by Trish Mercer
He glanced upwards as if his old mentor sat in the rafters.
“There’s still no other option, is there, Tuma?” Hew said to the ceiling. “After all these years, it remains the only one.”
The man standing behind him shifted nervously. “If I may ask, what’s that only option?”
Gleace watched out the window again. “There’s no way to make the most well-known family in the world simply vanish. No, it looks like we’re going to have to kill them.”
The man gasped. “Kill them?!”
Gleace turned to him and grinned.
“Just like we killed Guide Pax.”
---
As Mahrree hung out the wash to dry on the line in the back garden she felt someone watching her. Surely someone would be. Perrin had warned her last night that they’d be under guard until Thorne lost interest or the Administrators had a made a decision as to what to do next. Mahrree subtly looked around her to discover where the soldier may be lurking. Possibly the bushes or in the maple tree that spanned the alley behind the house. Well she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was only hanging out the clothes. He was more than welcome to help.
She chuckled miserably as she picked up the empty basket. Seeing Mrs. Hersh in her back garden, Mahrree waved. But Mrs. Hersh’s eyes bulged and she rushed into her house.
Mahrree frowned. “Hmm,” she said. She walked back to the house and looked through the window at her neighbor.
Mrs. Hersh was carefully creeping back out, watching Mahrree’s back porch door for movement.
“Hmm,” she said to The Cat who had followed her in. “I hadn’t quite anticipated that. What do you think she’s been told?”
Hearing footsteps in the back garden, Mahrree turned to see Peto coming up the back stairs and open the door with a flourish.
Mrs. Hersh rushed back into her house, shielding her view of the Shins.
Peto didn’t notice, but held out his arms wide. “I’ve learned all that I can learn in the Administrators’ School,” he announced with feigned pride. “This notice,” he produced an official piece of parchment from his pocket, “informs you and Father that I no longer need to attend. Isn’t that wonderful?” He batted his eyelids.
Mahrree pursed her lips as she took the notice dated that morning. “Well son, I couldn’t be more proud,” she said with just as much enthusiasm. “It looks like you’re an outcast in Edge as well. I’m sorry, Peto. Your father’s at Deck’s. I’m sure he’ll be pleased with your expulsion.”
He took the parchment and dropped the meaningless notice on the floor. “Mother,” Peto said, putting his hand on her shoulder, “all I can say is, why didn’t you get angry in public earlier? I’m missing only the last few weeks of school. Had you done this seasons ago, I could have been really enjoying myself!”
“Thanks,” she whispered and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now go to Deck and Jaytsy’s and get to work!” she ordered him.
He started to salute her, but dropped his arm and shook his head in self admonishment. This was going to take some time.
Mahrree tried to feel badly about his expulsion. But she couldn’t. She wondered why she had sent him to school that morning at all.
---
Peto changed into his work clothes, ducked out of the back door, smirked that Mrs. Hersh ran back into her house again, and headed around to the front yard. He pulled the cotton bag of peach pits from his pocket and analyzed the hole his mother had hacked in the front garden.
A little too close to the house maybe. And a little too deep. Remarkable how much damage she did to the front yard with only Grandmother Peto’s fancy fork. It was still lying there, bent and dirty and startled.
He’d been thinking about this all evening and morning, and still wasn’t sure what the peach pits meant, but maybe this was something. He dropped to his knees and poured out the six pits into the hole. Then, knowing that was about five pits too many, he fished the extras out and slipped them back into the bag. They’d go somewhere else. He just didn’t know where in the world that could be, though.
With the damaged fork he scooped some of the dirt over the pit, but left a good amount of hole so that his mother wouldn’t know what was in there. He had no reason as to why not to tell her about the peach pits, it’s just that . . . well, he didn’t know much of anything about anything at all anymore and . . .
And that’s why they let him leave school, he chuckled to himself on the way to the Briters’ farm.
---
Perrin and Peto left from the Briters a little before dinner time. Despite everything, Perrin was smiling.
He had plans.
In the mornings he and Peto would help Deck with his chores and the cattle, and in the afternoons the young men would retreat to the privacy of the barn to undergo Perrin’s new training regime. The first lesson tomorrow would be, “How to Hold Weapon as It Was Intended,” followed by “How to Move Faster Than Perrin.” He was also bringing home a gift for Mahrree: some of the Briters’ old gardening tools.
As they turned down the alley to their home, Peto murmured to his father. “Looks different than the one earlier today.”
Perrin nodded. As they neared the house, Perrin cleared his throat. “Well, Peto, tomorrow we best get to work on the wasps in the maples. Last I saw they were building a new nest about five branches up.” They hopped over the fence and up to the back porch.
Shortly after Perrin shut the door, a blue uniformed young man fell out of the tree, frantically brushing off nothing from his clothes.
In the kitchen Perrin groaned in disappointment as he watched the panicked soldier. “I was really hoping it was Thorne. Maybe next time.”
“Perrin, you’re terrible,” Mahrree chided without meaning it. “What are you holding?”
He grinned and held out the shovel, hoe, and rake. “I understand you started to work on the front yard last night. Perhaps, with all our free time, you want to do the job properly.”
