colors of the man as he spoke to know he was telling the truth about how well-looked after they would be. After agreeing on a price, they led the herd of gorries to a nearby field. Javin noted that there was a deecee here as well, and an idea occurred which he put to one side for the time being.
The price was paid in food, clothing, a large leather satchel, two fine blades, some jewelry made out of leather and pierced stones, two fine silkie hides and some small, rounded nuggets of gold. Javin felt completely out of his depth in all of this and was happy to let Meldren take it over. The haggling over the payment took the longest, with the buyer showing particular interest in the sprites. It was made very clear that the sprites were not ever going to be a part of the negotiations, and, eventually, both sides were satisfied and Meldren and Javin gathered all their possessions, distributed them between their two satchels and set off to find a place to rest for the night. Meldren's eyes brimmed as she walked away, having told Skort and Fallack to stay one last time. Javin scanned the area for a place where they could not be seen, and guided her toward a small copse of tall, thick-leaved bushes. Pushing the fronds aside, he said, "Let's do this now. Waiting will be hard, for everyone. Are you willing?" She turned to him and wrapped her arms around him in answer. And he, in turn, held her tightly until she was able to concentrate.
Together, they heard the song they wanted and they sang it quietly.
"Let's go see if it worked, then?"
She nodded. "I don't know which I'm more afraid of; that it worked or that it didn't. Whichever it is, I know it's going to work out fine. In the end." She wiped her nose with the back of he
r hand and squared her shoulders. "Here we go!" Her voice had a brittle brightness in it.
Returning to the field where they had left the dogs looking after the gorries, Meldren held her breath. The dogs were still sitting there, gazing amiably around them, occasionally poking a muzzle at a too inquisitive gorry. She stood where they could clearly see her and called out, "Come on, then," as she normally would have done. Two large heads swiveled to stare blankly at her, assessing her for a threat and deciding she was none, turned back to the herd.
Meldren stayed looking at them for a long time, Javin waiting quietly beside her. Finally, she turned to him and gave a thin, watery smile. "Well, that's that part of my life over with. I hope the next part will be just as good."
Javin held both her hands in his. "Me, too." He did not want to press her, but, eventually, he asked, "Are you ready to go?" When she gave the smallest of nods, he continued, "Then let's find somewhere to stay tonight, have a meal cooked for us. After all, we can pay for that now. But first, I want to do something. It will be quick and then we'll find a place. I want to tell Landing something." He made a question of his face.
"Of course. That's fine. But what are you going to tell Landing and there's no speaker about. We'd have to go find him."
"No need. I think I can use these things by myself. Only, last time, I gave everyone a headache." He gave a guilty grin. "This time, I won't. I hope. I want to let Lisick know for certain that she was right after all. She believed I'd hear Harmony one day. She had faith in me, faith for me. She so wanted to be around when I did." He shrugged a little. "I thought it would be good to let her know she was right, that's all. I tried before, in Sweetwater, but I'm sure I messed it up because I tried thinking about other things, other people there. All I did was give people headaches. But this time, I'm pretty sure I'm better at it and I'll make sure I only speak directly to Lisick. I'd really like to see her face when she hears, though."