Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) (10 page)

“I haven’t spoken to her about this yet, but I think she
knows already.”

“Well, she’s a sharp woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if she
did know. Or at least sense it.”

Judging from some of the looks and comments he’d been
getting from his mother over the past two days, Erik was sure she did know.

“Then I’ll ask,” Siobhan concluded. “But don’t look so glum,
Araan. We come out to Wynngaard regularly, on one job or another. I’ll make
sure that you see him at least once a year.”

Araan let out a breath of sharp relief. “You can promise me
this? Then, thank you. I do feel much better hearing that.”

“It will be easy to arrange,” she assured him. “And of
course we’ll likely come during the spring or summer months, as that’s when
caravans like to travel the most. So expect us during those seasons. If, that
is, Wolf agrees to go with us.”

Erik decided that was his cue. “I will return with you.”

The occupants in the other room went silent and he heard two
chairs squeak as they were abruptly jerked sideways. Turning the corner, he
came into view and found that his father and Siobhan had turned sharply,
searching him out in the dim lighting. Smiling, he looked between them as he
said quietly, “You’re right. I no longer belong in Reske. I realized that the
first day I was here. Faoir, I love you all, but I can’t stay.”

His father nodded understanding, still looking drawn and
unhappy about it. “I know.”

“And I can’t leave her side,” Erik continued, turning gentle
eyes on Siobhan. “She has given me too much. I must stay and somehow repay
her.”

“If it means keeping you, I won’t argue about who owes who.”
Siobhan put a hand to her heart and blew out an exaggerated breath. “Phew! I
was afraid I’d have to somehow charm you into it.”

She’d done that the moment she’d shown him respect while he
still stood in slave chains.

His father stroked is beard pensively. “We’ll have to break
the news to the rest of the family, somehow.”

Yes, and Erik wasn’t looking forward to that one bit. “Aye.”

Turning to Siobhan, Faoir pleaded, “You will stay a little
longer, won’t you?”

“We won’t leave this week,” she promised him gently. “Or
next, likely. Beirly has found some good places to mine up here and wants to
take some of it back with him. Grae, too, wants to build a path from here to
Quigg so that we can easily come and go. That will take a good week all by
itself.”

A thought that hadn’t occurred to Erik, although it should
have. With prebuilt paths, they could easily come and go without spending much
time on the road.

Pointing a finger at him, Siobhan ordered mock-sternly, “You
are hereby forbidden to help build that path. You are to spend every moment
possible with friends and family.”

Chuckling, he swept her an exaggerated bow. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good.” Satisfied, she pushed herself to her feet. “I’m
going to bed. See you both in the morning.”

Erik knew that she was gracefully leaving and giving father
and son private time to talk. Taking it, he sat in the chair she had just
vacated.

“Well, son,” Faoir said, easing back into his chair. “If I
had a way to change the past, I would wish we’d been able to find you that day
you were kidnapped. But if this is how life must be, at least I know you’re in
good company and under a good guildmaster. This way, at least, we’ll see you
regularly.”

If Erik had his choice, he might very well go back to that
dreadful day he had been kidnapped. But when all was said and done… “I couldn’t
agree more.”

“And so ends the story of Erik Wolfinsky.”

Wynngaardian that he was, Rune responded promptly. “That was
a fine telling, and I thank ya for it.”

Wolf inclined his head. “I enjoyed the telling.”

After that traditional exchange was done, Rune was
speechless for a long time. Finally, he managed with a hoarse voice, “And I
thought I was difficult.”

Wolf threw back his head and laughed. “No, I was worse. I
admit I set a bad example with her. Because she had such good success with me,
she didn’t think twice about taking you on.”

They walked a few paces in silence, Rune mulling this over.
“So even though ya made it home, ya decided ta stay with Deepwoods.”

“Oh, I had all sorts of justifications and reasons for it at
the time, mostly that I owed Siobhan too much to just stay in Reske. But the
truth was, I’d formed deep ties with her. I was very fond of Beirly and Grae by
that point too. I wanted to stay with them.” Wolf shrugged, as the decision now
seemed completely clear-cut to him and obvious to make.

