Season of Hytalia

by Jennifer Arntson

  When I told them about the secret passage I discovered, my father sat up a little straighter. I told them what I overheard about the Atchem Festival and how people had been chosen to participate. It wasn’t until I recounted what happened to Hawk’s wife that I noticed the mask of my father’s composure crack. He sensed the hesitation in my voice and said he’d give us a break soon.

  “Maybe we should pause here.” Mother rubbed her knees as if preparing them to stand.

  “Not yet,” Father said, his face softening to hide his emotion. “What else did they talk about?”

  Calish’s posture changed when I confessed they considered reinstating our father’s status but that Reinick quickly dismissed it.

  “How old are my brother’s sons?”

  “He never had any children.”

  After that, my father fulfilled his promise. The rain had let up, and he suggested we take the opportunity to stretch our legs.

  Welcoming the recess, Calish and I ducked outside, wandering into the neighboring field. Rain followed us until he darted into the trees to take care of his personal business. I enjoyed the sound of silence over the droning of my own voice. There were no questions or answers, puzzles or conspiracies, only the overcast sky full of greedy, fat clouds.

  Once we were far enough away to be overheard, Calish turned me to face him. “I have a plan.”

  “For what?”

  “If Father made up a name in the same land his family lives in and nobody figured it out, why can’t we just go somewhere else and start over?”

  “People come from all over for the festival. Some travel for days. Where do you think there is to go?”

  “Reinick gave me all that currency. I don’t know what it’s worth, at least not yet, but I’ll soon find out. I’ll save up everything I earn from him. Once I know what it can afford, we’ll go, all of us, and we’ll have a new start. I have the coins from Blue’s farmhands. Marsh and I won’t have to be known as Scavengers. You will be my wife, not my sister. No one will know us. If we need to, we can live off the land. Who’s better prepared for that than us?” He held my hands, looking more hopeful than I’d ever seen him.

  “What about the baby?”

  “If I can manage it, we’ll be far, far from here before it’s born. We have to do this for us, for our child.”

  “I don’t know, Calish.”

  “You’re a Seer. Focus on our future, and when you see something, tell me.”

  I wanted his plan to work, but I knew it wouldn’t. Running away and starting fresh might have worked last year, but Reinick wasn’t a person you could successfully avoid. He knew about us, and unless we were dead, he’d hunt us one way or another.

  “Let’s go back.” He kissed me. “I’m sure there’s a lot more to your story.” He called for Rain, and we made our way back, making a quick detour to put him in the hay barn.

  Apparently, we stayed outside longer than Father intended. The others were waiting for us when we got back. I’m glad we took the break, but since we’d taken advantage of it, we were denied any more of them. Stories, questions, answers, and clarifications lasted for hours. The rain came and stopped, then came again, making it feel like we’d been sitting together from dawn to dusk for days. Mother kept us fed, and Father kept us seated. By the time we’d finished, most of the daylight was gone and the sun was lowering, this time for real, as desperate for the horizon as my eyes were for sleep. Judging by my father’s yawn, he was ready himself.

  Marsh perked up. “What did Paw tell you about his group?”

  “Forget about this Resistance nonsense, son,” Father suggested. “There’s always been one, of one sort or another. Heck, that’s how we found you—” He stopped abruptly, regretting his slip.

  Calish rubbed his eyes. “I already know about it.”

  What was the point in any of us keeping secrets?

  My father threw his hands up in the air. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “How did you find out?” Mother asked.

  “Una told me.” He grimaced as if he were tattling.

  Marsh’s shoulders fell, and his eyes narrowed. “I told you that in confidence!”

  Calish came to my defense. “She only told me because she wanted to make a point.”

  “Yeah? What?”

  “She was trying to make a case against releasing the bird. She didn’t want me to accept the offer.”

  Our brother shrugged. “Anything else we should know about each other?”

  If Calish didn’t know the truth, he would have learned it tonight. At least this way we weren’t drawn too far off-topic.

