by A J Park
“No, he said ‘First Guardian.’ So I didn’t kill him.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Kalleck said, getting to his feet. “Where is he?”
“They are holding him in one of the stables,” Sinnar said.
Kalleck looked at Olthorin. “Stay with her,” he said. “Don’t do anything else.” He followed Sinnar out into the rain and they ran to the cover of the stable. He saw a young Almorian soldier sitting on the ground, his hands tied behind him. He was looking at Kalleck intently. Kalleck saw the man’s eyes go to the gold on his shoulder.
“Who are you?” Kalleck asked in Yalkur.
“My name is Gareth, First Guardian,” he said respectfully.
“How can you speak Yalkur?”
“My wife is Yalkur,” Gareth said. “She taught me.”
“Was she one of the ones who survived the battle at Newport? And you kept her as your slave?” Kalleck asked angrily.
“No!” Gareth protested. “I would never do that to her. I love her.”
Kalleck took a deep breath and tried to let his anger ease. “All right. Tell me how she became your wife then.”
Gareth looked at him and anxiously began, carefully choosing his words, “We met during the first battle. The governor…” His voice cracked and he took another deep breath before he went on. “He told us that the Yalkur were going to attack. That we were in terrible danger. I… I should never have believed them. I don’t think it was true. But we fought them. When it was all over, I saw her standing there, surrounded by enemies. She wore a black dress and her face was veiled. I thought they were going to kill her. I saw one of them rip the veil from her face. He grabbed her arm. When I saw her face, I could see how frightened she was. I had to stop them. I drew my sword and I made them leave her alone. I made all of them leave her alone. And I had to keep watch all the time. I hardly slept for weeks. I did everything I could to take care of her. I kept her safe, and she was forced to rely on me. But I would never force her to be my lover.”
“You said she was your wife.”
“Yes. I loved her from the moment I saw her and, in time, she grew to care for me too. I asked her to be my wife. I would still have protected her if she said no. I didn’t force her. We went to my old Captain and he married us. We have a child now, a little boy.”
“Where are they now?”
“Newport.”
“Are there other captive Yalkur there?” Sinnar asked.
“A few,” Gareth said.
“I’m looking for someone. He’s taller than most. His name is Tarkan.”
Gareth looked thoughtful. “There were a few men who might match your description. I don’t know their names, I’m sorry. They watch me like a hawk if I even look at anyone who’s Yalkur. They think I am… sympathetic.”
“Are you?” Kalleck asked.
Gareth nodded slowly. “Of course, I am. My wife’s father, Adak, is one of the captives. I want to help them. I have always wanted to help them.”
Kalleck glanced quickly at Sinnar and then looked searchingly into the young Almorian’s face. They had thought Adak was dead… Many parts of the story Gareth had told him seemed unbelievable, but in spite of this, Kalleck felt that he was sincere.
“When did they send you out?” Kalleck asked.
“We’ve been out since the battle, looking for Lady Shalyrie.”
“We saw them moving in groups, searching. But they found you alone. Why? They know we’re out here.”
“Yes,” Gareth said.
“Didn’t they think we would find you?”
Slowly, Gareth nodded. “They don’t like me much,” he said. “The governor sent me out alone.”
“Are you saying they wanted you to be in danger?” Kalleck asked, shocked.
“Yes. They assumed you would kill me.”
“Do they know you can speak to us?” Kalleck asked.
“Maybe, but they thought you would kill me before I had a chance to try.”
Kalleck looked at Sinnar. This was not at all what either of them had been expecting. Was it some sort of trick? How many Almorians had Sinnar and his men killed tonight? None of them could be unaware of the danger out here in the hills, in the dark. Sinnar had said they found Gareth alone. No one else had been anywhere near. Could they trust him?
“What would you have me do?” Kalleck asked Gareth.
“I need to get to the king,” Gareth said. “I can’t go back to Newport now and, with me gone, my family is in danger. My only chance is to stop the fighting. I must. Galenor has no right to destroy the Yalkur. The King of Almoria is the only one who could stop him.” He looked at Kalleck earnestly. “First Guardian, will you help me get to the king?”
Kalleck stared back at him, shocked by everything he’d been told. “So your own people sent you out to die,” he said thoughtfully. “Do they do this often?”
“Maybe,” Gareth said. “It’s not good for your health to speak against the governor or his orders. There have been men sent on assignments who didn’t come back.”
“Did you see what happened today?”
“I was there,” Gareth said.
Kalleck leaned closer to him and held his eyes. “Did you see it?”
“I saw a man in black clothes with a Yalkur knife. He jumped out of the rocks and attacked Lady Shalyrie. The governor ordered us to attack. There was no way to stop it by then, even though Lord Olthorin was trying.”
“Yes,” Kalleck agreed. “He went to your governor to explain that we would return our captives peacefully, that we did not want to fight. He was supposed to tell them not to fight.”
“He did,” Gareth said. “I heard him. They wouldn’t have done it if Lady Shalyrie hadn’t been attacked. Even then, Olthorin ordered them to stop, but it was too late.”
