Chased By Fire (Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “I know,” he said softly.

  She set her hands on either side of her desk and studied him a moment. Then she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “It’s time for you to think about your studies.”

  Tan swallowed before answering. “But I don’t want—”

  “You need to understand your gifts, Tan. Like your father, the Great Mother gifted you as an earth senser. You can learn to master that gift in Ethea.”

  “And have to serve like Father?”

  She nodded.

  After what happened to his father, he didn’t understand why she pushed him to study in Ethea. “The other sensers in Nor never went to the university. Most are like me—too weak to do anything useful anyway.”

  “How can you know how strong you can be if you never try?”

  He shook his head. His father would have understood. Had he not gone off for the king, he would’ve taught Tan himself. “What can I learn at university that I can’t in Galen?”

  “The fact that you ask tells me how much you have to learn.”

  He sighed.

  “Tannen!”

  He blinked and took a deep breath. “The king called Father to serve because he’d studied at the university. I’m just a weak earth senser. No use to the king.”

  “That’s for the king to decide.”

  “He’s not my king,” Tan mumbled. He squirmed under the look she shot him. A moment of silence fell between them and he let it settle before speaking again. “There was something else.” She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Tan pressed forward. “Bal saw Aeta.”

  “Bal was with you?”

  He shook his head. “Not with me,” he said. “I found her. She followed Lins Alles into the upper reaches but got lost. If I hadn’t found her—”

  Hopefully telling her about Bal would ease some of his mother’s anger. She knew how impulsive Bal could be.

  “And she found Aeta?”

  Tan’s frustration continued to rise.

  “And where were they traveling from?”

  “Came from Incendin direction. An old traders’ road.”

  His mother’s sharp eyes closed for a moment, quickly considering what he told her. “They crossed through Incendin?”

  The question took him aback and made him think of the darkness that trailed after them. “Can they cross the barrier?”

  His mother frowned at him. “Another reason you need to go to Ethea. The barrier doesn’t prevent all passage. Just some. You’d know that if you studied.” She came around her desk and waved at him. “Come.”

  She led him through the manor house and quickly to the lord’s office. The door stood open and she did not knock before entering, walking brusquely into the room. It was a large room, with a fireplace in one corner and walls interrupted by large open windows, letting in the warm breeze that smelled of rain. Animal hides adorned most of the remaining wall space, though the horns of an elk were displayed proudly as if Lord Lind caught the animal himself. The manor lord sat at his desk poring over a stack of parchments, and looked up at the sound of her entrance, smiling when he realized who entered.

  “Ephra,” he said warmly, setting down his pen. A dark red ink smudged his hand, looking almost like blood. “What brings me this honor?”

  The quiet snort was such that Tan knew the lord would not have heard it. Lind Alles had been pushing his mother for marriage since she had joined his staff with an insistence that irritated him. He was reassured that it still was obviously so for his mother.

  “My lord,” she answered curtly. Lord Lind only smiled wider. “Tan brings word of the Aeta. Likely traveling from Incendin.” She said the last as if it were important. She didn’t mention the strange beasts that killed Cobin’s sheep.

  Lord Lind turned toward him and the smile was still painted across his face, yet his eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed. “Truly?”

  Tan nodded, not wanting to make eye contact but knowing his mother would be angry with him if he did not. “I spied them in the mountains.” Better not to admit to Lord Lind that Bal had been with him.

  Lind scratched his chin and a bit of the dark ink stained it. He turned to look out one of the large windows of his office, staring out into Nor as if the caravans would already be arriving. “See that they set up outside of town.”

  His mother tilted her head slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know custom allows the Aeta to trade in town.”

  Lind turned back and shook his head once. “Not in town. They may set up outside of town only.” When she didn’t move, his face changed. “Do not cross me in this, Ephra.”

  “Why?”

  Lind looked down to the stack of papers upon his desk. “The king has sent missives,” he began. “There have been skirmishes on the borders of Nara and Tern. Some his strongest shapers were sent to investigate.” Lind shivered slightly.

  Some didn’t care for the abilities of the shapers and were uncomfortable with them. Usually they had no ability of their own—not even a weak sensing like Tan. He hadn’t known Lind was among them.

  “The king didn’t pass along details, only that he worries these aren’t isolated incidents. I was instructed to remain guarded against any possible threat. So I am.”

  His mother shook her head. “And you think the Aeta pose a threat?”

  Lind shrugged. “Probably not, but I won’t chance some attacker posing as the Aeta and gaining easy access to town.”

  “There is small chance someone could imitate the Aeta, my lord,” she chided. “There are few folk like them. And do you really think we have anything in Nor valuable enough to attack?”

  Lind turned away and did not disagree.

  “That’s not your only reason. What is it?”

  He said nothing and she pressed.

  “Lind!”

  He looked up at her stern tone. Tan was surprised, unaccustomed to the familiar note his mother used with the man and suddenly uncomfortable with what it meant.

  “Why must the Aeta trade outside our walls?”

  Lord Lind sighed, closing his eyes as he did before turning to meet Ephra’s gaze. “I don’t trust them,” he said simply. “Trades always seem to work in their favor.”

