by B. T. Narro
“He died before I was born.”
“Fine.” He pointed at Leo. “You. Where do you work?”
“The Bookbinding Guild as well, sir.”
The commander directed his attention back to Andar. “So that must mean you work on a farm, for this is a house provided by the Farmers’ Guild.”
Andar had a blank look as he stared at the commander. But even though his expression revealed nothing, Leo could feel his brother’s anger.
Leo seemed to be experiencing more of Andar’s emotions lately. Sometimes Leo felt them so strongly that he wondered if it was more than just empathy. Perhaps there was something related to Artistry that caused this. Their father had discovered something about them soon before he disappeared, but he hadn’t explained what it was. It was worry that Andar should’ve felt now, not anger, for Andar had been banned from all farm work.
“I was recently excused from my work at Rhenol’s farm, the farm closest to here,” Andar answered. There was confidence to his words, though Leo didn’t know where it was coming from. “He’s the farm master there. He’s always tried to embarrass me, but he did something truly heinous recently. He paid an Ascendant to link a golden plate to a golden vase, then he told me to clean the plate. He planned for me to break the vase so he could take my hand, but I figured out there was a link. I confronted him about it and left his mansion, but he announced for others to hear that I was stealing from him! He told me not to come back. He even said no Litxer would work on a farm again. It was un-just! He deserves punishment like Marcus does.”
The commander seemed to ponder that for a moment. He no longer leaned over Andar, though he still towered over the thirteen-year-old boy.
“Tell me everything of what happened in full detail, from the beginning to the end.”
Andar gladly obliged, speaking until the commander put up his hand toward the end of the story.
“I see. Well, the laws of this city favor men like your farm master. What you described may be unjust, but nothing can be done about it.”
“But he would’ve taken my hand!”
“That cannot be proven, and he did not hurt you.”
“What of the king’s laws?” Andar argued. “Don’t they apply everywhere in the human kingdom?”
Leo couldn’t tell what laws Andar might be referring to, or even if Andar actually knew of something that applied to this situation. But what Leo did know was that his brother would seek justice no matter how slim the chances might be.
“Yes, the king’s laws apply,” the commander said. He had begun to sound tired, seemingly ready to end this. “But farm masters still have the right to ban anyone from working on any farm they control. It does not matter if they provide a reason or not. There are no laws here to protect you. In fact, there is one rule of Jatn of which you are well aware, I’m sure. If you wish to stay here, someone must work on a farm and at least one member of the household must be an adult, fourteen or older. I can see from your papers, Andar, that you are only thirteen. Now, Rygen Nexi would be allowed to stay here with the rest of you, but only if Rygen started work on a farm and Darren Litxer returned before a week is up. I know that’s the maximum time the Farmers’ Guild allots to families in your situation.”
Although Leo already knew this, along with the rest of them, it was still depressing to hear it aloud. They really would be losing their home.
“When was your dismissal from the farm?” the commander asked Andar.
He let his head fall slightly to glare out from the tops of his eyes as if the man before him might be his enemy.
“Yesterday.”
“Then you still have six days and nights. I don’t want to see the three of you become beggars on the street.”
“Then help us,” Leo said as he stood. “You must have the means. We all work, every day. We do not beg.” He swallowed before lying. “We do not steal. Our parents are gone, but Andar will be a man in a few months.” It was another lie, for Andar’s birthday wasn’t for about half a year.
Rygen stood and spoke with a quiet voice that made Leo miss her old one. “I will start work on a farm. Please, sir. We cannot be without a home.”
The commander, with a long mouth, cast a heavy gaze upon Rygen. “I’ve tasked myself with personally discovering the situation of every poor family in this part of Jatn. I’ve only gone to half the homes like yours, but I can already tell that there are many who have as little as you do. I can’t give everyone what they need.”
A fierce sadness took away Leo’s strength. He had gone so long without sleep since his father’s disappearance yesterday that now he felt as if rocks had been heaped on his shoulders. He could stand no longer, collapsing into the chair. He didn’t know how he was supposed to go on.
Was any of this his fault? He had been the one to fetch the commander. No, this was inevitable. Was there anything they could do before they lost their walls and roof? The wood of the walls was discolored and scratched. The roof leaked during a storm. But everything Leo and his brother owned was in this wretched place. Andar had even brought all of Rygen’s belongings here. Life would be difficult, but they would make it. They had each other. They just needed shelter. If that was to be taken away, then Leo didn’t see the point of going on.
He felt tears coming to his eyes. He was ashamed when he noticed his brother’s gaze, especially when Andar took on a look of pity and turned to the commander to say something, only for nothing came out. Andar’s head hung and his shoulder slumped.
“I do apologize for your situation,” the commander said. “For now, keep up your work. If your house is taken away by the Farmers’ Guild, then you must report to the orphanage. They will find a place for you.”
