Konic Clava was a large, square-shouldered man with heavily muscled arms and hard calluses from many years of plying his trade as a fisherman. His short brown hair and square jaw gave his face the hardened look of a frontier soldier. His well-proportioned frame gave the impression of someone who could handle himself in a brawl without working up a sweat. Yet, for all of his hard looks, Konic’s eyes spoke of a kind gentleness beneath his imposing figure. His gray tunic was accented at the waist by a broad leather belt with loops and notches designed to hold various implements of a fisherman. The only tool currently hanging from the belt was a long, sharp knife. When Konic spoke, his voice was low and gravely, yet his soft, sure tone was soothing and comforting.
“You lads did right well under the circumstances,” Konic was saying to Arik and Tedi, “although I would prefer a solution that didn’t involve forcing drink on Master Markel. Still, your solution did keep him safely away from the witch.”
“Then you believe us, Dad?” smiled Arik.
Konic eased himself to the ground and leaned his back against a large tree. “Of course I believe you, son. If either one of you ever lied to me, you’d have to spend nights on your belly for a month. Arik, I told you once that if you ever used that oath I would believe you without question. I meant it and I know you did, too. Most of the villagers would probably believe that you were lying because nobody believes in magic anymore. Most of them have not been outside the town in their entire lives. When Alan and I were searching for your mothers, we saw and heard things that we would not have believed possible before. I believe you saw a witch and I don’t think she would risk exposing herself because somebody looked in her window.”
Tedi winced at the implied insinuation in Master Clava’s remarks. “Master Clava, I was not trying to… “
Konic waved the boy to silence. “Tedi, whatever the reason for your little journey up on the roof, it was not the reason the witch was questioning you. Arik, I want you boys to move down to the little clearing just south of here, the one we used to picnic in with your mother. Start a campfire but keep alert for bandits. I’m going into town to get Master Markel and we’ll meet you there.”
“Master Clava,” Tedi interrupted, “are you sure it’s a good idea bringing my father out here? I mean with his drinking and all, he might…”
“Tedi,” Konic began softly, “your father is a good man. Never forget that. He has had a problem coping with the loss of your mother and he is not the first man to try to drown his grief. I think his time for mourning is over now. I probably should have forced it to end sooner but, in a way, I could almost join him in a bottle. You know the man as your father and that is a pretty narrow scope of perception. I’ve known your father for over thirty years and there isn’t a finer person I’ve ever known. If there is going to be trouble, he is the one man I would call on to guard my back. You boys get going and we’ll meet you there soon.”
“Be careful, Dad,” Arik called after the retreating figure.
The boys moved to the clearing and gathered wood for a fire. “Do you believe those things your father said about my dad?” asked Tedi.
Arik turned and looked at Tedi. “If my father says it, then it’s true,” Arik replied. “I don’t know what he can do for your father that hasn’t already been tried, but if anybody can help, he will.”
Tedi nodded solemnly. “I guess what he said about my view being too narrow is probably true. I guess I’ve been more trouble than help to him. I just thought he didn’t care about me. You know, the times he beat me, I deserved to be beaten. I just don’t think he knew his own strength.”
“Well, maybe everything will turn out for the better,” hoped Arik.
“Yikes!” exclaimed Tedi. “I forgot about the merchant. We were supposed to eat with him tonight and find out the secrets of the outside world. If we don’t show, he’ll start looking for us and he may run into the witch.”
“Forget him,” responded Arik. “The secrets of the Collapse can wait a while longer. We’ll talk to the next merchant to come to town.”
“You don’t understand,” argued Tedi. “I told him our real ages and where we lived. If he goes looking and runs into the witch, she’ll know everything. I’ll run up and tell him that we have to leave town in a hurry and he’ll point the witch northward.”
Before Arik could protest, Tedi leaped over a small bush and disappeared into the forest. Tedi ran as fast as his legs would carry him. The sense of urgency in arriving at the merchant’s wagon before the witch was the only thought on his mind. When he arrived at the wagon, neither the merchant nor his niece was visible. Tedi ran around to the rear of the wagon and leaned in to peer into the darkness. Roughly, two hands seized his neck from behind and hurled him to the ground.
“We don’t give our goods away, ruffian,” snarled a voice.
Tedi rolled over onto his back and gazed up to see the old merchant standing over him. “Master Khatama,” he groaned, “ I was not trying take any goods. I was just coming to talk with you and thought you might be in the wagon.”
The young girl came towards the wagon and lowered a torch so that Tedi’s face was illuminated. “It’s one of the young bucks that was coming for dinner,” she announced.
“So it is,” growled the merchant while extending a hand to the boy. “Sorry about the toss, lad, but I don’t take kindly to townspeople rummaging through my wagon.”
