by Taki Drake
“I don’t know. The swords just felt comfortable. But from what you just said, if I stick around the village, I’ll probably find out.”
“That’s true. Or if you piss off one of the villagers and soldiers get summoned.”
“I’ll try to avoid that. I’m not sure what happened, but I know that I had received a good thrashing before waking up in my current condition,” I said. Memory supplied the exact details of the pain I’d awakened to yesterday. Eidetic memory indeed, I thought, it seems to be as much a bane as a benefit.
“When we get to the village, I’ll introduce you around. There is a Wisewoman, Drelba is her name. She knows a bit of animal husbandry, how to take care of simple injuries, and keeps track of the history of the village. She’s as sharp as a tack, but the rest are simple farmers or herders.”
My brain was busy trying to fit all of these pieces of information together into a pattern that I could remember. The anger at my situation fought with a puzzle that I might be able to solve, and that struggle must have shown on my face.
Delman said gently, “They are good people, just living a simple lifestyle. However, so many look down on them that they are easily offended by someone who is significantly smarter than they. Please watch yourself, because I can tell you are extremely intelligent. I am hoping that your situation will turn out better than the others because you do not appear to be arrogant.”
I found to my surprise that it was easy for me to smile as I answered him, “How can I be arrogant when I do not know who I am? And why would I expect that anyone would be more or less important than I am? I will try to be considerate, and hopefully, the people in the town are not too ready to take offense because I feel very disoriented.”
“Then you can relax as soon as they get to know you a little bit better. As long as you are not part of the problem, I am sure everything will work out.”
I saw Delman glance at the trees and the path. The farmer said, “Ah, we’re about five minutes away from the gate. They built a wooden palisade after the last cow theft, thinking that might help. I doubt it will as I saw one of the footprints, and it belonged to someone huge. That size person would not be kept out by simple palisade.”
When I did not say anything else, he asked me, “You got any questions?”
I smiled and said, “Lots, but none that I think you can answer, unfortunately. Live and learn is the expression that comes to my mind that is most appropriate. I guess I’ll take it plus the one that states ‘Better to keep one’s mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and prove it’ as my guiding principles.”
Delman shouted with laughter, saying, “Both are good ones to abide by.”
Chapter 5 – Delton
As the wagon rounded a corner, I could see the road continued, wending its way out of the more heavily forested area and into one of cultivated fields. The path wandered through several small farms before it approached a wooden gate, set in a wooden stockade.
I was not particularly impressed. The wall was barely ten-foot-high and not a significant barrier to attack, whether by a single enemy or a band of raiders. Some part of me was analyzing the weakest entry point for a breakthrough, finding many vulnerable locations. If a determined group of people came at the town, the wall would be worse than useless.
From the treeline to the wooden barrier was a distance of about a mile, giving any defenders a clear shot at advancing enemies. The fields had been mostly cleared of rocks and trees, and currently had several groups of people that were harvesting the last of the crops, leaving the approach bare of cover.
My analysis of the wall indicated it would take me only two or three seconds to travel over it. I’m evidently skilled at burglary, too. At some level, I was offended by the deceptive nature of the wall. Such a barrier would fool the townspeople into thinking they were protected while anyone, other than a ragtag group of highwaymen, would know what a joke it was.
Delman slowed the wagon down almost as if he wanted me to finish making my observations. After a few seconds, the farmer broke the silence that had lasted for the last several miles to say, “If they’re lucky, the wall might give the townsfolk a few seconds warning when the Thing comes back. Even though it will not keep the monster out, someone might at least get to see what is taking their animals.”
“If it’s as large as you say, Delman, it may just step over the wall, and they would be none the wiser, at least until morning.”
The gate was swinging open as we approached, indicating someone was watching. As the gate open wider, I could see that there was a young girl who was excitedly bouncing up and down.
“You got your harvest done, Delman!” she said. “I’m so glad to see you again!”
“Yes, Marissa,” Delman replied. “And this is an acquaintance who helped load my wagon and made the trip less boring.”
“What’s his name? What’s your name, stranger?” she rapid-fired the questions at us both.
“He doesn’t know,” Delman answered quickly. “Before you ask any other questions, let us get the wagon unloaded. Then you can talk to him all you like.” He smiled at her fondly and turned back to me.
Intended for just my ears, he quietly said to me, “That will cover any debt you feel you owe me.”
My reply was also quiet, “Thanks, I didn’t know how to repay you.”
“Loading my wagon was good enough, but, trust me, Marissa will talk your ear off given any chance at all. Good luck!”
We headed over to a small market area and offloaded the wagon onto the tables that were set up there. Both of us moved quickly, but it still took us a half-hour to get everything laid out. Marissa followed us from the gate and was full of advice and criticism on how to layout the produce. Both Delman and I ignored her for the most part.
I felt fully recovered today, experiencing no pain and no dizziness. Standing there in a strange market with people crowded around me, I was alert, ready to react as needed, my nerves slightly tight, and my blood surging in my body.
