The Lord of the Plains

by Sarah Chapman

Chapter 7

  Filling out those forms felt like something out of a nightmare. Riley could barely move from shock and pain. Aerlid was straining at the leash. He needed to heal her. He needed to gut that monster of a tester. Why was this woman explaining credit repayment schedules to him?!

  It was something of a miracle they got through those forms without Aerlid threatening anybody. They rented an apartment. He was given a loan which he would have to pay back, and a probationary job at a clinic. If he didn’t meet the standards of the clinic he would have to go to the bureau of something or other to get another job. A school for Riley was organized. Leaflets were handed out. Aerlid thought he was going to bite his tongue in two. Riley sat on the floor, her back against the wall. The only reason Aerlid got through it was that one hand was lightly touching her head and that was enough, just enough, to start healing her.

  ‘You’ll pass through Garrondin before coming to Astar.’ the lady was saying. Aerlid struggled to pay attention, this at least was important.

  ‘It’s a village full of gemengs, they won’t bother you though. They’re part of the defence network, so you needn’t be afraid, just go straight through.’

  ‘…huh?’ Aerlid said stupidly.

  She explained slowly. ‘They’re part of Astar’s defence system. They’re provided with gemeng weapons by Astar, not human ones. They won’t bother you, so you can go straight through the village without any trouble.’

  Aerlid nodded slowly. ‘Yes, I understand.’ he managed. ‘Please keep going.’

  She finished giving him directions, and a map, then it was done. Finally done. He gathered Riley into his arms, trying to be careful of that terrible hole in her shoulder. He walked slowly, barely aware of his surroundings. Riley slept in his arms as he made his way through forest, Garrondin, more forest, then past a wall. Then he was inside Astar. It all passed in a blur. He had directions, and he was determined and careful. Should he get lost that was more time wasted that he needed to spend fixing her shoulder. So it was that he made it to their apartment complex without losing his way.

  Then there was another painful conversation, this time with the landlord. At least he saw how tired they were and quickly let them go. He asked if he needed directions to a clinic. Aerlid responded, ‘No’.

  The apartment was sparsely furnished. He barely noticed. He found a small room with a bed in it and carefully laid Riley down. There was a chair in the next room which he brought in and put next to the bed. Sitting in it, he laid his hands over her shoulder and closed his eyes.

  He stayed that way all night.

  The next day when Aerlid awoke it was past dawn. The sun shone brightly through the open shutter doors to the balcony. The living room was bright, the bedroom somewhat darker. It was the first time in he didn’t know how long that he hadn’t sung because he’d fallen asleep. Hardly a fitting way to treat the Lady, but if the Lady had something to be upset about, this was the least of it. He looked down at Riley. His hands were still on her shoulder. Dangerous. He carefully removed them. The hole was gone, her shoulder unmarked. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He’d have to wait til she woke to see how her mobility was. Aerlid tried to stand. Dizziness hit him so hard he stumbled, caught himself on the wall.

  Riley still slept. She would likely sleep the rest of the day and then some.

  Carefully, he stumbled out of the room and shut the bedroom door softly. He slid down the door and hit the floor with a soft thump. He cradled his head in his hands. Healing Riley and fooling the testers had taken a lot out of him. His head was thick and foggy, the sunlight felt like spikes thrust into his skull. His stomach didn’t seem like it wanted to behave. He sighed and stretched out his legs, lifting his head up. Slowly he opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust. The spikes of sunlight faded. He needed to eat. And wash. There must be somewhere to wash but at the moment he couldn’t remember where. Slowly, with a groan he stood, shaking.

  He took some food from their packs and had a little nibble, just enough to settle his stomach. Gathering his courage, he left the apartment, taking the key with him.

  Their apartment was on the second floor. The bathrooms, he found, were on the ground floor. Despite his discomfort he still managed to be pleasantly surprised to see the humans here had proper plumbing. He took great pleasure in his shower. It wasn’t warm, but that was ok. It wasn’t as if he’d had hot showers out in the wild. It woke him up and stilled the pounding in his head.