Tedi was amazed at how firm the old man’s hands had felt. When he reached up to rub his neck, he realized that his necklace was missing. He started looking around frantically when the merchant moved to him.
“No need to be looking for your gold, lad,” he whispered. “I’ve got it here. Must have got stuck on my ring. I’m afraid the clasp is broken, though, but I can fix that right up. You wait here and I’ll be right back.”
Before Tedi could respond, the merchant had climbed into the wagon and was lighting a candle. Tedi watched him gently lay the necklace on a table and smooth out the two unconnected ends.
“There’s some dinner left,” offered Tanya, “if you truly came to eat.”
Tedi turned towards the girl. “Actually, Arik and I got ourselves in a bit of a fix and I was coming to tell you that we weren’t going to make it.”
“Why am I not surprised,” she quipped. “You two looked like trouble since I first laid eyes on you this morning.”
“We are not trouble,” Tedi retorted angrily. His tone softened as he delivered the message he had come to say. “We do have to leave town, though. Arik and I are going north at first light to seek our fortunes.”
“You may find a different fate than fortune if you plan on traveling alone,” the merchant said from behind Tedi. Tedi twirled and the old man was standing there grinning and holding out the repaired necklace. “The clasp is fine now, lad. As good as it was new. I see that you had broken the clasp once before and it hadn’t been properly mended. No matter, though, no one could tell it was ever broken now. It is a beautiful piece. Where did you get it?”
Tedi reached out and took the necklace. Refastening it around his neck he answered the merchant. “I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you mean. It was my mother’s and the only thing I have to remind me of her.”
The merchant gently patted Tedi’s shoulder. “Is that true, son? I don’t mean the part about you stealing it. I mean about the only thing she left you. It seems to me from our earlier conversation, that she left you something she loved a whole lot more than that necklace. It also seems that both you and your father have forgotten that. Taking care of his pain is your job now and yours, his. Talk to him before you run away, lad.”
Tedi gazed at the merchant’s glistening eyes and nodded. “I will, Master Khatama, I will.” Tedi turned and ran back to the clearing getting there just moments before his father and Master Clava arrived. His father was walking unsteadily and mostly supported by Arik’s father. Master Clava also had a long duffel bag slung over his shoulder by a strap. The bag was stuffed solid and he rolled it off his shoulder and onto the ground.
“Tedi,” Master Clava ordered, “there is a pot and some coffee in there. Get some water from the stream and make a pot of it. Arik, forage through those provisions and round up something to eat for the four of us.”
Arik’s father eased Master Markel to a sitting position with his back against a tree. Konic sat next to him and talked quietly. Arik could not quite hear what was being said, but Tedi’s father stiffened and his eyes opened wide and he started nodding his head. The only word Arik thought he heard was Empress and it made no sense to him. Tedi finished with the coffee and took two cups over to the men. Konic sat his on the ground and held the other to Alan’s lips.
“What were they talking about?” Arik whispered to Tedi when he returned from delivering the coffee.
“I don’t know,” Tedi softly replied. “They stopped talking as soon as I approached them.” After a few moments Tedi continued. “You know, Arik, I’ve been a fool for three years. It took an old merchant to show me what was in front of my face the whole time. I’ve been so selfish and feeling sorry for myself over my mother’s disappearance that I couldn’t see how much he was hurting. At first, I thought my mother’s disappearance was just an excuse for him to start drinking and after a while I just mentally belittled him for not being able to control himself. The old man made me realize that I’m part of the reason that he still drinks. I shut him out of my life and made his loss twice as bad and my own, as well.”
Arik looked across the campfire and saw the tears welling up in Tedi’s eyes. “You really ought to tell him that, Tedi. I can keep my father busy for a while.” Arik stood up and called across the clearing. “Dad, I need you for a moment.”
Master Clava stared at the two boys near the campfire wondering what was so urgent that Tedi couldn’t help Arik with. He saw Tedi hesitantly start to walk over to where he and Alan sat and decided to find out. By the time he got to the campfire, he looked back to see Tedi kneeling next to his father. “What is it, son?” he asked Arik.
Arik walked over and hugged his father. “I just want to thank you for being here for me,” he choked. He smiled when he looked past his father and saw Tedi and Master Markel doing the same.
“I’ll always be there for you, son,” Konic replied. “As I know you will always be there for me.” Konic turned to see what Arik was staring at and sighed softly. “Now that is a sight I have longed to see, Arik. Whatever trouble this witch has brought, she has brought some good, too.”
Breaking the embrace and tending to the boiling pot, Arik asked, “What are we going to do about her, Dad? What is it she wants?”
Konic poured himself another cup of coffee and sat on a log staring into the fire. “I don’t know, son. I asked around about her and determined that she did find out where we live. I didn’t get much of an idea why she is so interested in us, though. I did have many people offer their sympathies about my boy running away up North, though,” he chuckled.
