The Children of Calm

by Smith, J Michael

  Rylek was confused. “I don’t understand. I did well in my schoolings in History.”

  “Oh yes, very well indeed.” Caenar smiled. “But you were not taught all you truly need to know. History has a way of concealing itself from the promise of eternal memory. The volume I am missing is known as the Green Book of Weshern: a precious jewel filled to the brim with the radiating light of truth. And now it is gone. I fear what may have happened…”

  Caenar stopped and appeared to Rylek as though he were thinking hard on something.

  “Is there anything you would like me to do?” Rylek asked.

  “Hmmm, what is that?” Caenar looked like he had been snapped out of a dream. He shook his head. “No, son, I need some time to think. You may go now.”

  As Rylek was walking towards the door, Caenar turned to face him. “Do not mention to the others anything I just discussed with you, Rylek. There are some things that only you are privileged to know for the time being.”

  “Yes, sir,” Rylek said confusedly as he opened the door and passed into the main room.

  ***

  The other three were waiting outside the front door to the Hall of Knowledge. Tresten was some distance from Lana and Selenor, his back to the building. When Rylek opened the front door, the girls looked up at him. “That was quick,” Lana said. “Is everything okay?”

  “I think so,” Rylek said as he descended the stairs. “Whatever he had been wanting to say to me got interrupted by something unplanned, I guess.”

  “Let me guess: all secretive stuff you’re not allowed to discuss with us, right?”

  Rylek merely smiled.

  “Just once,” Lana continued, “just once I’d like to know why I’m never privy to anything. I mean, does no one trust me or something?” She crossed her arms.

  Selenor giggled. “I swear that you are no better than a child,” she said.

  Lana sniffed. “Oh!…” she started. “Whatever. I need to run home really fast. I’m helping Aunt Penni make supper tonight, and I need to pick up a few things. Want to come with me?”

  “Sure,” Selenor said. “Are you coming, Rylek?”

  Rylek looked over at Tresten. Tresten was now sitting with his back against a tree, looking down the street towards the lake. He was playing with some blades of grass he had apparently torn from the ground.

  Selenor followed Rylek’s gaze and then squeezed his hand. Fire shot up his arm. “Why don’t you join us later?” she said.

  “Yeah, I think I will.”

  Lana began to walk away from them. “Okay,” she said, “but be at Aunt Penni’s by five, alright? She said she has something special planned.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Rylek said.

  Selenor stayed behind for a minute. Rylek’s arm was still tingling. She looked at him and said, “Tresten’s not handling this very well. I can’t get him to talk to me. He’s…hiding himself again.”

  Rylek brought himself to look into her eyes. They were so large, and the silver flecks shone brightly in the sun. “I’ll do what I can,” he said.

  “I know you will,” she said, smiling. “And that’s why you’re my hero.” She took his hand again and gave it another squeeze, then hurried along to walk with Lana.

  Rylek stood, watching her leave. The world had paused, and there was an exceedingly high amount of light. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears. Somehow his heart was pounding in his throat and his stomach.

  Hero.

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and he watched it bounce in eternal slow motion as she walked away.

  Hero.

  He kept rubbing his fingers on the hand she had squeezed in an attempt to drive her essence into his skin.

  Snap out of it, Hero!

  The world began moving in real time again, and he remembered Tresten sitting under the tree. Smiling, and with a slight bounce in his step, Rylek made his way over to him. It looked like Tresten had not moved since Rylek last looked at him. He sat next to him and did not say anything. Tresten did not offer any conversation either.

  They sat in silence for nearly an hour as the occasional person walked by them. It was quiet in this part of the village during this time of year since school was not in session. The Hall of Knowledge was usually bustling with the noises and activities of children, but no other person entered while Rylek and Tresten sat quietly under the tree.

