Leaf and Branch (New Druids Series Vol 1 & 2)

by Donald D. Allan

  "Sorry," I mumbled, feeling ashamed. Dempster was always so good to me and this was perhaps the last time I would spend time with him.

  Dempster laughed. "No worries, no worries. Tell me, though, before you leave, where are you staying? It's already late at night."

  "I'm heading to see the Reeve and then heading back out." I looked to the door again. I had to lie one more time with him and I wasn't sure I was ready for it. "I..I..I don't know when I'll be back in town." I glanced quickly over to him and was relieved to see him examining his new plants.

  "Hmmm," he said. I wasn't sure he had heard me. "Alright then." He turned back to me and handed over my backpack, making shooing motions with his hands. "Go, go! Off you go! Stop by when you get back."

  Before I could blink I was outside his kitchen with a slab of cold roast beef in my hand. I stared at it in wonder. That was a neat trick. How had he...? I shook my head, laughed and took a bite as I started walking over to the Reeve's office.

  I entered the gaol building that was nothing more than a large single room with two empty gaol cells made from iron bars. A table was pushed up against the wall beside the entrance and it was covered with odds and ends. The only other things in the room were the desk and two chairs and it was behind this desk I found the Reeve. He looked up and smiled when I came in.

  "Hi, Reeve," I said, slipping my backpack from my shoulders and taking a seat across from him. He was leaning back in his chair and trimming his fingernails with a knife.

  "Hi, Will," he replied. "I saw you come through the gate and head over to the inn. How's Dempster?"

  "Good. He's good." I looked around the sparse room. Nothing adorned the walls. No windows. No decorations. By the Word it was dead in here.

  "So," I began, my foot tapping on the floor. I had practiced this conversation in my head during my walk into town. I had imagined the Reeve's responses and prepared replies. My arguments were all set and in my mind I had convinced the Reeve and he had supported me. Hopefully this conversation would go as well. "I'm leaving."

  "Okay. Bit late at night but I'm sure the guards will let you pass."

  Huh? I thought. What?

  "No," I said. "I am leaving Jaipers."

  The Reeve just stared at me and raised an eyebrow.

  "I'm heading to Munsten," I said simply. This is not starting as I expected.

  The Reeve sat up and glared at me. "You're what?" he asked.

  "I'm heading to Munsten," I repeated a little louder.

  "By the Word, why would you need to do that?"

  I fumbled in my pack, pulled out the book and showed the Reeve the writings. He sat still for a while, flipping the pages back and forth, reading quietly. I sat watching him biting my lip. I needed his approval, but I wasn't sure why.

  "You were heading out right now?" he finally asked.

  I nodded, and he frowned at me.

  "That's stupid," he said. "Come. You're staying with me tonight. We need to discuss this."

  We made our way over to the Reeve's meagre house. It was provided by the town and was quite well maintained by the Reeve. He lived near the north gate which was odd seeing as the gaol was on the opposite side of town by the south gate. I asked him once about that and he told me he liked to separate his working life and his personal life. I smiled at the memory and remembered that I really didn't understand it at the time. I think I understood it a little more now.

  As I walked in I looked around to situate myself and noticed a woman's shawl hanging on a hook by the door. The Reeve saw what I was staring at and muttered something under his breath as he propelled me deeper into his home. I smiled despite my best efforts not to and shrugged off my backpack.

  He stowed my backpack in a small closet built under the stairs that led to the upper level and settled me in the dining area at his table. This house was remarkably similar to Bill Burstone's but then again, it was really only the second house I had ever been in and suspected all homes in this area were similar in design. From the table, I looked around as unobtrusively as I could and felt like I was seeing a side of the Reeve that few people ever did.

