by John Marco
‘I’ll try, Father,’ he said softly, then turned and walked slowly back to the castle.
Fifteen
Alain was only ten, but he already had the family’s love for hunting, and Dinadin knew his brother would someday be a fine bowman. The bow he was using had been specifically tailored to his diminutive stature, a gift from his father on his recently passed birthday. It was made of hardwood, like a real bow, and just like a real bow it fired arrows precisely where an archer aimed. If the archer was any good, the target was hit. If not, then lessons were needed. Alain needed lessons desperately.
‘I can pull it back myself!’ insisted the boy. He tried to pull loose of his brother’s embrace, but Dinadin stood firmly behind him, helping him draw back the string.
‘No,’ directed Dinadin easily. ‘You’re holding the string wrong again. Don’t use your whole hand. Here . . .’
Dinadin let the tension out of the string, then folded his brother’s little hand around the arrow shaft, using just the top two fingers. He guided Alain’s hand back to the string, positioning it and carefully drawing it back.
‘It hurts that way,’ complained the boy. ‘I like my way better.’
‘You’ll lose control over the arrow your way,’ said Dinadin. ‘That’s why you can’t hit the target.’
Alain grimaced as he took stock of his marksmanship, inspecting the target yards away. It was a round bale of hay with a sloppily painted red circle at its center. The center hadn’t been hit once, nor had any other part of the bale. The ground around the target was littered with arrows.
‘I can’t get it,’ Alain sighed. ‘I’m just no good. Not like you.’
‘It takes practice, Alain,’ Dinadin consoled him. ‘I didn’t get good quickly, either. I had to work at it. Del, too. Father taught us both when we were your age. Now it’s your turn to learn.’
‘I can’t,’ said Alain, tossing his bow to the ground. ‘And I don’t want to practice. I want to be good. Now.’
Dinadin laughed. Alain had always been impatient, even before Dinadin had left for Lucel-Lor. He was glad the boy hadn’t changed. Nothing had really changed since coming home, and that helped to quiet Dinadin’s restless heart. And whenever he spent time with his brothers or rode with his father, he silently swore he would never leave this place again. He picked Alain’s bow up from the ground and offered it to him, but his brother shook his head.
‘I don’t want it,’ said the boy sourly. ‘It doesn’t work.’
‘Don’t blame the bow, Alain,’ said Dinadin. ‘That won’t help.’
‘It’s too small, I can’t reach the target.’
‘Of course you can. Here, let me show you.’
He pulled another arrow out of the quiver on the ground, notched it into the string of the small bow, and drew back with one eye closed. The red circle took focus immediately, like a Drol’s robes, and the world closed around him until all he saw was the target and the distortedly large arrowhead. When he released the string the arrow whistled away and slammed into the bale, just inches off center. Alain screeched happily and clapped his hands together.
‘You see?’ said Dinadin, handing the weapon back to his brother. ‘It’s not the bow. It’s you. You just have to practice.’
Alain took the bow cheerfully. ‘You’re better than Del. Better than Father, even. Maybe you’re the best in Nar!’
‘I’m not,’ said Dinadin, embarrassed by his brother’s praise but nonetheless loving it. He could still make Alain smile. ‘There’s a lot better than me.’
‘I don’t know any,’ said Alain.
‘Well, I do. Like Triin. They’re the best bowmen in the world. Fast. And always on target.’
Alain stared up at him inquisitively. ‘Did you know a lot of Triin?’
‘Not a lot,’ said Dinadin. All at once his mood deflated. ‘Just one really.’
‘Was he a good bowman?’
‘Oh, yes,’ replied Dinadin. ‘Come here, I want to tell you about him.’
He took his brother’s hand and led him to the shade of a nearby sycamore. Beneath the tree were pillows of fallen leaves that had been kicked into neat piles. The snow that had come earlier in the week had disappeared, and the weather was seasonable again, ripe with autumn dampness. Alain plopped down into one leaf pile and Dinadin into another. Alain’s green eyes were wide with anticipation.
‘His name was Lucyler,’ began Dinadin dramatically. ‘He was my friend.’ Then he thought again and said, ‘No, that’s not right. He was more than just a friend. He was like a brother.’
‘Like me?’
‘A little taller,’ joked Dinadin. ‘But yes, like you and Del.’