  His mother smiled. “The same could be said about any merchant, my lord,” she answered, her tone softening. “They are traders, and shrewd ones at that.”

  Lind sniffed. “There is more to it than that, I think.” He shook his head. “No, Ephra. They are to remain outside of town.”

  His mother didm’t argue, instead taking Tan’s arm and leading him from the lord’s chambers. She pulled him along, stepping quickly through the manor house. The occasional servant stepped out of her way, bowing as she passed. His mother didn’t acknowledge them, barely slowing until she reached her quarters. Only then did she release Tan’s arm.

  “Why are we hurrying?” He rubbed his arm where her firm grip pinched him.

  His mother paced in front of her desk, her long skirt swishing as she did and one hand clutching the necklace at her neck. “There is something I’m not seeing,” she mumbled to herself.

  Tan doubted she meant for him to hear.

  She stopped and closed her eyes, focusing inward, and her lips moved as if speaking. She stood like that for long moments before she opened her eyes again and turned to him with a fire in her eyes.

  “Mother?”

  She frowned, though the angry look in her eyes softened. She shook her head. “He doesn’t know the insult he gives having the Aeta camp outside our walls. Not that he’d care. I must see if I can soften it somewhat.”

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “You are coming too.”

  “Where?”

  “To talk to the Aeta.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Greeting Mother

  Tan followed his mother out of the sprawling manor house on the north end of Nor and down the cobbled street until they reached the edge of town. She walked with a p
urposeful stride, her back straight as always, and her hair pulled tight so the light breeze filtering through town didn’t disturb it. She didn’t glance back as she walked, trusting he followed, and Tan dared not defy her now that he saw her mood. There was a quiet intensity about her and an undercurrent of anger, though he didn’t know why.

  Reaching the low wall encircling the town, they passed through the open wooden gate. Tan had never known it to be closed. His mother stopped just outside the gate and looked up the road into the mountains. Her arms crossed over her chest. One foot began tapping impatiently while she stood. Otherwise she stood completely still.

  Tan had no choice but to stand with her. “Why won’t Lord Alles let the Aeta into town?”

  She didn’t look over. “He’s a fool.”

  “And you think to ease the message? Why do you need me here?” He didn’t object, but was surprised his mother brought him along.

  She looked over and her eyes flashed briefly. “You don’t wish to visit with the Aeta?”

  He shrugged.

  She snorted. “You can’t fool me. Not like you did your father.”

  “I could never fool Father.”

  “He might have been a powerful senser, but he had a blind spot when it came to you.” Gone a year, Tan heard how much she missed him. “Had he not, he would have pushed you to the university two years ago.”

  “I was only fourteen then.”

  “Old enough. Older than I was when I went.”

  Tan wanted to ask more but his mother never spoke of her time at university other than to say that the one good thing she took away from there was his father. “And in spite of your experience, you want me to go.”

  She fixed him with a hard look. “I want you to go because of my experience.” She sighed and turned to look back up the road. “It may be hard for you to believe, but there is more to this world than just Nor. You can experience only so much wandering the woods.”

  “What if I don’t want to experience anything more? I like tracking and hunting. I like Galen. It’s my home.”

  She looked at him again and didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Since his father died, Galen hadn’t felt the same for either of them. That, more than anything, was why she wanted him to go.

  “If I went to Ethea, what would you do?” he asked.

  She blinked slowly, her face fixed in a mask. “I would stay and serve.”

  “Because of the king?”

  She turned her attention on him again. “There is a price to everything, Tan. This is the price I agreed to pay.”

  He shook his head. She still didn’t understand. “But it’s not one I’m willing to pay. I won’t blindly go off like Father.”

  She smiled at him sadly. “If you think he went off blindly, then…” She trailed off.

  “Then what?”

  She swallowed and debated her answer. “I wish he were still here to explain.”

  “Me too.”

  They stood in silence. After what seemed an eternity, the soft tinkling of bells touched the air. Brightly colored wagons drifted out of the shadows and rolled down the lower foothills and rumbled toward town. As they neared, his mother glanced at him, her eyes warning silence, before turning to face the slowing wagons.

  She waved a hand in greeting and the nearest wagon driver waved a response. The rolled sleeves of his bright green jacket revealed tattoos on his massive scarred forearms. “Greetings,” his mother called. The man nodded but did not answer. A small smiled tugged at the corners of his mother’s mouth. “I hope the winds of Galen have treated you well and welcome you to Nor.” The man nodded again and remained silent. “We look forward to trading with the fair Aeta, but before we do, I request to speak to the Mother.”

  The wagon driver’s eyes widened a moment at the request. There was a creak and the light tinkling of bells as a door opened on a cart further down the line. A tall woman with streaks of silver in her dark hair strode confidently toward them. She wore a bright red dress and large hoops of gold hung from each ear. A wide silver band circled her throat. As she approached them, the lead wagon driver climbed down to stand next to her. He towered over the woman, standing protectively near her. Muscles strained the seams of the jacket he wore.

  “Greetings, Mother,” Tan’s mother spoke as the Aeta woman neared. “You are welcome in Nor.”