  “It doesn’t change anything,” Mother said. “You’re all my children. You may not be of my body, but you are each of my love. What’s better than a family that is made by choice?”

  A sudden knock on the door startled us out of the tender moment. My father motioned for my mother and me to hide, and Marsh got his thistle gun. Calish dashed into our parents’ area, grabbing the blade off the fireplace mantle on the way. Father, shuddering at the second knock, took a deep breath and opened the door.

  “Good evening, sir!” a chipper voice greeted.

  My father’s posture changed as he waved us out from hiding. “What did I tell you about coming on Scavenger land?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m so sorry, sir. I forgot.”

  “You could have been killed!” Father stepped to the side, inviting the man inside.

  “If you get that window fixed, you’d see people heading toward your house,” the man suggested.

  I couldn’t help but greet the small man with a smile. “Kawl!”

  My father surveyed the property for any other unexpected guests.

  “Miss Una, always a pleasure.” He bowed. “You look so much better than when I saw you last.”

  “Are you alone?” Father asked, now fully awake.

  “Yes, sir. Not like last time.”

  “What are you doing here? You’re not going to arrest me again, are you?”

  “Goodness no, miss. I’m here for Mr. Bartold.”

  “Kawl,” Father restrained himself, “we are all Mr. Bartold.”

  He snickered uncomfortably as he removed a letter from his breast pocket. “Right, of course you are. Let’s see, it says Calish Bartold.”

  “I’m him.”

  I put my hand in his and cuffed his arm with my other, terrified of what Blue had accused him of. “But he hasn’t done anything.”

  “Well, he must have done something.” The man opened the letter to read it out loud. “Says here you’re to present for Orientation, tomorrow.”

  “What?” Father grabbed the paper.

  “Yeah, lots of new hires.” Kawl leaned in as if he were telling a secret. “So many guys died last season; entire hunting parties torn to bits by wolves.”

  “Well, thank you for the letter. He’ll be ready in the morning.”

  “Oh, no, sir,” he turned to Calish, “we’ve gotta go tonight. Boats are crazy busy with all the transportation issues. We’re going now.”

  “Now?” I queried back. “He needs to pack his things.”

  “No, ma’am, he doesn’t. He’ll be staying at the Temple with the other recruits in the Disciple Dorms. They have everything they’ll need there. You know, you’ve been there, miss.”

  Glad to hear they weren’t going to be bunked up in a jail cell, I asked, “If he’s going there, where will the Disciples go?”

  “They are on break,” he answered. “Each Hytalia, they get to go home for a cycle since they can’t leave the Temple during Talium, you know, too busy praying and stuff. This time, they’ve been sent home for three cycles.”

  “Why so long?” Father inquired.

  Kawl shrugged. “Who knows? To tell you the truth, things are all screwy. It’s all above my pay grade. I got nothing to do but show up and do whatever they tell me.”

  “So, how long will he be there?” I asked.

  “Since he’s not military, it sh
ould be only three or four days.”

  Calish patted me on the arm. “Do you mind giving me a minute with my family?”

  “Sure.” Kawl folded his hands, letting his eyes meander around the room casually.

  My father escorted him outside. “Alone.”

  “Oh, certainly,” he apologized. “I’ll be over by the horses.”

  “Horses?” Marsh’s face scrunched up.

  “Yeah, he got a top-tier job apparently. Way better than mine. They don’t give stallions dressed like that to men like me. I’ve never been this close to one, actually.”

  Marsh pushed past the messenger to see the animal for himself. Kawl ran like an excited little dog beside him, eager to point out all the upgrades of the steed’s accessories.

  My father shut the door and, in a hushed and hurried tone, admitted, “I don’t like this, Calish.”

  “What? He got the hawk, of course he wants me trained. We weren’t given a lot of time to prepare, but can we take this at face value? I doubt that they sent all the Disciples home because I’m coming in for orientation.”

  Father put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You watch yourself. My father will use whatever he can to his advantage. You’ve only heard a fraction of what he’s capable of.”

