That only made the guilt worse.
* * *
We left the city proper and reached a small fire isolated from just about everyone and everything. Two figures sat on the ground next to each other, mimicking the other’s pose with knees pulled up and elbows draped over them. Even in the dark, I recognized my kids.
Damaris released her hold on me as we approached. I wondered if that was for my benefit or my kids.
“I was wondering if you two had gotten lost,” said Myra without looking at us.
“You two? How do you know there are two of us,” I asked.
She snorted. “C’mon Pa. Neither of you were trying to keep quiet or match strides. Even Zadok probably heard the difference.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
She wore a smile when winking back at me.
I returned the grin.
Myra once asked me to teach her tricks in noticing the details of her surroundings. Zadok later participated in those lessons. He learned quite a bit, but Myra was a natural. The girl had gotten to the point where she picked up on things that even I missed.
I liked to joke that it was because I was getting old, but truthfully I don’t know if I was ever as good as she had become. Sadly, outside of war, many of her stronger skills would be underutilized.
Maybe one day she’d become Kasala’s mayor. Or better yet, perhaps she could go to Batna and be appointed to their council. There had been women on it. Why not her?
I shook those thoughts away for another time. Our charter specified that we needed to meet certain criteria before we’d be allowed a representative to sit on Batna’s council. We were a long way off from that.
“So,” I began while taking my seat, “any reason we’re out here instead of in town?”
“For one, we don’t have a place to stay yet,” said Myra.
I blinked. “What? Why?”
“Well, you were busy making sure everyone else had a place to stay.”
I asked Damaris. “Where are you staying?”
“I don’t have a place yet either.” She looked almost bashful. “Wanted to see where you’d end up first.”
My mouth went dry at the awkward silence that followed her comment. Unsure how to address it, I turned to Myra. “You could have picked somewhere without me.”
“No,” said Zadok. His tone surprised me. It was direct and final, not at all how he usually spoke. “We should find a place together.”
Then I understood. This was a big thing for them. For us. They had lost their home years ago in Denu Creek, living in the woods, then a brothel, and lastly on Jareb’s plantation. Afterward, it had been life on the road.
I was no better. For over a decade, war kept me away from the only real home I had ever known. Then when I returned to it, I had discovered the home I grew up in hadn’t been mine for years.
“Let me finish my dinner. I bet we still have time to grab a few torches and get Lemuel to inspect a place for us.”
“No,” Zadok said again.
Once more his tone surprised me. It was funny, but each day I seemed to notice something different about him. The confidence of his decisions really took me back.
“Why not?” I asked.
He gestured. “I like this.”
Myra added. “We were just saying before you and Damaris arrived that the quiet was a welcome change.”
A large eruption of clapping sounded in Kasala. We all glanced over our shoulder. Only the gods knew what that was about. Laughing followed so I saw no reason to investigate.
“Well, relative quiet,” Myra continued. “It’s nice to have time away from everyone though. I told Zadok it reminded me of when I was real young before you left for the war.”
“Oh?” I said, surprised.
She didn’t often speak of that time. I assumed she didn’t remember much of it.
“We would sit on that old bench on our front porch. Sometimes just you and me. Sometimes you and Ma with me tight between you, as Zadok was usually asleep already. I remember once or twice all four of us being out there. Zadok was in Ma’s lap and you had your arm around me.”
“I remember those times well,” I whispered.
It wasn’t much different than the memories I had of my parents when Ava and I were kids. Memories that I had desperately wanted to not only duplicate, but build upon as Myra and Zadok aged.
“What did everyone talk about then?” asked Zadok.
“Very little,” I said in a whisper. “Sometimes nothing at all. But there was something perfect about us just being together.”
“Like tonight,” said Zadok.
Again, not a question. A statement. A statement made in a way that almost dared anyone to challenge him.
I looked over to Damaris. It could have been uncomfortable for her to hear about our past. But she didn’t look uncomfortable at all. In fact, she wore a wistful smile. Maybe she recalled a similar memory of her own from childhood.
Zadok was right. I liked this too.
So while everyone in town enjoyed their first night in their new homes, the four of us slept under the stars.
CHAPTER 14
The remains of the night’s celebration were evident in the streets and on the front porches of the newly occupied homes. I tried not to be too upset. After all, it was a night to let loose. However, the new trash and debris mixed in with what had already cluttered the streets from the previous residents did little to ease my stress.
At least Kasala smelled inhabited again.
“There he is! Up bright and early, too.”
I turned at Ira’s voice, shielding the morning’s rays from my eyes. He and Reuma approached together.
He continued. “You don’t look too happy.”
“When have I ever been happy in the mornings?” I asked. “When did you make it in?”
“Late last night.”
“You could have come out to report. I had expected you back hours before,” I said much sharper than intended.
