“If they really didn’t want you to leave, don’t you think the headmaster would have sent somebody to make sure you didn’t? Other than making sure you’re not hurting people or breaking the rules, none of the teachers – except June of course – seem to care what you’re doing. So as long as no one recognizes you at the tournament, they won’t even know you left.”
Hyroc studied Thomas’ face thoughtfully considering the merits of his plan. Now that he thought about it, besides reprimanding him or offering him up for punishment, the teachers did seem to lack a sense of responsibility for him in any other regard. Would any of them care enough to come looking for me if they couldn’t find me at the school?
“Alright,” Hyroc said after a long moment of deliberation. It seemed a good plan. “So where should we meet?”
Thomas smiled broadly. “You know that old tree on the hill beside the road on your way to town?”
Hyroc thought a moment, then nodding said, “I think I know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”
Hyroc collected his hooded jacket from the now empty dorm, and careful not to be seen by the few remaining teachers walking the halls, slipped back outside. Donning his jacket, he made his way around the wall at the back of the school and into the concealment of the thicket beyond. From there he headed in the direction of the meeting place.
“Did anyone see you leave?” Thomas said as Hyroc came up to him. Hyroc shook his head. “Good.” Thomas donned his mask.
Hyroc pulled his hood as far up over his head as he could to give his snout some concealment and the two of them made their way toward the tournament grounds.
The tournament grounds were on the western shore of a river running near the town, in a flat field just beyond any farmland. A large orange banner stretched between two tall poles staked on either side of a grassy path, marking the entrance. Thick groupings of faded white tents filled the immediate area behind the poles on both sides of the path, but their numbers thinned as they drew closer to the tournament field. The clamor of eager voices filled the air as patrons streamed through the entrance. Hyroc rechecked his hood and making sure to keep his head as low as possible, Thomas and he entered the stream of bodies. Hyroc relaxed after a few tense moments when he spotted people wearing the wolf masks and nobody seemed to take notice of his unusual features. Through the wide entrance flaps of the surrounding tents he passed, he saw a variety of tournament paraphernalia. At the center of the tents, the path widened into a circular court where all around its edges food was being prepared and the air was stuffed with a myriad of delicious aromas. Hyroc stopped to take in the smells teasing his nose, before continuing through to the tournament grounds.
“I sure hope Deroth gets this?” Thomas said, as the two of them searched for a decently concealed spot to watch from.
“Yeah, I’d hate for pompous pretty boy Alrich to win,” Hyroc said. He really did not like that man, he reminded him too much of Simon.
Thomas nodded in agreement. “Let’s just hope that arm injury Deroth got from his horse throwing a shoe doesn’t affect him too much.”
“It would be very annoying if one little incident cost him the tournament.”
“But I think he’s still pretty solid in the saddle even with a hurt arm.” Thomas pointed to an empty spot shaded by a tree. “That looks like a good spot over there.” Hyroc nodded his acknowledgment and the two of them walked over to it. Thomas clapped Hyroc on the shoulder when they arrived. “I’m going to go get some of those roasted nuts I saw when we came in. Make sure no one steals my spot.” Hyroc smiled half mockingly as he nodded. “Thanks.”
“Did I miss anything?” Thomas asked upon his return, sticking a small caramel colored nut in his mouth.
“No but I think it’s about to start,” Hyroc replied. He reached into Thomas’ bag of nuts and popped one into his mouth.
