The Black Horseman ti-1

by Richard D. Parker

  ǂ

  After dinner it was completely dark outside and the wind was beginning to gust strongly, but as yet, it had not started to rain. When everyone was finished eating, Mille and the rest of the girls stood and began to clear away the remains of the meal.

  “Mille, take Gwaynn out and fetch more firewood before the rains start,” Shari said to her daughter, but gave no indication that she was in on any conspiracy. Deirdre visibly pouted, but Shari ignored her. As a mother, she understood all too well which way the wind was blowing at the moment. On the island, the facts were simple. There were very few eligible men available to her girls. Oh, there were a number of boys in town, but as a family they did not get away very often and then there was Getty Reed, the eldest boy of Tom and Jovana Reed. He was of a proper age for Deirdre, and Jovana seemed to think he was sweet on her, but Deirdre had yet to notice any of his charms. Up until the time Gwaynn had arrived, Deirdre seemed to have her mind set on a student…any student. Throughout the year she cycled through most of them. First she fancied William and then Stephen and then Krys. Getty, the son of another caretaker, was not even close to strumming her heartstrings.

  But Mille was a bit more particular and had shown little or no interest in the boys surrounding her, unlike her older sister who flitted from one to another like a hummingbird feeding. Well, Mille’s mind had finally settled on a boy, and Shari was not about to let Deirdre distract him. And besides, over the past few months Shari had grown fond of Gwaynn. There was something exotic and mature about the boy. Even though he had a tragic past, what with the shipwreck and all, Gwaynn still managed to exude a quiet inner peace that would have attracted her immensely had he come along when she was younger. All in all she wanted Gwaynn to be happy and felt that Mille was the best match for him.

  Without a word Gwaynn followed Mille outside, where she smiled shyly at him then took his hand and led him away from the house, and much to his surprise, away from the firewood.

  “Let’s check the storm first,” Mille said, speaking loudly to be heard over the noise of the wind.

  Gwaynn was less enthusiastic than the girl who led him by the hand, but he did not resist. She walked swiftly down the path to the beach, pulling him along. As they moved he watched the wind attack her blonde hair, working hard to pull it from the thong that held it back and out of her face. The thong was losing, but Mille paid it no mind. She stopped at the top of the rise that overlooked the ocean. Her hair broke loose and was now whipping nearly straight behind her, but they both ignored it, their attention riveted on the sea. The main part of the storm was still out near the horizon. Lightning lit the night sky brilliantly, briefly illuminating the distant waves. Near the shore those same waves, large and powerful, crashed against the beach and rode up high onto the sand.

  “Isn’t it…” Mille shouted, but paused to watch the force of nature with wonder.

  “Unspeakable,” Gwaynn finished for her, but he spoke barely above a whisper and she did not hear. He was remembering that last time he was in a storm on this very same sea. But even so, he allowed the girl to lead him down the pathway and closer to the pounding surf, such was the power she held over him. Once at the bottom of the hill they walked out on the beach, but not overly far, and well away from the surging water. The noise of the waves was tremendous, though down closer to the shore the wind was somewhat lessened however it still came in violent gusts.

  “Gwaynn,” Mille said and pulled him to her. They stared into each other’s eyes for several moments before moving into a mutual embrace. They kissed hard and long, pressing closer and closer to one another, oblivious to the noise and wind around them. They dropped to the sand as one, first to a kneeling position and then Mille was on her back and he moved on top of her. They continued to kiss and explore even as the first raindrops hit the sand around them. The rain became steady before they finally noticed and broke apart, sitting and panting and glancing around. The rain grew harder as they stood. They instinctively ducked from the lightning, which was now all around them, thunder boomed as they ran back up the path, laughing, neither noticing the lone female figure watching them from the top of the ridge.

  ǂ

  The next morning Gwaynn was up before Lane came to wake him. The three ate in silence as usual, but Gwaynn was barely aware of the other two men. His mind was swimming with thoughts of Mille and he lingered as long as he dared to see if she would wake, but she did not.

