by Lance Wilson
Bai Shi-zi looks at Byrdi deeply, gauging him. The two of them lock eyes and Byrdi can see something more in there. Something he isn’t quite allowed to understand yet. Bai Shi-zi also sees deep into Byrdi and only smiles.
“You cannot escape. We are deep in the mountains and winter is coming.” Bai Shi-zi says in common elf, stunning Byrdi.
With that said Bai Shi-zi turns and walks into his house. Ujio follows him. Once Byrdi is sure that they are both inside he collapses.
For the next few days life is a blur of small times where he is awake, he remembers waking the first time and seeing a beautiful woman sewing up his wounds. Another time he woke he found himself lying on a simple mat, he remembered a young boy, he couldn’t be older then four offering him a ball. Mostly he just remembers cold sweats and burning hot fevers, sometimes he thinks he saw a woman apply towels.
Finally he awakens the fever broken, he shakes his head to gain his senses back, then he begins to look through the archway he can see the young boy, he thought he saw earlier and what he can guess is his older brother, around ten from the look of him. Also the beautiful woman who earlier was stitching his wound. From his recumbent position, Byrdi watches as she ministers to the boys, who she treats as her sons. But they cannot be. She is not like anyone in this village. All the people he has seen in the village since he got here are that of the islands; there black skin and silver or white hair. She is a Kainith elf to be sure, Her face is pale and slightly sunken in, her hair is raven black and she wears a black silk cloth tied over her eyes. He can only guess that this means she is blind. But she does not show it in her actions, her actions are sure and steady, and always without even a second thought, it is as she can see even without her eyesight. Byrdi is fascinated by her grace and the sweet attention she gives them. She seems to sense him. Her face raise, he locks on that black cloth and it is almost as if she is seeing right though him to his vary soul. She speaks to someone, and Yoritomo appears. He is twenty-one, too young to be the woman’s husband. Yoritomo comes into Byrdi’s room. Speaks to him. But he speaks Salatar and Byrdi shakes his head letting the young man know that he cannot understand him. Yoritomo speaks to the woman, who approaches and places bowl of soup in front of Byrdi. Byrdi still stunned at the appearance of this Kainith elf in this village ignores it. The boys stand in the doorway eager to get a look at this new man, this new kind of elf. Yoritomo shoos them away. Seeing this simple interaction with the younger children he can guess that the older one is there older brother. Byrdi glances up at the: woman. She avoid his glance, her expression is opaque. Yoritomo then shoos everyone out and shuts the door behind him leaving Byrdi alone in the room once more. But it makes no difference to him. He only wants to know more about that woman, and why she captures him so.
For a few days more he is left in the room alone, the door only opening for food to be brought in. then it shuts again and he is left to his thoughts. He’s pretty sure it is only been two days since he woke when the woman opens the door and gestures for him to come into the main room. She slowly gets up, a slight pain still in his shoulder and arm. She then sits him down in front of her and lets her hands drift over his body, then begins to undress his shirt, this is easy since now he is only wearing a simple fold over shirt that the rest of the village wears. Her hands move quickly and with precision as she gently changes the dressing on right shoulder and arm. Yoritomo kneels across from Byrdi. He is impressed at the many battle wounds on Byrdi’s body; the old bullet wounds and scars. In Salatar, he indicates his admiration. Byrdi his no idea what Yoritomo is saying? Finally he interrupts with the only Salatar word he has bothered to learn.
“Sake.” Byrdi says knowing that it is a request for the alcohol they drink
“Sake?” Yoritomo says his face braking into a wide smile.
“Sake.” Byrdi repeats smiling with him.
Yoritomo glances to the woman. She nods, and brings Byrdi a saucer of sake. Byrdi at first is confused as such a small saucer but thinks nothing more about it and drinks it down. Then smiling he holds out the saucer for a refill Smiling, Yoritomo indicates for the woman to comply, but before she can
Pour another saucer, Byrdi takes the jug out of her other hand. Yoritomo laughs as Byrdi drinks it down. Byrdi finishes it and smiles back then nods his head as a polite thank you. But he has forgotten the first rule of travel, when dealing with a foreign alcohol you pace yourself; you don’t know its affects. Before he knows it the room is spinning and then, he passes out his head hitting the floor hard, Yoritomo and the other children laugh at this but the woman shakes her head and continues her work, now uninterrupted.
