The Last Mayor's Son

by Leslie E Heath

  Kai apologized. “Forgive me, madam; I meant no disrespect. I had hoped to win your assistance this morning, but I’m afraid you won’t help us.”

  She looked around at the others gathered at the table. “You would do well to remember that things are not always as they seem. Do the rest of you believe you are wasting your time? Are you ready to leave already?”

  Dalan answered firmly. “We’re not ready to leave yet, madam. We would greatly appreciate your assistance. Early warning of our enemy’s approach would give us a substantial advantage. Please, can we count on your support?”

  Turan stared hard at the young man. “You speak boldly for one who is begging your sworn enemy for help. Is this how you normally conduct your business?”

  Aibek stood before the conversation could devolve any further. He nodded to their hosts in a show of deference. “Please forgive my companions. Emotions are running high, and we seek help from any available avenue. You helped save me once before, and we will be forever grateful if you will assist us once again. Will you please help us?”

  As soon as he finished speaking, Aibek took his seat once again and waited for a response. The tension in the room was palpable as the king and queen stared at their visitors in silence.

  “What exactly do you want us to do?” The elf king asked with a thoughtful air. “You surely do not expect me to send my people into your village.”

  Aibek answered respectfully, keeping his eyes on the table. “No sir, we would hang a lamp at the south end of town and one at the north end and would ask you to light these lamps when the army has entered the forest. Your network is vast, and you gather information about the entire Tsari quickly. This simple alert would give our warriors time to prepare to fight.”

  He wondered what their hosts could be thinking as they looked from face to face around the room.

  It was Turan who finally spoke. “I do not think we can agree to anything today. Please come back and visit soon. We have much to discuss, but I believe we are finished for today.” His gaze bored into Aibek’s. “Please leave your friends at home the next time.”

  Having apparently lost interest in his visitors, the elf king turned and began talking to Idril about how colorful the leaves were this year.

  The Nivakans stood and trudged to the door, and their escorts led them back through the village and to the main trail. No one spoke, but everyone appeared disappointed in the outcome of their visit. They walked quickly back to Nivaka. The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon when they reached the southern entrance. Just before they re-entered the village, Aibek asked if anyone needed to meet with the rest of the council for discussion. No one did, and they went their separate ways once inside Nivaka. Aibek thought Alija had held up quite well during the day, but the wounded man looked tired and pale as he shuffled toward his home.

  18

  Fairies

  Aibek watched his new friends disperse within the borders of the village, then he retreated down the stairs they had ascended a few minutes earlier. The weight of the day’s failure crushed him, making breathing difficult, and he sank onto the bottom step. He cradled his head in his hands and wondered what to do as the frustration of the past few days settled on him like a heavy cloak. He had let down his friends. He should have been able to convince the ground rulers to help them. If they were going to have a chance to win, they needed a warning that the army was near. Deep down, he knew that if they lost, no other villages in the Tsari would attempt to win their freedom.

  Then there was the issue of the prisoner. Aibek was confident the girl wasn’t the one who had attacked Alija, but she was protecting whoever had.

  What am I missing? Have the other council members visited the woman? Have they gotten any more information than me? Who was the woman who visited the prisoner last night?

  He stood and wandered down the path through the dimly lit wood, kicking at stones as he went. He relived the entirety of their visit to Kasanto in his mind and realized that things had only gone sour after Kai’s whispered lament. He had offended the queen and ended the day’s discussion. Aibek fought against the tide of anger that rose in him and tried to remember that Kai had only reluctantly agreed to ask their enemy for help.

  Ultimately, the fate of the entire forest depended on the outcome of this one battle. If no one fought against Helak, the dictator would cut down the most cherished trees in the wood for his own plans.

  He stayed in the dim solitude of the forest for what seemed an eternity, wishing for someone to guide him or tell him that things weren’t as bad as he thought. He watched the leaves blowing in circles on the ground and listened to the rustle of branches overhead, then inhaled the earthy scent of the forest. It was a salve to his soul, so he repeated the exercise and let the calm of the Tsari seep into his being.

  Finally, the deepening shadows forced the mayor to return to the warmth and safety of the village. There was still much to be done. Besides, the king had said they had more to discuss. Maybe there was hope, after all. Perhaps the king had simply been upset by his friends’ behavior. He decided to find Serik and see what he thought of the visit.

  Re-energized, Aibek bounded up the stairs and into the village. He secured the entrance and went in search of his oldest friend. He found Serik in Valasa’s courtyard, on the same bench where Aibek had found him yesterday.

  He cleared his throat and laid a hand on his dear friend’s frail shoulder. “Well, that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.”

  “No, it didn’t go well at all.”

  Aibek waited for more, then said, “What should we do now? They said there was more to discuss. Should we go back without the others?”

  Serik finally opened his eyes and looked at his companion. “Yes, I think that is exactly what we should do. Your friends need to learn when to keep their thoughts to themselves.”

  Aibek nodded, and they agreed to return to Kasanto later in the week without the rest of the group.

