by Wayne Meyers
“And I’ve missed—”
“Damn door’s stuck!” Spaldeer’s voice boomed from the other side of the staircase door.
Babette and I leapt apart as though we had burned each other as the door opened.
A journeyman’s voice sounded from behind him. “Stuck? Nonsense, apprentice. Just use a little muscle.”
Realizing how strange it might appear were the door to open revealing Babette and I standing there, I launched myself up the stairs and slipped out the second-floor door before the first-floor door could open wide enough for the journeyman to see us. Babette’s excited gasp at seeing how high I had leaped made me smile even as I rushed down the hallway toward my room, my heart thumping like a drum. I could still taste her lips on my tongue.
A minute later, Spaldeer walked in shaking his head. “That was close, altbrud. You’re going to need to be much more careful than that. If someone had come down the staircase there would have been nothing I could do.”
For the second time that night, I gaped at him with disbelief. “What are you talking—”
He waved a hand as he walked past me and sat down on his bed. “Babette left right after you, claiming to be tired. I hurried after her to make sure no one would interrupt you.”
“Interrupt us? From…from what?” I bit my lip, not meeting his eyes.
Spaldeer continued as though I had not spoken. “You probably completely missed it, but I also diverted them from fixating on your change in mood since that day we went into Solace and I saw you two hugging.”
This time I did look him in the eyes. “You saw that?”
He shrugged. “I was a bit distracted after leaving the demimonde guild, but yes, I did see, though you two did an admirable job of trying to hide it from me. You had me half-fooled my eyes had played tricks on me until I saw the knife. Then I knew for certain.”
“Spaldeer…I…”
Spaldeer clasped my shoulder. “I’m your brother first, and a guildsman second. I would have hoped you knew you could trust me. You are the brother I never had.”
“I could not place such a burden on your loyalties. What would Master Orcus say if he found out you knew?”
He shrugged. “I confess that I plan to abide by the Scriptures to the best of my abilities, but your situation is not covered there. This relationship is a social anomaly that would create a great deal of distress for High-Master Chendor, but is not actually prohibited. The Founders most likely did not believe a woman would ever become a peacekeeper to merit forbidding it. It would, however, undoubtedly sully the example the High-Master set and push women’s equality back another hundred years.”
I flopped down on my bed. “If only they’d let us be.”
Spaldeer sat across from me on his bed and sighed. “That is not likely, so you must take care from now on. There are too many eyes lurking about to seek comfort in a stairwell or, what next? The break room?”
My back slumped against the wall. “You are right, yet the temptation is so strong.”
“As you knew it would be before it began.” Spaldeer frowned. “I fear this will not end well, but neither will it truly begin unless you learn to control yourselves.”
“Then we will be strong and resist any risky temptations. I’d give a purse of gold to have the key to the rooftops again.”
“The masters would still find out, only sooner than later. Your best course of action is to restrict any physical affections for a deserted street in Solace, and even that is risky with peacekeepers on patrol everywhere.”
My fingers entwined behind my head. “Yes. As always, your advice is sound. I’m glad that you know, Spaldeer. It was difficult to keep this from you.”
He leaned forward. “You already have her heart, altbrud. The rest will happen over time, so be patient. If you can maintain this subterfuge throughout your apprenticeship, the freedoms of journeymanship will make it easier.”
This cheered me up. “You really think I have her heart?”
Spaldeer laughed out loud. “Are you joking? She must be raving in love to put up with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five—A Wild Night Out
Journeyman Krellus finally returned a month later.
He came for me in the early morning instead of Master Voralius. When my eyes opened and saw his face smiling over me, I burst out cheering and jumped up to hug him.
“You’re back! You’re finally back. What took so long?”
While I was sitting on the bed with my feet dangling on the floor, he squeezed me hard and then held me at arm’s length. “Ah, it’s good to see you again, lad. Let’s find out how tall you’ve grown since I left. Hm.”
Standing up, I realized that I had indeed grown some for I did not need to look up as much to see his face.
“Quite a bit, quite a bit.” He ruffled my hair and bade Spaldeer a good morning.
“Master Voralius has worked me hard since you’ve left,” I said. “I’ve found my chi.”
Journeyman Krellus smiled with genuine pleasure, making me realize for the first time how unhappy he seemed by contrast. His grin did not remove the wrinkles about his eyes or forehead. Something was troubling him, and I wondered what it might be.
“Now that is good news. I’ve also heard you’re well into the tree claw technique.”
I offered him a happy nod. “I’m down to the heartwood of my tree, chipping it away one finger strike at a time.”
He took my hand into his and examined it carefully, bending the fingers every so often. “Very good,” he said. “You’ve strengthened your hands and fingers considerably, and I daresay you’ve learned how to focus chi into your fingertips. The heartwood is quite strong.”
“I have.”
“Well, you take care and always use the salve you’re given. The herbs we grow for this purpose will heal as fast as you harm.” He walked over to the window and peered outside, heaving a sigh.
“What is wrong?”
A pause. “My adversary has eluded me again. I came within sight of Abrigus in Multag, but his minions intervened. Damned warmakers.”