Four horns sounded from the other end of the tournament field and everyone quieted. A man garbed in rust red and yellow clothing, with a dark brown cap that sported a single eagle feather, stepped into the middle of the field. “Welcome!” the man shouted, throwing his arms out in a wide welcoming gesture. “I present to you the brave and honorable men who courageously sought entry into this great tournament. I present to you Earl Gale of the Green Hills.” A bearded man clad in shining silver plate mail, road atop a sandy brown horse into the tournament field, holding a green and white lance. A chorus of cheering accompanied his arrival. With an enthusiastic yell, Gale thrust his lance into the air, then spurred his horse toward the middle of the field. “I now present to you Lord Alrich.” A tall thin faced man with immaculate blond hair, clad in armor so perfectly polished Hyroc had to squint when he looked upon it. He held a white lance with a strip of light blue coiling around the shaft and he rode a pony of pure white. Cheers followed Alrich’s arrival, but a chorus of booing – which included Thomas – quickly drowned them out. Alrich lifted his lance above his head, glowering at a nearby group of onlookers, then road over to Gale. “Baron Deroth, or as some have come to know him, The Lancer Wolf.” the Herald continued. Baron Deroth was a muscular man, with brown hair, a scar running from the middle of his stubble-covered chin and under his jaw at an angle. His armor had a slightly imposing dark tint to it and raven feathers adorned the top of his helm. He rode a black stallion and his lance was of a dark blue, with two strips of red on either side of the shaft. The crowd broke out into cheering the moment he entered the field. With a mighty cry, Deroth thrust his lance into the air. Everyone wearing a wolf mask cheered energetically.
“You call that a welcome,” Deroth shouted. “I know you can do better than that!” He thrust his lance skyward once again and a deafening roar erupted from the crowd. With a pleased nod, Deroth trotted his horse over to join the other two. Alrich scowled at the new arrival, but Deroth returned the glare with a smile.
The Herald continued naming names, until every contestant was on the field. “Good luck to you all,” the Harold said pleasantly. “Now let this tournament, begin!” The contestants trotted their horses in a circuit around the field before exiting.
A few minutes later two contestants with closed face guards on their helmets reentered the field, taking up positions on opposite ends of the field, with a wooden pole running between them. A flag bearer strode out between the two men. “Ready?” the flag bearer shouted. The two competitors nodded. The flag bearer waved his flag in front of him and quickly moved from the center of the field as the two men’s horses thundered toward each other. The clamorous smash of shattering wood sounded as a lance contacted the other rider, throwing him from the saddle. A round of cheers followed the announcement of the victor.
Hyroc spent the next two hours watching lances shatter, horses scream out in alarm and armored men noisily falling to the ground. Then Deroth emerged onto the field. When Deroth charged his opponent, he held the lace too low and at an angle where it would merely glance off his opponent’s armor. Hyroc watched with dismay as the lance bounced harmlessly off the opposing rider’s armor and Deroth took a hit to the chest. Deroth barely managed to remain in the saddle and once or twice, it seemed he would fall. After a short reprieve for the acquirement of a new lance, the two competitors charged once again. Deroth held his lance high enough for a proper strike, knocking his opponent to the ground while at the same time remaining in his own saddle.
Unfortunately, about an hour later, Deroth lost against none other than Alrich. As Hyroc turned toward Thomas to vent his irritation at the turn of events, he got a start when he saw the headmaster and three ministry officials standing off to Thomas’ left.
“I can’t believe he lost to –” Thomas exclaimed angrily.
“The headmaster’s right there,” Hyroc said, through clenched teeth as he stared at the headmaster.
The color drained from Thomas’ face as he stole a glance in the direction Hyroc was looking. “Go, get out of here,” Thomas said, frantically flinging his arms tow
ard Hyroc. Hyroc darted behind the tree they had been sheltering under just as he heard the headmaster say Thomas’ name. Hyroc crouched down peering around the tree’s trunk, watching the headmaster walk over to Thomas. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the headmaster politely guided Thomas over to meet the group of ministry officials. Thomas turned toward Hyroc and mouthed the words; “get out.” Unwilling to risk another encounter with the boarding school’s staff or someone worse, he carefully wound his way back out of the tournament grounds, heading directly back to the schools.
He got another start when a hand touched him on the shoulder as he hung his jacket back up in the still vacant boy’s dorm. Spinning around, he found June standing behind him. He took a deep breath, relaxing a little.
“I need to talk to you about something,” she said.