“I know.” Rune’s tone was certain, and Wolf was sure that he
really did know. “I had ta make the same choice.”

“Yes, you did.” Wolf shook his head in memory, amused by it
still. “Siobhan is terrible about forcing people to do things. She’ll entice
you, bribe you, and charm you into it, but she’ll never force you. I was
worried we’d lose you because of how she is. But in the end, you’re like me.
You fell in love with the guild and couldn’t bear to part with it.”

Rune wasn’t yet open enough to admit to that. Out loud. But
actions spoke louder than words and the fact that he stayed even when things
were uncomfortable for him spoke volumes. Besides, Wolf had been where the boy
stood. He knew exactly what was going through that head.

As an afterthought, he added, “And it’s not like I had to
choose one or the other. I still see my family at least once a year. Siobhan
makes sure of it. Partially for me to see them, partially for us to pick up
things to trade.”

“If I had family in Sateren, she’d likely take us there once
a year, too.”

“Undoubtedly,” Wolf agreed.

Rune ducked his head to glance at Wolf’s iron hand. It
caught flickers of light now and again, letting off a dim glow. “Ya said that
because ya lost the hand, ya were able to meet Siobhan. Do ya not regret it?
Even a little?”

“No, not at all.” Wolf’s gaze gravitated toward the sleeping
camp and he felt a hum of contentment settle into his chest. It was a feeling
he always had when he saw them and knew they were safe and well. “The hand was
the price I had to pay to bring me to Deepwoods. They are well worth the
price.”

Fei and Rune were on dish detail for the morning, so after
breakfast, they quietly went around gathering everything up into a basket
before carting it over to the channel’s edge. They laid out a blanket and two
towels before setting the whole basket into the water, using it as a makeshift
sink to hold the dishes while they cleaned.

Elbow-deep in water, Rune asked, “How did ya join the
guild?”

Fei paused in scrubbing and regarded him thoughtfully. “You
know this.”

“I know that ya met them while guarding a caravan and that
Siobhan was worried about ya—being so young and away from home—so she invited
ya into the guild,” Rune denied. “That’s all I know. I want the full story.”

Over the past several days, Fei had seen Rune ask questions
like this. At first it had resembled nothing more than innocent curiosity. Now
it looked more like an attempt to know each member of the guild better. Rune
was somewhat clumsy in how he went about it, but his desire to know was
sincere.

Besides, as a Wynngaardian, it probably felt very strange to
be in a guild where he knew only the basics of their backgrounds. Fei had
learned this quirk the hard way, as Wolf had not been fully at ease with him
for years because Wolf only knew the basics of where Fei had come from. It
wasn’t like he had anything to hide. It was just that talking of home was
painful. He didn’t regret the decision to leave home and come to Robarge. If
anything, he regretted the distance between his two homes.

“The full story, is it?” Fei sank back onto his haunches,
the past swirling in his mind. “Well, but it’s not like Wolf-ren’s or
Tran-ren’s stories. Theirs are more interesting.”

Rune got that mulish expression on his face that said he
would not be put off.

Chuckling softly, he shrugged. “Alright, if you’re so curious,
I do not mind sharing the story. How do you Wynngaardians phrase it? Ah, yes.
This is the story of Man Fei Lei.”

The world outside of Saoleord was very strange. Even after
being in it for three years, he still felt that way. Fei took in this new city,
feeling a little overwhelmed by how foreign everything was. Nothing, absolutely
nothing, looked the same as home. The architecture was completely different
with straight roofs, the streets were rounded stone instead of flat, even the
colors that people chose to wear were different. His homeland preferred vivid
colors but everyone here seemed to gravitate toward earth tones with only a few
brighter colors mixed in.

Was there nothing about the outside world that he could
connect to?