  The village bell announced another hour had passed. Still they sat in silence as a few children began to play nearby. Rylek smiled as he watched them chase each other around in circles and laugh riotously as they got dizzy. He then found himself envying their innocence and naivety. It did not seem like it was that long ago since it was he and Tresten running up and down the streets without a care. Now he felt heavy and tired. He could only imagine how Tresten must have been feeling.

  With his thoughts back on Tresten, Rylek turned to look at him. He was staring in the direction of the boys, but Rylek did not think he was watching them. Tresten was lost in the realm of his own thoughts, slowly processing what Celek had told him and Selenor. Rylek knew to leave him be until he was ready to talk. His presence was all Tresten needed for the time.

  The bell rang out again: four o’clock. Rylek was stretched out on his back, looking up into the branches of the tree. The children had left sometime earlier, and he was thankful they had not bothered Tresten and him. The sun was going down, and the air was growing cooler. The only sound to be heard was the branches swaying in the breeze. Tresten had not moved his body since Rylek joined him. He sat as still as a stone sentinel, casting a protective watch down the street towards the lake. Rylek, on the other hand, was getting sore. He was ready to stand.

  To keep his mind off his discomfort, he thought back to their tenth birthday. Lana and Selenor had slept over at his parents’ house while he and Tresten had stayed at Penephoni’s. The boys had agreed to sneak out in the middle of the night for their very first time. Rylek smiled as he remembered that they had needed their collective strength just to open the window in Tresten’s room. What a thrill it had been to run around the streets in the shadows, dodging old Ronas as he was on duty that night patrolling the village! They had eventually made their way through the western side of Calm, past the cemetery (which neither had wanted to admit made them feel a little uneasy), and up to The Balcony. It had been a long and hard climb up the hills, as it was a dark night and the sliver of Nevarra was veiled behind clouds. After carving their names into a large rock that jutted out from the cliff, they finally settled on their stomachs by The Balcony’s edge looking down over Calm. It was a long drop off the side, easily more than one hundred and fifty yards, but the air was still, and the boys had known no fear of heights. They had felt comfortable wrapped up in warm blankets, sometimes talking excitedly about how mischievous they felt, other times lying contentedly in each other’s silence. The clouds parted not long after they had arrived, and much to their surprise Pelanna had risen above the eastern range of mountains, bathing her nearly-full light into the valley. The boys had laughed out of sheer delight. One by one the stars came out, and soon a myriad was twinkling against the black canvas of night. Lake Calm had been set aglow with the reflected starlight, and the entire valley seemed to be shimmering. The contrast between the shadows and light had been so sharp that Rylek felt he could slice his finger if he had dared to trace the outline of the peaks to the north. It was in that moment that he had somehow felt exhilaration and peace simultaneously.

  He wondered now whether he would ever experience that same kind of emotion again.

  The bell rang. Five o’clock. Rylek was ushered back to the present and decided he needed to break the silence. “We’re supposed to go to your place now,” he said.

  Tresten looked as though he shivered. He closed his eyes and said, “Okay.”

  Together they walked off to Penephoni’s house, still comfortable in each other’s silence.

  ***

  It had started to cool off rather
quickly. Rylek did not notice how chilled he was until he stepped into his Aunt Penephoni’s house. There was a merry little fire crackling in the fireplace, and the kitchen was warm from the old wood stove. He and Tresten were greeted with generous hugs from Penephoni and the girls, and warm mugs of peppernut tea were placed into their hands. Rylek could smell her famous Tannen Stew cooking – the same potato and cabbage stew she had prepared for the councilman from Arcenoth nearly fifteen years earlier. The tale of it restoring the man’s vigor made it an instant must-have recipe among all of the women in the village. Naturally Penephoni named it after Tannen in honor of his ever-eager willingness to have another helping.

  Supper was exactly how Rylek wanted it: tasty, with plenty of helpings. In addition to the stew there was a loaf of fresh baked bread (with lots of butter) and some Jubilee Cakes (small pastries made with honey and golden apples) for dessert. The conversation was light, although Tresten did not engage in any. But since this was not wholly unusual, Rylek suspected Penephoni would not think twice about his silence.