Byrdi cannot tell how much time has passes since he has begun to live with these people, they keep him in the room only allowing him to be let out for the changing of his dressings, but now even that has stopped since his wounds are now healed. Looking out of the slats in the window he can see that autumn leaves fall to the ground. He can hear the sound of a hammer hitting metal and knows that somewhere in a tiny hut, the village sword smith begins work on a Vulkoori blade. He wonders how long they will keep him, what are they keeping him for. But all this means nothing; they have given no clue so it makes no sense to dwell on things you don’t know.
It is late in the night and Byrdi writhes on his mat. Trapped in his recurrent nightmare. A sudden flashes the wagonload of the dead. Bear’s bloody corpse closes in on Byrdi suffocating him. It is always the same, always that damned wagon and his brothers body, the dead begin to call to him, ask him why, ask him why he failed, they would follow him to hell and he failed them. He cannot help himself, seeing the dead and hearing their plea he begins to scream in fear and agony. His screams shatter the night, echoing though the village. Yoritomo and the woman wake from their sleep and both leave their separate rooms and hurry to Byrdi’s room. Byrdi is still in the throes of his recurring nightmare, Yoritomo shakes him awake. Byrdi snaps back to the real world and looks around and at first is disoriented.
“Sake.” Byrdi says looking at the young man with pleading eyes, anything to take it away, take away the pain and the memories.
Yoritomo and the woman confer. Yoritomo looks It Byrdi and shakes his head, no. He knows that the sake will dull the pain and sooth it for a bit, but wounds like this, wounds of the mind and the soul cannot be solved this way, he must face them
“SAKE!” Byrdi shouts at him, they will give him what he wants, they have to, he can’t stand those faces, the faces of the dead.
Yoritomo refuses again, he must face his demons. Byrdi roars and tries to rise. Laughing at Byrdi’s ferocity in his weakened condition, Yoritomo easily pushes him back down. Byrdi folds in on himself, rocking like a feral animal.
Bai Shi-zi stands outside the house, drawn by the commotion. Ujio stands with him, shaking his bead.
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There is nothing they can do to help he is sorry that it is Yoritomo and Neckity that are saddled with this burden, but they will handle it and handle it well.
Days have passed since the night that Yoritomo has decided to help Byrdi cleanse himself and now Byrdi sits hunched in a dark corner. His body is convulsed with shivering. His withdrawal from alcohol, his wounds, his isolation and his imagined sins are devouring him. But he is not alone. The woman stands in the doorway,
watching him closely. Finally she enters with a bowl of soup. He glances up, something like panic in his eyes. Slowly she kneels and attempts to hand him the soup, but he knocks it out of the way and grabs her by the throat.
“Sake!” he growls at her like a starved and wounded wolf
But she is not shocked at this; Even as the breath is being squeezed out of her she stares at him, not even a whisper of fear in her eyes. She is utterly impassive. Shaken by her coldness and inner strength he lets her go and crumples to the floor, he lets her
Go, and crumples to the floor.
“Sake.” He mumbles to himself now in tears at his own pain, fear, and inner agony.
The woman leaves the soup and walks away. Shutting the door behind her. Once the door is shut she leans against the wall and lets out a long deep breath.
“Patients, your strong enough to outlast this” Neckity says speaking common elf to herself.
