Echoes (11 page)

A heavy blanket of snow covered the ground. Daniel poked at the fire before him with a stick that had been charred black. Every once in a while, he knocked the char away from the end. It had taken him the better part of an hour to clear the ground enough to allow for a fire. Most of the fuel was too wet to burn under normal circumstances, but Darius had the fire going in only a moment. The area was thick with smoke, and Daniel had to change position every few minutes when the wind shifted and blew the smoke his way.

Aesri and Niada were speaking quietly to one another. They preferred to stay close to the fire. The brutal Mirin Tor winter was especially hard on them after their years in the heat of the Breken desert, but to their credit, they never complained. Even when Niada’s fingers had been frost-bitten, she didn’t say a word. Daniel had to admit he was impressed—the Etrafarian women were a lot tougher than they looked.

They had visited more towns, villages, and hamlets than Daniel cared to count. It was the same thing everywhere they went—they would ride in, and people would poke their heads from their doorways to look on in wide-eyed wonder. Darius and the wolf always caused some concern, and children were rarely allowed near when they were present. The fairies drew curious stares, but they seemed oblivious to the rude behavior of the people around them. Aesri’s perpetual serene smile never broke, and Niada remained cool and aloof, except with the children who seemed to bring out a playful side to her that Daniel would never have imagined was there.

The people of Mirin Tor were not the same as the people of Maj. Here, women found little use for weapons training. Most of them preferred to care for their families, farm the land, tend their animals, or cultivate a skill at which they excelled. Truth be told, not many of the men knew one end of a sword from the other either, as they had lived their lives mostly free of danger, and therefore had little use for battle strategy.

The situation wasn’t completely hopeless. There was strength in numbers, and they would outnumber the Breken, but Daniel was worried that numbers alone would not be enough. The people were, at least, receptive to the king’s call. Those who would fight went to the capital to receive instruction in basic battle techniques.

The others loaded as much food and supplies as they could into carts and wagons and made for the mountains where there were tunnels leading deep underground in which they could seek shelter if the Breken could not be stopped. It wouldn’t be comfortable with so many crammed into the mines, but hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. Still, it was best to prepare for every contingency, and food and other provisions would need to be stocked as a result.

Darius settled next to Daniel and stretched his legs before him. “You’re pensive today. Everything okay?”

“I miss Carly,” Daniel said.

It was a blunt admission from a man who’d tended to keep his feelings to himself.

Aesri and Niada stopped talking and were now looking Daniel’s way.

Darius rubbed his smooth jaw and nodded a little. “I imagine you are, but we’ll be back to Maj before you know it. Another month at the most, and we’ll be able to head home.”

“A month is a long time.” Daniel tossed the stick he was holding onto the fire and watched the sparks drift skyward. “She wasn’t well when I left. What if something’s happened? I hate not knowing.”

“Did you ask Dearra to check with Brin? She’s a long way away, but maybe he can—”

“I already checked. Brin told Dearra that his range has boundaries. He can hear everything on the island, as long as he knows what or who to listen for, but he can’t hear across salt water. Once he is more than a few hundred yards out, everything goes silent.”

Darius frowned. “I didn’t know that.”

“Dearra found out when we were on the ship going to Parsaia. Once we realized Royce had stowed away, Dearra asked Brin to go to Catherine in a dream to let her know her child was safe. That’s when she knew. She never mentioned anything, since we didn’t think to ask, and she didn’t want to upset anyone. Royce said he left his mother a note, but there was no way to know for sure if she got it, and even if she had, she was likely beside herself with worry.”

“That’s too bad. If we had a link with Maj it could be very useful,” Darius said.

“Yes, very useful, as it would keep me from going mad!” Daniel stood up and began to pace. He ran his hand through his red hair causing it to become even more mussed. He wasn’t one to primp, but Darius noticed he was looking especially unkempt as of late.

“Daniel, please,” Aesri said gently. “Carly will be well, I promise. You must not lose focus on your task here.”

Daniel stopped pacing and looked at Aesri. “What do you mean she will be well? How do you know? Is this some sort of fairy trick? Can you see her or hear her or…something?”

“No, Weapons Master, nothing like that. I just…know.”

The use of his title when addressing him didn’t do anything to calm him down, and Aesri’s cryptic response only served to agitate him further. “You just know? What the hell, Aesri? What’s that supposed to mean?”

She placed her hands in her lap and looked down, unwilling or unable to make eye contact with the man.

