by David Ekrut
The three of them laughed. Elwin’s cheeks burned hot enough to boil the kettle, but he jumped when the kettle whistled.
His mother stood and prepared four wooden cups of tea, cooled with cow’s milk. “We have honey, if anyone would like some?”
Only his father didn’t.
His mother handed Elwin his cup, and he sipped it despite its heat. “This is better than what they give me in the castle.”
“Oh come now,” she said as she sat, “you expect me to believe that?”
“I promise,” Elwin said. “They use sugarcane instead of honey. This is better.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Is that flour I smell?” Feffer asked.
Elwin’s mother smiled. “It is. I will be rising early to bake my pastries for the festival. And I expect some help loading them.”
“We will,” Feffer said. His grin reminded Elwin of the boy he had grown up with.
“Father,” Elwin said. “I’ve never seen you hire this many farm hands. Where did they come from?”
“The town has grown a bit, Elwin. People from the coasts fear being attacked, so many have moved inland. Several people of other nations are beginning to be displaced by the war, as well. People are working for food as much as coin. That is why we have so many here. I am making up jobs just to help people out.”
“That’s right,” Mother said. “Most of the people are bringing trades that we didn’t have before, but there are a few that bring competition as well. The prices for most things have gone down because of it. There is a new foresting crew to help with new construction. Old Gailin didn’t have enough of a crew to do it on his own. There are even artificers that have come. Your Poppe has purchased a grand display of fireworks for the festival tomorrow.”
“Zarah said they had fireworks every year in Justice,” Elwin said.
He almost struck himself for bringing up Zarah’s name. He let out a sigh of relief when the conversation continued without acknowledgement of the slip.
“How’s my Da?” Feffer asked.
“He has never done better for himself,” Father laughed. “Your Da could turn a profit by selling a farmer his own dirt.”
Feffer’s smile split his face, then his smile drooped into a frown.
“Feffer,” Elwin said. “What is it?” He knew the answer before Feffer spoke his name.
“Wilton. I’m worried about him.”
“Me too,” Elwin said.
His mother and father exchanged a look of concern, but they didn’t voice the unasked question. Feffer answered anyway. Hearing Feffer tell them about Wilton’s torture and the death of his squad was not any easier the second time. It sounded like something out of a book, but it wasn’t. Wilton had seen his companions die. By the end, Mother had tears in her eyes, and Father’s face paled.
For several moments, the only sound came from the crackling fire.
“Where do you think he went?” Elwin asked to break the silence.
“Home.”
“That is probably for the best,” his mother said.
Father nodded. “Willem will take care of him.”
The silence lingered for a bit more. Feffer looked up and said, “Elwin, what is it like living in the palace?”
“My rooms are too big, really.”
Feffer rolled his eyes. “Rooms? Bah. If you want to trade, you can have my bunk in the barracks. It smells like old sweat and rotten small clothes.”
“You make such a compelling argument, but I will keep my accommodations.”
“Accommodations,” Feffer said rolling his eyes. “Really. What’s it like?”
“Honestly. It’s exhausting. There is protocol for everything. I have multiple forks and spoons for every meal, and I can’t wrinkle my clothes a hair, or I hear it from Harkin three times over.”
“Harkin?” Feffer said.
“Ah,” Elwin said. “He’s … uh … He’s my … uh … manservant.”
“You have a manservant?” Feffer said, incredulity thick in his voice. “I eat slop and run drills all day. But you are exhausted with your manservant? Unbelievable!”
“I hardly ever see him,” Elwin protested. “He mostly just lays my clothes out and keeps my quarters clean.” Harkin tried to dress him, but Elwin refused. He wasn’t about to tell Feffer about that part.
“Oh,” Feffer said dramatically. “He only keeps your quarters clean and lays out your fancy shirts. Does he fluff your pillow and make your bed? My mattress is so thin, the ground must be more soft.”
“I work hard too.” Elwin crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I train almost nonstop. And when I say nonstop. I mean. Non. Stop. After breakfast, I train with the Elements until lunch, then I get lectured to for hours. Before supper, I train with my mind’s eye, where I try to will my soul to move about through fighting forms. Which, by the way, is as exhausting as it sounds. After the evening meal, I have one hour of free time before I have to meet Jasmine in the shadow realm for more training. That’s right. I even train in my sleep. Then I wake up and my day starts over. Oh. Right. And every Lifeday, we train with swords.”
“Okay,” Feffer said. “Maybe you do work hard. But you have a manservant. If I spill my slop, I go hungry and have to do press-ups for making a mess. Your manservant probably apologizes to you for the mess you made.” Feffer stuck his nose up in the air and made a mocking tone. “I am so sorry you spilled that. Please allow me to clean it up for you, sir.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Elwin said. Then he smiled. “I don’t eat in my quarters.”
Feffer rolled his eyes again.
Elwin looked to his parents for support. They both had amused smiles.
“Would anyone like more tea?” Mother said while pouring water into her own cup.
Elwin and Feffer both held cups out for her to refill.
