by Lynn Abbey
Then Akashia raised her head. "Come back, Pavek. Come with us to the pool. You're one of us. You're a druid now. Please? Don't run away!"
But he did just that, turning and running to the hollow where he'd found the boy before.
Zvain was there all right, sitting in the grass, contemplating his toes.
"Go away!"
"I'm sorry, Zvain. I'm just a yellow-robe third-rank regulator at heart and I can't say it any better than mat. I'm sorry you got left here yesterday. I'm sorry your mother died. You must have loved her, and she must have loved you-'cause you're not bad, Zvain. You didn't deserve any of this. And I'm sorry."
The boy plucked and shredded a blade of grass.
Pavek sat down on his knees. There were ugly scratches on Zvain's back and arms to match the tears in his shirt. Pavek was careful where he touched when he put his arm around the boy and pulled him closer.
'I'm sorry. No one can give you back what you've lost, or take away the memories. But it will get better. I promise you that. All Athas is changing. We can make it change for the better. Here or in Urik. Together."
Zvain let his breath out with a shudder and a sigh, then he molded himself against Pavek's arms. They were silent a long while. Pavek felt Telhami looking at them from the trees, a part of her grove now and forever.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked when his knees had, at last, grown numb. "Do you want to stay here, or go back to Urik?"
"Right here?" Zvain raised his head with horror. "Everything watches here."
Pavek thought of Telhami all around them and chuckled softly to himself. "Not right here. In Quraite, with the druids."
"Akashia hates me."
He had no easy response for that. "Akashia's not the only druid in Quraite. I'll be here and-"fate forgive me for saying it aloud "-Ruari."
"Ru said he'd teach me what the elves know, and show me his kivits..."
In his mind's eye, Pavek saw the two of them, Ruari and Zvain, and whether it was brawling with the elves, or playing with the kivits, the images were pleasant and warmed his heart.
"We'll stay, then, for a while. I've got to go to Urik sometime-I've got to find that halfling alchemist-"
"Kakzim. His name is Kakzim. He and Escrissar had a fight, and he went back to the forests."
Pavek ruffled the dark, curly hair. "You'll have to come with me. I can see I'll need your help."
Zvain smiled, then buried his face in Pavek's shirt as he hugged him with all his strength.
You ran a fine race, all the way to the end. Your gambits played well; you've won it all, Just-Plain Pavek. Take care of yourself, now that the race is over. Take care of him and the others. Take care of my grove; I give it to you. Learn to run wild and free before you return to the city.
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Document ID: f1c85c17-6bf5-1014-bc77-fd183e6cf847
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 06.06.2008
Created using: Text2FB2 software
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