On the opposite side of the compound is the third-largest building. The Orion Inn and the butcher are the only two places where meat can be gotten, usually brought in by patrols or individuals. Mashaun finds the name strange since he can’t find Orion in the night skies, and no one knows where the name comes from. The inside has a woodsier feel to it with different animal heads grown from the walls, making it popular with the guards. The meals tend to be stews, roasts, and steaks, and the drinks are strong.
The next few days, someone different shows up at the door in the morning, taking one of them to find out their interest and abilities so that they can find the best position for them in the village. First is Mashaun. They test him with the bow and sword before accepting him into the guards. They will help him improve his skills, and he will learn about the different animals, races, and other creatures that known to be in the area. Mai express an interest in medicine, so they test her with the village healer, who recognizes her skill immediately. She spends a lot of time studying and practicing the healing arts. The doctor also realizes that while she could teach Mai much, he could learn a thing or two from Mai. Berg ends up in the hall of records, which is located in the large circular building. Like Mai, he will also not be spending time on guard duty as he works with the recorder, categorizing the reports and sightings.
Abigail is the hardest one to place. She is lousy with the bow and sword. The sight of blood still makes her sick. They try to out in the bakery, the chandler, the record room, but she fails at all of them. She goes through one position after another, never lasting longer than a few of days. Everybody has almost given up on her finding a position when one evening, a small group is playing some instruments, and she gets up and starts singing with them. She has found her place in the village. At first, she sings songs that she knows but no one can understand. Abigail spends the next few days learning songs in the local language and they help her learn the harp. They allow her to play her ballads. While Mashaun likes them, he disapproves of her embellishing their story.
The days turn into weeks. The evergreen treetops turn white with the cover of snow. However, there is no snow on the ground within the village. Word of Abigail’s melodic voice travels quickly around, and they play almost nightly in one of the taverns. While her voice is sweet and clear, most of the guys would show up because of her enticing outfits, which are unique here. Many of the women gossip about her, and some even accuse her of being a harlot, but she doesn’t care. After all, it’s only a dream. Berg spends a lot of time with the records of past events. Even when he isn’t working, he spends long hours reading about the history and the different animals and beasts, along with some research for Mashaun. He is also the only one of the four that is learning how to read and write the new language.
Mai spends the mornings studying with the doctor and the afternoons with either the butcher or the apothecary. Sometimes she disagrees with them, having vigorous debates over which method is better, and she often wins. Mashaun’s double sword mastery improves daily with the help of a trainer, but with Dalistra’s help, his skill with the bow is already remarkable good that there is not much need for improvement, even though he practices daily without Dalistra’s help. At first, Dalistra believes that he is still mad at her, but soon she understands that he just wants to practice for when she can’t help, like when hunting.
Mashaun works with a carpenter and a chandler to make a couple of sets of cross-country skis so he can go skiing, something that he enjoys. After he finishes with the skis, the townsfolk inquisitively stare at him carrying the skis to his home. Only once did anybody ask him what they were; they just shake their head as he tries to explain it to them. After the skis are finished, he goes for a stroll outside the wall to see if there are any patches of snow to try out his new skis. As he goes through the brambles, the snow covers his head as the brambles shift to let him pass, sending a chill down the back of his neck.
The brambles open to the ground covered in white, nearly a half meter of snow with a hard crust. Without a second thought, he rushes back to get his skis, acting like a child on Christmas morning. Under the watch of curious eyes, he leaves the compound with his skis to explore the surrounding area. The silence is broken, only the scraping sound of the skis sliding across the snow and the occasional kerplop of the the snow falling from the trees breaks the silence. During his trips, he often stops to relish the quiet and solitude of the moment. Dalistra doesn’t understand the need for so much time alone in the wilderness, but since it makes him more relaxed, she remains quiet, giving him that quiet time.
He frequently asks if any of the group wants to join him, but they always decline even though they do not like him going on his own, especially Mai. They are all from the warmer climates and do not like the cold and the snow. They are just as happy that the snow doesn’t fall in town. While his idea of fun is the solitude of the wilderness, theirs is going to the Inn. Sometimes they even get dressed up, especially Mai in her fancy dress. She likes how the townsfolk treat her differently; they are more polite and see her more than just the healer.
Mashaun doesn’t tell them about the large cougar-like animal that seems to follow him from a distance. He doesn’t tell anybody for fear that they may decide to hunt it down. He enjoys watching the big animal move effortlessly through the naked trees as it shadows his every move but never advances. He watches it move, studying every step trying to learn how to walk in silence like the cat. Once, he asked Dalistra about the large cat, and she just tells him that it is larger than a normal tsov daj but she would not help him shoot it. Mashaun mocks her; he does not intend to shoot such a marvelous-looking animal unless it attacks, and Dalistra knows that not knowing why she made her comment.