“Soldiering can’t be all bad,” Elwin said after taking a sip.
“Nah. You get used to running through the drills. I’m the best in my squad with the forms. I was the first to learn all of the stanzas of every form, and I get to spar in the advanced class. It’s my favorite part.”
“Wow,” Elwin said. “You’ll make the White Hand yet.”
“I intend to.” Feffer’s face grew somber once more. Elwin didn’t have to ask to know Feffer was thinking about Wilton.
“Well,” Father said, “we have an early start, tomorrow. We should be off to bed.”
“Finish your tea boys,” his mother said. “The sleeproot will help you have a good night’s rest.”
“Sleep in a bed.” Elwin stood, stretching and yawning, “I can’t wait.”
“Where do I sleep?” Feffer asked.
“If you recall,” Father said, “Feffer, you were going to come stay with us last year. The night before you boys left, I began building bunk beds. After you were gone, it was a good project to keep me busy for a few days.”
“See, ” Feffer said, “the mischievous days of my youth weren’t all bad.”
“It wasn’t all that long ago,” Mother said. “Have you changed that much?”
“I have,” Feffer said. “I swear.”
“I don’t know,” Mother said. “You’ll have to show me before I believe you.”
“I will show you,” Feffer said. “What would you like me to do?”
“Come help me with these dishes.”
Feffer’s smile slipped for a moment, but it returned in an instant. “I will. I am excited to help you.”
Feffer walked ahead of Mother into the kitchen and began to sort plates.
“Good night, son,” she hugged Elwin and went into the kitchen.
His father patted him on the back. “It gladdens my heart to have you home, son.”
Elwin leaned in for a hug and watched his father go down the hall. He stood an
d took a deep breath. So much had changed, but this was still his home.
As he rounded the corner to his room, Elwin heard his mother ask Feffer to go outside to draw water from the well. He smiled. Feffer had talked himself into chores. That had to be a first.
Elwin stopped in the doorway of his room. It was just as he had left it. The books were all straightened and the bed was made. Nothing was out of sorts, except, atop his blanket was the book that Asalla had given him the year before. The one he had left in the grass.
“I found it in front of the inn before I got your letter,” his father said from behind him. “It looked like something you might like.”
“That is odd,” Elwin said. “I wonder how it got there. I had left it behind the Madrowl’s shop.”
“One of the kids must have found it.”
“I’m glad you got it before the rain did. The book merchant gave it to me before everything happened. He said that it was a rare find. If it is alright with you I would like to take it back with me when I go.”
“Of course.” Father sat on the bed next to him. “I wanted to wait for you to bring this up, but I have something I need to say to you.”
“What is it?”
“Your mother and I realized long ago we couldn’t have children. When you came into our lives, we thanked the Lifebringer for giving us such a precious gift. You were so young, too young to be away from your mother. We had to hire a wet nurse until you were old enough to have goat’s milk. Before we knew it, you started walking. You were quick to learn everything. We were so proud of you. And we still are.”
His vision began to blur.
His father placed his strong arm around Elwin’s shoulders. “What happened last year. It was an accident, Elwin. No one could have known that you had this power within you. What happened to that man was a tragedy. No one will argue that. But your mother and I love you, and we will always have a bed for you. I want you to know that.”
“I do.” He wiped the tears that started falling. “I love you, as well. And I will come back as often as I can.”
His father hugged him for several moments.
“Deed is done.” Feffer said as he bounced into the room. “I get top?”
“You can have the top,” Elwin said, wiping his tears.
His father hugged him one more time and said, “Night boys,” as he left the room.
“Good night, Father,” Elwin said, as Feffer called, “Good night, Mr. Escari.”
Feffer climbed into the top bunk. “I guess it would be easier for you to get up and down from here though, eh?”
“Yes,” Elwin said, as he settled into the bottom bunk. “I guess it would.”
“You have to tell me what it’s like,” Feffer said. “Flying. Even as I see it, I can’t believe it.”
Elwin took a deep breath. He could feel the Air connecting Feffer to him. The power was always there, waiting to fill him.
“There is nothing else like it, Feffer. Even touching the Elements makes you more alive. I feel connected to everything. Even now, I can feel you moving your hand through the Air, as if it were a bird.”
Feffer stopped moving his hand and Elwin laughed.
Feffer peeked his head over the side of the bed. “How did you know that?”
“As your hand moves, it create ripples,” Elwin said. “I don’t know how exactly. I have to focus on the Air, then I can see it in a way. How do you see or hear? You just do.”
“You see with your eyes,” Feffer said as he lowered his hand to the bed, “and you hear with your ears. What do you see Air with?”
“My essence,” Elwin said.
“Oh,” Feffer said. “That explains everything.”
“We should get some sleep,” Elwin said.
“Night, Elwin.”
“Good night, Feffer.”
Elwin woke beside his bed.
He could see Feffer already asleep above him. Watching the slow rhythm of his friend’s breathing, he wanted to make this moment last.
