“Reiv…over here!” Dayn shouted.
Reiv smiled and moved toward his cousin who was headed his way. They grabbed each other in a brief embrace.
“How did it go?” Dayn asked. “Did you find him?”
“Yes, I found him,” Reiv said. “My brother is not as he was when you last saw him. When I came upon him he was a shell of his former self. But he has pulled himself together and now works to make things right. He realizes it cannot be done without the Jecta. A meeting is called for in the morning. We need to get the word to the clan leaders.”
“I’ll do it,” Dayn said. “Get yourself some food. I won’t be long.”
“What about the rats?” Reiv asked. “I smelled meat cooking when I arrived.”
“Most have heeded the message,” Dayn said. Then he grinned. “Some hunters returned from the forest today with three bucks in tow. It appears the wildlife is returning. That’s probably what you smelled.”
Reiv licked his lips in response to the thought of venison.
Dayn laughed. “Alicine is roasting some on the spit. You’d better get your share before it’s gone.”
Dayn headed out to spread the word about the meeting while Reiv practically raced to the campfire by the shelter. Just as Dayn had said, Alicine was turning a spit heavy with venison. Reiv walked up quietly and stood at her back, recalling the words he had said to her the last time they spoke. Nerves clutched hold of his stomach, accentuating the hunger that lingered there. He hadn’t given her a chance to react to his unexpected comment before. How in the world was she going to react now that it had sunk in?
“That smells good,” he said, trying to push the other thought from his mind.
Alicine started at the sound of his voice and spun to face him. Though bathed in shadow, her face seemed to blush. She pushed a stray hair from her eyes. “Reiv,” she said.
“Did I surprise you?” he asked.
“Always.”
He walked toward the fire and eyed the meat, glinting a savage desire to rip it from the spit. Alicine sliced a piece for him and placed it on a chipped pottery plate, then handed it to him.
He sat down, tossed the plate to the ground, and held the meat with both hands as he sank his teeth into it.
“Careful, it’s hot,” Alicine said.
Reiv hadn’t really noticed, but dropped the meat back onto the plate and accepted the utensils she thrust into his hands. Based on the condition of his empty stomach, the fork and knife would be too bothersome, but he used them anyway, more for Alicine’s satisfaction than for the protection of his fingers.
When he finished, he wiped the grease from his mouth and glanced around. “Where is everyone?”
“Brina and Nannaven are with Mya. And Dayn…” Alicine craned her neck. “Where did he go anyway?”
“Oh, he went to get a message to the clans. Whyn has called a meeting for in the morning. It looks like the agreement will be drawn up and signed. Hopefully there will be no problems. Tearia is in a poor state. He would be foolish to delay.”
“So your brother’s well then?”
“He survives. That is all I can say for him at the moment.”
“And the rest of your family?”
Reiv stared into the fire, the heat of it adding to the flush he felt in his cheeks. “Mother is dead…an uncle missing…some distant cousins survived…but Cinnia did not.”
Alicine followed his gaze to the flames. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Reiv rose to face her. “No, it is I who am sorry, sorry for calling you by her name that time we…Well, anyway, I did not realize what I was saying. Or what I was doing.”
“I didn’t realize what you were saying, either, although I was pretty sure what you were doing.” Alicine smiled awkwardly. “I thought you were saying we were committing a sin. That’s what made me realize we were. I’m glad you said it.”
“Is that what you thought we were doing? Sinning?”
Alicine lowered her eyes. “It’s a sin for a boy and a girl not married to touch each other like that.”
“I see. Well,” Reiv said, “I would never want to lead you into sin, Alicine. You are far too important to me.”
Alicine placed a hand on his arm. “Reiv, what you said earlier. Did you mean it?”
“Of course.” He looked at the hand resting upon his arm and felt a tingle. “Goosy bumps,” he said.
“What?”
“Dayn once said something about goosy bumps. I did not understand what he was referring to. It was not an expression I was familiar with.”