“I could have,” he agreed. “But there was nothing urgent, and Reuma said it looked like you needed some time away.”
“Probably so,” I said, rubbing my jaw.
I did feel less on edge.
“So, what did you find out?”
“The lake is in decent shape. The water line is about three feet low, but still four feet deep near the bank. I swam out to the middle to gauge the depth. Guess it’s about fifteen feet. Overall, the lake is roughly twenty acres in size.”
“If you went swimming, I take it the water is fairly clean?”
“It is. We could use it in a pinch if something happened to the other well. However, it would take a lot of work transporting water back and forth to the city.”
“What about fish? Is it stocked?”
“With bait, mostly. There might be something bigger, but without a net I’m only guessing.”
“It’d be nice to know for sure in case we need to supplement our food supplies.”
“We still have Dek’s net. I could go back and give it a go.”
His voice cracked on his brother’s name, but he recovered quickly. The two of them had been about as close as siblings could be, as close as Ava and I. Though Ira didn’t voice his feelings often, it didn’t take much to figure out how Dekar’s death had affected him. It hurt me greatly, and I didn’t share nearly as strong a bond.
Thinking about Dekar, started me worrying about Ava. She wouldn’t be fighting for the Southern Kingdom army just yet, but she would be on the road heading that way. I hated not being there with her. The only thing that really eased that guilt was being with Myra and Zadok.
I said. “Let’s wait. It’d be nice to know, but we have other priorities.”
His shoulders relaxed. Though he had made the suggestion, I won
dered if he even wanted to touch the net his brother had used. Definitely something I needed to remember when getting around to pursuing his suggestion. Someone else should probably go in his place.
The town had begun to stir. Muffled voices and boots across wooden planks preceded the hint of fresh wood smoke taking to the air. Looking up to the roofs, chimneys confirmed newly lit fires.
“So what do you need from me now, Ty?”
“First thing we need to do is make sure everyone is up and getting ready. After last night’s celebration, I’m sure some are moving slow, but we don’t have time to lie around for half the morning. Everyone should be back to working on their homes and the area around them.”
A smile crawled across his face. “Wake-up call? I got you covered.” He gave Reuma a kiss on the cheek. “Be back in a bit.”
He left with a bounce in his step while raising hands to his mouth. Shouting followed in that drill sergeant-style voice of his that even I could never compete with.
“Well, you just made his day,” Reuma chuckled.
Stopping at the first door, he banged loudly with a closed fist while continuing to yell. He refrained from the obscenities that usually decorated his language. There were kids in many of the homes. For all Ira’s gruff exterior he would not do anything to sully their innocence.
A man answered the door half asleep with a drawn sword in his hand as if ready to punish the demon that woke him. He took one look at Ira who shifted his volume to something none of us heard. The man lowered his sword, mouthed something in reply, and went back inside.
Ira looked my way and gave a thumbs up before moving to the next home.
* * *
Lemuel walked us through a few of the available homes.
We knew it when we saw it.
Little of our new house mimicked the one we once lived in. To begin with, I never thought I’d own a home with a second story. The extra space would take some getting used to. The interior wood matched the walnut color of the siding outside, but with flecks of red. The gray stone around our hearth in Turine had long ago turned black from age and use. The hearth in our new home showed almost as much use, yet somehow a faint blue managed to remain visible at the stone’s surface.
Yet, despite all those differences, when Myra, Zadok, and I stood near the kitchen table, we all knew there was no need to look further. The moment wasn’t without a downside. Though none of us said a word, it seemed that we all thought of the same thing when glancing to the kitchen counter only to find Lasha not there.
Damaris had given us those moments to ourselves as Lemuel inspected the house next door for her.
My mind whirled at the conflicting emotions from thinking about Damaris being nearby within moments of the sorrow brought on by imagining Lasha in our new home.
Zadok thankfully helped me focus when he said, “We should ask Lemuel to get a home ready for Chadar and Galya too.”
“I bet they’d like that.”
A shout from Ira echoed outside.
“Ty, you in there?”
I turned to Myra and Zadok. “Can you two finish unpacking and work on getting settled in for me?”
“Sure Pa,” said Zadok. “We got it.”
Outside, Ira waited on our front porch, staring out at people who had begun the day’s work. Some continued dressing for the day as they moved about, tying boots and buttoning shirts. Others had hands full of food. The scene was further proof that Ira had a way with people.
I slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you.”
If I had any hope of getting Kasala to meet the terms of our charter, and also honor Lasha’s memory, I had to remember that people like Ira were going to help me get it done.
“My pleasure, Ty,” he grinned. “Where we going next?”
“Don’t you want to get your home set up?”
“Nah, I’ll tag along. House can wait.”
I studied him then leaned in to whisper. “This have to do with what Ava told you before she left?”
His face went slack. “How’d you know?”
“I’m not dumb. And Damaris confirmed it last night.”