  The Aeta woman smiled and, with it, her face became radiant. “Am I? Yet you meet us along the edge of town.”

  Tan’s mother nodded. “I serve the manor lord and the king. While here, I can attend to any needs you may have.”

  The Aeta woman tilted her head in a slight bow. “I am the Mother.”

  “I am Ephra.”

  The Aeta stared at her for a moment before a curious look came to her face. “That is an interesting name,” she said, pausing and considering his mother. “I knew of a woman once, a powerful shaper, similarly named.”

  “Oh?” Her arms tensed slightly.

  “Similar, though different. She traveled among us for a time. She was not Ephra, though.”

  She tilted her heard. “I’m no shaper. Only Ephra.”

  The Mother smiled, narrowing her eyes as she nodded. “Still you serve the king. That makes you a senser of some value.” His mother waited and the Mother smiled. “I thank you for your welcome, Ephra.” Amusement touched her words mixing with a musical quality.

  Another approaching Aeta interrupted her. His eyes widened in recognition. The girl from atop the wagon. Pale yellow hair fell gently around her face and she brushed back a stray strand. A thin band of silver, like the Mother’s, circled her delicate neck. Wide eyes took everything in. A light smile turned her full lips. She was not as tall as the Mother, though she had similar features. Seeing her in the forest he had thought her attractive; up close she was beautiful.

  Something about her pulled at him and his heart began to flutter. His mouth went dry and the back of his throat threatened to close. A soft whistling echoed in his ears. He took a deep breath to steady himself, looking toward his mother to avoid staring.

  “Mother,” the Aeta said, unconcerned about interrupting.

  The Mother turned to her and frowned. “Amia. You were not summoned.”

  “I wasn’t?” Amia smiled. “But I must observe.”

  The Mother shook her head once and laid a gentle hand upon Amia’s arm, turning her back toward the wagons. “Not this time. Wait until you’re summoned.”

  Amia resisted, turning back to Tan and smiling. He felt the pounding in his chest anew. Looking back to the Mother, she asked, “How will I learn to be Mother if I can’t observe?”

  The Mother ignored the question and pushed her softly back toward the wagons. “We will talk later, Amia.” Her tone brooked no argument. Amia considered a moment before nodding and returning to the wagons. The Mother watched her until satisfied that she was safely back within the lead wagon before she turned her attention back to Tan’s mother.

  “She is young,” Tan’s mother commented.

  “She is headstrong,” the Mother countered.

  His mother laughed. “Probably. The young often are.” His mother stared at the wagon for a moment before facing the Aeta. “It is not often that one so young is named successor.”

  The Aeta paused and considered his mother again before smiling tightly. “It is not often one of the kingdoms understands the ways of the Aeta.”

  “Perhaps.” The two women stood facing each other for a long moment before his mother spoke again, glancing again to the wagon where the Amia had disappeared. “Regardless,” she started, turning her attention back to the Mother, “you are welcome in Nor. If your wagons are burdened, know that you will find us eager traders and helpful hosts. Anything you may need is simply a question away.”

  The Mother tilted her head carefully, watching his mother with suspicious eyes, waiting as if knowing there would be more.

  “As you prepare to trade, Lord Lind requests your wagons set up on the ed
ge of town.”

  The Mother sniffed softly and dark smile crossed her lips, as if expecting the offer his mother had made. Hands moved to her hips and her fingers gripped the cloth belt wrapped around her waist. “It appears we are not welcome in Nor,” she said carefully. “Rather we are welcome near Nor.”

  The large wagon driver frowned as well, looking over at the low wall circling the town.

  “I’m very sorry. Lord Lind has received missives from our king warning of attacks along the borders to the south and east. He prefers caution and asks you respect his request.”

  The wagon driver laughed, incredulity clear in the low rumble, and shook his head. “He fears the Aeta?” he asked. The Mother looked sharply at him and his laughter died as the man raised his hands in surrender. “It’s an insult, Mother, and you know it. And after everything we’ve been through—”

  The Mother shook her head, cutting the man off. “Nonetheless. We’ll respect the request and remain available for trade. Maybe it’s for the best. Our stop will be regrettably brief. We are able to stay only a short time. Tell your lordship we will soon depart from his lands.” Her manor shifted, her demeanor brightening. “But our wagons are burdened and heavy. We’d welcome trade, especially for your Nor steel.”

  “You will find the people of Nor eager to trade with the Aeta.”

  The Mother nodded once before turning and striding back to her wagon. The large wagon driver paused a moment, staring at Tan and his mother as if about to say something, before he turned and returned to his perch atop the wagon. With a whistle, the caravan started forward, moving off the road to form a wide circle on the edge of Nor.

  Tan’s mother watched wordlessly, staring intently at the wagon the Mother had disappeared into, before turning back to Tan and sighing. She shook her head as she did. “He doesn’t know what he’s done,” she said quietly, frowning.

  “Who?”

  She looked at him as if realizing that he had been there the entire time, shaking her head again. Hair that had been pulled tight did not move with the motion. She lightly touched the locket at her neck before answering, taking a deep breath as she did. “It’s customary to allow the Aeta to trade within the walls of town.”