  They sat in comfortable silence and listened to the chirping of a brilliant red bird until it flew away, then went to check on the progress of the mayoral home on the square. They found the work progressing quickly and were pleased with what they saw. Aibek wanted to visit his parents’ room once again but ultimately thought it best not to disturb the workers. Instead, they wandered through to the courtyard and discussed the events of the day until it was time to return for the evening meal. Aibek’s stomach rumbled. The king and queen had offered them no food or drinks during their visit, and no one had thought to take any with them.

  ~*~

  While their friends were visiting Kasanto, Faruz and Wayra agreed to accompany Ahren and Zifa on their errands in the village. They began the day gathering leaves with a large, noisy party of villagers. Ahren had told Faruz the workers would make the fallen leaves into zontrec, which the seamstresses would then turn into upholstery and curtains, as well as clothing for the villagers.

  He was enjoying the energy of the group as they all laughed and joked with each other. Faruz basked in the joy of being included as one of the locals in such a fashion, and he wondered if he would ever want to leave and go back to the city. He thought he just might stay here forever.

  As he worked alongside Ahren, he decided this was the perfect time for a long-awaited discussion. He kept his hands busy gathering leaves while he searched for the right words.

  “Why did you hate us so much when we got here, anyway? What did Aibek do that made you so angry?”

  The white-haired girl flushed bright red, dropped her head and said, “I thought he was just another stranger coming to take over and control our lives.”

  Her voice was so low that he had to strain to hear her answer, then she began gathering leaves again with renewed energy. He wanted to ask if she knew anything about the attacks on the council, but before he could, she stood and rushed over to where Zifa was working on the other side of the clearing. The rest of the morning passed quickly as they all worked to gather and pre
pare the leaves for storage.

  When they’d finished gathering and washing the leaves, Faruz and the others returned home for lunch. As they were eating a cold meal of autumn squash and leftover fowl, Valasa approached them with an assignment for the afternoon. A fairy had fallen ill and he needed them to take a vial of medicine to her. Faruz was intrigued; he’d never seen where the fairies lived and had never considered that they might get sick like anyone else. The Gadonu handed the tiny ampule to his daughter, and they promised to take it to the ill fairy as soon as they finished eating.

  Faruz couldn’t remember anyone mentioning the fairies’ homes before, and he was sure he’d never seen any tiny houses. “Where do the fairies live, anyway? Are they near here?”

  Zifa looked up at him and smiled. “They live in little cottages suspended from the branches in the very top of the trees. To get it to them, we’ll use a hoist to raise someone up to them. Ahren will probably go up since she’s the smallest and lightest of our group.”

  The others nodded in agreement, and the friends continued their meal in comfortable silence.

  Faruz tried to picture this and failed. He shrugged and decided he’d see it for himself soon enough. He thought that dangling from a rope above the boardwalk could be fun, but also quite dangerous.

  When they had finished eating, they shuffled out the door to complete the assigned task. The group headed to the north end of the village, talking and laughing as they went. After a few minutes trying to get Zifa’s attention, Faruz touched her lightly on the arm and leaned in close to point out a pair of small monkeys playing in the branches of a tree at the edge of the boardwalk.

  She turned in the direction he pointed and laughed, “Look how funny they are! I haven’t stopped to watch them in ages.”

  She smiled and looked up, then realized that Ahren and Wayra hadn’t stopped with them. She straightened quickly and hurried to catch up to her friends, though she was still smiling. He followed at a somewhat slower pace and wondered what she thought of him. She was so serious most of the time; her smile had been like a rare ray of sunshine lighting up her face. He hoped he could coax more smiles from her during the afternoon.

  After a short walk towards the west end of town, Ahren turned and pointed to a platform about ten feet above the park where they stood.

  “Here we are!” Zifa announced with another blinding smile.

  Faruz stared until she turned away, then followed her gaze into the trees.

  A ladder attached to a nearby tree led up to a narrow platform. Without waiting to see if the others would follow, Ahren nimbly made her way to the top. The rest of the group scrambled up after her, and in a few minutes, everyone stood on the structure above the boardwalk.

  “Now comes the hard part,” Ahren said. “One of us has to climb the tree and attach our rope to the hook hanging from the hoist.”

  She pointed to a hook secured to the trunk of a tree another fifteen feet above them. Faruz tilted his head back to peer into the tops of the trees, then felt a little dizzy and focused his eyes on the wood at his feet.

  “The fairies keep it up high, so children don’t climb up and bother them. They like their privacy,” she explained.

  Zifa volunteered, “I’ll do it. I’ve done it several times before.”

  She started climbing the nearest branches before anyone could answer. Faruz realized this must be why the women here wore pants as often as they wore dresses—so they could climb the trees without getting tangled in yards of fabric.

  He watched, enthralled, as Zifa swung gracefully to the hook, freed it from where it was anchored to the tree and attached it to their rope. She released the other end of the line, and it extended just past the top of Faruz’s head. When she finished the task, she shimmied down the rope to the platform where the others waited.