Alicine ran her fingers across the tiny bumps blanketing his arm. “Oh, you mean goose bumps. So I give you goose bumps, do I?” She had an unusually mischievous tone, leaving Reiv feeling somewhat flustered.
“Yes, you do,” he said, pulling his arm away, “but that must be as far as the bumps go until you no longer feel it is a sin.” He turned and took a step. “I think I will go find Dayn. The clans will have questions.” Then he disappeared into the blur of the encampment.
****
The meeting between the Tearians and the Jecta took place where the battle had been fought. All the clan representatives attended, including Torin who had received the message about the meeting in the middle of the night. He had arrived with little time to spare, but the Shell Seekers would have been represented even without him; Reiv would have stood in his place if need be. All the conditions set forth by the Jecta were met without protest. They asked for nothing more than the rights the Tearians had always enjoyed. It was understood that the adjustments would be difficult; old habits and prejudices were hard to break. While they realized much work lay ahead, there was an air of giddy excitement within both camps. A new age had begun for all.
Reiv, Torin, and Dayn arrived back at the encampment in a festive mood. Brina, Alicine, and Nannaven had prepared a simple, but in their minds lavish, feast of beet and venison stew, flat breads, and wine. Dayn, who had once hated beets, seemed to have forgotten his previous disdain for them and was working on his third helping. Reiv sat beside him, staring into a mug with distaste.
“What’s wrong with it?” Dayn asked. He leaned over and peered into Reiv’s mug as if expecting to find a bug swimming in it.
“Wine no longer suits me,” Reiv said.
“I’ll take it, then,” Dayn said, holding out his hand. “I seem to have acquired a taste for it since becoming a Jecta.”
“Perhaps we need to have a talk, little cousin.”
Dayn laughed. “Some of us can just hold their spirits better than others.”
Reiv scowled in playful irritation, then shoved his mug into Dayn’s outstretched hand.
Torin plopped down beside the two boys with a plate full of stew in hand. “Have you told him yet?” he asked Reiv between chews.
“No, but I guess now is as good a time as any,” Reiv said. “Dayn, I will be going back to Meirla with Torin in the morning. Everything is going well here and I think it is time I went home.”
Dayn choked on a swallow of wine. “Back to Meirla? Tomorrow?” He glanced around for Alicine who could be seen huddled with the women, chattering away. His face grew solemn. “Have you told Alicine yet?”
“No, but I will. Perhaps after we finish eating.”
“Well,” Dayn said, “if you tell her now, I’ll be assured of another helping. She won’t have any appetite once you tell her.” He forced a laugh, though he clearly did not find it all that amusing.
When they finished eating, Reiv rose and made his way over to the women. He stood there awkwardly then said, “Alicine, may I speak with you privately?”
Brina regarded him with knowing eyes, for he had told her earlier of his planned departure. She stepped aside and hooked her arm through Nannaven’s, then ushered the old woman away.
Reiv stared at the ground for a moment and stabbed his toe at the sand like a boy having to confess an indiscretion. He folded his arms. “I am going back to Meirla with Torin in the morning,” he
finally said.
At first Alicine’s expression seemed strangely distant, but then a weak smile formed on her lips. “I knew you would eventually. I wish it wasn’t so soon, but I guess I understand.”
Her words put him at ease and he released a slow breath of relief. “I was worried you would be angry.”
“I can’t be angry with you about that anymore. Meirla is your home. We’ll see each other again…at least…” She turned her face away in an attempt to hide the tears pooling in her eyes.
Reiv took her chin and turned her face toward his. “Of course we will see each other again. It is not so far away.”
She lowered her eyes, giving him the impression there was more to it. “Is there something you are not telling me, Alicine?”
“Dayn and I will be leaving soon. I don’t say that to spite you. Not like I did before. But it’s time for us to go home, too.”
Reiv felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He had thought of his departure to Meirla as a temporary separation, but now…His eyes shot over to Dayn, who was still seated next to Torin beneath the canopy. Dayn must have felt his attention upon him because he looked up at Reiv, then swallowed guiltily and turned his head away.