  He kept a clean house – that was for certain. He had little in the way of furniture and mostly his walls were bare, except for a couple of paintings in the living area. The paintings I recognised from the artists who sold in the open market. His living room contained a massive couch, fat with straw stuffed upholstering, and it was pushed up against the far wall with blankets and a pillow stacked on it. There was not much else that I could see: it was an austere home. All–in–all the house seemed lived in but lacked the feel of comfort. I snorted at this thought. Here I was, a man with no home critiquing the home of the Reeve. I focused my attention back to the Reeve as he puttered about his small kitchen and lit the small pot bellied stove.

  We chatted about trivial matters while I watched him prepare a surprisingly pleasant meal. We talked about my herbs and what paired best with what foods and I found myself speaking with rising interest about the recipes Dempster shared with me. Candles were lit when darkness fell and I helped clear the table and wash up. It was a wonderful meal, and I contributed by making a pot of tea using my best tea leaves. We settled back at the table and I quietly handed over the book to the Reeve and sat and sipped my tea. I watched as he studiously read the notes and the manuscript pages again.

  The Reeve was a slow reader, and it was a little while before he closed the book, clutched it in his hand and shook it before tossing it on the table where it landed with a soft thud. It was startlingly loud in the silence and the flames of the candles twisted in anger at the disturbance.

  "They opened up a hornet's nest," the Reeve said, finally meeting my eyes. "No doubt. That coin brought down a world of hurt on Bill." His brows furrowed and he looked more intently at me. "And that hurt has spread to include you and Daukyns."

  I had already come to that conclusion and waited for him to say more. The Reeve pushed Daukyns' book farther down the table in disgust and it narrowly missed the small tray of cheese that still lay between us. "There's too many questions," he said, exasperated. "It's too much to figure out for one man and one man alone and on his own. What do you seriously hope to accomplish travelling across the country on some wild chase for something that probably doesn't even exist?"

  He was talking about the Draoi Manuscript. I had doubts about finding it, but I had expected this line of questioning and I shook my head. "No, it exists. I know it does." I paused when the Reeve scowled at me. "It does," I repeated with strength and I think I was believing it. "You know what I can do with that coin! You saw what it let me do. That alone confirms that the manuscript exists. The answer is in the Munsten library and I mean to go there to find it."

  The Reeve shook his head and reached out and picked up his tea mug, forgotten while he was reading the book. He took a tentative sip of his tea, savoured the taste and nodded appreciatively to me. I smiled in return. He put down the mug and thought for a second before answering. "I know what you mean to do but you haven't thought it through all the way. It is a very long road and full of dangers. There's a reason the Protector's men guard the towns. There's a reason why traders hire men to guard their caravans on the road. The road is plagued with highwaymen – and worse! – and I can't see you alone walking the hundreds of miles to Munsten and surviving."

  "I'll be fine," I said more than just a little stubbornly, angry that the Reeve had so little faith in my ability to survive on my own. "I've lived on my own in the woods for years –all my life really! You know that. The walk to Munsten is just long – not impossible." I quickly snuck a hand out, snagged a piece of cheese and popped it into to my mouth, savouring the rich, tangy taste.

  "Humph. There's a world of difference in living in the woods south of Jaipers and surviving on the road to the other coast and all the way north to the capital. There's nobody south of Jaipers and everyone east of here. You've never been east of Jaipers, have you? Out to the other towns?"

 
I nodded my head and swallowed the cheese in my mouth. "Yes, I have. I've been out to Belger."

  "But no further, right?" He glowered at me, no doubt trying to intimidate me. "I have, Will. I used to live up north before I came to Jaipers. It is tougher up north. A lot tougher. People are hard and wouldn't piss on you to douse the flames if you were on fire. Trust me on this."

  I laughed despite the seriousness of the conversation. The image of a villager pissing on a fellow burning alive was a new one. I had never heard the expression before.

  "I'm serious, Will!" he chastised. But I smiled back at him, refusing to be dissuaded. "That man I shot, remember him?" I nodded and the sudden memory wiped the smile from my face. "You heard his accent; he was from Munsten, if I don't miss my guess. Munsten! The very place you intend to go! It should be the last place you go! Head south, hide in the hills, no one could hope to find you there with your skills outdoors."