  “We’ll be busy checking the storm damage, don’t dally after the race,” Leek said as Gwaynn moved out the door. He was a bit disappointed with Mille, but still feeling high about the previous night never the less.

  It was much cooler as he stepped out into the dim morning air and made his way down to the beach. The rest of the students were already milling about, stretching and running in short bursts to get warm. The sea was much calmer than the previous evening, but a large swath of sand was still heavy and wet. Nearly all of the students greeted Gwaynn, but Vio just stared at him strangely and said nothing. Gwaynn wondered at her behavior, but did not have time to dwell on it as B’dall lined them up and they began to run without any signal.

  From the very beginning of the race, Gwaynn felt light and strong and he took up position directly behind Vio, which was his normal tactic. Today however, through the first half of the race and all the way to the turn he did not slowly fade behind, as was usual. At first he thought Vio was just having an off day, but as they made the turn he noticed that Krys and the others were well behind. As a group, the rest of the runners gave him little signs of encouragement as he and Vio passed by on the return run, all of course except B’dall, who merely scowled and would not meet Gwaynn’s eyes. Even Vio, from her position just ahead, spoke short words of encouragement every now and then.

  “Here we go Gwaynn,” she said when they were within half a mile of the finish, and she began to speed up and finally pulled away from her new shadow. Gwaynn found he had nothing left and was unable to increase his speed though he tried desperately. He finished in all nearly a hundred yards behind her, which was much closer than anyone else had in quite a long while. She waited for him at the finish, still moving about to cool down. When she joined him, he was too winded to speak at first so they just walked together and slowly caught their breath. They both stripped and plunged into the sea, and were just emerging when Krys finished his run and was followed shortly thereafter by B’dall. Both Gwaynn and Vio were half-dressed and Krys was nearby, bent at the waist when B’dall reached them. Without a word he swung out and struck Gwaynn in the face with an elbow as he passed by.

  Gwaynn, who had not yet pulled on his shirt, was watching as B’dall approached and was even aware of the blow coming, since it was not disguised all that well. But he forced himself to take it; otherwise he ran the risk of exposing his private sparring sessions. Though the blow caught him flush and hurt, not being able to defend against it, hurt more. He took the elbow almost directly in the mouth. His lip split and was starting to bleed even before he hit the sand. B’dall stopped and turned, intending to stand over Gwaynn, but to his surprise both Vio and Krys jumped between him and his victim, each of them crouched and ready in a fighting stance.

  “Why did you do that?” Krys asked, advancing aggressively on the eldest student in the group. His assertiveness surprised and unnerved B’dall, who slowly began to retreat. But it was the look a pure anger on Vio’s face that really made him pause. He shook his head with a growl, then turned and moved up the path without any explanation.

  “You should have defended yourself,” Vio said having witnessed the entire episode, understanding that B’dall threw the elbow with no deception. It was a blow Gwaynn could have blocked or avoided easily.

  “No,” Gwaynn said, as Krys helped him to his feet. “No one is to know of my training. Master Kostek was very adamant about that,” he added, pausing here and there to spit blood out of his mouth. His lip was swelling quickly.

  Vio frowned, wondering whether or n
ot she could have taken a blow like that or would the years of training and instinct take over before she could think about it. That Gwaynn could have restrained himself impressed her more than his running and she was about to say so.

  “Gwaaayyyn,” a cry sounded from above and they all turned in unison to see Mille running down the sandy hillside, worry written plainly on her face.

  Gwaynn blushed and Vio scowled. Krys looked at his Prince with one eyebrow raised but made no comment as the girl hurried down the dune to the beach. Gwaynn liked Mille and over the past few days could think of no one else, but at the moment he was embarrassed by her attention.

  “Are you alright? I saw him hit you. Oh my…look at your lip. We need to take you to see Pugg,” she said in one fast flowing stream of words.

