Tan’s mother watched wordlessly, staring intently at the wagon the Mother had disappeared into, before turning back to Tan and sighing. She shook her head as she did. “He doesn’t know what he’s done,” she said quietly, frowning.
“Who?”
She looked at him as if realizing that he had been there the entire time, shaking her head again. Hair that had been pulled tight did not move with the motion. She lightly touched the locket at her neck before answering, taking a deep breath as she did. “It’s customary to allow the Aeta to trade within the walls of town.”
The only other times the Aeta had visited, their wagons had circled the town square and a weeklong festival had accompanied the trading. The Mother had said the visit would be brief and he wondered now how long the Aeta would stop in Nor.
“They are the wanderers,” his mother continued, “and their history is one marked with much sadness.” She shook her head, staring at the Aeta now departing their wagons. “It’s customary to provide shelter and give them a sense of home, if only briefly.” She sighed, as if thinking of a terrible memory, before turning back to face town. “There is something off here.”
“How do you know?”
She sniffed. “Tannen,” she scolded, “I know you sense it. In spite of their past, the Aeta are a happy people. Something has happened that’s made them somber and careful. I worry what that might be.”
Tan looked back at the Aeta and saw the beautiful Amia staring unabashedly at him from behind one of the wagons. As he turned, his heart started hammering wildly again. He turned away and hurried to catch up to his mother.
She looked over, as if knowing his thoughts. “Finish your chores before you chase that girl.”
“I’m not chasing—” he protested.
“I saw your eyes. And I know how young men think.” A distant note came to her voice as she hurried back to the manor house.
5
A Pig and a Rat
Tan cleaned the stables faster than he had ever managed before. Thoughts of missed opportunities to watch the Aeta hurried his work. But more than just the Aeta, he wanted to see Amia again. Even the thought of her made his palms sweaty.
The moon shone brightly in the cloudless night sky. The sound of laughter and hundreds of voices all talking at the same time echoed from the edge of town. Had he finished the chore he’d promised his mother before tracking the prints into the forest, he would have been free to watch the trading. Now he missed some of the early excitement.
He followed the sounds, passing the small shops at the center of town and the rough stone homes on the edge of town, until he reached the low town wall and passed through. As he did, he realized his mother was right. It felt wrong for the Aeta to camp on the other side of the wall. Why should the wall separate them from Nor, if even for a night?
The scene was much different than it had been earlier in the day. Lanterns blazed bright, illuminating wagons and traders. The wagons formed a circle, and each had a table folded down and stacked with items for sale or trade. The Aeta stood beside each table and called out to passersby, though truly most were already engaged in conversation. A large throng of people moved through the middle of the wagons, most talking and laughing. Some locals pushed carts through the crowd, selling food or crafts. Several fire pits had been erected and their wide flames lit the night.
In spite of the trading, something seemed off. Tan couldn’t quite place what he felt. Most of the Aeta were quick to make a sale or traded easily for the steel local craftsmen were known for. There was not the joy upon the faces of the Aeta he remembered, nor the frantic energy from them as they pressed each transaction.
Tan tripped and bumped into someone as he moved through the circle of wagons. “I’m sorry…” He trailed off as he turned and saw Amia. The thin band of silver at her neck gleamed softly in the lantern light.
She tilted her head, considering him for a moment. “You.”
“I’m sorry,” he said again. His mouth suddenly felt dry. He licked his lips, trying to force moisture back onto his lips.
The corner of her mouth tilted slightly in a hint of a smile. “I’ve seen you before.” Her voice was musical and soft, though a hidden vein of steel ran through it. Someone who was accustomed to having her way.
“I’m Ephra’s son and was with her when she met with the Mother earlier today.”
Amia closed her eyes and nodded. “You were, but that wasn’t the first.” The comment was not a question. There was an air of curiosity to what she said.
“In the forest as well,” he acknowledged. He had forgotten the sounds of the trading around him, unable to focus on anything other than Amia.
“You spied upon us as we traveled?”
“I wasn’t—” Tan sputtered. “I was tracking an animal that had killed some of our sheep.”
“What kind of animal?”
Tan shook his head, remembering the unusual tracks upon the ground and the strange beasts that had trapped him in the tree. “I don’t know.”
Disappointment swept through him when Amia frowned. She glanced from him to look back toward the mountains looming behind them, a darkness shadowed against the night. “Were you successful? Did you find your creature?”
“More like they found me.” When she frowned, he went on. “I followed their tracks up the mountain, following their howls.” She winced briefly as he said this and Tan wondered why. “They surrounded me, chasing me into a tree.”
“You’re safe now.” She eyed him up and down, as if appraising a horse.
He nodded. “I am. Something scared them off.”
She frowned again, a sad tip of her full lips, still managing to remain beautiful. “What did you do to scare them off?”
“I didn’t do anything. I shot arrows at them but it didn’t do any good. A gust of wind, I think, scared them.”
“I’m surprised you were able to track them.”
“It wasn’t easy.”
She shook her head and opened her mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of three large figures slowly emerging from the shadows to hover behind Tan.