My awareness expanded out, and I found myself building that strange map in my head that let me know the location of everyone and everything around me. With the crowd swirling and moving, part of my brain was fully engaged with updating that map so that at any time, I knew how to act.
After all of the produce was offloaded and organized to Delman’s satisfaction, I made sure to pick up my bow and quiver. Putting my backpack underneath the rear of one of the tables, I stood and waited for Delman to suggest what I should do or who I should speak to next.
One of the locals came over to Delman, and they began to negotiate for the farmer's produce. There is a fair amount of back-and-forth, some of it quite heated, but eventually, they agreed on a price that did not seem to make either of them happy.
My hackles rose, and I realize that Marissa had come to stand next to me. Uneasy in her presence, I glanced sideways at her and saw that she was staring at me expectantly. When I did not say anything to her, she decided to take the initiative.
“You look my age,” she said.
I grinned at her and said, “I’m older. I carry it well.” To my eyes, she could not have been more than sixteen years old, and I knew that I was far older than that. Fae show their age more slowly than humans, and the scars on my body told me that I had been an adult for a long time.
Her next words caused me a moment of panic. “Nice snake tattoo! Can I see the rest of it?”
I followed her glance and saw that she was looking at my left wrist. To my surprise, the head of the snake tattoo that I had seen on my back earlier was now peeking out from underneath my sleeve. It had moved, and my skin crawled in uneasy sympathy.
Before I would be forced to answer the young woman, I was saved by an interruption. Delman, who’d been talking with the man who’d purchased his produce, spoke to me, saying, “This is Faren. I’ve let him know what’s happened to you, and while he remembers the others who’ve come here, he’s willing to give you a chance.”
For the first time, I looked directly at the man with whom Delman had been bargaining. The first thing I noticed was the level brown-eyed gaze of a man who was trying to take my measure. Standing slightly shorter than my own height, Faren showed a typical human set of features, with weather-roughened skin and sandy brown hair.
His expression was neutral, neither welcoming nor antagonistic. He was as watchful of me as I was of him. That comprehensive observation took only a split second so I could reply quickly.
“Thank you, Delman, and thank you, Faren,” was my reply. “I’ll try to help out as much as I can, and if I’m getting something wrong, please let me know immediately. I don’t want to offend anyone.”
“I surely will, stranger,” came Faren’s answer. “Assuming you know how to use those swords you are carrying, we may have a use for you shortly. It’s been over three months since our last visit from the raider.”
Delman placed his hand reassuringly on my shoulder for a second before saying, “Faren will introduce you around so that everyone knows you. I need to head back to my farm and deal with the animals. Good luck with your memory loss and in adjusting to a new life.”
Picking up the now filled sacks that he had brought with him, Delman moved toward his wagon. Tossing the bags up into the wagon bed, he turned and smiled back at the young woman, saying, “Goodbye, for now, Marissa.”
Breaking forth in a blinding smile, the young woman ran over to him and grabbed him in a big hug. As he returned the embrace, Marissa stretched up and tried for a kiss. Delman laughed as he straightened up and looked down at her. Smiling fondly, the big man said, “Later, my love.”
Delman got back into the driver's seat of his wagon and maneuvered the horses around so that he could head out of the village. With the market so close to the gate, he was outside the stockade within just a few moments.
Watching him as he left, I had an opportunity to inspect the inside of the gate and wall. From this perspective, I saw that there were a couple of village boys operating the gate. It took three of them to manage the opening and closing, although the mechanism itself was simple.
The construction of the gate itself was rudimentary and would not be sturdy enough to stop even a basic battering ram. This is what I had feared when I saw the wall from the outside, that it would be a dangerously deceptive symbol of safety. The gate and barrier would not keep any determined enemy out, even a predator that stole a single head of cattle several times a year.
I know how to siege a town? Well, probably much better than farmers!
I turned my attention back to Faren and Melissa to see the end of a whispered conversation between the two. When both of them turned to stare at me consideringly, I knew that I had been the subject of that conversation. Looking for one to the other, I quirked an eyebrow in question, and Marissa jumped into speech, as I thought she might.
“Faren and I think that you need to meet everybody in town. Although some of the people are out in the fields, the majority of our population is here in the market. There are even some people from the surrounding areas that come in on Market Day. We will see if we can get you known to at least most of them here, and then take you over to meet our Wisewoman.”
I looked at Faren as Marissa chattered at me. He gave me a smile and a helpless shrug. Nodding in understanding, I realized that trying to have a conversation with Marissa was like standing in a creek at flood time. You could not stop the flow, all you could do was brace yourself and survive.
The next couple of hours were a confusing whirlwind of introductions and names that I needed to remember. Faren and Marissa introduced me to the people who were in town, dragging me from table to table and sometimes interrupting the shoppers to make us known to each other.
Names and small facts bombarded my head until my brain felt like it was going to burst. It was a good thing that most of the men and women were out in the fields just outside the walls. Of the approximately 250 inhabitants of Delton, I met only fifty or so people. These were the ones working inside the walls.