I glanced over at Spaldeer who absorbed all of this without comment. He was always good at listening instead of talking, while I tended to be the opposite.
Journeyman Krellus spun about, squelching his frustration with a forced chuckle. “Well, there shall be other opportunities once his trail is picked up again. At least I ended their training camp and removed the participants.”
I shuddered as I realized what “removed” meant in this context but understood the seriousness that justified such activities. “That is a good thing, Journeyman. They would have caused great harm.”
This seemed to console him a bit and his smile deepened. “Aye, there is that. Plus, he was quite vexed when he fled. That is worth something too. Come, let us go to your tree so you can show me your progress with the tree claw technique, and we can spar a bit as well.”
He said little during our long walk to the tree claw practice area, his lips pressed together and his hands opening and closing with relentless monotony. A surge of guilt stayed my tongue as well. Although Babette and I had not had any time alone since our brief encounter in the stairwell, things between us had irrefutably changed in defiance of the guild. But in order to maintain this new relationship, neither of us could tell anyone or show any signs of affection. At times I wondered which had been worse—the longing for her before, or the aching for her after.
By the time we arrived at my tree—which now more resembled a pole with piles of wood chips gathered about the bottom that weeds and grasses grew through, much like the similar mounds around it—his spirits had heightened and he seemed more like his old, cheerful self. I struck into the remaining heartwood with zeal, eager to show off, and was pleased when he complimented me.
“Master Voralius had someone cut away the branches for firewood, leaving the trunk,” I said. “And I’ve chipped away at the center ever since. He said once I’m done here, I must continue practicin
g on a hard rubber board every day.”
Journeyman Krellus whistled. “Your progress is revolutionary. I’m quite amazed at how fast you’ve mastered these past two techniques.”
“Thank you, Journeyman.”
“Let’s spar for a bit, then. Your regular training must not suffer in exchange for advanced knowledge.”
We sparred lightly, taking our time and getting the feel of things rather than mixing it up fast and furious. Journeyman Krellus would try different attack techniques at a leisurely pace that I had to deflect and counter, but if I failed to figure out a counter quickly, then he would go over one with me to make sure I knew how to do it correctly.
Our back and forth mock-fighting took us beneath the shelter of the neighboring trees and without warning he jumped into the air to disappear within the branches of the nearest one.
Without a thought I leaped up after him to find myself standing upon one of the lower branches, peering through a screen of leaves and wondering where he had vanished to. I felt a tap on my head prompting me to look up, where I saw him crouching on a branch above me. I tried to attack, but he simply leaped to a different branch and tapped my head again. Struggling to follow his movements while tottering upon the wobbly, slippery branch, I was unable to maintain my footing and slipped off, plummeting to the ground where I landed on my feet into a forward roll to help absorb the shock of impact. When I again stood and looked up, he tapped me from behind. Journeyman Krellus had followed me down as I fell from the tree and was waiting behind me.
I grinned. “I am not your equal.”
He shook his head. “Not yet, lad, but you are young still, while I grow older every year.”
I pointed up at the tree branch. “I could not stand upon that thick branch, while you were above me on the even smaller, less sturdy ones without a second thought.”
He nodded. “I will teach you balance next. Buoyancy and balance make an excellent combination.”
My face brightened. “I would like to learn that. Can we start now?”
He shook his head and put a hand about my shoulder. “Soon. Once you are finished with the tree. But tonight, I think, we shall go into the city to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?” I asked.
A careless shrug. “Whatever. My safe return, your excellent progress, the shining of the sun—it matters not. And you are, I think, old enough now.”
“Old enough for what, Journeyman Krellus?” I asked.
“Ah, old enough for drinking, for laughing, and for that one special guild you have yet to visit.” His forehead creased. “Let’s see. We will take Spaldeer, Marcos, and Brentor too, I think, and Sodalus, if he wishes to go. It will make a merry company.”
“And Babette?”
Journeyman Krellus sobered. “Oh, no, lad. Babette would not be welcome where we shall end this fine day. It is for men only, and therefore, we shall take care of all our manly needs tonight. Good food, good drink—and good women.”
My face flushed as an icy chill settled in the pit of my stomach. “Women?”
Journeyman Krellus clapped me on the back. “Ah yes, women! It is time for you to know more about them, I think, and it will be just the thing to help me shake this foul mood. You know, I’ve waited a long time until you were old enough to accompany me, and I’m glad that day has finally arrived. I hope you will do me the honor a young man would normally share with his father.”
The thought of touching anyone other than Babette filled me with revulsion, and I had a very strong feeling she wasn’t going to be too pleased about this herself. Yet, what were my options? Journeyman Krellus was adamant about going and taking me along. If I refused, it would insult him. Worse, it would create suspicion, for he would want to understand the truth behind my reluctance, a trail that could only point back toward Babette. It was quite the predicament, and once again I wished for a path where the guild would at least accept our love, if not embrace it.
“Do not worry, lad.” He laughed and thumped my back harder. “We all have a first time, and the good news is, you can only have a first time once. Afterward, you shall master the art of loving as you have fighting.”