Looking at him she has seen deep inside of him, he has many demons fighting him now but she has seen his inner strength, it reminds her of another she has met, Mellyruna. She wonders if this is one of his siblings,
More days pass and the cleansing is almost at an end, the worst of the detox is past and daylight streams in showing Byrdi now lying on his back. As be lies there, these first moments of repose lead to a sudden flash of memory, he remembers it well, it was a spring when he was a child. His mother Rin had taken the whole of the family out to a picnic. Those were such joyful days; there were no worries of the future, no threat of war. His family’s faces flash before him. Mellyruna, his strong and supportive older brother, Maeraer, his sweet sister, and… . and there was a fourth. He tries so hard to remember but the figure seems to be lost in the shadows of the past. Why, why is he the one lost? Then the faces of his other family come to him. Musashi, lord of the Hitori clan, a father to him when his first family was ripped from him. His older brother Nagamasa, and of course his youngest brother Bear. Byrdi shakes off the memory as harsh sound from outside draw him to the window. Byrdi watches from the window as the Vulkoori train. It is like nothing else in the world. Part sacred ritual, part martial preparation, Vulkoori training combines athletic prowess and graceful artistry into one effortless whole. Finally well enough to walk, Byrdi comes out onto the porch to watch the spectacle. In front of him, is a Vulkoori master practice with their long and short swords. They have incredible control. Nakao, a mountain of a man, is an unarmed combat master. He stands unarmed, four Vulkoori facing him. They attack with wooden swords. He effortlessly
Defeats them, the agility of the huge man is shocking. In the distance he can see their bow masters use their bows for target practice. Yoritomo holds a bundle of arrows. In the distance, a line of plums. Byrdi watches. Yoritomo just seems to stand there, his eyes half-open. And then in a stunning blaze of movement Yoritomo fires the arrows, one after another, amazingly fast and cleanly hitting each plum. The final arrow splits the previous one as it buries itself in the tree. Seeing a wooden sword leans against the porch. Byrdi idly picks it up, feeling its balance. In a flash, Ujio has raced over and grabbed it from him. Byrdi stands motionless as Ujio screams at him. The training stops, as everyone watches Ujio berate Byrdi. Even as Ujio continues screaming. Byrdi simply shakes his head, turns away, and walk back into the house.
As the sounds of training resume outside, Byrdi explores the house. He comes upon Higen and Toshiie playing with the red ball. They are
Embarrassed to encounter him alone. There’s a moment of suspension, and then Higen throws the ball to Byrdi. Byrdi looks back and forth between the two boys, fixes his gaze on Higen but throw the ball to Toshiie, causing both boys to laugh and run away.
Byrdi walks on. A bit later on his exploration Byrdi opens a sliding shojii screen and discovers a small room that has been made into a kind of shrine. Candles and incense burn, a small Vulkoor, there god who looks like a half man half scorpion, sits on a dais, and Byrdi’s eyes are drawn to what seems like an apparition standing in the corner. The bright red armor of the warrior Byrdi killed in the fog is held upright by an unseen stand. It is almost as if the dead warrior himself is standing, staring at him through that black mask. Byrdi senses someone behind him and turns. The woman is standing across the hall. He can only stare into that black piece of cloth, wondering what she sees. He so badly wants to ask but is too frightened to, why does she draw him so, and frighten him all the same. If she notices or feels his fear she makes no effort to show it, instead she turn, and walks away. Things begin to fall into place; this is why she was welcome in their ways and there town. This warrior in red, he must have been her husband, when he took her as a wife, she became one of them. Perhaps those children are hers, they just look more like their father. He wonders if she may still yet speak common elf, or has she been so out of practice that she only speaks Salatar now.
Late in the night the first, light snowfall has covered the ground. Byrdi walks out into the still night. He turns a corner and confronts curious sight; ten warriors kneel, motionless in the snow, their eyes closed in concentration. As Byrdi puzzles over this, he becomes aware that Bai Shi-zi is now standing next to him.
“They are training.” Bai Shi-zi says answering Byrdi’s question before he can ask it.
“Training what?” Byrdi asks still a bit shocked that Bai Shi-zi speaks common
“Their minds. It is called bushido” Bai Shi-zi says and looks over at him.
Byrdi only stares at him, he has never heard the word before and has no idea of its meaning.
“The way of the warrior. We study from when we are young. Are my words correct?” Bai Shi-zi asks looking at Byrdi now with a smile.
Byrdi stares at him, he is not sure how to asses Bai Shi-zi he knows that he is his enemy and yet here he is treating him like a guest in the islands.
“I will practice this common tongue with you.” Bai Shi-zi says and turns back to the warriors.
“Why do you learn it at all?” Byrdi asks trying to get to know the general
“To know my enemy.” Bai Shi-zi says simply
“If I am your enemy, why have you not killed me?” Byrdi asks also turning back to the warriors now.
His question goes unanswered, as Bai Shi-zi seems to ignore it and only smile at his warriors.
“Was General Yoshi your enemy?” Byrdi says remembering the scene on the battlefield with the Salatar general.