Mahrree took the tools. “Maybe I do like gardening.”
Perrin’s grin faded. “There’s also this,” he said grimly as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket—an official notice, ripped from the message board closest to their house.
“That may explain a few things,” Mahrree said as she took it. She glanced at the first line. “Interesting take on the events, though.”
“Politics,” Peto said dully.
“You’ve learned a lot about that lately, haven’t you?” Perrin said.
Peto scoffed. “More than I’d learn in school! I need to wash up. Farms are dirty places, and smelly. But not as disgusting as that,” he gestured to the notice before he went to the washroom.
Mahrree sat down on the kitchen chair and read. “‘By order of the Army of Idumea, Perrin Shin is no longer commander of the army presence in Edge. He is, for all intents and purposes, as well as according to all considerations and procedures—’” She paused to scowl. “What does that mean?”
Perrin shrugged. “It means that Thorne, Kori, and Genev’s assistant have been practicing their Idumea-speak.”
Mahrree shook her head. “‘He is blah, blah, blah, a regular citizen of Edge and is to be considered as such.” She rolled her eyes. “So ‘He resigned’ is too few words, and too accurate?”
He smiled painfully and shrugged again. “There’s more.”
Mahrree looked back at the notice and her mouth dropped open. “What does this mean? ‘Mahrree Shin, despite her behavior, is also to be continued to be afforded all rights and privileges as a citizen of Edge.’ Well what else would I be ‘afforded’?” She gasped in panic. “Perrin, why did they have to write this?”
He kneeled down in front of her and took her arms. “Calm down. Slow breaths. It means nothing.”
“How can you say that?!” she panted, ignoring his advice.
He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Deck talked to Chief Barnie after we saw the notice go up. There are a few Edgers upset right now. App
arently . . .” Perrin paused to find the right words, and she knew what was coming next would be awful, “some people went to him insisting that you should be incarcerated—”
Mahrree felt nauseated.
“—for your outburst. They thought you were debating and felt you showed extreme disrespect to the Administrators and to me.”
She closed her eyes and hid her face with her hands. All she could say was the phrase she repeated so often. “I’m so sorr—”
“No, no, no! There’s nothing to be sorry about! You said what needed to be said. Maybe a little loudly,” he cocked his head. “News should have reached Idumea by now. I wished Shem was still here. I was really hoping we would hear from him before he left, but with the house being watched—”
“What about Deck’s place?” Mahrree suggested. “Couldn’t he go there?”
“Thorne has it guarded too. Another tree I may need to take down,” he said more to himself. “I don’t know how Shem could reach us, at least not until all of this calms down a bit. Uh, Mahrree,” he pointed to the notice, “you need to continue reading.” He cringed, waiting for the rest of her reaction which would be coming in about five seconds, four, three, two . . .
Mahrree slapped the notice. “What’s this? ‘During this time of adjustment for the Shin family, all residents of Edge are recommended to not interact with Perrin, Mahrree, or Peto Shin until all considerations and concerns have been addressed’? So, so . . . we have no more friends?! No one who can contact us?” Panicked heat welled in her chest. “What concerns? When will that be? Perrin!” Her shoulders heaved and the tears came in a great wave. “What have I done to this family?” she choked out between sobs.
He pulled her head to rest on his shoulder and kissed her cheek. Before he could answer her, his son did.
“You’ve done nothing to this family, Mother,” Peto said, standing at the door with fury in his pale eyes. “It’s them. They’ve ruined everything. Again.”
His father shot him a glance of both approval and warning.
“And don’t say you’re sorry again, Mother. I know.” Peto said wearily and sat down in the other kitchen chair. “So now what? The Hero of Edge is to be shunned, as well as his wife and son. Any new plans, Father?”
“Well,” Perrin started slowly, “actually, yes. First we need to make some new dreams, ones that no one here can thwart or interfere with. That will take a little time. So what we do next is, we don’t worry about the notice, don’t worry about anyone or anything in Edge, except for Jaytsy, Deckett, and the baby. Their farm and their family is our focus for now. I predict that by the end of Planting Season we’ll know exactly what we’ll do next. And when we look back we’ll remember this time with fondness, because it will mark the beginning of our new lives which will be better than what we left. I promise.”
“Nice speech,” Peto smirked. “So how long have you been practicing that?”
“Actually, I was planning to use it on your mother. Did you catch it all, Mahrree?”
She chuckled and wiped her face. “Yes, I did. And I think you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right! I’m always right,” insisted Perrin.
Peto rolled his eyes. “Always right?”
“Absolutely!” Perrin said. “Now, I was also planning, after that speech to your mother which became your speech, to do something else.”
Peto’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare!”
Despite his son scrambling away, Perrin caught and kissed him on the cheek.
“Ugh!” Peto yelled, wiping his face with dramatic revulsion.
Perrin chuckled. “Now be grateful. On your mother it would have been the lips. And that’s why you need to learn to be faster than me. Your attempts this afternoon were dismal. Deck’s cows are quicker than you. You should have seen what was coming.”
“How could I have seen that?” Peto rubbed his cheek to make sure nothing remained.