Thanks to his education, he did speak the trader’s tongue
fluently, and some Robargean, but as he walked alongside the caravan, his ear
picked up many other languages and dialects that were not at all familiar.
That, too, was a little overwhelming but mostly frustrating. He wanted to
understand everything he heard.

When he had left home three years ago, he had known that he
would be branching out into a world that was nothing like his hometown. The
caravan that came to the mountains twice a year was enough to tell him that.
Everyone in the caravans was very different from his own people, and they told
him many stories of what they had experienced. Fei’d had an idea of what to
expect before he left, or thought he had, up until he crossed the Grey Bridge
and into the city of Stott.

Now he realized he should have spent more time preparing
before he’d left.

The caravan boss waved to him, indicating he needed to come
to the gates, so Fei lengthened his stride into a jog to close the distance.
Standing next to Jacobs was a mountain of a man with fair skin and hair, and a
pretty woman with dark red hair. Both of them looked a few years older than he
himself, and for a moment Fei was puzzled by who they might be. Unless these
were guildmembers of the escorting guild Jacobs had mentioned to him earlier?
He had said that he was using paths to get the rest of the way to Wade,
Teherani.

Jacobs looked positively jovial, as well he should, as
meeting up with his escorts was not only safer but faster from this point on. A
smile on his wide face, he did the introductions with much hand waving.
“Guildmaster, Master Wolfinsky, this is Man Fei Lei. He’s from Saoleord, my
only enforcer on this trip, and he’s on contract to go the whole distance to
Wade.”

“Saoleord?” the woman repeated in surprise. “Well now,
that’s something I don’t get to do everyday, meet someone from there. I’m
sorry, say your name for me one more time.”

The names here sounded just as foreign to him, so Fei
understood the request and enunciated clearly, “Man Fei Lei.”

“Man Fei Lei,” she repeated, nearly perfectly, and extended
a hand with a professional smile. “I’m Siobhan Maley, Guildmaster of
Deepwoods.”

Fei took it, surprised by the strength behind the grip, and
half-bowed over her hand. “The pleasure is mine, Maley-zhi.”

Her smile became more genuine. “Likewise. This is Erik
Wolfinsky, my enforcer.”

The name, as well as the coloring, told Fei that this man
had to be Wynngaardian. What a Wynngaardian was doing in a Robargean guild was
a story he would dearly like to have. But that was for later in the trip
perhaps, if he played his cards right. He extended a hand, only to pause as
Wolfinsky raised his right arm with an apologetic shrug.

“Sorry, this makes it a bit hard to greet people.”

The hand was metal, fashioned like an actual hand would be,
and it spoke of a time when fate had not been kind to this man. But the
expression on his face did not speak of regret or embarrassment, and Fei
thought well of him because of that. So he switched hands instead, offering his
left, and knew he had done the right thing when Wolfinsky actually grinned at
him and took the hand in a firm clasp. “It is a pleasure, Wolfinsky-jia.”

“Likewise, Man Fei Lei.” Wolfinsky’s eyes studied him
narrowly for a moment. “You are not as delicate as you look. That’s a lot of
strength in your grip. If we’re the only enforcers on this trip, I think we’d
better get the full measure of how the other fights before we leave.”

“That is wise,” Fei agreed promptly. He was dying to know
just how strong this man was. His fighting instincts were almost singing with
anticipation for a good bout.

“In other words,” Siobhan drawled, “you two are spoiling for
a good round with each other.”

Wolfinsky gave her an innocent look, as much as a wolf
could. “I won’t break him, promise.”

“Later,” his guildmaster ordered firmly. “We have a caravan
to settle into the city first. Jacobs, I only got here a few minutes ago myself
so I’m not sure if your usual area is clear or not. Shall I go ahead of you and
make room?”

“If you would,” Jacobs requested.

“I did get us all rooms at the Log’s Rest. So send people
there after we’re done.” With a wave, she turned and entered the city.

Fei had no idea where anything in this city was, this being
his first time to it, so he basically kept his eyes and ears open and did what
he was told. The caravan checked in with the gate guards, then went to a space
allotted for caravans and secured everything down tightly for the night. The
area was under tight guard, and after looking those guards over, Fei felt sorry
for any thieves desperate enough to try and break in.

