The Children of Calm

by Smith, J Michael

  ***

  After the story was over and the children had been seen to their homes, Rylek went to his own home for supper. As he was going up the front steps, Tresten came around the corner.

  “There you are,” Tresten said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Rylek saw Tresten was carrying his wooden training sword; he knew where this was going. “Come on, Tresten, I’m starved,” he said. “Let me grab some food first.”

  “No no,” Tresten said forcefully. “I’ve been waiting quite awhile for you to show up. I suppose you were down with the kids again for Selenor’s storytelling, weren’t you?”

  “Maybe I was,” Rylek said. “Did you know Keiten is sick again?”

  Tresten grew serious. “No. What is it this time?”

  “No idea.”

  “Maybe I’ll go check on him tomorrow,” Tresten said softly. “He’s probably sleeping right now.”

  “You could go check now while I grab a bite to eat,” Rylek said as he opened the front door.

  “I’ll go tomorrow,” Tresten said. “Or maybe later tonight. But now that I think about it, maybe you should go ahead and eat. By the time you’re done digesting, it will be dark in the field. And possibly overcast too. We shall truly earn our cuts and bruises. I was hoping to spend all night being bandaged up by my mother anyway, so this works out perfectly…”

  Rylek sighed. “Sometimes you really do go on. Shut up already so I can go get my sword.”

  As he walked into the house, the mouth-watering smell of roasted corn met his nose. He sighed again and walked towards his room. Lana was in the kitchen, busying herself with some vegetables.

  “It’ll be ready in just a few minutes!” she called out.

  “Tresten is calling, and you know what that means,” Rylek said.

  “Yeah, that you’ll come home sore and your food will be cold.”

  Rylek smiled; he loved his sister. He grabbed his training sword out of his room, and walked back towards the front door. “Where’s mom and dad?” he asked.

  “Mom’s at Aunt Penni’s, helping her with something or other, and dad’s at some meeting with Elder Caenar.”

  “Sounds about normal. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Lana laughed. “I’ll try my best to keep it warm for you.”

  Rylek opened the front door, smiling. “Thanks, sis,” he said, then stepped out to meet Tresten who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning on his wooden sword. “I would like you to know that I’m missing fresh roasted corn for you,” Rylek said to him.

  “You’re not missing anything,” Tresten said. “It will be waiting for you when you get back. Come on – we have work to do; the Academy will not wait for you.”

  “Bother the Academy. Missing one day of training isn’t going to hinder our chances of getting into the top tiers. We’re good enough. My father and Celek said so. I’m hungry…”

  “Oh, taukish,” Tresten muttered under his breath.

  Rylek continued. “And besides, there aren’t that many days left of us being here at home before it’s time to leave.”

  “Come on, we’ve been over this a million times,” Tresten said. “You’re reluctant to leave, and I’m excited to finally see what else is out there. I’m itchy. Everyone tells us about everything in the world, but how do they know for sure when hardly anyone ever goes out into it? It’s just another example of how adults speak down to us about things they don’t even know. So I want to see it for myself.”

  “Yes, I know,” Rylek groaned.

  It was not long before they found themselves in the empty fields on the north side of Calm. Rylek had started to warm himself up when Tresten smacked him with the side of his sword.

  “Hey now!” Rylek said. “Give me a chance to loosen up.”

  “Do you really think an enemy would give you that chance?” Tresten asked as he started dancing around Rylek.

  Rylek thought he looked ridiculous, and could not decide whether it was intentional or not. He unsuccessfully suppressed laughter.

  Tresten was not amused. “So you think everything will be handed to you, Your Royal Highness? Do not dare to think all of us are the same. Some of us need the work!”

  With that, they were a blurred frenzy of limbs and swords. They were almost as evenly matched as could possibly be. If Rylek held a slight advantage, it was in his strength. If Tresten held any kind of advantage, it was in his agility. They had been trained by Faltir and Celek, and had progressed so far that, in spite of their age, their skills had surpassed everyone in the village, except for their teachers; and they had each very nearly beaten Celek.

  On and on they battled. The shadows grew longer, and lights started coming on in the village. Blow by blow, block by block, step by step they practically mirrored each other. They had been going for nearly a half-hour when Rylek suddenly did a twisting move that resulted in Tresten’s sword flying from his hand. Rylek shoved the end of his sword at Tresten’s chest.

  “I win,” he said. “Which means you’re dead. Dead enemies can’t stop me from eating, so I’m out of here. My stomach is killing me.”

  Tresten picked up his sword. “Well, you had better hurry before it actually does kill you; otherwise who will eat all of that roasted corn?”

  “Give it a rest and let’s go. I am seriously starving.”

  “You and your one-track mind,” Tresten said.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I am a guy, Tresten. Every woman in Mira would agree with you,” Rylek joked as they walked off together.

  ***

  Tresten’s house came first on the way back into the village, and Rylek had just left him there and was on his way to his own house when Tresten called out his name. Rylek stopped and turned around.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Tresten caught up to him. “Mother said to go ahead and have supper with you. Your mother’s still busy helping her with whatever it is they’re doing and it looks as though they will be busy for awhile.”