“You had best tell him, Aesri,” Niada whispered. “He has a right to know.”

It felt like all of the blood had drained from Daniel’s face, and he heard a strange buzzing in his ears. “Aesri?” was all he could manage.

“She is fine, honestly, Daniel. Will you not trust me? I am not the one who should tell you.”

“Tell me? Tell me what, in Cyrus’s name?”

“Aesri, you are a coward,” Niada scolded. “Enough is enough. If you do not, then I will.”

Aesri sighed. “Carly will be so very upset with me, but I suppose you are right. Daniel…Carly is going to have a baby.”

The legs that had been holding him upright refused to cooperate further, and Daniel dropped to the snow in an undignified heap.

Darius was beside his friend in a moment. “Daniel? Daniel? Are you all right?”

Daniel looked up to see the concerned face of Darius hovering just in front of his own. What was he doing in the snow? The buzzing in his ears had amplified to a hammering thud. A baby? Aesri said a baby. Carly was going to have a baby? Carly was going to have a baby!

Darius exhaled the breath he had been holding when he saw a smile form on Daniel’s face. He saw the color creep back into the man’s cheeks, and grasped him by the arms to help get him back on his feet.

Aesri stood by Daniel and rested her hand on his arm. “Are you very angry with me, Daniel? I should have told you, it is only that I thought Carly should be the one to—”

Aesri’s words were cut off when Daniel grabbed her in his arms and spun her in circles. “A baby! We’re going to have a baby!”

A shower of snowflakes exploded around them; Aesri had let her magic slip when she was seized by the enthusiastic weapons master.

“I think he is pleased,” Niada commented, and the corners of her mouth ticked upwards ever so slightly.

“Daniel, please! Put me down!” Aesri said. The snowflakes dwindled to nothing once she was put back on solid ground.

“A baby…a baby.” Daniel realized that he was beginning to sound like an idiot, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Suddenly a thought occurred to him: “I wonder if it’s a boy or a girl. I hope it’s a girl. She’ll be the prettiest thing ever, just like her mother. Aesri, do you—”

“No! That is for Carly to tell. I will leave her
that
much, at least!”

“Fine, fine. It doesn’t matter anyway.” Daniel turned and started to hurry back to his tent.

“Daniel, wait! Where are you going?” Darius said trying to catch up to the man.

“To pack! I have to get home.”

“You can’t go home now, Daniel. We have work to do here.” Darius planted himself in front of the excited weapons master.

“Step aside, boy,” Daniel growled. “You can’t think that I am staying here, not when Carly needs me.”

“Yes, she does need you—she needs you here, your child needs you here, we all do. Listen to me, Daniel. When we come to the towns, what always happens? The people are shocked and terrified by me and the wolf. They are awed and nervous around the Etrafarians. The king’s guard is trusted, but the people here look to Maj as the protectors, not the king’s guard. That leaves you and Dearra, and Dearra is eighteen and new to the role of lord. Without exception, they look to you, Weapons Master of Maj, for counsel.”

“But Carly—”

“Carly is surrounded by people who love and care about her. Besides, you don’t even know for sure that she’s still on the island. She could have already left with one of the groups bringing the children to the mainland.”

Daniel cocked his head and raised a brow.

“Okay,” Darius conceded, “I’ll admit it’s not likely, but it
is
possible. And even if she’s there, what are you going to tell her when you see her? Do you think she will be pleased that you left us to run home to her?”

Daniel’s shoulders slumped a bit.

“You know I’m right,” Darius said, trying to push the point.

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier.” He frowned briefly, but then his thoughts drifted back to the image of his beloved Carly with their child in her arms. Daniel’s face was consumed by his smile until he thought he would explode with the joy welling within him. “A baby. I just can’t believe it’s true. Can you imagine, Darius? Life doesn’t get any better than this. Even though I can’t be with her, nothing can ruin this moment for me.”

“Oh, no,” Darius said under his breath.

“What? What is it?” Daniel asked, but a look behind him told him exactly what the problem was. Dearra was headed right for them. How in Cyrus’s name were they going to explain to her how everyone knew about Carly except for her? They hadn’t had the time to even consider telling her. Daniel was already frantically trying to come up with excuses, but she walked by them without pausing when she neared, and continued on whatever errand had drawn her their way in the first place.