Jacobs waited until the last person left, which was Fei
himself, and acted as guide to the inn.

Needing more information, Fei asked him, “You have known
Maley-zhi and Wolfinsky-jia long?”

“Not a very long time,” Jacobs denied. “But then Deepwoods
has only been in business about two years. I was one of their first customers,
due to being introduced by Blackstone—that’s their main guild in
Goldschmidt—and I found them to be a very good escorting guild. Their
Pathmaker, Grae Masson, is one of the best I’ve seen. He’s a careful man, and
he won’t let you do anything risky, which I appreciate. I can take a wagon full
of glass through one of his paths without a worry, as not one will be broken.”

Having never been on a path before, Fei only partially
followed this, but gave a nod of acknowledgement of the man’s skill.

“Now, Siobhan Maley is a good woman and a good guildmaster.
She’s got a firm business sense and isn’t the type to let things slide. We get
along grand on a trail, too, as she’s quite the character. It’s why I hire her
guild whenever possible. But I expect it’s Wolfinsky you’re most curious
about?” At Fei’s noise of encouragement, he continued, “I expected as much.
Wolfinsky, believe it or not, used to be a slave.”

Fei blinked. Then blinked again. Surely he hadn’t heard that
right.

“No, son, you heard me right. He was captured as a young
teen, sold to a dark guild, and was eventually put on the black market due to
the loss of his hand. I don’t know the full story, he won’t tell it to anyone,
but I do know that Siobhan bought him in Converse. Man’s been loyal to her ever
since and I pity the fool that looks at anyone in Deepwoods cross-eyed.
Wolfinsky has no sense of humor where his guild is concerned. He’s one of the
best enforcers I’ve ever seen, which is the
other
reason why I always
hire Deepwoods if I can.”

Running their initial meeting back through his mind, Fei
thought about how the two interacted with each other. “Wolfinsky-jia did not
act subservient to her.”

“Oh, she set him free, don’t mistake me. He’s not a slave
still. But I think the debt he feels to her is too great, or perhaps his love
of the guild too strong, to let him leave and go back home. He chooses to stay.
If you spend more than an hour around the guild you’ll see they’re all right
fond of each other.”

That was all quite interesting. Fei didn’t know what to do
with half of that information but he was glad to have a better sense of who he
would be working with in the next two weeks.

Log’s Rest looked like every other inn in this town, clean
and well-kept, although the trim could use another coat of paint. As Fei
stepped onto the wide porch, he noted that there were other enforcers already
settled onto the benches, mugs in their hands, and what appeared to be traders
and drivers, calling out orders to passing serving girls for food. Other
caravans were already here, ne? Considering the late hour, that wasn’t
surprising.

The interior was warm and lively with sound, people relaxing
over their dinner after a day’s hard work. Fei was just wondering where he was
supposed to go when Siobhan stood and waved to them.

Jacobs led the way to her, greeting as he approached, “You
get enough rooms?”

“I certainly hope so. I got whatever he had left. Six rooms,
most with double beds.”

“That’ll leave us one bed short.” Jacobs pulled a face.
“Now, who gets the short straw?”

“Me,” Wolfinsky volunteered, raising his left hand. “I don’t
fit on the beds anyway. Give me a pallet on Siobhan’s floor and I’ll fare just
fine.”

A man? Sleeping in the same room with an unmarried woman? A
wave of culture shock hit Fei strongly.

“In other words,” Siobhan drawled with a long Look at her
enforcer, “you don’t like the look of this crowd and you want to hover over me
all night long.”

“Now, Siobhan, did I say that?” Wolf returned mildly.

“Uh-huh.” She clearly did not believe him. “Well, Jacobs,
you heard him. I’ll make arrangements so you feel free to get the rest of your
people sorted out as you see fit. Here are the keys.” After she handed them
over, she invited, “You can stay and have dinner at this table if you wish to.
I have food coming.”