“Minden,” one sneered, “out of your element, here, don’t you think?”
“Lins,” Tan acknowledged.
Lins Alles was Lord Lind’s son and carried himself as if he were related to King Althem himself, bullying and taking whatever he wanted. It was unfortunate his father never disciplined him. Truth be told, few—if any—of the often cruel and just mean-spirited things he did made it to his father’s ears for discipline. Most were too scared to say anything. Tan had once made the unfortunate decision to complain about Lins to his mother, who promptly spoke to Lord Lind.
Lins never forgave Tan for the insult, ignoring the beating that had been the impetus for Tan’s grumbling. Now Lins and his ever-present friends Rapen and Niles used every opportunity to pick on or humiliate Tan. Usually Tan had the presence of mind to steer clear of the lord’s son, but occasionally he could not be avoided. He closed his eyes, wondering what humiliation Lins would think to bestow upon him tonight, and worse, in the presence of Amia.
“Lord Lins,” Lins said proudly, turning toward the Aeta. Rapen and Niles remained silent, only grunting to note their presence.
“Not yet,” Tan muttered, shaking his head. Maybe by that time he’d finally leave Nor. Or maybe something would happen to Lins, though that seemed too much to hope for.
Lins glared at him and turned to Amia. He offered her a toothy smile. She tilted her head carefully and studied him. Tan felt a sudden pressure behind his ears that passed quickly before she smiled a half-smile.
“And you are?” Lins asked.
Amia shook her head slowly. “No one near as important.”
Lins laughed, a harsh and grating sound. “Nonsense.” His tone gave lie to his words. He turned his attention back to Tan, though remained facing Amia as he did. “Finish cleaning my stable, Minden?”
“It’s your father’s.
”
“It’s the same.” He smiled quickly at Amia. “At least my father has something of value to pass on to me.” Rapen and Niles laughed with Lins.
Amia watched him carefully, ignoring the smile Lins offered and the brutish forms of Rapen and Niles. Pressure built behind his ears again that passed quickly. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned suddenly to Lins, returning his smile with an almost feral one.
“And what have you done of value today, my lord?” Her voice retained its musical quality but carried an edge with it.
Lins’s smile faltered. “I aid my father in the running of Nor.”
“Oh?”
Tan suppressed a laugh. If chasing the young women of Nor and bullying the boys helped his father, then Lins indeed aided him. Lins glanced over to him and glared again.
“The horses find value in what Tan has done today,” Amia said.
“The horses?” Lins asked, laughing.
Amia nodded.
“I’m sure the horses care that their manure has been shoveled.”
The Aeta shrugged. “Perhaps, but they enjoyed the hay.” Her smile hardened. “There’s value in such work. I don’t know if there’s value in a pig-faced boy who thinks insulting others makes him appealing. I will ask the Mother.”
Lins wore a look of shock that Amia would dare insult him. Tan felt certain he would not take it well. Rapen and Niles laughed in spite of themselves, stifling it suddenly when Lins glared at them. They both raised their hands in submission before backing away.
Lins looked from Amia, who now smiled innocently, to Tan, who had found the sense to close his mouth, his face reddening with anger. His jaw worked to speak before he finally found his words. “Minden,” he sputtered, focusing his rage upon Tan, as Tan knew he would. “I will leave you with this Aeta rat and will find you later.”
When Lins left, Tan sighed, fearing the truth of the statement. Lins wouldn’t rest until he felt this wrong was righted. Tan was certain it would be a painful correction. “Thank you. I’m not able to speak so freely.”
Amia smiled warmly at him and Tan felt his heart race again. “I sensed that,” she answered simply.
She looked at him again and Tan remembered what she’d said before Lins appeared. “Why were you surprised that I tracked the creatures?”
Amia frowned. “They aren’t easy to track. Few manage to do so.” She paused, tilting her head and staring intently at him. “And I thank you.”
“For what?”
“Tracking them. I think it scared them off.”
“I doubt I scared them,” he began before a question came to him. “What are they?”
“They’re fearsome hounds. They followed us from Incendin.” She stopped at the sudden approach of another shadowed figure that appeared out of the fading light of the lamps and fire pits.
“Amia,” a stern voice said, interrupting the young Aeta as she spoke to Tan.
Tan looked up and recognized the regal features of the Aeta Mother, who stood staring at him while holding firmly to Amia’s arm.
“Mother,” Amia acknowledged.
The Mother smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. “Come, Daughter. You’re needed to observe.”
Amia considered the Mother for a moment and as she did, a rising pressure built within his ears. She glanced to Tan before turning her attention back to the Mother. “I am?”
The Mother nodded curtly. “You are. Come.” The Mother turned to Tan and nodded once. “Son of Ephra,” she said respectfully before turning away and leading Amia off.
Amia looked back as she followed. Tan wondered if he would ever see her again.
6
Stories of the Past
Tan stopped in the manor house after leaving Amia, not wanting to stay and risk seeing Lins again. Lins could be cruel, especially when trying to prove himself to Rapen and Niles. He found the door closed and knocked, waiting for her to answer. When she didn’t, he pushed the door open.