“And do you think the man was Yalkur?”
Gareth sighed. “Maybe that’s why I’m here. Maybe that’s the reason the governor picked today to get rid of me. I saw a man in black clothes, but I doubt he was Yalkur. His knife was Yalkur, but from what I’ve learned of your people, a man doesn’t go out to fight without a clan marker. And a Yalkur mask is closely fitted, with a joint at the jaw and hardened leather on the outside with a soft lining on the inside. He had no clan marker and his mask wasn’t Yalkur. All I really saw was a man in black clothes with his face covered. And I saw you kill him.”
“I’m not like your governor,” Kalleck said contemptuously. “I don’t kill my own men. He wasn’t one of my people.”
“I believe you,” Gareth said, “but I didn’t see the man up close. I don’t know who he was or who sent him.”
Kalleck took out his knife and cut Gareth’s hands free. “Come with me,” he said.
They went back to the farmhouse where he had left Shalyrie and Olthorin.
Olthorin was bent over Shalyrie. Her eyes were still closed and her skin deathly pale. Kalleck pointed to a place on the floor beside Olthorin. “Sit,” he said to Gareth. “I will return in a moment and we will decide what is to be done.”
Kalleck and Sinnar sat in a corner, talking in low voices.
“Do you believe him?” Sinnar asked.
Kalleck nodded. “Yes.”
“They kill their own men?” Sinnar asked in disbelief. “How could we ever make peace with a people so treacherous? If it’s true, how can we trust any of them? How would we ever know what they are going to do?”
Kalleck shrugged. “I don’t think they’re all like that.”
Sinnar’s eyes looked dubious behind his mask.
“I don’t think the girl lied to us, or her brother,” Kalleck said.
“You don’t think they led us into a trap?” Sinnar protested, his voice rising.
“No,” Kalleck said. “Why would she go if she had known? And then why would she run from them later? And he
r brother cares about her. He wouldn’t have sent her into danger. It wasn’t either of them.”
“So who wants her dead?” Sinnar asked. “Did they not just demand her safe return?”
“They said they would attack if she wasn’t safe. Maybe they wanted to attack, so they made it so she wasn’t safe.”
“And they think we are savages?” Sinnar exclaimed.
“We have to decide what to do next. They claim that the king will stop the attacks, that if we can get to him, he will force the others to retreat and leave us alone.”
Sinnar shook his head. “Think, Kalleck. We saw the king’s ships in the harbor when he was here. He has enough men to attack the valley and drive all our people away. And you want him to come here? He’ll only make it worse. We should kill them and be done with it. We’ll gather every man to defend our people. We’ll make them fear the hills.”
Kalleck bowed his head. “There are too many of them. It’s not a fight we can win.”
“But you can’t trust them! Not after everything that’s happened.”
“I promised to do everything I could to save our people. We have to listen to them,” Kalleck said. “Will you come and talk to them with me?”
“You already know what I think,” Sinnar said, but he got to his feet and followed Kalleck back to where the Almorians were sitting.
Kalleck sat down and Sinnar sat beside him. For a long moment, no one said anything. Kalleck and Sinnar just sat there, silently looking at the Almorians opposite them.
Kalleck broke the silence. “This is our land,” he said in Almorian. “Your people led us into a trap today, but we beat them. Maybe that is all part of their plan. Now I will decide what we will do next.”
“As you command, First Guardian,” Gareth said.
“I have no choice but to do as you say,” Olthorin said. “We are in your power. But whatever you decide tonight, do what will be best for your people, and for all of us.”
“And what do you think is best for my people?” Kalleck demanded.
“To stop the fighting,” Olthorin said.
“You said that before and look what happened today!”
Olthorin bowed his head. “What you say is true. I never imagined Galenor would do what he did today. How could I have expected that?” He looked down at Shalyrie.
Kalleck sighed. “I didn’t expect it either. I didn’t think they would kill her to get what they wanted.” He looked at the girl, a still form wrapped in blankets. “It seems they don’t care who is harmed along the way.” He looked back to Olthorin. “What more could you do to try and stop them?”
“I would go to the king directly,” Olthorin said. “He has the power to force them to obey him.”
“And he is far away, on his ship in the ocean. How would you get to him?”
“I would have to find a ship and sail to where he is. Or possibly, we could go part of the way by land. When the king knows what is happening, he’ll come back here with all his men and stop Galenor.”
“Do you know where he is?” Kalleck asked.
“I know where he will be,” Olthorin said. “We planned our route and the stops we would make on our journey. But I don’t know how long it would take to get to him.”
“And what about Shalyrie? Would you try to take her with you? It would be a hard and dangerous journey. Do you want her to die?”
“Of course, not,” Olthorin said, looking down at her. “I know she isn’t ready now. But the longer I wait, the more chance there is of violence.”
Kalleck translated for Sinnar, reviewing what they had said.
Kalleck turned back to the Almorians. “So you ask us to trust you and to release you in the hope that you can reach the sea-king and speak for our people. And in return, you would trust us with the well-being of your sister?”
Olthorin looked at Shalyrie, and then back at Kalleck. “Would you give me your word to protect her?”