  He needed to find somewhere he could wash his clothes. He had one pair of what he thought of as ‘real’ clothes (this set included his white coat), the rest were animal skins. His real clothes needed a wash- he had worn them coming into Astar, and he doubted the clinic staff would be too impressed if he turned up in animal skins. Right now though, he wasn’t up to finding the landlord and asking.

  He returned to the apartment and sat down in the chair gratefully. He ate some more food, slowly. As he ate he looked over their new home.

  There was a small kitchen opening off the living room he was sitting in and one bedroom. The living room wall opposite the entrance consisted of wooden shutters. Outside was a small balcony that overlooked the entrance to the apartment block. The shutters were open at the moment and through them he could see grey stone and… more grey stone. The apartment floor was tiled, the walls bare stone. There was a table and one chair in the living room and a single bed, and the other chair, in the bedroom. There was no bathroom in their apartment; it was communal. Why was there only one bed? he wondered vaguely. They had slept on the ground out in the wild, so it wouldn’t matter if they did that here. Could you buy beds from somewhere?

  His thoughts drifted on and he went back to surveying the apartment. It was small, and sparse, but at least it was clean. The kitchen consisted of a sink, a counter and some cupboards. It wasn’t much of a kitchen. Still, it was luxury compared to what he had become used to. He vaguely remembered something about a communal stove and icebox.

  After his survey of his new domain he had a flip through the leaflets the hellishly slow lady at the testing centre had given him. The first thing he looked at was a map of Astar. Well, part of Astar. Mainly the poor parts. The clinic he was to report to was marked. So was the office he was to go to if he didn’t meet the standards of the clinic staff. He felt it was more likely that they wouldn’t meet his standards. Shops were also marked, as was Riley’s school. He studied it curiously. It didn’t look too far. He fully intended to walk her to school and pick her up. She didn’t have the sense of time city folk did and he thought it was more likely she’d wander off and try and climb a few buildings and probably arrive at school just as everyone was leaving.

  There was also a set of instructions. It had details on his payment plan- useful since he barely remembered any of that- and rules and customs of Astar. It was like a traveller’s guide in that respect. Then again, he didn’t think there were many travellers these days, at least, not the type who travelled for pleasure. There was also information on the education system. This he read more closely. From a quick perusal it seemed education was very important to the Astarians. Education was free. All of it. After five years of schooling children were expected to choose a general area of work- military, research, medicine, resources, farming, administration or civilian. Research, medicine, farming and resource followed the same path for two more years- two more years where children could choose which path they wished to follow. Afterwards they split, farming and resource students having one more year of education together before learning the rest of their trade on site. Administration and civilian also followed the same path for three years. Military was entirely different. A year was spent learning basic things, then they split off into four parts. His eyes widened- space? Space followed military for a year, seeming to weave in and out of research and the air force.

  ‘They are ambitious…’ he thought. But why? Perhaps even more surprising than that was that education was free even after the primary level. G
etting in was solely determined by ability. He had a closer read. Where did people go who couldn’t get in anywhere else? It took some close reading that set his head pounding again, but it sounded like military or civilian- whatever that was-was the place for those people.

  As he looked over the pamphlets he wondered how long they would stay here and whether Riley would have to make a choice. He had a pretty good idea what she would choose. He was supposed to return these pamphlets after a week. They were paper- and paper, he was getting the feeling, was very valuable here. As were stoves and iceboxes and bathrooms apparently.

  He spent the rest of the day in the apartment. He left once around dinner time to talk to the landlord on the first floor. The landlord was willing to show him around and explain how everything worked. He showed him the ice box- it was quite large and had a number of compartments in it. He handed him a key and told him he was only to store food and told him how long everything would last in there. Aerlid wondered what else he would store in there but didn’t ask… He also found out where the laundry facilities were.

  He checked on Riley, found her still sleeping. He closed the door gently behind him. That night he slept on the floor.

  The next day Aerlid awoke at dawn. He was tired and gritty but he needed to get ready for his first day of work. He stumbled around the apartment for about half an hour, checking on Riley, nibbling on some food, checking on Riley again.

  He was concerned about leaving her alone the entire day. Would she wake, alone in an unfamiliar place and panic? Aerlid ate as much as he could stomach then settled back into the chair by Riley’s bed. Closing his eyes he placed his hands lightly on her shoulder.