A single lantern burned on her desk. A stack of papers piled neatly nearby. The only thing out of order in her office was the row of books along the wall, remnants or reminders of her time in the capital, now with several hastily shoved back into place, as if she’d recently read through them.
Tan stepped over to her desk and peeked at the papers. Numbers lined the page, some sort of inventory. One of his mother’s duties keeping the manor house running involved purchasing supplies. With as tidy as she used to keep their house, Tan suspected she did it well.
As he turned away, a small, leather-bound book lying open on the desk caught his attention. Written in his mother’s tight scrawl, he read a few lines before realizing that it was a journal of some kind. Two names jumped out as he looked at it.
“Tannen.”
He spun, a flush of embarrassment working through him. He shouldn’t have been looking at his mother’s belongings, not without her permission. “Mother. I was just…”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I thought you’d be with the Aeta all night. Practically all of Nor is there.”
He noticed her hands were empty. She hadn’t done any trading then. “I was there, but had an…issue…with Lins.”
She sniffed and made her way around her desk. She glanced at the small book lying there and flipped it closed. “Lins is a fool. But he’ll inherit his father’s title one day. You’d best not have too many issues with him if you intend to remain in Nor.”
Another dig at him, but he let it slide.
“What did you need, Tannen?” She had turned to the row of books on her shelf and pulled one out. Her voice sounded tight and tired.
He took a deep breath and then sighed. What did it matter if he told her about the hounds? She wouldn’t know anything anyway. Not like his father would have. He nodded toward the book on her desk. “What’s that?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “A journal. From my time in Ethea. Something from a long time ago.”
Tan was even more surprised by the names he’d seen in the book. “What’s in it?”
She offered a tight smile. “Don’t go dancing around your questions, Tannen. Ask what you want to ask.”
He frowned. “Did you know them?”
At first he didn’t think she’d answer. Then she sighed. “Studying at the university, you get to know many people.”
“But the princess?” How had his mother never shared that with him?
A distant look crossed his mother’s face. “She…was a complicated woman. Many were saddened by her death.”
“How did you know her?”
“Like me, she studied at the university.” She took the book off the desk and flipped through the pages. “It’s a different place than others. Everyone is equal. Until you’re not. Skill and experience mean more than titles. Even for royalty.”
“You were friends?”
“Few were friends with her at that time. Had she more friends, perhaps she wouldn’t have died.”
Tan didn’t know much about the princess other than that she’d been assassinated a long time ago. But his mother seemed to know more. “What happened?”
“It was a different time. There were more shapers then. Cloud Warriors too. Not like today.” She flipped open the book and looked at one of the pages.
When she didn’t say anything, Tan pressed her. “Why would shapers matter?”
She looked up. “Because some think a shaper killed her.” She shook her head. “The only sign of foul play was a dark burn across her chest, as if shaped, but her face was said to have been peaceful.” She opened her book and studied one of the pages. Tan wondered what she’d written there. “I don’t know what shaper could have done such a thing. Not Theondar, as the rumors of the time would have you believe.” She seemed offended by the suggestion. “But a priceless heirloom went missing, and who other than Theondar had access to her rooms?” She said the last mostly to herself.
When he was younger, Tan’s father had told stories of the warriors,
so the name Theondar meant something to Tan. To most people in the kingdoms, likely. A warrior who’d stopped the Stinnis surge single-handedly. Who’d pushed back the Roke when they threatened invasion. The exploits of Theondar were some of his favorites.
“Did you know him?” Somehow, the idea that she’d known Theondar impressed him more than her knowing the princess.
“No one really knew Theondar. He was…arrogant and stubborn, but talented unlike almost any other shaper save Lacertin. A sad thing we lost them both.”
His father never really spoke of what happened to the warriors after the war. And since they’d come to Nor, he probably didn’t know. “Were they lost in the Incendin war?”
She flipped a few pages, reading for a moment before blinking and shutting the book. “Had they been there, the war might have turned out differently.”
“Wait…you mean Theondar didn’t even fight in the war?” That took something away from the stories his father had told.
“Who’s to know? After Ilianna died”—Tan noted she said “Ilianna” and not “Princess Ilianna”—“Theondar left Ethea. He’d always traveled, always using his shaping for the kingdoms, but he’d always returned to Ethea. After her death, he left for good.”
His mother took a seat and pulled the stack of papers over to her. She looked at the topmost page and let out a slight sigh. “Now, if there’s nothing else…”
Tan hated that she still had work to do. While everyone else in Nor was free to celebrate and trade with the Aeta, his mother had to stay walled off in her office and work the inventory for Lord Lind. Had his father still been alive, that wouldn’t have been necessary.
Tan turned and started for the door. He’d ask Cobin about the hounds rather than his mother. Besides, Cobin had agreed to help him track them. If they were as fearsome as Amia thought, Cobin would want to be a part of it.
Chased by Fire (The Cloud Warrior Saga Book 1) Page 4