“No, I honor his memory as my kinsman.” Bai Shi-zi says with true compassion in his voice.
“That why you helped him kill himself?” He says completely confused now.
“If a Vulkoori is defeated in battle, he must take his own life to spare himself the shame of capture. It is required that his kaishaku his trusted friend, help him. I was honored to by his kaishaku.” Bai Shi-zi says his voice calm and cool now.
“Hell of an honor.” Byrdi says with distain in his voice.
“It was his destiny. He knew it, he died at peace.” Bai Shi-zi says taking no offence to the tone, Byrdi is not one of them, he would not understand.
“Who was the warrior in the red armor?” Byrdi asks wondering more about the home he has invaded
“My son. His name was Hiroshi.” Bai Shi-zi says looking at him, why would he care for such information, perhaps he gives too little credit to this barbarian.
“And the woman who cares for me?” Byrdi asks wondering more of the Kainith elf woman.
“My daughter, Hiroshi’s wife. Her name is Neckity.”
“I killed her husband?” Byrdi says in shock now, how can she even look at him, let alone tend to him.
“It was an honorable death.” Bai Shi-zi says and walks away.
It is the next mourning and Byrdi it now well enough to kneel at the table with the others. Neckity treats him with utter politeness and dignity. He watches her intently, seeking any sign of the animosity he�
��s certain she must feel. But there is nothing. Calmly and politely she hands him a bowl of rice.
“You hope I choke on it, don’t you?” he says with a polite smile, using only common tongue sure she cannot understand anymore.
Neckity only smiles and bows back at him. Of course she understood him, but so far this has been a fun game for her and besides she knows that people are always more open when they think you don’t understand.
“You want to poison it and watch me fall over the table and foam at the mouth.” Byrdi says enjoying his freedom of speech around the people. It is a bit refreshing and to a degree even cleansing.
Yoritomo bows in response to Byrdi’s new willingness to communicate.
“” Yoritomo says in Salatar knowing Byrdi will not understand
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The rest of the breakfast is silent and when it is finished Yoritomo smiles at Byrdi and indicates for him to follow. Byrdi not sure what to do anyway nods and follows. Yoritomo leads Byrdi to a large, wooden bathing tub in I secluded part of the village. A banked fire smolders beneath it.
Embarrassed, Yoritomo indicates to Byrdi that be needs to bathe. Byrdi strips off his filthy uniform then lowers himself into the steaming water. Yoritomo begins taking off hit own kimono. Byrdi is taken aback. Used to Western privacy, he is a bit disquieted about bathing with another man. Yoritomo, unconcerned, climbs into the tub. He chats pleasantly as they bathe, showing off his old battle wounds. Byrdi’s discomfort turns to outright alarm when a toothless old grandmother appears. She happily strips and joins them in the tub! Byrdi sinks a little lower into the water. The old grandmother smiles at him with her toothless grin. Knowing that this is there custom he decides that there is nothing more to do then to make this a quick bath. He quickly scrubs down and rinses off before anyone else comes. One out of the tub he looks around and Yoritomo hands him folded clothing. He unfolds them and finds that they are the Kimono’s that the Salatar people wear. Patiently Yoritomo shows him how to put them on. Once he is dressed he hands him a pair of Clogs, wooden sandals. Byrdi. Feeling self-conscious in the clean kimono he’s wearing for the first time walks back with Yoritomo. Kids start walking with them, pointing at his Salatar garb, laughing as he stumbles in his wooden clogs. They pass by Ujio training a group of Vulkoori using wooden kendo swords. Nearby, Higen and Toshiie are imitating the grown-ups, sparring with wooden swords that are much too big for them. Yoritomo watches his nephews proudly, murmuring details of their prowess to Byrdi, who has no idea what he’s talking about. Higen charges his little brother, but goes careening past, right toward Byrdi, who deftly dodges out of the way. This causes gales of laughter from the boys, one of who takes Toshiie’s sword and offers it to Byrdi. Byrdi looks at the sword in his hand and unthinkingly twirls if with a flourish causing the boys to applaud. Yoritomo bows, and encourages Byrdi in Higen’s direction. Byrdi shakes his head politely, but Higen is already on the attack. Byrdi dodges one thrust, and then parries another, as the boys begin to cheer.