‘And Richius?’
Dinadin’s smile evaporated. ‘Let me tell the story, all right? Anyway, he was a great bowman, really the best I’ve ever seen. I mean better than me, better than Father, just the best. He could notch an arrow, shoot, and have another ready to go before you could even pull an arrow from your quiver.’ Dinadin sighed. ‘Lord, he was something else.’
‘Father says the gogs are fast because they’re part animal,’ said Alain. ‘Is that right, Dinadin? Are they like animals?’
‘No, they’re not animals, they’re people. And don’t call them gogs.’
Alain’s eyebrows went up. ‘You called them gogs all the time! I remember.’
‘Not anymore I don’t,’ said Dinadin. ‘And you shouldn’t, either. Father doesn’t know what he’s talking about, so just forget what he tells you about Triin. If you want to know anything, ask me. I’ll tell it straight.’
‘What happened to your friend?’ asked Alain. ‘Did he die?’
Dinadin nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘What happened?’
‘Alain,’ said Dinadin gravely, ‘I can’t really tell you that. If I told you the truth it might upset you, change the way you feel about things. And I don’t want that.’
Alain didn’t hide his disappointment. ‘Dinadin, come on. Tell me.’
‘I can’t,’ said Dinadin. ‘Not all of it, anyway. Let’s just say he was left behind, and because someone left him behind he was captured by the Drol. They took him away, and . . . I guess they killed him.’
Alain slid closer to his brother, dragging his rump across the grass. ‘You miss him?’ asked the boy.
‘Yes,’ said Dinadin sadly. ‘I miss him. I miss a lot of people.’
He reached out his long arm then and snatched up his little brother, squeezing him with one hand and mussing up his hair with the other. Alain cried out comically and tried to wiggle free, but wound up just dragging his brother over into the patch of leaves. They both laughed and pulled twigs from their hair, and would have broken into a chase if not for a sudden shout from the castle yard. Dinadin heard his name being called and looked up to see a slight, blond-haired figure waving at him from the stone railing of the courtyard. He recognized the small man at once, but Alain squealed the name first.
‘Patwin!’ cried the boy, jumping to his feet. ‘Look, Dinadin!’
‘I see,’ said Dinadin dully.
Patwin was waiting to be waved down. Dinadin sighed and put up a hand, gesturing for his friend to come. A certain dread surged inside him. It had been such a bright day. Now a cloud was coming. Patwin sauntered over to them casually, a beaming smile on his face. Alain ran up to him and wrapped his arms around Patwin’s legs, dragging him toward his brother. As his friend approached, Dinadin leaned back against the sycamore.
‘Hello,’ said Patwin. He peeled Alain off his thigh and took the boy’s hand.
‘Patwin,’ acknowledged Dinadin with a nod. ‘I didn’t expect to see you. Is something wrong?’
‘Nothing,’ said Patwin. ‘Just a visit.’
‘Of course,’ said Dinadin heavily. ‘Well, I’m glad you came.’
‘Yes, you look it,’ quipped Patwin. He smiled wryly then looked Alain up and down. ‘Lord, Alain, you’re almost as tall as your brother!’
‘I’m ten now,
’ declared Alain proudly. ‘And I’m learning to shoot.’ He picked up his bow excitedly and handed it to Patwin. ‘Father got me my own bow, and Dinadin’s showing me how to use it.’
‘Very nice,’ remarked Patwin, inspecting the weapon. There was the old, characteristic twinkle to his voice, the same magic lilt Richius always had with Alain. ‘I’ll bet you’re getting really good, huh? Like your brother.’
Alain shrugged. ‘Not really,’ he admitted. ‘My hands still get in the way.’
Patwin looked to Dinadin. ‘What?’
‘He uses his whole hand instead of just his fingers,’ Dinadin explained. ‘But he’s getting better.’
‘I’m sure he is,’ said Patwin, handing the bow back to Alain. ‘Your brother’s a good teacher, Alain. He was one of the best archers in our company. You listen to what he tells you.’
Alain smiled up at Patwin. ‘Will you stay for dinner? I’ll tell Mother you’re here.’
‘She already knows. And she already invited me. I saw her and Del on my way here. They told me you were around back, so I thought I’d come and have a talk with you.’