  “Then I shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

  My father nodded begrudgingly until my mother stole Calish away. Accepting a swarm of kisses from her on the side of his face, he felt his empty pockets. “Una, is my blade still in the hay barn?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “I should bring it with me, just in case,” he declared. “Will you help me find it? I don’t want to delay more than necessary.”

  Our parents waited on the porch as Calish and I went to the barn to get his piece. He kept Rain inside and closed the door while I searched blindly in the straw.

  “Una, stop.”

  “I thought you needed your blade?” I said, turning my head so the pup would quit licking my face.

  “No, I just wanted to talk to you.” He lifted me off my knees. “Tell me exactly where the room is that leads to Reinick’s office.”

  “I’m not sure where it goes. I never found a lever or handle.”

  He grunted.

  “Besides, there are prisoners who are locked in the dining hall afterward. If you find it, others will see you.”

  He took me into his arms. “I love you more than anything. You know that, right?”

  “Calish, what—”

  “Shh. If I’m not back by the start of the next moon cycle, go to the Resistance Camp.”

  I pushed away, fearing what he alluded to. He brushed my hair from my eyes. “I truly hope that Reinick’s offer is genuine, but like you, I have my doubts. I don’t trust Blue either, and the fact anyone can just walk up to our front door makes me more uncomfortable leaving you here. If you think Paw and Hawk are trustworthy, you follow your gut. It’s time we started listening to your instincts. I don’t want you sitting here waiting for others who would wish to harm you or the baby.”

  “But what about you?”

  “I’m right here.” He touched my stomach just below my navel. “You’ve given me everything. I love you so very much.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Calish kissed me, and as much as I wanted to, I could not stop crying long enough to kiss him back.

  “Please try not to worry. I’m going to the Temple, not the prison.” He gently dried my tears with his thumbs. “I have to go.”

  “I know.” I focused on my breathing.

  He sat me down on a bale of hay and called Rain to my side. The pup sprang up next to me, resting his thick head on my leg. “You stay in here, until Mother comes for you. Don’t watch me leave.” Calish cleared his tears from his face and squared his shoulders. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. “Remember what I said: five days, then you take Rebel and Rain and you go.”

  I nodded. “Five days.”

  That should have been our plan all along.

  He stepped outside and the door closed behind him. With a single thud of the toggle latch, I was alone. Again.

  Chapter 11

  I didn’t sleep, but I wasn’t awake either. I felt as if I were in some strange alternate reality, where I existed only as an empty shell of a person. Sitting at the table, I stared at the same spot on the wall all day, barely noticing the movement of my family in my peripheral vision. Finally, they went outside to start assembling the mill.

  Although the rain tapped on the roof and filtered daylight came through the kitchen window, my mind sat me back in the dark corner of the prison cell. When I closed my eyes, I heard the sounds echoing off the stone walls of the dungeon. This isn’t real. The flames gnawed the fuel in the lanterns down the long hallways. You’re listening to the fire in the fireplace. The guards’ shoes clicked and clacked as they paced along the iron bars. They are not here. Are they? From the darkened corners, the prisoners coughed in the stale, wretched air. I can’t breathe. Slowly, the kitchen shrunk around me, and the sound of rain faded away. Unable to feel my own body, I doubt if I blinked at all. Rain curled up at my feet, the only thing connecting me to the world. Is he really here? Father made the house of logs and patch, but what stood before me were darkened stone walls. It didn’t matter if my eyes were open or not, the view remained the same.

  My despondent meditation was only slightly interrupted when Marsh came in from the rain to check on me.

  “Una.” He sat, noticing my meal still untouched from hours before. “You didn’t have breakfast or lunch. You need to eat something.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  I haven’t earned it.

  “Then don’t do it for yourself, do it for the baby.” He held up half of the sandwich my mother couldn’t get me to eat earlier.

  “We shouldn’t have let him go, Marsh.”

  “We let you go, and you came back.”