“Dearra?” Darius called out to her, puzzled by her apparent lack of recognition. He also wanted to stop her to tell her. It was bad enough that she didn’t know yet—he wasn’t going to make things worse by waiting a moment longer than necessary. Based on his expression, Darius could tell Daniel felt the same way.

“Forget it!” Dearra said.

“Forget what?” Daniel called back.

“Brin already told me. You’re both in big, big trouble.” Dearra turned and put her hands on her hips, glaring in their direction. “But for right now,” she said, “I’ll just say…congratulations, Daniel.” Her cold expression melted away and was replaced with a smile. She walked back a few paces, put her arms around his neck, and pressed her cold cheek against his. “I’m so very happy for you,” she whispered to him.

“Next! Who’s next? Come on, come on. Hurry up!” Shanks motioned to the line of young men. They were huddled in a group, all looking at one another, waiting for someone else to go first.

One young man, who couldn’t be more than eighteen, stepped forward carrying a rusty sword with him.

“What in the name of good King Jaymes is that, boy?” Shanks said, looking with disdain at the poorly cared for weapon.

“My grandfather’s sword, sir.”

“Have you been using it as a boat anchor? It looks like one blow would turn it into a pile of rust.” Shanks eyed the youth, who was too nervous to do anything but stand there gaping.

They needed as many as they could get, but they also had to be practical about it. They used a color coding system to rank the prospects. A square of black cloth was given to those who demonstrated proficiency with a weapon. A white square was sent with those who had little experience but showed promise, and a red square to those who were willing, but little else. If a candidate was not only unskilled, but also clumsy, or foolish, or in some other way a possible danger to themselves or others, they were not turned away, but they received no mark, whatsoever. They would be useful to help carry arrows, food and water, gather firewood, and perform a multitude of other tasks.

“No matter. Protect yourself, boy. Let’s see what you can do,” Shanks told the boy who turned toward the line of king’s guard on hand to test the men and boys who wished to join the coming battle.

“Not them.
Him
,” Shanks said, pointing at Darius.

Had it not been for his friends and neighbors watching on with keen interest, the boy would have probably run for it. The Breken who stepped before him was the most terrifying, intimidating, giant of a man he had ever seen. The occasional wolf or bear might come into their community, but they were nothing compared to the monster before him now.

Darius raised his sword and didn’t give the young man more than a second to ready his weapon before he struck.

The boy brought the sword up to defend himself and somehow managed to block, but a bad step sent him pin wheeling backward onto his rump. He rolled fluidly and stumbled again, but was able to meet the next blow when it came.

He saw Lady Dearra step forward to watch. He thought her the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. The Breken growl that came from his opponent told him his attention to the Lady of Maj had not gone unnoticed, and he turned his eyes back to the man before him.

Darius charged forward. He was being cautious not to hurt the young man, but he was making sure not to go too easy either. When he saw the way the young man’s eyes drank in the sight of Dearra, it motivated him to be a bit more aggressive in the testing and teach the boy a few manners.

Again and again the blows came, and the youth panted heavily. Sweat was running down his face, even in the winter chill. He hadn’t managed to do more than block and avoid being hit, and he even dropped his sword once, but he was able to roll and pick it up again before the next stroke descended.

“Enough!” Shanks shouted.

Darius stopped immediately, but the boy was so wrapped up in the battle, he focused on nothing but the Breken before him. He raised the sword and swung what would have been a killing blow, but Darius anticipated the move, and stepped aside. The boy sailed past, led by the weight of his sword. Darius planted his boot on the seat of the young man’s pants and sent him sprawling into the snow.

The humiliated swordsman came up spitting dirty snow. The red hue of his face was more than the result of his exertion. His lack of skill was embarrassing enough, and then to end up face first in a snowbank?

Darius strolled to the boy’s side and extended a hand to help him back to his feet. The youth looked at the hand before him. He appeared as though he were considering rejecting the offer, but then took Darius’s hand, and allowed himself to be helped up.

The young man was mortified. There would surely be no mark for him in any color, and he was certain to be relegated to running errands, and toting bandages.

Shanks waved the boy forward and handed him a scrap of cloth.

The boy’s eyes lit with wonder at the white square in his palm. He looked up at Shanks, positive there had been some mistake.

“You show promise, boy, a little reckless, perhaps, but you have heart. Now, if we can get you to keep your eyes on the enemy and off a pretty face, we might make something of you yet.”

“Thank you, sir! I won’t let you down, sir,” the boy said.

“Bah! Go on with you!

“Next! Who’s next?