“I’m in trouble aren’t I,” Hyroc said dejectedly, knowing the headmaster or another teacher watching the tournament must have seen him.
She looked puzzled. “You’re not in trouble. Why did you think that?”
“I always seem to get blamed for everything.”
She sighed. “No, you’re not in trouble. And I honestly don’t care you snuck off to watch the tournament.”
Hyroc stared at her startled, then silently chided himself for revealing so much with his initial reaction. If he had done that with anyone else he would be in a lot more trouble right now. “W – what makes you think that?” he said sheepishly, though he suspected it was pointless to even pretend otherwise.
June smirked, folding her arms. “Well, I’ve been looking for you for the last hour and it wasn’t hard to figure out where you had gone when I couldn’t find you or your jacket.”
Hyroc smiled nervously. Her logic seemed sound. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Not here, the other boys will probably be heading back here soon and it’s a conversation best held privately.” Hyroc nodded, following June from the dorm into the vacant teacher’s common room. The two of them seated themselves in front of the fireplace with their chairs facing each other. “I think I found you work.”
“Work?” Hyroc said confused. That was something he hadn’t given much thought. He wasn’t really expecting anyone to have the slightest desire to give him a job.
“Well, it’s an apprenticeship. I’ve been talking to a friend of mine and he’s agreed to take you.”
“What will I be doing with him?”
“Rune carving.” Hyroc frowned. “Don’t give me that look, would you rather I found you an apprenticeship with a records keeper instead?”
Hyroc shrugged. No, the latter sounded a lot worse. “How much does he pay?”
“Five Flecks every two weeks, including room and board.” Hyroc’s frown deepened. Five was hardly anything at all. “I know, I know, it’s not much, but it’s a start.”
“When does he want me to begin?”
“Somewhere around midway through the summer.”
“Well, at least I’ll be able to annoy Thomas when I start making money before him.”
June frowned. “Hyroc, you won’t be coming back to the school when you take the job.”
“What?”
“It’s an apprenticeship; you’ll have very little time for anything other than learning your skill for quite a while and there’s not much more you can learn from being here. Besides, Thomas will be leaving soon anyway, so –”
“What do you mean Thomas is leaving soon?” Hyroc interrupted, looking surprised. He couldn’t have heard her correctly. That didn’t make any sense.
June looked at him perplexed. “Didn’t he tell you, his father is coming to pick him up the day after tomorrow?”
“No, he didn’t say anything about that.” How could his friend have forgotten to tell him something so monumentally important?
“Well, as far as I know, he only found out about it a few days ago and maybe he just didn’t get around to telling you yet.”
News this big didn’t exactly seem like something to procrastinate about telling. What was Thomas doing keeping it from him?
“Was he the one who encouraged you to sneak off to watch the tournament?”
Hyroc nodded. “And I nearly got caught,” he said sharply. “The headmaster and some ministry officials almost saw me there.”
“And is that when you decided to come back to the school?”
“Pretty much.”
June nodded. “Well there you go; he was probably going to tell you after the tournament, but your encounter with the headmaster prevented him from doing so.”
“I guess,” Hyroc said with half agreement. Her explanation seemed a little too convenient. “But still, why didn’t he just tell me this when he found out?”
“He might’ve been scared, I’m sure you understand what that’s like.” Hyroc shrugged. He wished he wasn’t so familiar with it. “Saying goodbye to a friend isn’t as easy as it might seem.” Hyroc stared at the floor, suddenly unable to find any fault in his friend’s behavior to speak about. June put her hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t be mad at him for what he did. I know this is hard but this is just another part of growing up, unfortunately.
Hyroc sighed angrily, but deep down, even though he hated to admit it to himself, she was right. I can’t stay here forever Hyroc thought grudgingly.
CHAPTER 12
Departure
Hyroc stepped through the front door of the boarding school, making his way toward the open gate. The sun was sinking low toward the horizon and the shadows were beginning to lengthen as dusk approached. At the gate, he found Thomas standing beside two small bags of belongings.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Thomas said, as Hyroc came up to him.