  After the meal was over, and the food and dishes were put away, Penephoni brought the children into the living room and had them sit down in front of the fireplace. She then had them wait while she went off to her bedroom, emerging a few moments later with four identical packages. After she had given one to each of them, she said, “I know it’s not technically your birthday yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer. These are things that Kelni and I have been working on and developing for a long time – things that I believe will come in very handy during your Findings. And, I have to admit, I think we have literally outdone ourselves. Go on now, open them!”

  Rylek smiled at her infectious bubbly excitement, and opened his package along with the others. Inside the box was a silvery-red fabric that was neatly folded. He saw that Tresten’s was a silvery-black, Selenor’s a silvery-purple, and Lana’s a silvery-green. The fabric was thin and stretchy. Rylek lifted it out of the package, unfolded it, and discovered it was a full-bodied fitted tunic.

  “Wow,” Tresten said. “Thanks for the long underwear, Mom.” It was the first thing he had said all night.

  Penephoni smiled. “It’s more than just plain old simple ‘long underwear,’” she said. “It’s made of a special fabric that Kelni and I have developed. It insulates in colder temperatures, yet keeps you cool in warmer temperatures. It’s also water-proof and lightweight.”

  Lana looked impressed. “This is amazing!” she said. “What’s it made of?”

  “It’s actually a blend of cotton and dried starpod skin,” Penephoni said. Lana and Selenor both giggled. “Looks like another point for starpods,” Lana said. They looked at Tresten.

  He groaned. “I never said they were worthless. The point I was making was they have no medicinal value, if you can trouble yourselves to remember correctly.”

  Rylek jumped up and hugged Penephoni. “Thank you so much, Aunt Penni!” he said. “I’m sure these will be much appreciated when we’re on our Finding.”

  Selenor and Lana agreed, hugging and thanking her also.

  “I still don’t understand why we all have to do our Findings together,” Tresten said as he hugged his mother. “I was rather looking forward to the time in isolation.”

  Penephoni looked surprised. “Who said you have to do them together?” she asked as she sat down between her two children.

  “You mean you didn’t tell her?” Tresten asked Selenor.

  She shook her head. “I figured I’d wait until you got home.”

  “Who told you to do them together?” Penephoni asked again.

  “Elder Caenar,” Selenor said. “He talked with us all this afternoon, implying there was somewhere north by the sea that is important for us all to be. He spoke very mysteriously, don’t you think, Lana?

  “Yes,” Lana agreed. “He was insistent on all of us going north together to experience the sea. I wonder why.”

  Penephoni looked troubled. “Could it be?” she said, almost to herself. “He hasn’t said anything to me…”

  “What?” Tresten asked.

  She sat silently for a few moments. “Nothing,” she said finally. “It’s nothing. Sorry, I’m just a bit distracted by the surprising news, that’s all.”

  “I certainly don’t want to go north,” Tresten said. “I was thinking of heading east, to try to find Celek.”

  Penephoni looked surprised at this too. “Celek? Is he missing?”

  ‘No,” Selenor said. “He just left.”

  Penephoni shook her head. “That’s unusual,” she said. “It’s almost New Year and he wouldn’t normally want to miss your birthday.”

  “Yeah, and there’s that,” Tresten said. “So is he our father or not?”

  “Your father?” she asked, taken aback. “Tresten, of course not! Well, at least I’ve never heard anyone say that before. What is all this? What are you talking about anyway?”

  Selenor sighed. “Celek talked to Tresten and me privately this afternoon. He said he couldn’t live anymore in the place he was denied the ability to raise the two children that were rightfully his.”

  “Rightfully his?” Penephoni asked. “No one’s ever said anything about him being your natural father. But…” she trailed off into silence for a few moments. “No, you see, your…your real mother certainly didn’t seem to know him when she was here; though I do remember him taking it awfully hard when she died. And come to think of it, he acted as though he were extremely upset when I was chosen to raise the two of you. But, no, that can’t be it. I think there’s something else he means.”