“Well, Siobhan, I take that kindly. I think I will. Let me
get everyone else sorted and I’ll come back.” Jacobs left the table, calling
out to people as he moved.

Siobhan invited Fei to come in closer. “Let me introduce you
to everyone else. This is Beirly Kierkegaard.”

A stout man with a bushy red beard and kind eyes stood and
extended a hand. “Pleasure, sir. I’m the fixer in the guild so if you have
something that needs mending, come to me.”

It was a kind offer, and an unexpected one, as Fei had not
heard the like since leaving home. He warmed a little to the man as he took a
rough, calloused hand. “I thank you for the offer.”

“And this is Grae Masson,” Siobhan continued. “He’s our
Pathmaker.”

A slim man with high cheeks and brown hair stood and offered
a hand, but couldn’t quite meet Fei’s eyes. “Pleasure.”

Fei accepted the hand, finding it smooth if firm. This was
an intellectual man, not a fighter. Fei made a mental note to keep an eye on
him.

“This is Man Fei Lei,” Siobhan finished, pronouncing his
name carefully. “From Saoleord. He’s the enforcer for Jacobs on this trip.”

Beirly pulled out the chair next to him. “Sit, sit, join us
for dinner. Tell us about Saoleord. It’s a place we haven’t gone to yet.”

Even after three years, Fei found it difficult to speak of
his home without choking up. Or perhaps it was because of his three year
absence that it wore so on his heart. “You have traveled many places?”

“Most of the four continents,” Beirly answered, warming up
to the subject. “In fact, I think it might be easier to list where we
haven’t
gone.”

“Not true,” Grae objected. “There are whole sections of
northern Wynngaard and Orin we’ve never set foot in. Not to mention the western
coast of Teherani.”

“It’s because it doesn’t get much caravan traffic,” Beirly
agreed. “Most of their trade is done by sea.”

“We have gone the length and breadth of Robarge, though,
several times.” Siobhan pointed the serving girl toward their table and helped
to pass along plates, never pausing in the conversation. “Yes, thank you, one
more basket of rolls please. Man Fei Lei, where all have you traveled since
leaving home?”

“Mostly through northern Robarge and some into Teherani,” he
answered, far more comfortable with this twist in the conversation. “I have not
yet spent any time in Wynngaard, but I did travel twice through the southern
section of Orin.”

“Oh, then you’ve gone some distance,” she remarked,
approvingly. “Good, I do like people with experience. You’ve traveled by path,
then?”

Shaking his head, he denied, “Not once. The caravans I
signed on with were always too large for a path. This is my first opportunity.”
In fact, it was the first time he had ever met a Pathmaker. His people’s
history spoke very little about it and he was almost itching with curiosity.
Turning to Grae, he asked with due deference to a master, “I would be honored
if you would teach me of it.”

A hint of pink washed over the man’s cheeks. “Well, ah, I’d
be glad to answer any questions you have.”

“I fear I only have a basic understanding,” Fei responded.
The man’s response inclined Fei to think that Grae was open to discussing his
trade. Perhaps he was just a little shy. “Aside from needing paths, and talent,
I know little else about it.”

“Oh. That’s not much to go on. Well, then, should I start at
the beginning?”

Fei perked up. “Please do.”

True to his word, Grae started at the beginning, first with
just a basic overview of how pathmaking worked. Fei, not at all satisfied with
this, started asking questions, and it was only then that Grae became truly
enthused and started really explaining the mechanics.

The two of them fell into a world of their own—one of
geography, mathematics, and magic. Fei dearly wished he had something to take
notes on, but he was severely short of paper right at that moment and could
only hope that his memory would retain all of this—or at the very least Grae
would be patient enough to review anything he forgot. When he finally did
return home, he wanted to carry a record of this with him, as nothing like it
existed in Saoleord.

A set of knuckles rapped on the table’s surface in between
them. Startled back into the real world, Fei blinked up at Siobhan’s amused
face.