by John Olsen
Saleena ran to her brother’s side. She rolled the thug away from him, spewing a stream of the vilest of insults she knew, then sat next to Ned and screamed in anguish as Runner let out a long howl.
Gavin stood behind her but remained quiet. She and Da mourned their loss, cradling her brother’s body. They had taken him from her. Behind her, Gavin set to work gathering stones.
Finally, he sat to rest from his labor. He picked up and studied a spaulder which had come loose near the bodies. How he could concentrate on details like that with Ned dead was beyond her. She held her brother’s body close as Gavin made a second pile of stones a distance away for the thug. Why would he build even a small cairn over the bandit who was responsible for her brother’s death?
She sat up beside her brother’s body and turned to yell at Gavin. “This is your fault. You said they recognized you. Why else would they be here?” Runner stood and watched as grief flooded through her.
Gavin came back and knelt beside her. He held his arms wide, leaving her free to punish him however she saw fit. Why didn’t he fight back? She wanted him to do something, not just sit there. She had no idea what he could have done to prevent it, but nobody could ever make up for Ned’s death.
She pounded her fists on his leather breastplate, then collapsed onto him and sobbed on his armored shoulder. He gently patted her back. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I could have done better, but I will not fail you again. That’s what a baron’s family is supposed to do, isn’t it? Protect the people?”
Saleena sobbed as Gavin sat with her. He had been their closest friend for years. This didn’t sound like the Gavin she knew. He sounded more mature, more thoughtful. Maybe something had changed. She knew she shouldn’t blame him, despite her desire to make it all his fault. Someone’s fault.
Finally, she spoke, bitterness flavoring every word. “When you find the one who did this, let me see them. Let me ask them why.”
“Of course. You deserve that.”
Once the bodies were buried under proper piles of stone, they returned to the camp, much more subdued and somber as the evening approached. As they came near the cabin, Runner lay down in a grassy spot, and Da opened the cabin door and stepped out. He wrapped his arms around Saleena and stood for a long while without saying anything.
When the embrace ended, Gavin said, “What can I do to help? We need to pack and leave as soon as we can in case more men are coming.”
Da straightened up, took a deep breath, and glanced around. “Right. Perishables from the cabin need to go into packs. We can tie those extra packs of yours together and string them across the back of one of the cattle. Since we’re not exactly hiding anything anymore, good sir, I have some raw uncut crystals to bring with us. If you would be so kind, the packs are stored up in the rafters.”
They were right. There was a lot to do. Saleena dried her eyes on her sleeve and stood up straight. “I’ll go gather the things you dropped in the field. I can see them from here.” She wanted to collapse and sob for her brother, but she didn’t believe in sitting idle while others worked. It was best to stay busy doing something—anything. She wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffed as she set to work.
Gavin’s breath caught, but he turned away as he scrubbed his face. She wasn’t the only one hurting.
Packing only took an hour.
Da had the largest pack by far, loaded down with all the uncut crystal pulled from its hiding place behind a loose stone in the hearth. Saleena had insisted on digging out the secret spot behind the stone after making their first successful crystal. Others wouldn’t understand.
Gavin saw the bulging bag and said, “There must be enough for twenty or thirty crystal pairs in there. Where did it all come from?”
“Well, good sir,” Da said, “there’s a rich crystal deposit up in the hillside near where the creek bubbles up out of the ground. Rough and impure, but clear enough to see through. My Da knew about it, but didn’t know the first thing about cutting them. I’m not sure why he never told the baron, but I learned young to not stick out, so I followed his lead. I learned the shape to cut from a fellow soldier during a campaign to the north. We had our assigned beasts and crystals, and took lots of notes and made wax molds of them. Bored young soldiers got no sense, you see, even for things that might get them banished or killed. Don’t never let your soldiers get bored, sir.”
The thought of watching Gavin lead soldiers was noble and inspiring, but his brother Stephan was the one to do all that.
Da was stubborn about manners and always used ‘sir’ to address anyone in the Baron’s family. He reminded her to do the same. He’d ignored Gavin’s requests to be less formal over the years, and sprinkled in more ‘sirs’ to make his point.
Saleena made good use of the time to treat the wounded animal, and had it cleaned and bandaged before Gavin and Da packed the last of their things from the cabin.
Gavin asked, “Will the cattle move in the dark? I hate to stay here any longer than necessary.”
Saleena answered, “Leave it to them, and they won’t go anywhere in the dark. They might get hurt, or get sick if we push them too hard, and they need their rest. They don’t work the same way a single animal does with the crystals. It’s almost like they’re one big creature with dozens of bodies. I call it a herd-brain. They’re used to working together. I can give them an idea and coordinate it, but it’s a lot easier to get them to do something close to what they want anyway. They won’t want to move in the dark.”
“I’ve never heard of herd-brains. It seems useful.”