“When are you going?” Reiv asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.
“Maybe in a week or so, when we’re sure Brina is all right. Dayn hasn’t told her yet. I doubt she’ll handle it well.”
“She must come to Meirla, then,” Reiv said. He worked to draw some saliva into his dry mouth, then grabbed a nearby mug of wine and swigged it back. “Come to Meirla before you go,” he said after he had swallowed, “and bring Brina with you.”
Alicine nodded and Reiv excused himself, claiming the need for a moment of personal privacy. He didn’t know where he was going as he headed away. His feet were moving one in front of the other, but they were not in his control. His mind was too wrapped up in other things to concern itself with destinations.
****
The next morning Reiv prepared to leave for Meirla with Torin. The two of them didn’t have any possessions to gather up, so preparations were more mental than physical. Reiv made excuse after excuse to delay their departure. He hated the thought of saying goodbye to Dayn and Alicine, even though he knew it was inevitable.
Earlier that morning he had said farewell to Alicine privately. The sun had not yet risen when he motioned her from the tent and away from the sleeping others. He had not been able to sleep at all, and apparently she hadn’t either. The two of them slipped into the filmy gray of pre-dawn, but when they stopped to face each other, their tongues grew still. To break the awkward silence, Reiv gathered Alicine’s hands into his and mumbled something. He recalled refusing to say the word “goodbye.” There would be time enough for that when she and Dayn left for Kirador. Regretfully, he did not attempt a kiss, and after some time Alicine turned away, claiming the need to go check on the fever patient. But Reiv knew the sadness in her eyes was not for the child.
The sun was high in the sky now, and Reiv could come up with no more excuses to linger. Alicine had not returned, he had not really expected her to, and Torin, having already said his goodbyes to Brina, Dayn, and Nannaven, had gone to bid farewell to Mya and her children. Reiv was to meet him at the crossroads and knew Torin was probably already waiting for him there. Reiv could risk no more delay; he was going to get a dose of Torin’s temper as it was.
Brina was kneeling over the cooking stone, scraping up the last of the flatbreads she had insisted Reiv take with him. Dayn sat cross-legged nearby, quietly sharpening a knife, refusing to meet Reiv’s eyes. Nannaven was rummaging in her bag of personal items, muttering to herself, as was her habit. She pulled out the tome she kept hidden there and hobbled over to Reiv. The book and an old burlap sack were clutched in her hands.
Nannaven ushered Reiv from the tent, glancing from side to side. Even though there was no longer a need to keep the book secret, she clearly did not want anyone witnessing her conversation with Reiv.
“You must take this with you,” she said, thrusting the book into his hands.
Reiv ran his eyes over the strange runes chiseled into the leather cover. “But, Spirit Keeper, I do not know how to read it. It is written in symbols I do not understand.”
“You must learn the words, Reiv, but more importantly, you must learn their meaning.”
“How? I will be in Meirla and you will be here.”
“There is no time for doubt, boy. You have work to do. Don’t forget, a serpent sheds its skin to be born again.”
She drew his gaze to hers, her meaning clear. Reiv nodded, swallowing hard.
Nannaven held out the bag to him, and Reiv dropped the book into it. She smiled and wrapped her thin arms around him. “Goodbye, Reiv,” she whispered.
“Goodbye,” he said. And he knew it was.
BACK TO ToC
Chapter 28: Departures
The morning sky was brilliant blue, but Reiv would have preferred a rainy day. Not only would it have better matched his mood, but it would have erased any chance for visitors. It had been several days since his return to Meirla, and with each new dawn he had awoken in fear that Dayn and Alicine would arrive. He knew he should be happy at the thought of seeing them again, but he also knew their arrival would mean only one thing—departure.
He sat at the workbench inside the hut, trying to keep busy with a drilling tool. He didn’t have enough skill to make fine jewelry, the scars on his hands hindered his dexterity, but the concentration required to drill holes and string shells at least kept his mind off of other concerns.