Once, Wilmer joined him on the second set of skis. After he gets used to them, they move silently over the frozen snow. When the two of them are together, it is like a class. Wilmer asks Mashaun different questions, and he would name different tracks and sounds. Many of the tracks are similar to the ones he is used to seeing when hunting back home in the States. But there are a few that he doesn’t recognize, including a large footprint that looks humanoid but is twice the size of his own. Wilmer tells him that it is a mountain giant, they are taller than three men and five times as strong. They are found much farther north, so it is surprising one down here. When they return, they report their find to Llewellyn, who is a little surprised but says little else.
CHAPTER 12
Staffs and Moons
They have only been at Myelikkan about a month when Berg tells everyone that he has a surprise for them. He tells them to pack for the night because they’re not coming back until morning, much to the disdain of the girls, who try not to go. That afternoon he takes them out of the village and heads south for a few hours before going to a long, narrow canyon. He looks at his notes before turning left, following the canyon rim until they come upon a rock tower ruins. A tower grown directly from the cliff is about six meters across and about forty meters tall. Inside the tower is a mess with the only door remaining barely hanging on its hinges. The first floor littered with leaves and animal nests, with a winding stair around the wall. Berg takes them to the second, then the third floor, and each one getting deeper with the leaves of past seasons. He leads them to the top floor, where they have a spectacular view of the surrounding area.
To the east, the mountain drops down a steep cliff into a huge expanse of evergreen trees with patches of naked trees dotting the landscape. Just at the edge of the horizon, the tip of a mountain peak aligns with the setting sun. At the bottom of the canyon on the south is a stream flowing from somewhere in the west, snaking its way along the canyon floor next to a road running the length of the canyon, and disappearing under the eastern forest canopy. In the distance, a large river winds its way through the forest. The other side of the canyon is only an arrow shot, and it is at least five times as deep while stretching to the west beyond sight. Dalistra tells Mashaun that they could hit a target
on the opposite canyon wall. During the spring thaw, the canyon floor would fill with water, and the so-called road would be a river, making the road passable only in the summer and fall, prior to the first snow.
They find it interesting but are confused as to why he did tell them they would have to spend the night. “I’m not through,” he tells them.
What he wants to show them is the moon just starting to peek over the horizon over the large body of water to the west before turning them around and showing them the second moon just a little over the sun. They look at the two moons before Abigail asks what she is looking at. Berg asks them all to look at the setting moon closely before telling them that it has a yellow tinge to it. As the other moon climbs into the night sky, Mai asks if anyone else thinks—that is, if it has a red glow to it. They all agree. Abigail looks perplexed and asks Berg why they are looking at the sun setting in the east. He tells her that the planet has a retrograde spin to it. She smiles, not knowing what he said.
Berg recognizes the look from teaching. It usually means they haven’t a clue what he said. Mai has the same blank look in her eyes, and Berg realizes that he will have to explain it to them. He begins by reminding them that the sun and the moon rise in the east and sets in the west, to which they agree. Then he tells them that here it is backward; they rise in the west and set in the east. They look at him blankly for a moment. Suddenly Mai gets that I-get-it look, as everything comes into focus for her, with Abigail understanding shortly after. Mashaun is glad that they understand, and Berg can get on with his story.
Berg asks them how many staffs there are and what colors they are; they all answer red, yellow, and blue. “Exactly,” he replies before telling them that according to some ancient writings, he found there is a connection between them. He tells them that according to the scriptures, there are three moons in orbit, and each staff has a connection with the matching-color moon. Mai asks if they go through the same cycles, as Earth does, like for the first time she is admitting that this is not a dream. Everybody looks at her; she just said what they are all thinking. He tells them that each has a different orbit and that on rare occasions the three align. The last time was about a thousand years ago.
Each moon orbits at a different speed and this part of the world uses the red moon, also known as Flalib, to determine time. From what he could find out, it takes the red moon about thirty-five days to make one cycle, and it takes about thirteen cycles for a year. Mai and Abigail just shake their heads in confusion until he explains that one month is about thirty-five days long while the year has thirteen months.
By this time, the red moon is high in the sky as the blue moon starts to appear over the western horizon. Berg points out that the three moons are on course to realign sometime in the next few years. When Mashaun asks when, Berg just shakes his head, telling them that all he knows for sure is that they travel at different speeds, and the blue one will be in the sky for the next few days, because of its eccentric orbit.
Next Berg points to a group of stars with a bright star in the middle, telling them they use that star for navigation similar to our ancient seafarers using the North Star. Mashaun thanks Berg for the information, and he better understands the world, and he will need to get whatever they use as a sextant when they are in a city. It is late when Berg finishes his story, and they all settle down for the night. Mashaun watches the stars and the moons for some time before drifting off to sleep.