Perrin scowled. “Boy, how long have you lived with me? What do I usually do with your mother in front of you? You whine about it nearly every day. I even gave you a warning! You need to learn to anticipate and prepare. You did that on the kickball field, now do that in your life.”
“Kick a ball at me, you’ll see me anticipated and prepared!”
“So pretend that ball is an arrow.”
Peto scoffed. “No one can prepare for an arrow.”
“Learn to estimate where it’s coming from, its trajectory, the wind—you can. And you must. We don’t know who we can trust anymore.”
Peto sighed. “All right.” He stood at sloppy attention. “I will subject myself to your training, sir. But on one condition.”
“And what is that?”
“So that I can see how to dodge the arrow appropriately, I need a demonstration. I get to shoot at you first.”
---
That evening after dinner a subdued yet still trying to be hopeful Mahrree headed over to Jaytsy’s.
Yet as she stepped out into the alley, she couldn’t help herself. “My goodness. Someone left a long knife under that bush. What would Captain Thorne think? Tsk-tsk.”
After she passed the bush, she ducked behind a fence and peered down the alley. A hand reached out blindly from one bush to pat the empty ground underneath another. It was amazing Perrin had as much success as he did with those boys.
Her fleeting amusement came to an end as she turned to head north. She hadn’t realized, but should have, that she was now walking to the fort. A lump filled her throat. She had no reason to go there ever again. It’s not that she ever loved it, but the fort was a symbol of her husband. And now it felt like it had betrayed her by betraying him. True, he left it. But it forced him to.
It took her a moment to notice that soldiers were crossing the road to avoid her. The same young men who cheerfully greeted her, tipped their caps, and even playfully saluted at times now ignored her.
It’s all right, she told herself. It’s all right. They aren’t our sons. They never were. They belong to the Administrators. The only thing those silly men in red no longer own is Perrin.
That put a smile on her face. He was his own man now. A little lost for the time being, and refusing to elaborate on his new “plan” just yet, but still his own man.
She turned to her daughter’s home and noticed the perfectly straight rows beginning to sprout. Thank goodness Jaytsy and Deckett weren’t on the notice. When it was time to weed this enormous farm they’d need help. Jaytsy would be busy nursing an infant. Mahrree could help, so could Peto and Perrin—
She shook her head. Perrin weeding a farm. She laughed lightly at the idea. The one-time future High General of Idumea on his knees in rows of cucumbers.
Did cucumbers even grow in rows?
“We have a lot to learn, don’t we?” she muttered as she came to her daughter’s kitchen door.
Deck opened the door for her. “Come to get the seeds, have you?” he said too loudly.
Mahrree patted his arm. “The soldier’s in the thick bushes by the fence, probably so he can see both doors. He’s out of earshot.”
“I’m not really used to all of this,” Deck apologized as he let Mahrree into the house. “This sneaking around.”
“Remember, Deck—you’re not sneaking,” she said. “They are. None of us is doing anything wrong. Their jobs are incredibly dull, and if Jaytsy has any rotten food that the hog won’t eat, I can toss it out on my way home by the fence.”
Jaytsy came to the kitchen holding a small basket. “There’s a sample of everything we had left. And in this envelope are mystery seeds from Mrs. Briter’s collection that neither of us can identify.”
“Good,” Mahrree said, taking the basket. “It’ll be a surprise. I’m rather used to surprises by now. Bring me more!”
Jaytsy giggled. “You really are behind the times, Mother. Everyone is now Idumean-ing their gardens with turf and rock, but you have now decided to plant a garden.”
“I’m not behind the tim
es, Jaytsy. I’m just finally catching on. The Creator said we should till and plant in the world, so that’s what I’m finally going to do.” She peered into the basket. “Um, Deck, Jayts—how do you know which side of the seed should point up?”
Hmph! she thought as she left their house a few minutes later—her daughter giggling so hard she had to run to relieve herself and her son-in-law literally rolling on the floor—I don’t know why they never answer that question.
Chapter 34 ~ “This has always been such a nice village—”
The very next morning Mahrree attempted to take out the weeds in the front garden. After half an hour she sent Peto to get Deck’s plow to churn it all up. His ox wouldn’t fit in the small yard, but his largest goat proved to be powerful enough to till the whole yard.
Peto sat on the front steps and offered advice only an almost-seventeen-year-old could.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just rock the whole thing like the Hershes did, and place one little flower in a pot on top of a big boulder? I’m afraid this dirt won’t know what to do with seeds. It’s too old and has never had anything purposely placed in it. Ooh, careful what you grab, Mother. I don’t think that’s really the front of the goat—”
That’s when Perrin dragged him over to the Briters, because Mahrree was coming after her son intending to use a hoe on him in a way no hoe was ever intended to be used. It was bad enough the goat was giving her a hard time.
By that afternoon she had churned up the yard and made a sizable stack of rocks along the fence. She wondered if everyone in the neighborhood and dumped their rocks in her garden over the years. But it wasn’t as if she could’ve asked anyone about that.
Poor Mrs. Hersh kept watching Mahrree out of her front window, probably waiting for a break to go to the markets without having to speak to her. Passing neighbors crossed to the other side of the road and never looked in her direction.