He worked his jaw. “It might some.”
“You know I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Not looking to wipe your rear, Ty. It’s just . . . I mean, after Dek, well . . .”
Gods, the worry in his tone and the look he wore hit me hard. He thought he might lose me. I hadn’t considered he might have that depth of concern for what Ava told him.
“Don’t worry, Ira. I’m not going anywhere.” I gestured. “C’mon, I actually could use the company.”
* * *
“That conversation went better than I thought it would,” I said.
Ira grunted. He had stayed quiet during the exchange. “Aye. Be nice if they all go like that.”
We had met with the two blacksmiths of the town, Saba and Teyman.
I had hoped that we could fire up the forges. We had a lot of tools and equipment that needed repairing and sharpening. The blacksmiths had worked together to decide which of the three abandoned smithies in town each would claim. That alleviated some of the tension I had carried about people competing early on. Competition could rear its ugly head one day, but it needed to wait until Kasala was on its feet.
With my promise of providing them with supplies and apprentices as well as their assurances that they would report back on their progress later that night, Teyman and Saba had walked away deep in planning.
* * *
“So, how married are you to the idea of running an inn again?” I asked Boaz outside of his home.
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s never a good way to begin a conversation.”
Ira snorted a few steps behind me. “Was thinking the same thing myself. You sure you got enough sleep last night, Ty?”
I ignored him, and focused on Boaz. “Sorry, it’s just that I feel like a mule for even coming to you about this, but last night before I drifted off to sleep I realized we don’t have a trained stable master or anyone who could care for and train our animals.”
He blinked, but recovered quickly. “I hope you aren’t thinking I’m your guy. I’m no expert.”
“Abigail is.”
He dropped his voice and looked around. “Just because she can communicate with them, doesn’t mean she’s an expert. It also doesn’t negate the fact that she’s just a child.”
People’s opinions of sorcery had shifted quite a bit, especially after Ava had done so much good, but there were still some who looked down on it. Because of that, Boaz and Dinah had asked that we not speak openly about Abigail’s abilities with animals. They were not ashamed as I think they once were, but I understood not wanting to bring attention to their daughter.
“She has skills that can’t be taught. She’ll know when they’re getting sick and what’s affecting them. She’ll understand their needs with food, exercise, and perhaps even when best to breed them. She should be able to train those we’ll need to work the fields in less time than others could. It would also be a great opportunity for her to stretch and develop her talent. Who knows what she’ll be able to accomplish in the future?”
He squinted as if still skeptical, but slowly seeing my point. “Perhaps. But regardless of her talent, she’s a child and far too young to manage all of what you’re talking about.”
“And that’s where you come in. You ran a business before. Those aren’t skills you lose. The setting will just be different. Abigail will only report to you or Dinah about what she learns from the animals. Then you two make the decisions. People will think you had this knack all along, but never an opportunity to show it.”
He sighed. “I don’t know. Gods, you know I want to help, especially after all you’ve done for us, and maybe if it was just on me, but . . .”
I knew that look. �
��You’re worried about what Dinah will say?”
“Tyrus, she really wants to run an inn again.”
“We’ll still give her that.”
His eyebrow came up again.
“After we get the town established, I plan to lure someone from Batna to take over for you in the stables. In the meantime, I’ll make sure no one else lays a claim on the inn you two wanted. On top of that, I’ll pay for any repairs it needs.”
“You must really want me to do this,” he guffawed.
“No. I need you to do this.”
He shook his head. “I know we don’t have a huge amount of animals now, but if we’re to do this right . . . I don’t even know what condition the stables are in.”
I grinned. “Why don’t you grab the family and head over there now?”
“Oh, so I get to explain this to Dinah?”
“Well, you know her better than I do.”
He sighed again. “I assume you want a report by tonight.”
“If possible, that would be great.”
“Let me round up the kids first.”
“Feel free to swing by the house and grab Zadok to help. Wouldn’t hurt to have a young back to help you out, I’m sure. Plus he’s got a good mind for numbers.”
Boaz gave me an appreciative nod and we parted.
The conversation hadn’t been easy, but ultimately I think it benefited all involved, especially Kasala. I just had to think of a way to continue the trend without emptying my money pouch.
* * *
I needed to address Kasala’s defenses.
As luck would have it, I found Myra and Reuma talking about that very thing while they helped Damaris rearrange her furniture. As I listened to their conversation, it hit me just how much more comfortable Myra seemed around adults than those her age. It made me a sad to know that she would never be a typical teenager. Zadok on the other hand had begun friendships with several others near his age. Though he had matured quite a bit, I still got glimpses of the child in him, making it easy to imagine what I had missed in my ten years away at war. Those same years in Myra’s life seemed lost forever.
Forever Soldiers: The Tyrus Chronicle - Book Four Page 9