  “Um vine,” Gwaynn mumbled, his lip growing past the point where talking plainly was possible. He stopped her from using her skirt to wipe away the blood and used his own shirt instead.

  Vio stormed off without another word, but Krys just stood there grinning at him. Gwaynn could see Tam and William coming up the beach and so he allowed Mille to lead him away before they arrived.

  “I saw your finish,” Mille said as they moved up the bank. “That was the fastest you’ve ever run. Just wait until I tell father. He already thinks the world of you.” She continued to talk nearly non-stop all the way to the infirmary, but Gwaynn did not mind and just silently watched her lips and mouth. He like the way they moved and he liked the way she tossed her head about animatedly, causing her loose hair to flutter about.

  ǂ

  Tar Navarra and his party were now deep into Massi territory having zigzagged their way down the country side, hitting every town and hamlet on their way to find some clue as to the passing of Afton Sath. All through the journey thoughts of the Fultan girl buzzed through Navarra’s mind like a persistent horse fly. At times he caught himself repeating her name over and over like some kind of sick mantra, and he found this disturbing. This, and the fact that they’d come across no clue of Sath’s movements, did nothing to improve his mood.

  “Perhaps he did head to the coast and leave by trireme,” Sergeant Lindsay said. He was aware of the Executioner’s bad mood, but knew there was nothing to be done for it except for possibly another Massi execution. Four more town magistrates had met their end to Navarra’s axe, but still, no one revealed any knowledge of Afton Sath’s whereabouts. Either they didn’t know or they were taking such secrets to the grave.

  Navarra did not want to admit it, but he was beginning to suspect that Sath indeed might have left the country. They should have come across some clue to his passing. Navarra still could not believe the former Weapons Master would abandon his countrymen, but he was also having trouble believing that they had yet to come across even a hint of his movements. No, Navarra thought, he would not have fled the country. It was far more probable that Sath had traveled completely cross-country avoiding all contact, not only shunning towns, but any country people as well.

  “No, I think he is still in Massi,” Navarra said, spotting a rider coming very fast down the road in their direction, a long plume of dust in his wake. The Executioner pulled to a stop and waited. Lindsay signaled his men to fan out and rode forward alone to meet the approaching rider.

  Navarra watched as they met a good distance away and spoke together for a brief moment, then both turned and moved to him.

  “King Arsinol requests your immediate return to Solarii,” the rider spoke. Sergeant Lindsay wisely remained quiet.

  Navarra’s temper flared. If they left the hunt for Sath now, his trail would go utterly cold.

  “Did the King state his reasons?” he asked, openly attempting to stay calm.

  The rider’s horse moved backwards, though it was not clear if the horse or the rider initiated the movement. “They have found the Massi Prince,” he said, suddenly very wary. The Executioner had a fearsome reputation for killing those who displeased him. “He is hiding on Noble Island.”

  Tar Navarra sat very still, then suddenly lifted his head. “Then let us return to Solarii,” he finally whispered, much to the relief of the others.

  VIII

  Gwaynn’s swollen lip did not keep him from running the next day, nor did the fact that he’d worked late the previous day helping to repair the storm damage. The damage, though considerable, was less than Lane expected.

  Again Gwaynn finished the run trailing only Vio, but after the finish B’dall just avoided him, and surprisingly Vio did as well. It bothered Gwaynn that she departed so quickly, but he did not have time to dwell on it because later that morning the Tars returned.

  They appeared suddenly, along with a number of Travelers, several Healers and one Scholar. Gwaynn was on the infirmary roof with Lane repairing a wooden gutter when the group suddenly appeared outside the main hall.

  Lane, who was perched on the very top of his tallest ladder, noticed that the lad’s attention was not on the job and turned, half expecting to see his daughter waltzing up the road. He watched as the arriving group looked about for a moment, then as one, moved into the Grand Hall, led by Tar Amon and Tar Kostek.

  “Let’s hurry and finish up,” Lane said with a frown. He could not remember when so many visitors from so many different islands were all on Noble at the same time. “Master Kostek may have something else planned for us to do,” he explained.