“Orphans of Jatn are better off on the street,” Andar grumbled with some bite to his words. When the commander looked over, Andar spoke up. “Those children are passed around like slaves, used until they can offer nothing more or until they disobey their master, I mean their ‘guardian.’ Then they are sent back to the orphanage, if they are lucky. The unlucky ones are beaten or behanded. Everyone with any power lords that power over the poor. The rich are so eager to take our hands, thinking of them as trophies. I saw a beggar on the streets with a hand missing, a boy as young as my brother! What could he possibly have done to deserve to lose his hand? That will plague him for the rest of his life! And while he begs and misses his limb, men like Rhenol just get richer.”
“I know how things are,” the commander said, but Andar wasn’t finished.
“He gloated as he banned me. He relished the fact that he knew this would destroy my family. And why? Because I was a difficult worker. I talked back. I made fun. But I always did as much work as anyone else. I never stole from him. I never slacked. Now you tell me that we will lose our house because of him and there is nothing you can do about it. But I know there is. You are a commander of the most powerful army in the world.” Andar took a deep breath and seemed to calm. “You have let me speak so far. You listen. You are different than the overseer of the farm. I would never beg a man like Rhenol, and I have never begged anyone else…”
Andar got down on his knees, his eyes glistening with burgeoning tears. “Please, sir. All we ask is to stay here. This isn’t even a good house. We deserve better than these walls and this roof, but it’s still all we ask for. I will do anything so long as it’s fair.”
Andar really had never begged; that was the truth. It made Leo feel sick to his stomach to have to watch his brother do something that Andar would be ashamed of for a long time.
The commander couldn’t seem to handle it either, motioning with his hand for Andar to stand up.
“Enough of that. Here’s the only thing that I can do at this moment. It is fair, as you’ve said, but that doesn’t mean it will be pleasant.”
Andar nodded as he wiped his eyes.
“You said your father was a digger, and you seem strong in both mind and body. You can be a digger as well, but I have to be able to trust you.”
“Yes, but I will not be doing you a favor. Your salary will go to the Farmers’ Guild to pay for this house. You will be fed every meal, but you will not see any coin. This benefits both of us, which is the only reason I can agree to it. It might not sound fair to you at first, but I guarantee you that it is. The payment to the Farmers’ Guild for this house should equal your salary as well as the other things provided to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, except for one thing. I will gladly dig in the caverns, but doesn’t the Diggers’ Guild control the Tisary there? And that guild is owned by the Farmers’ Guild.”
“Tomorrow my army takes over the Tisary, and you won’t just be digging through the cavern. Your task will be much more difficult.”
Leo could not hold back his question. “Why does his task have to be more difficult than others?”
“It doesn’t have to be. It just is. It’s something that must be done, and I have no one else assigned for it yet. Your brother seems willing, so I see no reason to force one of my soldiers to do it.”
“I am, sir,” Andar said with a nod.
“And you’re desperate as well.” The commander spoke as if it were a compliment. “Which should mean that I can trust you, but we will see. Meet me outside the cavern tomorrow. Do you know where it is?”
“I do.”
Rygen asked, “He won’t be fighting, will he?”
“I have many men, older and more suited for fighting, my dear. What I don’t have are many men I can trust who are not fully grown.” He returned his focus to Andar. “Am I right to assume that you don’t frighten easily?”
Andar nodded his head. “Yes sir,” he answered proudly. “Nothing scares me.”
Except poverty, Leo thought. No one can embrace that without fear.
“Good,” the commander said. “I will see you at the cavern just after sunrise. If there is a rebellion when my men take control, then you will stay back until it is finished. You do realize that this means you will be working for the king’s army now?”
Andar didn’t reply.
The army commander prodded, “Change your mind?”
“For how long am I to do this work?” Andar asked.
“That depends on many questions I cannot answer right now.” The man waited for Andar to reply, but still Andar said nothing.
“It has become quite late,” the commander said.
Andar looked as if he wanted to ask more questions, but soon he gave a resigned sigh. “I will be at the cavern tomorrow.”
The commander turned to leave.
Andar called after him, “I expect breakfast will be provided because you said I will be fed every meal.”
The commander spun around. “Boy, I might have to end the lives of hundreds of men who are likely to rebel when we take over the Tisary, and I’m supposed to worry about your breakfast as well?”
“But you said…”
“I know what I said, but you will provide your own breakfast tomorrow, understood?” The change in the commander’s attitude came as a surprise to Leo.
“Yes sir,” Andar said with a frown.
The commander left and closed the door after him. Leo had the urge to hug his brother, though Andar didn’t seem to be in the mood as he stared at their door with a longing look.
“Why was he so different all of a sudden?” Leo asked. Andar understood people better than Leo did. He would have the answer.
“Because I’m no longer his citizen. I’m his worker now, nothing more.”
“But he still cares,” Rygen said.
“In a different way than before.” Andar adjusted his chair at the table. “Come on, we have to eat and get to sleep.”
Leo and Rygen shared a look of concern. Andar might’ve just given over his life to the same powerful army that had an order out for the arrest of DVend Quim, the birth name of their father. This same army might even kill their father one day.
“At least now you don’t have to work on a farm, Rygen,” Andar said without looking up from his bowl.