“It seemed to be the best way of getting rid of her,” admitted Arik. “I hope it works. It looks like you brought enough stuff to stay out here a month.”
“Always be prepared, son,” Konic smiled, “always be prepared. I’ll check in with Master Tern later tonight and first thing in the morning. We’ll know if she takes the bait.”
Konic lapsed into silence and Arik tried to pick up traces of Tedi’s conversation. The only things that Arik could out pick between the cricket chirps and the wind fluttering the leaves was the word necklace and an admonishment for Tedi to promise something.
Eventually, the weak soup was ready and Tedi and his father came over to the campfire. Master Markel looked steadier and more determined than anytime that Arik could remember. There wasn’t much talk around the campfire, but Arik noticed the two Markels sitting closer and more comfortably than he would have imagined before tonight.
After a while, Konic Clava rose and walked silently out of the campground. He returned about an hour later wearing a smile. “She already left,” he declared. “Master Tern said she was in such a hurry that she didn’t even ask for a refund for the room she had already paid for.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Master Markel sighed. “Konic, I would like to go fishing with you for a few days if you will have me, starting tomorrow.”
Konic smiled at his old friend as he eased himself to a seat by the fire. “You are always welcome in my boat, Alan. I have a new spot I would like to try.”
“It is good to have such a friend,” Alan said warmly. “That will give Tedi enough time to earn what we need to fix my boat properly so I may begin getting my life back together.”
Tedi touched the necklace around his neck and his father shook his head slowly. “No, Tedi, you will go with Arik hunting. When we have enough money, we will rebuild our boat together.”
Tedi beamed as his father put his shaking arm around his son and hugged him. Master Markel’s brown eyes shone with a determination that had been absent for too long. Tedi knew the next few days would be very hard on his father and being out at sea with Master Clava was just what his father needed.
Everyone sat around the campfire in silence, lost in his own thoughts. The sounds of the waves lapping steadily at the shore and the crickets’ melody in the woods were peaceful and calming.
Konic was the first to stir as he went to the long duffel bag and pulled out some blankets. He handed one to each of the group and rolled his into a pillow. “Not much sense going back to town tonight,” he announced. “It’s been a while since I camped out, but the night is fair and I am tired. First up should put on a pot of coffee.” With that he stretched out on the ground and went to sleep. Everyone soon followed.
Arik awoke to the smell of coffee and oatmeal. He sat up and looked around. It took a while for him to get his bearings and realize where he was. The two men were quietly cleaning up the campground. The only things not packed in the duffel bag were two cups and bowls and the oatmeal and coffee pots that were on the fire as well as the two blankets that he and Tedi were using. Arik leaned over and shook Tedi, who groggily awoke.
Konic looked over at the two sleepy-eyed boys. “Morning comes early and the fish won’t wait,” he chuckled. “You boys clean up and store the gear somewhere safe before you go off hunting. I think we will spend a few more days camping out if that is not objectionable to anyone.” Master Markel was whistling a tune gaily as the two men headed towards the boat.
Arik got himself some coffee and filled a cup for Tedi. “Your father seems in a good mood this morning,” he remarked. “What did you say to him last night?”
Tedi rubbed his eyes and reached for the cup. “Just something the merchant made me realize,” he answered softly. “I think your father had already softened him up by the time I spoke to him, though. Whatever the cause, it sure makes me feel good. I’m not going to be getting into any more trouble.”
The boys cleaned up the camp and stowed the bag before taking off in search of game. They hunted for a couple of hours and finally decided to head back to town. Arik had caught five rabbits and Tedi three. “I said we could be partners and split the take,” Arik began, “and I meant it.”
Tedi shook his head and laughed. “No way, fisherboy,” he chuckled. “You may have out-hunted me today, but tomorrow it will be my turn.”
The boys laughed all of the way to the Fisherman’s Inn. Master Tern was in a good mood this morning as well, although it was already later than when Arik usually showed up and customers were already eating breakfast.
“So, we have two hunters now, eh?” quipped Esta Tern. “Show me what you’ve brought for my guests. That bag doesn’t look big enough to hold a deer.”
While Arik dumped the contents of the bag and talked with Master Tern, Tedi strode over to the doorway to the common room. He began gazing at the strange and different costumes the travelers wore, wondering where they were coming from and where they were going. So little was known about the outside world and most travelers were not the talkative type. His eyes settled on a dark figure in the dimly lit corner of the common room. Tedi focused his eyes at the dark warrior image hiding in the shadows. The stern, cold face had icy blue eyes that seemed to be constantly scanning every person in the room without seeming to move. He was dressed entirely in black and his outfit appeared to have pouches sewn into it everywhere. The man could probably carry the contents of a campsite in those pouches and not even need a pack on his back. His long hair was jet black and bound into a tail that was draped over one shoulder. The black hilt of a massive sword strapped to his back protruded over the other shoulder. Across his midsection was a wide black belt with many loops for implements, but only a lone black knife was present now. His eyes turned on Tedi and stopped in recognition. Tedi turned and ran out of the kitchen without stopping.