“I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it, Journeyman.” I forced a tentative chuckle, playing along with his incorrect deduction for my sudden pallor.
“No doubt,” he agreed, beaming. “Well, I’ll prepare while you return to regular class. I daresay the day shall pass slowly for all of us.”
The day did pass by slowly, with the thoughts of the planned evening event torturing me at every turn. Marcos, Brentor, Spaldeer, and Sodalus made merry all day, showing the best of moods while I played dumbly along. Our classmates both teased and envied us, extracting preposterous oaths of drunkenness and passionate vigor where each outrageous suggestion outweighed the one before it.
Babette sparred in the courtyard with a boy nearly twice her size, yet she had no trouble holding her own. She was beautifully feral as she flowed from technique to technique, attack and counter, her long hair tied back. No opportunity to speak with her arose, even at lunchtime with so many others packed around us and in between us. To force myself to a seat next to hers when another apprentice already sat there would have created suspicion, and I could not take that chance no matter how dire the circumstances. Surely an opportunity would arise….
Several times she noticed me watching her and waved, her smile broad and eyes bright, and I knew it had not yet become known to her exactly who were heading out that evening to celebrate Journeyman Krellus’ return. I’m not sure why she didn’t suspect I would go except perhaps to think I had a choice in the matter.
And so, near the end of the day, Journeyman Courtwright came over and called out the names of those who were to meet Journeyman Krellus at the gates. My name was called after Spaldeer’s and Babette’s jaw dropped. Her head snapped about in my direction. To her credit she maintained composure, but I knew from the jut of her chin that it took every ounce of self-control she owned to do so.
Marcos and Brentor came marching through our courtyard at this moment, laughing and joking as they draped an arm each about the shoulders of Spaldeer and myself.
“Come along, my friends,” said Marcos. “An urgent situation has come up in the city of Solace.”
“Indeed,” Brentor replied. “The amount of ale has risen to a most dangerous height, and we must sacrifice ourselves to drink them down to safer levels.”
Captain Sodalus appeared from a nearby doorway and bade us wait.
Babette stepped before him. “Am I not also invited to celebrate Journeyman Krellus’ return?”
Captain Sodalus spoke in a kindly voice. “Come, now. Tonight is a night for men, so don’t feel left out. You would not want to visit the places we are going to see at the height of the evening.”
“You are going there?” She turned her nose up. “I suppose you men have no control over your hormones.”
Marcos raised his voice to make sure Babette could hear him. “We have complete control. I have enough control to last for—”
“That is enough, Apprentice.” Captain Sodalus spoke firmly, but I could tell he was suppressing a smile. He turned back to Babette. “We shall see you in the morning.” He bowed to her and continued walking toward us.
Babette’s voice rose an octave as Captain Sodalus reached us and we resumed our trek to the gates. “Wait a minute. You mean to say that all of you are going there tonight?”
Brentor chuckled. “Of course. Every single one of us.”
“A repeat for some, and a new pleasure for others,” Apprentice Marcos said. He flashed me a lewd grin that nearly split his face in half while slapping me heartily on the back.
I glanced back over my shoulder hoping to cast some reassuring signal, but she had resumed sparring with her partner. I later heard she broke his nose.
Marcos squeezed my shoulder. “All of us, indeed. I suppose she thinks Spaldeer and you are too young, eh, Hofen? Well, we’ll find out whether you are
or not—but either way, you are going to enjoy the discovery.”
A raucous round of laughter for that one, and to my chagrin I managed to roar along with the rest of them, while inside my stomach felt like it had twisted into knots.
“Well, I already know I’m not too young,” Spaldeer said.
This resulted in a round of startled congratulations, laughter, and slaps on the back as Journeyman Krellus led us through the gates. My ears flaming, I said nothing, torn between my desire to fit in with the others and my loyalty to Babette. They mistook my silence for nervousness and took turns assuring me, sometimes in great detail, about how much I would enjoy myself, and why, followed up by everyone’s own “first-time” adventures.
I managed to tune most of this out, the cramps in my stomach intensifying with every step. My upcoming deflowering, as Captain Sodalus coined it, became the primary topic of interest during the entire walk into the city until we entered a large, dark tavern. We chose a massive table near the center of the room, and thankfully conversation turned to other matters over huge metal mugs of bitter beer.
Everyone gulped their beers with reckless abandon but me. I sipped my way to the bottom while they were working on their fourth or fifth draughts. They became engaged in philosophical discussions about the Scriptures and Founders, and how some things may have been overlooked, or, perhaps, buried within Scripture volumes even peacekeepers were not privy to. Spaldeer initiated an animated debate about the guildless, which Brentor and Marcos had been previously unaware of, and a great deal of hand waving and beer splashing accompanied his emotional explanation. Journeyman Krellus’ face took on a mournful appearance, nodding often to Spaldeer’s narrative.
In short, they ignored my silence and troubled mood allowing me time to reflect upon what was going to happen once we left the tavern, unless they became too drunk to leave. This thought gave me hope so I ordered more mugs and discreetly passed them along to eager hands across the splintery, beer-stained table.