‘So?’ asked Dinadin. ‘You going to stay?’
Patwin was careful to hide his face from Alain. ‘That depends,’ he said seriously. ‘I have to talk to you, Dinadin.’
‘Stay, Patwin,’ begged Alain. ‘Father won’t mind. I’ll go tell him.’
‘Good idea,’ agreed Dinadin. ‘Alain, go tell Father Patwin’s staying for dinner. Give us a chance to talk, all right?’
The boy agreed eagerly and darted off toward the house. When he was gone, Dinadin patted the ground beside him, bidding Patwin to sit. Somewhat haltingly, Patwin folded himself down on the pile of leaves. They stared at each other for an awkward moment.
‘I really am glad you’re here,’ Dinadin began. ‘But I don’t want to argue.’
‘I’m not here to argue, Dinadin,’ said Patwin. ‘I have news.’
‘Good news?’
‘Yes. At least I think so.’
Dinadin folded his arms over his chest and gestured with his chin for Patwin to continue. He could already tell from his comrade’s tone that the subject would be Richius. ‘Go on.’
‘Richius has had news from Nar City,’ said Patwin. ‘The emperor wants to make him king.’ He waited for Dinadin’s hard expression to change. When it didn’t, he went on. ‘He’s supposed to be in Nar on the thirtieth day of winter. That’s about two months from now.’
‘King,’ remarked Dinadin absently. ‘Nice.’
Patwin strained to smile. ‘He’s taking some people with him on the trip. We’re going to have a fine time, take it real easy and see some of the sights. I’m going, and of course he thought of you right away. I think you should come with us.’
‘I can’t,’ said Dinadin. He picked a dead leaf from the ground and studied it, twirling it around in his fingers. ‘I have things around here to do.’
‘Dinadin, that’s a lie.’
Dinadin shrugged. ‘I suppose it is.’ He evaded Patwin’s probing eyes, inspecting the leaf with interest. ‘But I still can’t go.’
‘Can’t? Or won’t?’
‘Either.’
‘Damn it, Dinadin,’ exclaimed Patwin. ‘Stop fooling and talk to me!’
Dinadin crumpled the leaf and glared at Patwin. ‘About what? Richius? I told you already that’s a dead subject. What did you think? Did you think you were going to come here with this great news about him being made king, and I was going to forget about everything?’ Dinadin tossed the leaf away. ‘Some king he’ll make.’
‘I think he’ll make a fine king. And I think you’re being a pigheaded fool, Dinadin. How long are you going to hold this grudge? Richius is going to be our king. Are you going to ignore him forever?’
‘If I can,’ said Dinadin honestly. ‘Unlike you, I remember what happened.’
Patwin laughed bitterly. ‘Do you? It seems to me your memory is a little vague. You’re the one who badgered Richius about going to Ackle-Nye, remember? If there is blame to go around for Lucyler’s death, you’re as much at fault as Richius.’
‘Voris didn’t come looking for me,’ said Dinadin coldly. ‘He wanted Richius. And because Richius wasn’t there Lucyler got killed. Hell, we were all about to die anyway. But did Richius care? Hardly. He just let us go on dying, while his damn father abandoned us!’
‘Dinadin, he did his best . . .’
‘If that’s his best, then Aramoor’s in real trouble. Lord, I can’t imagine him as king after the way he let us die like flies in Dring.’
Patwin’s expression was stricken. ‘Dinadin, I know you don’t believe that. You’re just mad. It’s all right to be angry. We’re all angry about being left behind. But you have to get over it. Even Richius is trying, and it was his own father. How do you think he feels about it?’
Dinadin couldn’t answer. At one point he had thought Patwin was right, that he was just bitter and would get over it. But there were just too many deaths to forget. And Lucyler’s capture kept coming back to him, gnawing at him, demanding to be remembered. If only Richius had been there, Lucyler might still be alive. He didn’t want Richius to be dead, either, of course, but it was just another twist of Richius’ weird luck, letting people die in his stead. If they had left a month earlier, there were at least a dozen more who would have come home. But Richius hadn’t let them leave.
‘I’m sure he feels badly,’ said Dinadin at last. ‘But don’t you think he should? If we had retreated, Lucyler would still be alive. Jimsin and Lonal, too.’