She stared at him until he met her gaze. “You’re doing too much for us, Andar,” she said. “There has to be more that we can do.”
Leo looked to his brother with hope.
“There isn’t,” Andar told them plainly. “You and Leo will make as much coin as you can by continuing your work at the Bookbinding Guild. It doesn’t sound like I’ll be home for supper anymore, though. The two of you will have to procure the food you need. Can you do that?”
Can we do that? Of course. Andar was taking everything onto his back and leaving nothing for Leo and Rygen to carry. Leo wanted to object, but what could be done?
He was too tired and angry at the situation to eat, but he forced the food down anyway. The three of them were silent for a long while. This was not fair for any of them, but especially not for Andar.
“Father might return,” Leo practically whispered, scared of how his brother might reply.
“He can’t!” Andar shot back. “Soldiers of the king are everywhere. He was probably seen running with Erisena, the leader of the rebels. They’ll kill him the next time they see him.”
Leo held back his rage as he replied, “Then he will come at night, when he can’t be seen.”
“For what? A hug? He’ll have to leave before morning!”
“Not just a hug. He’ll give us back all the coin he had with him when he left,” Leo informed his brother as calmly as he could. It was a strain to keep himself from screaming. “And to tell us which horse and carriage he had purchased before he left. We can then pick them up and resell them once we know where they are.”
“If he trusted us more, he would’ve left some coin with us, and he would’ve told us which horse and carriage he had purchased earlier.”
“He obviously didn’t expect to be taken away,” Leo retorted.
“That doesn’t matter,” Andar muttered. “He took all the coin I had made from stealing from the rich, and I won’t have any time to take more. He should’ve trusted us.”
“He will find a way to at least get it back to us.”
“He won’t, Leo!”
“He will!” Leo yelled, though he at least refrained from slamming his fist on the table. He could see he was scaring Rygen, but he couldn’t let go of his anger.
Andar said, “No, Leo. Our father won’t be able to find a way back because the rebels he’s with are still being chased as we speak. The soldiers wouldn’t just let them get away. The only way he’s still alive is if he’s still running, so we have to assume that’s what’s happening. He won’t have a chance to come back for months, possibly years.”
“You don’t know that. He could separate from the rebels to come back for us.”
Leo and his brother stared at one another. Andar looked as if he wanted to hit Leo, which only angered Leo more.
“If it’s possible,” Leo continued, “then he’ll find a way.”
“But it’s not possible!”
“Please don’t argue,” Rygen pleaded.
Andar ignored her. “He would not risk coming back into the city unless the soldiers leave. If one of them sees him, or if—skyfire and ash—if they see him make contact with us, then we’d be treated as rebels, too. There’s no way he would risk that. You need to understand that right now. The only reason the commander didn’t arrest us already is because we’ve had no contact with Father. It has to remain that way for us to stay out of the dungeons. Do you understand, now? We won’t see him again.”
“I don’t care about your reasoning,” Leo argued. “He will come back.”
Andar let out his breath in frustration. “Fine, believe what you want if it helps you get through the night, but one day you will come to realize that I’m right.”
“If he c
an’t get into Jatn, then I will wait outside the city every night for him.” Leo stood from the table and went to fetch the only coat he owned. “He might already be there hoping one of us comes.”
“Leo, it’s black as shadow outside the city. You could get hurt or even lost. And even if he was out there, you wouldn’t find him.”
“I will, because I know where to look.” Leo headed for the door before Andar could go after him. Leo truly did believe his father would be by the river. If not tonight, then another night. He would find him eventually.
“Dammit,” Andar cursed and sounded to be getting up as Leo left the house.
Leo ran through the dark streets. Andar was faster, but Leo had a head start. He ran as fast as he could.
“Leo, stop!” Andar called from close behind. Leo had to pick up speed. But soon he kicked something in the dirt road. He stumbled and started to fall, but his brother grabbed his arm and steadied him.
“Stop, please, Leo.”
Leo didn’t know why he listened, perhaps because he couldn’t bear the thought of wrestling against his brother, which seemed to be the only way to free himself.
He didn’t know exactly why or how it happened, but suddenly Leo was on his knees weeping. He was so tired in that moment that he felt close to death, so sad that he almost wished his next breath would be his last. Andar came down to his knees and wrapped his arms around Leo, giving his shoulder for Leo to cry on.
How was he supposed to get up when he didn’t have any strength? But then Leo remembered that his brother had it even worse than he did. At least Leo would still work at the Bookbinding Guild and wasn’t forced to do something scary for the army.
A refreshing hope entered his thoughts. It might be true that they wouldn’t see their father again, but they would be able to get through this. He could feel his brother sharing this hope even though they spoke no words.
“I’m sorry,” Leo said, drying the last of his tears on his sleeve. “I’m not going to cry anymore.”
“Oh Leo, it’s okay if you cry.”
“No, it’s not. There are better things to do than cry. If I’m not going to wait outside Jatn for father, then I would rather sleep.”