Hyroc waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I figured you meant to.”
Thomas nodded thankfully. “I was going to tell you after the tournament, but that didn’t quite work out.”
“Yep,” Hyroc agreed. “But it could have been a lot worse.”
“That’s for sure.”
“Still, I wish I could’ve seen Gale best Alrich.”
Thomas nodded. The outline of a horse-drawn carriage slid into view not far away. Thomas and Hyroc shrugged at the sight; the time for the dreaded goodbye had arrived.
“And there’s my dad,” Thomas said. “I guess this is it then.”
“Yep.”
Thomas smiled. ”I think it’s funny I thought you were an enchanted animal when we became friends.”
Hyroc smirked back at him. “Yeah, you asked some pretty weird questions.”
“Well, I was only nine.” His eyes flicked toward the carriage as it came to a stop in front of the gate and the humor faded from his expression. “I guess this is where we have to say bye.”
Hyroc sighed. “You’ve been a good friend.”
“You’ve been a good friend too.”
The carriage driver dismounted and a thin man with a black cap on his head stepped out of the carriage, speaking as he did so. “Thomas, get in its time to go.”
“Yes father,” Thomas said. “Bye Hyroc.”
“Bye.”
Thomas walked over to the carriage and his father helped him inside. When he was done, the man turned a piercing glare on Hyroc. “So you’re the one who drug my son into all those fights,” Thomas’ father said acidly. Hyroc narrowed his eyes at the man, but said nothing. He had learned long ago arguing with such people, no matter how wrong they were, was pointless. “I don’t know why anyone would ever allow something so violent to be around children. At least now, my son will be free of you.” Still shaking his head, the man climbed inside the carriage, closing the door behind him. The carriage driver finished loading Thomas’ luggage and climbed back into his seat. With a whip of the reins, the horse began trotting off. Thomas stuck his hand out the window and waved. Hyroc waved back, saying goodbye to the only friend he had ever known.
CHAPTER 13
Childhood’s End<
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Hyroc sat at the table in the dining hall, absentmindedly picking at his lunch. It was some sort of stew, or at least, that’s what he thought it was. The composition of the school meals was always hard to identify. He knew he would miss Thomas, but there were things he hadn’t expected his friend’s departure to reveal. Beyond June offering advice, he hadn’t spoken to another person. He hadn’t realized ever since Marcus’ death; Thomas and his aunt were practically the only people he ever had a conversation with. This knowledge had existed in the back of his mind, but with Thomas around, it seemed far away and irrelevant. Now there wasn’t anything to divert his attention from the harsh reality. The school had suddenly lost what little comfort it possessed. It didn’t feel like his home anymore, it felt like some place he had just arrived at and he wasn’t welcome there.
Glancing from side to side, he noticed his half of the table was unoccupied. For as long as he could remember, at the table a gap had always existed between him and the nearest student, but over the course of the last few days, it seemed to widen considerably. With a dejected sigh, he dropped his spoon back into the bowl, got up from the table and walked out the door.
From the dining hall, he made his way to the nearest door that led outside. A group of younger boys stopped talking abruptly and began staring distrustfully at him when he came through the door. Shrugging off their behavior, he headed for the apple tree. At the tree, he began taking off his shoes, preparing to climb the tree. He stopped himself.
Pushing his shoes back on, he walked over to the wall behind the tree. Leaning over its stony top, he gazed intently at the trees beyond. The subtle rustle of leaves from a breeze almost seemed to make the trees call to him. He wanted to climb over the wall, feel the cool mottled shade beneath those trees, and permanently leave the school behind. The only thing that stopped him was June. If he ran away he would leave all the misery of the school behind, but he would also be leaving her. He had grown quite attached to her in the time since Marcus’ passing. She cared about him and always did whatever she could to protect him. Even though she had been able to do little toward her goal, it made him feel good she had tried. She had made his world seem not quite so bleak, like there was something for him to look forward to.
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