  By the time he was done his stomach was growling again, but Riley wouldn’t wake til he returned, and she wasn’t going to starve while she slept.

  That done he showered and prepared what he’d bring to work. He pawed through the chips of delicate veined marble that passed for money here. His cleanest clothes were animal skins, so he was hoping he’d be able to buy some new clothes on the way to the clinic. However he wasn’t sure how many of these chips he should bring. With a grumble he gathered some of each size into a bag, along with some food. Then he left, locking the door behind him.

  Once outside he glanced up at the sky. Without a timepiece he could only make an approximate guess as to the time so he hoped he wouldn’t turn up late. Walking at a pace that, when healthy, he could keep up all day, he followed the route he had chosen from the map. It would take him past some shops without too much of a detour.

  The first clothing store he found wasn’t open. In fact, looking around the street, nothing was open. He sighed and glanced at the sky again. The streets here were wide and straight and made of hard packed dirt with stone gutters. Between the gutters and the buildings was a strip of dirt wide enough for two people to walk abreast. This was where he walked. The buildings in this part of the city were low, one story affairs. Most of the buildings had large windows with sturdy, tightly shut wooden shutters in place. Signs were painted upon the bare stone above the windows. He saw further into the city the unremarkable grey buildings rose in an orderly fashion. Astar was not a beautiful city by any stretch of the imagination. Despite this, everything looked solidly made and well maintained.

  Aerlid waited on the sidewalk, carefully watching the sun all the while. It was perhaps an hour before he spotted a human walking towards him.

  The human eyed him without fear.

  ‘Do you work here, fa?’ Aerlid asked, as the man came closer. This time he used the polite term for someone who did not warrant a ‘faya’.

  He shook his head and Aerlid’s heart fell. ‘I work next one over.’ he said.

  At that Aerlid beamed. ‘Do you sell clothes, fa?’

  The man nodded and smiled slightly. ‘I suppose you’ll be wanting some?’

  ‘Yes, please.’ he tried and failed to keep relief from his voice.

  Aerlid waited for the man to unlock and open the door. The store was dark inside. Aerlid tried to wait out of the way while the man bustled around. He kept the door open with a doorstop and unshuttered the windows. The effect was immediate. Aerlid blinked to keep the spots from his eyes as the shop lit up brightly. There was no glass in the windows.

  The shop was quite small. A small selection of clothes and other items were displayed along the walls. At the back of the room was a counter, and behind this another room filled with boxes.

  ‘So, have a look around. When you find what you like I’ll fetch it from the back for you.’

  Aerlid had a wander around and examined all the items. It didn’t take long. Like the buildings of Astar, the clothes were well made and serviceable but not much to look at. It was more a matter of choosing the right size than choosing what he liked. In a few minutes he had the sizes he wanted. The man disappeared for a few moments before returning with his items; two new pairs of clothes for Aerlid and Riley.

  ‘That’ll be a square bar half.’

  It was then Aerlid realized he had a problem.

  The shopkeeper smiled as Aerlid looked at him blankly. He took some money out from under the counter and laid it out carefully. He pointed at the smallest piece, ‘this is an eighth.’ he pushed two eights together and put them next to a whole piece of the same size. ‘Two eighths make a quarter.’ He then pushed the eighths and the quarter together. ‘Two quarters make a half bar and two half bars make a bar.’ He glanced up at Aerlid who nodded to show he understood. ‘Two bars make a square, two squares make a half and two halves make a block.’

  Aerlid nodded. Then he looked down at the pieces of stone in his bag. ‘And I owe you…’

  ‘A square…’ he nodded when Aerlid brought one out. ‘One bar and a half bar.’

  He smiled. ‘That’s settled then.’

  ‘Would I be able to get changed here, fa?’ Aerlid asked carefully.

  The shopkeeper, amused, gestured towards an alcove he hadn’t noticed before, with a curtain in front of it. ‘Go ahead.’

  Aerlid quickly changed and gathered his things in his bag. He thanked the shopkeeper, silencing the voice in his mind saying he could have been swindled and left the store looking like a regular Astarian.

  After that he quickly made his way to the clinic, glancing up at the sun all the way.