  “Lana nearly had supper finished before we began dueling, so it works out well that you should have some cold supper too,” Rylek said, and started walking again. “You reap what you sow.”

  Tresten grunted and followed.

  They walked in silence until they came to Rylek’s house. Stepping inside, they were greeted by Lana and Selenor, and after washing up they sat down at the table to eat. The girls joined them.

  Rylek looked surprised. “Are you eating again?” he asked.

  “We decided not to eat until you got back,” Lana said. “It’s more fun for all to eat together; or at least, that’s what Selenor and I think.”

  “Indeed. The more the merrier,” Selenor said.

  Tresten leered. “Just as long as there’s enough for me,” he said.

  Rylek nearly choked on a mouthful of roasted corn. “What are you talking about? It’s your own fault we’re eating so late! If you hadn’t been so stubbornly determined…”

  “To do what? To do what we were supposed to do?” Tresten asked.

  “I just don’t see how you can complain about food when it’s your own fault we’re eating so late,” Rylek said between mouthfuls.

  “It’s a necessary conflict of interests.”

  Rylek shook his head in disbelief. “Still trying to win at something, huh? Well, what goes around comes back around and bites you in the stomach, apparently.” he said.

  Selenor looked at Lana. “Uh-oh! Looks like we know who won their little game tonight,” she said.

  Lana smiled and stood up from the table. She picked up the bowl filled with bread, walked over to Tresten, and placed another roll on his plate. “Some bread to sop up your pride, good sir?” she asked with a snobbish formal air.

  Selenor erupted into a fit of giggles. Rylek looked quickly down at his plate to hide any smile that might be attempting to crack on his face.

  Tresten paused for a few seconds, and then took the entire bread bowl. �
��I require a lot of sopping,” he said with a straight face.

  ***

  After they had finished eating and cleaning, Tresten and Selenor decided they would go home. Rylek and Lana settled down on the couch by the fireplace. Lana was working on a quilt she had been knitting while Rylek sat and stared into the fire. They were silent for awhile.

  “I’m going to miss this,” Lana suddenly said.

  Rylek kept his gaze on the fire. “What do you mean?” he asked, though he knew the answer.

  “You know,” she said. “All of…this. The spontaneous group meals, the bantering back and forth, you and me just sitting here by the fire. It’s not going to be the same when we go to the University.”

  “We’ll still be together.”

  Lana shook her head. “It won’t be the same, and you know it. Our schedules will interfere with each other’s, and we’ll probably be lucky to all get together once or twice a week. Especially with you and Tresten wanting to be in the Academy. You know how isolated it is from the rest of the school. Surely you remember what dad told you.”

  “Of course I remember.”

  “There’s just not much time left with the four of us being our own little group. And it’s all I’ve ever known. I guess I’m a little scared, that’s all.”

  Rylek finally took his eyes off the fire and looked at his sister. She was a fiercely strong person who put up good appearances of being fearless to those who did not know her well. But now she had come out from behind her façade, and a sorrowful fear marred her face. He placed his hand on the back of her head. “Tresten and I were sort of talking about that earlier today, in a round-about way,” he said. “But you and I both know that we at least are coming back here once we’re done with school and I’m finished with my service. This is my home, and I want to use all of my training to help keep this place safe.”

  “You’ve said that before,” she said. “But I have to know: safe from what?”

  He swirled the question around in his head. Why was he so paranoid? In all of their lives there had not even been a hint of outside danger, and yet he felt he was somehow called to protect Calm from some vague unforeseen future foe. He faked his answer. “Safe from bruised egos that fail to admit defeat,” he said.

  Lana laughed. “You failed miserably tonight.”

  “Nah, he’s not so bad,” Rylek laughed uneasily. “Besides, I think all the extra bread helped.”

  They sat silently for a few more minutes.

  “What do you think he’s going to do once he’s done with his service?” she suddenly asked.

  He did not like to think about it. “I have no idea. And I’m not certain he knows either. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed in Maeon Plenneth since apparently everything is there. Regardless, I don’t think he’s going to return here. He’s always been so eager to see what’s beyond the mountains.”

  “I think you’re right. I’ve always felt that he somehow doesn’t belong here, like he’s bigger than this village. Or at least that he’ll never be satisfied staying here.” She paused and then looked at Rylek. “What about Selenor?”

  His face became hard as he felt a gnawing pit in his stomach. This was the question that haunted him during the day, and kept him up at night. What if Selenor did not return to Calm after finishing her arts degree? She was more likely to go to Calinaer, renowned for its thriving arts community. The thought of her being forever removed from him was too much. “I don’t know,” he weakly answered.

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be fair to her. Not now. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

  Lana put down her quilt and embraced her brother with tears in her eyes. They did not say another word.

  ***

  Their mother returned home from Penephoni’s some time later. Clarina walked up to the couch and saw Lana sleeping with her head on Rylek’s left shoulder while he was staring glass-eyed into the fire. She squatted down next to him and ruffled his hair.

