“What happened?” Arik askedcalmly. “How did you get away?”
Tedi stood silently for a moment andcalmed himself. He reached into his pouch and brought out a smallmetal disk painted black with sharp points on it like an artist’sdrawing of a sunburst. “One of them threw this at me. I never evensaw it coming, but it missed and struck a tree. I grabbed it andtook off.”
Arik reached over and took the smalldisk, feeling the sharp points. Murmuring to himself Arik said, “Iwonder if they are planning to attack the town again. Maybe weshould alert somebody. How many bandits were there?”
His anger dissipated, Tedi repliedsoftly. “I didn’t get a chance to find out. I wanted to sneak backafter they chased me, but I couldn’t chance it. I don’t know howthat one bandit knew I was there. I pride myself on being able tosneak up on people, but I didn’t even get close before he hurledthat thing at me. I guess I’m not as courageous as I like topretend.”
“Not courageous!” Arikexclaimed. “Nobody I know would intentionally sneak up on a groupof bandits. What were you trying to . . . ”, Arik stopped. Itsuddenly dawned on him why Tedi was sneaking up on bandits. Tedi’swhole life had fallen apart the day their mothers were taken fromthem by bandits. He wondered how long Tedi had been sneaking intothe forest at night in an attempt to find his mother again. Ariktalked admiringly as he gave the small weapon back to Tedi. “Youhave more courage than any ten men in this town, Tedi. Only a foolwould have attempted that camp twice. You’re pretty quiet when youwant to be, but that bandit must have pretty good hearing. You’reused to sneaking around people, not animals. I’ve learned a fewtricks about being quiet in the woods from old man Grein, thetrapper. I could show them to you if you want.”
“I would like that,” beamedTedi. “And I’ll let you practice throwing this nasty little thingat trees. I don’t know how we are going to alert the townspeople,though. My father has warned me to stay out of the woods at nightand you know what he’ll do if he finds out.”
“Esta knows that I hunt in thewoods,” offered Arik. “I can tell him that I saw the bandits andyou won’t get in trouble. Tell me exactly where you saw them on theway back to the inn.”
Arik went back to the front stoop toretrieve his bow and quiver while Tedi ran next door to get hisown. The boys walked along the shore to the quay, lost inconversation of bandits and battle and the town finally standing upto the thieves. The problem, of course, was that most of theable-bodied men were out to sea trying to haul in meager catches offish. At the quay, the boys turned up the broad street heading forthe coastal highway that ran through the town of Lorgo. Many of theshops were abandoned and boarded up. Arik, once again, began tothink of what the town must have been like before the Collapse. Hepictured all of the businesses open and people bustling about withgaily wrapped packages under their arms. He imagined grandcarriages bearing nobility up and down the street with theirfootmen keeping pace and their mounted guards fore and aft. Hefantasized columns of Sordoan soldiers marching along the coastalhighway on their way to a frontier fort, their uniforms all withmatching bright colors and gilded with gold. It took him a momentto realize that Tedi was no longer beside him. He looked up anddown the street and the only person moving was a sturdy woman in along green dress and wearing a felt hat with an embroidered stripof flowers around it. She was walking down the center of the wideavenue and staring at him. Without knowing why, Arik turned anddashed between the two closest buildings and turned down the alleytowards the sea. Arik was halfway down the alley when Tedi calledto him. Arik stopped short and peered around. Tedi was hidingbeside some old crates behind one of the buildings.
“Why did you leave me?” pantedArik.
“I had my reasons,” laughedTedi, “but I’m not running like I just saw a revenant. What are yourunning from?”
Arik winced as he thought of overheardstories of revenants, beings brought back from the dead that couldnot be killed. Suddenly he broke out laughing. “I don’t know,” heoffered. I guess I was daydreaming on the way to the inn and lookedup to see this woman walking towards me. At least I thought she washeading towards me. It felt like her eyes were burning into me. Idon’t know why, but I just started running. Pretty stupid, Iguess.”
“If she was wearing green,”Tedi laughed, “it wasn’t so stupid. That was the woman who screamedthis morning at the inn and she saw us walking together before Itook off running. I don’t know if she saw me through her windowearlier, but I’m not about to take any chances. Best off if we justavoid her.”
“I wonder what she is doing inLorgo,” Arik mused. “Her dress is one of the finest I’ve ever seenand Esta remarked about her traveling without a bodyguard. I can’tsee her getting past all of the bandits along the highway and ifshe had family here, she wouldn’t be staying at the inn. It justdoesn’t make any sense.”
Tedi stared down the alley and tuggedat his woolen breeches. “You know,” he began, “in all the time I’vebeen checking out the Fisherman’s Inn, there has never been a lonewoman staying there. In fact, I don’t remember any woman everstaying there. Most of the women who come through town stay at oneof the inns along the highway. That’s a pretty fine dress to beheading for the quay. Well, at least we know she won’t see us whenwe talk to Esta. Come on, we’ll go up the alley to theinn.”
The boys were laughing at being soskittish as they proceeded up the alley, but, still, they eachturned and looked towards the street as they passed any openingthat afforded a view. As the boys neared the Fisherman’s Inn, thedistinctive sound of a traveling merchant trilled the air. The twoboys looked at each other with their mouths hanging open and racedbetween two buildings to the street. Where the street met thecoastal highway, a lone merchant's wagon was just pulling into asmall courtyard. The boys forgot all of their thoughts regardingbandits and finely dressed women and raced towards thecourtyard.
Chapter 2
Witch
Arik and Tedi screeched to a halt justas the old merchant was climbing down from the driver’s seat of thewagon. The old man was dressed in drab gray woolen breeches andmatching tunic. His garments were clean, but had obviously beenmended many times over the years. A gray woolen cap was stretchedover his head and he moved as if he had been sitting too long onthe wagon. A young boy, similarly attired but in brown, was alreadybringing oat buckets from the rear of the wagon for the two oldhorses that stood quietly at the front of the wagon. The oldmerchant moved to the rear of the wagon and lowered a small gatethat kept parcels from falling off.
“Say, old timer,” hailed Tedi,“what news do you bring from the North?”
The young boy had returned for a coupleof buckets to get water from the well for the horses. HearingTedi’s remark, the young boy shot a disapproving glare at the twotown boys, but left to accomplish his tasks. Tedi knew that theyonly had moments for any news before the townspeople startedgathering and then there would be no talk of old times.
The old man turned towards Tedi andlooked him up and down before answering.
“The news from up North,child, is that their children are better mannered. The name I useis Boris Khatama. That means that you will address me as MasterKhatama and if it’s news you want, then you will wait for thetownspeople to assemble and hear it with the rest.”
“Forgive my friend’s lack ofmanners, Master Khatama,” offered Arik. “We are eager to hear ofnews that the townspeople never speak of. Lorgo is a small town andmost people refuse to discuss things that Tedi and I read about inbooks. I hope you will forgive our poor manners.”
Master Khatama focused his attentionson Arik as he pulled down small crates of goods from the wagon.“And why should I talk of things that your own parents would rathernot have you hear?”
“Oh, it’s not that they don’twant us to hear,” Arik responded quickly, “but I fear that theystill think of us as children and too young to hear such stories.Why just this morning at the inn . . . a friend was telling meabout the old times, but he had to return to work. Our fathers arefishermen and they are gone most of the day and tired at night.Besides, what they know is very limited as they have not traveledfar and wide as I’m sure you have.”