  Aerlid returned to the apartment bone tired but satisfied. He had indeed met the standards of the clinic staff, though it had been harder than he’d thought. He was tired and in a completely new place. He’d had to go back and use skills he hadn’t practiced in a long time. He couldn’t exactly just lay his hands on a patient and heal them with his colleagues watching.

  He dumped his purchases on the table and went to check on Riley. He brushed his hand over her head lightly. She would awake naturally when she was ready.

  He closed the door quietly and went back to the living room, munching slowly on dried meat. He’d have to buy some vegetables somewhere, he thought idly.

  What were they doing, shooting people like that? he wondered. How exactly did they expect a wound like that to heal? At best, left to their methods, she’d never be able to move her shoulder again and have a very unpleasant scar. How did they test those settings anyway? Did they round up Astarians, put them into groups and shoot them?

  ‘Oh damn, looks like it didn’t go all the way through…NEXT!’

  He rather doubted that.

  His mood soured, he stopped eating, no longer in the mood.

  Stretching out on the floor, he was asleep in moments.

  When he woke it was morning.

  Aerlid blinked and raised a hand to his eyes. Slowly he sat up and stretched.

  He checked on Riley before showering. When he returned he noticed in pleasant surprise someone had been at the food. That was a good sign. He went into the bedroom and found her curled up asleep, lying on her good shoulder. He didn’t want to wake her yet he didn’t want to force her to sleep the rest of the day again either.

  Gent
ly he woke her without touching her shoulder.

  She looked at him blearily.

  ‘Riley, I am going out. I will not be back til it is dark. Ok?’

  She nodded, but he doubted whether she understood.

  ‘You’re safe here, I want you to stay here, ok?’

  She nodded again, her eyes fluttering closed.

  He closed the door carefully behind him. He didn’t think he should- or could- do anymore to her shoulder until she woke up and he could test her mobility.

  He left early and ambled slowly to work. He arrived promptly on time.

  When he returned home that evening Riley was awake. She was sitting on a chair in the living room, her legs dangling off the ground, looking groggy. Aerlid thought she looked how he felt.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

  ‘S’ok.’ she mumbled.

  ‘I think you need a shower.’

  ‘Shower?’

  To say Riley was surprised when she saw the shower was a bit of an understatement. Aerlid spent a good five minutes explaining to her that she wasn’t to take very long- water (as well as everything else) was precious here. When he was done he still wasn’t sure she understood, though she nodded, her eyes wide.

  He hoped she wouldn’t stay and gawk at the shower, or try to experiment with it, but there was really no telling. He wondered if their shower privileges would be revoked. The fact she was wobbly on her legs was probably in their favour right now. She couldn’t take long. He listened intently to her shower, listening for the sound of her falling.

  Despite his worries Riley finished quickly and Aerlid was reduced to interrogating her about whether she’d actually used soap. He gave her a sniff, decided grudgingly that yes, she had used soap, and ushered her back up to their apartment.

  They had dinner together. He’d bought some fruit and carefully shared an apple out between them. He felt they both needed it. The pricing of food was curious here; it depended on how much you bought. If you bought just enough to survive the pricing was low, once you started adding more food the price of every item increased substantially. It seemed the authorities wanted everyone to have enough to eat, but no one to eat more than they absolutely had to. He wondered how it worked- what if someone else from the family came and bought food? What if you went to a different store? He hadn’t asked.

  Aerlid’s mood improved markedly as they ate. Riley was eating with both hands, moving her injured shoulder easily.

  ‘I am going to see how your shoulder is.’ he told her once dinner was done.

  She nodded, looking half asleep. Aerlid placed a hand carefully on her shoulder and closed his eyes. He didn’t heal, just examined. When he removed his hand dizziness hit him so hard he almost fell.

  Carefully he made his way back to his chair.

  Riley looked at him with worry in her eyes.

  ‘I think I need to sleep now.’ he said, swallowing thickly. He needed to rest. He needed good food. ‘You should go to sleep too.’ He wouldn’t be able to do any more for her shoulder for a while. Perhaps a long while. Neither would he be healing anybody in the clinic with anything but human methods.

  Riley slid off the chair and came over and patted his hand. He smiled at her. Then she went to the bedroom. By the time she was there Aerlid was asleep on the floor.