  No, I didn’t.

  “Are you seriously trying to tell me that you can get back here in the darkness of Talium, but Calish can’t find his way home on some fancy-pants horse in the rain?” He took a huge bite of the sandwich. “I know you’re worried, but he’s not going there for the same reasons you did. It’s perfectly understandable that you’d be afraid for him; still, it’s not the same.”

  I’m glad you don’t understand, Marsh.

  He snapped his fingers to get my attention. “Can’t you drum up a vision or something?”

  “I haven’t had one in a while.” I shrugged. “Not one that I understood anyway.”

  “So you have had one, then?”

  “I had a cut lip. That was the day Blue came here.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I saw it…in the mirror.” Suddenly, the room got brighter. “Marsh, you’re a genius!” I sprang from my seat.

  “What did I say?”

  I ran to my parents’ sleeping area to find the hand mirror. Rain tore in behind me, landing in the center of their bed. He barked several times, as if he expected me to be hunting in here.

  Rummaging through one of the two top dresser drawers, I explained, “Sometimes I see things in the reflection; maybe I’ll see something useful.”

  It’s not on this side. I slammed it shut and tried the other. Somehow, it stuck on a box wedged improperly inside. Being impatient, I jiggled it back and forth to get the obstruction to settle, but it wouldn’t budge. The silver handle of the mirror was right there, but I couldn’t open it far enough to remove it. I grunted as I pushed and pulled vigorously without success.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  “The drawer is stuck,” I complained, forcing the stupid thing in and out.

  “Here let me,” Marsh offered, and I stepped aside. He yanked the whole thing free from the dresser, dropping everything inside. The top of the meddlesome box fell off, scattering its shiny contents across the floor.

  I picked up a fancy letter opener and cursed. “I thought this was the
mirror handle.” I moaned, throwing it in the empty drawer.

  “What are these?” He gathered a handful of shimmering objects.

  “Our parent’s things. Now help me put them back.”

  “These aren’t their things.” He held one of the pieces to show me.

  “What?…oh my gods.”

  “They’re Authority Shields.” Marsh gasped. “There are dozens of them.”

  “How did they get so many?”

  “An officer wouldn’t give it up willingly.” He stopped counting. “It’s the only thing that proves they’re who they claim to be.”

  “Did you know they had these?”

  “Quick! Put everything back!”

  I did as he said, suddenly fearful that we’d be accused of snooping. As soon as we arranged the things as we assumed they had been, Marsh wedged it back into place. I barely made it out of their space when I heard the front door handle jiggle. Our parents must have been removing their shoes and used it to balance themselves. We ran on our tiptoes out to the table, sliding into our seats when they entered the house.

  “I cannot stand all this rain,” Mother confessed as she removed her coat and gave it to my father to hang outside. She took a towel from the small stack on the kitchen counter and wrapped her hair up inside of it to dry.

  My father took off his boots and grumbled, “It’s all necessary.”

  I picked up the other half of my sandwich and nibbled at it innocently. There must be a reason for all those pins to be in his drawer; however, Marsh was right, they didn’t give them out to just anybody. The Authority issued them to the officers to be worn on the shirt collar. They were not overly large, yet in contrast to their black uniform, the shiny chrome badge stood out like a beacon in the night. My father wasn’t a killer, so it didn’t seem plausible that he murdered people for them. Was it possible that he’d merely reclaimed them over the years off dead guards?

  Where would he find piles of dead Authority Officers?

  Did he steal them from Reinick in his youth?

  How did he get them?

  So much for sharing all our secrets! As much as I wanted to know, I wasn’t about to ask. I’d stumbled upon them; it’s not as if I were snooping around. Still, I didn’t want to appear as if I was purposely invading their privacy, not to mention that I was in no position to question my father. Under the best of circumstances, he didn’t care to recount his past, and right now, he was so hurt and disappointed in me, he’d appreciate it less. I was starting to learn that keeping my mouth shut was a valuable tool and, more often than not, a wise decision.