  Gwaynn nodded, very happy to see the Tars return. He hoped it meant that he would begin sparring with Vio again. All that afternoon he worked hard and fast, helping Lane fix the last of the most pressing damage. It was late in the day when Gwaynn noticed several Tars emerging from the hall, Tar Kostek was among them. Gwaynn hoped to catch his attention but Kostek walked off to the south in the direction his group of students usually trained in the early evening. He did not approach close enough to Gwaynn for him to ask about this evening.

  When it was time for the students evening meal, Gwaynn conveniently found himself working on a fence, which ran along the south pasture. He was near the path that led to the student’s quarters so he was confident they would pass close by once they finished their training for the day. Lane was working in the same pasture, but nearly a quarter of a mile away.

  Gwaynn was shoring up the fence posts with rocks when he could and marking those that would need additional support in the near future, but he was also keeping a very close eye out for Vio and the others. It was nearing sundown and he was actually afraid he would be called into to eat, when finally the group of tired students appeared over a rise, walking briskly home. Gwaynn could hear them talking but they were too far away for him to make out just what they were saying. He scanned the group, finding Vio and Krys, but was disappointed that Master Kostek did not seem to be among them.

  As they moved closer, Gwaynn was surprised that it was B’dall who veered away from the others and approached him.

  “Won’t be winning anymore races now, will you?” B’dall said with a smirk, and Gwaynn noticed that Vio, Krys, William and Tam, stopped on the road to listen, but not one of them approached closer.

  “What do you mean by that?” Gwaynn asked, puzzled.

  “Come on B’dall. Leave him be,” Krys said.

  “Leave him alone,” Tam agreed, but Vio just stood there with her head down.

  B’dall smiled at him. It was not a friendly smile. “Master Kostek just let us know. You’ll be going to Lato to live with the Scholars…hey maybe you can race them,” he added, reveling in the look of shock on Gwaynn’s face.

  “You never belonged here anyway,” B’dall added, then turned to join the other students. Gwaynn stood silently as they moved off, his mind in turmoil. At first he thought Vio would pass without even a glance in his direction, but at the last moment she looked up and met his eyes, hers shining with tears unshed. The look on her face was enough to convince him of the truth of B’dall’s claim.

  Gwaynn spent a subdued evening with Leek and his family. He sat, not saying much of anything
, his mind darting this way and that about his possible future. Mille was concerned, but the rest of the family dealt with his silence without much thought. They were becoming accustomed to Gwaynn’s reserved personality and it was only natural for the youth to have some down times after all the tragedy that had befallen him in his short life. For his part, Gwaynn was not truly aware of the family around him; even Mille was far from his mind. One thing he was sure of however, he did not want to leave Noble Island.

  After he picked at the food in front of him for the required length of time, Gwaynn stood and excused himself and went outside, desperately hoping that Master Kostek would arrive and tell him it was all a mistake and he would not be leaving. But as the evening slowly turned into night, Kostek did not appear either to let him know any news or to recommence his sparring sessions with Vio.

  Mille however, did appear. Gwaynn, who was sitting on a fence out in front of the house, saw her emerge. He said nothing as she approached and stopped next to him leaning on the fence. They both remained silent for several long moments.

  “Are you all right?” the girl finally asked.

  Gwaynn shook his head. “No. B’dall says that I’m to be leaving for Lato Island,” he answered bluntly, seeing no point in drawing out what was bothering him. Mille gave him a stricken look.

  “Lato…but why?” She finally asked.

  Gwaynn just shrugged. “I was hoping Tar Kostek would come by and let me know. It could just be B’dall playing with me,” he added, hoping but not truly believing it. Krys or Vio would have let him know if it were otherwise. Mille moved closer and leaned her head against his chest, but did not say anything, and in the dark Gwaynn could not see the tears slowly sliding down her face. They waited together silently for over two hours more but Kostek still did not appear and so finally they went back inside together.