One after another, I met the blacksmith, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, sutler, and inn proprietor, plus many more. Desperately trying to build some sort of association among the different people and the random facts that have been mentioned about their livelihood, relationships, or desires tired me more than the entire hike the day before had done.
At least I remembered a couple of them, notably the blacksmith, a huge man that was as tall as I but twice as wide, and who looked like he lifted cows for exercise. Since his name meant strong, I could remember Jedrek Strongarm easily.
The innkeeper was also notable. A well-kept man, he had a precision of action and an occupation that went well with his name, Kaz Boniface. He seemed pleasant but not pushy, and I knew that my initial liking would continue to grow.
Reminding me that Delton was a farm town, I was also introduced to a variety of cows and goats. According to what I was told, approximately thirty cows and seventy-five goats were housed each evening within the city walls. Somehow, I knew this was unusual but chalked it up to an attempt to protect their animals from the unknown predator.
Almost stumbling in my exhaustion, at the end of our fast introduction round, I was confident that I remembered all of the people’s names and their occupations. Some of the other facts I might have to be reminded about, but the main points I would retain. I even remembered some of the cows' names, although the goats were a bit much.
Chapter 6 – Meet the Wisewoman
The last person I was to meet was the Wisewoman. Faren indicated a house, just off from the market area, as belonging to this respected elder, and we headed that direction.
I noticed as we approached the woman’s house that Marissa was bouncing again, while Faren was watching her with amusement. There did not seem to be any worry in either one of their faces, and I felt a small bit of tension slip away from me.
Coming up to the door, Faren knocked, and we waited for an answer from inside.
“Hold your damn horses,” came a gruff female voice. “I’m coming.”
The door opened, and an ancient woman stood in the entryway. She was at least seventy years old and looked like she’d worked for every one of them. Her face was heavily wrinkled, but her life was more easily seen in her hands. Slightly swollen knuckles and calluses so old that they had to be lifelong decorated her palms and fingers like badges of courage.
Lifting my gaze back up to her face, I saw that her blue eyes were busy taking my measure also. For a split second, something old and implacable looked out of those windows to her soul before once again the shutters of normality closed down. All that was left for me to see once again was the welcome kindness in her expression.
Behind her was another woman, appearing to be about the same age as Marissa. Both of the house occupants were wearing flower-patterned dresses and look like they were related.
The old woman spoke first, saying, “Faren, Marissa, and the stranger with swords! Excellent!”
Marissa and Faren both jumped into speech, talking over the top of each other. The noise was so confusing that I took a step back as if to dissociate myself from their impetuous nature and garbled speech.
The old woman spoke again, saying commandingly, “You two, go away,” pointing to my two companions and making brushing motions with her left hand. Turning back to me, the Wisewoman held out her right hand and said, ”You come in.”
“Umm, goodbye, Marissa, Faren. Thank you for the introductions,” I managed to say before the Wisewoman pulled me further into the house and shut the door behind me. Before the door closed off my view, I saw that Faren’s face had a look of resignation, while Marissa seemed slightly put out.
I hope it was not something I did or said that caused this. Furthermore, I do not understand why I did not dodge this old woman’s grasp? I thought. To my astonishment, this time, I got an answer.
<
I jumped in shock
and thought, <
<
Great, now I get to question my sanity. My heart was racing, and I seemed short of breath. I was starting to panic, but over what? There were no visible threats.
<< Please don’t panic. I can’t explain anything at the moment. I’m kind of busy. Please stay calm. Her wards are helping me stabilize our situation. And she’s trying to help the village and us. >>
<< Have you been with me the whole time? If so, why did you wait until now to reveal yourself? >> I flung the thought at whatever was responding to me. Yes, something was wrong. My eyes went wide as my fear spiked, and my heart rate went up again.
<< This place is warded against the Fae. I’ve been hiding us until now, trying to avoid your Father. Her wards let me relax a bit, perhaps too much, sorry! Hold on! >>
“I am Drelba, and this is my apprentice, Willow. Are you okay? Do you know why you came here?”
“No,” was my reply in a raw voice that I barely recognized as mine. Feeling like my words were being ripped through my throat, I said, “I’ve no idea where here is, nor who I am. The number of questions that I have that need answers is so large that I feel like I am going to explode. On top of all that, I don’t remember anything, and I am worried that one of the things that I have forgotten will get me killed!”
My emotions broke through, almost bringing me to my knees. My blood hammered in my throat, and the feeling of fear was overwhelming. I knew I was in the middle of a full panic attack.
“What am I? Who am I?” I almost screamed. Tears flowed an instant later, and I collapsed, shaking. “What is wrong with me?!?” My bow clattered to the floor as I fell on my knees, head bowed down and resting in my hands.
“Willow! Get blankets, and then get the soup,” Drelba snapped the orders out, and Willow jumped to obey. Seconds later, I was wrapped tightly in layers of warm coverings, and then the supporting arms were absent again.