She frowned. “All I know is the Accords forbid it for some reason. I don’t understand why, since it’s helped us to protect and train the herd. Barons don’t want to line up cattle and march them around a field to eat the best grass. The other barons would make them a laughingstock. With them, it’s got to be a wolf, bear, mountain lion, or some exotic thing with large fangs and such. The bigger, the better. They want war animals. Barons don’t have herd-brains, and I bet they don’t know how to use them either. Even something like Runner here is beneath most of them, though he’s got to be the best herd dog around.”
Da looked at the sun, low in the sky as evening approached. “We need to keep a watch tonight and leave first thing in the morning. As you said, good sir, there may be more men out there. I’ll take Runner out tonight to keep the first watch.”
That night, Saleena lay with her eyes open for a long while, unable to sleep. Had the men killed Ned by controlling the bear, or had the bear found him on its own? The men were probably after Gavin. Had Ned gotten in the way? They could all still be in danger. Were there more men waiting in the woods? Who was behind the attack?
Would Gavin tell his father about their crystals, or would he lie and become an accomplice? The law was clear. They had broken the law while protecting the baron’s herd. She had broken two of the three Accords of the Crystal Kings without ever considering the consequences. It had been an adventure at first, but later it had become a matter of pride, caring for the animals to keep them safe.
She thought of controlling the cattle through the night even if they didn’t leave until morning, but being in a trance wasn’t like being asleep. It was still a lot of work, and not the least bit restful. She suspected nobody but the cows would be rested in the morning.
* * *
They left early, just as the stars faded in the growing twilight. Gavin watched as Runner, true to his name, directed the herd with precision. Crystal training enhanced his natural instincts. He knew exactly what every whistle command meant, and what to do about it. The dog knew more commands for driving cattle than Gavin did. Come to think of it, the herd knew more commands than he did. Animals remembered everything their master did while controlling them, and they learned quickly through example and patterns.
Unfortunately, Runner’s and the cattle’s training violated laws of both the kingdom and the barony, and even agreements among the six Crystal Kin
gs. The restrictions made sense from the viewpoint of those in power. Crystals were used to train war animals, and what business did peasants have with war animals?
Emotions ran close to the surface for everyone. Gavin concentrated on the business of getting home to keep himself under control. He and Tover split watches to provide extra security for the trip now that they had to watch for more than ordinary predators. A horse would have been a great help, but his father did him no favors so long as he didn’t act like a proper baron’s son. Gavin refused to fit the mold of his father’s expectations.
Saleena was silent for the first day on the trail, and Gavin kept his distance to allow her to grieve. He found nothing to say or do to ease her pain because he, too, felt a keen loss. He had no idea how to lessen his own emotional turmoil, much less anyone else’s.
Even into the next day, their conversations were sparse and stilted, but Gavin drew her into some idle chatter from time to time as they hurried the cattle on their way. Saleena had thrown herself into the work, watching after the cattle. She regularly checked bandages and watched the trail ahead for trouble.
Gavin figured she kept her emotional demons at bay by staying too busy to think of anything but the work. That might work for her, but his demons were always there in the background of his thoughts and feelings.
They were a half day away from the castle when they set camp late in the afternoon on the second day. They couldn’t make it by nightfall, so there was no sense in making it a long day on the trail. Saleena approached Gavin before his first patrol around the resting cattle.
He spoke before she could. “I can’t just show up with the crystal pair from the bear with no explanation. I’m going to have to make up something about killing the bear myself to keep your secret. Nobody will believe me, but they’re less likely to suspect the truth if they’re wondering about my motives. If there’s a way to get around the law, I will. But secrets don’t last forever.”
She gave him a shy shrug. “I’m sorry if I hurt you when we found Ned’s body. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I know it wasn’t your fault he died. I miss him terribly. Thank you for everything you’ve done, Gavin. Or as Da would have me say, sir.”
Gavin cringed. “Please don’t do that. Don’t be like your father. I grew up with you. The more we keep things the same, the better it will help me to remember the good times with Ned.” He paused to gaze out across the brush and grass beside the trail. Faint smells of sage and cattle drifted on the air. “However, when it comes to the crystals, I need to try to keep the rules because the baron is my father.”
Saleena’s jaw dropped open. “You’re a hypocrite. Since when did you care what your father thought? I know how you dodge responsibilities. I’ve been there to see it. I’ve helped you with some of your schemes.”
“Saleena, please just listen for a minute. I also need to look out for you and your father as friends. You’ve acted more like family to me than my real family. It’s going to be tough to find the right middle ground. I will do everything I can to keep you safe.”
She nodded a slow acknowledgment and continued on a different topic. “I looked through those two packs you salvaged from the thugs. I used their sleeping gear to pad the backs of the cattle. I stored their locked case with the spaulder you salvaged.”
“What locked case? Was it inside their packs? I never looked through their things with so much on my mind the past couple of days.”
“Just a minute. I’ll get it.” Saleena stood to fetch the case, but stopped as three horses thundered up over a hill to the south.
Gavin drew his blade and stepped forward. Saleena and Tover had removed the crystals from the cattle the day before. No controlled stampede would rescue him this time. Still, Tover had a bow, and Saleena knew the basics of swordplay.
Master Draken called from horseback as he approached. His dark skin made him easy to pick out. Gavin slid his short blade back into its scabbard and began to breathe again.