  Wayra clapped her on the back when she landed on the wooden floor. “Well done! I’ve seen you do that before, but it’s always amazing to watch. Excellent job!”

  Faruz echoed his praise, but she shook her head. “I never took an interest in learning to sing and dance and sew like all of the other girls. My mother all but gave up on me because I always preferred to be outside climbing trees. We live in this wonderful place where we’re surrounded by branches and trees that are perfect for climbing. Why not enjoy them?” She grinned shyly and looked up through her lashes at him.

  Faruz thought she sounded a little defensive and wondered at the reason. He thought she looked graceful and lovely swinging from the trees. Her strength, confidence, and coordination were impressive.

  While they were talking, Ahren strapped herself into the harness, clipped it onto the end of the rope and held up the other end. “Who wants to pull me up?”

  Wayra stepped up and took the rope from her hand. “Ready?”

  Ahren replied with a grin. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Wayra immediately started pulling his end of the rope, hoisting her into the air as the others watched.

  Faruz watched their progress for a while, then peered up into the trees. This time, he focused on individual branches and small details to ward off the dizziness. He’d never seen a fairy house before, and he wanted to see what they looked like. It took several moments of hard searching before he could make out the shapes of the tiny homes suspended among the treetops. They looked like elaborate birdhouses, except that they had doors instead of perches.

  They were clustered close together on the branches and held apart from one another by wooden rods attached to the bases. One house had a tiny lantern lit outside the door, and it was this home that apparently held the ill fairy. As he watched, Ahren reached the house and tapped gently on the door with one finger. She waited until a little person opened the door and took the vial from her. He couldn’t hear what was said, but the fairy appeared to thank her and closed the door gently as she went back inside. Ahren signaled for Wayra to lower her back down.

  When he looked down again, Faruz noticed Zifa watching him intently.

  “I forget sometimes that this is all new to you. Fairies are forest creatures, and you grew up in the city. Had you ever seen one before you came here?”

  “No, I honestly thought they only existed in the bedtime stories my mother told me when I was young.” He gave a little laugh. “I’ve seen a great deal here that’s new to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to city life after this.”

  “Is that your plan?” She looked down at her feet.

  “It was at first. I had no idea how wonderful this place is, or how quickly I would feel like I belong here.” He was a little concerned by the sadness he saw on her face, so he tried to change the subject. “What about you? What are your plans?” He tried to hold her gaze as he asked.

  “I don’t know.” She glanced at her friend descending through the trees and fidgeted with the ribbon at her waist. “Most girls dream of starting a family and taking over the duties of a retiring seamstress or cook.” She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “I’ve always wanted something more than that. I want to fight along with the men to save our home. I refuse to be shuffled away somewhere ‘safe’ to wait and wonder what’s happening. After that, I don’t know.”

  Faruz frowned. “Is there some rule against women becoming warriors here? In Xona, there were several women in my class at the academy. They’re accepted as outstanding officers and fight alongside the men to defend the city.”

  “I don’t think there’s a rule against it. For hundreds of years, there haven’t been any warriors here at all, but everyone thinks it’s the men’s job.”

  She kept her eyes on Ahren’s descent, though he wished she would meet his eyes.

  “I’m sure you aren’t the only one who feels this way,” he reassured her. “It’s a good thing you’re on the council, so you can be an example for others who want to protect their homes. Aibek said the other villages will likely send women, too, so you won’t be alone.”

  Just as he finished speaking, Ahren
reached the platform, and Zifa rushed over to her friend. She stayed near Ahren for the rest of the afternoon.

  As they walked back to the square, Ahren told the group the fairy had said she wasn’t sick. The tiny person had been injured by one of Helak’s men in another village when she was returning with a message for Valasa. Zifa wondered aloud if they had lost any critical information – or any fairies – that way. They discussed this possibility briefly but finished the walk in silence. It had been an eventful day. Faruz was pleased to see that Aibek and Dalan were in the den when he entered the house. He had a great deal to discuss with his friend but thought it would have to wait until they could be alone after supper.

  ~*~

  Zifa came in with Ahren and stayed through the meal. It had been a very long time since they’d had a sleepover, and she thought it was time to resume the habit. The two friends left the men in the main room as soon as they finished eating and went to Ahren’s sitting room. They’d been best friends since they were toddlers, but they hadn’t had much time to themselves lately. Zifa led the way in and plopped down on the fluffy sofa in the center of the room. Her friend followed more slowly, pausing to close the door behind her before lowering herself to the armchair near the couch. They chatted amiably for a while about everything that had been happening, including the marriage of their two close friends.

  Zifa sighed. “I wonder if I’ll ever get married.”

  “I’m sure you will. It won’t be long before one of these buffoons realizes how gorgeous you are.”

  Zifa laughed. “You’re right. Maybe one of the men coming from the other villages.”

  “Or maybe one that’s already here,” Ahren hinted. At her friend’s confused look, she continued, “What about Faruz? I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “He’s funny, but I don’t know if he’s even going to stay here. Honestly, I don’t think he knows what he’s going to do yet. I’m not willing to leave Nivaka, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”