Arik looked up from his conversation with Master Tern as Tedi flew through the kitchen and out the door. The innkeeper looked shocked at Arik and then quickly pressed some coins into his hand. “You need to tame that boy down, Arik,” the innkeeper stated. Arik nodded and took off after his friend.
When Arik reached the alley, Tedi was nowhere in sight. He ran alongside the inn to the street and saw Tedi just disappearing into the woods where the merchant had been the night before. Arik took off running for the woods and started calling Tedi’s name when he entered the forest, but he could find no sign of his friend. After half an hour, Arik decided to give up and return to town. As he walked along an animal path he heard a large sound and froze, an arrow fitted to his bow without thinking. Arik lowered himself to a crouch, eyes following the sound, which seemed to be coming nearer. After a few seconds, which seemed an eternity to Arik, Tedi walked onto the path.
Arik lowered his bow and stood, scaring Tedi into producing a quiet gulp. “Okay, Arik, so you are quieter than me in the woods,” Tedi sighed with relief. “I promise I’ll let you teach me if you don’t scare me like that again.”
“Actually, you were pretty quiet, Tedi,” remarked Arik. “I was only alerted by that one sound. If I hadn’t heard that one crack, I would never have picked you up and I can detect anyone in the woods within one hundred paces.”
The two boys sat on the path and talked.
“Why did you run from the Fisherman’s Inn,” Arik inquired.
Tedi breathed deeply and replied. “I saw the bandit in the common room. The one who tried to kill me with that black sunburst thing and he saw me. He recognized me, too. I could tell as soon as his eyes set on me.”
“What is he doing in town?” questioned Arik. “We had hoped the witch in the blue dress would stumble into them when she left thinking she would follow us north. Now she may come back when she finds out we didn’t leave town.”
“I don’t know,” pondered Tedi. “I just got frightened and took off. Still, I think I’d rather face some bandit killer than that witch with her magic and questions about our age.”
“Maybe we should just go spend the day at our campsite until our fathers return,” suggested Arik.
“I think that is a good idea,” responded Tedi. “I don’t want that bandit to know anything about us. He might even start asking questions like the witch did.”
The two boys rose to continue along the path, oblivious to the man dressed in black that had been squatting not ten paces away.
The boys crossed over the coastal highway and reentered the woods to make their way to their campsite. Once along the way, they heard rabbits and managed to bag two of them for dinner. Arik laughed. “See, when you are quiet enough, even the animals don’t know that you are there. Maybe we can spend the afternoon by me teaching you some of the tricks I learned from Trapper Grein.”
The man in black smiled slightly as Tedi agreed to the lessons and the boys continued down the path. It took longer getting to the campsite through the woods, but the boys felt safer keeping out of sight of anyone in the town who might be looking for them. When they reached the campsite Arik retrieved the hidden duffel bag and started a fire. The man in black crept off as Arik started teaching Tedi his tricks of quietness.
When the men returned from fishing, the boys had a dinner of rabbit stew waiting for them. Master Markel walked over to the pot and inhaled deeply. “That smells mighty good, boys,” he remarked. “Master Clava and I have kept some of today’s catch for dinner, but what you have smells a bit more appetizing.”
“I think we can have the stew and the fish,” added Konic. “It’s not right to waste good food. Did you have a good day hunting?”
Arik and Tedi had agreed to be honest with their fathers and explained about running into the bandit at the inn. Tedi went on to explain how he had run into the bandits’ camp two nights ago and the bandit had hurled the deadly little star at him. The boys continued talking over dinner and their fathers seemed content to listen. Tedi had expected his father to be furious, but Alan’s facial expression was one of concern.
After dinner, Alan and Konic sat talking quietly while the boys cleaned the dishes and pots. Tedi thought his father looked happier than he had at anytime in the last three years. When the boys were all done with their chores, Alan spoke. “We are going to post a guard tonight and every night until things quiet down in Lorgo,” he announced. “Tedi, give that star weapon to Master Clava. Arik, you are going to have the last watch, so you should get to sleep right away. Tedi will wake you when it is your turn. Everyone is to be awakened if you even think there may be a problem. I will take first watch.”
Tedi handed the star to Konic. Alan indicated that Tedi should sit next to him so they could talk without disturbing Arik. Konic stuck the weapon in his pouch and started walking towards town. “Where is Master Clava going?” Tedi inquired.
“He is going to talk with your bandit,” Alan said quietly.
Arik shivered as he watched his father walk away from the campsite.