Kalleck nodded. “I will do all I can to keep her safe.”
Olthorin sat silently for a time, thinking it over. His hands were in constant motion from his pent-up energy as he tried to puzzle out the best course of action. “I feel I must do this. If we don’t find out who is behind all this, then she would never be safe among our people again. If we don’t stop Galenor, he will continue to invade your lands and attack your people. Only the king has the power to stop them. We have to get to him. Kalleck, I ask you to let me go to him, to help me on my way.”
“Please, First Guardian, if you will allow me, I will go with him,” Gareth added. “Peace between our peoples is the only thing that will save my family.”
“It is more difficult for me to trust you now,” Kalleck said, looking at Olthorin. “But I don’t think what happened today was your fault.”
“I’m grateful you believe that. And I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it,” Olthorin said. “But we must do this. We have to stop the fighting.”
Kalleck looked toward Shalyrie, who lay there still and pale. She was fortunate to have survived the day. “And you leave her in our hands as a gesture of good faith? And what if Galenor comes looking for her with all his men?”
“I don’t know if Galenor had anything to do with the attack on her today, or even if he knew about it, but it’s not safe for her to go back to him. After what happened, I think he’ll be after you no matter what happens to her,” Olthorin said. “All the more reason for me to hurry.”
They were all quiet, looking at Kalleck.
Should I trust him? After all that’s happened today? He took a deep breath.
“Go then,” he said. Maybe he would regret the decision. He already knew that Sinnar didn’t agree with him, but he had decided. “I will send a guard of men to escort you as far as they safely can. You will have to find your own way through the lands controlled by Galenor.”
“Agreed,” Olthorin said. “Please keep her safe.”
Kalleck nodded. He got to his feet and went to make the arrangements. In only a short while, the two Almorians were gone. Sinnar had gone to check on the watches, and Kalleck went back to where he had left the girl.
The room was quiet now. Everyone was getting what rest they could. Kalleck leaned back against the wall. It was never easy to calm his mind after a day such as this. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was blood and death.
Kalleck dozed uneasily. He could hear the quick breathing of some of the injured men. The sound of breath coming and going through clenched teeth. Pain. Not rest.
He woke fully and took out the flask of sacred water. In the dim light of the dying fire, he moved between the resting bodies until he came to the one he thought he had heard. He couldn’t tell who it was in the dim light, but put his hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Will you take some water?” Kalleck asked.
“Thank you, First Guardian,” the man replied. His hands were clutching a place on his side.
“You can uncover your face for a moment,” Kalleck said. He helped the man pull off his mask and hood. There was a sheen of sweat covering his face. Kalleck helped him drink, bathed the wound with the sacred water, and wrapped it again with clean bandages.
“Thank you, First Guardian,” the man repeated. He took a deep breath. “That helps.”
“We’ll get you to the city as soon as we can,” Kalleck said.
The man nodded.
Kalleck wiped the sweat from the man’s face with a wet cloth and replaced his mask. He went back to the fire and put a few more pieces of wood on it, then settled down again and fell back asleep.
If he hadn’t been sleeping so fitfully, he might not have woken up. The sound that awakened him had been soft and brief, a quick intake of breath. He raised his head and looked toward the girl. She was shaking.
“Are you all right?” he asked quietly.
“Cold,” she gasped.
He pulled the blanket around her. “Are you in pain?”
She shook her head briefly, but he could still see her jaw clenched.
“It will be all right,” he said, putting his hand on her good shoulder.
She grabbed his hand and held onto it. “After what happened… I thought you might kill me. They weren’t supposed to attack you. None of this was supposed to happen.”
Kalleck took a long, slow breath before he answered. She had thought he would blame her for this? “I would never hurt you,” he said firmly. “Don’t be afraid.”
“But I am,” she protested. “No one has ever deliberately tried to harm me before. I feel so lost. I can’t go back now. What am I going to do?”
He could still see the fear on her face, in her eyes. “You’ll be safe here.”
“How can you say that? All your people must hate me. How many people died today because of me?”
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You tried to help.”
“Where is Olthorin?” she asked looking around for him.
“He went to find your king,” Kalleck said.
“He’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“I’m alone,” she closed her eyes.
“He’ll be back,” Kalleck assured her. “And you’re not alone.” He could still see fear and panic in her eyes. She gripped his hand tightly.
“Rest,” he said. “I will do everything I can to help you.”
She looked back at him, took a deep breath and nodded.
“I’ll get you some water,” he said.
She nodded again and slowly relaxed her grip on his hand.
With his back to her, he poured some water from his flask into an ordinary cup. No one would know or see, and it would help her. He returned the flask carefully to his pocket and turned back to her.
“Can you sit up?” he asked.
She nodded and used her good hand to hold her wounded shoulder as he helped her sit up. He supported her with one arm behind her shoulders and handed her the cup. She drank all of it.
“Will you eat something?” he asked, but her eyes were already closed. At least, she had drunk the water. Gently, he laid her back down and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. Gradually, she stopped shivering and seemed to rest quietly.