  She stopped and cleared her throat. “I’ve never told you this before, partly because I never thought it important, and partly because it seemed like idle gossip. But not long after the two of you were born, Celek did ask me to marry him.”

  There were four audible exclamations in the room.

  “Yes,” she continued. “And as you can plainly see, I didn’t agree to it. He had never before shown any interest in me, so the offer was completely surprising and unexpected. And in all honesty ever since my husband died nearly twenty years ago I haven’t had any desire to remarry. That, as far as I know for certain, is the only real link between Celek and yourselves. If I would have married him, he would be your legal father.”

  They all sat in silence for awhile. The wood was crackling on the fire, and the shadows fidgeted nervously about the room. Rylek imagined them to be little secrets, teasing him of their existence but impossible to grasp. He felt there was something just beyond his reach in the logic of the story, but it kept eluding him.

  Tresten finally spoke again. “So he’s gone for good.” He paused for just a moment. “He did say if Selenor or I wanted to find him, he would be in Maeon Plenneth.”

  Rylek looked up. “I thought you said he didn’t tell you where he was going.”

  Selenor glanced at Tresten, who said nothing.

  “Maeon,” Penephoni said. “I wonder what in the world is there for him. He was born and raised there, of course, and attended the Imperial Academy. In fact, we were there at the University together for a couple of years. But he was orphaned as a boy, and doesn’t have any other family as far as I know. He was stationed in Corr Alfin for a short time before being discharged. But then he simply decided to move here; I never found out the reason why.”

  “Well, when we go down to the University this summer, I’m going to find him and ask what this all means,” Tresten said. “He can’t just say something like that and expect us to do nothing.”

  Selenor mumbled an affirmative.

  Rylek felt it was time for him and Lana to go. They were sitting in on something that probably was not their business at the moment, so he stood up and gave Lana a look. “We need to go,” he said. “Thanks again for the gift, Aunt Penni.”

  Lana also thanked her, and they took their body tunics with them out the front door. As they were preparing to round the corner, they heard Tresten call out “Rylek!” Lana walked o
n as Rylek turned around and met him halfway.

  “What is it?” Rylek asked.

  “I want you to know how much I appreciated you sitting with me this afternoon. It really meant a lot.”

  “No problem. It’s what friends do,” Rylek replied.

  Tresten shuffled his feet. “No, you’re not just a friend. We’re brothers. It’s good to know that there is neither person nor thing out there that can come between us. Do you have any idea how comforting it is for me to know that I can trust you with anything?”

  Rylek was shocked. He had never before heard Tresten speak like this. “Wow. Thanks.”

  “Well, I mean it,” Tresten said. “And I can only hope that likewise I can show you I’m trustworthy in the same way. I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m really thankful for you.”

  “Wow again,” Rylek said. “You’re in rare form tonight. I really don’t know what to say, except ‘thanks.’ Again. And that I think you’re right: we are definitely brothers.”

  Tresten almost smiled. “Thanks,” he said. “I suppose I needed to hear that tonight. I will see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure thing,” Rylek said. He watched as Tresten walked back to his house. Then as he started walking back to his own house, he thought to himself how he had not really trusted Tresten with everything. He most certainly had never told him about Selenor. How could he? There are some things you just never test a friendship with, he thought to himself. He doesn’t need to know.

  At least not yet.

  He walked up the steps to his house and thought again of the shadows he had fancied were secrets, and wondered how many secrets Tresten was keeping from him.

  Chapter Five:

  Two Days of Festivities

  The news of Celek’s sudden departure spread very quickly throughout the village the following day. Everyone seemed shocked at the news of his decision, since he apparently had not discussed his plans with anyone beside Tresten and Selenor. When Rylek happened to mention it at breakfast, his father abruptly wiped his mouth, stood up from the table, excused himself, and mumbled something about needing to “talk to Caenar.”