“We made it,” he said. “Feffer, we’re home. This Summer Solstice Festival will be much better than last year’s.”
He could hear the voice of his parents in the common room. He willed himself next to the fire. They sat on the same sofa as before, only they faced each other.
“He has grown so much,” Father said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
“I know,” she said after a time,“but don’t you wish he could stay here?”
“I do, but he is meant for greatness, above the life of a farmer.”
“Do you regret your life as a farmer?” she asked.
“You know that I do not,” Father said, “but I do not have Elwin’s gifts.”
She took a deep breath. They were quiet for a time, staring into one another’s eyes.
He touched her face. “He will be alright. I have only met one other with a kinder heart.”
Elwin felt as much as heard lightning roll through the clouds overhead. He returned to his room. It didn’t feel right spying on them.
They loved him, and that was all that mattered to him.
Chapter 15
Visions and Bargains
Zarah sat up in her bed, trying to catch her breath.
Her shift was wet with sweat. Her muscles ached and her head was sore. If she let herself, she could have laid back down to sleep. She had not entered the shadow realm in the night.
Instead she had been given dreams.
She could not go back to sleep. Zarah had to find her mother. The sun had not quite risen, so she would likely be in bed. Her mother shared quarters with her father in the next room over.
If it was much farther, Zarah was not sure she could make it without rest.
It took a lot of strength to push her blankets aside and roll out of bed. Her legs had nothing left to support her weight, and she fell to the cold marble.
She felt the power of Air flowing around her canopied bed and around the corners of her large room. Even if she had not heard the water splattering off her opened balcony, she could feel rain disturbing the Air as it fell. The fluid nature of Water intertwined around the flow of Air. Water nourished all living things, but Air brought the life-giving Water to the land.
She wanted to let the power fill her and fly to her mother’s quarters, but her essence had been drained. Having Visions always drained her essence so that taming a drop of power would render her unconscious. Or worse, she could damage her essence permanently.
Taking several breaths, she focused on the task at hand. Zarah crawled to her vanity dresser next to the door. Wrapping her arms around the sides, she pulled with her arms and pushed with her legs to stand. Her stomach heaved, and she closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning.
The door felt like moving a boulder placed by a giant. She pulled with all her weight to get it open and almost fell as it swung inward. Ever-torches lit the hallway, but no guards or servants walked the corridor.
Using the wall as support, Zarah worked her way up the hallway. When she reached Father’s door, she stopped to catch her breath, leaning against the door for support. Her first knock had not been as loud as she had hoped.
Balling her fist, she pounded with the last of her strength. Her legs gave out, as the door opened inward. She never made it to the floor.
Zarah felt strong arms lift her and carry her into the darkened room.
“Father,” she said. “I must speak to Mother.”
“Are you alright?”
“I had a Vision,” she said. “I will be fine, but I must speak to Mother, now.”
She did not need light to know that he had placed her on a cushioned chair next to the fireplace. Flint and steel sounded and the torch caught. Her father placed it into the fireplace along with kindling and a small log.
“Are you alri
ght?” It was Mother’s voice. “I was about to come see why you had not met me for your lesson.”
With the light of the fire, Zarah could see her father had robed before answering the door, but Mother only wore her shift.
Zarah tried to sit up, but the room spun. Remaining slouched, she said, “I had a Vision. Elwin is in danger. We all are.”
Mother sat on the ottoman, next to her. “What did you see?”
“I saw our city from above, as if I were flying. A fog too dark to be natural surrounded it. At the center of the fog, I saw Elwin in a cage. A man in dark silks stood next to it, holding the key. I could not see the man’s face, but I felt his power. Feffer Madrowl was dressed in a loin cloth, like Tharu wears. He crept up to the cage wielding raqii dath and moved with the grace of a cat.”
Zarah stopped to catch her breath. Her stomach still felt as if she might sick up, and she tasted bitterness at the back of her throat.
“Is there more?” Mother asked.
Zarah nodded. “Yes. But, I saw two things happen at once. They were both shadowy with solid pieces. In both of the Visions the most solid image was Elwin fighting against the cage. Feffer became transparent, as if a ghost. In one of the images, Feffer was opening the cage. In the other, he was dead at the feet of the man in silks.
“In the first image with Elwin free, he and Feffer fought the man in blue silks and drove him from the castle. In the second image when Feffer died, Elwin laid in his cage and wept himself to sleep. The man in silks laughed as the castle walls crumbled to dust. He said, ‘You are mine at last son of Bain. At last, the world is mine.’
“The castle faded and a field of corpses began to rise, though they did not draw breath. Large winged creatures made of bones, like dragons without scales, covered the lands. People were made to swear allegiance to the Seeker.
“The field faded into mountains, where dragons rose from their rock cocoons. They were much more massive than any bard has every told. The dragons were divided by the color of their scales. Gold and green dragons hovered over Alcoa, like guardians, while the black and red dragons tried to destroy them. There were dragons of other colors, who went to other nations, and others still who scattered to odd corners of the world.