‘It doesn’t work that way, Dinadin. We had a job to do. Richius knew that. He didn’t want to be there, but he had to be. And you’re right, he does feel badly. Badly enough to try and come here and apologize to you.’
‘He tried to come here? When?’
‘The day before yesterday,’ said Patwin. ‘He wanted to talk to you, say he was sorry and try to put all this business in the past. We didn’t make it, though.’
‘What happened?’ asked Dinadin. He couldn’t keep the alarm from his voice.
‘Wolves,’ said Patwin. ‘They attacked us on the road. We tried to outrun them but they were too fast. Thunder couldn’t make it.’
‘Oh, no . . .’
‘There were five of them,’ continued Patwin ruthlessly. ‘They got hold of Thunder. Killed him.’
Dinadin closed his eyes and took an unsteady breath. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said carefully. ‘I really am. How’s Richius?’
‘He took it about as hard as you’d expect,’ said Patwin. ‘But one of the wolves got him, too. Bit him in the arm, not too bad. He’s resting now and should be fine in a few days. That’s why I’m here, Dinadin. Since he can’t get around, I’m helping him make the plans for the trip to Nar.’ Patwin paused and locked eyes with Dinadin. ‘You should come see him, Dinadin. He’d like that.’
Dinadin shook his head. ‘I . . . I can’t,’ he stammered. ‘Sorry, Patwin. I just can’t.’
‘But why? Look, he told me all about the girl in the tavern. He’s even sorry about that.’
‘It’s not about the girl,’ said Dinadin. ‘Haven’t you been listening? Lord, where’s your memory gone? He could have gotten all of us killed! His father abandoned us and he still wouldn’t let us come home. He’s got a lot of blood on his hands, Patwin. An apology just isn’t enough.’
Patwin’s eyes narrowed, studying him. ‘So that’s it? You won’t come with us to Nar?’
‘No,’ said Dinadin. ‘I won’t.’
Patwin got to his feet. ‘Fine,’ he snapped. ‘I won’t beg you to do the right thing. I’m sure you know in your heart how wrong you are. But he’s going to be your king, Dinadin. You can’t avoid him forever. If you wait too long your friendship may never recover.’
Dinadin said nothing, merely gazing off into the distance. He let Patwin hover over him for a few moments, staring down at him with barely disguised contempt. The fleeting idea of agreeing came to him, but vanis
hed just as quickly. He was bitter, like an old man, and he wondered if he would ever be the same again.
‘Well?’ pressed Patwin. ‘What do you say?’
‘Alain’s much bigger, isn’t he? I’m glad you had the chance to see him again. If you’re staying for supper maybe we can play some cards after.’
Patwin’s expression was like ice. ‘No, I won’t be staying. Tell your father I’ll see him when he comes around the castle, to honor his new king.’
Patwin turned to go, but before he had taken three paces Dinadin called after him.
‘Patwin, stop. You’re still my friend. You’re welcome here anytime. But don’t ever try to convince me I’m wrong again.’
‘You are wrong, Dinadin,’ replied Patwin. ‘You just don’t see it yet.’
Dinadin watched him go, wondering bleakly if he had severed more than one old friendship.
Sixteen
Five days after Biagio’s visit, Richius set out on the long journey to Nar City.
There had not been much time for preparation. Richius wanted to enjoy the trip, and to take it easy on the way so as not to tax the horses too much. There was only time enough for him to pack some essential items, nurse his wounded arm, and invite a select few to join him on his journey.
Dinadin had been the first to decline the invitation, and when Patwin returned to the castle with the news, Richius had been devastated. He knew then for certain what he already felt in his heart, that he would probably never see Dinadin again. Richius felt as though he had lost a brother.
Jojustin too declined to make the trip. Were they to travel by ship, Jojustin had explained, he might have considered it, but his days of long rides were behind him. This Richius understood and tried to accept graciously, for he hadn’t really expected the old man to accompany him. Jojustin was almost sixty, and though he prided himself on his fitness and horsemanship, even he admitted that such a long trip was for younger men. Moreover, Richius knew, Jojustin didn’t relish the prospect of meeting the emperor. Like Edgard, Jojustin was a symbol of a time when a rebellious king sat on Aramoor’s throne.