  “Hey sweetheart,” she said softly. “Are you alright?”

  He faintly smiled. “I’m okay.”

  She studied his face for a few moments and then kissed his forehead. “Am I right to assume your father is not yet home?”

  “Yeah.”

  She stood up. “I wonder what he and Caenar are doing,” she said, walking into the kitchen. “I’m going to make myself some peppernut tea. Would you like some?”

  “No thanks.”

  Rylek half-listened to his mother as she was telling him about the house project she was helping Penephoni with, but his mind was elsewhere. The brooding had set in, and it was often difficult to snap him out of it. Some time later he realized all of the lights were out and it was quiet in the house. Lana was now sleeping with her head in his lap. The fire was dying down. He covered his sister with her half-finished quilt, and softly ran his fingers through her red silken hair. Then on a whim, he gently slid himself out from under her, grabbed his coat, and walked outside.

  His breath hung in the frosty air, adding to the fog that had rolled in from the lake; it was like a slap in the face for his mind. Minors were not allowed out this late, but he and Tresten had snuck around countless times throughout the last few years and had been caught only once, prompting a light scolding. Now he slunk silently in the shadows behind houses, avoiding the revealing streetlamps as he went. No one was out, and whoever was patrolling the village that night was somewhere other than where Rylek walked.

  After a few minutes he found himself being drawn to the lake itself, and was soon treading under the cover of trees. The section he walked through consisted mostly of the evergreen variety, so there were not many leaves on the ground. The fog dampened all sounds, making everything seem still and far away.

  But ahead of him a soft yellow light began to glow, and he thought he could hear voices; they were coming from deeper in the forest. Curiosity gripped him, and with even more care he walked silently towards the light. Eventually he saw two shadowed figures standing on either side of a small oil lamp placed on the ground.

  “I’m telling you, he’s growing anxious,” one of the figures said softly. Rylek did not recognize the voice. “His suspicions have already been aroused by that fool, and I’m not sure how much longer I can put him off.”

  “I feel it’s too early,” the other figure said; it was Celek. “We need to let the events play out as they’ve been set up; this has been fifteen years in the making, and one false move means everything could crumble down. I need more time.”

  “Time isn’t something we’re being granted,” the first figure said. “I’m running out of excuses, and he’s not exactly someone I can say ‘no’ to.”

  Rylek’s heart was now pounding in his throat. Something inside of his head told him to keep hidden and silent. He was crouching behind some shrubbery and positioned at a better angle now which enabled him to study the unknown man’s face. It was angular and sharp, with what looked to be a long and deep scar running along his left cheek from his temple to the corner of his mouth. He wore a cap over his hair.

  “It’s not fair,” Celek said. “Not to her, or to them. What am I supposed to say without raising any suspicions of my own?”

  “You’ll think of something, just like you always do.”

  Celek sighed and shuffled his feet. “So do you think we need to move by the end of the week?” he asked.

  The scarred man shook his head. “Is that the best you can do?”

  “There’s much to be done.”

  The man shook his head again. “Alright, if that’s all I can get, then I’ve got to take it.” He picked up the lantern. “I’ll be waiting at the Quandary,” he said as he turned away.

  Celek stayed in his place until the lantern was out of sight, and then began to walk back to the village. Rylek froze every muscle and held his breath as Celek walked past him at just a few yards’ distance. But with the absence of the lantern he wa
s shrouded in darkness, and Celek made no sign that he had been seen. Several long minutes passed before Rylek dared to move, and his mind raced with unanswered questions as he carefully walked home, mindful to avoid the area around Celek’s house.

  Chapter Four:

  The Shadows of Secrets

  The next morning proved to be sunny and mild, and the warmth of the sun drove the fears and anxieties of the previous night out of Rylek’s mind. In the light of day it was easier to assume the conversation he had overheard was harmless. Celek had served in the Elite Service, and for all Rylek knew, still carried on in their dealings occasionally. In the end he felt it was unnecessary to tell the others what had happened since he was afraid of jeopardizing what was probably a secret mission.

  Meanwhile New Year was fast approaching. The inhabitants of Calm were busy making preparations for the ensuing celebration. Thanks to the unseasonal weather some changes had to be made, but all the same the little village was bustling with colorful decorations and festivities: streamers were hung, banners flew in the breeze, the streets were washed, and tents were raised along the lakefront. So it happened that three days before New Year, and consequently their birthday, Rylek, Tresten, Selenor, and Lana could be seen sitting under the Old Sentinel on the lakefront. The breeze off the lake was cool, but the sun was high and warm. Rylek was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, drifting into a bit of a nap, as the other three were arguing over the medicinal values of starpods.

  “I don’t care what you’ve heard,” Tresten was saying, “or what you’ve read, or what you’ve made up in your own heads using your ridiculous ‘women’s intuition’ or whatever it is you call it, but I’m telling you there is nothing valuable in their skins or juice.”