Kerrik bounded in. “Reiv! Reiv! Guess who’s here!” Even the boy’s splinted arm and bandaged ribs could not stop his youthful gyrations.
“Who?” Reiv asked, but he already knew.
“Brina’s here, and Dayn, and Alicine!”
“Oh, are they now?” Reiv set the crafting tool aside and rose from the bench. He wiped his hands down the cloth wrapped around his hips. “Well then, let us go greet them.”
Kerrik skipped out while Reiv took a calming breath and followed him through the doorway. Dayn, Alicine, and Brina could be seen coming up the road, all three of them on horseback. Brina, Reiv noticed, was riding Gitta. He could not help but grin. Dayn waved and Reiv returned the gesture as he advanced to meet them. Alicine was dressed in her Summer Maiden gown, its golden material clean, but wrinkled. Dayn had on his Kiradyn wool bottoms and moss-green tunic, but was not wearing his boots.
Dayn jumped off his mount, took hold of Brina’s reins, and helped her down while Reiv placed his hands around Alicine’s waist and lifted her off. They walked toward the hut in silence.
When they arrived, Jensa was there to usher them in. “Kerrik, go find Torin,” she said as the guests entered.
They gathered on the floor around the fire pit while Jensa poured them each a cup of honey sweetened water. Reiv passed a basket of palm nut to Dayn with an unsteady hand. “How long will you be staying?” he managed to ask.
“Not long,” Dayn said. “We need to be getting on.”
Reiv nodded and noticed that Brina’s eyes were red with tears. She didn’t say a word and for a long moment no one else did either.
Torin arrived and Kerrik danced in behind him. The man brightened at the sight of the visitors. “We’re so happy to see you,” he said, but the downcast expressions on everyone’s faces indicated they did not agree.
They partook of the refreshments with a spattering of small talk, then Reiv rose and asked Dayn to follow him outside.
“What route will you be taking?” Reiv asked. “You are not planning to attempt the cave again I hope.”
“No,” Dayn said, “that’s out of the question. I’m not really sure, but I guess we’ll figure it out.”
Reiv pointed in the direction of the mountains. “Take the road that runs northeast of here, then follow the river toward the first peak beyond the tallest one there. There is a pass between them that will t
ake you into a valley. Once you have crossed it, you will find passage to the other side. You can make your way down from there.”
Dayn cocked his head. “How do you know this?”
“Let us just say I have seen it.”
Dayn nodded, then slanted his eyes toward the hut. “Alicine’s anxious to go home, but she’s a mess about it.” He studied Reiv’s face for a moment. “I’ll fetch her for you.”
Dayn left, while Reiv waited. He stared toward the mountains in the distance, trying to picture Kirador in his mind. Then he felt Alicine’s presence at his back.
“I guess this is goodbye,” she said softly.
Reiv swallowed thickly as he turned to face her. “I suppose it is.”
“You do understand, don’t you? Dayn and I never had a chance to say our goodbyes to Mother and Father before we left. They must be frantic. Besides, we’re worried about what may have happened there, what with the earthquake and the smoke on the mountain and all. We have to go back.”
“I know.”
She raised an inquisitive brow. “Where’s your kohl?”
Reiv realized he was not wearing it, just as he had not since the day he arrived back. “I did not know when you would be coming and I knew how much you hated it.”
“I don’t hate it.”
He crossed his arms and stared at the ground. “Well, anyway, now you can remember me without it.” He glanced back at the hut. “Could you excuse me for a moment?”
“Oh…of course,” Alicine replied, looking somewhat disappointed.
Reiv sprinted back to the hut where everyone was still visiting, and headed straight for the trinket box he kept by his bedroll. He tipped back the lid and retrieved the shell bracelet he and Kerrik had worked so hard to perfect. Voices hushed. Reiv could feel the eyes of everyone on him. He glanced up and his face went hot at the knowing smiles aimed in his direction.
Souls of Aredyrah 2 - The Search for the Unnamed One Page 22