  I was surprised to hear the pleading in his voice. "Hide? For how long? Reeve, I finally have a chance to find out more about who I am! I can't not go!"

  "I understand that, I truly do," said the Reeve more quietly. "One day you will need to go. But why right now? What's the rush? The answers, if there are any, will still be there next year or the year after that! Bide your time. Wait things out here first and see if anything else comes from this."

  He had a point, and that stopped me. Why was I in such a rush? His suggestion was not unreasonable, yet I had to admit to myself that the pull to Munsten was strong. I couldn't ignore it. Even if I agreed to wait, I knew that it wouldn't be long before my feet found the road on their own. Everything that had happened to me so recently was screaming at me for answers. If I could have run all the way to Munsten I would have. I knew that I would never be able to sit idly by now that I knew that I possessed magycs and could really help people. If I was to use this gift and use it well – and wisely – I had to get answers. I shook my head, and the Reeve sighed.

  "I need to go now," I said to the floor, not wanting to look him in the eye. "It will take me months to get there and what better time than now? I have to know."

  "You realise that there is likely to be more men coming here looking for that coin, right?"

  "Uh, yes," I said slowly but admitted to myself that I really hadn't thought too much about it. I think the Reeve sensed the lie because he snorted at me. I looked up at him. "And so what?" I said defiantly. "You said it would be you they would be after – not me. If I hide in the hills, they'd find me soon enough and I would have to come into town eventually and then they'd have me."

  Just then a thought occurred to me and I spoke it out loud as the words formed in my head. "What if I left quietly, said I was heading to the hills, but went east to Jergen instead? They'd be stuck here looking for me for months and by then I would be in Munsten, safe and sound." I slid my eyes sideways to look at the Reeve and saw his eyes widen in surprise.

  This argument shut the Reeve up for a bit and he sipped his tea and considered it. I thought it through. I would need to plant the seeds of this deception. Spread it around town. But I really didn't need to do that at all. It's what I always did. I always headed south and back to the woods. It's what people expected of me. I said as much to the Reeve.

  "That," started the Reeve slowly, "is not that bad of an idea." He looked at me and smiled at the expression on my face. "Yes, I am agreeing with you, Will!" And he chuckled. "But it has to be more than that. You'll be gone a lot longer than normal."

  I didn't understand. He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Will, you are never gone from town for more than two months at a time. It has almost been routine. People plan around that, you know. I told you that before. People rely on you in this town. This time you'll be gone a lot longer. People will notice and start asking questions."

  I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was making it up.

  "Will, after two months the people in this town that rely on your herbs and unguents are going to notice that you haven't returned and yours truly," the Reeve stabbed a thumb at himself, "will be asked to go find you. They'll assume that something happened to you. And it's me they'll come see to look into it, mark my words."

  I nodded in slow understanding. I couldn't quite grasp the why that the people of Jaipers cared about me enough to track my movements and I must have looked confused because the Reeve laughed and slapped the table.

  "By the Word, you are dense, Will!" He laughed harder at my frown. "You have no idea what you do for these people. People rarely get sick these days and it's all because Daukyns spread your unguents throughout this town for the past two years. Now that Daukyns is gone, people are already talking about what that will mean to their health. Most people have tied the two of you together and it is only your continued presence that is keeping everyone calm."

  "That's absurd, Reeve!" This was my only response that I could come up with. Daukyns' death still sat heavy with me. Memories of handing pots of unguents over to a gleeful Daukyns came unbidden to my mind, and I wallowed in the bittersweet happiness they gave me. I knew Daukyns spread the pots around the neediest in the town but little did I imagine the widespread effect of them. It seemed that I had broken my promise to my mother years ago without even realising it.

  The Reeve grew silent and I think he regretted bringing up Daukyns' name. He waited a moment before continuing. "Will, you'll be missed. People will start to ask questions and you'll want to avoid that. A good cover story will help. Something that would explain an extended absence. Even if it only buys you a few months at best."