CHAPTER 13
The Patrol
After several weeks, Mashaun receives word that it is his turn to go on patrol, which lasts for several weeks. Mai does not want him to go. They have been sleeping together for some time, and she likes having his body next to hers, much to Dalistra’s displeasure. She only keeps her anger in check because she understands the need for physical contact, and that is something she can’t give. He spends time every week rubbing Dalistra down with bow wax, and she finds that almost sensual. They have long talks in the forest, he treats her like a member of the team, and that is something that she does not want to lose. It has been a long time since she has had any human contact. Not since, they ripped her spirit from the body and forced into the bow.
He meets at the patrol house and given warm clothes—a light white fur cloak with matching boots and snowshoes. They always go on patrol in groups of five. Besides Mashaun, there is Aioles, the young man that showed them around the compound the first day. He wears leather armor without a helmet, carries a sword and a shield, with a bow over his shoulder. Next to show up is Darnel, in his mid-twenties, wearing a leather breastplate, carrying a crossbow and a longsword. A woman similarly dressed accompanies him, carrying only a bow. She introduces herself as Tera. Last is a man in his early thirties. He has a light chain and carries a sword and a shield, introducing himself as Shad, and that tells them that he is in charge, with his gruff voice. They all look at Mashaun’s skis with curiosity and wonder. Shad tells him that the skis stay home, but Wilmer overrides the order, telling Shad that he can take the skis. Shad finds it unusual that Wilmer would countermand him but accepts the order. They leave the house, heading across the courtyard and through the brambles with Shad in the lead followed by Darnel, Aioles, Tera, and Mashaun.
Before trekking across the windswept snow, everyone puts on their snowshoes, except for Mashaun, who puts on his skis as the rest watch with bewilderment. It is the first time on snowshoes for Tera and Darnel, and it takes a while for them to get used to enlarged shoes as they clumsily shuffle across the hardened snow. They watch in amazement as Mashaun gently slides on the snow, and Shad soon appoints him as the front scout, wishing they all had skis.
Excitement fills them as they leave the village looking forward to practicing their skills. Like Mashaun, this is also Tera’s first patrol, and with anticipation, they set off on their patrol. They continue to head in a northwesterly direction for the day, and even though a blanket of snow cover the ground, they make good time. Their furs are remarkably warm in the cold winter air. At nightfall, they set up camp, and Shad tells everybody that if they run into a large group of monsters, Mashaun will return and bring reinforcements. They will shadow their movements, but not engage. They try to argue the point but he is unmovable, and that is his order. They don’t like it, but they accept it. They also realize that Mashaun can travel much faster on the skis than in the snowshoes they are wearing. Mashaun and Dalistra don’t like the plan either, remembering what happened that last time the group split up.
The next day, they unbury themselves from about a few feet of snow that dropped during the night before, making their way to a lookout post. The fresh snow slows their travel as they trudge through the snow, sinking knee-deep with every step. Even Mashaun’s sinks in the fresh powder, he still glides through the snow. That evening they arrive at the lookout post. It is not much more than a large two-story tree house about twelve feet above the snow. A rope ladder hangs down from the bottom of the treehouse. One by one, they enter the post and find a stove, four walls—gear lay scattered around the floor from the previous patrol. The floor where everybody sleeps is hard but dry without any rocks or branches to sleep around and is quite warm. It has an awesome view of the surrounding forest and a northern ravine that cuts east to west. The second floor is just a covered observation deck allowing an excellent view in all directions. Shortly the other patrol arrives back and is ecstatic that their relief has arrived. That night, the two groups swap stories before the other group takes off and heads back to Myelikkan in the morning.
Each day, the group patrols a different area before returning to the post without any sightings. During Tera’s early-morning watch, she sees some movement through the trees in the ravine. In her haste, she trips as she goes down the stairs to get Shad, waking everybody with a start as she lands face-first. She gets up and gives her report just as though nothing happened, before tending to her bloody nose. Back up at the lookout, there is nothing to see. She hesitantly swears that she saw something move but only ca
ught a glace of movement. Shad pushes to find out what she thinks she saw. At last, she says they looked like dogs on two legs. Everybody snickers except Shad, who gets a concerned look. Telling everybody to get ready for patrol, he tells them to take enough supplies for two days.
The fresh powder is deep and hampers everybody’s movement. Even with snowshoes, they sink up to their knees. Even Mashaun with his oversized skis sinks in the soft snow, but he still moves better than everybody else can, especially downhill. He arrives first to find a bunch of wolf tracks in the deep snow. Once the team arrives, they discuss the tracks and, embarrassed, congratulate Tera for her good work at spotting them. Mashaun and Shad study the tracks. They could not find any front-paw prints, and they are bigger than most. From their studies, Shad tells them that they look like Tsaub. But it has been many years since anybody saw one on this side of the mountains. They appear to be in single file, making it is hard to estimate the size of the pack, but he guesses it to be at least ten. They could pose a threat to the villages below. Shad decides to have a closer look to confirm the findings. They spend the afternoon following their trail, using the compact snow tracks of the Tsaub to make good time.
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