Draken’s voice carried across the field as the three trotted closer. “Sir, I have to get you back to the castle immediately. Come with me, if you please.”
Whatever this was about, it couldn’t be good. Master Draken was never this polite. Draken wouldn’t discuss anything sensitive within earshot of commoners, so Gavin would learn nothing here. The other two men dismounted, and one of them handed Gavin the reins of his horse with a quick bow. The other tied his horse and strode across the field to speak with Tover. “The two of us will escort you the rest of the way to the castle.”
Gavin whispered to Saleena, “Tell your father I’ll talk with you both before I share information with anyone else. Hold tight and hope for the best. Keep them all hidden.”
Gavin mounted and rode into the early evening beside a scowling Master Draken. Gavin had seen him in a range of moods over the years, but to see Draken in such deep frustration was rare.
Gavin would rather have met anywhere but his father’s private council chamber, yet Master Draken insisted they both go straight there as soon as they handed their horses off to the stableman. It was a relief his father wasn’t there to meet them.
Draken hadn’t spoken the whole trip, allowing nothing more than a vague insistence about waiting until he knew they were safe from prying eyes and ears. It was unusual for him to be quite this paranoid.
The baronial map covered most of the table as Gavin’s father had left it, with weights holding the corners down to the thick oak tabletop. Master Draken pulled the iron-banded door closed, then tossed his dirty cloak onto the back of his usual chair, but remained standing. With Master Draken, the longer he remained silent, the more extreme the lecture. This one would be legendary.
Gavin interrupted the silence. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but–”
“Of course, you don’t know. How could you know? Word is only reaching us now as wild rumors spread among the locals.”
Gavin bit his tongue, removed his cloak and hung it on a wall peg before easing into a chair at the table, not caring if his trainer still stood. It was a breach of protocol, but he needed to sit on something besides a saddle. He wasn’t used to riding, and they had ridden hard to make it by sunset. Only after he sat down did Master Draken flip his seat around to sit across from Gavin with his arms resting on the chair back as he always did.
Gavin gestured at the chair and raised an eyebrow to let Draken know he’d noticed the lack of rebuke for his rudeness. “Do I go first, or do you? My news is important, but now I’m not sure who has priority.”
Draken wiped dust from his dark face with his sleeve and glared at Gavin across the table. “Based on the battle-worn and blood-stained armor you’re wearing, I’d say you’ve earned speaking first, but I have an obligation to fulfill. Unless I’m mistaken, I suspect we have two sides of the same story. We’ve had no time to confirm the rumors yet, but there are reports of an ambush at the Baronial Council.”
“Is my father in danger? Has he been hurt? What about Stephan?” As much as Gavin and his father had fought and argued in this room, he loved his father and wouldn’t wish him or his brother Stephan any harm.
“We don’t know. According to what we’ve heard, a large force ambushed them. King Vargas’ family, every baron, and a good portion of the baronial heirs may be dead.”
Gavin placed a hand on the table. “Dead? What do you mean? They can’t be dead. They had the best of the kingdom’s war animals on hand, and the best of the guardsmen.” He tried to put a stopper on his emotions to better consider and understand the problem, but his heart raced as he realized he might be the only Stoutheart left. All dead.
“The king’s annual council isn’t known for its military discipline, so there may have been a weakness to exploit. The rumors are already spreading among the people. To deny it would only lend the rumor credibility and speed. Luckily, most of the locals don’t understand the consequences if the rumors are true. If the news has reached us, it will spread whether it’s true or
not. The late harvests may slow the rumors, but every barony will hear before snow flies, and whatever remains of those ruling families will have their hands full keeping the peace. It will be the greatest loss of power in centuries. The kingdom itself might collapse without any other effort, much less if an outside force is at play.”
The stories were not final or proven. Gavin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “So, we need to verify the news first, and then act. We need to either dispel false rumors or take control of the barony, depending on what we learn.” He forced his emotions under control, at least for the moment, and analyzed the situation to decide what to do next.
“Your strategic grasp of the situation is far better than your swordplay, but you have the order wrong. You need to take temporary control as your first step in keeping the barony stable.” He paused and squinted at Gavin’s dirty armor. “You have a hole in that breastplate right about where your heart should be. I’m sure your news has something to do with why you’re not wearing your own armor. I found it in your locker after you left. I’d hate to think you risked your life for the sake of comfort. It’s your turn now, sir.” Master Draken tilted his head to the side, ready to listen. Draken always paid close attention to the formalities of address, but he’d never let formality get in the way of a stern rebuke.
Gavin’s concern for the Tanners and their cattle grew while possible reasons for the attack crystallized in his thoughts. If the same enemy killed everyone at the Baronial Council, Gavin would have been just one more target. Things still didn’t add up.
He described the attack by the two men and the bear in the broadest of terms, avoiding details which would incriminate the Tanners. Gavin decided all Draken needed to know was that these men tried to kill him, and they had, directly or not, killed his friend Ned Tanner.
“A bear. You expect me to believe you killed a crystal-trained bear and two men?”