  "What do I care?" I retorted, surprised at my sudden anger. "It's my business what I do! What would they do anyway? So what if I don't reappear in two months, or three months' time! I'll be long gone by then!"

  "They'll start to make inquiries, Will. They'll start to reach out to other towns asking about you. People will ask why they are looking for you and slowly word will get out. A strange young man who makes the most wonderful healing pots. A man who lives by himself in the woods and gathers the most potent herbs. Think about it, Will!"

  I did and my eyes widen as it sank in. Even though I found it extremely unlikely that people would care that much about me, eventually word would spread. The coin, the manuscript, Bill Burstone's murder and my herb lore were all connected somehow. Whoever was looking for the coin would follow any lead – no matter how slim – until it led directly to me. I looked up at the Reeve and nodded meekly. He grimaced in reply, seeing that I had finally figured out what he was saying.

  "They'll hunt you down, Will," he said softly. "They'll hunt you down."

  We grew silent for a while and savoured our tea and the cheese until they ran out.

  "I understand, son," he said into the silence. "I understand why you need to pursue this. I won't stop you. But I will help you. I'll cover you from this end."

  And with that the decision was made. We slowly worked out a story that I would spread throughout the town, backed by the Reeve. The story would be that with Daukyns passed on, I was heading south, likely down to Port West and wouldn't be back for a year. People would be told that I was eager to expand my herb market and thought to check out the port town and perhaps beyond. It was simple, and the Reeve said that was best. Satisfied at last, the Reeve excused himself and headed upstairs where I could hear him rummaging around.

  He came back down, stood beside me and dropped a leather scroll tube on the table, opened it and pulled out maps. I was stunned to see them. I had never seen maps; I knew about them, but I had never laid eyes on them before.

  "These were mine from my early days. They're worth a fortune but priceless to me," he said smugly as he pulled his chair up next to mine and started to educate me on how to read them.

  It took a little while, but once I figured out that I was looking down at the world as a bird might, I managed to understand them quite easily. I marvelled at the detail and traced roads and rivers with my fingers. When I pointed out how close Jergen was
to Jaipers, he laughed and explained 'scale' to me. My heart sank when I realised just how far I had to travel to Jergen – it was going to be just over a hundred miles by road and with many more miles than that to Munsten. I would be on the road for months and months.

  We talked well into the night and he offered me advice for the road and how I should divide my days. We talked about food and water and how to avoid others on the road. He convinced me that I should treat all people on the road as threats no matter how sincere they seemed. We considered that I take a barge down river but the Reeve felt it better that I shouldn't be trapped on the river and said that the road would offer me more escape routes should I need them. I agreed and didn't tell him that I wanted to stay close to the woods anyway – I needed to sleep on the ground at night. The Reeve pointed out areas where highwaymen were likely to be positioned and I noticed that strange marks inked on the map already near those same spots. When I asked the Reeve about them he quickly changed the topic.

  When we realised that we were going over the same issues over and over, we glanced at the shortness of the candles and decided to pack it in for the night.

  The Reeve leaned back in his chair and ran a hand down his tired face. "It's decided then." He paused before slowly continuing, as if giving up something precious. "I've a good friend who lives north of Jergen. He'll put you up for a spell if you need a break from the road. He has a family and a farm. Well, he has a wife and daughter – lots of farm hands, Word knows it's been years since I've set eyes on him – or her."

  I knew nothing of the Reeve's previous life and I wondered what a friend of the Reeve would be like. I didn't understand the hesitancy I heard from the Reeve in talking about him. These two shared a history, and I wondered what that might be. I also sensed that I shouldn't pry.

  "Just mention my name and he'll take care of you," he added quickly. "I'll give you some coin to give him, too. Tell him to buy his kid something nice with it. He'll understand." I nodded and looked at him. He had said nothing more about the wife but somehow I knew he was thinking about her.